Chapter Eight
Catie put on a pair of small gold hoop earrings, spritzed on her vanilla musk cologne, and then checked her appearance in the mirror. She rarely wore makeup, but wondered if today she should make an exception considering how she looked—like she was nervous or something. Her cheeks were so pale it made her freckles stand out across her nose.
What the hell,
she might as well go for it
.
She settled for dusting a bronze blush on her cheekbones, a light coat of brown mascara, and lipstick in a burnt cinnamon shade. And why not—a little sable liner along her lashes, just like the Avon lady had shown her.
Frowning at her reflection, Catie smoothed the skirt of the strapless black dress that came to mid-thigh. It wasn’t an expensive dress, but it had a classic look that supposedly made it appropriate for any occasion. Truth be told, she didn’t give a damn about that—she just hoped that it would make Jarrod so out of his mind with lust that he’d want to fuck her as soon as he saw her.
It had been a week since she’d seen Jarrod, and she was regretting agreeing to go with him to the mayor’s dinner. She wanted him so badly she didn’t think she could wait until the dinner was over.
Her frown turned into a grin as she thought about how much fun it would be to find a secluded corner in the mayor’s house, and fuck Jarrod there. With all their dirty talk on the phone every night this week, she was so hot for him she’d probably jump him the moment he arrived. She almost wished that tomorrow she didn’t have to go to Dee and Jake’s reception. Jarrod had agreed to go with her, but right now she wanted him all to herself so that she could enjoy his body—and especially his cock.
Catie grabbed her black beaded handbag, tossed in the lipstick, and walked through the quiet house, wondering where it was that Steve had been going off to every night. He must have started working some kind of side job that he wasn’t telling her about. How else could he have afforded the water heater? And why would he be so secretive about what he was doing?
When she reached the window that looked out onto the front yard, she pushed the curtain aside and peered through the clouded pane and into the night. A pair of headlights cut through the darkness, headed up the dirt road to her ranch house. Her hand automatically went to her ear and she pulled at the gold earring.
Jarrod.
Catie held her purse tight to her belly with one hand, as if it could calm the sudden flutter there, and stepped back from the window. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
He’s just a man. Nothing special
.
The roar of a truck’s engine came closer. She remained still, almost unable to move while she listened to the sound of gravel crunching under big tires…the engine cutting off…the slam of a door…and then the sound of heavy boots on her porch steps.
What’s the matter with me?
The screen door creaked and then a loud knock sounded. Catie’s eyes flew open and she stared at the door. Why did it feel like everything would change if she walked through that door and into Jarrod’s arms tonight?
Stop being so damn stupid!
Another knock jolted Catie into action, and she moved forward and reached for the worn brass knob. When she opened the door, she almost forgot to breathe.
Jarrod was dressed in a black suit, his mouth curved into a sensual smile and his green eyes positively smoldering. He looked like he could have stepped out of the pages of some high-fashioned men’s magazine.
“You’re so gorgeous, honey.” He reached for her, slid his fingers into her hair, and cupped the back of her head. “Damn but I’ve missed you.”
“Hey, sexy,” was all she had a chance to say before he brought his mouth to hers. He moved his lips over hers in a soft and sensuous kiss that stole every bit of her remaining breath. A moan rose up within Catie, and she barely realized she had wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter to her.
His kiss deepened, her thoughts spinning as she parted her lips and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She welcomed him, drawing him deeper into her. Today he tasted of cinnamon and his own elemental flavor. Jarrod’s arousal was clear, his cock big and hard against her belly. Her core flooded at the thought of having that awesome length deep inside her again. It’d been too long since she’d had him.
Faintly she heard something clatter to the floor, but the whole world could come crashing down for all she cared. The only thing that mattered was the feel of his man in her arms, how good he tasted, his masculine scent, and the way he held her against him.
When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers. Catie opened her eyes to see his sexy smile so close to her lips. Feeling dazed and breathless, she swallowed, trying to calm the emotions rushing through her.
Not emotions—
lust
. That was all she felt for him…lust.
He trailed his knuckles along her jaw line. “You ready to head on out, little wildcat?”
“Yeah.” Her voice was barely a husky whisper.
Snap out of it!
she shouted in her head.
