The Keeper (6 page)

Seduced by the soft bed and
darkness, they dozed nestled together like puppies, his head nesting on her
hair.

***

Sharon awoke. Where was she? His
body blanketed her, his heat sizzling along her spine. Hard knees and hard
thighs nudged the backs of her legs, and a rigid cock nestled against her ass.
Oh,
right.
Now she knew where she was. With Pete. One side of her mouth tipped
up in a private smirky smile. They'd done it once, fast, then passed out, but
boy had it been a good one. It seems she'd wanted him as much as he'd wanted
her, and it hadn't taken long for either of them to come.

She scraped her teeth across her
lower lip. It was still dark inside the bedroom, but brightening outside. She
could see the dim outlines of furniture.

He rustled in his sleep, nudging
his hips against her backside and reminding her, as if she could forget, she
wanted more of his wonderful cock but even more than that, just lying in his
arms felt safe. She rolled to face him, and he surprised her with open eyes and
smiling lips. Dare she allow herself to feel so sheltered? With anyone?

"Sorry I passed out," he
murmured.

"It was a big day. Lots going
on. We were both drained," she responded.

His grin widened, triggering her
answering one.

She snuggled against his chest and
ran her palm over the bulge in his upper arm. Squeezing it, she asked, "Do
you work out?"

"Yeah," he murmured
sleepily. "Mostly I run, but I lift weights too."

"Tell me about your family.
You have a lot of brothers and sisters, don't you?"

He traced her collarbone with a
fingertip and chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I have eight."

"Eight!"

"Yeah. I was the fifth, right
in the middle."

"What in the world was that
like growing up? I can't even imagine a house full of kids like that."

"It was chaos. Of the best
kind. We fought, wrestled, and raced our horses like lunatics."

"Horses? Did you live on a
farm?"

"A ranch outside Flagstaff,
Arizona."

"You're a cowboy!" She
smiled appreciatively. Closing her eyes, she stretched her neck in reaction to
the gentle fingers tracing invisible lines on the rounded upper curves of her
breasts.

"Yup, ma'am, I'm a bona fide
cowpoke."

"How in the world did you get
here to Iowa then?" She ruffled her fingers through the dark hair at the
center of his muscled chest.

"Well, honey, I wanted to go
into law enforcement and was accepted at the University of Nebraska. After
graduating, I worked in Lincoln for five years before coming to Parkersburg. A
little lower, a little slower," he intoned when her hand hovered over his
belly button.

She grasped his cock and balls
together in one hand, gently massaging them. Kissing his chest, she purred,
"Where are your condoms? I think you're gonna need one."

He reached behind him to pull one
off the nightstand then rolled back drawing her closer, running his hands
around her sides and back before tucking them around her ass and pulling her
belly against his cock.

Giggling, "By George, I think
you're ready." She took the packet from him, tore it open, and slowly and
agonizingly sheathed him.

He was able to plunge inside her
easily. She was as ready for him as he was for her. Her giggle died on a groan
when he rolled to his back, and she ended upright, balanced on his cock, his
fingers grasping her hips.

She leaned back so his penis rubbed
fully against her G-spot. "Oh, God, that feels good." She moaned the
words, writhing, her eyes closed in ecstasy.

"Glad to be of service,
ma'am." His eyes closed, too. He guided her up and down on his cock,
leisurely at first, then faster as their breathing became short and strained.

She couldn't stand another second
of the wonderful agony and slid her fingers to her clit. The little nub was so
tender that she came with a mere touch, doubling over in the pleasure. "Pete,"
she wailed at the delicious feeling of his throbbing cock pumping into her.

He pulled her all the way down to
lie on top of him, her head over his heart. It had never been like this before.
Oh, she'd had pleasure with other men, but she'd never allowed any of them to
know as much about her as Pete did. She'd always feared their reaction if they
knew the truth about her family. Not so with Pete. He must have been appalled,
but he'd been nothing but sensitive and nonjudgmental.

She kissed the center of his chest
in gratitude. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome, but what for
exactly? My manly prowess?"

