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  Noticing how protectively I was treating Lexa, he lifted his brows, but when he spoke, it wasn’t to me. “Lexa, you okay here?”

  Stepping around me, she walked over to him, not in the least bit intimidated by him. “Everything is fine, Uncle Spider.” Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “Are you stopping for lunch?”

  “Meeting Willa here,” he told her, giving her a squeezing hug before releasing her and turning his menacing eyes back on me. “You got a problem with my niece, Sheriff?”

  “Of course he doesn’t,” Lexa rushed to assure him without giving me time to speak. “He was nice enough to carry all my food out to my car for me.”

  “Why was he touching you, then?”

  Because she’s fucking mine, that’s why.

  But she didn’t let me speak. “Because he saw my scar and was concerned. He wanted to know if I was okay and…who did this to me.” She swallowed hard but put on a brave smile. “It seems our new sheriff wants justice for all his citizens.”

  “That right, Sheriff?” Masterson asked, skepticism thick in his voice.

  Lexa turned her back to her uncle, her eyes pleading with me to agree with her. I couldn’t deny her. “Yes, sir. Actually, I’d like to take the bastard who did this to her and give him my own form of justice.”

  His lips twitched, but he only nodded. “Wouldn’t we all.” Bending, he kissed the top of Lexa’s head. “Glad you’re home, sweetheart. Come by the house when you get the chance. We’ve all missed you.”

  “I’ll do it soon,” she promised as she faced him again. “I’m covering for Mom this week at the shop, though.”

  “Then I won’t keep you. If you need anything, just let me know.” He shot his eyes to me, drilling into me as if he could see everything as clear as day. “Sheriff,” he half growled as he passed me.

  “Masterson.”

  Lexa waited until the door to the diner closed behind him before letting out the breath she was holding. Glaring at me, she jerked open the driver’s door. “You don’t even know how close that was. Stay away from me, Ben. For your sake as well as mine, stay far, far away.”

  I caught the door before she could yank it closed and leaned in. She stopped pulling her seat belt across her chest, staring up at me in surprise. “I can’t stay away, beautiful. Can’t—and won’t.” While she was still surprised, I kissed her quick. That small taste wasn’t nearly enough, but I knew she was going to come to her senses soon, and I wouldn’t put it past her to deck me. Pulling back just enough so our gazes locked, I stroked the backs of my fingers down her cheek. “Drive carefully.”

  Stepping back, I closed the door myself. Lexa stared at me for several long moments through her window, her mouth gaping open slightly. Then she seemed to shake herself out of the little daze I’d put her in and started her car. I waited until she’d pulled out of the parking lot before going inside for my staff’s food orders.

  As I walked up to the counter where Quinn was rearranging six large bags, I noticed Masterson sitting on one of the stools. Lifting his coffee, he took a large swallow, his eyes assessing me.

  “I see you, Sheriff,” he said in a low, deadly voice. “I see you.”

  “Good. Nice to know your eyes work, Masterson.” Sliding my card across the counter to Quinn, I paid for all the food together.

  “Stay away from Lexa.”

  “No,” I told him point-blank. Not happening. She calmed the rage monster that not even the marines had completely tamed in all the years I’d served. I wasn’t giving her up now that I had found her.

  “Stay away from her, or this town will have to find a new sheriff.” He said it casually, as if he were discussing the weather, but there was no mistaking the venom in his eyes, telling me without words there was nothing casual about what he was saying.

  I didn’t even blink at him. He probably scared the piss out of grown men on a daily basis with that deadly look in his eyes, but I wasn’t shaking in my boots. No doubt he could bend a man like a pretzel with ease, but I hadn’t survived the darkest bowels of hell without mastering a few skills of my own that would leave him crying for his mommy. “Threatening the law now?”

  He shrugged. “I see it as more a warning. If you want to stay healthy, keep your hands to yourself.”

  Grabbing all six bags, I tipped my chin at him, grinning. “I’ll be sure and keep that in mind.” But my eyes were challenging him.

