Wild: Wildfire (5 page)

Dee gasped as Jake nipped at her lobe, and when he raised his head he saw her eyes dark with sensuality and her lips parted. He needed to kiss those lips, to see if she tasted as good as he remembered. His mouth neared hers and she tilted her head to meet him.

“I’m cutting in,” a loud voice said beside them.

Dee jumped back and Jake whipped his head up to see Kev Grand. The man had an angry glint in his eyes.

Before Jake could tell Grand exactly where he could go, Dee said, “Why, I’d love to dance with you, Kev.”

Jake’s gaze snapped to Dee as she pulled away, refusing to meet his eyes and smiling at Grand. Jake could do nothing but step back and watch Dee move into the bastard’s arms.

Damn
. Fury burned in Jake’s gut as he moved off the dance floor toward the refreshment table. He ladled punch into a paper cup and drank it in one gulp, then crumpled the empty cup and threw into the waste bin.

His gaze searched the crowded dance floor, trying to find Dee. He caught a glimpse of fiery hair and a white dress, but she vanished from sight as another couple moved in front of her.

The song ended and lights came up, and the band announced they’d be taking a break. Jake made his way through the crowd, searching for the leggy redhead, but couldn’t find her or Grand anywhere. He went back to where she’d left her purse and jacket—but both were gone, along with Dee.

Grand was nowhere to be seen, either.

Knives of anger stabbed Jake’s gut as he picked up his Stetson and crammed it on his head. “I can’t believe she left with that arrogant, no good son-of-a-bitch.”

Chapter Four

“Thanks for the dance,” Dee said to Kev as soon as the song ended, and then she bolted out of his arms.

“Dean, wait,” Kev called.

But she pretended not to hear and concentrated on flowing with the crowd leaving the dance floor, and avoiding Jake. If she didn’t, she might end up home in bed with him. After the way he dumped her, there was no way she was going to oblige him—no matter how badly she wanted to.

Vibrator, vibrator, vibrator!

The crush of people, along with the sour smell of beer and cigarettes, was enough to make Dee claustrophobic. Her pulse quickened as she glimpsed Jake walking toward the dance floor, his gaze searching the crowd. She skirted the throng, hurrying to where she’d left her jacket and purse, hoping Jake wouldn’t spot her. She didn’t even stop to put on the jacket, just grabbed her belongings and practically flew toward the doorway.

The memory of Jake’s hard body was still imprinted along her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. If it hadn’t have been for Kev, Jake would’ve kissed her and she would’ve been all over the man and willing to go anywhere and do anything with him. Probably would have fucked him in the back of his truck, outside the fairgrounds.

While she strode to the parking lot, Dee thrust one arm through the sleeve of her jacket and then the other. Darkness closed in on her, the lights from the midway and the occasional floodlight barely enough to see where she was going. Her high heels wobbled as she walked across the rocky lot, and then she stepped into a good-sized pothole.

Dee stumbled and barely managed to keep from landing on her backside. But the twist of her ankle and the immediate, shooting pain of her injury was unmistakable.

Great.
Her eyes watered from pain as she wrenched off the sandals and then carried them by the straps as she limped toward the Rover. Rocks pricked her feet, and by the time she reached her SUV, her nylons were shredded, and her thong underwear was riding up her butt and driving her crazy. The comb was slipping from her hair, too, and she yanked it out so that the whole mess tumbled to her shoulders.

“Just peachy.” Dee shoved her hand into her purse and dug out her keys. Just as she unlocked the door of her Rover, a male voice spoke behind her.

“Dean.”

Dee yelped and whirled around to face Kev Grand, almost passing out from the shooting pain in her ankle.

Holding her hand to her pounding heart, and leaning against the truck, she said, “Dammit, Kev. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Sorry, hon.” Kev' looked her up and down, from her wild hair to her stocking feet. “You okay?”

“I’m not your hon, and I’m fine.” Dee shoved her hair out of her face and glared up at him.

Kev stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders. “We need to talk about us.”

Dee blinked. “What us?”

