Fighting Chance (Misty Grove Book 1) (33 page)

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Trent said, leaning against the doorjamb.

She turned to face him, not meeting his eyes, but looking at a point on his shoulder. She threw up an arm helplessly. “I’ve never felt this intense desire to claw out a woman’s eyes. What’s more, I’ve never called anyone a bitch, but it just came out.”

“Cassie—”

“Do you get propositioned often?” She finally met his gaze. “I mean, when you’re at work or handling a call-out where there are these brazen women—”

“Cassie, it doesn’t matter—”

“You do, don’t you?”

Shit. How should he answer this? “I do, but sometimes it’s just the uniform, babe. I don’t encourage them, and I think I’ve mastered the art of evasion.”
 

“You do look very sexy in a uniform.”

His lips twitched.
 

“I don’t like this jealousy thing.” She looked annoyed at herself. “With Wyatt it was nowhere this intense—”

“Please don’t bring up that fucker’s name,” Trent growled as his own jealous and possessive monster reared its head.

Cassie drummed her lips thoughtfully. “Hmm, you know that would be an impossibility at the moment.”

“What do you mean?”

“He paid me a visit at the ranch today, and he had some really interesting news for me.”

Fuck.

“Was there something you wanted to tell me?” Cassie asked a bit too innocently.

“Stratford is a pissant motherfucker.”

“Can’t disagree with that.”
 

Cassie’s calm tone didn’t fool him. Her eyes were shooting sparks of displeasure at him.
 

He closed the distance between them and put his hands firmly on her shoulders. “I wasn’t ready to tell you because there were several moving parts to the admiral’s master plan. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“That Lucas is free to go?”

“No. That’s a done deal. Also, Stratford has no hold on me anymore because his illegal fighting business has been shut down.”

“Those are the only two things I care about.” Then understanding dawned clear on her face. “You can run for re-election in November and in saving the town for Misty Grove, you’re practically a shoo-in.”

“Misty Grove saved itself, babe,” Trent said.
 

“You’re being humble.”

“Colt, John, Millie, and Mac all had a hand in saving this town. I made it clear in my report, but honored their request to remain anonymous. If I run for re-election—”

“There’s no ifs about it, Trent. You’ve been an amazing sheriff.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now listen.” He clasped her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “If I do this, you have to promise me to become less of an outlaw.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Cassie exclaimed indignantly. “I’ve never—”

“You promise to call the sheriff’s department if anyone is giving you trouble.”

“Well—”

“You will not take it upon yourself to handle the problem on your own.”

Her lips pursed into a thin line as she appeared to mull over his words.

Trent sighed. “You can’t be above the law while I’m sheriff, Cassie. Otherwise, I won’t run.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“No, that’s self-preservation.”

“In cases of self-defense...” she hedged.

“If you do kill someone in self-defense,” he said sternly, his eyes unwavering because his sanity hinged on her staying out of trouble, “you will hide no bodies.”

Cassie laughed, but Trent remained serious. He didn’t doubt this had been done. Matt even told him during that Route 11 shootout that they’d take care of it.

Cassie sobered when she realized Trent wasn’t joking.
 

“I promise,” she whispered.

“Don’t be so sad, babe.” This time his tone had lightened with a hint of teasing. “You’ll be busy.”

When Cassie looked at him questioningly, he continued. “The admiral is planning to lease some land here to hold training camps for elite domestic and international police units. Radical extremism is on the rise and law enforcement around the world is ill-prepared to handle terrorists who have no demands and are just willing to shoot or blow up innocent people.”

“I’m going to get to train them?”

“Yes. If you want.”

“Of course I want to do that.” The flare of interest in her eyes heartened him. He’d have more control of her time, she’d be around more people who could protect her, and he’d make damn sure the place was built like a fortress. She didn’t need to know his ulterior motive.
 

Cassie poked a finger at his chest. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re managing me.”

Busted.

“Guilty as charged.” Trent grinned sheepishly. “Look at it this way, hellcat. It’s a win-win for both of us. You get to do something you love, and I’ll have more peace of mind when I’m not around you.”

“I guess I can’t protest too much.” Cassie sighed. “Like you said, it’s a win-win.”

