“The sheriff, right?”
“Higher.”
“The mayor?” she asked, sounding appalled. Then Pandora slapped both hands over her mouth and grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I forgot she’s your aunt. But, I mean, who is higher than the sheriff?”
Caleb gave her a steady look.
It didn’t take her long. Her eyes widened and she shook her head in denial.
“Noooo,” she breathed.
“Yeah.”
“No way. I mean, I don’t know what kind of evidence they have, but it’s wrong. There’s just no way.”
“That’s what I said.”
“So you came home to prove your father’s innocence?” she asked. Then her eyes rounded again. “And what? You had to prove mine, as well?”
“It’s been an interesting month,” he said with a laugh.
“No kidding,” she agreed. “You must have been so worried. So scared of what you’d find.”
Her brow creased in empathy, she took those two mile-long steps and gave him a hug.
And just like that, everything was okay.
Caleb’s shoulders sagged as he returned her hug. He let out the breath he’d been holding and gave a half shrug. She understood. Totally got it. Instead of running disgusted from the room because his father was the kind of guy who triggered a major FBI investigation, she offered comfort and understanding.
He was so freaking in love with her, it was scary.
Tension and a fear he hadn’t even realized was eating at his guts faded as Caleb tightened his arms around her, never wanting to let go.
Needing to taste her, desperate for more, he swept his hands down to the delicate curve of the small of her back, pressing her tight against him. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she arched a brow. Whether she was shocked or impressed by his burgeoning hard-on, he wasn’t sure.
He took her mouth in a deep, desperate kiss. Tongue and lips slid together, tasting. She was warm and delicious. Everything he needed. Everything he wanted. Everything he hoped to keep, forever.
Then she kissed him back. Her lips moved against his in welcome, then in passion. Their tongues wrapped together in a familiar dance. Caleb groaned, feeling as if it’d been years since they’d been together instead of twenty-or-so hours.
They needed to get this all settled so he could have her again.
Gently, slowly, he pulled his mouth from hers. He couldn’t stop touching her, though. His hands stroked up her back, down to her butt, then made the trip again. A part of him was worried that if he let go, she’d walk out and not come back. He had this one chance with her.
And he’d damn well better not blow it.
“So what now?” she asked, her hands loose around his waist as she stared up at him.
She probably wasn’t referring to the investigation.
Time to put up or shut up. Nerves jumped in his stomach, but Caleb was ready for this.
“This is a pretty nice office,” he noted dryly, looking around at the barren two-desk setup. “And now it’s empty.”
“I’m not doing it with you in here,” she warned. “There’s not enough Foreplay Chocolate Cake in the world to get me to, either.”
He snorted a laugh. Grinning, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Had he ever been as happy as he was with her? Had he ever felt as good about himself as he did when he was with her? Was he ever going to find anyone who made him want to share himself, his life and his heart, the way he wanted to with Pandora?
The answer to all of those was no.
Still grinning, Caleb looked around the office again. Maybe it was time to stop bullshitting around.
“No, I didn’t mean sex. At least,” he corrected as he pulled her tighter between his thighs, “I didn’t mean now or here. I meant…”
Pandora reached up to frame his face in both of her soft hands. Smiling, she arched a brow and asked, “Meant?”
“I meant, the position as sheriff will be open. I’ve got an in with the mayor, could probably snag an interim appointment until the next election.”
Her eyes lit up and her smile was huge. Then she gave a little wince.
“What about Tobias?”
“He’s not interested in the position. He runs the town just fine without all the crap that goes with an elected job.”
She smirked. “No. I meant, can you live here, in the same town as your father? Does he know you were investigating him? Will you be able to handle being his son
and
the sheriff in his town? That’s a pretty big challenge.”
A huge one. Because rather than clearing Tobias’s name, this bust had only pulled him deeper into things. Kendall had claimed he answered to one person, and one person only. Then he’d invoked the Fifth and refused to say another word. Clearly, the first official job of the new sheriff would be to find out who was trying to turn Black Oak into their own little crime den.
But Caleb wasn’t worried about handling the investigation. His old man was a lot of things, but he wasn’t involved in this mess.
“Can you live here, Caleb? In the same town as your dad?”