His tone softened and his mustache twitched as he smiled. “You know I care about you. I always have.”

“Sure, we’ve dated a few times.” Dee shook her head. “But there’s never been anything serious between us.”

“I’ve always been serious about you.” He moved so close she could smell the musky scent of his strong aftershave. “I think it’s time we did something about it.”

“Let go, Kev.” Dee pushed her wayward hair out of her face. “This isn’t a good time.”

Kev moved his mouth toward hers as though he intended to kiss her. Just as she was about to wallop him a good one, a male voice cut into the night.

“The lady said to let her go.”

Kev’s head snapped up. Dee’s cheeks grew hot as she turned to see Jake, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, and his stance loose-limbed and relaxed. But she knew him well enough to realize he was anything but relaxed—inside he was coiled as tight as a spring, just waiting for Kev to make a move.

Kev lessened his hold on Dee. “Mind your own business, Reynolds.”

Jake took a step forward so that he was only a couple of feet from Kev. “Dee
is
my business.”

Dee moved between the two men, her hands on her hips. She’d had it with their testosterone laden he-man routines, and the way her ankle was feeling right now, she just needed to get home. “I’m none of your business—neither of you.” She glared from one man to the other. “I’ll thank you both to leave me alone and to stop acting like a couple of jerks. Get on out of here and go home.”

With as much dignity as she could muster, Dee whirled, her sprain screaming with pain. It was all she could do to yank open the Rover door and climb in without them seeing how badly she’d injured her ankle.

She threw her belongings onto the passenger seat and settled herself behind the steering wheel. Her hand on the door, she turned to glare one last time at the two men, and saw them both staring at her.

No, not at her.

At her legs.

Dee glanced down to see her skirt hiked up to her hip, her garters exposed, almost all the way up to her waist.

Heat flushed through her as she slammed the door shut and stuffed the keys into the ignition. The engine roared to life and she threw the Rover into reverse, but stepped on the gas a little too hard. Tires spun in the graveled lot as her vehicle shot back.

And struck something with a sickening crunch.

For a second Dee just sat there, unable to move. Then she put the Rover into park and leaned back and groaned. She had just smashed into someone’s car in front of Jake and Kev.

Great.

When she finally looked out her window, Dee saw Jake by her door, and from the quirk of his mouth, she had the suspicion he was doing his best not to laugh. Trying to maintain her composure, she buzzed down the window.

“How bad is it?” she asked Jake with a sigh.

He pushed up the brim of his Stetson and glanced at the rear of the Rover and then back to her. “It’s, ah, pretty bad.”

“Both vehicles?”

“Yeah.”

With a small groan, she leaned over and started digging through the glove compartment for a pen and paper, but could find neither. Her ankle throbbed, she was tired and all she wanted to do was get home.

Dee turned to Jake. “I don’t suppose you have a pen and something to write on so I can leave a note for the owner?”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He ran his hand over the scar on his cheek. “I’ve got your phone number and I know where you live.”

She frowned. “What difference does that make? I need to leave a note.”

Laughter glinted in Jake’s eyes and she curled her hand into a fist. “It’s my truck you hit,” he said.

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling of her Rover, Dee sagged back against her seat.
Perfect. Just perfect.

Jake studied Dee, watching her hand go to her throat as she absorbed what he’d told her. With her auburn hair in a wild riot around her face, she looked like an angel.

A rather wicked, naughty angel that he wanted to scoop up in his arms and fuck.

Repeatedly.

The sound of a throat clearing reminded Jake that Kev Grand was still behind him, but he ignored the man.

“Sweetheart,” Jake murmured to Dee. “Why don’t you go on home now and we’ll worry about this later?”

Another sigh escaped Dee and looked back to Jake. “I’ll give you my insurance info tomorrow. But I need your home number.”

“I’ll call you.”

Her mouth quirked into a tired smile. “All right.”

The desire to smooth Dee’s hair from her face and hold her close overwhelmed Jake, and it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself.

Instead he put his hands on the door of her vehicle. “Are you okay to drive yourself home? We could always leave your Rover here overnight and I can take you.”

