Page 89 of Wild Card
“About ten miles down the road. Got a little cabin in a stand of trees.”
A stand of trees was about right. But cabin was overstating the matter. Dalton had a…shack set back in a field between two large trees. It was small—maybe 900 square feet total—and the whole structure leaned slightly to the left. It was built with planks of wood, but more shed-style than log cabin, and that wood looked weathered and rough.
I stared, speechless, as he drove down the dusty trail leading to his property.
“I know it’s not much to look at,” he said, sounding a little self-conscious. “It needs a little TLC.”
“I live in a junkyard, so no judgment,” I said, “but I’m not sure TLC is gonna cut it.”
He parked on a patch of dead grass and killed the engine. “Well, it was what I needed when I moved here.”
“What was that?”
“A place to hide.”
My eyebrows rose. “And just what did you need to hide from, Deputy?”
He rolled his eyes. “Will you please call me Dalton when I’m off duty?”
I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned into his space. “But we’re in your patrol car. You’re on call. Pretty sure you’re still a deputy right now.” I cupped my hand over his dick. “A horny,baddeputy…”
He laughed, sounding exasperated. “You never quit, do?—”
I silenced him with a kiss, which he returned, tongue hot and demanding as it met mine. I nipped his bottom lip, making him hiss, then soothed it with my tongue.
Dalton fisted my hair, yanking me closer, and I tried to climb into his lap. My ass hit the dash, and the sharp blast of a siren made us jolt apart.
“Shit!” Dalton lurched forward, silencing the siren.
“Oops,” I said with a snicker. “Should we try the back seat instead?”
He gave me an unimpressed look. “How about we try getting out of the car and eating dinner?”
I sighed. “Like I said, always ruining my fun.”
“Uh-huh. Well, fun is better when you have to wait for it. Haven’t you ever heard of anticipation?”
“I’m more of an instant gratification guy.”
“I never would have guessed,” he said dryly.
“Hey, did we not wait months to start fucking? That’s enough anticipation.”
“Well, you’re going to have to put up with a little more.” He opened his door and climbed out. “Come on. Dinner and talking first. Sex last.”
I followed him into the house. It was nicer inside. A chocolate-colored shag area rug covered a swath of living room floor, coordinating with the leather love seat and sofa, which were also brown. There wasn’t a lot of color in Dalton’s world. The walls, covered in cheap paneling, lacked any paintings or pictures to really make the place homey.
Hell, I lived in an RV bus that felt more lived-in than this place.
“I’m going to shower,” Dalton said. “Grab a beer and make yourself comfortable.”
“The shower sounds pretty comfortable.”
He grinned and backed away slowly. “You’re testing my willpower, darlin’, but this date is going to happen.” He pointed toward the kitchen. “Beer’s that way.”
I smirked. “Fine. Have it your way.”
While Dalton got all wet and naked and slippery without me, I wandered around his house. I would have snooped, but there wasn’t much to see. A few pieces of junk mail lay on the counterby the sink. The most interesting thing there was a GameStop catalog. I didn’t take Dalton for the gaming type.
