“We negotiate.”
“What? We don’t have time to negotiate!”
“Calm down. The sheriff over there behind the car to your left will handle this.”
Cole grumbled under his breath and the cop chuckled. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Cole Wilder.”
“Nice to meet you, Cole. I’m Adam Robinson. I went to high school with Carrie's dad.”
Cole gave Adam an exasperated look. Why were they just sitting there doing nothing? Someone needed to do something!
“Known Carrie long?”
“No.” His gaze shifted back to the scene in front of him. Cole was fully aware of the amused sparkle in Adam's eyes.
“Kind of gets to you, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah. She sure does.”
The Captain barked over the megaphone. “Let her go. You can’t get away, you know. We’ve got you surrounded.”
“Not a chance, pig. I’m leaving, and she’s getting me out of here.”
Cole watched as the burglar shifted along toward where her truck was parked, pulling her with him. He couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. He needed to help her, somehow.
"Hey!" Adam said, but Cole ignored him and shifted toward the back of the car.
Crouched where he was, he didn’t think the man holding Carrie saw him, so Cole worked his way from one police car to another, getting closer and closer to Carrie’s truck.
When he had himself positioned on the driver’s side, he peeked over the bed to see the burglar almost directly in front of the vehicle. His heart hammering in his chest, he slowly opened the driver’s side door that Carrie left unlocked. The police had the man talking, keeping him occupied enough he didn’t notice what Cole did until he and the robber were mere feet apart.
“Mister.”
The criminal spun around, continuing to hold Carrie by the throat. Her terrified eyes met his as he saw her mouth his name.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Just let her go. You can take me instead.”
“Get the hell away from the truck. I’m taking her. She’s worth more than you anyway, cowboy.”
Cole shrugged like he didn’t care. “That may be true.” He could see out of the corner of his eye that the police were moving closer while he kept the man talking. “Hey—you ever heard of the Wilders out of Wyoming?” The burglar obviously searched his mind if Cole read his narrowed eyes correctly.
“Maybe.”
“I’m the youngest son. If you let her go, you can ransom me. My family would pay dearly to get me back.”
The man seemed to contemplate the latest development while he loosened his hold on Carrie’s neck slightly. Cole could see the plan when it hatched in her mind, and he tried to communicate to her not to do anything stupid.
Before he had a chance to react, Carrie dropped her hand from the guy’s arm, bent her arm at the elbow and jammed it into his gut. The air whooshed from his lungs when he let go of her throat. The guy’s eyes opened wide, and he dropped to his knees with a painful groan when her fist connected with his balls. The gun flew out of his hand and skidded across the pavement in Cole’s direction.
He almost laughed when she turned around and kicked the guy in the face, knocking him out cold. She stood over the unconscious man as she yelled, “That’s for hitting me!”
The fight drained out of her when she turned around and almost flew across the distance separating them, straight into his arms. Stroking her back, he pulled her tight as he whispered in her ear. She clung to him, and her shoulders shook with sobs. The wetness on his shirt broke his heart. A moment later, he was stunned when another set of female arms wrapped around them both.
Jessica ran her hands down Carrie’s back and whispered, “Are you okay? God, Carrie! I thought he was going to kill you!”
Cole wrapped both women in his embrace as they reassured each other that they were all right. “Come on. I’m taking you two home,” he said while he shuffled them toward his truck. He opened the door, and they slid inside, but before he could shut the door, Carrie stopped him.
“What about the store?”
“I’ll talk to the police. They’ll have to investigate, anyway. I’m sure they’ll lock up when they are done. I’ll be right back.”
Finding the Captain, Cole stopped next to him and waited.
“Something I can do for you?” The officer looked suspiciously at him.
A thank you would be nice.
He didn’t need to make any enemies in this town.
“I just wanted to let you know I’m taking Carrie and Jessica home.”
“I’ll need their statements before they leave.”
“I’m sure you do. Can't it wait until later?"
"No, mister, it can't. I also need to talk to you and find out what your involvement is in this."
Cole stuck out his hand and said, "Cole Wilder. I'm a friend of Carrie's."
The sheriff took his hand and shook it firmly. "Sherriff Williams. I appreciate you wanting to help Carrie, but what you did was stupid, careless, and could have gotten her or one of my officers killed."
"Sorry, Sheriff. I'm kind of impatient that way."
Sheriff Williams' eyes narrowed, and he fixed Cole with a penetrating stare. "You plan on staying in my town, son?"
Cole's shoulder lifted in a shrug. "I'm only here for the rodeo."
"I'd appreciate it if you'd move on soon afterwards. I don't need your kind of trouble in my town."
Well, so much for not making enemies.
"One of the officers will be over there to get their statement in a minute and yours, too. Then, and only then, will you be free to leave."
"Yes, sir," Cole said through clenched teeth before returned to his truck.
"What did they say?"
"They need a statement from all of us before you can leave."
She laid her hand on his arm. "It's okay. We'll be fine."
He ran his fingers through his hair. "I only wanted to get you away from this."
"I know, Cole." Her lips pressed against his cheek for a second before she leaned back and gave him a small smile. "Let's get this over with."
Adam and one other officer approached his truck, separated him from Carrie and Jessica, and took their statements.
"What you did was pretty stupid, Cole," Adam said while he wrote out Cole's statement on his notepad.
"I'm aware of the feelings of the Sheriff, Adam. He's already told me to leave town when the rodeo is over."
"Sorry, son, but we don't need heroics. I know you were worried about Carrie and all."
