Cowboy Cool: Book 5 (Cowboy Justice Association) Read online

  “I knew you were coming,” she countered. “Besides, this is a safe neighborhood.”

  “You didn’t know me from Adam.” Reed wasn’t going to let her wriggle out of this. “I could have been a serial killer for all you knew. Once you open the door someone can get in. So don’t do that anymore. You have a peephole and a bar latch. Use them.”

  “Do you talk like this to everyone, ordering them around?” she asked indignantly. “We’ve only just met.”

  “I’m here as a favor to Logan and Ava. How you feel about that really doesn’t concern me,” he answered and watched as her cheeks turned an angry red. This one had a temper on her, and damn if Reed didn’t want to poke at it. Just a little. He was on vacation after all.

  Sparks practically flew from her bright green eyes. “Then by all means check the house. I think you’ll find my home is quite secure, Mr. Mitchell.”

  “I will.” Reed stood and started for the front door. “I’ll begin here if you don’t mind. I’ll be checking doors and windows so feel free to go back to what you were doing while I work.”

  Kaylee huffed but lifted her laptop and tucked it under her arm. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  Reed didn’t know where that was but the house wasn’t that big. If he needed her he was sure he could find her. He chuckled as she strode down the hall, her shoulders straight, her gaze looking anywhere but at him. Her stiff posture didn’t stop the gentle sway of her generous hips as she walked away and he watched until she disappeared at the end of the hall.

  Kaylee Blue had grit and sass combined with a fun and fiery temper. Too bad he wasn’t planning to stick around for awhile. A woman like that would be a delight to tame—in or out of the bedroom.

  Scratch that.

  She was Ava’s best friend and that meant she was off limits. Logan would kick his ever-loving ass if Reed upset his wife by loving and leaving her BFF. Friendship meant more to Reed than a tumble in the hay any day.

  He would secure the house and hit the road. Better for him, better for her. He doubted Kaylee was the no-strings type anyway. She had husband, kids, and white picket fence written all over her.

  No way he would ever do that again.

  Chapter Two

  “This is a nice restaurant,” Reed observed as they sat down at a table near a window. “Do you come here often?”

  “Not too often. I’m usually working so I just cook for myself, but I thought it would be good to get out of the house since the weather was so nice.”

  The fact was Kaylee couldn’t have stayed cooped up in the house with Reed one moment longer. When he’d started to investigate her windows and doors he’d decided that her security was woefully inadequate. One trip to the hardware store later and he’d been stripped to the waist, a tool belt around his lean hips replacing hardware and screws on her doors and locks on her windows. He’d even installed some motion triggered lights around the house and a camera for her front porch. She could now see who was at her door from her laptop. It had taken him all afternoon but she had to admit she did feel safer with all the work he’d done.

  She also felt a little guilty.

  He’d busted his very nice looking ass to help her and, especially at the beginning, she’d been less than appreciative about it. She’d decided the least she could do was be a good hostess and take him out to dinner. After all the work he’d done he deserved a good meal.

  And she deserved to burn in that hell the email sender had talked about for the thoughts that had skipped through her mind as she’d watch Reed work. Despite every effort to the contrary her gaze had been drawn over and over again to his flexing muscles, wide chest, and flat abdomen. There ought to be a damn law against men as hot and sexy as Reed Mitchell. Even now sitting across from him she could smell the citrus tang of his aftershave mixed with his yummy male scent. He’d run back to his hotel for a quick shower and fresh clothes before picking her up for dinner. It might have been better for her sanity if he had stayed dirty and smelly.

  Fuck, she needed a drink. And they needed to turn up the air conditioning. It was warm in here.

  “Something from the bar?” the waiter asked as he handed them menus.

  “Cosmopolitan,” Kaylee answered quickly. A little alcohol would settle her nerves. She was acting like she’d never seen a man before, which of course she had. It was just that it had been a long time. Before she moved back to the area.

  Since she worked from home she didn’t get out much and didn’t meet a lot of people, unless you counted the nice UPS guy that delivered something to her house at least twice a week. He was a nice man but married and not really her type anyway.

  Reed Mitchell, on the other hand, embodied the sexy, handsome, alpha male that Kaylee wrote about on a daily basis. She simply never thought she’d be having dinner with one. She’d always thought they were strictly make-believe and that thought had given her some comfort. If they were as real as a unicorn she couldn’t feel badly about not having one.

  So much for that theory. Her proverbial Bigfoot was sitting right across from her.

  Shit.

  Reed ordered a draft beer and the waiter disappeared, leaving them alone. Kaylee fidgeted in her chair, crossing and re-crossing her legs. It had been months since her last date.

  Not that this was a date.

  “So, um, how long have you been a cop?”

  “About seven years. How long have you been a writer?”

  Kaylee immediately noticed that Reed turned the conversation back to her. Ava had said he was something of an enigma and it looked like he intended staying that way.

  “Always, really,” she replied, used to this question from people. “I wrote stories, mostly short stories, in high school and college. After I graduated I moved to Portland with my boyfriend and wasn’t able to find a job right away. That’s when I tried my hand at longer works. I never really stopped from that point on.”

