Sheriff in Her Stocking (12 page)

The door of the
diner swung open and Sara Farley shuffled in. Louie laid down the newspaper and
greeted her warmly. “Sit anywhere you like,” Delaney heard him tell Sara.

Sara’s gaze
locked on Delaney for maybe two seconds before she looked away. Obviously not
wishing to speak to her, Sara stared straight ahead as she passed by Delaney’s
booth. Delaney reached out and caught her arm. “Please Sara, sit down. Tell me
what’s going on.”

Sara exhaled a
deep breath her normally cheerful face pinched with annoyance and hurt. She
hesitated a moment then stiffly sat across from Delaney. Her cheeks were
flushed, her eyes bright and her tiny frame clothed in a pink, velour jogging
suit.

Delaney folded
her arms on top of the table and leaned toward Sara. “Why is every treating me
as though I just contracted the clap?”

An expression of
pained tolerance settled over Sara’s face. “Well...we heard from a reliable
source that you don’t think very much of us or our town.”  Her voice was
cool and harsh.

Delaney’s mouth
popped open. She blinked in utter dismay and slumped against the back of her
seat while shock rolled through her. “What!  Who is this reliable source?”

By the time Sara
finished telling her about all of Lenore’s comments and vicious lies she was
steaming. She was going to rip Lenore’s lungs out.

She looked Sara
right in the eye. “They are bald faced lies, Sara.”  She reached across
the table and grasped Sara’s hand. “You have to believe me. I’m not that kind
of person. Lenore is jealous because Rick and I have been seeing one another on
a personal level. I know that you and everyone in this town have known Lenore
Shaw a heck of a lot longer than you have me but I swear to you I never, ever
said or thought any of those things.”

Sara’s face
relaxed, the pinched expression smoothed away. She actually smiled. “Lenore has
been in this town a long time. I watched her grow up, went to her wedding and
mourned with her when her husband was killed in Desert Storm. I’m not saying
Lenore doesn’t have faults because she does and nearly everybody in this town
knows what they are. But she worked hard to start the B&B, to keep it going
and she has contributed a lot to the town. However, that doesn’t excuse the way
we’ve chosen to treat you. I’m sorry I fell for Lenore’s lines hook, line and
sinker.” She patted Delaney’s hand. “I believe you dear and so will everybody
else in this town by the time I’m done with them.” 

Delaney watched
Nadine walk toward her table with the breakfast she’d ordered. Suddenly she had
completely lost her appetite. She turned to Sara. “Please, enjoy my breakfast.
I need to go have a chat with Lenore.”  She dug some bills out of her
purse and put them on the table plus a generous tip and stood up to leave.

Sara looked up
at her. “Don’t be too hard on her.”

Interesting that
Rick said nearly the exact same thing. But it was high time somebody was hard
on Lenore Shaw. Since everybody else in this town treated her with kid gloves
she was going to have to get tough. Delaney smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m just
going to rip her lungs out.”

* * * * *

Delaney climbed into
her Mini Cooper and cranked the engine. She listened to the engine hum. Linc
had done a great job repairing her car, but at the moment she found it hard to
appreciate his good work. She backed the compact car out of the parking space
and tore over to the bed and breakfast while her anger simmered just below the
boiling point.

In a few
minutes, she pulled up in front of Shaw House, a white brick house with a
wraparound porch and smoke curling lazily out of the chimney. Little hills of
snow were piled on either side of the shoveled walkway. She shoved the gear
into park, cut the engine and exhaled a breath as she gazed at the charming
snowman some kids had built in the front yard. “Okay, I’m going to be
calm...firm, but calm.”  She pressed her lips together and seethed inside.
“To hell with calm.”

Delaney threw
open the car door, climbed out and marched up the walkway.  She opened the
front door, stepped inside and closed it at her back. The entryway was
furnished with a southwestern flair. There was a pair of old spurs adorning the
wall beneath a print of snowcapped mountains. A desk was situated at the base
of the stairs.

Lenore sat
behind it with a phone to her ear while she typed on a computer keyboard as she
booked a reservation for New Year’s Eve. She flicked a glance in Delaney’s
direction as she hung up. Her auburn hair looked perfect, her makeup fresh as
though she’d just put it on. With a slight smile, she leaned back in her chair
and raised a brow. “Well...what brings you here?”

