Cowboy Famous: Book 4 (Cowboy Justice Association) (26 page)

“Hopefully soon. My gut tells me I’m not going to get a confession. I’m going to need DNA and trace evidence to find the guilty party.”

Reed glanced at his watch and grimaced. “Shit, I need to get going. I promised one of my deputies to cover their shift tonight.”

They all stood and Jazz started to gather up the plates while Griffin talked to Reed softly. Not sure what they were saying, she carried the dishes into the kitchen and began to load the dishwasher.

“A woman who does dishes? She’s a keeper.” Reed shoved his hat back on his head. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ve got my cell on me twenty-four-seven.”

“Thanks for dinner and the information.” Griffin walked Reed to the door. “I’m guessing the tabloids would have dug this up eventually but I don’t have time to waste.”

“None of us do. Have a good night.”

Reed clomped down the porch steps and Jazz heard the growl of a truck and then the hum of the engine as it disappeared into the night.

“You two were whispering.” She closed the dishwasher and walked back to the deck to gather up the empty food containers. They all must have been hungry because there was very little left. “Can I ask what you were talking about, or would that fall into the nosy interfering female category?”

“He asked me if I needed help keeping the press away from you. In my experience, Reed is extremely protective of females. I told him we were okay for now but I would keep the offer in mind. I trust you’ll let me know if the reporters start to hound you.”

Griffin took the styrofoam from her hands and shoved it into the trashcan, pushing it down before closing and tying it off.

“He seems like a nice man. I didn’t see a wedding ring so I assume he’s not married. Has he ever been?”

Maybe a woman had put that pained look in Reed’s eyes. Even a man like him could be hurt.

Griffin spread his arms wide and chuckled. “Who the hell knows? Reed never, and I mean never, talks about his past. I’m told he mentioned sisters once, but that’s it. He could have been pulling our legs. All of us know absolutely zilch about Reed before the day we met him. If we found out he was grown in a lab until the age of thirty we wouldn’t be shocked. Or maybe he hatched from the egg of an alien. All I know is he is the most secretive son of a bitch I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the nicest guys. He’d give you the shirt off his own back if you needed it. He’s just that way.”

“What
do
you know about him?” Jazz’s mind was whirling, thinking of a million possible scenarios for the handsome sheriff.

“Only what he’s dropped in passing. He was in the military like pretty much all of us. We know he did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We know he came back about six years ago and had a job offer with Homeland Security but he turned it down. He likes steak and pizza, Steven Seagal movies, and motorcycles.”

“That’s it? How can you even call yourself friends? I know everything about Caitlin and she knows everything about me.”

“That’s because you’re women. Men don’t need to talk about their feelings and eat ice cream, honey.”

Jazz blew a raspberry and Griffin laughed as he carried the trash bag into the house. He’d already explained to her the folly of leaving food outside when there were wild animals all around.

“So how do men bond?” she asked, locking the door behind her out of habit. “Beer, poker, and cigars?”

Griffin double bagged the trash and placed it in the garage right outside the kitchen door. “Personally I like fishing, hunting, and checking out women’s racks.”

“Guns and boobs, huh? How typical,” she chided but her pulse was already beginning to speed up at the gleam in his eyes. She’d seen that very same look last night and this morning.

Hallelujah.

“Speaking of awesome racks, Hollywood, I like that yours is purely factory original.”

Jazz rolled her eyes and looked down at her chest. “Do you know how many times people in the business have told me I should have my boobs done? I’ve lost count, that’s how many.”

Griffin finished washing his hands at the sink and dried them on a towel. “That would be a real shame. They’re perfect just the way they are. Perfect size, perfect shape.” He tossed the towel away and placed his hands on her hips, letting then slide upward until they were cupping her breasts. Streaks of heat went straight to her pussy and her nipples tightened under his palms.

“They wouldn’t be better…bigger?” She had to swallow hard to speak as his thumbs brushed the tips making them ache and harden even more.

“No way.” Griffin shook his head and then lowered it, placing a kiss on each taut peak through the fabric. “They wouldn’t fit with your frame.”