  “That’s where you met Ava?”

  Kaylee nodded as the waiter slipped two large martini glasses in front of her. She looked up, alarmed at the amount of alcohol and the waiter seemed to understand her distress.

  “It’s Happy Hour. Drinks are two-for-one.”

  “Oh okay, that’s fine.” Just because they gave her two gigantic drinks didn’t mean she had to actually imbibe them. She took a sip of the pinkish-red liquid and nodded in approval. The bartender knew what he was doing. The drink was strong, tart, but still a little sweet due to the cranberry juice.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  They ordered and she fiddled with the stem of the glass. “In answer to your question earlier, I did meet Ava in Portland. We belonged to the same writer’s group.”

  “But you moved back here?”

  “My grandmother died and left me her house, plus Ava had already moved to be with Logan. There wasn’t much holding me in Portland. I can work anywhere.”

  “What about your boyfriend?”

  Kaylee frowned, not understanding the question for a moment. “You mean David? He and I broke up about a year after we moved there. I found him in bed with a friend. Well, former friend now. She was welcome to the lying, cheating bastard. They eventually married and from what I hear he cheats on her too.”

  Reed whistled and shook his head. “Sounds like a real jerk. You’re better off without him.”

  “I’m well aware,” she snapped. Talking about her romantic past wasn’t exactly pleasant. “I suppose you’ve never done anything wrong with a woman. You’re like a choir boy.”

  She sounded waspish and bitchy and that wasn’t what she’d intended. At some point in the conversation she’d drank the better part of a Cosmopolitan. She needed to slow down; already she was beginning to feel the effects.

  But if she’d offended Reed he didn’t show it in the least. He simply leaned back in his chair and smiled indulgently as if she was a recalcitrant child. “The women I date know up front that I don’t do love and relationships. I don’t do commitment. My job is the number one thing in my life and everything else comes a distant second. Very distant.”

  “So it’s just about sex?” she challenged him. He was probably hot in the sack if his women put up with that shit and she couldn’t deny the voice in the back of her head that was urging her to find out just how good Reed Mitchell really was.

  “They are mainly sexual relationships, yes,” he replied mildly. “Two people satisfying mutual desires. Does that offend you?”

  Somehow her glass had emptied and she’d started in on her second drink. Her brain was buzzing a little but not in an unpleasant way. She was feeling warm and a little tingly sitting across from this sinfully sexy man talking about sex.

  “No, it doesn’t offend me. Actually I think it’s smart. I don’t do relationships either if you must know. A sexual thing is fine but a man in my life day in and day out just isn’t going to happen.”

  She didn’t mention why it wouldn’t happen. Because men couldn’t be trusted to hang around when things got tough. They always cut and run. She’d seen it so many times. It was better to be independent, self-sufficient. Her mother had depended on Kaylee’s father and it had destroyed her.

  Bowls of pasta were slid in front of them along with a basket of garlic bread. Kaylee breathed in the heavenly scent before picking up her fork and digging in. Her small lunch of cheese cubes and a few crackers seemed very far away.

  They didn’t talk much as they ate. Reed had a healthy appetite and concentrated on his food, but Kaylee found herself picking at the delicious pasta. Normally she would have enjoyed the balance of flavors in the Bolognese sauce but tonight she was instead uncomfortably aware of her dinner companion.

  Every move he made drew her attention, from drinking his beer to biting
into a piece of bread. His frame was powerful but he wasn’t musclebound in an obvious way. His dark hair was trimmed short but a little fell over his forehead, giving him a boyish quality that didn’t match the rest of his manly facade. His eyes were hazel with flecks of gold and green and his lips full and sensual. She had to resist the urge to reach across the table and trace them with her fingers.

  “Another cocktail?” the waiter asked, appearing out of nowhere. She shook her head absently, noting her second glass was empty and continued studying her dinner companion. He reminded her of the handsome alpha males she wrote about in her books. Now she had a real live one sitting across from her. What were the odds of this happening?

  It might never happen again.

  She felt warm, relaxed, and a little giddy. Reed Mitchell was a man out of a fantasy and she only had tonight. One night to live out a dream. Or two, if he was willing and able.

  She wasn’t normally a woman who would sleep with a man she’d just met but this was completely different. She rarely left the house, rarely dated and now she had God’s gift to women right here. She’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity. It was… kismet.

  He’d already said he only dealt with females at a sexual level. He didn’t seem repulsed by her although she was sure he could do better. She wasn’t ugly but she wasn’t a beauty either. Too short, too heavy, and hair too thick and wild. She was what people called “full-figured,” although David had told her she was “fat.” She’d told him his dick was too small. Eyeing Reed’s large hands currently gripping his beer glass, she didn’t think that would be an issue.

  “Do you want dessert?” she asked huskily, their gazes locking for a moment across the table. She leaned forward and let her lips part slightly so her tongue could wet her mouth while sliding her hand closer to his. He could easily reach out and touch her but instead he sat back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he regarded her steadily.