Fixing a flirty smile on her face, Catie pushed herself away from Jarrod. “I’m ready if you are.”
“You don’t know how ready I am.” He winked, but then knelt and started picking up items from the floor—and Catie realized what the clatter had been. She’d dropped her purse, scattering her ID, lipstick, and change all over the floor. Before she had a chance to help him, he had everything gathered up. “You carry a pocketknife?” he asked as he dropped it into her purse and stood.
“I’m pretty handy with it.” She shrugged and took her purse from him. “And it was a gift from someone who was like a mom to me. She lived down at the Old Karchner Ranch, but she died a while back. Some other woman lives there now. Hispanic, I think. I haven’t gotten to know her. It’s—well, just too hard to go down there, you know? I always think of Mrs. Karchner.”
“Ah.” Jarrod glanced around the small living room. “Where’s your brother?”
“Hell if I know.” Catie brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s been gone every night and won’t tell me where. I think he’s got a side job and just doesn’t want to tell me about it for some macho reason.”
Something flickered in Jarrod’s eyes, but then it was gone. “Let’s go before I decide to forget all about the damn dinner.” He brushed his lips over hers. “’Cause the way you look tonight, honey, we’ll be lucky if we even make it to the mayor’s house.”
“Who needs him anyway?” She flicked her tongue against the corner of his mouth, her naked pussy aching beneath her dress.
He groaned and caught her face in his palms. “I brought a little something for you.”
With a naughty grin Catie placed her hand against his cock and felt its rigid length beneath his slacks. “You sure did, but I’d say that’s more than a
little
something.”
Jarrod captured her hand in one of his and held it to his chest, while his other hand dug into his suit jacket and pulled out a long jeweler’s box.
Catie’s eyes widened and she tried to step back, but he held her hand too tightly against him. “I can’t accept a gift from you, Jarrod.” She swallowed as she looked up at him.
“Just open it.” He placed the box to her free hand until she took it, and then released her other hand.
Curiosity won out, and she opened the box. Lying upon a bed of black velvet was a necklace, each link a tiny heart, and each heart with a diamond chip at its center. “It’s gorgeous.” She snapped the box shut and handed it back to him. “It’s too expensive. You can’t give me this and I can’t accept it.”
“Let’s just see how it looks.” He reopened the box and unhooked each end of the necklace from within its velvet nest.
“No.” Catie shook her head. “I’ve known you for less than two weeks. And I already told you, no commitment. Of any kind.”
“I’m not asking for commitment.” His smile was so erotic her nipples became diamond points against the thin fabric of her dress. “Just wear the damn necklace. Humor me, all right?”
“Okay.” Raising her chin, she gave him a mischievous smile. “Under one condition.”
Jarrod quirked his brown. “What’s that?”
“You have to promise to let me give you head.”
His mouth curved up into a grin. “No problem.”
“While we’re at the mayor’s house.”
“Uh, no.”
“Either that, or you have to fuck me.” A devious feeling rose up within her. “Somewhere very public.”
* * * * *
Jarrod and Catie arrived at the mayor’s house promptly at seven. He glanced over at her in the passenger seat just as she bit her lower lip, and he realized that his feisty wildcat was nervous.
Well, good. Maybe she’d get that crazy public sex idea out of her beautiful little head. He couldn’t believe he’d agreed to Catie’s condition—the woman was making him certifiably nuts. If he didn’t watch it, his dick was going to get him into serious trouble.
Hell, he was already courting disaster by dating a suspect’s sister. And after the new evidence that Deputy Forrester had turned up that morning, it was looking more and more like Steve Wilds was in some seriously deep shit.
He reached over and squeezed Catie’s hand. “Ready?”
A car passed, the headlights illuminating her delicate features as her eyes met his. She raised her chin, a proud tilt to her head. “What if I don’t fit in here? I’m just a rancher—”
Jarrod caught her face in his hands and silenced her with a long, hard kiss. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes that glittered in the near darkness. “Honey, you’re smart and sexy…you fit me perfectly.”
“But—”
He pressed his thumb against her lips, silencing her protest. “Just be the beautiful and confident Catie Wilds that I can’t get enough of.”
