Behind the Badge (Home in Carson 2)

Quietly he showed her to a set of chairs against his office wall, and he could see he surprised Shelly as he took the seat next to her. The man he was researching would be there when he returned from lunch, but he’d only have Shelly alone for a short time.

As they sat quietly for a few minutes, he broke the silence and asked if they had any trouble getting everything moved into the cabin. When Shelly had signed the rental agreement, she had explained that she hired movers out of Asheville to move the items from Cassidy’s garage.

He missed what she was saying as she gestured wildly with a smile. Preston was drawn to her wide smile and excited eyes, finding himself leaning closer to her with each word spoken. She hypnotized him.

“Preston, are you alr

ight?” she asked and he realized that he must have been staring at her.

“Yes, sorry. I was thinking about someone that I pulled over yesterday. But don’t worry about it.”

From outside the office, he heard the alarm of the door ping as someone walked through. Alexis called out that she was in for the afternoon, which allowed Preston to leave with Shelly.

They stood in unison, which caused them both to laugh, something he realized he didn’t do often enough. It sounded rusty even to his own ears. Abel asked if they could bring the puppy, but Preston suggested leaving him with Alexis to keep her company and the boy nodded his approval, rushing out to the front area with Ace following closely.

Turning slightly toward Shelly, he realized how close they were in the tight confined space of his office.

“Ready?” he managed to ask in a hoarse, gravelly voice, unable to pry his eyes from Shelly’s.

With the way she licked her lips, drawing his attention to the plump flesh, Preston realized that she was as entranced as him.

“For what?” she questioned.

Unable to refrain himself any longer, his attraction for her bursting at the seams, Preston reached out and cupped her face with his left hand, his right hand grasping her waist. With a gentle tug, he pulled her toward him, and her body moved without hesitation.

“For this,” he said just before his lips captured hers.

***

Shelly must be living a dream. Preston, the man she had dreamt of the last three nights, the man that seemed to have her body under his spell, the man that was a cop, was kissing her. Not just kissing her, he was rearranging everything she thought she knew about seduction. His mouth was an undiscovered tool that only he could wield to perfection. And when she gasped for air at the surprise from the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, he unleashed an instrument that almost brought her to her knees. His tongue brushed up against hers and Shelly felt her body grow limp in his arms. She had never felt so fully possessed by a kiss before, never felt so lost into herself to where she could feel every nerve ending firing. It was both exciting and terrifying.

“Wow!” a childish scream of elation sounded through the building. Preston pulled his lips away from hers, but their bodies were still pressed firmly against each other.

“Wow is right, kid,” he said in awe, lustful eyes gazing down into hers as if seeing her for the first time.

Her moment of desire was quickly squashed by the sound of her child, which caused fear to rise at a rapid pace.

“Preston,” she warned as she took a step back, his hands dropping from her body and face. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, the square jaw ticking as he cocked his head. “From what I could tell, you seemed to enjoy it as much as I had.”

“I did, but. . .what I mean is. . .we can’t do this.” Shelly’s hands moved back and forth between their two bodies. “I don’t need a complication in my life. I have my son to think about.”

“And I would be that. A complication,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“No, what I mean is. . .” she tried to backpedal, but could tell that she was failing miserably.

“It’s okay, Shelly. It was just an innocent kiss. I’m sorry I instigated it. It won’t happen again.”

His temperament had changed, but no one else would notice unless they had been locked in his embrace as she had been.

“Did you still want me to join you for lunch? I understand if you’d rather I decline.”

“No, please, join us. Abel has been asking about you all day. I think he wants to learn more about what you do. He has a bit of hero-worship.”

“He’s a great kid. I’ll answer whatever I can.”

Together they strode out to the front where Alexis sat behind a desk with Abel as they practiced commands with Ace. He made sure to keep a reasonable distance between the two of them, but it wasn’t just physical. He had pulled away before the tether was even joined, and that was her doing.