  “I think I’ll pass. You didn’t eat much. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she answered, a little disappointed that he hadn’t said yes. Perhaps she was being too subtle. Men often didn’t get small hints. “I’ll get the check if you’re ready to go home.”

  She signaled to the waiter and he set the check down nearer to Reed than to herself. Reaching for it, Reed’s hand came out and snatched it from the tray even as he was digging into his pocket for his wallet.

  “Dinner is my treat,” she protested, trying to reach for the slip of paper but he held it just out of her grasp. “You did all that work on my house.”

  “Where I come from ladies don’t pay when having dinner with a gentleman. It was nice of you to offer but I’ve got this.”

  His tone was firm and her first instinct was to capitulate but then she remembered that he wasn’t the boss of her. She was an independent woman who made a good living all on her own.

  “I invited you,” she said and held out her hand for the check. “Where I come from that means I pay. When in Rome…”

  “I should be Roman?” Reed grinned and a dimple pierced his cheeks. Dammit, he shouldn’t be so handsome. And charming. He pulled his credit card from his billfold and held it up along with the ticket as the waiter walked by. In an instant he was gone and so was her chance to show him she could pay the check. “I really do think it’s sweet but I’m old fashioned. I’d be uncomfortable if I didn’t do this.”

  The whole point of taking him to dinner was to thank him and make him welcome in her town. If she didn’t give in gracefully she was going to look churlish.

  “Then thank you,” she said reluctantly. “I didn’t invite you out so you could buy me dinner.”

  “Never thought you did.” Reed smiled as the credit slip and a pen were placed in front of him. The waiter thanked them and then once again melted away. “Are you ready to go?”

  She nodded and picked up her purse from where she’d tucked it next to her feet and stood on shaky legs. The room tilted and spun and she had to grab onto the back of the chair to keep from falling over.

  “Steady there.” Reed’s callused fingers wrapped around her arm for support and she shivered at the contact as electricity pulsed through her veins. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” The walls righted themselves and she pushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes. “It’s just warm in here, that’s all.”

  Let’s not mention the two Cosmos I drank. What the hell was I thinking? One would have been enough to get me tipsy.

  “Then let’s go outside and get you some air. Do you need me to carry you?”

  One look at his concerned expression and she knew he was totally and completely serious. No man had ever in her entire life offered to carry her an inch, let alone all the way to the car. Hell, had any man she’d ever dated been capable of it? Doubtful. They would have thrown their back out and ended up in traction.

  Not very sexy.

  Kaylee looked up into those hazel eyes and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  Reed’s arm slid around her shoulders so she could lean against his sturdy frame. “Let me help you. Just lean on me.”

  They walked slowly out of the restaurant and into the chilly air of late October. Her hand clutched at his butter-soft leather jacket as she carefully navigated the pitted parking lot.

  “How many of those drinks did you have?” He scowled and carefully placed her next to his truck.

  “Just two,” she admitted. “I don’t drink very often. Just a few times a year.”

  “It shows.” Reed unlocked the door and helped her up into the seat before pulling the seatbelt across her body and buckling it. His warm hands brushed her skin and left a trail of fire everywhere he touched. She reached out and ran her fingers up his broad chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under her palms.

  “I know just what we should do when we get home.”

  She lifted her face for a kiss but once again he didn’t take what was offered, taking a few steps back instead.

  “You need to get to bed.”

  Reed turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him as he walked around the back of the truck to the driver’s side. Kaylee giggled as he swung into the seat next to hers and let her fingers rub his muscled thigh.

  “That’s exactly what I had in mind.”

  Chapter Three

  What had Reed gotten himself into?

  When he’d told Kaylee he dealt with women purely on a sexual level it hadn’t been an invitation or even a hint. It was simply a fact. But now he had a tipsy woman on his hands who had rubbed up and down his thigh the entire way home ensuring that his cock was at full attention and in the go-mode.

  But it wasn’t going anywhere.

  Reed plucked the keys from her wandering fingers and opened the front door to her house, all the while trying to keep her steady on her feet and her hands out of his pants.

  “Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll make us some coffee.”

  Kaylee tossed her purse on the dining room table and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t drink coffee at night.”

  “I thought all writers drank coffee. Ava loves it.”

  “I’m not Ava. Haven’t you noticed?”

  Kaylee giggled and sailed into the kitchen, kicking off her shoes on the way. “We can have ice cream instead. I love ice cream.”

  Reed grimaced at the thought of any dairy product on top of the alcohol she’d had earlier. He didn’t need her puking in addition to trying to seduce him.

  Although it was kind of cute since she obviously didn’t do this very often. Sexy in an innocent way.

  If Kaylee had been anyone else…and sober…he wouldn’t have hesitated to take her up on her offer. She was a beautiful woman and he was only a man. But as things stood she was the best friend of his best friend’s wife. Nothing was going to happen between the two of them. He’d put her to bed—alone—and that would be all.

  “I don’t think ice cream is what you need right now. I think you need to get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

  Now that was an outright lie. Since Kaylee didn’t drink often she was probably going to feel much worse tomorrow. The least he could do was try to head off as much of the inevitable hangover as he could.

  “You need a glass of water and some ibuprofen.”