Bare It All (33 page)

“Cheryl went back home to her family?”

Reese watched the sway of her hips in that fetish gown as she
filled a carafe with water. “She called her mother from the station. There were
some tears, but I don’t think they were sad tears.”

“Excess of emotion,” Alice said with a nod. She gave him a shy
look. “I do that sometimes, too.”

“I don’t want you to cry. Ever.”

She laughed at that. “Sorry, but sometimes I even cry when I’m
happy.”

Okay, so he might have to get used to that—since he planned to
keep her very happy. “Peterson got a warrant, and she’s going through Woody
Simpson’s offices right now. She’s already found tons of evidence.” Quietly,
because he knew how Alice would react, he told her the rest. “She also found a
young lady named Michelle, who was more than willing to detail everything she’d
overheard, and everything she’d seen.”

Alice went still before turning in a rush. “Is she okay?”

“Peterson thinks she’ll be fine.” Certainly, she’d be better
now than she would have been if Alice hadn’t intuitively recognized that Cheryl
needed help. She’d started the ball rolling on breaking a huge case of drug
trafficking, kidnapping and more. “And thanks to her, we’ll be able to shut down
deals already in the works and ferret out buyers and distributors who’d been
involved with Woody.”

Alice briefly closed her eyes, but when she opened them again,
she asked, “And Rowdy? How did things work out for him?”

Reese told her about the petite redheaded waitress who had
occupied much of Rowdy’s attention. “I have a feeling he’ll be facing new
challenges very soon.”

Grinning, Alice said, “I’m glad.” As she turned to fill the
coffee cups, she asked, “What about Trace? Is he gone again already?”

It occurred to Reese that it no longer bothered him for Alice
to mention the elusive wraith. “I doubt we’ll see much of him after this, but I
got the feeling he’d be doing some behind-the-scenes recon for the lieutenant,
helping her to nail down evidence against any remaining corruption.”

As if Trace’s whereabouts didn’t concern her all that much,
Alice set the coffee on the table. “What would you like to eat?”

He smiled at her, and she blushed.

That made him laugh outright. He caught her hand and pulled her
over and into his lap. “You know, if it weren’t for you, both Cheryl and
Michelle, and probably a lot of other women, would still be in a great deal of
trouble.”

“You give me too much credit.” Her gaze intent on his throat,
she slipped her hands under his shirt. “I’m just glad that you were able to sort
it all out.”

Already aroused heat filled her big brown eyes. Damn, but he
loved her.

Reese traced a finger over her lips. “Looks like I’ll have
mandatory days off again.”

“Oh?” She nuzzled into his throat, her breath gentle and
warm.

He shuddered. “I was thinking we could spend that time looking
at houses.”

Her head came up. “You were serious about that?”

“Cash needs room to run.” He tangled a hand in her silky brown
hair. “And since I’m staying with you now, we need a bigger place.”

She caught her breath. “Are you...staying with me?”

“I want to.”

Chewing her bottom lip, she grew serious. “For how long?”

Slipping his other hand into her hair, Reese cradled her head
in his palms and kissed her. “Does forever sound too long to you?”

Her eyes widened. “Forever?”

He pulled her close again, took another kiss, this one gentler
still. “If you’ll have us. Cash and me, I mean. We’re a package deal.”

“I adore Cash,” she rushed to assure him. “You know that.”

“And me, Alice?” He searched her face, his heart full. “How do
you feel about me?”

Those happy tears she’d mentioned turned her eyes luminous and
left her voice husky. “I’ve been in love with you since the day you said
hello.”

“Yeah?”

“How could you not know that, Reese? I’d done so much to
protect myself that I’d shut out the whole world. But I couldn’t shut you out.”
She gave a choked laugh. “I couldn’t even stop thinking about you long enough to
try.”

He knew the feeling. Alice hadn’t crept into his life; she’d
launched a full-force attack on his heart...without even trying. “Given that I
feel the same, what do you say we get married? Maybe adopt another dog or two.
Have a couple of kids. That is, after we find the right house—”

Alice kissed him.

Grinning, Reese eased her back. “Should I take that as a
yes?”

Nodding fast, she said, “Yes, yes to everything.”

“Tell me again that you love me.”

“Oh, God, Reese, I do. So much.” Knotting a hand in his
T-shirt, she slipped off his lap. “Now, come with me, Detective. I’ve decided
the coffee can wait.”