Carrie and Jessica approached from behind Cole and Carrie said, "Hey, Adam. I didn't realize you were out here, too." She reached up and kissed Adam on the cheek.
"Hey, baby girl. Hey, Jess. You two all right?" Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, you know me. I'm always in the thick of things."
A warm chuckle left her lips, and she moved to Cole's side and slipped her arm around his waist. "Yeah, just shook up. Cole is going to take me and Jess home. Can you make sure everything is locked up when the investigation is over?"
"Sure, honey." The officer frowned. "Any idea who this guy was?"
"No. I've never seen him before. My guess is he's not from around here. You know this town, everyone knows everyone."
"Probably not from here then." Adam looked back toward the front of the store. "You go on home. I'll lock up."
"Thanks, Adam."
"No problem. I'll check on you two tomorrow."
Carrie and Jessica waved before Cole ushered them into the cab of his truck and started it.
The trip back to their house was a quiet one. The terror he felt when he heard about the robbery over the radio bothered him. He didn’t think twice about skipping his turn to find out what was going on at Carrie’s store.
I’m getting in way over my head. Caring about her is getting me nowhere and nowhere fast.
The headlights of his truck spread out into the darkness as they pulled into the yard in front of the house. He didn’t open his door until Carrie asked, “Aren’t you coming in?”
“Uh…yeah.” He couldn’t have said no if he tried. He wanted to be near her, wanted to make sure she was all right after her ordeal, but most of all, he didn’t want to leave.
Once they were inside, Carrie flipped on the lights, and Jessica moved off toward the stairs. “I’m going up to my room and leave you two alone.”
“You don’t have to do that, Jess.”
She shook her head and smiled but didn’t say another word before she walked up the stairs.
They stood in the middle of the room eyeing each other. He was afraid to touch her—afraid he wouldn’t be able to be near her without stripping off her clothes in a rush and burying himself in her sweet warmth. He balled his hands into fists inside his pockets to keep from reaching out to her.
* * * *
She dropped her gaze and smiled. He looked so nervous standing by the couch—like he was afraid to come close. Lifting her head, their gazes met for a moment before she walked to him and slipped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Just hold me,” she whispered, burying her nose in the crook of his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. She sighed when she felt his arms wrap around her. It felt so good to have him hold her.
She was surprised when she saw him stand up and try negotiating with the crazy man who held her captive. He had been willing to trade his own safety for hers. What kind of man would do that? They hadn’t even known each other more than a few days, but he'd been willing to let the guy take him hostage if he let her go.
When she lifted her head, he growled low in his throat. He lifted his hand, wrapped it in her hair before his mouth dove for hers. Fitting his lips against hers, his tongue speared inside her mouth to capture her moan when she released it. The kiss wasn’t the soft, coaxing, playful kisses they’d shared before. This was an all-consuming, full-blown need that raced along her nerves, settling somewhere between them.
His mouth left hers to nibble her lips before moving across her cheek and then down her neck. She tipped her head back and gave him unobstructed access to the hollows of her throat. She arched against him when his palm slipped over her nipple and it hardened beneath his touch.
He lifted his head, framing her face with his hands. “I should have killed him myself for hurting you,” he whispered when his thumb moved over the large bruise that had begun to show on her cheek. Dipping his head, he kissed her softly along the bruise.
“Fuck me, Cole. Help me forget the ugliness of what happened tonight.”
His eyes searched her face for a moment before he swept her up in his arms and headed for the stairs and her room. Once they were inside, he kicked the door closed with his foot. Laying her softly across the comforter, his hand went to the front of his shirt, but she stopped him and reached for the buttons. She didn’t want soft—she didn’t want slow, she wanted him now, buried inside her as she screamed his name. Grabbing his shirt in the middle of his chest, she fisted the two halves in her hands and pulled. Surprise registered on his face when the buttons flew in several directions. She tugged the shirt off his shoulders, pinning his arms at his sides before she smiled and rocked back, bringing him down beside her on the bed. Straddling his hips, she sucked his nipple, bringing a groan to his lips.
“Carrie.” he growled through clenched teeth as he fought for control.
“Mmm.” She didn’t lift her mouth while she licked his chest. When she finally released his arms, he reached for her shirt and lifted it over her head. He unhooked her bra and pulled it off too. He reached for the waistband of her jeans, but she shimmied down his body, licking and nibbling his skin.
He wrapped his fingers in her hair when she worked her way toward his cock straining against his pants. Reaching his waist, she slipped the button loose, and he lifted his hips before she stripped them down around his thighs, freeing him to her lips. A groan rumbled in his chest when she ran her tongue across the tip of his cock, the salty taste of his pre-cum sending her own passion out of control. Wrapping her hand around him, she let her palm caress his entire length, and he hissed. She licked her lips before she took him in her mouth, sucking him deep inside. His hips jerked toward her, and she felt his hands tighten in her hair, her name slipping from between his lips. She took his full length into her mouth until his cock bumped the back of her throat.
“God, Carrie. Stop,” he growled.
He tugged her up and rolled them over so she was beneath him. His hand found her nipple, rolling it between this thumb and finger until electricity shot straight to her pussy. He let his hand slip down between them, whispering softly against her skin.
“I need you,” she whimpered when he undid her jeans and pulled them off. He slipped his hand through the curls and tongued the nipple beneath his mouth. She moaned low in her throat and grasped the back of his head. His fingers spread her apart, and his thumb rubbed against her clit. Warm liquid spilled from her pussy while she continued to groan and wiggle her hips. One of his fingers dove inside, and she almost screamed at the sensation. “Please…”