Cowboy Truth: Cowboy Justice Association #3 (8 page)

She’d never had casual sex in her life. She’d bet Kaylee hadn’t either.

“Thank God I took you off speaker. If my parents heard that they’d have a stroke. I think they believe I’m still a virgin.”

Kaylee snorted. “A thirty-year old virgin? Right. Get your freak on. Have some fun. Take a chance. For both of us. You’ve been brainwashed by that family of yours that your head is in the clouds. Personally I think it’s up your ass. Stop living your life by how they see you and see yourself for what you truly are.”

“And what is that?” Ava held her breath.

“A best-selling author who is financially stable. A good person, a good friend, and most of all a grown woman who is capable of making her own decisions.”

Exhaling slowly, Ava fell back onto the bed. “They think I’m an airhead.”

“So? Everyone has their blonde moments in life. Everyone. So you get involved with your work and forget to return their calls. Big fucking deal. It’s not like you walk out into traffic and get hit by cars. Stop letting them lay this on you. This is their baggage. Not yours.”

Ava’s family did have their own issues. Plenty of them. “If I promise to try and have fun will you cut me a little slack?”

“Of course. Call me and tell everything tomorrow, okay? Maybe I’ll put it in a book.”

“Very funny. I’ll call tomorrow. I doubt there will be much to tell. We’ll have a few beers, dance, then come home.”

“I still want to hear all about it. Just try to do one thing tonight you normally wouldn’t do. One thing. Would that be so hard?”

Ava groaned. “Geez, you’re a nag. Fine. I’ll do one thing. One. Now I need to get going. I want to be waiting out front when Logan gets here. I’m not going to let my dad anywhere near him.”

Kaylee’s giggle came through the phone loud and clear. “Good luck. From what you said about your dad, he’ll be lurking around dark corners to interrogate your date.”

Crap.

*   *   *   *

Ava thought she’d taken precautions, turning on a ballgame and hoping her dad would start watching. It turned out her father hid in the garage. When Logan had come roaring up into the driveway on his huge motorcycle, she’d tried to hop on as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t to be.

Logan had taken his time helping her into the helmet, seemingly in no hurry. The garage door opener had engaged and she’d heard the door lift slowly with a sense of foreboding. Her father would never in a million years let her ride out on a big, shiny Harley with Corville’s original sex god.

And Logan did look like a sexual deity.

Dressed in old blue jeans paired with a black button-down shirt, heavy black boots, and a black leather jacket, Logan looked like every parent’s worst nightmare and every girl’s Saturday night dream. The only thing he lacked was an earring and a tattoo. She could visibly see he didn’t have a pierced ear, but the tattoo was still a possibility.

A possibility that made her a little jumpy. Logan oozed sex without breaking a sweat. It must be deeply embedded in his DNA. She’d never dated a man this…well…masculine.

It’s not a date.

He’d been polite to her father despite the near belligerent questions he was asked. It was only when her mother came outside and dragged Ava’s dad into the house that they were able to break away. Now she was riding on the back of his big motorcycle.

It was awesome.

She’d never felt exhilaration like this before. The wind whipped around her and she leaned close to Logan’s back, her hands wrapped around his middle. He’d pressed her palms to his washboard stomach and given her a thumbs-up as the engine had roared to life between her legs. Between the vibrations and the heat from Logan’s body she was pretty much a mess by the time they pulled up to the roadhouse about fifty miles outside of town.

Logan swung his long leg over the bike and pulled off his helmet and black leather gloves before helping her. Her legs were shaky and she had to lock her knees to keep from collapsing. She’d had a quick tutorial as to why bikers were hot and sexy. He lifted the helmet from her head and gave her a grin.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, still breathless from the ride. “Yes. That was great. I’ve never ridden on the back of a motorcycle before.”

Logan laughed. “Good girls don’t ride bikes, huh? I’m glad you liked it.”

Ava knew she was grinning. “I loved it. Do you ride it all the time?”

“No,” he shook his head regretfully. “Only when the weather cooperates, and not near as much as I’d like.”

“It’s like flying,” she laughed.

Logan put his arm around her and led her into the loud honky tonk. “Uh oh. I think I’ve created a monster. Mommy and Daddy won’t thank me when you buy a cycle and start wearing leather.”

