Sheriff in Her Stocking (9 page)

Rick watched
them walk away and head toward the back of the diner.

Sara looked at
Rick and Delaney and smiled. “Who knew Oliver made that kind of money?” 
She sipped her coffee and patted her mouth with the napkin. “Will you two
excuse me for a few minutes?   I see someone I need to talk to about
an order of china.”  Sara grabbed her purse and headed toward a young
couple seated at a table on the far side of the diner.

Rick looked at
the SUV then toward the direction of the Hardens. He frowned.

“Is there a
problem?” Delaney asked.

“Yeah, I’m
wondering how Oliver Harden can afford a vehicle like that.” He nodded toward
the car in question, “and an expensive ring on income from a convenience
store.”

Their waitress
walked over, set their food on the table, asked if they needed anything else
then left them alone. Delaney bit into one of her chicken tenders and ate a
French fry. “Maybe he makes more than you think or maybe he inherited from a
relative.”

Rick shook his
head. “Maybe, but Avery’s a small town and it’s hard to keep a secret around
here. If Oliver had come into some money, everybody in town would have known
about it by now. He and Roberta have always lived comfortably but modestly.
He’s never been the kind of man to buy expensive things then flash them around
town.”  He exhaled a breath. “Seems odd that’s all.”

Delaney’s hand
covered Rick’s, his heart picked up rhythm and arousal stirred in his groin. He
looked at her.

She gave him a
small smile. “I was really impressed with the way you handled the situation
earlier with the Verners.”

Rick shrugged as
if it was no big deal but a sense of pride swelled inside him. Even a cop
needed his ego stroked now and then. His penis twitched inside his pants. Maybe
he should take Delaney on ride-alongs more often. Normally, he had no one
cheering him on or patting him on the back for a job well done. The only
comments he ever received were from the mayor who only complained if there was
a problem. “Standard procedure, that’s all.”

Delaney looked
at him with respect and a flash of distress in her eyes. “No, it was more than
that. I’ve never seen a man abused by his wife before.”  Her voice dropped
to a murmur. “The important thing is you didn’t let her get away with it.”

Chapter Five

Delaney watched
the expression warm in Rick’s eyes. She was truly impressed and respected him
as well. He was a man of integrity who stood his ground and did the right
thing. Did he do the right thing in his relationship with women as well? 
Did he speak to Lenore and break up with her like he said he would?

“Physical or
emotional abuse can’t be tolerated in any situation.”

She smiled.
“You’re a good man.”

After they left
the Verner’s house, Rick had dropped her off at the garage to pick up her car.
She had tentative plans to leave Avery tomorrow but she had a question she
needed to ask Rick first. “I was wondering if you had a chance to talk to
Lenore today.”

Rick nodded. A
sensual expression glinted in his eyes. “As a matter of fact I did.”  His
deep, raspy answer caressed her nerve endings. He took a fry from her plate and
slipped it between his lips.

His action was
erotic, warming her from head to toe. She would like nothing better than to
take every inch of him deep inside her.

 He reached
out, took her hand closing his warm fingers firmly around hers. “I broke things
off with her.”

A feeling of
relief rushed through Delaney. Now, her relationship with Rick could move
forward if she didn’t leave tomorrow. . . “How did she take it?”

Rick leaned closer
and gazed into her eyes. His tangy, male scent consumed her senses. The ambient
sounds of conversations and the clang of dishes faded to the background.
Delaney felt her nipples tighten and a blissful heat fill her core.

“She took it
fine. Only one question needs to be answered. Are you interested in seeing
where this attraction takes us?”

“Hi Delaney.”

The sound of the
mayor’s voice sliced into her private, sensual cocoon. She looked up and saw
him walking toward them. He stopped beside the table and smiled. “I’m glad
you’re here.”  He motioned to an empty chair and when Rick nodded he sat
down. The mayor turned and looked at Delaney. “The majority voted for your
ideas about sprucing up the town despite Harden’s objections. I was wondering
if you’d thought anymore about staying on to help us implement the ideas.”