That familiar spark came back to Dee’s eyes. “I’m fine.”

Despite himself, Jake grinned. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Without another word, she buzzed up the window and put her Rover into gear. Jake stepped out of the way as she eased forward, the metal on her rear bumper and the front of his truck grinding as they separated.

Grand came up and stood beside Jake as they watched Dee’s Rover disappear, minus one taillight.

“Helluva woman,” Grand said.

“Hope she doesn’t get stopped for that missing taillight.” Jake shook his head and grinned. “That would really make her night.”

“Uh-huh.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Grand turned and strode into the darkness.

Just as Jake was about to head to his truck, he noticed the dim lights of the midway glinting off an object on the ground where Dee’s Rover had been parked. He walked over to it, knelt down and picked up one of her dainty sandals. Chuckling, he took the sandal with him to his truck

It looks like Cinderella lost one of her slippers after fleeing the ball.

* * * * *

The next day, Dee eased back in the living room rocking chair, an icepack surrounding her throbbing ankle, and propped her foot on a hassock as she got ready to mend a couple of things. Sewing was definitely
not
her forte, and the last thing on Earth she wanted to be doing.

Being cooped up inside was a slow form of torture as far as she was concerned. She wanted nothing better than to be out in the barn working with that devil-calf, Imp, or riding Shadow, her gelding, or any number of things that didn’t involve domestic chores like mending underwear.

A knock sounded, and Dee shouted, “Come on in.”

Her foreman pushed opened the front door. “Got a minute, Dean?”

After she motioned Jess in, he closed the door behind him as he said, “Jarrod Savage, the new Sheriff, says he’s personally gonna help us track down those rustlers.” Jess held his Stetson in one hand while raking the fingers of his other hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “Thought I’d let you know that Kev Grand reported missing a couple dozen head of cattle, too.”

Dee leaned forward to adjust the icepack on her ankle. “So, what did the sheriff have to say?”

When she looked up, she caught Jess staring at her chest. She was braless and wearing a thin white T-shirt, and he could probably see her nipples beneath the fabric.

He cleared his throat and met her amused gaze. “Savage and his deputy figure it’s a group out of Mexico. Thinks they’re rounding up the cattle late at night and taking them back across the border. That or they’ve found some place to stash them.”

“For what? Money? Food?”

Jess shrugged. “We didn’t get that far.”

Damn. If they don’t have a guess at motive, they’re not likely to catch these creeps any time soon.
Dee eased back in her rocking chair and sighed. “Anything else?”

“Nah, that’s it.” He started to turn, then added, “No one can get near that pain-in-the-ass calf of yours. John tried and liked to have gotten the shit kicked out of him.”

Smiling, Dee shook her head. “Don’t worry about Imp. I’ll be ready to tackle working with him in a day or two.”

Jess raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”

With a wave of her hand toward the door, Dee laughed. “I’m the boss, right? So get on out of here and let me get this done.”

“Yes’m.” Her foreman smiled and clapped his hat on his head and let himself back out the front door.

What a fine looking cowboy that man was. Yet now that Jake was back, she no longer felt any interest in her foreman whatsoever. Besides, Catie was so hot for Jess that Dee wasn’t about to get in her friend’s way.

“I
hate
mending,” Dee muttered as she turned to the task at hand and pulled a pair of her underwear out of the sewing basket. It was getting close to lunch, and her stomach growled its complaint. “Now where’s that darn hole?” She lifted the garment to where she could see it better in the dim light. It was red satin bikini underwear, one of her favorites, which was why she wanted to mend it instead of tossing it. And besides, it was just a little separation at the waistband.

The only problem was she kept wondering what Jake would think about how she looked wearing them. Though he’d probably prefer her
out
of her underwear.

“There it is.” She lowered the bikini and stabbed it with the needle, and heard someone clear his throat.

Dee jerked her head up to see Jake Reynolds standing at the front door, watching her, the corner of his mouth turned up.

Heat flooded through her, a combination of embarrassment at being caught mending her underwear—and absolute lust. He looked so good in a dark gray T-shirt and blue jeans, his hands in his hip pockets, and staring at her from under his black Stetson.

