Tempting Alibi (3 page)

hadn’t thought possible. “Scott.” She whispered his name, mainly because she wanted

to hear it. But mostly because she desperately needed to say it.
Scott.
They were not

going to go back to simply acting like neighbors after this. She couldn’t bear it.

When she said his name, his entire body jerked against her. His hips pushed up and

her throat clenched when his erection rubbed against her lower abdomen. Not

tonight—she wasn’t ready—but she knew that soon enough, she was going to see his

cock and her entire body tensed in anticipation at the thought.

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Tempting Alibi

He leaned closer and brushed his lips against the sensitive spot behind her ear. “I

want to touch you here, Michaela.” As if she didn’t understand what he meant, he

placed his large hand over her denim-covered mound.

“Okay,” she whispered.

Lightning fast, he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down. The sound cut

through the quiet of the cool night. He didn’t try to take them off the rest of the way

and he didn’t make a move toward his own clothes.

He slid his hand under the flimsy lace material of her panties and cupped her

pussy. For a moment she was almost embarrassed by how wet she was but when he

groaned and raked his teeth against her neck, she let go of her insecurities. And when

he rubbed his middle finger over her swollen clit, she let go of her control.

She’d been ready to come with the stimulation of her nipples. This added pleasure

was too much. It seemed impossible to believe that she could get off so easily, but when

he started rubbing against her clit in a steady rhythm, she pushed up on her knees and

held his shoulders in a death grip. Her thighs strained as she tried to squeeze her legs

together.

He switched breasts and sucked her other nipple between his teeth with an intense

tug. The action pushed her right over the edge. Her climax curled through her like a

slow-building wave until it crested and crashed throughout her entire body.

Even as her orgasm subsided, he continued rubbing his finger over her clit. The tiny

bundle of nerves was raw and ultra-sensitized. Mercifully he finally withdrew his hand.

Her fingers and toes tingled with the aftereffects. This had been the last thing she’d

expected tonight. Now that she had Scott where she wanted him, she didn’t want to let

him go.

“Don’t leave.” The words were out before she could stop herself. The last thing she

wanted was to sound like some needy freak, but she wanted him to spend the night

with her. She rushed on. “I don’t mean to have sex. I just want you to stay—”

“Okay.” His charcoal eyes seemed even darker under the moonlight.

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Savannah Stuart

Before she realized what he was doing, he hooked his hands around her backside

and stood, pulling her with him. He snagged her discarded t-shirt as he strode toward

the back door so she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and let him carry her

inside. His heart beat wildly against his chest and she could feel it almost as if it were

her own. She couldn’t explain it, even to herself, but she’d never felt so connected to

another person. For the first time in her life, she realized talking was overrated.

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Tempting Alibi

Thwap! Thwap!

Michaela opened her eyes and glared at the digital clock on her nightstand. It was

barely daylight so what was all that racket? Rolling over, she saw that Scott’s side of the

bed was empty.

Immediately, the air rushed from her lungs. Had he left in the middle of the night?

No. She quickly discarded that thought. He wasn’t a jerk. That much she knew. They’d

spent the rest of the night cuddling and kissing and simply wrapped up in each other’s

arms. She’d tried to take things a little further, but he’d been incredibly dominating and

seemed intent on taking his time.

Thwap! It was coming from outside.

Muttering curses to herself, she pushed her thick comforter off and got out of bed.

As soon as her bare feet hit the wood floor, a chill snaked down her spine. Scott was

right. The temperature had definitely dropped and she needed to turn her heat on.

Since she was only wearing panties, she also needed warmer clothes. After tugging on a

pair of thick fleece pants and a matching sweater, she headed downstairs.

As she checked the paltry pile of wood next to her fireplace, she spotted Scott

through one of her living room windows chopping wood. A curious warmth curled

through her. That’s what the sound was. Suddenly her annoying wake-up call wasn’t so

annoying after all.

Smiling to herself, she made her way to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Once

the smell of rich French roast permeated the air, she slipped on her boots and walked

out the back door and around the house.

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Savannah Stuart

Scott glanced up mid-swing and gave her that adorable half-smile she was coming

to crave before he sliced another piece of wood in two. Even though he wore a long-

sleeved flannel shirt and jeans, nothing could hide the muscles beneath his clothes.

He laid the axe against the stump and her throat dried up as he strode toward her.

She never had a problem talking but after last night, an inexplicable wave of shyness

rolled over her. Normally she knew where a relationship was headed but with Scott, he

hadn’t given much of an indication of what he wanted
from her
. Well, other than he

obviously wanted
her
.

“Did I wake you?” he asked as his hands settled on her hips. His deep voice sent a

thrill like she’d never experienced rushing through her.

She shook her head and slid her arms around his waist.

He dropped a kiss on her forehead then on top of her head as he pulled her tight

against him. He smelled fresh and earthy and like something else she couldn’t quite

define. Whatever it was, she wanted to bottle it up. “I made coffee,” she murmured

against his chest.

“Sounds good… Go on a date with me tonight, Michaela,” he spoke against her hair

and that voice sent another zing zipping through her. Right to the heat already building

between her legs. There was something about the way he said her name. It simply made

her knees go weak.

“Okay,” she murmured.

“I get off work at five so I’ll pick you up at six if that works.”

“That works.” She nodded against his chest, savoring the feel of his muscles. She

could hardly wait to feel his skin beneath her fingers and mouth. He’d continued

exploring her body last night but hadn’t allowed her to touch him much. She wasn’t

sure why but that was going to change tonight.

