Page 19 of Crazy for You (Loco, Texas 1)

“Damn, that cat is massive.”

When Deana glared at him, color back in her cheeks, Finn almost sighed with relief. He was worried about her for a minute.

Deana cuddled the cat against her, and Finn could hear the monster’s deep purr. Reaching out, Finn rubbed between the cat’s ears, stroking the short, sleek fur as several officers came inside.

Moving his hand to cup her check, he brought her chin up so he could catch her watery gaze. “I’ll keep you safe, De. No matter what. Do you believe me?”

Slowly, her head dipped in a nod. “I believe you.”

* * *

The officers entered the house, probably to bag and tag anything they thought he might have touched, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how to clean up his tracks.

How could she get into a truck with another man? And then there was the cop again, touching her. Kissing her. She was his, only his.

His heart pounded so hard, a deep pain settled where he imagined it was hitting his bones. Boom boom boom.

They had to pay. And soon.

Chapter Seven

Deana curled into the blanket in the front seat of Finn’s cruiser, Salem cuddled against her chest as she looked out the window. She was so tired she would have agreed to sleep on a bench in the rain. As it was, Finn had offered to let her stay with him, even agreeing to sleep on the couch if it would make her more comfortable.

Deana was a little concerned that she’d never feel safe again, no matter how much she trusted Finn.

Someone had broken into her house, invaded her personal space, and called her a whore. She hadn’t done anything in years to be able to be considered a whore, yet some asshole had decided it was his right to call her that. Red-hot indignation and anger made her jaw clench. She wanted the bastard to pay for what he’d done. Why anyone would want to scare her, to torment her, was beyond her scope of reasoning. It just didn’t make any sense.

While Salem kneaded her chest, she turned her heavy, alcohol-addled brain toward the man driving the car. The man with the amazing kiss and fantastic arms who’d been her hero all night. Finn Meyers was a good man.

And he was taking her back to his house so she could take his bed and he could sleep on the couch. It was a damn shame.

No. She was taking her destiny by the horns. She was going to forget about her life so far. About the crazy man who’d attacked her and trashed her house. She was going to Finn’s house, and as soon as she could, she was going to jump his bones.

Or boner, as the case may be.

Finn pulled into the driveway of his rental house, and Deana held tight to Salem as Finn parked, then turned off the engine. His fingers brushed against her temple, trailing over her hair, and she tilted her head into the palm of his hand as it slid over her cheek.

“Deana…” he said softly, moving across the seat toward her.

Holding her hand up against his chest, she stopped him. “I think we should get Salem inside and situated before anything else happens.”

The flash of his even, white smile in the dark sent happy, fluttery feelings from her chest to her lower tummy. “Is something else going to happen, Deana?”

Twisting her lips to kiss his palm, she whispered against his skin, “I hope so.”

* * *

Deana walked through the door of Finn’s house, dropped her bag on the floor, and set Salem down as Finn walked into the kitchen with Salem’s litterbox and bag of supplies. He flipped on the light, and she admired the room in the dim lighting. Most of the furniture was wood and leather. As the sound of kibble hit the stainless steel of the bowl, she reached up to unlace the stays of her dress. Loosening it enough to get it over her hea

d, she tossed it over his couch, kicking off her heels as Finn came back into the living room and stopped. His gaze moved over her from her toes all the way up to the top of her pink head.

Before she lost her nerve, she padded toward Finn with a nervous smile, the distance closing slowly until she stood in front of him.

“I’m scared. I’ve been on my own for years, at college, when I moved back here. My last boyfriend was over a year ago, and I’m lonely. And now I’ve got some twisted psycho chopping up my clothes and pretty much making me wet myself, and then there’s you. You are this guy who I thought was shallow and self-centered, and then you had to blow everything I remembered hating about you out of the water by being there for me all night.” Taking a deep breath, she went for it, adding, “I’m not good at this stuff. I’m not very experienced, and I know I’m not the prettiest girl. I’m a mess and a klutz, and I realize you probably get a dozen better offers a day. But I want—”

He grabbed her hand, jerking her against his chest, and an oomph of surprise escaped her lips. She could feel his utility belt pressing against her stomach as he bent his head, his mouth inches from hers.

“I want you. I have wanted you since you first cracked open that math book in high school and tried to teach a dumb jock like me fractions and equations. All night, I thought about you. I thought about what I wanted my future to look like, and it’s you. I want you, Deana Sawyer.”

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