HeroRevealed (9 page)

Chapter Ten

Well…fuck.

How much time had passed? Minutes? Hours? Brett never
believed that one could pass out from orgasm. Leave it to Kristos to prove her
wrong.

Her throat burned and her head swam as if she guzzled an
entire glass of cheap whiskey. Tremors ran down her spine and along limbs still
trapped in Kristos’ embrace and her pussy continued to pulse in the most
delicious way. Under the right circumstances, she might have enjoyed the
sensations, but lying on the ground with a million pine needles sticking into
her most delicate areas was not among them.

Frustration simmered in tandem with residual arousal. After
staring death in its sinister face, she craved the connection that came with a
good round of life-affirming sex and had been looking forward to falling into
the oblivion Kristos created with his kiss and touch. After her shift was over.

She was sheriff. Always. Let him whip out his dick of
temptation whenever he wanted, the badge came first. If he wanted a
relationship with her, he had to respect the title.

Her laugh was as shaky as her arms as she tried to crawl out
from under two-hundred-thirty pounds of jackass. Even her fingers trembled with
lingering orgasm. Relationship? Dictatorship was more like it. With Kristos it
was his way or his way. Did he really think this caveman behavior flipped her
switch? Well, on some levels it did, but disregarding her wishes was a
sure-fire way to piss her off. He may be bigger and stronger, but she did have
a brain and was quite adept at taking care of herself. The past two days were a
complete anomaly.

“Stay.” Kristos cupped her breast. “Let me share your warmth
for a few more seconds.”

“Don’t start, Kilsgaard.” She shoved off his touch and
wobbled to a stand. A rush of liquid spilled down her thighs, reigniting her
passion.

Getting angry at Kristos for taking her without a condom
would be so easy, but damn his bare cock had felt so good sliding deep. Just
the memory of the way he had grown hot and hard before jerking with his release
was enough to make her come again. It had been in her power to stop him had she
really wanted to. He was strong but a Taser made for one hell of an argument.
The elixir of body fluid was more female than male, if she were honest. But
Kristos didn’t need to know that.

She cinched her belt one notch tighter than normal and
mentally gathered the fragments of her scattered conscience. First priority was
to contact her men and make sure they weren’t beating the bushes looking for
her.

She spotted her radio near the base of the tree. God, she
hoped it hadn’t turned on and broadcasted her screams to the world. A breath
eased from her lips when she saw the switch was firmly to the off side. She
flipped it on and raised the mic to her lips. “Unit One to Unit Four, come in.”

“What are you doing?” Kristos asked, using his hands to
awkwardly struggle into a stand.

She smirked at his sex-drunk movements. “Damage control.”

Collins answered her call. “Unit Four. Heard you had some
car trouble, Sherriff. You okay?”

“I’m fine. The tires aren’t so good. The river is looking
better down here.” She winced at the lie. “How’s it on your end?”

“Still high but no longer rising. The Chameleon bought us
valuable time.”

Kristos raised a brow at that and crossed his arms over his
inflated chest with a smug grin.

She turned her back to him. “Keep up the good work. I’ll
check in when the wrecker arrives. Over.”

“Brett, where are you going?” Kristos called after her as
she took off at a brisk march.

She had no idea where he had taken her but all she needed to
do was keep the river on her left to return to the cruiser. How long would the
car be out of commission before she could check the territories affected by the
flooding?

“Brett, stop.
Alskata
, wait.” He gripped her around
the arm.

His touch broke through her mental concentration. She turned
on him with a snarl. “Don’t
al
-whatever me. You’ve interfered enough
with my job. And with me.”

He hastened to keep up, tripping over his jeans. “You’re job
takes second place to your safety. I will not stand by and watch you risk your
life. And if you’re worried about becoming pregnant, don’t be. Your hormones
are tied to your emotions. You’re angry but not pre-menstrual.”

The absoluteness in his tone made her hand itch for her gun.
She tried to tune out his stupidity and kept moving forward. They’d had this
argument before and she refused to engage in a fruitless shouting match.

