Ms. Demeanor Read online

  “You know, I have a couple of steaks I’ve been meaning to cook up at my house. I bet you haven’t had a good steak in a long time. Interested?”

  He couldn’t believe that she was asking him back to her place. If this was some attempt for her to show him that they needed to distance themselves from one another, she was failing.

  “I’ll never turn down a steak. I’m a dude.”

  She chuckled. “Me, neither, and I’m not a dude. What does being a dude have to do with anything about enjoying a good steak?” she teased.

  “I don’t know,” he said, trying to match her playful demeanor. “I guess I always thought it was guys who were the steak and potato type.”

  “Have you dated a lot of women?”

  “Are you asking because you think I’m inexperienced, or are you checking on my dating history?”

  She laughed. “I’m just doing my due diligence. As your parole officer, it’s my duty to be fully informed.”

  “About my sex life?” he asked with a quirk of a brow.

  Either the heat had finally kicked on in the car or he was warmed by embarrassment; either way, he reached up and unzipped the top of his jacket to cool himself off.

  “Are you blushing?”

  He snorted. “Absolutely not. Must’ve been all that talk about steak, just me getting hungry.”

  “Uh-huh, I’m sure,” she teased.

  He was so confused. She was being flirtatious with him, but it was the last thing he had expected after they had been caught by his father. Had she not thought about what it would mean if their relationship came to light? It was always his belief that women were the brakes in a relationship and men were the gas pedal; but that was not how she was acting, and he didn’t know what to make of it, or if he should even bring it up. Maybe this was just her attempt to sweep their kiss under the rug, like it never happened. That made the most sense.

  “I think you’re confusing hungry with hot,” she said.

  Maybe he was all kinds of wrong. Clearly, she wasn’t pushing him back into the friend zone. Was that why she wanted him to go back to her place—so they could have sex? Oh, to be that lucky.

  He fanned himself. “You’re right, I guess I am kinda hot, and I don’t mean just my looks.”

  “Oh, my God, I can’t believe you just said that. You’re ridiculous.” She laughed again. “Humble much?”

  “Oh, I’m humble, but when you’ve got a body like mine,” he said, running his hands down his abs in a failed attempt to be sexy, “you just gotta flaunt it.”

  “If that’s the only move you’ve got, I’m gonna turn this car around and take you back home,” Laura declared with a giggle.

  It would be smarter to have her take him home, of that he had no doubt. But he couldn’t walk away from this—regardless of the consequences.

  Chapter Eleven

  Laura had never considered herself adept at flirting, or at the relationship game for that matter, but she was profoundly proud of herself as she parked her car in her garage. She had done it. She had made her feelings toward him known, and instead of playing some kind of coy game, had just let things be real between her and Rainier.

  She walked through the back door of her house just outside of Mystery, Rainier close behind her. The place smelled like cinnamon sticks and pine, thanks to her Christmas tree.

  “Wow,” Rainier said, walking into her kitchen from the garage. “You are really into Christmas, aren’t you?” He glanced over to the window ledge above the sink, which was covered in a variety of snowmen.

  She glanced around and, for the first time, noticed the place for what it was—an homage to all things of the season. Every surface had at least one Christmas decoration, from stuffed reindeers to expensive gold-rimmed china.

  “It’s my favorite season,” she said as she walked by her kitchen table and ran her finger along the edge of the gold charger plates she used to decorate the space. “I actually own an online store. I supply handmade Christmas decor to sites like Amazon.”

  He laughed. “Well, now those reindeer antlers on your car make a little more sense.”

  “How’s that?”

  He gave her a sexy half grin, as if he didn’t want to fess up to what exactly he was thinking.

  “Hey now,” she teased, “don’t go bashing my antlers. It took me a lot of hours to get those patterns right. Now they are one of my company’s best sellers.”

  “Reindeer antlers for your car?” he asked, sounding a little shocked.

  “People love them. Though it seems like the most sales are coming from the South. It’s all marketing and targeting your demographic.”

  He gave her a look that suggested she had just lost her mind.

  Laura took off her jacket and hung it on a chair, right over a decoration that made the back of the chair look like Santa’s face. She smiled as she thought of what the place must look like to Rainier. Hopefully, it wasn’t a turnoff—like walking into a house full of cats if you didn’t love felines.

  Though she did have three: Albert, Einstein and Sappho. Sappho always had a habit of running off to Laura’s office and hiding atop her bookshelf.

  The empowerment she had been feeling started to slip as she thought of all the reasons Rainier wouldn’t want to have a relationship with her now that he had more of an idea what her private life looked like. And that was to say nothing about the conflict of interest that came with dating one of her parolees.

  A groan escaped her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he tugged off his jacket and laid it over hers.

  “Yeah,” she lied.

  This had been a stupid idea; she shouldn’t have brought him here. She shouldn’t have kissed him. They couldn’t be alone. If someone else besides his father found out what they were doing, she could lose her job.