She wanted to climb that cowboy and ride him good.

But what the hell was he doing here?

Dee crammed the red bikini into the mending basket beside her chair, and winced as she poked her finger with the needle. “Ever heard of knocking?”

Jake jerked his thumb toward the outside. “Your foreman said to walk in since you’re, ah, incapacitated.”

“Oh.” The way his voice turned her on, it was all she could do to keep her hand from going to her throat. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come in.”

Blue followed Jake into the house and she frowned at the dog. “You’re supposed to chase off intruders. Especially this one.”

Jake smiled, but the Border collie had the decency to look guilty. With his head down, the dog came over to her and nuzzled her hand, begging forgiveness.

“That’s all right, love.” Dee couldn’t help smiling at Blue despite the fact he’d slipped up on the job. He curled up next to the chair and put his head between his paws.

After shutting the door, Jake settled on the couch near Dee’s rocking chair. He sat on the edge of his seat, his knee almost touching hers. “Did you ever find out what your dog got into that made him so sick? If that meat was poisoned?”

Pursing her lips, Dee shook her head. “No. I’d sure hate to think that anyone out here was trying to poison him or the coyotes, but it’s a possibility.”

“You need to be careful.” His gray eyes looked concerned. “I don’t like what’s going on in these parts. The rustling, the poisoning. The mountains behind your ranch, are like crime central.”

“I appreciate your concern.” With a small sigh, Dee rolled her shoulders. “So why are you here, anyway? I could’ve given you the insurance information over the phone. You didn’t need to drive all the way out here.”

He leaned forward, his gaze focused on hers. “Let’s go have some lunch.”

Dee’s breath caught in her throat. “I can’t.”

“I think you should get out of the house for a while.” He glanced toward the door and back to her. “Get some fresh air.”

She pointed to her ankle. “I’m not exactly mobile.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “No problem.”

Before she could ask what he meant, Jake stood and leaned over to scoop her into his arms. She grabbed him around the neck out of sheer reflex, the icepack slipping off her ankle and clunking onto the floor.

“Put me down!”

“I will.” He gave her a devilish grin and strode toward the front door. “Just as soon as we get out to my truck.”

“Jake—no.” Despite herself, she laughed. “This is ridiculous!”

He ignored her protests and carried her down the front steps. The feel of her body pressed to his muscular chest, and her arms around his neck, sent tingles through her. His elemental scent surrounded her, filling her with sensations of warmth and belonging, like it was right to be in his arms.

Don’t even start thinking that way.

As he carried her to his truck, she winced at the sight of the crumpled fender and missing headlight. It was all she could do not to groan out loud in embarrassment.

After somehow managing to open the door, and with more gentleness than she could have imagined, he deposited her on the passenger seat of his truck.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked when he got in on the driver’s side and started the vehicle.

He backed the truck and headed down the dirt road. “What would you like for lunch?”

“We can’t go to a restaurant.” She raised her hands in exasperation. “Just look at me. I’m not dressed to go anywhere.”

Jake glanced at Dee and raked her from head to toe with his gray gaze. “I’m looking, and I think you’re perfect.”

“Yeah, right.” Dee’s breasts pressed against her tight white T-shirt, her nipples large and obvious. She folded her arms across her chest and started grasping at straws. “I don’t want to be carried into a restaurant, and I can hardly go in barefoot.”

The truck rattled over a cattle guard as he gave her another wicked grin. “Then I know just the place.”

She tried to glare at him, but it wasn’t easy. The man was too irresistible. “You’re taking total advantage of the situation, you know.”

“Yep.” Jake pictured that little red bikini Dee had been holding up when he walked into the room, and he wondered what color of underwear she was wearing now. “Got you exactly where I want you.”

Well, not
exactly
where he wanted her. Yeah, he knew he was taking complete advantage of the fact that Dee MacLeod couldn’t escape him.

She tilted her chin. “Do you make it a practice to kidnap women?”

“Only beautiful redheads with green eyes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you like ham sandwiches?”