  Bring it, motherfucker.

  Chapter 3

  Lexa

  Ben’s kiss still had me flustered as I locked up the shop at just after six that evening.

  By the time I’d gotten back with everyone’s food, I’d mostly snapped out of it, but the lingering tingle of my lips had distracted me as I’d dealt with customer after customer all afternoon. People had asked questions I couldn’t remember if I even answered correctly because I was lost in my head, thinking about how good Ben’s lips had felt against mine, how good that tiny taste of him had been.

  Knowing I needed to pull myself together before I got home and my parents noticed my absent-mindedness, I mentally chastised myself as I walked toward my car.

  “Night, Lexa,” Trigger called as he put on his helmet and climbed onto his motorcycle. He was always the last to leave, and my car and his bike were the only two vehicles left in the parking lot. “Be careful driving home.”

  I smiled and waved as I climbed behind the wheel. “Night, Trigger.”

  He was already pulling out into traffic before I’d even started my car. Hitting the push-start so I could get the AC going, I took a moment to glance at my phone. I had a text from Mom telling me they were having pizza for dinner, so if I didn’t want any, I needed to grab myself something on the way home. She knew I wasn’t a fan of pizza after some kid at the local pizza place had been eating a freaking Snickers and then made our pizza when I was eight. That trip to the emergency room that night had aged Mom a good twenty years, and I’d avoided pizza ever since. So I decided to stop for a sandwich in town on my way home.

  When I pulled up in front of Patty’s Deli, the place was pretty deserted, but it was that way more often than not at dinnertime. Traffic down this street was always relatively sparse this time of the evening since all the other small businesses were already closed. Patty’s wasn’t as popular as Aggie’s because she didn’t have a large variety of things to choose from, but she made a killer sandwich and everything was allergen-friendly, so I tended to eat here more often than anywhere else.

  But the best part of Patty’s was the artwork she displayed from all the local artists. Once a week, she went to the elementary school and did art projects with each grade, and the best works from each class were always showcased in her front window. I couldn’t remember how many times Mom would bring me here for a snack just so she could see my work in the window.

  As I got out of my car, my eyes landed on the latest grade-school artwork, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw my cousin Nova’s name on one of them. It was a painting of New York, her favorite place in the world and where she spent a few weeks every summer with her mom’s family. She and her parents lived with mine, so I’d grown up listening to how much she missed New York from the time she got home until she left again the next summer. School would be out for the local kids by the end of the week, so I couldn’t help but wonder when Nova and her brother would be leaving for their annual trip.

  As I opened the door, a buzzer sounded, and Patty came out of the back with a rack loaded with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The heavenly smell had my stomach grumbling, reminding me I had barely touched my lunch earlier. My head had been so full of Ben, I hadn’t even thought of food until the smells hit me.

  “Well, if it isn’t my best customer!” Patty greeted with a grin, placing the cookies on the counter and coming around to hug me. “How are you, sweetheart?”

  I hugged her back. “Good. Busy, but good. How are you, Miss Patty?”

 
; She sighed heavily and told me all about her oldest son marrying a girl from Washington she didn’t care for. While she made my turkey and Swiss sandwich, she caught me up on all the local gossip, and I found the stress of the day slowly easing from my shoulders.

  “Have you seen the new sheriff?” she asked as she packaged up three of the cookies for me, and all the tension returned to my body tenfold.

  “We’ve met,” I confirmed with a nod.

  She waved her hand in front of her face, fanning herself. “Dear Lord, that boy,” she laughed. Patty was in her late fifties, so to her, most men were boys. “And every single woman from the legal age of consent up to eighty is sniffing around that one. You wouldn’t believe all the offers he’s been getting since he came to town. And as soon as Sheriff Hogan stepped down, announcing Davis as his successor until the election this fall, it’s only gotten worse. You would think this entire county was in heat the way those girls all throw themselves at the poor boy.”