Delaney was
furious. She couldn’t believe Lenore’s smug, innocent attitude. She strode up
to the desk and folded her arms over her chest. “You’ve been wagging your royal
tongue around town, spreading lies about me and I don’t like it. Slander is
against the law. You should know that, Lenore. Are you hoping Rick will come
and arrest you?”

An icy smile
curved Lenore’s coral painted lips. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

Scalding anger
rushed through Delaney’s veins. She wanted to wipe the self-satisfied
expression from Lenore’s face. And she knew just how to do it. She placed her
palms on the surface of the desk and moved in close to Lenore. “You’re so
jealous you can’t see straight. There’s nothing sadder than a woman sniffing
after a man who doesn’t want her.”

Lenore’s eyes
turned hard and flat with indignation.

Bingo.

Lenore pressed
her perfectly shaped lips into a thin line and slowly stood up. She leaned
toward Delaney until they were nose to nose. “Jealous?  Of you?”  She
chuckled in a derisive manner. “Not hardly. I can handle you just like I can
handle Rick. Men are easily manipulated. They can’t help themselves, especially
when a woman looks like a million bucks and turns on the charm.”  She
rapidly skimmed her gaze over Delaney. “Unlike some women I know.”

Lenore’s contempt
had hurt Delaney when she’d first met her, but now after the red hot lovemaking
she and Rick had shared, she knew without a doubt who was the better woman.
    “I’ve gotten rid of other women who tried to insinuate
themselves into Rick’s life. He’ll be back in my arms as soon as you leave
town.”  Lenore snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Delaney smirked.
“Who said I was leaving town?”

The self-assured
look vanished from Lenore’s face. “You’re staying?”

“For the time
being.”  Delaney straightened and looked at Lenore. “Lenore, you should
really open your eyes. Mark Griffin is so in love with you the man all but
kisses your feet whenever you’re around.”

Lenore stared at
her as if she’d grown another head. Her lips parted and she blinked a couple of
times but she remained silent.

“Why would a
smart woman like you run after a man who isn’t interested in her when there is
a man waiting and willing with his arms open wide?”  Delaney walked to the
front door and stopped. She looked at Lenore over her shoulder. “By the way,
Sara is undoing your little lies even as we speak.”

* * * * *

After a quick
dinner at the diner, Delaney patted her mouth with her napkin, looked at Rick.
“I drove up to Billings today, picked up a few things.”  Her voice was low
and sexy. She stroked the tip of her finger over the back of his hand and gave
him a greedy, female look. “Meet me in my jail cell in five minutes.”  She
kept her gaze pinned to his and licked her lips. “Don’t be late.” 

He imagined her
naked and moaning as he pounded into her the other night at the hot springs. He
grew hard in an instant. “What happens if I’m late?”

Delaney smiled
and rose from her chair. “I’ll have to punish you.”

Lust and want
glided through him settling warm and heavy in his groin. Rick watched the tantalizing
sway of her hips and fanny as she left the diner. He took his time finishing
his coffee and paying the check making sure he would be late. Wondering what
kind of punishment she had planned made his skin tight. He would have made her
wait a bit longer but the enormous hard on pressing against his pants needed
relief--now.  He made sure his coat was zipped and covering his crotch as
he left the diner. Quickly, he walked to the sheriff’s office.

As soon as he
stepped inside, he removed his coat, hung it on the coat rack and locked the
door. Turning off the main lights in the office, he strolled to the doorway
leading to the back of the office and Delaney’s cell. He stood quietly in the
doorway watching her.

She wore nothing
but a red silk thong and red spike heels on her feet. In her right hand she
held a black, velvet whip.  She paced from one side of the cell to the
other like a lioness on the prowl, her bare ass and hips rocking seductively.
As she paced, she slapped the soft whip against the cell floor. Her hair lay in
a silken drape about her shoulders, her breasts were full and round, the
nipples erect as if he’d had his mouth on them. If he shoved inside her at this
very moment, would she be wet and ready to take him?  The thought of her
womanhood creaming for him made his erection slide toward pain.

