Page 7 of Wanted: Forever (Murdock Brothers #3)

Cash

I popped the cap of my second beer.

Had the flash of her blinds meant she was coming down or to fuck off?

Suddenly she appeared in her doorway, her porch light gave me a perfect view of every inch of her.

She’d gone from buttoned up cop to siren in ten minutes.

Gone was the severe, slicked back hair and now there were all these curls trying to escape from a knot at the top of her head.

A barely there strappy tank molded to her tits leaving my mouth dry.

But it was the legs.

God, I was such a sucker for her legs. And now they were all on display with a pair of cut off shorts that made my tongue feel too big for my mouth. I took a sip from my beer to try and act like she didn’t punch me in the face with her girl-next-door beauty.

She quickly loped across the street with her chair. “Sorry, I had to get out of that uniform.”

“Absolutely fine.” My voice was thick and deep in the dark.

She set her chair down across from me. “How about one of those beers?”

I leaned down, almost dumping myself at her feet.

She grinned, well aware of what she was doing to me.

I stabilized my chair then opened the cooler and handed her a sweating bottle. “Need a?—”

She tucked the bottle under her chair and the hiss of carbonation release answered my question.

“Think I need one of those chairs.”

She grinned behind the lip of the bottle before taking a sip. She tipped way more than a mouthful back and sagged back in her chair. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“Anytime.”

“How have I not seen you, neighbor?”

“Must be our crazy schedules. I had no idea Mrs. Morris moved out.”

“Her daughter had to take her in. She and her oxygen tank were a fire hazard since she wouldn’t quit smoking.”

“That tracks. She tried to pay me when I mowed her grass. I swear I could smell the smoke on the five dollars she kept trying to shove in my hand.”

“I believe it. I’ve been de-smoking that lower apartment since I moved in. I got a good price for the house because of it, but I’m not sure I ended up winning on that deal.”

“I’ve done many a renovation. I know some tricks if you want help.”

“And why would you do that?” She crossed her long legs, her purple flip flop dangling from her perfect toes. Damn, even her feet were sexy.The citronella candle keeping the mosquitos at bay made her seem even more golden.

“Just being neighborly.” I took a sip to wet my throat.

“Think you can use that for some of your community service?”

I laughed. “Free of charge for you, Chief.”

“Why?” She rested the base of the bottle on her flat belly.

I finished my beer and shifted in my chair. It was a valid question since I was now working double time with my extra hours at the police station. “I know it’s a pain in the ass.”

“Which begs the question...why?”

“Because, I’m a nice guy Parker.” Her name felt right on my tongue. The acerbic Chief was mostly to needle her, but it felt wrong here in the darkness.

She finished her beer and swapped the empty for a fresh one then pulled her feet up under her. “Men rarely do anything for free.”

“You must have known some real assholes.”

She lifted a shoulder, answering with a snick of the top popping from her bottle.

“You’ve lived in Indigo Valley long enough to know most of us aren’t like that.”

“Haven’t been home in a long time, Cash.”

“Kansas City didn’t have any redeeming qualities?”

“It was all right. The cops in my unit were only tight if you had a dick.”

I choked on my sip.

She flashed a sad smile. “Sad but true. Why I took this job. I was tired of the boy’s club shutting me out of every promotion.”

“That sucks.” And made sense as to why she was so closed off. I couldn’t imagine how frustrating that had to be.

“All worked out. I missed home. Missed out on Matty finding Jenn. Now they’re doing the kid thing and it was one more reason to come home. I’m excited to be Aunt Parker.”

The quick flash of softness in her eyes made my chest tighten. I hadn’t really seen the soft side of this woman and I wanted more of it.

“Can’t say I mind being Uncle Cash to Danny.”

“Nora is so in love with that kid.”

“Comes in handy. Especially since the kid asked her if he could call her Mom.”

Her eyes shimmered in the flickering light. “Really?” Her voice husky.

“Sure did.” The mostly empty bottle dangled from my fingers. The long day and the third beer made me mellow. “She makes both of them happy.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We both sat in silence for a few minutes. The tree frogs singing a chorus with the crickets in the late hour.

It wasn’t a heavy silence, just two tired people that maybe didn’t want to be alone.

The minute I’d landed back in the Valley, I’d jumped in to help out. There wasn’t a whole lot of time for dating, nor much of an inclination on my part. It seemed like most of the people at the bars were people I’d grown up with or a handful of women who felt too young for me.

Was it just not wanting to be alone?

She drained her beer and sat forward. “I think I need to head to bed.”

I nodded. “Me too. Seven will be here before I know it. Sully already kicked my ass on the job today. Can’t wait to see what I have in store in a few hours.”

She shoved her feet back into her flips. “And yet, you were waiting out here for me?”

“Maybe I was out here for myself?”

“In this humidity?”

I slid to the front of my chair.

She stood and I followed her until we were only a few inches apart. I pushed one of the curls away from her face. When she didn’t step back, I got a little braver and grazed my thumb along her cheek. “Maybe I wanted to get to know you. Being the neighborly kind of guy I am.”

“Right,” she whispered, “neighborly is good.”

She swayed forward and I tucked my other thumb into the belt loop of her shorts, tugging her into me the rest of the way. Her hands landed on my chest, her fingertips digging into my pecs. She went on her toes just as I lowered to her and we met in the middle.

Her lips were soft and she tasted of the beer we shared.

I kept the kiss light, even if everything in me wanted to take more.

Soft brushes of lips, breathing her in, until she licked across my bottom lip. I tentatively dipped in for a deeper connection, our tongues learning one another. My fingers tightened at the material around the belt loop until one of those gloriously long legs slid between my thighs.

I cupped her face, turning her until the kiss went wildfire hot. Her hands raced up to my shoulders and her unbound tits pressed into my chest. She smelled of a flower reminding me of the summer I spent in Hawaii and my dick lengthened between us.

I hadn’t intended on going this fast, but I couldn’t get enough of her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around my neck as she went on tiptoe and slanted her mouth against mine as if she was just as starved.

Finally, she pulled back, her mouth swollen in the flickering light. We were both breathing hard, not letting go.

“I need to go,” she whispered.

I nodded.

Her gaze lowered to my mouth, then up to meet my gaze, then she took a step back.

I was still gripping her shorts, tempted to haul her back into my arms.

“Cash.”

I let go. “Good night, Parker.”

“Night. Thanks for the beer and the...”

“Hot, sleep destroying kiss?”

She laughed and patted my chest. “You need your rest. You’re starting on my office tomorrow. And whatever Sully has in store for you.” The bottle green of her eyes shone in the dim candle flame. “See you tomorrow.”

“Right, tomorrow.” I fisted my hands into my pockets so I wouldn’t reach for her again.

She quickly collapsed her chair. “Oh, and while I’m at work there won’t be any of this.”

“Sure about that?”

“Yes.” Her chin lifted. “On that, I won’t compromise.”

“Got it.”

She backed down my driveway then turned on her heel to hurry across the street. Those denim shorts were just as impressive in the rearview.

When she got to the door, she turned back to me with a wave.

Man, I was so screwed.