Ava would make sure Mommy and Daddy never found out.

She and Logan walked deeper into the crowded bar. His hand was at the small of her back and despite her dislike of crowds, he made her feel warm and protected.

No wonder he was such a good cop.

He leaned down so he was close to her ear. “Thanks for coming tonight and for helping with Christina. If I haven’t said, I really am grateful.”

“Grateful enough to let me help more with the investigation?” she asked, tongue in cheek.

Logan laughed. “No, good girl. You’re strictly on paperwork duty. Your parents seemed pretty protective. I’d hate to get their darling daughter hurt or dead.”

She stopped and twisted around so she was looking up at him. “I’m sorry about that. I tried to get us out of there before he saw you, but you moved too slow.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Logan put his arm around her shoulders again, urging her forward. “He’s not the first father I’ve met.”

And he won’t be the last.

The unspoken sentence hung between them. Unsaid, but clearly understood. This wasn’t a date. She was here to help him out. It was a deal. Quid pro quo. They were both getting something they wanted.

“Who are these people we’re meeting?” The roadhouse was loud and reeked of beer, sweat, and a cloying mix of feminine perfume. The crush of bodies made her press closer to Logan. Crowds really did make her uneasy.

“Just some friends. Christina will be there, of course. When I started dating her she became really good friends with the wife of one of my buddies. Karen and Bart have been married for less than a year. I went to high school with him.”

“Bart Kensey? I knew his younger sister, Diane. She was in my class.”

Logan nodded and pointed to a table in the corner where about eight to ten people sat. “Diane is here as well. She’s dating a guy from Harper, Brandon Glass. Then there’s Kiki and Bob, Jack, and Frank.”

She was relieved she’d at least know one person. Diane hadn’t been a close friend of Ava’s but they’d always been friendly. Diane waved to them when they were about ten feet away before jumping up to give Ava a big hug.

“I’m so glad to see you! Come sit down and tell me what it’s like to be a big-time author. I want to hear every detail.”

Diane was a bubbly brunette with sparkling blue eyes, a feminine version of her brother Bart. He had his arm around his wife Karen, a pretty blonde who was sitting next to Christina. Ava shook hands with each person and took a seat next to Diane while Logan took the seat alongside. Christina was on his other side and damn if she didn’t immediately move her chair closer to Logan’s the minute he sat down.

Karen, who was sitting across the table, frowned when she saw Christina’s move. Karen might be Christina’s friend but the expression on her face was not one of happiness.

“It’s nice to meet all of you.” Ava tried to be friendly and gave them her best happy-to-be-here smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ava.” Kiki smiled. “It’s not every day we get to meet a famous author. I’ve read all of your books. You’re something of a local hero around here.”

Ava inwardly cringed. She hated the celebrity stuff. She loved talking to her readers but she hated the autograph signing and the picture taking.

“I’m just a humble storyteller.”

“I can’t imagine how hard it would be to write a book! That’s so cool.” Diane practically bounced up and down in the chair. “Do you know Stephen King or James Patterson?”

She’d heard that question more than a few times. She hated disappointing people but she was about to do it.

“I’m sorry, but no.” Ava shook her head. “I’m sure they’re nice people though.”

“Do you know anyone famous?” the man named Frank queried. He was frowning. “Anyone?”

“Um, I’m very good friends with Kaylee Blue.” She looked at their blank expressions. “She writes erotic romance. She’s very successful.”

Karen smiled and picked up her drink. “I’ll have to look her up. I love those kinds of books. So hot.”

Ava opened her mouth to explain the solitary life of a writer but closed it again. It would be a futile endeavor. They had the usual idealized vision of a writer’s life which included travel, glamour, money, and a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows. Ava looked terrible in tweed. How could she explain the reality which was flannel pajamas, massive amounts of coffee, and erratic sleep habits?

“You won’t be disappointed,” Ava replied. “Kaylee is a marvelous writer.”

“Erotic romance, huh?” Bart waggled his eyebrows. “Why don’t you write that?”

Karen elbowed him hard in the ribs and he coughed a few times. Logan’s hand covered hers and she leaned into him. He felt solid and warm.