Shaking with silent laughter, she
said, "Yes, of course your manly prowess." Raising her face to his,
she took his lips and lost herself in the kiss.

He cupped the back of her head,
cradling it while he nipped and sipped at her mouth.

I could do this forever.

He rolled her onto her back again,
held her tightly, and touched his lips to her cheeks and eyes, brushing them
down her nose. "Go to sleep a little while longer. It's not quite morning
yet. I'll make sure you get to work on time," he assured her.

Chapter Eight

Sharon was in the lab sterilizing
instruments when the intercom buzzed. She dried her hands before answering the
phone. "Yes?"

"Pete Rayne is up front to see
you, Sharon."

"Pete? Okay, I'll be right
there." Her lips lifted in a little Cheshire cat smile. Last night had
been wonderful. They'd held each other and made love most of the night, and she
wasn't even tired. Well, maybe just a little. If she wasn't careful, she could
start feeling something for the man. His showing up here at her work might be
proof he cared, too.

When she rounded the corner into
reception, she gasped at the sight of the white bandage over his forehead.
"What happened, Pete? Are you all right?"

"Can we go outside and talk
for a bit?" His voice strained.

She glanced back at the reception
desk, where the two person office staff was watching them closely. "I'm
taking a break. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He closed his hand around her elbow
and steered her out the door. "Let's go over there." He pointed
across River Road to the park and led her to a bench. "Share, I wanted to
tell you before you started hearing about it from other people."

"Are you all right?" He
was developing a black eye, with the bruise coming from under the bandage.

He gripped both her hands and said,
"I was shot."

"Holy God." Her heart
thudded heavily. She clutched at him. He was steady. She was not. She wanted to
throw her arms around him, but he wouldn't let go of her hands. "Pete,
what happened?"

"I'm all right. Just a bit of
a headache, obviously," he replied in a husky voice, not quite as steady
as he pretended.

"Pete, what happened?"
she repeated.

***

In as dispassionate a voice as he
could muster, Pete related the events of the past few hours. He'd never been
shot before, not even shot at. He was pretty spooked by the incident, but he
didn't want Sharon to worry.

"Nickie was kidnapped this
morning."

"My God, is she all
right?"

"Yes. She was shaken up and
has some cuts and bruises, but other than that, she's okay."

"Does Hank know?"

"Yeah. He's okay.
Physically."

"Were you the only one
shot?"

"No." He absently rubbed
the bandage on his forehead and winced. She caressed him, her palm cupping the
side of his face. Her expression almost broke his self-possession. "I'm
really all right. The bullet just grazed my temple."

"But you're cut." She
gently rubbed a thumb at the corner of his eye.

"Glass."

"Pete, just tell me how it
happened." She bit nervously at her lower lip.

"It's such a crazy
story." He set his jaw and took her hands again. "An anonymous call
came in to dispatch that Nickie had been kidnapped and was being held for
ransom. Hank and I got to her house and started a search. Grant Carey showed
up."

"Grant? Why was he
there?"

"He said he'd heard the call
on his scanner. We searched the house, heard Dog barking from the basement.
When Hank opened the door, Dog raced outside and attacked Grant. Hank pulled
the dog off, who then took off out of the yard. Then he came back. It was like
he was Lassie giving us a message to follow him." Pete slowly shook his
head. "I guess the homeless pooch Hank adopted was worth his weight after
all."

"Why'd he attack Grant?"

"You'll see. We followed Dog
to Grant's trailer."

"Oh, no." Her mouth
formed an O of surprise.

"Yeah. Grant had kidnapped her
and tied her up in his trailer."

"How did you get shot?"

"Hank was inside negotiating
with Grant. I was going to take a shot at him through the window. He spotted me
and shot out the glass."

"And Grant?"

"I got a shot off. He's in
serious but stable condition."

"You were the only one beside
him who was injured?"

"Yeah. Like I said, Nickie has
cuts and bruises, but she'll be okay."