Jarrod helped her out of his truck, and she held his hand tight as they walked up to the home of Douglas Mayor Eduardo Montaño, one of the biggest houses in the area. A well-known businessman even before becoming mayor, Montaño owned a popular Mexican restaurant in town.
Catie’s chin rose higher as a young man greeted them at the door, and then escorted into a formal living room already filled with guests. Jarrod squeezed her hand and felt her relax, as though his confidence was transferred to her. The mayor’s home was decorated much as his restaurant was, in bold colors, portraits of bullfighters and other décor that spoke of his Hispanic heritage.
“Savage.” Montaño approached them, holding out one hand. “It is good to see you again.”
“Montaño.” Jarrod grasped the mayor’s hand in a firm grip, then released it to introduce Catie. “Have you met Catie Wilds? She and her brother own a ranch outside town.”
Montaño clasped Catie’s hand and smiled. “A pleasure, señorita.”
Her smile was radiant as she responded in kind to the mayor. Before Jarrod had the chance to say another word, Montaño took it upon himself to introduce Catie to each of the other guests, which included council members and a couple of local business owners and their spouses. All Jarrod could do was follow like some third wheel, but every now and then Catie would toss him a look that said
don’t forget your promise to fuck me in public,
and it was all he could do to keep from sporting a hard-on the entire evening.
Throughout the night, the way that the other men looked at Catie, Jarrod couldn’t decide whether he should want to kick their asses or stick out his chest with pride. She was a knockout in her tiny black dress and high heels, clearly the most beautiful woman there. Her hair shimmered like gold floss in the light of the chandeliers, and her brown eyes seemed bigger and more luminous than ever. The delicate chain of golden hearts and diamonds glittered with every move she made.
Truth be told, he had wondered what Catie might come up with tonight as frank as she was in conversation. That was one of the things that he loved about her, the way that she spoke her mind without worrying about what others might think.
When they were seated for dinner, Jarrod and Catie found themselves in the middle of one side of the table set for twelve.
“I’ve never been to such a fancy dinner,” Catie whispered to Jarrod as they were served cold gazpacho in footed silver bowls. “I’m afraid I’m going to do something stupid.”
“You’ll do fine, honey.” He settled his hand on her knee beneath the tablecloth, enjoying her slight gasp as he moved his fingers to the warm flesh inside her thigh. “Just do what I do.”
“All right.” She smiled and moved her hand to his lap, right on his cock. “Like that?”
Jarrod’s cock jerked and hardened at her touch, and he fought the urge to see if the people seated to either side of them could see what she was doing to him. He lowered his lids, his gaze burning into hers. “Eat your dinner.”
She spoke so softly that he almost had to read her lips, as she said, “I’d rather eat you.”
He damn near groaned out loud at the thought of those lips and that soft mouth going down on him. The councilman on Catie’s other side took that moment to ask her a question, and her teasing brown eyes were drawn from Jarrod.
As they ate dinner, conversation ranged from politics to various other problems that plagued the border community. Catie made it a point to torture Jarrod with a hand on his lap, or sliding off her shoe and running her silken foot along his ankle. At one point she even leaned in, her vanilla musk scent sweeping over him as she whispered, “I want to fuck you now.”
Jarrod just about choked on his mouthful of grilled salmon. He retaliated by sliding his fingers along the inside of her thigh, planning to rub his fingers along the crotch of her panties—only to have his fingers come in contact with her bare pussy. His cock hardened to the point he’d thought for sure it would thrust right through the material of his dress slacks.
When the topic of cattle rustling came up, Jarrod tried to head it off with, “We’re working on it,” but each person at the table seemed to have some comment.
“Well something needs to be done, and soon,” Catie added to the conversation and Jarrod tensed beside her.
Eduardo Montaño’s eyes rested on her. “What would you suggest?”
She set her fork on the edge of her plate, her gaze steady as it met the mayor’s. “It’s obvious that it can’t be completely an outside job.” Conversation around the table quieted as Catie continued, “I believe it’s someone familiar with folks in the area, someone who knows how and when to strike.”
Montaño nodded. “Do you think it could be anyone you know?”
Jarrod was practically holding his breath as he watched Catie brush a strand of hair behind her ear, a troubled look crossing her face. “I can’t imagine it would be any of the ranchers in our area. They’re all good people, and they’ve all been hit. But whoever it is, the law should lock them up for good once the bastard’s caught.”
