Page 61 of Wanted by the Lawman

CHAPTER 19

ZANDER SETTLED INTO the wicker chair on his porch and stretched his legs, hooking them on the rail as he uncapped the whiskey bottle and drank, squinting as the fire rolled down his esophagus. He usually didn’t sedate his problems with alcohol, but today his good buddy was injured. Thankfully, the bullet proof vest had saved his life, but he had broken ribs and was shot in the leg, which required surgery to mend.

He chugged another drink, then capped the bottle and stuck it between his legs just as he saw movement in the shadows. He lifted his chin just as Wynn stepped into the dim light spilling onto the porch. As always, she looked amazing and made him feel better with just her presence. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, but he could see the worry in her expression.

“Hi, Zander,” she said in a soft voice.

“Hi, Wynn.”

“I just left the hospital. Lanie said I had just missed you.”

“I was there with him for a while.”

She took the steps up to the porch and sat down on the chair beside him. “I heard a little of what happened. Rudy will be okay though. How about you?”

He gave a small shrug. “I’ve been in situations like this before, many times, and still they get you right here.” He patted the center of his chest. “The bastard Townsend didn’t give me any choice but to shoot him.”

Wynn placed her hand on Zander’s arm and he flexed. He caught her gaze, holding it before he asked, “Would a woman like you be capable of falling for a man like me, you know, who wears a star and uses his gun?”

Her tongue came out to moisten her bottom lip. She didn’t remove her hand. “Many women could fall for a man like you, Zander. What you do, it’s valiant…and dangerous, and yet lawmen still dedicate themselves to helping others. Just like you said, that man who shot your friend didn’t give you any choice.”

“Do you forgive me for being MIA the last few days?”

She laughed and tucked a misbehaving tendril of hair behind her ear. “I’ll have to think about it.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Okay, I’ve thought about it and I forgive you. In fact, I’ve been busy myself with the nursery. I think that’ll be on hold a few days, at least while Rudy is in the hospital.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was staying away on purpose.” He placed the bottle on the floor next to his chair.

“I won’t lie, it did cross my mind.” She shifted back into the chair and brought her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees. He watched her pluck at the frayed hole in the knee of her jeans. His body tightened and what he wouldn’t give to have her plucking his invisible frayed edges.

Following impulse and not logic, he reached out, took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her palm. “You should know that I’ve thought about you, and what we shared, at least a hundred times every hour.”

“Are you teasing me?” Her cheeks flushed.

“Hell no! I don’t want to come on too strong though. After all, you did tell me you just want me for sex.”

Her eyes twinkled. “’That’s not true. I said that I didn’t know what my future holds. I was being…considerate.”

“Considerate? Come here.” He patted his thigh. She smiled and the gesture reached in and touched every nook and cranny of his body. She hopped over onto his lap and her bottom settled nicely in the spoon of his hips. He should be embarrassed that his body hardened, but she didn’t seem to mind as her eyes twinkled.

Taking a tendril of her satin hair, he entwined it around his finger, then brought it to his nose, inhaling her sweet scent. “Thank you for coming here. That means a lot to me.”

She cupped his cheek, kissing the other. “Where else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. At home painting. Chopping wood,” he teased.

“Yeah, because those things are so much more fun than being near a stud cowboy who wears a badge…and has the sexiest dimples and tattoos.”

She waved her face dramatically. “You like the tats, do you?” He lifted a brow as he moved his fingers through her hair, knocking out the pin that tumbled forgotten to the floor.

“Honestly, I like everything. And I do mean everything.” She kissed his neck, his ear lobe, and his cheek.

“Sweetheart, you keep that up and things are going to get hot and heavy very quickly.” He could barely draw oxygen into his lungs. This woman had a hold on him like nothing he’d felt before, one that made his bad day seem less challenging. He guessed that’s what he always wanted in a partner. Someone who understood what challenges he faced each day and feeling like he could share his feelings. And the same for his partner. He wanted a woman to feel comfortable in coming home and laying all her worries out so they could work together to make everything better. Yet, even as he grew closer to her, his internal wall crept up, a reminder that they’d made no promises to each other. She’d made her feelings clear that she wasn’t thinking of a future with him.

However, logic didn’t deter the mesmerizing sensations rocking his insides. He couldn’t resist her—didn’t want to resist her.

“I’m here for you.” Her mouth lowered to the neckline of his T-shirt where she rolled her tongue along the neckline, grasping the material with her teeth and tugging it teasingly.

His cock jerked and stretched to capacity. He felt like he’d explode soon if he didn’t get out of the jeans. He had an idea that she was working intentional magic.

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