Page 52 of The Sheriff's Baby

After he dried her off, he kissed her again. One of those scorching, heart-melting post-sex kisses that held promises of more to come. Too bad her body was absolutely onboard for that. Her mind, though, was reminding her to hold back, to guard her heart. And to put up those barriers again.

Joelle didn’t do any of that.

She kissed him right back in the full-throttle mode. It lasted some very long moments, and when she eased back, she saw the fresh heat in those amazing eyes of his. The corner of his mouth lifted, flashing her a smile that also fell into the amazing category.

Of course, the smile didn’t last. It faded by degrees, but at least she’d gotten to enjoy it for a bit.

“I’m guessing we’ll have that talk now,” he muttered, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic about that.

Neither was she, but Joelle thought they should spell out that this could be temporary. That this was “no strings attached” sex. Because she didn’t want Duncan to feel this had to be the start of some grand commitment. He’d already committed to the baby, both offering child support and shared custody, and that was enough.

Had to be enough.

Joelle wasn’t exactly sure what her feelings were for him... She stopped, mentally regrouped. All right, she was sure. She cared deeply for Duncan. Was perhaps leaning toward being in love with him. But this was so not the right time to delve into all of that.

“Let’s put the talk on hold,” she suggested. “Instead, let’s go over the reports Luca’s done, and I’ll see if he needs help with any others.”

Of course, Joelle had offered to help Luca when they’d arrived at Duncan’s, and he’d declined, telling her to get some rest. Sex had been an incredible substitute for rest, and now she wanted to dive back into the investigation.

Duncan didn’t seem convinced. He frowned. She wasn’t sure if that was because he did, indeed, want to talk. Or maybe he wanted to keep kissing her and go for round two of sex. That was tempting. Mercy, was it.

“The sooner we make an arrest, the sooner the baby will be safe,” she said, knowing Duncan was already well aware of that.

However, it seemed to be the exact nudge he needed to move away from her and start drying off. He did mutter some profanity, though, under his breath that had her smiling again.

Joelle started to get dressed, and despite the reminder she’d just given him, she didn’t ignore the peep show going on right in front of her. Duncan was hot, but he was even hotter when he was naked.

He pulled on his boxers, his gaze meeting hers, and she saw the heat that was still there. She felt the tug deep within her body. Not sexual. Well, not totally. This was something different. Something just as strong. And it had her going back to falling in love with him. She probably would have had a mental debate with herself about that had her phone not rang.

She got a jolt when she looked at the screen and sawUnknown Caller, and part of her realized she’d been waiting for another would-be kidnapper to get in touch with her. Yes, four hired guns were dead, but Joelle was pretty sure their boss was still out there somewhere.

Out there and had possibly already hired new thugs to come after her.

Duncan became all cop, and he hit the recorder on his phone a split second before he nodded for her to take the call. She did, expecting to hear some muffled threatening voice of a stranger.

She didn’t.

“Joelle?” the woman asked.

She nearly dropped the phone. “It’s my mother,” she said, the words rushing out with her breath. She looked at Duncan to see if he’d recognized it as well. He did, and he looked just as stunned as she was.

“Mom,” Joelle finally managed. “Where are you? How are you?” And she had so many other questions she wanted to add to that.

For five months, she’d been terrified for her mother. Not only for her mom’s safety since Joelle considered that she, too, might be dead. But there had also been the worry that Sandra McCullough had somehow participated in her husband’s murder. Or was on the run because of something she’d learned or witnessed.

“Joelle,” her mom repeated, but she didn’t launch right into answering those questions. “I need help.”

The static crackled across the phone connection, but Joelle still heard that loud and clear. “Where are you?” she repeated. “What’s wrong?”

Again, there wasn’t a quick answer, and the static increased. There was also the sound of a revving car engine.

“I’m at the ranch,” her mother finally said. “Please, Joelle, please, come and get me before it’s too late.”

JOELLEFELTASif she’d had way too much caffeine and her mind was whirling from it. However, the jumble of thoughts wasn’t from any coffee but rather from hearing her mother’s voice.

Slater was hearing it now, too.

Her brother and Carmen had arrived within minutes after Joelle had phoned him to let him know about the call, and now Slater was standing in Duncan’s living room, listening to the recording. It wasn’t the first time Slater had played it, either. This was his third, and he seemed just as shell-shocked as she had been.

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