Sheriff in Her Stocking (3 page)

He walked back
into his office and over to the door. He grasped the knob and turned to see her
tip toe past the doorway on her way back to the bathroom. Rick heaved a deep
breath. He felt relieved she’d said no but disappointed as well. He opened the
office door and stepped outside into the frigid snow filled night.

Deep inside he
would like nothing better than to fulfill his secret jail house fantasy and
dominate Delaney Moore body and soul.

Chapter Two

She creamed just
looking at him.

Rick climbed
onto the cot. Every inch of his naked, male body was revealed to her eyes. His
skin, right down to his penis, was the color of coffee lightened with thick
cream. He sat on his knees, his hard male flesh rising from between his legs in
blatant sexual invitation from a nest of dark curls. She looked at the plump
head, the rigid length of him beckoning her to sample his flavor. Unable to
resist, she leaned forward, wrapped her lips around him and rubbed the tip
against the roof of her mouth, laving his cock with her tongue. His groan let
her know her busy exploration pleasured him. When she had thoroughly tasted
him, Delaney sat back and licked his fluid from her lips. He smiled at her, a
smile that made her ache between her legs. Reaching out, he drew her to him,
devouring her in a hot, wet kiss.

  Delaney
sighed and rolled onto her back.

“Delaney.”

The soft, male
voice barely penetrated her sleep fogged brain.

She felt his
touch on her femininity, gloried in the feel of his warm fingers sliding over
her. Instinctively, she lifted her hips to move closer to his caress as need
spiraled through her. He glided a finger into her while his thumb massaged her
clit. He tore his hungry mouth from hers and planted fervent kisses on the side
of her neck. She turned her head giving him better access.  He continued
his sensual assault on her skin as he kissed his way toward her breasts.
Instinctively, Delaney pulled the covers down exposing her breasts. “Yes, right
there,” she murmured.  

She heard the
same male voice only it sounded sharper this time. “Delaney, wake up.”

Her eyes popped
open. She stared up into the sheriff’s amused brown gaze. Realizing her breasts
were on display, she jerked the covers up to her chin. A hot blush burned over her
skin as the blood pounded at her temples. “Sheriff...uh...how long have you
been standing there?”

He grinned at
her. “Long enough.”

His voice held a
husky note as though he had actually been in her dream. Oh, God she must have
been moaning in pleasure as she slept and he was the star attraction! 
Mortified, she had a sudden urge to pull the covers over her head.

She was
completely nude under the bed clothes. Delaney slept in the buff winter or
summer. There was just something about the restriction of clothing when she was
trying to sleep that she didn’t like. She had tossed her panties and robe on
the end of the cot. Rick glanced at them then back at her. A dark emotion
flickered in his eyes, then it was gone.

Delaney was
acutely aware of her naked state. The dream had been so vivid she could still
feel his hands roaming over her skin. Just to make sure he wasn’t naked, she
darted a glance from his neck to his feet. Nope. He was clothed from head to
foot in his police uniform. Having him clothed and her wearing nothing more
than a spritz of perfume, made her feel vulnerable and sexy all at the same
time.  

“Must have been
some dream.”  He folded his arms over his broad chest, dipped his chin and
looked at her. His lips twitched. “Want to tell me about it?”

She swallowed.
“Maybe later.” 

He dropped his
arms to his side. “I look forward to it.” 

She sniffed the
air and her stomach growled. “Something smells wonderful.”

 “I picked
up some food from the diner down the street. It’s in my office when you’re ready.”

“Thank
you.”  Delaney watched him leave the cell and walk to the door leading
into his office. He stopped, looked at her over his shoulder with dark,
unfathomable eyes then stepped through the doorway closing the door behind him.

Delaney slumped
back on the lumpy pillow and closed her eyes. She couldn’t remember having such
a vivid, sexy dream. None of the men she’d dated in the past including her last
boyfriend had ever inspired that kind of sexual fervor. What was it about Rick
Cruz that tempted her so much even in sleep? 

That wasn’t
good. Delaney frowned. She had never been lucky in love. So why should luscious
Rick Cruz be any different from the other men who had drifted in and out of her
life?  They had all considered her a friend, a pal to take to the movies
and occasionally sleep with until someone thinner came along. If she were
sensible, she would get her libido under control and concentrate on getting out
of Avery. But she’d never been wise where her love life was concerned. She
sighed.