  “Really?” I tried to act indifferent, when inside, I was suddenly fighting jealousy so intense, I wanted to scratch out the eyes of every female in the county who’d even looked twice at Ben. “I hadn’t noticed anyone sniffing around, but I just met him.”

  “Next time you see him, watch. I bet you at least one local will try to get his attention in some shape or form. Especially over at Aggie’s, from what I hear. That Tabby has made a fool of herself more than a few times, I’ve been told. Do you know how many flat tires he’s had to change on the side of the road in the past month?” She laughed, shaking her head at how ridiculous it all was. “Why, just last week I saw him changing the tire for…”

  Her voice trailed off when something out the front window caught her attention. Curious, I turned to follow her gaze, only to find the sheriff’s cruiser had pulled up beside my car and Ben was getting out. The sun hadn’t set yet, so I could see him perfectly. His gun was still attached to his belt, as was his flashlight, but he took the radio off and tossed it back inside the cruiser before shutting the door.

  Pushing his sunglasses up on his head, he looked in and caught my gaze, and my lips started to tingle all over again from his kiss that afternoon. As I stood there watching, he walked into the deli.

  “Good evening, Sheriff. What can I do for you?” Patty asked as she bagged up all of my food.

  “Miss Patty,” he said with a smile that nearly knocked me on my ass then and there, and that was before he turned it on me. Once he did, I had to grasp hold of the counter to steady myself. “I’ll take whatever she’s having.”

  “Of course. Exactly the same?”

  “Please.” Crossing to stand beside me, he brushed his upper arm against my chest, and I couldn’t help the sharp inhale as my nipples hardened at the deceptively innocent touch. That wicked smile he gave me said he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

  I had to get out of there before I did something I would regret. I was weak where this man was concerned. Weak and stupid. Earlier, I’d allowed him to kiss me even though Uncle Spider had been right inside Aggie’s. Uncle Spider was just as dangerous as Dad. He wouldn’t hesitate to hurt or even kill Ben if given a reason. And I wouldn’t be the reason something happened to the man I was crazily starting to care about.

  “How much do I owe you, Miss Patty?” I got out in a weak voice.

  “I got this,” Ben informed me. “Then we could go to the park and eat if you want. I’m off duty now.”

  “No.” Definitely no. I couldn’t be alone with him again like we were the night before. Ten minutes with no one around, not even a single car, and I’d been ready to let him take me against the hood of my freaking car.

  Taking a ten out of my wallet, I placed it on the counter, not even caring about the change.

  But no sooner did it touch the surface than he picked it up and pushed it back into my hand. “Don’t argue with me about this,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I’m paying for dinner.”

  “Sheriff,” I half growled in frustration, my hand burning from his touch where he was still cupping the money in my palm.

  “Lexa,” he countered.

  From the other side of the counter, Patty tried to stifle her laugh, and my face heated. Fuck. This was going to be all over town before the end of the night.

  I was reminded of the gossip Patty told me earlier, and all thoughts of my parents finding out about this disappeared, replaced once again with jealousy. Crumpling the money in my fist, I lifted my brows at Ben. “You go around buying dinner for every girl, Sheriff?”

  “Do my grandmother and secretary count as girls?” he asked, amusement in his eyes. He knew I was jealous, and it was funny to him. “Because I bought my sixty-year-old secretary lunch today.”

  “What about all the girls whose tires you change?” I demanded, so mad now, I was shaking. But the thought of Ben screwing his way through Trinity County’s single female population hurt more than I ever could have imagined it would. “You buy them a meal after? Take them back to your place for a picnic in bed?”

  The amusement died a quick death in his eyes, and he lost his smile. “What are you talking about, woman? What did I miss?”

  “Nothing,” I bit out. “Thanks for the sandwich and cookies.” Glancing at Patty, who was eating up every moment of our exchange, I forced a smile. “See you next time, Miss Patty.”