Part of her wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but then he slipped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers and she forgot all about it. He took his time with the kiss as if they had all night, and they actually did. It was still early, the sun not quite down. They could explore each other to their hearts’ content for hours and still get a good night’s sleep.

His lips traveled across her jaw to her ear where he nibbled on the lobe. Giggling, she slapped lightly at his arms but he just pulled her even closer until the heat of his body penetrated her clothes. She could feel the outline of his hard cock against her belly and she rubbed herself against it until he groaned.

“I saw you brought some of those girly bath liquids. How about a soak in the tub?”

She loved soaking in a bubble bath and had brought along a bottle of suds in the hope the hotel had a big tub. Unfortunately the motel in Hope Lake didn’t fall into that category but Griffin’s tub certainly did. It wasn’t jetted but it was plenty large enough for the two of them. It was sweet of him to offer as he probably didn’t hang out in a sweet-smelling bath very often.

“You’ll smell like citrus,” she warned him. “Specifically oranges. Can you handle it?”

“It’s better than purty flowers,” he groaned. “I can handle it if you’re there.”

She let her hands glide up his muscular back loving the way he felt, so firm and strong. “I’ll be there alright. Last one there’s a rotten egg.”

She dashed toward the bathroom but a long arm snagged her around the waist and lifted her up and over his shoulder. She was destined to never enter the bedroom under her own steam. Beating on his lower back with her fists, she waggled her legs to try and distract him but as always he was goal-oriented. Before she knew it, she was being gently placed on her feet in the middle of his bathroom.

“Strip, Hollywood.” His voice was gruff with arousal and she could clearly see the ridge pressing against the fly of his jeans. Her mouth watered at the thought of driving him crazy with her lips and tongue.

He twisted the handles on the faucet and the tub began to fill. She grabbed her bath bubbles from the cabinet under the sink and poured a generous amount into the steamy water. Immediately the churn of the water began to create a creamy foam that she couldn’t wait to lie in and relax.

She shucked off her clothes but he still beat her into the tub, relaxing back and beckoning for her to join him. Stepping into the hot water, her tight muscles loosened and she breathed a sigh of relief as she lay on top of him, her back to his front. He seemed to need the silence so she didn’t speak as he turned off the faucets and then picked up a washcloth, running it over her already sensitive skin.

Goosebumps broke out as the rough material slid over her shoulders and down to her breasts. She arched her back as he made ever tightening circles around and around until the nap of the fabric abraded her already hard nipples, sending arrows of pleasure straight to her pussy and clit. Moaning her approval, she luxuriated in her arousal and her eyelids drooped keeping the world at bay. There was nothing but his talented, giving hands and the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the tub.

“You are so fucking beautiful.”

Heat swept through Jazz at his hoarsely voiced words. She rarely felt beautiful in a town where everyone was gorgeous. Talented makeup artists and hairdressers could wave their wand and make her look good for a few hours but in her everyday life…she was just Jazz. Hips too wide. Boobs too small. Lips too thin. Legs too short. She’d heard it all in the last several years.

But this man thought she was beautiful. Griffin was the type of man who would never say something he didn’t truly mean.

“So are you,” she said because she honestly thought he was. It wasn’t only his physical appearance that was impressive—although it was—it was his heart. The way he loved his family, and the way he took care of his town. Even the way he wanted to protect her from the bogeymen in her life.

His lips near her ear, he chuckled and slid the washcloth down over her belly to her clit, already swollen and aching with need. Taking his time, he rubbed slow circles around the nub, never breaking the rhythm that was surely going to send her over. Shuddering with pleasure, she braced her legs on the edge of the tub, letting them fall open.

“Men can’t be beautiful,” he chided, pressing a kiss to the damp skin of her shoulder.

“You are,” she insisted, the words coming out as a half-groan. “And men can be beautiful.”

He didn’t answer her this time. Instead, he increased the pressure on her clit until the room spun. Grabbing hold of his powerful thighs to stay steady, she teetered on the edge of release.

