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Malia rolled her eyes. “Already taken care of, but thanks, bro.” She’d had a birth control implant inserted before she left for college. “And…thanks for not laughing at me about this whole thing.”
“You know I’d never give you shit about important stuff,” he reminded her. “And this is important to you, M.” Then his attention snapped to somewhere over her shoulder. “Oh, yay! Our pizza’s ready. Here it comes.”
As they ate, Malia’s mind was already jumping ahead to the end of her shift, formulating a plan for how to approach Lucas.
Chapter 12
Lucas was tired and frustrated after another long day of listening to Bickham and Silvers bullshit about all the laws they’d broken without giving him a shred of real evidence he could take to the judge.
Sure, they’d set out bait for bears out of hunting season, and placed those baits illegally close to a road.
But those particular violations would only result in a ticket and fines rather than jail time.
Lucas was here to prove that the pair were responsible for shooting Rob during an illegal grizzly hunt.
For now, all he could do was document everything and be patient. If he noted enough smaller infractions, like the bear baiting, maybe the judge would grant him a warrant to seize their guns for ballistics testing.
Undercover work was usually a slow process of gaining the suspects’ trust and building a relationship with them. Some of his other cases had taken weeks to play out before he got the evidence he needed, and the local game warden was able to come in with warrants to seize illegally-obtained fish or meat, weapons, and to arrest the lawbreakers.
But Lucas wanted to be done with this case. For some reason, playing the role of Lucas Winter, wannabe dirtbag poacher, was exhausting him more than usual.
The evening shadows stretched across the trees planted on either side of the ranch’s long driveway. As his cabin came into sight, he spotted Malia sitting on his top porch step, waiting for him.
He groaned. He knew that sending his text message had been a dick move worthy of his alter ego. But it would have made his life easier if she’d decided to ignore him for the rest of his remaining time here.
He parked, then took a minute to gather his resolve.No touching. And definitely no kissing.
“I got your text,” she said when he climbed out of the truck. No beating around the bush. She met his gaze fearlessly. “And I wanted to talk to you in person.”
He sighed. But he owed her that much.
“Sure,” he said, stopping in front of her.
As if demonstrating what he was missing out on, she was wearing shorts, sandals, and a tight tank top with spaghetti straps that bared her tanned shoulders and clung to her rounded, perfect breasts.
His eyes were drawn to the pert nipples poking against the soft, stretchy fabric, and he recalled the exquisite sensation of having them in his mouth.
God, she’s so beautiful!
He stayed at the bottom of the steps, a safe distance away, and tried not stare.
“I don’t know if anyone talked to you or gave you the wrong impression,” she began.
“You mean that I’m a no-good lowlife for putting my hands on you without intending to court you?” he asked, sarcastically. “Why, no, no one’s saidanythingalong those lines to me.”
She flushed. Her expression went from determined, to angry and embarrassed. “Oh, God. I was afraid something like that might’ve happened. I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. They’re not wrong, though,” Lucas told her. “You deserve better than fooling around with a guy like me. I’m not a good person, Malia, and if one of my girls ever ends up dating someone like me, I’ll do my best to kick his ass.”
“Ithink you’re a good person,” she said. And rose from her seat.
His throat went dry as she came down the steps. He froze like a deer in the headlights.Danger!
He’d been wrong. He hadn’t gotten her out of his system at all. He wanted more. He wantedallof her.
“And I don’t care that you don’t want to court me. In fact, it’s a relief,” she continued. “What I want—no, what Ineed—is some fun with someone who isn’t going to pressure me for a relationship. A summer fling.” She smiled at him, but he could sense her nerves.
He could hardly believe his ears. This gorgeous young woman was throwing herself at him, with no strings attached. This was every fantasy he’d ever had, suddenly coming true.
