AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The spell was broken when his deep voice intruded on her consciousness. "Goddammit!"
Becky stood immobile as he pushed off the door and was quickly upon her. He picked up her hand in his. "Becky, what the hell?"
She looked down at his hands holding hers and saw a stream of blood running from a cut on her finger. She realized she had compounded her mistake by cutting her finger. The plate was in shards on the floor. She knew those plates had belonged to his mother. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sheriff."
He pulled her to the kitchen and his large body crowded her against the counter as he held her hand where it was bleeding. His arms wrapped around her from behind, his chest pressed into her back as he held her bleeding finger in the pail of cold water. The water turned pink as she tried not to faint.
His mouth moved to her ear. "You're more trouble than you're worth." He growled the words in her ear. His warm breath caressed her face.
"I'm sorry about your m-mother's china." Her voice wobbled from the impact of his nearness.
He reached around and tugged her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "You know this isn't about the goddamn china, don't you?" His eyes moved from hers, down to her lips.
She jerked in his arms and didn't answer.
"Be still now and let me help you." His hands tightened on her and his scent enveloped her senses.
Becky almost passed out. She had never been this close to him before. She gasped for air and her muscles tensed as he cleaned her finger and looked at the small cut there. Her body was shaking so hard she would have fallen if not for the counter in front of her and his body behind her. She had dreamt of his arms around her and wished now that he would hold her because he wanted to and not because she had hurt herself. She had wanted it forever.
No, she could never marry Kyle Bolton. Not when she felt this way about Jake Cooper.
He reached for a cloth and took her hand from the water. Becky stood in his grasp as he applied pressure to the small cut. They stayed like that for a long moment, only the sound of their breathing breaking the silence. He released her finger from his grasp and slid his hands to her shoulders. His grip was possessive, his hold strong. "Go home, Becky."
She didn't want to go home. She turned in his arms until she was facing him. Her eyes were level with his chest. She looked up through her eyelashes. "I h-have to clean up this mess." Her voice was soft and hesitant, the feelings he evoked making her heart pound.
"I'll do it. You get home now." The order was deep, irrefutable. He pinched her chin with his finger and thumb. "You go straight home. You hear me?" His fingers caressed her soft flesh.
She nodded her head.
"I mean it. Straight home." His hand moved to her cheek, and he twined his fingers in her hair. He studied her face, and his features became shuttered.
Finally he pushed her away from him, letting go of her completely.
When she reached the door, she turned back to look at him. His eyes were fixed on her, and his hands were in fists, the knuckles turning white where he gripped them so hard.
****
Becky tossed and turned that night. Captivating dreams of the Sheriff holding her and kissing her infiltrated her subconscious. Then the dream would change and Becky would be in Kyle Bolton's house, bars on the windows and beautiful old blue and white china broken at her feet. Powerlessness closed over her making breathing difficult, suffocating her until she woke from the nightmare that gripped her.
Becky got out of bed and walked over to the window where the moonlight streamed in through the lace curtains. She had never wanted anything as much in her life as she wanted to marry Jake Cooper. Would he ever see her as anything other than his housekeeper? As a girl too young to touch?
****
The next morning, much to Becky's aggravation, it happened again. This time, she was rounding the corner just past the bank when Kyle stepped out of nowhere and ran smack dab into her. Irritation and impatience poured from her. This time, his hands grasped hers.
"Becky, will you have lunch with me today? The hotel restaurant is serving prime rib. You'll love it."
Not wanting to make a scene or embarrass him, she gritted her teeth. "No thank you, Kyle." But not wanting to sugar-coat it either, she didn't even try to fob him off with a tale of being too busy or going with him another day, perhaps.
"Aww, come on. You have to stop and eat."
"I will stop and eat. I'll have a sandwich for lunch, just as I do most days."
"Not today. Today we're having lunch at the restaurant." His grip became firmer.
Becky had had enough. "Release me."