Murmurs of agreement came from around the table, and Jarrod took the opportunity to ask what everyone thought about the Cardinals’ chances of making the playoffs that year.
“Cardinals?” Catie scoffed, her brown eyes meeting his. “Have you had a look at the way their defense has been playing lately?”
“The 49ers are going to put the Cardinals away in the next game,” Montaño agreed.
While the banter continued Jarrod studied Catie, who passionately participated in the debate. He hadn’t even realized that she was a football fan. How much more of a perfect woman could he have asked for?
He just hoped to god that Catie wasn’t going to hate him if he ended up having to arrest her brother.
When a decadent chocolate mousse was served for dessert, Catie found her opportunity. Or rather, she made it.
“Ow,” she said, just loud enough to be heard over the appreciative murmurs around the table. “Something’s in my eye.”
“Can I do something for you?” Montaño asked as Catie held her hand over her eye.
“Just point me to the bathroom, and I’ll take care of it.” She started to push back her chair, but Jarrod was already standing and pulling it out for her.
“Do you mind helping me?” she asked him, keeping the one eye squeezed shut.
“Of course.” His expression was concerned, yet the flare in his green eyes told her he knew she was up to something. Jarrod pressed his hand to the small of her back as he guided her across the massive house and into the opulent rose-scented bathroom.
The moment they were inside, she locked the door and wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. “We had a bargain, lawman.”
He groaned, but his big hands gripped her hips, the heat burning through her thin dress like a pair of branding irons. “You’re such a little shit.”
“Enough talk.” Her hands moved to his belt, and a small thrill charged through her at the feel of his already huge cock beneath his dress slacks. She was so wet and turned-on she couldn’t wait to get him inside her. “Just fuck me, big guy.”
Jarrod yanked up her dress and rubbed her bare ass with his palms as she freed his length and pushed his slacks down around his hips. A sigh of sheer lust escaped her as she slid her fingers up and down his rigid cock.
He grasped her ass and raised her up onto the marble countertop, and she jerked her attention to his face. His eyes burned a deep, passionate jade as he pushed her thighs apart and pressed himself against her pussy.
“Damn, you drive me crazy, woman.” He brushed the head of his cock against the swollen lips of her pussy. He stroked her clit with the purple head of his rod, and then eased it down to her dripping wet core. “What I’d do for you.”
“Then fuck me already.” Catie moaned and braced her hands on the countertop, the marble cold and erotic beneath her bare ass.
In one smooth motion, Jarrod drilled his cock into her pussy. She gasped at the incredible sensation of having him fill her again. Damn but she’d missed him inside her this week.
“Oh, God, that feels good. So, so good.” She watched his cock moving in and out of her pussy. “More. I need
more
.”
He grasped his hands beneath her knees, drawing her up and widening her to take more of him. Harder and harder he thrust inside her, his balls slapping her ass, their breathing coming in harsh gasps.
“Yes, that’s it.” She wished she could get her hands on his hard muscled body. Wished she could rake her nails down his back as he fucked her.
“I’m going to come, honey.” His voice was low and hoarse. “Come with me.”
“I’m ready.” Catie’s breathing was labored as she felt her muscles begin to clench. “Now, Jarrod.
Now.”
Just as she felt a scream rise in her throat, Jarrod placed his mouth over hers. His kiss was strong and fierce, swallowing her cries and feeding her his own as their bodies jerked and throbbed against one another. For a moment they remained in that intimate embrace, the smell of his come mingling with the scent of her own juices.
Jarrod’s eyes locked with hers, their chests rising and falling with equally labored breaths. And then he smiled, the look in his eyes purely male sexual satisfaction. Catie couldn’t help but return his smile.
“Damn that was fun,” she said, and had the intense desire to giggle.
He grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Talk about an understatement.”
When they both had caught their breath, they cleaned up. Catie rubbed her eye to make it look red, like she’d really had something in her eye.
Jarrod shook his head as he checked his own appearance in the mirror and then looked down like he was making sure there was no wet spot on his fly. “I can’t believe I just fucked you in the mayor’s house.”
“A deal’s a deal,” she murmured as she reached up and kissed him.