Delaney glanced
around the diner at the people eating a meal with friends and family. Their
voices melded into a soft murmur and poured over her. She gazed out of the
window at the snow-covered town. Funny, she’d only been here a few days and
already Avery felt like home. Inside, a tug of war ensued. One side lured her
to leave tomorrow, head for New York and an exciting new life and the other, a
more visceral feeling inched its way toward her heart. She looked at Rick and
then the mayor. “I’d love to help you, but I’ll need to leave in time to reach
New York by January third.”

The mayor
beamed. “Great. That won’t be a problem. Stop by my office first thing in the
morning and we’ll get started.”  He stood up and shook Delaney’s hand.
“Glad to have you on board.” 

As he walked
away, Rick smiled at her. His grin sent a current of awareness to her toes.
“Ever been ice fishing?”

Delaney raised
her brows. That was the last thing she expected Rick to say. “Ice
fishing?  No, why?”

He grasped her
hand. “I was planning to go this afternoon. Want to tag along?”

She shrugged.
“Why not?”

* * * * *

Before they left
the diner, Rick retrieved a thermos from the cruiser and had it filled with hot
chocolate. Then he took Delaney by a sports shop and purchased some warmer
clothes for her.

A half-hour or
so later, they sat inside a portable fishing shack on camping chairs side by
side. Harsh winds blew around the walls of the shack. A portable propane heater
made the air inside the shack just this side of bearable.  

They each held a
fishing pole. The floor was made of wood with an open square in the center.
Rick had cut a fresh hole in the ice when they arrived. Their baited hooks
floated several inches below the surface of the frigid water.

Rick had thought
for sure Delaney would be squeamish about handling tackle and bait but she’d
surprised him. Despite the cold and the primitive conditions, she appeared to
be enjoying herself.

He couldn’t keep
his eyes off her. She’d taken off her parka, sweater and gloves. The thermal
top she wore had a round neck line and gave him no tantalizing glimpse of
cleavage, but yet she looked so damn sexy.  He wanted to peel away her top
and jeans nibbling as he went.   

The lush roundness
of her breasts, the rosy glow of her skin enticed him to touch her.
er
She caught him looking at her and curved her
tempting lips in a half-smile. His penis hardened. Shifting in his chair, he
leaned down, picked up the thermos and poured two cups of hot chocolate. When
he handed one to her, her fingers brushed his and need gripped him in the
balls.

When Delaney
sipped her hot chocolate and licked her lips, Rick knew he was a dead man.
Without taking his eyes from her face, he set their cups on top of a small
wooden table. He unzipped her jacket, slid his arms around her waist and pulled
her into his lap. A small gasp escaped her lips when she landed in his lap.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you.” 

He possessed her
mouth tonguing her lips, sucking and licking, memorizing their texture, letting
their flavor seep into his soul and consume him like a raging fire. She moaned
and squirmed in his arms as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He wanted to
dominate her, body and soul and he hoped to God she would let him.

Rick moved his
mouth over her cheek down to her neck. “Let me touch you wherever and however I
want to.”  He lifted his head and looked at her. “Allow me free access.
Don’t say no.” 

Her eyes gleamed
with need and excitement. Good he wanted her to be excited at the prospect.
“You will feel only pleasure, I promise.”  He thrust his tongue into her
mouth repeatedly, caressing every part of her. She tasted of chocolate and
want. Rick opened his eyes and found her watching him. Arousal had darkened the
blue of her eyes. Silently, he told her how much he wanted her.

While his mouth
still plundered hers, her fanny pressed against his erection, his hard length
prodding the front of his pants as if begging to be set free so he could slip
inside her. He jerked the hem of her thermal top from the waistband of her
jeans and laid his palm on her warm, silky skin. Sliding his palm upward he
found to his delight she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Rick released
the pressure on her mouth enough so he could speak, but kept their lips
touching, their breath mingling. “What a surprise.”

She smiled
against his lips. “I felt...I don’t know really sexy today. I needed to feel
free under my clothes.” 

He flicked his gaze
to her crotch then back again. “Don’t tell me you went commando too?”

She grinned.
“Almost.”

