Too Fast to Fall (Jackson Hole 1.10)

“I assumed you’d want me to.” His head cocked. “Why?”

She laughed. “Baggage. It’s so sexy.”

“Hmm. So you’d

been hoping I’d think of you as sexy?”

“Oh…” She couldn’t do more than sigh that small word because his hand came up to cup her jaw. His thumb trailed over her cheek, and Jenny almost whimpered. This wasn’t the imagined touch of a shadow. And it wasn’t the brushing of hands. This was something so much more delicate and sweet and purposeful. And she’d never have imagined that Deputy Hendricks would be the one to touch her this way. A whisper of his skin against hers. Her heart trembled between beats.

“Did you?” he murmured.

“What?”

“Hope I’d think that you’re sexy?”

“I…maybe. You’re very…”

He drew closer, his face only inches from hers now. “Very what? Scary?”

“No,” she breathed. Then, “Yes.”

“Yes?” Nate bent his head, and his breath whispered over her mouth. “Are you scared right now?”

“Yes.” A lie. Or not a lie, because when his lips touched hers, her pulse sped with wild alarm and her legs went weak enough that she reached for his arm.

She sighed against his lips, and he deepened the kiss until she could taste him. The heat of his mouth, the faint hint of moisture as she opened for him, and then his tongue brushing her bottom lip. Just one little taste. Then another. Just as she was leaning closer, he pulled away.

“Oh,” she whispered again, suddenly yanked from the slow heat she’d been sinking into.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he murmured.

“Have you?” She blinked up at him, still dazed.

“Yes. You…drive me a little crazy. But I knew I’d be stepping over the line.”

“Which line?”

“A couple of lines, actually. One, I was usually giving you a ticket at the time. That’s a clear line. Another being that you didn’t even know who I was tonight. That seemed like a definite ‘Do not proceed’ signal.”

“You look a little different in jeans. And a button-down shirt.” Worried he wasn’t going to kiss her again, Jenny dared to stroke a finger along the collar of his shirt, down to where the first button was fastened. “And I’m used to looking up from about waist level.”

Now she could definitely see his smile. In fact, he grinned so wide she was pretty sure she could count every one of his white teeth. “Whatever you’re about to say,” she ordered, “don’t!”

“It’s just that—”

“Don’t.”

“If you’re more comfortable—”

“Stop! This isn’t going to be as cute as you think. Believe me, I know. I work in a bar.”

He shrugged. “It was pretty cute.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she insisted, but she was laughing. Laughing and curling her fingers around the edge of his shirt, tugging him down. She didn’t have to tug very hard. He ducked his head and kissed her again, and this time his tongue swept deeper. His arms snuck around her and she settled against his chest.

Jenny’s nipples tightened against the warmth of his body. She shivered as his fingers spread over her back. Even past her jacket, she could feel his fingertips and imagined them against her naked skin. His forearms tightening as he—

She felt him growl against her lips and realized she’d moaned. Not only had she moaned—into his mouth—but she’d slid her hands up his back and tangled them in his short hair. He couldn’t have gotten away if he wanted to. But did he want to?