“If I do win my next term as sheriff, my time would be limited and would be devoted to program development. The admiral has already mentioned this to Colt, and he’s onboard as well, but he said his priority is getting Kate back right now. How is that going by the way?”

“I haven’t heard from him in a week,” Cassie admitted.

“We’ve got time. Lucas will also be on the team. That’s what he and the admiral had talked about that day Ariana tried to kill you.”

“Hmm, everyone is aware of this except me.”
 

“Not everyone,” Trent said. “I’m familiar with this type of work so the admiral approached me. Lucas happened to be involved because I wanted to get him out from under Stratford’s thumb. As for Colt, he’s known the admiral a long time.”

“And Matt?”

Trent scratched his jaw, trying to find the right words. “Ah, the admiral is not sure Matt has the right temperament for this job. He’s got a short temper. Actually, the word the admiral used was volatile.”

“He will not appreciate being left out. What about Stone Tacticals? Would you have enough time to devote to that as well?”

“No. I’m finishing the last of my contracts and closing shop. This new enterprise the admiral is suggesting will be privately operated with Colt and me as the principal owners.”

“You’ll be CIA contractors.”

Trent chuckled. “Not exactly. The agency is not supposed to operate in the homeland remember? The admiral is negotiating with Homeland Security since this is under their purview. Initial financing will come from CIA coffers since the admiral didn’t want us to take a financial hit with this speculative venture being the agency’s idea. Hence, renting Stratford’s land. If this all proves feasible, the plan is to buy the land and build out from there.”

“Wow, that’s quite a plan!” Cassie marveled, her eyes widening. “I’m a bit nervous though. It’s a lot to take on.”

“Don’t worry, babe, I’m going to have time for you.”
 

“You better.”

“Okay, Cassie, first things first—”

“You have to run for re-election, I know.”

“No,” Trent murmured, gathering her in his arms. “I haven’t said I love you this evening.”

“Oh.”

He loved it when she still blushed whenever he caught her unaware with his affection or lust. “Where were we before we had to discuss this tedious subject of me becoming sheriff again? Ah, yes, I believe we were talking about your possessiveness.”

She squirmed uncomfortably. “I’m fine when women swoon or giggle when you walk by. That’s frequently harmless. I don’t like it when they stare at your crotch and then proposition you, especially when I’m standing right there. That’s rude and disrespectful to both of us. I didn’t act like a nut case tonight, right?”

“No. I think you were very sane.” Trent didn’t need to remind her how he had hit Wyatt when that bastard had been playing his head games on Cassie.
 

His hellcat sighed in relief. “Oh, good. I didn’t want you to think I’ve become a clingy psycho girlfriend.”

His hands dug into the cheeks of her delectably shaped ass as he backed her toward the vanity table. “Clingy, never. Now psycho, the verdict is still out.”

She pushed back against him. “Hey, I’ll have you know—”

“Hush, Cassie.”

“Why are you hushing me?”

He stared down at her. “Because I’ve just realized we’re two of a kind in so many ways, so I’m not wasting more time on conversation.” Her breath hitched as he lifted her up on the vanity table. His fingers unbuttoned her Daisy Dukes and slid them off her at the same time he got on his knees. “What was that you said? Down, dirty, and deep? Now, spread those legs.” Ah, fuck, the scent of her arousal hit him and it was all he could do not to dive in and eat that pussy. “Look at those juices, babe.” He slowly and deliberately stroked one finger down her slit, feeling her jerk and moan at the contact. Her eyes were half-lidded as he gazed up at her while he sucked her juices off his finger. “Delicious. I can live between your legs and do this the whole damn night.” She whimpered as her need to have his mouth on her became evident in the way she rolled her hips. Trent lifted her legs over his shoulders. “Hang on tight,” he whispered before he buried his face between her thighs and tasted pure fucking heaven.
 

Epilogue

Six weeks later

Cassie twirled in front of the full-length mirror and surveyed the sleeveless, cream, silk, dress she wore for her date tonight with Trent. It had a low V-neckline and fit-to-flare silhouette with its hem hitting a couple of inches above her knee. She steadied herself on her two-inch strappy sandals. Both were the many additions to her wardrobe during a shopping trip to Atlanta with Millie.