Candlelight
glowed from several fat candles sitting on a small table that normally sat in
the bathroom. Soft light filled the cell and danced over Delaney’s body
illuminating her like a voluptuous goddess. His penis hardened more and his
blood beat in a wild ancient rhythm, the rhythm of a man who desperately needed
to mate.

Rick moved
slowly toward the cell unbuttoning his shirt and unzipping his pants. At the
sound of his footsteps, Delaney’s chin snapped up, she stopped, licked her lips
and swept her gaze over him. He moved to the cell door, shrugged out of his
pants and underwear. His cock sprang free and the cool air wafted over it.
 He removed his shirt and kicked his clothes across the cell floor. They
slid past Delaney’s feet.

She glanced
briefly at them as they glided past. Her light pink tongue touched her upper
lip before she gave his hard on a come-and-screw-me smile. Her gaze shifted
from his penis up to his eyes. “You’re late.”

He smiled
slightly. “On purpose.”

She pursed her
lips and a smile played around her mouth. “Oh, you’ve been a very bad
boy.” 

Her husky,
sensuous voice sparked a surge of sexual need inside him.

“Whatever am I
going to do with you?”  She slapped the whip against the floor.

He stepped
inside the cell and walked to her side. He stood close; close enough for his
penis to nudge against the tiny silk triangle covering her femininity. “It’s
not what you’re going to do with me, but what I’m going to do
to
you,
in
you and
with
you.”

An eager
expression glinted in her eyes. “Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

He wanted to
tame her, dominate her even more than he had the other night in the hot
springs. He wanted her pliant, legs spread, the essence of her open and ready
to receive every solid, aroused inch of him. He dug his fingers under the
straps barely holding the thong in place and tugged, hard. They snapped in two.
The remainder of the thong floated to the floor leaving her naked and
vulnerable. “Take off your shoes.”

Delaney raised a
brow. “Make me.”

Her softly
whispered challenge brushed over his nerve endings urging him to shove inside
her. He put his right hand over her mound, parted the labia and ruthlessly
rubbed his thumb over her clit once then stopped. With his other hand, he gave
her buttocks a firm slap. Her breath caught in her throat. “Either you take off
your shoes or that one little stroke over your clit is all you’re going to get
until I’m good and ready to give you more.”

One corner of
her mouth kicked up in a smile. She lifted her right leg bringing her foot
about level with his hip. He took off the shoe, tossed it aside. She lowered
her foot and did the same with her left leg.

He threw her
shoe over his shoulder. “Better, much better. Now put your arms around my neck
and wrap your legs around my waist. Oh, and don’t let go of that whip.”

She did as he
asked and he pushed between her thighs but didn’t enter her. He felt his cock
rub over her clit coating him with the essence of her body. He walked to the cot
and laid her down. Climbing to his knees on the cot, he straddled her with his
hard cock jutting between his legs. He gripped her ankles and bent her knees.
Then he nudged the inside of her knees outward so that she opened for him even
more. Her femininity appeared deep pink, wet and ready in the candlelight. She
lay with her chest rising softly and her eyes fixed on cock. “Lift your hands
and lay them under your breasts, holding them up as if offering them to me.”

She raised her
breasts to him and rubbed her thumb over her nipples so they hardened further,
the nipple dusky pink just begging for his lips and tongue. He shifted forward
placing the palms of his hands on either side of her upper arms and looked at
the delight waiting for him. “Don’t move your hands, don’t try to reach for me
or touch me until I give you permission. I want to watch you fall apart; I want
to see the passion and need rise in your eyes.”  He stroked his thumb over
her when she didn’t say anything. “Answer me.”

“Okay.” 
Her husky voice was filled with need, her blue eyes glazed with desire. Good,
that’s just where he wanted her. He leaned forward and licked first her left
nipple then the right. He sampled them like ice cream in a cone. Then he took
the hard tip between his lips and nibbled. He heard her breath catch as he
kissed his way over her breasts, tasting, arousing. When he felt her breasts
begin to relax he knew she was loosening her hands, wanting to reach for him.
“Keep holding up your breasts, I’m not done yet. Every time you obey me I’ll
reward you.”