Page 39 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

“Thanks for letting me in the door.” He held her gaze. Heat shot from his eyes, scorching her core.

She smiled. “I don’t think I had much of a choice.”

He chuckled. “I know the feeling.”

His amusement fled, leaving a look of longing and vulnerability that almost had her pulling away. His warm breath touched her cheeks, his mouth so close she could almost imagine the taste of his lips.

As if reading her mind, his gaze lowered to her mouth.

She traced her lips with her tongue. Her heart fluttered, her breath coming out thready and fast.

Tommy brought the pad of his thumb to her chin, tilting it upward.

She closed her eyes, her breath caught in her throat.

His lips met hers, soft and sweet.

She circled her arms around his neck and brought him closer. His scent—a burst of citrus and pine—invaded her senses. His tongue dipped between her lips, and she opened her mouth on a moan.

The cat meowed and dug his back claws into her legs as he jumped from her lap.

Sadie winced and pulled away, breaking the magic of the moment. Shallow pants escaped barely parted lips. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and tried to process what had just happened. She’d just kissed Tommy.

No, she’d just kissed her partner and fellow sheriff’s deputy.

She jumped to her feet and crossed her arms over her heaving chest. She couldn’t let this happen—couldn’t let him walk into her home and tear down her walls and just fall into bed with him. She was upset and vulnerable and nothing more.

“Sadie?” He slowly rose to his feet, confusion plain as day on his scrunched-up face.

She held up a hand and shook her head. “No. This can’t happen. It’d ruin everything I’ve worked for.”

Tommy shoved a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up at the ends. “What the hell does that mean?”

“We work together. Hell, we just started getting along. I’m not going to sleep with you because you listened to my problems.”

Fire smoldered in his eyes, and not the kind that made her toes curl. This heat made her want to take a step in retreat. But she held her ground.

“You think I sat here listening to you cry, wanting to know your story, then kissed you to get you into bed?” Hurt bled into his voice and made her cringe.

“That’s not what I said. It’s just that…this whole thing is coming out of nowhere. I don’t know what to make of it.” Confusion pounded against her skull.

“Maybe for once the right thing is to stop pushing people away and just accept the fact someone is there for you.”

His words hit her heart so hard, they almost knocked the wind from her lungs. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You’ve said enough.” He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and stormed out the door.

She stared after him, the words she wanted to yell lodged in her throat.

15

Tommy woke with a splitting headache and a bad attitude. Neither had left by the time he reached the station. He’d stepped into Sadie’s house the night before hoping to find some comfort, a little companionship with someone who’d just witnessed the same horror he had. Instead, he’d listened to her—something he was more than happy to do—and done the worst thing possible.

He’d kissed her.

Guilt gnawed at his conscience even as anger beat along with the pounding in his skull. Never in his life had a woman accused him of just trying to get her in bed. Respect was an important part of any relationship. But had he read Sadie wrong? Had he reacted in a way that made her that uncomfortable?

It’d taken a few more beers once he’d gotten home to wash the bad taste of the night from his mouth and finally get some sleep.

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