Sharon looked stunned. And scared.
Maybe being the girlfriend of a cop was too much for her. Not every woman could
take the worry of it. He didn't want to lose her. Not over this. Not over
anything. He'd been holding his breath while Hank dated her, waiting and
watching, knowing Hank's girlfriends never lasted. He wanted to be there to
pick up the pieces.

Sharon was his now, and he intended
to keep her. "I'm fine, Share. It wasn't serious. I just have a slight
headache." He brushed a fingertip across the groove of her frown.

"Did you have a CAT scan?"

He smiled at her anxious question.
"An X-ray was all I needed. Really, honey, I'm all right. It didn't even
bleed much, it was so shallow."

She took a shaky breath and sucked
on her lower lip. Her gaze investigated every inch of his face.

He slipped his arm around her
shoulders and pulled her in close. Her arms went around his waist, her fingers
clutching the material of his shirt. He smiled as he cuddled her, nuzzling her
hair and whispering soothing sounds. She cared about him, too. He didn't know if
it was as much as he cared for her, but it was enough for now.

***

Sharon drove out to Nickie's house
after Pete and Hank's dad, Mark, left town. Hank had run from his feelings of
guilt, believing Grant would never have hurt Nickie if their childhood history
had been different. Hank and Grant's older brother had been best friends in
high school, but when the brother died in a swimming accident, Hank suddenly
left town. Grant felt abandoned and, after Hank returned from the military and
college, he became jealous of anyone Hank was seriously involved with.

"Let's have some coffee,"
Nickie suggested, interrupting her packing. They settled across from each other
in the kitchen, steaming cups in hand and a plate of sliced pound cake in the
center of the table.

"Are you going back to Chicago
for good?" Sharon asked.

"No, actually I'm coming back
in a week or two," Nickie said.

"What if Pete and Mark can't
find Hank, or he won't come back?"

"You know," Nickie
changed the subject. "I never meant for all this to happen between Hank
and me. I didn't know until much later that you and he had been dating."

Sharon waved her hand dismissively.
"I always knew Hank and I weren't serious. Until you came along, he'd
never been with anyone very long. It was obvious, almost from the beginning
that he felt differently about you. More permanent."

"But it must have looked like
I rolled into town and… I'm sorry if you were hurt."

"Honestly? I was at first, but
Pete was there for me." Sharon couldn't help the smile quirking her lips.
"In so many ways."

"I'm glad," Nickie
responded. "Pete's a nice man."

"Yeah, very nice. I've never
been with anyone like him."

"He's protective of you."

Sharon rested her elbows on the
table and cradled the coffee cup between her palms. "He is protective and
supportive. He even met my family and didn't run screaming into the
night."

Nickie laughed. "That's kind
of a good sign, don't you think? Hank and my sister butted heads a little, but
I think they'll get along."

"Do you plan to come back to
stay permanently?"

Nickie nodded. "I'm in love
with Hank. I think he cares for me, too, but he feels too much guilt right now
about Grant and too much pain about his father. I'm hoping Mark and Pete can
talk some sense into him and bring him home."

"I'm sure he loves you."

"I'm just going back to
Chicago to get my winter clothes. Then I'll be back in Hank's life whether he
wants it or not." Nickie laughed warily. "I'm sounding pretty
confident, aren't I?"

"Who knows anything for sure
when a man's involved?"

As the days passed, and Pete was
still out of town looking for Hank, Sharon couldn't get that thought out of her
mind. It had always been her pattern not to trust the men in her life. She had
no basis for it, no history of trust. Was Pete any different? Yes.

Had any other man comforted her
with an embrace? Had she ever asked for it or even
allowed
it?
No to
both.
Pete was different. He didn't ask leave to offer sympathy. Kindness
and empathy were hard-wired into him. Oh, it would be so easy to surrender.
Could she afford to risk her heart? He wasn't like any man she'd ever met. He
was confident and strong without being cocky or overbearing, and he'd always
treated her with respect and affection.

She didn't know if she could risk
getting closer to him, but she also didn't know if she could let him go. What
if he was
the one
? Grant could have killed him. He could die in the line
of duty any day. Her body shuddered in a frisson of fear for him.