She would be out
of here in a few days as soon as the storm let up and would probably never see
Rick again. Her spirits sank at the thought. What was wrong with her?  She
hardly knew the man.

Besides she had just
broken up with her boyfriend and getting involved with someone so soon would be
a mistake. Why couldn’t she find a man who appreciated her for who she was and
how she looked?  Why did the deepest, most sensual part of her womanly
desires want to throw caution to the wind and take Rick in one big, sexy gulp?

Not wishing to
uncover the answer, Delaney pushed the thought from her head and grabbed her
panties from the foot of the narrow bed. She threw back the covers and slipped
on the hot pink thong. Shivering, she donned her robe and rose stiffly from the
cot.

Every muscle in
her body ached. Was it from sleeping on that sorry excuse for a bed or
yesterday’s car accident?  The first thing she intended to do was get her
car towed into town and have the damage assessed. She hoped it was minor
because she had her budget planned down to the last penny.

After her
morning ablutions, Delaney dressed in a clean pair of jeans, pink sweater and
boots. She walked out of the cell and over to the closed door leading into the
Sheriff’s office. She put her hand on the knob and paused for a moment.

What was she
supposed to say to him after he’d seen her practically have an orgasm right
before his eyes?  Would he ask her again to tell him about her
dream?  If he did, what would she say?  She inhaled a deep breath and
exhaled. Only one way to find out.

* * * * *

When he heard the door open, Rick looked up from the list of
complaints the mayor phoned in earlier. He shifted in his chair. The hard-on
he’d acquired after watching Delaney in the throes of an erotic dream had yet
to leave him. He feared it might stay with him for the rest of the day, the
pain exquisitely sweet.

Seeing Delaney
standing in the doorway brought the memory of her naked breasts to life in
graphic detail in his mind. They were full and round with dusky rose nipples
that begged for a man to suckle them into hard, aroused tips. Only now they
were covered in a pink sweater. Too bad.

She threw him a
quick smile then walked into the room. “I’m starved.”

“Me too.”
Only
it isn’t for food.
“Have a seat.”

She strolled
over to a vacant chair in front of his desk and sat down. Her jeans hugged her
curvy hips and thighs. She’d pulled her hair up into a pony tail exposing her
beautiful neck. He wondered how her neck would feel beneath his lips. Rick
fought the urge to move to her side of the desk and find out. What was wrong
with him?  Why did he react this way to Delaney?   A sheriff
bound by his oath as an officer of the law never took advantage of a civilian
entrusted to his care. He never considered breaking that oath. A lot of cops he
knew in the past weren’t constrained by morals or unethical behavior, but he
sure as hell was.

One dirty cop
stood out in his mind, Jake DeSalvo, his former partner. He shook himself inwardly
refusing to allow the memory of Jake’s betrayal to crawl out into the light
from the dark corner of his mind he’d resigned it to.

He handed
Delaney a Styrofoam container along with some plastic eating utensils and a
napkin. She lifted the lid, speared some of the omelet and forked it between
her full, pink lips. Delaney chewed and softly moaned. “This is
delicious.” 

At the sound of
her moan, heat arrowed into his groin. He forced his gaze away from her mouth
and tore into his own food, eating his omelet like a man possessed. The eggs
tasted savory and delectable like he imagined Delaney would taste if he gave
into his attraction and kissed her.

Being with
Delaney infused his body and mind with sexual fantasies he had to resist.
Between the smells of the food and the yum-yum sounds that Delaney made, he
wasn’t sure how much more he could take. What was it about food and sex that
fit together?  In an effort to get his mind off sex, he slid a container
of crisp bacon over the surface of his desk in her direction. “Help yourself.”

Rick reached for
his cup of hot coffee. As he did, Delaney leaned forward and took a piece of
bacon from the plate. The neckline of her sweater gapped open revealing the
creamy slopes of her breasts and making his breath hitch.

She bit into a
crisp slice then looked at Rick. “Thank you for the food. How much do I owe
you?”