  “Sure thing, hon. Tell your mom I said hi.”

  Bag in hand, I stomped out of the deli and was at my car before Ben caught up with me. “Lexa, what just happened back there?” he demanded, catching my car door in his hands as I flung it open and tossed everything into the passenger seat.

  Before I could get in, he was around the door and grasping hold of my arm in a firm enough grip to hold me in place without hurting me. “Hey, talk to me, baby. I feel like I’m walking in an active minefield right now, and trust me, I know from experience that isn’t fun.”

  “I’m not joining the Ben Davis fan club,” I told him point-blank, glaring up into his handsome face. “Apparently, it already has plenty of members, so you don’t need one more.” Jerking my arm free, I got into my car.

  “What fan club? For fuck’s sake, Lexa, what the hell are you talking about?” he demanded, so frustrated, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Why are you so mad at me?”

  “How many times have you hooked up since coming to town, Ben?” I whisper-shouted.

  His jaw turned to stone. “Why does that matter?”

  “It just does!”

  Scratching at the scruff on his jaw, he groaned. “I don’t know. A few, maybe. That was before I became sheriff, though. It was before I met you. Not one of them lasted longer than a few nights.”

  “Just like I won’t last more than a few nights,” I concluded. My heart started to throb in my chest, and my eyes stung with tears I wasn’t going to let spill free.

  “No!” He exploded. “How did we go from me buying you dinner, to you accusing me of sleeping with all the people I’ve changed tires for, to you thinking we wouldn’t last?”

  “It’s a logical chain of thought to reach the right conclusion. I’m not like everyone else. I’m not going to hop into bed with you just because you bought me dinner.”

  “I didn’t expect you to.” Crouching down, he took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my palm. “Miss Patty was telling you the gossip, am I right?” Something in my eyes must have told him just how right he was. “I’ve changed a few tires for women, Lexa. But not nearly as many as everyone says I have. And honestly, I don’t know how changing tires for women who don’t even carry around a jack went straight to me taking them to bed. I’m the sheriff. It’s my responsibility to help anyone in need. I haven’t slept with any of them, though. I swear to you.”

  His tongue touched the center of my palm, and I felt myself melting. The raging jealousy that was making me see red and unable to think straight started to clear, and I realized I’d just acted like a crazy girlfr
iend. But I couldn’t ever be Ben’s girlfriend, even if I wanted it more than anything.

  “I believe you,” I told him, knowing I should pull my hand free but unable to bring myself to do so.

  Relief filled his eyes. “Let me go get my food and pay, and we can go somewhere and talk.”

  “I can’t. My parents are expecting me.” Reluctantly, I pulled away, already missing his touch, his lips on my skin. “I have to go.”

  “Okay. I’m not going to make you.” His huge left hand touched my thigh. “Give me your number so I can call you later.”

  “Ben, we can’t do this.” And I needed to remind myself of all the reasons why we couldn’t do this. Whatever the hell “this” was.

  “Lexa, I need to hear your voice before I go to sleep tonight.” His fingers caressed up my thigh before slowly moving back down. I moaned at how much I wanted him to go higher, but his hand stayed where it was. “Or I’m going to show up at your house and climb the drainpipe and sneak in to your room. Then I’m going to have to arrest myself for breaking and entering. You don’t want that, do you, baby?”

  Gulping, I grabbed the pen out of the cupholder and turned his hand over. I believed he would do it. But worse than that, part of me wanted him to sneak in to my bedroom. And do so many naughty things to me.

  My fingers shook as I wrote my number on his palm. “I really have to go now.”

  “Okay. Drive carefully.” His thumb brushed over my inner thigh and, even through my jeans, my skin felt scorched.

  “Thanks again for dinner,” I told him as he straightened and stepped back.

  “Hopefully next time, we can eat together.” Winking down at me, he shut the door.

  As I backed out of the parking space, he lifted his hand, his gaze following me hungrily. Biting my lip, I waved back.