“I’m not kidding, Brett. Let someone else be sheriff. If you
must work, help in the office, but you will stay out of danger.”

She choked in outrage that he actually spouted such asinine
words. “Oh my God. You really want me to punch you, don’t you?

“I almost didn’t reach you in time. Do you have any idea how
I felt, what it did to me to have your life hanging by my fingertips? Do you
even care?”

“Shut up! Just shut up.” She swung to face him, gabbing
fistfuls of his shirt and giving him a firm shake. “I know exactly how you
feel. My father died while on duty and I had to watch my mother mourn him every
day thereafter, so I am well aware of what it means to wear the badge. Do not
make the mistake of thinking I’m oblivious to the pain.” Her voice cracked.
Furious tears sprang to her eyes, but she refused to give in to them. “When I
thought Lucian was you and I saw that tree fall straight for you…” She paused
to swallow. “For that split second I thought you were a goner and a part of me
died. That’s why I was driving so fast to stop you.”

“Brett,” he sighed and brushed the hair off her cheek with a
gentle hand.

She turned her face from his touch. “No. Don’t. Just because
I understand how you feel does not make you right. Yes, I care about you. And
yes, I know that there’s a strong connection between us. But you do not get to
disregard my wishes. I am sheriff and you have to respect that. If we are to
have any future together you have to let me do my job. This stupid, bullshit,
chauvinistic behavior pisses me off and makes me want to step on your balls
until they explode, and I happen to like your balls, so shut up.” She pointed
to the cluster of trees behind them. “Pull another asshole stunt like that
again and I will put on my heaviest boots and dance a salsa on your dick. Are
we clear, Kilsgaard?”

Kristos sighed and looked away. His lips pinched with the
argument she saw burning in his eyes. “I can’t do that.”

“Why? Because I’m a woman?”

“Yes.”

A bolt of shock raced from the top of her head, down her
sternum and froze her in place. Several long seconds passed where her brain
tried to form a sentence, yet she could do nothing more than work her jaw up
and down.

He grimaced and shook his head. “Brett, let me explain.”

“No,” she managed to squeak out. “I’m beginning to
understand that where you come from the women are more docile and reliant on a
man to take care of them. But here on Earth, especially in this country, women
have something that’s called freedom. I choose to be a cop because I’m good at
it. I make a difference. Why are you so intent on changing who I am? Why am I
not good— Never mind.” She fought the tears stinging her eyes. “I’m done
fighting with you. I’m so done.”

Brett left Kristos with her heart in her throat. If he truly
believed that a compromise was unattainable, then it was better to end whatever
was between them now, before their connection grew stronger. As it was, the
pain of walking away burned like a sticky bandage ripped slowly from her flesh.
Any man who made her break her own rule on relationships needed to believe in
her one hundred percent. She would not settle for less.

“Excuse me, Sheriff.” Kristos caught up with her a hundred
yards from where she left him staring after her. He matched her stride but made
no move to touch her. “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say anything. He may be sorry now but actions
spoke louder than words.

“Let me carry you back.”

“I can walk.”

“You do know we’re about five miles away from your car?”

Jiminy Christmas.
Brett stopped and pinched the
bridge of her nose. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. After a glare
up at the gray sky she ordered, “Squat.”

“What?”

“Squat down.” She motioned with her hand. He bent down low
enough for her to climb onto his back. “Take me straight to the car. If you
deviate so much as a foot from that direction, I will kick you in the kidneys.
Understand?”

He stifled a chuckle and wrapped his hands around her thighs
to resettle her weight. “Aye, Sheriff. By the Gods, you are so violent.”

“It seems to be the only thing that gets your attention. It
must be your warrior blood.”

“Your hot little pussy grinding against my spine gets my
attention too—ouch!”

She let go of the chunk of hair she pulled. “Do not provoke
me.”

This time he laughed loud and hearty and gripped her
tighter. The wind stung her eyes as he ran. His speed and agility amazed her,
yet she didn’t feel fear. Kristos would always see to her safety, whether she
wanted him to or not.

Kristos took her directly to her vehicle. The torn tires and
busted door sent a shiver of memory down her back.