  At the thought, she realized that deep inside her the thought of being unemployed didn’t strike fear; instead, it was just a void. It was almost as if she didn’t care, but that was just as idiotic as her bringing him here. She couldn’t not work. She had bills to pay and a life to manage. Besides, she wanted to make a difference and help people. Not to mention what her father would say if she quit her job. He was the reason she was doing what she did. He had made sure that she had a real job, as he called it.

  She walked toward the fridge, inadvertently brushing against Rainier as she passed by. That familiar feeling, that charge she felt when they touched, raced through her body. The feeling was so foreign and pleasantly uncomfortable, and the urge to touch him again was undeniable.

  Her fingers found his, almost as if they had a mind of their own, and their hands entwined. He brought them up to his lips and gently kissed the back of each of her fingers, taking his time as he did so. His breath was warm as it caressed her skin, mimicking the softness of his lips.

  She wanted him.

  Stepping closer, she leaned into him, her hips leading her to the place she most desired to be.

  “Laura, we have to talk,” Rainier said as he stepped back from her and bumped against the wall near the bar. “I don’t want to, but—”

  “Then let’s not talk.” She wanted to move to him, but stopped herself. She couldn’t be the one to do all the chasing, and she knew he wanted her. His desire was evident in the way he kissed her and the way his body responded.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “And trust me when I say that I don’t want to talk about anything other than to tell you all the things I want to do to your body. But I think...after what happened in the ranch office and how close we are to getting found out...”

  “Your father won’t tell anyone, right?”

  “I don’t think so. My dad has always been one to respect people’s privacy, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him alone to make sure. For all
I know, he’s going to be angry. I’m sure he’s wondering what the hell we are thinking. Just like I am.”

  “You don’t like what we’re doing?” She ran her fingers along the edge of her blouse, popping open the top button in her best attempt to be sexy.

  “That,” he said, moving toward her and taking her hand again, “has been just about the only thing I’ve been able to think about ever since the moment I met you. But we both have to be careful here. This isn’t smart.”

  “I’ve always done what is right and what is smart. It’s the reason I became a parole officer. But you know what I really want to do?” She reached down and slipped her fingers inside the waistband of his jeans.

  He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her earlobe, and instead of letting his hand drop back to his side he moved to her lips.

  “What?” he asked, staring at her with such intensity that she swore she could feel herself melting in the heat.

  “I want to stop talking. I want to stop thinking and just feel for once.”

  “You need to know that feelings always have a way of getting me into trouble,” he said.

  “I normally am not one for trouble. I try to play by the rules.” She drew his thumb into her mouth as she unbuttoned his pants. “Well, usually.”

  If this was what it felt like to break the rules, then she could finally understand why people chose to find themselves sitting in her office. Standing there, her fingers tracing the elastic band of his boxer briefs, and knowing that what she was doing was wrong...it was hot. Hotter than anything she could ever have imagined. She could only dream of what it would feel like to have him between her thighs, driving himself inside her.

  He lifted her up and she threw her legs around him. “Which way to the bedroom?”

  “It’s upstairs. First door on the left.” She pointed toward the stairs across from the living room. “If you don’t want to go that far, there’s always the couch.” Or the floor, or the wall, or in front of the fireplace... She’d make love to him anywhere.

  His body hardened against her as he shifted her higher in his arms.

  “The bedroom it is.”

  Either the man had the willpower of a saint or there was some other reason he wanted to hold off. From the feel of him, he couldn’t have been worried about disappointing her in the bedroom. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d be well satisfied, if not a little sore in the morning.

  “Why wait to go upstairs when we can have fun right here?” she asked, moving against him.

  He looked her square in the eyes. “If we are going to do the wrong thing, I’m at least going to do it the right way.”

  “And the right way is the bedroom? Are you some kind of sexual fundamentalist? You know, the kind that has sex in only one position—missionary style?” If he was as plain as vanilla in the sack, he could put her down right now—she had made a mistake.

  He laughed so hard that she shook in his arms. “Oh, baby, you couldn’t be more wrong.” He buried his face in her blouse as he kissed the skin of her chest, licking along the edges of her bra.

  They stumbled as he bumped against the couch, but he didn’t take his mouth from her until they reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “If you want, you can put me down. I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

  “I know you are,” he said, slowly making his way upward. To his credit, though she knew she was a bit on the heavy side, he didn’t make a single sound—and it only made her like him that much more. “But there’s something you may not know about me. When I am with a woman, especially a woman as wonderful as you, I’m going to give the relationship everything I’ve got.”

  Her gut tightened. So he thought this was going to turn into a relationship instead of just being a one-night stand. She should’ve wanted that, she should’ve been thankful he wasn’t like every other guy who just wanted to use her for sex and then move along.

