Dixie Lynn Dwyer (2 page)

“What do you think, Susanna?” Carl asked her. He was head of security and cousins with the good sheriff. Usually, Carl had his eye on Juliet. She worked the bar area, being sure that the bartenders didn’t give the stuff away. In the past two years since opening, the place had become so busy they had to hire on some locals to add to their staff. They were having trouble with Don, but the other ten staff members were working out just fine, thanks to Carl and his brother Richie. They knew a lot of ex-military types and also wives of ex-military who needed work and were trustworthy.

“I think I’m going to have to let him go tonight,” she responded.

“I think you’re going to have to let him go right now.” The deep Texan accent came from behind her at the entrance to the security room.

She turned and was shocked to see the sheriff of the town of Delite, Texas, BJ Parker, standing there out of uniform and looking just as intimidating without the badge. The man had such a grand personality it made her shake in more ways than just with fear. He, too, was ex-military just like most of the town. It really wasn’t a small town at all, and besides the surrounding city, it made for a great location for Dixie Chix.

She placed her hands on her hips and gave him the evil eye.

“You’re not supposed to be up here.”

He raised those big green eyes at her and gave an expression as if saying, “Honey, I can do as I please. I’m God.”

She heard Carl chuckle in the background.

She whipped her long blonde hair around and gave Carl a dirty look. “Keep an eye on things, will ya? I apparently need to speak with the sheriff.”

She confidently—well, at least she hoped that she appeared confident—walked toward him with her tight, short skirt, sequined, sheer blouse, and sexy cowgirl boots.

“Shall we?” she asked with attitude and nodded toward the door, waiting for him to exit, but he had other intentions.

“You first, ma’am.” He tipped his black Stetson while his other hand gestured for her to precede him.

She instantly inhaled his cologne and felt the zing of attraction the moment her body brushed by his very large muscular one. She knew that if she touched him, he would feel hard as stone. Many nights she imagined his other parts being hard as stone, and boy did those nights make for the worst sleep ever. She wasn’t sure what she feared more, the fact that she was attracted to a man after several years or the potential of being intimate with a man after how she had been treated in her past. She trusted her judgment, but it was easier keeping her pussy dormant than taking a chance of losing all control and power again. The sheriff had that superior personality, and with his good looks and amazing body, it would be hard for a nun to not spread her legs to get a feel. Susanna tried to shake the thoughts from her head.

She made her way down the hallway and to her office, the sound of her boot heels clicking on the hardwood floors and his echoing louder while he walked behind her. She knew he was checking her out. Ava, Juliet, Paula, and Elise had been teasing her relentlessly for the past year. They believed that the only reason why she had gotten the permit and town board approval for the dance hall was because the sheriff had been in the town municipal building that day and was instantly interested in her.

Well, she really shouldn’t entertain the attraction, especially since his brother Monte, some sort of security expert and ex-military man, had been sniffing around her, too. She sure wouldn’t like to cause trouble between brothers. Although ménage relationships were not uncommon in in town of Delite, Texas, she wasn’t interested. Her past made her cautious.

She allowed the sheriff entrance to her office and walked over toward the front of her desk. She turned around to give him a piece of her mind and let him know that she was more than capable of handling Don when she saw him close the office door and lock it.

“What are you doing?” she asked him as she placed her hands on her hips. He gave her a sexy smile then leaned against the door and stared at her with his arms crossed in front of his chest. She could barely make out the green color of his eyes under the rim of the Stetson.

“I’m at my wits end with you, Susanna.”

Damn him and that sexy smile, those long, thick, jean-covered thighs, and his superior presence. He towered over her by more than a foot. He looked cocky and confident even without the badge.

“I can handle this, Sheriff. So if you don’t mind, I’ve got things to do.”

She only moved a foot when he gave her an expression as if she punched him in the gut. What was up with that?

He uncrossed his arms and took a step toward her. Her entire body stiffened and hummed with awareness of him. He was a manly man. He had every inch of her body reacting to his sex appeal.

He pointed at her and his facial expression seemed angry and frustrated.

“Do you see a goddamn badge on my chest or a uniform on me? I’m not the sheriff right now. In fact, I hoped you get the fact that I’m here on my personal time.”

She was taken aback by his response.

“I didn’t mean to insult you, Sheriff. It’s what everyone calls you whether in uniform or not.”

He closed the distance between them, wrapped an arm around her waist, and hoisted her up against his chest, nearly knocking the breath from her lungs.

She grabbed his arms, shocked at the solidity of the stone beneath her fingertips.

“Would it kill you to call me BJ? To acknowledge these feelings we all have for one another?”

“What feelings?” She absorbed the scent of his cologne, the attraction she had for him.

“When are you going to stop fighting Monte and me? What is it going to take to get you to see what you do to us and how we feel about you?”

She tried to pull away.

“I can’t do this now. I don’t sleep around, Sheriff…BJ. I’m not what you need or what you’re looking for.”

She tried pulling away, but he held her tighter and cupped her neck and hair so she was forced to look him in the eye.

“You’re so beautiful and an amazing business woman, but you suck at lying.”

Before she could respond, he covered her mouth with his own devouring any retort.

He made love to her mouth and kissed her like no man, no lover, had ever done before. The hand on her waist trailed over her skirt and against her ass as he hoisted her higher and firmer against his rock-hard body.

She found herself giving in to the kiss and his control. It was just so damn good, and the feeling of being in his arms was invigorating and safe. She actually felt safe. That jolted her back to reality as well as his previous words that included his brother.