“Love ’em.”

“Good. I know a place that makes the best around.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A place with a drive-thru?”

“Something like that.”

“Humph.”

“What are we doing?” she asked a few minutes later, when he pulled up to his apartment and parked the truck.

Jake got out and walked around to the passenger side and opened her door. “Thought you’d be more comfortable at my place.” Taking care to not bump her ankle, he scooped her out of the truck, reveling in the scent of her, the feel of her in his arms.

She put her arms around his neck and smiled. “No fair, Jake.”

“I know.” He loved the way she was clinging to him, her arms around his neck, as though she was afraid he would drop her. But he was real happy at that moment that he had a bottom floor apartment so he didn’t have to climb a flight of stairs.

After he let them into his place and shut the door, he took Dee to the lone couch. One-handed he swept the newspapers and magazines to the floor, then eased her down.

“Thanks,” she said when he brought in a chair from the kitchen to prop her leg on. She grimaced as she settled her ankle on the chair, and then leaned back into the couch cushions.

Raising one eyebrow, she studied the sparse furnishings and murmured, “I see you go for Early American Monk in your décor.”

“Welcome to the dungeon.” He tossed his hat onto the only easy chair. “It’s temporary until I find some property to buy. My stuff’s in storage, so I’m sorry it’s not too homey.”

“It’s very, um, clean.” She brushed a rolled up sock off the couch and grinned. “Well, cleaner than your old place.”

“Give me time.” He chuckled as he headed to the kitchen. “I’ve only had a week to mess it up.”

After rummaging through a box of supplies, he found a storage baggie and filled it with ice. He grabbed a few paper towels, then took them and the ice bag to Dee and arranged it all on her ankle.

“Thanks.” She flinched from the pain as she shifted on the couch.

Jake propped her leg on a pillow and rubbed his hand over her bare foot. “How’d you managed to twist your ankle?”

“Those stupid sandals I wore to the dance last night.”

Thinking about that sandal on his bureau, Jake said, “I liked them.” He gestured toward her foot. “Especially those pearly toenails.”

“Good. Then you wear the sandals,” Dee muttered, looking up at him with that ornery look he loved. “I’ve even got some pearl polish left.”

Jake laughed, and at the same moment his cell rang. His smile turned to a frown at the interruption as he whipped the phone off his belt and answered, “Reynolds.”

“Jarrod Savage here,” a deep voice said. “Returning your call.”

“Sheriff,” Jake replied, and Dee’s eyebrows rose. “I called to see how your investigation was going on the missing MacLeod cattle.”

“I understand you’re with Customs.” Savage’s tone was even as he spoke. “What’s your interest in rustling?”

“A number of factors.” Jake turned his back on Dee and headed toward the kitchen. “I’d like to get with you and see if we can make some headway on this situation.”

After he’d made an appointment to meet with the Sheriff, Jake opened the fridge and pulled out whole wheat bread, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo and mustard. “You ready for that sandwich?” he called out.

“Sure.”

As he threw together their lunch, he asked, “How about some iced tea? And maybe a couple of ibuprofen to go with it?”

“Make that a double on the meds.”

When Jake was finished, he took the paper plates filled with thick ham sandwiches and potato chips to the living room and set them on the coffee table. After he retrieved the pain reliever, paper cups of tea and paper towels to use for napkins, he sat at the opposite end of the couch.

“So what was that call all about?” Dee asked in between bites of her sandwich. “Did you find out anything?”

Jake shook his head. “I’m going to meet with Savage on Monday.”

“Why are you getting involved?” She bit into a potato chip as she studied him. “It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

He set his sandwich on his plate and met her gaze head on. “Sweetheart, if somebody’s messing with you, then hell, yes, it involves me.”

“Hardly.” Dee shrugged and toyed with another chip. “You haven’t been involved in my life for ten years. There’s no reason to get all wrapped up in my business now.”

His gut response was to tell her that she’d better get used to it, because he was in her life permanently from here on out. But instinct told him she’d balk and the last thing he wanted was to push her away while he was trying to gain her trust.