Page 44 of Claimed by the Lawman

Pulling up in front of the restaurant where he could see inside, he about swallowed his tongue when Jake reached over and laid his hand on Tyler’s. The thought of another man placing his hands on her made Kace’s inner volcano erupt. No, this wasn’t possible. He should pull away and head home. He needed some sleep, but his gaze was glued on the duo inside the booth. He suddenly wanted to rush into the pizza place, grab his deputy up by the collar and punch him.

He squeezed the steering wheel until he thought he’d break his knuckles.

Kace battled logic and emotion, and then he could no longer sit still. He slid out of the truck and stomped his way into the restaurant. Tyler noticed him immediately, their gazes connected in such a way he was surprised a fire didn’t break out.

Her eyes widened some, her shoulders straightened as she watched him looking at her. He knew, without a doubt, that she could read his thoughts, understood his anger at seeing her with Payne. She probably also wondered what in the hell he was thinking by storming in. Fact was, Payne had his hand on Kace’s woman. Yeah, she had no clue that she was his, but he knew at that moment he wouldn’t give up until he had her again.

Tyler’s mouth opened, but then closed . Did she want to warn Payne that they had company coming their way?

Kace clenched his hands into fists. Back in the day, if a man pissed him off he’d knock them for a loop, but he couldn’t be the man he once was. He had no right to Tyler, and yet, did he? The way she looked at him now, teased him with the fluttering of her lashes across flawless skin. Pursed, pink pout with tongue sliding over her full bottom lip was a promise of what she could do to him…for him. The sultry light in her pale eyes that could knock a man from his boots. Kace was susceptible to her, vulnerable, and that only made him angrier as he crossed the checkered back and white floor to reach his goal.

“Welcome to Pizza Paradise,” the fuzzy fake parrot hanging from a swing squealed as Kace walked by.

The noise brought Payne’s attention upward. Surprise engaged his expression.

Kace stopped beside the table, seeing red, but reminding himself that he was Sheriff, sworn to uphold the law, not break a man’s jaw. He had a hard time focusing as he forced a smile to his lips. Possessiveness swirled like good and evil through his body, making him dangerous. He didn’t like feeling this way—didn’t like feeling so…what? Jealous? In love?

Jake stared up at Kace, at first confused, but then a genuine smile came over the man’s face. “Hey there, Sheriff. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, we didn’t expect to see you here,” Tyler piped in. There was a noticeable tightness to her tone. Was she afraid of what Kace would do? He realized he wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping his emotions under wraps. This was unlike him.

“You didn’t finish your paperwork, Payne,” Kace said the first thing that came to mind. Although he wasn’t lying, he wouldn’t normally bust in and break up a date and chastise his deputy for not doing his work right. Kace wasn’t sure why he felt so threatened by the other man. He wasn’t much to gauge if a man was good looking or not, but he guessed Payne’s ‘boy next door’ looks would entice quite a few women. But when it came to brawn, Kace had nothing to worry about. The guy wasn’t a threat.

Yet, what if Tyler liked the man? That put a whole new spin on things.

“Kace! We’re sharing a pizza. Can’t it wait?” Tyler stared at him angrily.

He saw the shock in her expression. Her eyes were wide and her tongue darted out to smooth across her bottom lip. It triggered something below his belt and he had to suck in a breath to keep his body in check.

“No. It can’t. Take it with you,” he growled.

Payne blinked, maybe even flushed a little. “I’m sorry, Tyler. Maybe we can see each other again.”

“Wait.” Tyler touched Payne’s arm to still him. Kace rammed his hands into his front pockets before he did something stupid. He was acting like an idiot, and yet, if he didn’t talk to Tyler he would explode. “You should eat dinner.”

Looking like he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Payne looked green around the edges.

“If you’ve forgotten, Tyler, I’m the boss,” Kace said in a low voice. Payne stood, pulled out his wallet, but Kace stopped him. “I’ll take care of the bill.” It was the least he could do.

Payne took his leave and Kace took the available spot.

“Don’t sit there,” she seethed.

“It’s empty."

“Thanks to you. Could you be any ruder? What in land’s hell are you doing?” she snapped, keeping her voice down because they’d already received a few stares and glances from other patrons.

“You and I need to talk.”

“Like hell we will!” She slid out of the booth and started for the door.

He caught up to her in a few strides and grabbed her hand, and together they walked toward the exit, oblivious to the fact that now everyone was staring and whispering.

Once they were outside, he led her over to his truck and he opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

She blinked. “No. I don’t know who you think you are, but this caveman attitude isn’t acceptable.”

His heart was pounding so hard and fast and the blood was rushing through his veins like the flow of a river. She dragged her hand from his and he growled. “We need to talk. Better inside my truck than out here for everyone to hear.”

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