Perfect, he thought as he followed her toward the bedroom. His
old nickname had stuck true. He’d bared it all, even his heart, and now he had
Alice.

He had everything.

* *
* * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
The Buckhorn
Legacy
by Lori Foster!

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PROLOGUE

T
HE
FAMILY
PICNIC
had lasted all day,
and Casey had a feeling everything that should have been accomplished had been.
In fact, even more had developed than he’d expected—like his present
uncomfortable situation.

He hadn’t exactly meant to pair up with Emma Clark. She had few
friends, none of them female, and Casey had just naturally defended her when
the
others had started sniping.

So now, with nearly every girl in town chasing after him, he
found himself behind the garage at the far end of the house with a girl—the one
girl he’d been doing his best to avoid—snuggled up to his side. No one else in
the yard could see them. They had complete privacy.

How the hell was a guy supposed to deal with that?

His father and his uncles had been the most eligible bachelors
in Buckhorn, Kentucky. It had been fun for Casey growing up in an all-male
household and watching his uncles and his dad deal with all that female
adoration. Casey had been proud of their popularity and amused by it all. And
pleased by the situation, since he’d gained his own share of adoration as he’d
matured. He’d learned a lot from watching them—but he hadn’t learned how to deal
with Emma.

Like his father and his uncles, Casey loved and respected
women, most especially his grandmother and his new stepmother and aunts. But
then, they were all so different from Emma.

And that thought had him frowning.

Emma was...well, she had a reputation that could rival his
Uncle Gabe’s, and that said something since Gabe had been a complete and total
hedonist when it came to his sexuality. By all accounts, Gabe had started young;
from what Casey knew, Emma had started even younger.

At seventeen, she flaunted herself with all the jaded expertise
of a woman twice her age. Her bleached-blond hair and overdone makeup advertised
her status of being on the make.

Lately she’d been on the make for Casey. For the most part,
he’d been able to resist her.

For the most part.

Emma’s small soft hand began trailing over Casey’s chest. His
heart thumped hard, his body hardened. Very gently, doing his best to hide his
reaction from her, he eased her away. “We should join the others.”

In fact, he thought, all too aware of the heat of her young
body so close to his own, he never should have been alone with her in the first
place. Thanks to his stepmother and her father, he had a great business
opportunity coming up. But before he could take advantage of that, he had
several years of college to get through. Emma, with her hard-to-resist curves
and open sensuality, would be nothing but trouble.

“No.” She stroked down his bare chest, but Casey caught her
hand before she reached the fly to his jeans. He liked her more than he should
have, and wanted her more than that. Hell, to be truthful, he was crazy nuts
with wanting her, not that he’d ever even hinted as much. His plans for the
future did not include Emma. They couldn’t.

Emma had led a very different life from him. Tangling the two
up wouldn’t be good for either of them.

His head understood that, but his body did not.

It took more control than he knew he had to turn her away this
time.

“Emma,” Casey chided, hoping that she couldn’t hear the shaking
of his voice. He’d only wanted to champion her, but Emma wanted more. She was
so
blatant about it, so brazen, that it took all his concentration not to give in.
Besides, more than anything else, Emma needed a friend not another conquest.
And
beyond that, Casey didn’t share.

“Are you a virgin?” she taunted, not giving a single inch, and
Casey laughed outright at her ploy. She was determined, he’d give her that. But
then, so was he.

Flicking a finger over her soft cheek, he said, “That’s none of
your business.”

Her incredible brown eyes widened, reflecting the moonlight and
a femininity that went bone deep. She shook her head in wonder. “You’re the only
guy I know who wouldn’t have denied it right away.”

“I’m not denying or confirming.”

“I know,” she whispered, still sounding amazed, “but most
guys’d lie if they had to, rather than let a girl think—”

“What?” Casey cupped her face and despite his resolve, he
kissed her. Damn, it was hard fighting both himself and her. “I don’t care what
anyone thinks, Emma. You should know that by now. Besides, what I’ve done or
with who isn’t the point.”

“No,” she agreed, her tone suddenly so sad it nearly broke his
heart. “It’s what I’ve done, isn’t it?”