“Oh, my God, Cassie. You look gorgeous!” Millie cried. She had the other woman up on FaceTime on her iPad. Thank God for such technology that she had a virtual coach on this one-week trip to New York.

“How’s my makeup? I didn’t spackle too much foundation on, did I?” Cassie moved her face closer to her iPad.

She and Millie had argued about makeup because Cassie never wore any except for lip stains or gloss every now and then. They compromised on foundation powder, a blush, and lipstick.
 

When Trent told her he was taking her to New York for a week, Cassie panicked because she had nothing to wear except her ranch clothes and a few decent dresses she wore when Millie and she tried to go to church. Millie, of course, felt like a fairy godmother because the other woman had been trying to get Cassie to go shopping with her. Cassie limited herself to two dresses, but splurged on a couple of new jeans. She just didn’t see herself suddenly turning into a girly girl anytime soon.
 

“You’re perfect, Cassie,” Millie gushed like a proud mom, which in a way she was to Cassie. The mother she never had.
 

“I’m glad you balked on the eye shadow,” the other woman continued. “Your dress sets off the color of your eyes like expensive whisky.”

Cassie felt herself blushing a little. “How about my hair?” She fixed it in a messy updo, which wasn’t any hardship, because she regularly arranged her hair in a top knot. A short YouTube video bridged the instruction gap easily. All she had to do was poof up her hair more with a curl hanging here and there.
 

“You’re going to drive that man of yours crazy. Are you sure you’re hungry? Because I think Trent’s not going to want to leave that room after he lays eyes on you.”

Anticipation made her clench her thighs.
Damn, Millie
.

“Where’s Trent anyway?”

“I sent him off to the bar downstairs so I can surprise him. He’s never seen me in a dress.”

“Like I said, you’re going to knock him off his feet.”

“If I don’t fall flat on my face first. These shoes make me nervous.”

Millie rolled her eyes. “They’re two-inch heels. You don’t have far to fall.”

“That’s not very reassuring, Millie!”

“Calm down.” The older woman’s tinkling laughter filled the bathroom. “You’ll do fine. How are you enjoying the Big Apple?”

Cassie was having a blast. Trent checked them into The Mercer, a luxury hotel located right at the heart of SoHo. It was a Romanesque revival building with opulently appointed suites. Her man had pulled out all the stops and booked them into a loft suite that had a fancy sitting area you only see in movies. And the bathroom? She looked around at the extremely spacious marbled space with the oversized bathtub.

“Let’s say I could see myself living here.”

“Aren’t you turned off by the crush of people?”

“Not at all. In fact, it’s easy to remain anonymous in this city.”

“You better come back home, missy,” Millie said sternly, but with underlying amusement.

The hotel suite door opened and slammed.

“Don’t worry, I will. Hey, Trent’s here.”
 

“I want details!” Millie said.

Cassie laughed. “If they’re PG-13 I’ll tell you.”

“Hussy.”

“I learned from the best,” she deadpanned and then, “Bye, Millie.” Cassie turned off the iPad just in time to hear the knock on the bathroom door.

“Babe, are you done? Our reservation’s at seven.”

“I’ll be out in a sec!” Cassie took another look at the mirror, exhaled a deep breath, and walked steadily to the door.

Trent was standing in front of the terrace window looking out. He turned when he heard the door open.

His eyes widened when he saw her, his jaw slackening.

“My God,” he whispered.

“Uh, do I look okay?” Cassie mumbled nervously, fidgeting with the fabric at her sides.

Trent swallowed hard; this was followed by a hitch in his breathing. He just stared at her for what felt like an eternity.
 

“Trent?”

That seemed to jolt him out of his trance and his eyes turned heated as he stalked toward her. Cassie didn’t have a chance to back away when his arm reached out and yanked her hard against him. Slamming her into his chest, Trent crashed his lips on hers and consumed her in a bruising kiss. He backed her against a wall and ran a hand under her skirt, gripping her ass cheek and squeezing as he pushed the ridge of his already impressive erection against her stomach.