  He constantly surprised her as a man, and he was nothing like the other parolees she had worked with. Which only made what the two of them were doing feel less taboo. Rainier wasn’t like a normal con, blaming the world or acting like he had done no wrong, or otherwise trying to rationalize his actions. He owned his mistakes.

  Why did she have to think about that right now? It wasn’t helping the growing wetness between her thighs.

  This was her moment...no, their moment, and she had to enjoy. In the morning, everything would be different.

  In the morning they would have to go back to their normal roles, even if he didn’t know it yet.

  They couldn’t have a relationship. At least not until one of their situations changed. Yet they could have tonight, one secret night of passion that she could carry in her heart for the rest of time.

  As he carried her into the bedroom, she looked over at her bed and giggled with embarrassment at the pile of Christmas-themed teddy bears atop her holly-accented quilt. If only she had known this was where the day was going to take her, she would have hidden them away and not let this sexy man see what a single woman did when left to her own devices. Not that she was admitting she needed a man’s touch around the place, but it would be nice to have someone who was a little bit taller put ornaments on the tree, or to have occasional help putting up a curtain rod. But for the most part, she didn’t need a man—not when there was YouTube to teach her how to do things.

  “Why are you laughing?” she asked, as he slowly sat her on the bed. “Are you about to say something about my collection of bears?”

  He smiled. “We are all allowed a quirk or two. If yours are Christmas stuff and teddy bears, I think that’s far better than a woman who collects machetes.”

  “Is that right? Are you sure you wouldn’t be more into a girl with a little bloodlust?” she teased.

  “The only girl I want is you.”

  That look of his, the one that made her want to melt into a puddle, returned. That look, in conjunction with his oh-so-perfect words, made her rethink her stance on a relationship. Maybe they could make it. But now wasn’t the time or the place to think about anything other than the way he looked standing in front of her.

  He pushed her back gently until she was lying down. Leaning over her, he undid the rest of the buttons on her blouse. He moved to her skirt, and for a moment just stared at it as if it was a Rubik’s cube.

  “Here, let me help you,” she said, reaching down to the zipper on the side.

  “No, no, I got it.” He bent and ever so gently grabbed the zipper with his teeth and dragged it open, making her heady with lust.

  He tugged at the edges of her skirt, pulling it free of her legs and dropping it to the floor. He didn’t wait for her to undress him. Instead, as though suddenly in a hurry, he pulled off his pants and yanked his shirt over his head. He threw it behind him, laughing as he moved atop of her.

  “Wait,” she said, “do you have a condom?”

  “Do you?” he asked.

  Of course she did, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to admit it—or the fact that they could have expired, even though she had never used any. She wiggled out of his embrace to open her nightstand and grab the black box. She checked the expiration date—they were good, and she sighed with relief. Pulling one of the foil-wrapped condoms from the box, she turned back to him.

  He wiggled out of his boxers. She had been right; he was everything she had hoped and assumed him to be.

  “Do you want me to put it on?”

  He looked a little bit surprised that she offered, making her wonder if he hadn’t slept with many women. She liked the idea, as Rainier was definitely a man who would’ve had his choice in women.

  She ripped open the foil and threw it to the floor. Gently, she unfurled the latex down his length. He was hot in her hand, and as she came to the base, he moaned her name an
d his voice dripped with desire.

  She was still wearing her bra and panties, but it didn’t stop him. He folded down the cup of her bra down, taking her nipple in his mouth and sucking, hard. It made a wet, popping sound as he released her and moved to the other side. There was something so sensual about the warm, soft feel of his tongue compared to the scratchiness of her lace bra as it rubbed against her skin.

  Maybe the man knew what he was doing, after all.

  “Please,” she begged.

  “Mmm,” he murmured, not taking his mouth from her.

  “Let me feel you.”

  He made a sound that was half groan and half growl as he pushed her panties to the side and drove himself into her. She cried out as he filled her, heavy and deep. There had never been a better sensation in the history of mankind. There couldn’t have been or they would have died from the thrill of ecstasy.

  She took hold of his ass—it was stronger and more muscular than she had realized—and as she held him still inside her, her muscles contracted around him. He felt so good.

  Laura moaned, though she had meant to find words to tell him what she was feeling...that she wanted more...that she wanted to be his forever.

  She moved against him, letting him pound against her again. Harder. Faster. Then he stopped and, rolling her over, picked her up by her hips and set her on all fours. He moved back into her, pressing her face into the bed. The sheets rubbed the skin of her cheek.

  “Oh... I’m close,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

  He hadn’t needed to warn her, for she was already there.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rainier hadn’t had to do the walk of shame since before he’d gone to prison, and in the years that had passed, it hadn’t gotten any easier. He walked quietly up to the front porch of his parents’ house. The lights were on inside even though it was early. Ranching hours. He had nearly forgotten.

  He glanced toward the barn, where the door stood slightly open and light from within streamed out and lit up the snow.