Thinking about that, about the guys she’d probably been with
and the notoriety of her reputation, filled Casey with possessive rage. So many
guys had bragged. Too damn many. Ruthlessly, Casey tamped down the urges he
refused to acknowledge, and repeated his own thoughts out loud. “I don’t
share.”

“Casey,” she said, shyly peeking up at him, her expression
tinted with hope, “what if I promised not to—”

“Shh.” He couldn’t bear for Emma to start pleading, to make
promises he doubted she could keep and that wouldn’t matter in the long run
anyway. He couldn’t let them matter. “Don’t do that, Emma. Don’t make it harder
than it already is. Summer break is almost over and I’ll be leaving for school.
You know that. I won’t be around, so there’s no point in us even discussing
this.”

Big tears welled in her eyes, causing his guts to cramp. One of
her hands fisted in his shirt. “I’m leaving too, Casey.” Her breathing was
choppy, the words broken.

Emma leaving? That surprised him. As gently as possible, Casey
stroked the tears from her cheeks and then, because he couldn’t help himself,
he
kissed her forehead. “And where do you think to go, Em?” She hadn’t finished
high school yet, had no real prospects that he knew of, no opportunities. Her
home life was crap, and that bothered him too. He wanted...

No, he couldn’t even think that way.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I just wanted you to know.”

He didn’t like the sound of that, but had no idea what to say.
He could see her soft mouth trembling, could smell her hot, sweet scent carried
on the evening breeze. Unlike the other girls he knew, Emma didn’t wear
fragrances. But then, she didn’t need to.

Her warm palm touched his jaw. “You’re all that matters to me
right now, Case. You and the fact that we might not ever see each other
again.”

Boldly, she took his hand and pressed it to her breast. Casey
shuddered. She was so damn soft.

His resolve weakened, then cracked. With a muttered curse, he
pulled her closer and kissed her again, this time giving his hunger free rein.
Her mouth opened under his, accepted his tongue, gave him her own. It didn’t
matter, he promised himself, filling his hand with her firm breast, finding her
puckered nipple and stroking with his thumb.

She gave a startled, hungry purr of relief, her fingers
clenching on his shoulders, her hips snuggling closer to his, stroking his
erection, driving him insane.

Casey gave in with a growl of frustration and overwhelming
need. He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t. And sometimes Emma was
just too much temptation to resist.

But it wouldn’t change anything. He told her so in a muted
whisper, and her only reply was a groan.

Two Months Later

C
ASEY
SAT
BACK
in his seat and watched them all with an
indulgent smile. Family gatherings had become a common event now that everyone
had married and started families of their own. He missed having everyone so
close, but they visited often, and it was obvious his father and uncles had
found the perfect women for them.

The girl beside Casey cleared her throat, uncomfortable in the
boisterous crowd of his family. It didn’t matter because he doubted he’d see
her
again anyway. Donna was beautiful, sexy and anxious to please him—but she wasn’t
perfect for him. He knew it was dumb, considering he wasn’t quite nineteen yet,
but Casey couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever meet the perfect girl.

An image of big brown eyes, filled with sexual curiosity,
sadness, and finally rejection, formed in his mind. With a niggling dread that
wouldn’t ease up, Casey wondered if he’d already found the perfect girl—but had
sent her away.

Then he heard his aunt talking to Donna, and he pulled himself
out of his reverie. No, she wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t keep him awake nights
either. And that was good, because no matter what, no matter how he felt now,
he
would not let his plans get off track. He decided to forget all about women and
the future and simply enjoy the night with his family.

It was late when the family get-together ended and Casey
finally got home after dropping off his date. He’d just pulled off his shirt
when a fist started pounding on the front door. He and his father, Sawyer, met
in the hall, both of them frowning. Sawyer was the town doctor and out of
necessity, patients sometimes came this late at night, but as a rule they called
first—unless there was an emergency. Casey’s stepmother, Honey, pulled on her
robe and hustled after them.

When Sawyer got the door open, they found themselves confronted
with Emma’s father, Dell Clark. Beyond furious, Dell had a tight grip on his
daughter’s upper arm. His gaunt face was flushed, his eyes red, the tendons in
his neck standing out.

Casey’s first startled thought was that even though he hadn’t
seen her in two months, Emma hadn’t gone after all. She was right here in
Buckhorn.

Then he got a good look at her ravaged face, and he erupted in
rage.

He’d been wrong. His plans were changed after all.

In a big way.