Page 31 of Claimed by the Lawman

A devilish shine entertained her eyes. “I know you probably don’t need a junior detective at your side, but I want to help, Kace. I want to be a part of this.”

He swallowed hard. The thought of spending the amount of time together with her that it would require made his balls tighten. How could he keep his hands to himself if he had her alongside him all the time? However, a bigger part of him didn’t mind the idea that she would be close. He wasn’t against getting to know her again, but that’s where it ended. Sure, she talked a good game when it came to buying the theater and living in Bohannan, but Kace wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t a one-pump dream. After she found the truth to her sister’s death,

she might want to skip dodge and go back to where gourmet coffee shops stood on every corner and entertainment included all those theater shows and plays she loved. Here in the small town of Bohannan they considered a Friday night best spent under stadium lights and the early morning only good for two things. One of those fishing and the other is something he’d wanted to do with Tyler since she came home.

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Tyler had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Not only did she see the tension in his expression, but she felt the strain against her stomach. He couldn’t hide the fact that his body liked having her close, even if he couldn’t say it in words. Thankfully, he couldn’t see how her body responded underneath her clothes. If he had X-ray vision he’d see her erect nipples. The butterflies in her stomach. The moisture between her legs.

The uncertainty clouding his blue eyes made her quiver. She knew that look and he wanted to kiss her. He craved her. Would he deny himself? No way in hell would she deny him, and she could make a move, but she also wouldn’t press her luck.

“You just want to control the investigation.” Although his voice sounded steady, she caught the tiny change in the octave. “That can’t happen.”

Her inner thighs trembled and all those neglected parts that hadn’t felt a hand or a mouth in far too long scattered with goosebumps.

Trouble. She was in a whole lot of it and didn’t care to pull herself out.

During those tense seconds, Tyler took in all the wonderful things she was feeling inside and out. The hard muscles under her palms. The solid strength of his chest and flat stomach. The wide, silver belt buckle and the hard bulge prodding her. His hands were on her now, caressing her back, then lingering on the indentation of her hips before lowering even farther to caress her bottom. Promising heat accosted her. She inhaled his scent, loving the mixture of leather and virility. The scent belonged to him solely. To a man she’d never forgotten and certainly had never gotten over.

And there was the blatant, hard truth. As much as it hurt to admit, it was high time she did.

“What if I promise that I won’t try to control anything?”

He stiffened and stepped back.

“Kace?”

His jaw worked. “Tyler, I…”

“Just say it,” she encouraged.

“If I don’t leave, I’m going to end up doing something that we’re not ready for. Something that we’ll both regret.”

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