Plenty, if I die
from this boner. “My treat.”  He handed her an insulated cup. “I got you
tea instead of coffee. I hope that’s okay.”

Her gaze flicked
to his and her eyes warmed. She took a sip of the tea leaving behind a stray
drop and then her tongue darted out to lick it away. “How did you know I was a
tea drinker?” 

Her low, soft
voice eased under his skin as he challenged the desire that leapt higher when
he watched her lick the tea drop from her lip. He shrugged one shoulder. “I
don’t know. Lucky guess. You just don’t look like a coffee kind of girl.”

He stirred some
sugar and cream into his coffee and sipped. Rick studied Delaney as the hot
liquid flowed down his throat into his belly. He imagined her hand moving
across his abdomen, grasping his length and gently pulling the skin over the
head. He grew harder than he thought possible.

Delaney finished
her food, licked her lips and patted them with her napkin. She glanced up to
find Rick watching her. “Something wrong?”

Oh, yeah.
He
shook his head slowly and gave her a smile. “No. . .I was just thinking you
look like a warm chick, fresh from its nest.”

A cute little
blush colored her cheeks. “Oh.”  Nervously, she crumpled up her napkin and
tossed it into the empty container sitting in her lap before throwing
everything into the trash.

The office door
swung open and the mayor’s nephew hurried in wearing heavy boots, jeans and a
thick gray parka. He looked like the abominable snowman covered in ice crystals
from head to foot. He stomped his feet a couple of times on the mat in front of
the door. Snow fell in clumps to the floor. Pulling off a green stocking cap,
he shook his head. His curly brown hair sprang up over his skull. “Rick,
there’s a--“  His hazel gaze landed on Delaney and a smile creased his
mouth. “Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Yanking off his
gloves, he walked over and held out a hand to Delaney. “I’m Mark Griffin. I own
the hardware store.”

Delaney shook
his hand and smiled. “I’m Delaney. It’s nice to meet you.”

Mark nodded, sat
on the edge of the desk and turned his head toward Delaney. “I haven’t seen you
around. Did you just move here?”

She leaned back in
her chair. “Actually I’m just passing through on my way to New York.”

She had
mentioned her travel plans briefly last night on the drive into Avery. Rick
hadn’t questioned her further because of the intense attraction he’d felt. It
was always best for a police officer to remain objective. Only with every
waking minute he spent with Delaney he wished down to his balls that he could
toss objectivity out the proverbial window, start nibbling on Delaney’s toes
and work his way up to the sweet temptation between her legs.

“The Big Apple huh?” Mark bumped a ceramic container of pens
which fell over and hit Rick’s near empty cup of coffee spilling the remaining
liquid on his desk. He stood up and gave Rick a wry smile. “Sorry.” 

Quickly, Rick
moved a stack of files away from the rapidly spreading coffee. Mark was
accident prone around women. His fingers got slammed in doors and he tripped on
stairs. Rick wasn’t sure if Mark’s clumsy tendencies were a natural part of his
personality or an act. “Don’t worry about it.”  He welcomed the
distraction. Maybe it would help cool his overheated libido.  He picked up
the extra napkins left over from his breakfast and began mopping up the spilled
coffee.

Being the
mayor’s nephew, Mark had been one of the first people Rick met when he arrived
in town. They went fishing together occasionally and Mark had been instrumental
in helping him earn the respect of the town’s citizens.  Rick had
appreciated Mark’s help and resented it at the same time. After what happened
in Chicago, he’d wanted to earn the trust of Avery’s citizens through his
integrity and strength of character, not because Mark told everyone he was an
okay guy.  

Rick tossed the
napkins into the trash can and looked at Mark. Mark had befriended him then
when Rick had shown interest in the owner of the bed and breakfast, so had
Mark.  If Mark discovered his attraction for Delaney would he make a play
for her as well?  Would she welcome Mark’s attentions?  Rick clenched
a fist in annoyance at the thought. Did he trust Mark?  Would he be
willing to give Mark his loyalty if he asked him to?  The twist of
uncertainty in his gut told him no, but in his heart he wanted to believe in
the value of loyalty again. But loyalty always came with a price. He had
learned that particular lesson well from Jake.