Page 22 of Christmas Creek Cowboy

Calen started the strokes inside her, as slow as he could probably manage, considering that his own body had to be on fire. The strokes built. Harder, faster, deeper. And built. Until Emmy couldn’t have staved off that climax even if she’d wanted. She felt her body clamp around him, felt the climax slam through her, and she made sure she took Calen rightalong with her.

Emmy held on to him, savoring these last moments of the frenzied ride. Savoring everything about what hadjust happened.

“Eighteen years in the making,” she whispered. “That’s how long I’ve been secretly lusting for you.”

She smiled and let the dreamy feel of pleasure slide through her. That was how long she’d loved him, too. But thankfully, she didn’t blurt that out. Even though Calen had read the letter she’d written to proclaim her love, it was best not to muddy the waters. Especially since it might not take long for Calen to have second and third thoughts about what they’d just done.

Emmy had no doubts, none. Well, not until Calen’s phone dinged. Not a text or call. It sounded like the noteof a piano key.

Cursing under his breath, Calen reached over to their pile of clothes and yanked his phone from his pocket. Then he cursed again when hesaw the screen.

“That’s an alert from my security system,” he explained, already moving off her. “Someone’s brokeninto my house.”

Chapter 7

This was not the way Calen wanted to cap off the night with Emmy. Or rather, this very early morning with her. He especially didn’t want to arrest someone for breaking and entering, but that was what he would end up doing if the person who’d triggered his security alarm was still in his house.

A silent alarm, which meant the intruder likely didn’t know he or she had tripped anything.

The security system had come with the place when Calen had bought the ranch eight years earlier, and since it extended to the stable and barn where he kept his horses, he turned it on when he was away from the place at night. Even though the crime rate in Christmas Creek was low, it didn’t mean some idiot might not try to steal equipment or one of the horses. That had never happened before, but maybe the rare snowfall and too much Christmas booze had playedinto the crime.

Or plain old-fashioned desperation.

He was going with door number three on this one, betting the intruder’s motive would be a whopping amountof desperation.

Calen hadn’t even tried to talk Emmy out of coming with him, but he would have if he’d thought a violent altercation was about to occur. But the chances of that happening here were slim. He suspected he knew exactly what he’d find when he pulled into the driveway.

And he was right.

Sasha’s car was parked next to his house. She must have seen or heard him approaching because she came scurrying onto the porch. In all his years of law enforcement, he’d never seen anyone with a guiltier expression.

“Good grief,” Emmy grumbled. “What do you want to bet this is about that letter Sasha’s beenwhining about?”

That was a sure-thing bet, and Calen wouldn’t take her up on it. He also didn’t have to guess how Sasha had gotten in. After their breakup, he hadn’t asked for his key back because he’d believed she wouldn’t be stupid enough to do something like this.

Apparently, though, he’d been the stupid one, because here she was.

The key would have gotten her through the door, but her entry would have still triggered the security alarm since she wouldn’t have had the code to disarm it.

Sasha froze for a couple of seconds before she turned back toward his front door as Calen and Emmy got out of the truck. He didn’t catch what Sasha said, but her action clued him in that she wasn’t there alone.

Hell. Did that mean Owen was inside?

Calen was so not in the mood to deal with that ass tonight.

“Let me guess,” Calen said to Sasha while Emmy and he made their way to the porch. “You decided to try your hand at trespassingand burglary?”

“I just dropped by for a visit,” Sasha insisted, causing Calen toroll his eyes.

“Mercy, you’re a bad liar,” Emmy exclaimed. “About some things, anyway,” she added, obviously remembering that Sasha had kept her attraction to Owen under wraps.

Sasha didn’t look offended, but she volleyed glances at Emmy and him, maybe picking up on the clues that they’d just had sex. Their disheveled hair and clothes. The stubble burns on Emmy’s chin from their rough kisses. And the overall sated look that might still be surrounding them. Of course, any feeling of sexual satisfaction was quickly being overwritten by anger at his ex sneakinginto his house.

“FYI, stealing mail is a federal offense,” Calen advised her.

His warning put some serious alarm in Sasha’s eyes, and she snapped back her shoulders. “It’s not stealingif it’s mine.”

“It’s not yours,” he pointed out. “Until I hear differently, it belongs to the post office.”

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