Page 24 of All You Want
“Why?”
“Conflict of interest, Shane,” I say with a warning in my voice. “Her father’s always trying to skirt the law, bend the rules, walk on the edge. We can’t appear to favor them because they’re the richest people in town.”
“I just hate how your decisions are driving a wedge between me and that bubbly hot mama,” he grumbles. “So, where are you anyway? I’m nearing the station and it’s dark.”
“I sent food and supplies to Miss Laverne, and I’m on my way home. I’m on dispatch until midnight, and then it’s your turn.”
He grumbles some more and hangs up.
I feel like grumbling, but I’m not going to call or text Tami and ask her if she forgot.
Nope. I’m going home to a frozen pot pie and pretend I forgot and never mention it again.
Ten
~ X ~
He lowers the binoculars and speaks to himself, “Well that wasn’t what I expected.”
Instead of rendezvousing with that horny-ass sheriff, Princess Pushy Kingpin is hightailing it with her picnic basket to her friend’s dog rescue.
He’d missed the excitement of the fires this summer, but he’d made up for lost time by exploring all the new buildings in and out of town. The new barn, replacing the one that burned down, is bigger and houses more dogs than the old one. It’s also warmer, and the new loft is filled with hay—a good hiding place from which to spy on the sheriff’s sister.
He doesn’t have to worry about the dogs. They like him. A few scraps from the butcher, and you can buy a dog’s affection for life—especially a stray.
They bark at everything and everyone anyway—barking covers up any noise he makes. Barking to entertain themselves and barking for the food scraps he tosses.
He waits a bit to see if the women are alerted, but no one investigates. The window opens, and the sheriff’s sister yells, “Shut up, will you?”
Under the cover of a thousand barks, he jimmies the lock to the barn and creeps up onto the loft where he can watch that sweet puffybutt.
If he had her up here alone, oh, how he would bite and suck on her soft, succulent flesh. He’d feast on her, and he’d make her cry and moan. And he’d leave his marks—dark, angry bruises to warn off trespassers. He’d take her from behind, plugging his huge cock into that wet slit of hers, and he’d twist her blond hair in his hands and pull, snapping her neck back, and then he’d grip it tight—cutting off her airway.
She’d come longer and harder that way, and when she was limp and spent, he’d flip her on her back like a rag doll and thrash into her while squeezing the very life out of her ballooning lungs.
“Without shedding of blood is no vengeance,” he says out loud and knows the truth.
Eleven
~ Tami ~
Linx is surprised to see me with a packed picnic basket, but she bought my story about how I missed spending time with her due to the upcoming hotel opening and Halloween preparations.
“That was delicious,” she says after finishing half a sandwich. “I see you packed all of Todd’s favorite food. Is he supposed to be meeting us here?”
“Nope, bestie. This is all for you.” I pick up a brownie and eye it, fighting temptation, before handing it to her.
She lifts an eyebrow and smiles as she sets the brownie back on the plate. “You sure you’re not going to call him for a drive-by? Or do you want me to?”
“I’m not interested anymore. I’m sorry to inform you, but Todd and I don’t see eye to eye on anything.”
“I know that.” She spears a piece of fruit from the salad. “Except you two have such chemistry. Sparks fly, and I swear he’s interested, but he won’t admit it.”
Ordinarily, her pronouncements would have me giddy and bubbling over with hope, but not after he acted so hoity-toity to me in front of the mayor and his Vice Squad.
“He won’t approve my grand opening street party.” I peel a chocolate chip off the brownie Linx put down. “He doesn’t care if my hotel bombs.”
“I’m sure he has good reason for being worried about the street party. That traffic jam yesterday was dangerous. We only have single lane roads here, and if there had been a fire, no fire engines could have gotten through.”