“Come for me, Hollywood. It’s time, honey.”

His voice was deep and rich and his hands were doing magical things. At some point the washcloth had drifted away and his callused fingers were rubbing the sides and top of her clit.

“Griffin.”

She didn’t know if she whispered or screamed his name but her climax hit hard and fast. Water sloshed over the sides and onto the floor as her body bucked with each wave of pleasure. He crooned soothing words as she let it take control, giving herself up to it until it left her weak and wrung out.

Curling into his arms, he wrapped them protectively around her, capturing her lips with his own in a carnal kiss of promise. There would be more pleasure to come.

He lifted up slightly in the water and she moved to the end of the tub as he dug for a condom from his pants pocket. Jazz let her gaze wander lazily down his masculine frame taking in every curve and dip of his muscles.

Rivulets of water ran down his torso and across his ridged abdomen tempting her to follow that silver trail with her tongue. The coil inside of her tightened in response at the sight of him hard and ready. She pulled up onto her knees and pressed their wet bodies together, his impressive cock sandwiched between them.

“My turn,” she whispered as she kissed a path down the hard planes of his chest and stomach. Engulfing the head of his cock in her mouth, she sucked him in as far as she could take him.

His fingers twisted in her hair and a groan was torn from his throat as she tightened her lips and moved up and down the shaft while her tongue traced the veins and bumps. His cock seemed to pulse and swell in response and a heady feeling of power swept through her. Giving Griffin the kind of pleasure he gave her was a satisfying feeling. The more she gave, the more she received in return.

His hands wrapped around her upper arms and he tugged her away, his breathing ragged and harsh.

“I need you bad, Hollywood. Are you ready for me?”

She’d been ready from his first touch. Now she was desperate for what he could give her. He guided her so she was bent over the edge of the tub, her torso cushioned by a thick towel. She heard the crinkle of a wrapper and then his strong fingers on her hips as he guided his thick cock inside.

Griffin started slowly at first, and then when she wriggled her hips in impatience, he pulled back and thrust in hard and fast. It took her breath away and started the immediate build toward another climax.

Gripping the edge of the tub, she braced herself as his thrusts sped up giving her exactly what she needed. The spring inside of her coiled tighter and tighter as each stroke rubbed a sensitive place inside of her. Realizing he’d found her sweet spot, he went after it relentlessly until her whole world turned upside down and sideways. Waves of heat and pleasure curled her toes and made her shake and shudder.

Griffin tumbled over the edge right along with her, a string of expletives falling from his lips. She could feel his cock as it jerked inside of her, his hot seed filling the condom and sending another shock wave right to her core.

They stayed locked together for a long time, their breathing returning to normal. When Griffin finally pulled away, he trailed his lips down her spine making her shiver and quake. He quickly ran the washcloth over both of them before helping her to her feet. Wrapping a towel around her, he leaned down with a smile and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Go lie down, honey. I’ll clean up in here.”

Her knees like jelly, she managed to somehow make it from the bathroom to the bed. Tossing the towel aside, she slid between the cool sheets and closed her eyes. She loved times like this when it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she luxuriated in the cocoon they’d created around themselves. No reporters. No suspects. No town council members.

Just her and Griffin.

Jazz sighed with contentment as she watched Griffin stride out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a smile. She had big plans for them tonight and they’d only accomplished a small portion of her list so far. She reached for him as he joined her on the bed, snuggling into his arms.

Letting the silence surround them, she could hear his even breathing and feel the slow rise and fall of his chest. He’d been working so hard. It was good he was getting some rest. Her plans could wait for another time.

Sleep, however, didn’t come easy to Jazz. She lay awake replaying every conversation with Tony she’d ever had. Could he really be a killer? Then she thought about Casey Charlock, who still waited for her justice. Would Jazz be here when that happened? Would it ever happen?

Eventually she gave up and headed out to the deck with Griffin’s cell phone. It was time to bite the bullet and talk to Caitlin. Her friend deserved to know what was going on. She just wasn’t going to be very happy about it.