Page 50 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Ethan***

I massage my temples as I listen to the chatter around me.

If I got headaches, I would surely have one right now. A room full of cops and

we’re nowhere closer to narrowing down a search area. I could sure use a dose

of Casey right now.

What the hell? Am I going crazy? They can’t be here because

I told them both to stay put. I look toward the entrance and, sure enough, in

she walks, Brick in tow. He’s already shooting me an apologetic look. She… She

looks amazing… and covered up. Thank the Lord. Her eyes don’t leave mine as if

challenging me to question her presence. The room goes quiet, and everyone

turns to see what I’m looking at. She pushes back the hood of her burgundy,

velour tracksuit and steps forward.

“Well, well… Who do we have here?” Shane asks. “Little Red

Riding Hood?”

“Yeah… You lost, Red?” Roderick chimes in.

A chuckle spreads across the room, and she stops in her

tracks. I watch her, ready to step in and shut them up. Anger flashes in her

eyes for a few brief seconds, but then she blinks it away. A smile curves on

her gorgeous lips and she turns to the two men who spoke. Uh-oh.

“Now, you know I was coming to visit. Why aren’t you at home,

Grandma?” The room goes quiet again, and Shane’s mouth falls open. She then

turns her attention to Roderick. “And hanging out with the big bad wolf, no

less. Don’t you know he likes to… eat Grandmas?”

That did it. The silence breaks and the whole room erupts

into laughter, even me. Shane and Roderick are the only ones not laughing.

Serves them right. Charlie and Brick turn to look at me, the irony of the wolf

joke not lost on us. Casey walks determinedly through the crowd and stands

before me.

“I told you to stay put,” I tell her.

“I come bearing gifts.”

She motions to Brick, who places a basket and a cooler on

one of the desks. He jerks his head toward the door, indicating he’s heading

back to her house. I nod and turn my attention to her once more.

“I thought you all might be hungry.”

I hear mumbles of agreement among the men.

“Fine. Go ahead.”

I look pointedly in the direction of my office, and she

precedes me. When I close the door, she turns to me wide-eyed. As much as I wish

she would listen to me, I’m glad she’s here.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Yes,” I answer.

She smirks as she strokes the handle of my gun, knowing I

could never be mad at her. At least not for long.

“Are you going to punish me, Sheriff?”

“I… am going to kiss you.”

She jumps into my arms with a huge smile, her eyes

twinkling. Our lips touch, and she moans, the sound going straight to my dick.

She slides the tip of her tongue along my bottom lip then captures it between

her teeth, pulling lightly. Her lips part, inviting my tongue in, and it gladly

accepts. Her fingertips trace small circles at my nape, and my dick begins to

harden, but I pull back abruptly. I can’t do this, not now. I cannot go

back out there with a raging boner. Her lids flutter open, and she smiles up at

me. Mine.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Hopefully, a lot of what you’ve already been doing,” she replies.

“Your wish is my command.”

I kiss her softly and pull her toward the door. We step out

of the office and into knowing stares and snickers.

“Hey, Ethan… That one has your name on it.”

Bob points to the foil-wrapped sandwich on one of the desks

before winking at me, which is swiftly followed by a round of “oohs.”

“Are we back in the sandbox?” I ask in irritation.

They just laugh at my question, so I grab a chair and my

sandwich. Before I can even take a bite, Casey hands me a plastic cup. The

drink inside is pink. What is it with her and colored drinks?

“It’s strawberry lemonade,” she says as if that explains

everything.

When she hops up on the desk, Bob raises a brow, and I give

him a dismissive nod. Even if she doesn’t know it yet, she’s my mate. I’d trust

her with anything. Besides, right now they’re all more focused on eating than

on Croger. I roll my eyes as Bob gives me a wink and a knowing smile. Casey

begins to study the map we have laid out, listening intently as some of the men

vocalize ideas on where Alex might be. Bob points to a place on the map as he

bites into his sandwich.

“If he made it here, we lost him. It’s all forest. The dogs

lose him, too, if he’s smart enough to take the river.”

She asks me about the markings on the map, and after I

explain to her, she turns to Bob.

“What if he didn’t get that far?” Everyone turns to watch

her curiously. She hops off the desk and faces the map, pointing to the markings

we’ve made. “He was here two days ago, and this is where you think he could be.”

I stand next to her, paying close attention.

“What are you thinking?” I ask.

She points to another section of the map and looks up at me.

“When I just moved here, I found a hiking trail—you know, looking for a

shortcut to Grandma’s house.” The men chuckle and someone slaps Shane’s back. “Well,

it’s dark and, if I were him, I wouldn’t be wandering around in the woods.

About a mile up the trail, I saw maybe three or four cabins that looked

abandoned. He could be holed up in one of them.”

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. She might be right, Ethan,”

Bob says.

I look down at her in awe. She is absolutely amazing… and mine.

She taps her finger on her temple and smiles.

“Remember what I told you about women?”

“Sweetheart, if we find him in one of those cabins, I’ll

make you a plaque proclaiming women as the superior gender.”