Page 66 of Hot to Trot

"I don't think I'd waste time. No teasing. No unbuttoning. I think I'd shuck those shorts of yours, lift you up, and worry about picking splinters out of your back later."

She laughed. "Oh, you're one of those guys, huh? Wham, barn, thank-"

"Oh, no. You'd be thankingme."He laughed against the softness of her throat. It was so tempting. He could lower his lips half an inch and they would brush against her satin skin. But if he did that, he wouldn't stop until she was naked beneath him. So he pulled back. "I'm not sure I can continue this, not without touching you. And if I touch you-“

"We'd both spin out of control."

He stepped away. “You know how much I want you, Scarlet."

Her gaze slid to his crotch. He swore it felt like a caress. He nearly gave in. Nearly grabbed her, took his pleasure, be damned the consequences. Her eyes met his. "I think do."

He grimaced. "You know, this is purgatory. This whole integrity, moral-compass stuff."

"Yeah, but it's who you are. You’re consistent. Honorable.”

He shook his head and started toward the porch and the light of reality burning steadfast in the night. "Come on. Before we're tempted to say to hell with it and strip down naked."

She sighed and buttoned her blouse. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

They crossed the yard shoulder to shoulder and, like moments before, they were so close, yet so far away from what they both wanted. Rayne appeared at the screened door. "Hey, where did you two get off to?"

Her voice was teasing and it bothered him. Rayne would assume they were up to no good. Of course, they had been up to no good. Kind of.

"We were walking the perimeter. I stopped by to let Scarlet know Harvey Primm has been following her around. I want her to be doubly careful over the next few weeks."

Rayne pushed the door open and stepped out. Worry creased her face. "He was here the other day. Did you tell him, Scar?"

Scarlet nodded. "Yeah. He's probably looking for some dirt on me or you. Maybe some sort of leverage to shut me up, but he's a little weird. Who knows with people nowadays?"

"Exactly. So what are you going to do, Adam?"

"Not much I can do other than keep a closer eye on him. As long as he doesn't trespass on your property, he's not crossing a line."

"Well, thanks for coming by and checking on me," Scarlet said, climbing the porch steps to stand beside her sister. "Your concern was... touching."

He didn't miss the play on words. Neither did Rayne. "What does that mean?"

Scarlet chuckled. "Nothing. I nearly lost my way out there and the chief kindly redirected me."

"Y'all are talking in circles," Rayne said, her gaze swinging from her sister to him.

He cleared his throat. "Nothing to worry about, Rayne. Scarlet likes to tease."

That was the understatement of the decade.

"Survey your surroundings before you get into your car or check the mail. If you see anything funny, call me at the station."

Rayne nodded. Scarlet merely watched him, her gaze hard to read. Would he ever understand her? She was a puzzle. So saucy and bold but also surprisingly levelheaded and sincere. A man could go years and years and never solve her.

''I'll head around the side. Night, ladies."

He saluted, then crunched through the crushed gravel toward the front of the house, allowing his eyes to swing left and right, combing the shadows.

The most logical explanation for Harvey's illogical behavior was that he hoped to catch Scarlet acting inappropriately in order to paint her in a bad light in his tattler newspaper. Which was all the more reason to keep his vow when it came to Scarlet. Even if it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

Adam reversed the cruiser out of the drive, and headed toward the station. He needed to add a notation to the file he kept on Harvey and it would be best to stickone in Scarlet's, too. He'd learned early on that documentation was the best protection for a policeman. That and a bulletproof vest, of course.

When he got to the station, it was stifling hot. One of the former chief’s rules - turn the thermostat way up after hours as to not waste taxpayers' money. Adam didn't want to waste money, but neither did he want to sweat while he tried to work. He tapped the thermostat down and grabbed the files from Roz's cabinet. His office was painfully clean, just the way he liked it. But the order made the fact the desk drawer was open well over an inch stand out as though it was under a spotlight.

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