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He groaned. "I can't wait that long."
"I..." Her breathing accelerated and her eyes dilated. It didn't ease his erection in the least. "I could show you my old bedroom," she finally rasped.
Nodding, he took her hand. "Yes."
Offering him a private smile, she grasped his fingers, and they turned to begin moving through the crowd. But Sheriff Ballard and his wife, clinging to his side, stepped into their path.
"Sheriff." Raith lifted a hand, ready to brush his boss aside so he could get Willow alone and naked, preferably within the next thirty seconds. "Excuse us."
But the older man wasn't about to let them by. Looking distressed, he reached out and clutched Raith's arm.
Surprised by the aggressive gesture, Raith paused and looked from the hard, desperate lines creasing the other man's face before he glanced toward Mrs. Ballard. When he realized she was crying, he frowned and spun back toward the sheriff. "What—"
"Malloy. I told you I was sorry. You know I didn't mean—"
"Ballard," Chase interrupted, appearing at Raith's side. He held out two coats toward the sheriff. "I took the liberty of getting your coats."
Mrs. Ballard's sobs strengthened, and the sheriff's face went sheet white. He nodded once as he slowly took his belongings from Willow's brother.
"Thank you for coming," Chase said, though his voice was glacial and not at all appreciative.
As tears coasted continuously down his wife's face, the sheriff turned entreatingly to his lieutenant. "Raith?"
Raith opened his mouth and turned to the assistant county attorney. "What's going on?"
Chase ignored him as he sent the Ballards a hard smile. "Would you like me to see you out?" he asked, sounding congenial though his eyes were hard and unforgiving.
The sheriff swallowed and shook his head. "No, thank you." His voice went hoarse. When he turned to help his wife into her coat, she blubbered the entire time. Pulling his arm comfortingly around her, he glanced one last time toward Raith and then Chase. With a silent bob of his head, he ushered Mrs. Ballard toward the exit.
Willow rounded on her brother, her jaw hard with disbelief. "Did you just kick them out?"
Flicking an uninterested look at his sister, Chase quietly answered, "Dad asked Ballard to go."
Raith felt the same impact of shock Willow did. Her mouth dropped open as she turned to gape at her father, who was smiling and shaking the hand of a county councilman on the other side of the room. "But... why?"
"Because..." She didn't catch the quick glance her brother shot Raith's way. But he felt it all the way to the tips of his toes. "He insulted a member of our family."
"What?" Willow yelped. "Who? What'd he say?"
Raith realized most of Willow's family had gathered nearby as if offering their support. Still reeling in shock, he found who he was looking for in moments. Pinning an accusing look at the blonde, he croaked, "Camille?"
She sank guiltily closer to her husband, who was holding their sleeping infant son on his shoulder. "I only told Dylan," she was quick to defend herself.
"And the only person I spoke to about it was Kit," Dylan cut in.
Kit, standing nearby as well, lifted his hands in surrender. "Yo, I only blabbed to my wife."
"Who told my wife," Chase cut in. "Who told me. And I, in return, relayed it directly to Dad."
"Why?" Raith asked, feeling a little short of breath. What in the hell was going on here? Willow's family couldn't be... defending him. Could they?
Willow's brother sent him a skeptical look. "Weren't you offended by his comments?"
Knowing he should lie, Raith merely gave a brief nod and honestly answered, "Well, yeah. But it wasn't that big a deal. I handled it."
"Oh, whatever," Camille piped up. "If I hadn't come along and stopped you from breaking the sheriff's nose, he probably would've fired you."
After thinking about it for a second, Raith shrugged. "Probably. But I don't care. He pissed me off. He made crude presumptions about Willow—"
