Page 33 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
She was going through hell all right.
Mindful of her bruises, he eased his arms around her. “What can I do to help?” he asked.
“You’re doing it,” she whispered. “I, uh, just need a minute.”
Reed gladly gave her that minute and more. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, but he just kept his arms around her and waited her out.
“I’m so happy my father’s dead,” Hallie finally said.
“Understandable. A lot of people are no doubt happy about that.”
Shaking her head, she looked up at him. “But we’re cops. I should be thinking of the injustice of someone being murdered—”
“Bullshit,” he interrupted. “Your father was a serial killer, period, and another killer ended his life. Personally, I see that as well deserved karma.”
She continued to stare at him and nodded. Hallie also seemed to be on the verge of stepping away from him, and Reed didn’t want her to do that just yet. Especially because he thought he knew the reason she was considering an end to this body to body contact.
“You work for me,” she said.
Yeah, he’d gotten that right, but Reed opted to move things in a lighter direction. “I guess you mean job stuff and not that the hug I just gave you has magic healing powers.”
Her mouth quivered, the smile threatening. “Well, the hug was sort of magical, and it did make me forget the bruises for a while. Thanks for that.” Her expression turned serious. “But you know what I meant. I’m your boss.”
Finally, Reed got to say something he had been waiting to say. “But you’re not,” he insisted, and he tapped his watch. “It’s ten minutes after midnight which means I’m not a deputy. I’m your ex-boyfriend who gives out magic hugs and still has a thing for you.”
The corner of her mouth lifted in one of the almost smiles. “A really hot ex-boyfriend.”
That both pleased him and embarrassed him a little. They’d been so good together a decade ago, and her parents had done a thorough job of screwing that up. Her parents weren’t totally out of the picture and never would be, but Reed hoped this could be a fresh start for Hallie and him.
He leaned in closer to her, searching her eyes for any sign of hesitation. There was none. Satisfied with that, he touched hismouth to hers. A moment later, his lips were on hers, tentative at first, then more certain. It was a kiss that spoke volumes—about worry, relief.
And maybe even something more he wasn’t ready to name.
He deepened the kiss, feeling the heat and need slide through his body. Hearing it slide through her as well when she made a soft moan of pleasure. It was a damn good sound and the green light for him to keep kissing her. To keep notching up the heat.
Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. Reed could feel her heartbeat matching his own, a rapid, steady rhythm. Their breaths mingled, and for a moment, all the bad stuff vanished. There was no investigation, no killer on the loose, no unanswered question.
There was just this.
Them. Together. Kissing.
The problem with an amazing kiss—and this one was indeed amazing—was that it created a fierce urgency in his body. Especially his dick, who thought it would be a stellar idea to rev up this heat even more until it led to sex. But Hallie wasn’t in any shape for that. And that’s why he inched back just enough so he could look into her eyes again.
Big mistake.
It was easy to get lost in those drown-in-me eyes. Man, he was toast.
“I’m not fragile,” she insisted, pulling him back to her for kiss number two.
And it was another winner all right. Long, hot, and deep. Talk about a cure for those doubts he had. Hell, it was a cure for everything. Except that sliver of common sense that thankfully could overrule the kiss, the heat, and his dick.
“Remember that big-assed bruise on your chest,” he managed to say when they finally had to stop the kiss so they could breathe.
Hallie’s lips brushed his in a light touch as she smiled and shook her head. “It’s a small price to pay for kisses like that,” she said.
If he’d been the one feeling the pain, then he would have agreed and kept on kissing her. Pleasure could override pain. Well, this kind of pleasure anyway.
“Tell you what,” he managed to say. “I’ll stay in the guestroom tonight. You take that hot bath and then get some rest. Tomorrow, if you want to pick up where we’re leaving off, just let me know.”