With his gaze
boring into hers, he unfastened her jeans, yanked them to her knees. He flicked
his gaze to her crotch and focused on the skimpiest pair of panties he’d ever
seen. The triangle covering her femininity was no larger than a postage stamp
and thin straps like dental floss held it on. He knew without a doubt her
buttocks were bare. Rick tucked the ends of his fingers over the edge of the
panties and pulled them down. A thatch of blonde curls hid her pink folds from
his gaze.

He raised his
hand, licked his fingers--and with his eyes on hers--parted her folds and
fondled her clit. Her eyes glazed and her breath grew husky as he manipulated
the tight bud of her womanhood. She grew slick under his tutelage, her feminine
juices ran like honey over his skin. Her clit swelled and prodded against his
fingers. Each time he knew she was near climax he backed off.

“Press harder,
Rick.”  Her voice, ripe with intense sensual appetite, rasped from her
throat. “I’m almost there. Let me come...please.”

Satisfaction
washed through him. “In a minute. I want you thoroughly wet and ready so you’ll
come like you never have before in your life.”

He moved his
fingers just a little and pressed dead center. He knew the moment the orgasm
gripped her. Her head fell back against his arm. She raised her knees and
tugged against the restriction of her jeans. He jerked her pants down to her
ankles allowing her to open her legs wider for his ministrations.  Shoving
two fingers inside her tight passage, he ruthlessly made love to her with his
hand.

Crying out, she
arched her back and he felt her clench again and again grasping his fingers
slicked deep within her. When he started to pull his fingers from her body, she
laid her hand on his stopping him. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a
salacious light gleaming in their depths. “I need you inside me, Rick.”

He smiled
filling with anticipation.  Finally, he would possess her body. “I know a
better, much warmer place.”

* * * * *

Once they were
in his truck they traveled down the highway headed out of town.

In a few
minutes, Rick pointed to a thick, white mist rising from a copse of trees. “The
hot springs sit in the middle of those trees. It’s completely private so there
will be no interruptions.”  He would steep himself in her, every sweet
delectable inch.

When they
arrived at the cluster of trees, Rick pulled the truck to a stop. They got out
and walked through the trees until they saw several steaming pools of water.
Rick walked to the edge of the largest pool, turned and took off his clothes
not bothering to hide his arousal from her gaze. After he finished undressing
he lowered himself into the water. A full moon like cold marble sailed overhead
through a velvet sky crammed with stars. Bubbles tickled and caressed his penis
arousing him further. He stared at Delaney, held out his right arm and curved
his fingers in a come-hither motion. “Come here.”

Her lips parted
and he saw her chest move with a deep inhalation. “Are you going to do anything
kinky?”

He arched a
brow. “Maybe. Does that frighten you?”

She paused for a
moment as if she were thinking it over. “No.”

“Good. Strip for
me. . .slowly.”

First she took
off her jacket and tossed it to the ground. She reached for the zipper of her
jeans and pulled; the sound raspy in the quiet evening air. Next she removed
her sweater and thermal top. Her breasts looked full and round, the nipples
puckering in the cold air. Her panties were the last to go. He licked his lips
when he saw her exposed femininity. She stepped out of her clothes and kicked
them aside.

“You’re
gorgeous,” he murmured in a husky voice. “Don’t cover yourself,” he said when
she tried to hide her full breasts.

“You don’t mind
my body being so curvy?”

He chuckled in a
deep sexy way. “Why would I mind?  Only a fool would. You’re all woman and
nothing but woman.” 

Delaney walked
to the edge of the pool and slid into the heated water. Rick patted the smooth
surface of a shelf of rock jutting into the water just below the surface. “Sit
down, lie back and bend your knees. I want to see all of you.” 

He watched her
walk through the water, admired the luscious, feminine curves of her body, her
breasts bobbing slightly as she moved toward him. She turned, slid her buttocks
onto the rock and lay back with her knees bent and her thighs spread. He moved
in front of her, put his hands on her knees and nudged them a little so her
legs shifted further apart.

Her most private
part opened like a flower, teasing him with the plump, aroused button of her
clit. He lowered his head between her legs and closed his mouth over her.
Greedy now with a burning need to take, he ate at her with ravenous demand,
licking with his tongue, lightly scraping the sensitive inner folds of her sex
with his teeth and pushing his tongue inside her. He wanted complete surrender
and would accept nothing less.