“I enjoy writing mysteries too much. I like the challenge of figuring out who the killer is.”

Logan looked down at her, his brow knitted together. “Don’t you know when you start the book?”

She shrugged. “Nope. I’m just as surprised as anyone else. The guilty party reveals themselves slowly as the story unwinds. It’s exciting.”

Logan laughed, his blue eyes warm. “I guess you and I have more in common than I thought. That’s pretty much how police work is.”

She gave him her best mean look. “I wouldn’t know about any of the exciting parts of police work. All I do is look through paperwork.”

Logan’s lips twitched. “You just won’t let it go, will you?”

Ava didn’t get a chance to answer. Christina laid her hand on Logan’s arm and leaned forward so he could get an eyeful of her cleavage. At least Ava got a good look. Since Logan was closer she assumed he did as well.

“How about a dance?” Christina purred, a seductive smile played on her glossed lips and her eyes glowed with promise. Ava couldn’t have pulled off that move in a million years. She’d been doing something else when God had handed out the femme fatale power.

Logan patted Christina’s hand but moved closer to Ava. “I think the first dance needs to go to my date. Ava, how about a dance?”

Ava liked to dance about as much as she liked to drink in bars. Not much. But she’d promised to help Logan and letting him go off with Christina would fall under the category of a fail. She nodded and he laced his fingers with hers tugging her toward the dance floor. Ava glanced over her shoulder at Christina. She looked decidedly unhappy. Karen was saying something in Christina’s ear and nodding toward Jack and Frank as if urging her to dance with them. Jack stood up and he and Christina glided onto the dance floor several feet from Logan and Ava.

He pulled her into his arms, the palm of his hand burning a brand into her back. She looked up into his blue eyes and felt an unwelcome jolt of awareness. She didn’t want to think of Logan Wright as anything but a sheriff and a womanizer. She didn’t want to be sexually aware of him at all. But here she was, slowly swaying to a mournful country tune with one of her hands entwined with his and her other on his muscular shoulder.

She could feel the heat emanating from his body, his scent clean and manly. She quickly averted her gaze but ended up looking at his wide chest instead which wasn’t much better for her racing pulse. She dragged in a lungful of air to clear her head and tried to concentrate on the movements of her feet. If she stepped on his boots she’d be mortified.

His hand slid down her spine to just above her ass and he pulled her closer so their bodies were pressed against one another. It made it easier to follow him but it made it harder to breathe. He rested his chin on the top of her head and she could feel the heavy thud of his heart under her ear, slow and steady.

When the song ended, he stepped back and gave her an easy smile, totally unaffected by their nearness. She felt like a complete idiot. Logan had women throwing themselves at him all the time. One dance wouldn’t send him over the edge. She, on the other hand, hadn’t been close to a man in six months. That was a long time to go without touching, really touching, another human being.

“How about a beer?” Logan nodded toward the bar.

She shook her head. “I don’t drink all that much, but I could use a soda or something.”

He led her off the dance floor and leaned against the oak bar laughing with the bartender. She’d regained her balance luckily. This wasn’t about Logan specifically. She’d been too long between dates and a woman was bound to be affected when close to one this good looking. It was simply a physical reaction. Logan was still not her type, and she wasn’t going to get involved with him.

They’d danced. She’d liked it. Big deal.

“How am I doing so far?” she asked when he handed her a soda.

He frowned. “So far? What do you mean?”

“You know, helping you with Christina? How am I doing? She really seems to like you. I feel a little guilty.”

His expression cleared. “You’re helping. I’ve been avoiding hanging out with my friends because she’s always here too. I don’t want to hurt her feelings but I need to send her a message.”

“That you’re not available,” Ava stated, sipping the cool liquid. The roadhouse was warm or maybe it had just been the dance floor.

“Exactly,” Logan agreed. “Jack really likes her and I think if she gave him a chance she’d forget all about me.”

Ava’s gaze wandered to where Christina and Jack were still dancing. He was looking down at her with unabashed adoration. Christina was trying to look over his shoulder at Logan. It was a sad situation.

“I bet she’s the type that likes emotionally unavailable bad boys. If you were more mainstream she’d probably lose interest.”