He must have sensed her need to slow things down, and carefully, at his own pace, he began to slow the kiss and eventually release her lips. He nuzzled his face against her neck. His light whiskers tickled her sensitive skin while his warm, rapid breath collided against it.

“You smell so damn good and taste even better than I imagined.”

Damn, he imagined kissing me?

“BJ, I don’t know what to—”

Before she could finish, they heard a knock on her door. She pulled away from him and straightened out her skirt and tried to fix her lipstick. The sound of the knob being turned brought reality back to her in a flash. Now everyone would be talking about what she may or may not have been doing with the local sheriff locked in her office.

“I’ll be right there, Carl!” she yelled as she began to unlock the door. BJ covered her hand with his much larger one as he leaned against her. He practically covered her body with his own. He whispered against her shoulder.

“This isn’t over, Susanna.”

He stepped back, allowing her to open the door, and Carl stood a few feet away. He looked a bit surprised to see that BJ was still there, and then he gave the sheriff a nod as BJ tipped his hat then headed back down the hallway.

“What was that all about?” Carl asked as he smiled at Susanna.

“Nothing. The sheriff is concerned over Don’s behavior. I guess I’d better get downstairs and call him from the front. Maybe have him meet Ava and I by the back office downstairs. That way, if he’s pissed off, the back door and Clyde are nearby.”

“You may want to call Clyde and have him or Big Dog go with you now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come take a look at this footage from the side alleyway and the closet near that exit door,” Carl told her as she followed him back into the surveillance room.

Richie was bringing up a picture on the big screen so that he could see clearly as he recorded it.

“Are you shittin’ me!” Susanna exclaimed as she saw the image on the screen of Don screwing the underage girl in the back room. He lifted her skirt up and had her bent over boxes of supplies. There were whiskey glasses and beer bottles near them.

Before she could think better and with her temper flaring, she headed out the door.

“Susanna, I’ll call Clyde. Wait for the bouncers!” he yelled to her, but she was so pissed off she waved her hand behind her as she hurried down the back staircase instead of taking the elevator. She wasn’t going to take any chances that this asshole had someone looking out for him. Her radio went off right before she exited the doorway.

“He’s got Brent looking out. He’ll be on your left as you exit the doorway,” Carl stated.

“Where is he right now?”

“Directly in front of the doorway you’re heading to. What are you going to do?” he asked, but before she replied, she slowly turned the nob then banged it open hard enough to send Brent flying headfirst into the other doorway. He roared in pain as he held his nose, and before he could warn Don, she yanked open the door and caught him in the act with the young woman.

“Hey, asshole, you’re fired, and take the tramp with you.”

She watched him freak out and try to explain that he was on break. She heard yelling behind her.

“Watch out!” someone yelled. She thought it was Clyde or BJ, but as she turned, she took the hit to her ribs. Brent struck her with some sort of hard object. She lost her breath and he came at her like some wild monster.

She tried to swing back at him, but he countered each strike and ripped her blouse. She threw a right fist and hit him directly in the nose, but then some dark shadow covered them, and a moment later Brent was off of her as Ava was at her side.

“Holy shit, Susanna. He could have killed you.” She fussed over her, but Susanna was trying to catch her breath. It actually hurt to breathe, and she knew something was wrong.

She could hear the yelling in the background then banging like someone was being tossed around.

“Holy fuck, Susanna, Sheriff Parker is pissed. He just beat the crap out of Don and Brent. The deputies are here, too. Carl called them.”

“Oh God, we don’t need this kind of bad publicity.”

“Shit, Susanna, you’re lucky you fought him off and that Clyde and Carl knew what was going on. Thank God the sheriff was here. You two were upstairs in your office together right?” Ava teased, and Susanna nearly gasped, but she was in too much pain. “Let me cover you up.” She tried to pull Susanna’s blouse closed.

“I need to sit up. Help me.” Susanna grabbed onto Ava’s shoulder.

“Lie still, Susanna. I think you need to see a doctor.”

“Nonsense. Get me up and into the elevator to my office.”

“Susanna, we were so worried,” Juliet stated as she rushed over along with Elise.

“I’m fine. Make sure to cover the bar and have Carl and Richie monitor everything. I’m going back upstairs to the office.”

“You’re going to the hospital.” The sheriff interrupted the women and moved them out of the way just as Ava helped Susanna stand up.

Susanna cringed from the pain.

“I’m going upstairs. Thanks for the help.”

“Ladies, she mentioned y’all going back to work. Do it and I’ll take care of Susanna,” the sheriff ordered, and the women raised their eyebrows then winked at Susanna.

“Yes, sir,” Elise teased before she walked away.

“You are so commanding. Susanna likes that take-charge attitude in men,” Paula teased, and Susanna shot her a dirty look.

“Call me if you need anything,” Ava said, stepping back but seeming a bit concerned. Ava was the least timid of the seven friends. Susanna was the bossy one. Her friends sure did give up on helping her avoid the sheriff. It was as if they wanted him and her to get together. What they didn’t know was that his brother was interested supposedly, too.

She began to take a step and her side hurt as she tried to hold her blouse closed.

“You need to see a doctor.”

“I’m okay.”

“Let me take a look before we head upstairs.”

The sheriff slowly pulled her shirt to the side.

“Fucking son of a bitch. You need medical attention. Let me at least call Doctor Frank. He helps out the police and others off hours. He’ll see you.”

As she tried to move on her own, she felt the pain increase.

“Fine.”

The sheriff walked her out the back door to his truck.

He carefully lifted her up and placed her in the seat. She laid her head back and tried to breathe through the pain while BJ called the doctor.