Beth Andrews - Not Without Her Family

“No kidding. But that’s not what I’m talking about. And the real reason you’re over here isn’t because you’re running from the blonde.”

“It isn’t?”

“Nope.”

Jack waited. She dug in to her food with the enthusiasm of a linebacker three times her size. Though his gut told him he would regret asking, he couldn’t stop himself. “Are you going to enlighten me?”

“You’re attracted to me.”

Holy hell. Was he that easy to read?

He kept his face expressionless, his voice dry. “Amazing.”

“What?”

“That ego of yours. How’d you ever get something that big through the doorway?”

“It’s not ego. I felt it—the pull between us. Are you going to try and tell me you didn’t?”

He swallowed. Hell yes, he felt it. The attraction between them wasn’t exactly subtle. Physical and momentary, yes, but not subtle.

But just because he felt it, didn’t mean he had to acknowledge it. Or worse, act on it. He controlled his body, and his feelings, they didn’t control him.

He deliberately straightened and shifted so that their knees brushed. Her startled gaze shot to his. At the quick, telltale nervous gesture of her pink tongue wetting her lips, his stomach tightened.

Damn, but she was sexy. And tempting. And a distraction he couldn’t afford.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” he said.

“Okay. You first.”

The pulse at the base of her neck beat rapidly. He had the strongest urge to press his lips against it.

He jerked his head up. “I’m not over here because I’m attracted to you.”

“No?”

“No. After your foray into breaking-and-entering this afternoon, I’m over here to make sure you keep your nose clean while you’re in my town.”

“Don’t worry, Sheriff, like I said I won’t be in your town much longer. Besides,” she added with a quick, lethal smile that made his heart skip a beat, “other than that little misunderstanding, I usually avoid trouble at all costs.”

He studied her, looking for subterfuge beneath the humor. She sure as hell seemed sincere. So much in fact that for some crazy reason, Jack found himself wanting to believe her.

He straightened where he sat. Damn it, he couldn’t ignore his instincts, not again. And if he let his guard down for one moment, he’d give in to his attraction to her. And that he couldn’t afford to do.

THE DISBELIEF ON JACK’S FACE told Kelsey he didn’t trust her. She shrugged and dug back into her food to hide her embarrassment. So much for her vow to think before she spoke.

She was supposed to be proving she could curb her impulsive and reckless tendencies. Guess she still needed practice.

“So, you walk the straight and narrow?” Jack asked.

Finished with her fries, Kelsey wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and tossed it onto her empty plate. “Haven’t had so much as a parking ticket in the past ten years.”

“That’s quite an accomplishment.”

“It’s more of an accomplishment for some than others.”

“Looks like you’re going to get your wish,” Jack said.

“What wish is that?”

He gestured to the door. Dillon stood across the room, his eyes on her. Luckily, the same blonde who’d tried to pick up Jack stopped Dillon before he could leave. But, if Kelsey didn’t hurry, she would lose her chance to talk to her brother tonight.

She jumped off the stool, dug some money out of her front pocket and tossed it on the bar.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Jack asked.

“I just want to talk to him.”

“You tried that once.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t give up easily.” But the idea of Dillon blowing her off again kept her rooted to her spot.

Biting her lower lip, she looked back at her brother. His expression darkened as he listened to the blonde now hanging on his arm. Dillon’s mouth thinned but he didn’t shake her off. Instead, he met Kelsey’s eyes for one long moment, turned on his heel and led the blonde out the door.

Dillon was gone.

“I’d heard there was bad blood between them—your brother and Shannon,” Jack said, bringing her attention back to him. “Something about a job he did at her house. Guess whatever the problem was, it’s fixed now.”

“Gossiping, Sheriff?”

Her toes curled at the grin he shot her. “Everybody here knows everybody else’s business.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “Especially their secrets.”

She swallowed. Jack’s face was inches from her own, his blue eyes so mesmerizing, she was unable to look away. Suddenly everything was too much. The noise in the bar. The number of people. And especially Jack, sitting close enough for her to feel his body heat, his expression knowing and intense.

“It’s getting late,” she pointed out. “I’d better head back to the B and B.”

Jack got to his feet. Kelsey stepped back and bumped into the stool in her haste to make sure their bodies didn’t touch. Other than a slight quirk of his lips, he gave no indication he noticed.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said.

She shrugged and turned away but knew he was right behind her. When he laid a hand on the small of her back to guide her through the bar, she almost jumped out of her skin. The warmth of his fingers seeped through her shirt and a shiver rushed up her spine.

They stepped outside into the cool evening air and Jack dropped his hand. She immediately missed the contact.

“Where are you parked?” he asked.

“Over by that second light.” Kelsey dug her keys out of her purse. “Aren’t you worried about your reputation?”

“Not particularly. Why?”

“Well, everyone in the bar saw us leave together. What if they think we’re heading back to your place for a marathon round of wild jungle sex?”

She felt, more than saw, him glance at her. “They’ll think what they want,” he said after a long moment, “whether it’s true or not.”

“I’d rather not know a single soul than have everyone talking about me, knowing about my personal life.”

“Once you get used to it, a small town’s not so bad.”

“I know exactly what it’s like. The town I grew up in isn’t much bigger than Serenity Springs.”

“You don’t miss it?”

Miss everyone looking down their noses at her, knowing her every mistake? Hardly. “No. I’d rather be in New York. Look at all it has to offer. Starbucks. Krispy Kreme. Excitement. Variety.”

“There’s nothing about the city you don’t like?”

She could do without her supervisor, Eric, giving her the worst shifts at the club and cornering her every chance he got so he could rub his insignificant self against her. But she couldn’t blame that on the city. Just her own stupidity for breaking her “No sleeping with the boss” rule and getting involved with Eric in the first place.

She stopped beside her car, unlocked the door and faced Jack. “New York is the biggest, most exciting city in the world.” Which was absolutely true. Even if she did, at times, feel lost and alone. “What more could I want?”

JACK COULD THINK of something he wanted. And he wouldn’t have to go far to get it, either. A quarter of an inch, half an inch max, and he’d be able to capture her mouth with his. He didn’t move.

If he moved, he’d have to touch her. And touching her was the last thing he needed to do.

He fisted his hands. Kelsey remained motionless, her full lips tipped up in a half grin, her body trapped between him and the car.

He tamped down a surge of desire. “Serenity Springs is nice. Small. Quiet.”

“You mean boring.”

“The security of knowing your neighbors more than makes up for any perceived boredom. The predictability is comforting.”