“When I was a kid I guess I thought I had to leave, get as far away from him as I could so I could be myself. And those are just about the most touchy-feely words I ever want to say,” he added, making her laugh. “But, really, he was always there. He’s a big part of who I am. He’s shaped my choices and my strengths. So living in the same town? That just means he’s talking to my face instead of being a nagging voice in my head. As for the rest? It’ll all work out fine. I have faith that he’s innocent in this, and I have faith that the law will prove it.”
And wasn’t he all freaking grown-up and stuff. Caleb noticed the look in Pandora’s eyes. Sweet acceptance mixed with pride and just a tiny bit of lust.
Just as soon as someone showed up to watch the prisoners, he’d get her back to her place to do something about that lust.
“You’re really going to stay?”
He hesitated, then put it all on the line.
“Do you want me to?”
Caleb had faced a lot of scary shit in his life, but he’d never been as nervous as he was at this very second.
And, dammit, Pandora wasn’t making it any easier. Instead of wrapping her arms around him and declaring her undying love and gratitude that he’d be around, she pulled away.
She removed his hands from her waist, then leaned in to kiss his cheek before stepping back and around to the other side of the desk. What? She thought he’d get violent if she didn’t declare her love?
He realized he’d clenched his now-empty fists and had to admit, she just might be right.
“This is hard for me,” she said quietly, lacing and unlacing her fingers together. “I don’t want to make a mistake.”
Caleb’s gut churned, but he kept his face clear. He was a big boy. He’d been shot at, called filthy names and once even been thrown from a helicopter—albeit a low-flying one. He could handle whatever she had to say.
“Don’t try to sugarcoat things. Just say what you feel.”
“What I feel? I love you,” she said, the words coming out in a rush. Caleb grinned, barely holding back a fist pump. But apparently he didn’t hide his triumph that well because she shook her head and held up one hand. “But…”
“No, let’s skip the buts.”
“But,” she continued, smiling a little, “I’ve got a question. Or, more like a confession.”
Caleb’s triumph fled and his stomach went back to clenching. Shit.
“Are you sure you’re not attracted to me because of the aphrodisiacs?” she asked, her words so whisper-soft he barely heard them. “I mean, every time we were together, they were involved.”
“What? You’re kidding, right?” She stared at him, big eyes filled with worry. “You’re not kidding.”
He moved to step around the desk, but she shook her head. “No, please. I get confused when you touch me. I need you over there while we talk.”
Caleb cringed. Damn. He’d hoped a few kisses would suffice. Now he had to express what he felt with words?
“Pandora, I told you yesterday, you underestimate yourself. I’m crazy about you. I’d be crazy about you if we ate fast food, or if we ate nuts and berries, or if we keep eating all that delicious stuff you make. The food, that’s just nutrition. Aphrodisiacs are all in the head, you said so yourself, remember?”
He cringed, knowing he wasn’t good with the romantic speeches, but needing her to know how much he cared about her. How special she was.
“You’re crazy about me?” she asked, looking at him through her lashes and smiling.
Needing to touch her for this confession, he took a chance and came around the desk. When she didn’t order him back, he reached out for her hands, lifting them to his lips.
“I’m crazy about you,” he confirmed. He looked into the hazel depths of her beautiful eyes and pressed little kisses to her knuckles. “I’m wild for you. I want you for you. You make me laugh, you make me feel good inside. You make me believe.”
Her gasp was tiny, but he could feel her pulse racing as she bit her lip.
“I love you, Pandora. I really, seriously love you. And I want to give us a chance.”
Her smile was brighter than the overhead lights. His heart filled with a joy he’d never imagined.
“I love you, too,” she said softly. She shifted her hands so they framed his face, then stood on tiptoe to brush her mouth over his. “I really, seriously love you.”
“And together,” he promised, “the two of us are going to build a life. Our life, here, in Black Oak. I’m sure it’ll have its irritants, given that our parents are always going to be larger than life. But it’s going to be amazing, too. Love, laughter and a whole lot of that sexy chocolate cake.”
“I have a large slice waiting back at my place,” she admitted as she curled her fingers into his hair.
“With whipped cream? And hot-fudge sauce?”
Her smile flashed, as wickedly sweet as her cake.
“Always,” she promised him right back.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8179-0
SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE
Copyright © 2011 by Tawny Weber
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