Page 26 of Easton’s Claim

She let herself stare at him a moment longer as he drove, admiring the lines of his profile, the strong jaw softened by the beard he’d trimmed, the straight blade of his nose. His features matched the solidity of his character.

Now that she knew how he felt about her and her mind kept conjuring up erotic images of them together, could she really walk away? Move a thousand miles away and maybe never see him again?

You have to. You know you do.

“You know, if it wasn’t for the investigation going on, I’d have you out of this town so fast.” He shook his head once.

The protectiveness behind the words made her melt inside. “Yeah, I need to stay close by in case the detectives need to meet with me.”

“You got any plans for tonight, after work?”

She braced herself. “No, why?”

“I was thinking we could maybe go for a ride later.”

She blinked. “You mean on horseback?”

The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Yeah. When’s the last time you went riding?”

“I don’t even know. Couple years at least.”

He shook his head. “Now that’s a crime. You used to love it.”

“I still love it. It’s just that life got in the way.”

“So will you go with me later?” he asked, shooting her a sideways glance.

He wasn’t exactly pressuring her about last night, though she was sure he’d bring it up at some point today. Maybe out on the ride. Escaping the craziness of late for a few hours sounded like heaven though.

“Love to,” she said before she could talk herself out of it.

“Good,” he answered, and there was just a hint of smugness in his grin.

The light conversation and prospect of a ride later erased most of her anxiety. It felt almost like old times.

By the time they got to theGarden of Eatin’, she wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, she was more intrigued than anything else, and even let herself briefly imagine what it would be like to give into temptation. And the strangest part was, the longer he went without saying anything about last night, the more she wanted to talk about it.

After they ate, Easton took her to the first house on her list of showings. He swept the house and property before letting her inside, then stood in the front entryway when her clients arrived. He stayed put the whole time, even while she was talking to the couple in the kitchen at the end of the tour, a solid, steady presence there to protect her.

Despite herself, she kept stealing glances at him, admiring the long, powerful lines of his body as he kept watch. That strong, sexy and protective man was hers for the taking, if she allowed herself to.

The thought made her restless as hell. He was standing right there, within reach, and he wanted her. In a way that scared and intrigued the hell out of her.

Her heart beat faster just imagining what it would be like to walk up to him and kiss that sinful mouth. To feel those big, strong hands moving over her body, chasing away the loneliness and isolation of the past few years.

“I like the house, but there are still a lot of things I’d want to change and that would put us above our budget,” her female client said. “I’ve written a list of notes for later when we compare properties. Can we see the next one now?”

“Sure. You can follow us there.”

She showed them three more places in the Sugar Hollow area, then one fifteen miles outside it. After the clients left the last house, Easton made her stay inside while he checked his truck as a precaution because he hadn’t been able to keep a visual on it from the back of the house where Piper had talked with the couple. As she watched out the front window he paused, then went completely still, and his lips moved in an unmistakable curse.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hurrying out the door and down the front steps.

He met her at the back of the pickup and took her elbow. “Get in,” he said, his clipped tone making her heart beat faster.

She did as he said, waited while he climbed in and started the engine. “Found this under the front bumper,” he said, opening his right hand to show a small metal circle about the size of a watch battery in the center of his palm.

“What is it?”

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