“I want to get some of this wood inside your house before I head to work.” His

voice sounded slightly strained, as if leaving her was the last thing he wanted to do.

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Tempting Alibi

She loved that she affected him as much as he did her. He might not have let her

touch him everywhere last night but he certainly wasn’t immune to her. His rock-hard

erection pressing against her abdomen was proof enough of that.

* * * * *

Scott rolled out from underneath the Mercedes he was working on to find Daniel

leaning against the hood, staring down at him. And he had a big shit-eating grin on his

face.

“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Scott asked.

“Nothing. You got plans tonight?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“You finally ask Michaela out or something?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

Daniel shrugged and his grin grew even wider. “We’re behind on two vehicles and

you’ve been grinning like a fool all day.”

Damn, he hadn’t realized he was that obvious. It was only a date. It’s not as if she’d

committed to something more. Scott pushed up and slid the roller back under the car

with his foot. “We might be going out.”

“About damn time,” Daniel muttered.

Scott ignored his friend’s words. He and Michaela were from different worlds. Not

that she was a snob or anything, but he didn’t see her committing to anything long-term

with him. He knew that getting a taste of her and losing her would likely kill him, but

he didn’t care. “It’s just a date.”

“Don’t take her somewhere pretentious. She hates that shit.”

Something akin to jealousy jumped inside him. “How do
you
know?”

Daniel grabbed a clean rag and started wiping at the grease on his arms as they

headed toward the front office. “I heard her bitching to my sister last week about

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Savannah Stuart

pretentious assholes. Besides, we were in the same year in school and she hasn’t

changed much.”

“Oh right.” Scott was five years older than Michaela so they’d never been in school

together. The day after he’d graduated high school, he’d joined the military. It had been

that or jail. He’d been on a dangerous path to destruction and he’d known that if he

didn’t clean up his act, he’d have ended up just like his old man. Well, maybe not

exactly like him but he’d have likely been a screw-up. Back then he’d known who the

Miller family was but he hadn’t run in the same circles as Michaela. And her two

brothers were a couple years younger than him too. He felt uncomfortable asking

Daniel but decided he didn’t have anything to lose. “Where do you think I should take

her?” He’d planned on going to the only French restaurant in town but now wondered

if that was the best choice.

“Cook for her.”

“What?”

“Man, I’ve got two sisters. Women like that shit. Cook something special for her.

It’ll show you put some thought into tonight.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. Now he needed to make a stop before showering and

cleaning all the grime off him. Scott grabbed his car keys from the hook inside the office.

“You mind locking up?”

“Course not, boss. I’ll see ya Monday.”

Anticipation hummed through him as he walked to his 1967 Mustang. The last time

he’d been so excited over something was when he’d bought this car. But that feeling

didn’t compare to the thought of getting to spend more time with Michaela. Even

though he knew it was destined to end between them, how he felt at the moment, it was

hard to care.

Before Scott made it to his car, the sheriff pulled into the parking lot.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath. Scott leaned against his car and

folded his arms across his chest while waiting for the sheriff to park.

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Tempting Alibi

The sheriff parked next to him then slammed his door with a lot more force than

necessary. He rounded the Crown Victoria and faced Scott. “Where are you off to?

Seeing
Michaela
again?”

Scott gritted his teeth. He didn’t like the inflection of the sheriff’s voice. Hell, he

didn’t like that bastard even thinking about Michaela. Instead of answering the

question or letting the old man know it bothered him, Scott shrugged. “Why are you

here?”

His blue eyes narrowed. “I know what you did. Don’t think you can hide behind

sweet Ms. Miller for long. Sooner or later you’ll slip up and I’ll catch you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? It’s not my fault your nephew is a fuckup, so

don’t go pretending I did anything to him.”

The sheriff took a menacing step in his direction. “Fuckup? You’re one to talk. How

long you think that pretty little thing is going to stick around? To her you’re just some

trailer trash she’s using for a good time and soon enough, you won’t have her for an

alibi.”

Rage popped inside him. As he clenched his fists at his side, Scott bit his tongue

because if he didn’t, he’d deck the sheriff. Which might be exactly what the old man

wanted. Hell, then he could arrest him for assaulting a member of law enforcement.

After taking a deep breath, his vocal cords loosened. “Is there anything else you need

from me, Sheriff?”

The sheriff’s jaw ticced as he shook his head. He looked almost disappointed.

Maybe he had wanted Scott to hit him. “No, but I’ve got my eye on you.”

Scott resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the sheriff got back in his car. Unless he

planted evidence on him, Scott wasn’t going to let some small-town sheriff get the best

of him. He might have screwed up as a kid but he was a law-abiding citizen and the

only crime he was guilty of was occasionally speeding.

* * * * *

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Savannah Stuart

Michaela stared at her reflection in the mirror and critically assessed herself. She

wore a dark blue wraparound sweater that brought out her gray eyes. Growing up

she’d hated the unusual eye color, especially combined with her bright red hair, but as

she’d gotten older her hair had darkened to a soft auburn and she’d learned to embrace

her uniqueness.

The doorbell chime set her pulse pounding. She zipped up her four-inch boots over

her slim-fitting jeans, grabbed her purse and hurried down the stairs. Her eyes widened

after she swung the door open. Scott stood on her front porch, carrying two large paper

bags. Leafy greens and a baguette protruded from one of them.

“What’s this?”

“I thought I’d cook for you.”

The last guy she’d gone on a date with had taken her to the most expensive