In her arms, Kristos tensed as well. “You ask too much of
me,
alskata
.”

She tapped his shoulder and he set her on her feet. “I ask
for you to have faith in me.”

“In you, yes. The world? Not so much.”

“Why do you want me, Kristos?”

He tilted his head and stared at her with those jade-green
eyes as if waiting for her to say more. “I do not understand,” he said.

“Of course you don’t,” she sighed. “Why do you want to be
with me? What is it about me that’s attractive to you?”

“Why do I feel like this is a trap?”

She smiled. “Answer the question. Please.”

He sucked in a breath and rubbed his forefinger against his
chin. “Well, besides your incredible beauty and innate sexiness.” He grinned
when she threw him a terse glare. “I’m drawn to your strength, your courage.
The compassion you show to those around you is very attractive, as well as your
intelligence. You prove yourself to be a mate who any man would be proud to
have by his side, and who would be a good mother for his children. That is why
I want you, Brett.”

She hadn’t been fishing for compliments, but the honesty in
his words touched her on a level no man had before. One more chunk of the wall
she kept between them crumbled at the same time her conviction of the beliefs
she must hold on to strengthened.

“Then why are you trying so hard to change me?”

”I’m not. I only want you safe, Brett. I love you for who
you are.”

“But every time you spout that bullshit about being yours
and how you won’t allow me to do my job is an attempt to strip me of the very
things you just claimed to like about me.”

“That’s not true.”

“She’s right.”

Lucian appeared from out of the shade of an oak tree. His
cheeks were flushed and a light of excitement bounced in his eyes that she had
never before seen from him.

“This doesn’t concern you, Lucian.” Kristos crossed his arms
over his chest, subtly flexing the muscles of his pecs and biceps.

“However much I like watching you make an ass of yourself, I
like the sheriff more. You do her a great disservice with your lack of
respect.”

Kristos’ eyes flashed a bright green and his nostrils
flared. “I do respect her. I’ve told you that many times.”

“Then prove it. Quit trying to change her. She is not our
queen.”

“I know she’s not!” Kristos shouted and took a menacing step
toward his brother. “Stay out of this. It is none of your concern.”

“I’m sorry, but when you make a public spectacle like the
one you did earlier that upset half of the forest, you make it my concern.”

“Lucian.” She stepped between the brothers who appeared to
grow larger with each heated exchange. Flames burned her cheeks at the thought
of Lucian overhearing Kristos’ rutting rampage. Lord, what he must think of
her. Best not to dwell on it and change the subject quickly. “Thank you for
saving those children. I don’t like you putting yourself at risk like that but
you have my gratitude.”

He glared at his brother for a long minute before bowing
slightly at the waist. “You are most welcome. I know if you had the time and
manpower you would have seen to their safety. “

“Oh, by the Gods,” Kristos groused and rolled his eyes.

Lucian gestured to her squad car. “What happened here?”

“I guess I hit a bump too hard and blew the tires.” She
crouched by the front tire for a closer inspection of the torn rubber. A slit
in the sidewall caught her attention. As she probed the crack with her finger,
a warning tingle gathered in her lower spine.

“What are you thinking?” Kristos hovered over her shoulder.

She bit her lip. “This looks odd.” She crawled toward the
rear tire and ran her fingers over the edge, her frown deepening when she found
a matching gash.

“What is this?” Lucian pulled a length of chain that was
wrapped loosely around the front license plate.

The tingle turned to burning outrage as her gaze narrowed on
the four-foot-long chain dangling from Lucian’s grasp. She pressed her lips
tight together to hold back the volley of curses that would do nothing but set
off Kristos’ protector meter.

It didn’t work. “Your anger just spiked like a volcanic
eruption. What is it?”

She pointed her finger at him in a stern admonishment.
“Don’t sense my emotions.”

“Brett, what is that?”

“Please, tell us,” Lucian seconded. His gaze focused on the
chain as his brow crinkled in confusion. He passed the chain from one hand to
the other before holding it up to the weak sunlight to examine it from all
angles.