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“What’s the matter, Detective? Don’t you trust me?”
She snorted. “I can handle you.”
He gave her a sharp look that made her draw in a hasty breath. It was clear his mind had gone straight below the waist. Come to think of it, so had hers. Instead of giving in to the sudden roar of heat that flamed from deep inside her, she narrowed her gaze at him.
“Well, where’s this chariot?”
He laughed, the sound a deep rumble that hit straight to her solar plexus. A delicious, lazy sound better suited to a bedroom than a parking lot beside a B-grade motel.
“Over here.”
He gestured toward a classic F-150, and as they drew nearer, he opened the passenger door for her. She eyed the antique surface of the truck. Clearly left to go to rack and ruin at some point, the vehicle had been restored, but the paintwork remained aged and patchy—almost as if the rust was a badge of honor.
“Ranching not going so well?” she asked, casting an obvious eye over the multicolored hood.
“Let’s just say I appreciate the patina of time. It’s been treated and clear coated. A testament to the age and longevity of the beast.”
Zoe cast him a sideways glance. A somewhat romantic statement from a man who made his living from the land and the animals upon it. Eschewing further comment, she climbed up onto the front seat and waited while he closed her door and stepped around to the driver’s side. The cab had seemed so spacious until he swung up beside her. Then his shoulders were suddenly too close to hers and the cologne he wore wove around her on subtle waves of body heat. She turned her head to the window, but it was no good. Her senses were powerfully attuned to him. She didn’t need to see him to know that his leather jacket was so soft and worn that it fitted his shoulders like a second skin, or that the crisp denim of his jeans pulled across his hips when he sat at the wheel.
She also knew that no matter where she was, she’d never again smell that scent and not think of him. Of the raw masculinity he exuded in his simple stance, or the latent power in his hands, the teasing in his eyes, the sardonic curl of his lip. She gave herself a mental shake. What the hell was she doing, thinking of him in these terms? Right now, he was someone of interest in her inquiries. Someone to question, not drool over. She was not that weak nor that vulnerable.
But it had been a while since she’d been intimate with anyone, and, she reminded herself bluntly, a woman had needs. Needs, it seemed, that were hell-bent on distracting her from her job. Well, she owed it to her victim to get to the bottom of who was behind his murder—and to bring them to justice.
They hadn’t driven long before Galicia pulled up the truck outside a small hotel.
“This is us,” he said, getting out of the truck and walking around to her side.
To preempt him opening her door, she did it herself and dropped down onto the pavement. She’d keep her distance from him, get whatever information she needed and then she’d be on her way. She didn’t want to stay here in Royal any longer than necessary. It might be a thriving town, it might even be civilized, but it wasn’t her city. These weren’t her people. Especially not the tall, commanding figure walking beside her as they entered the hotel and headed toward the bar.
If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a brief flare of approval in his eyes. Not that she cared. She wasn’t here to impress him. He gave her a brief nod and put a hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the bar. As they entered, he gestured to one side of the room.
“We’ll sit over there.”
She noted he made it a gentle order, not a suggestion. Okay, so he thought he was in charge. It was his turf. She’d play his game. For now.
“What’s your poison?” Galicia asked as they reached their seats. “No, wait, let me guess.”
She played along, watching as he stroked his chin and eyed her thoughtfully.
“Something frilly to counteract the tough-cop act.”
“I assure you, it’s no act—and you’d be wrong. I’ll have a beer.”
She couldn’t help but notice the attention paid to him by the waitress who hurried over to take their order, but aside from a polite “thanks,” he paid the woman no heed. Instead, he kept his searing focus very firmly on Zoe. The waitress was back in a moment, two chilled glasses and two ice-cold longneck lagers on her tray. She set the drinks onto the table in front of them.
“So, Cord, did you want these on your tab or—” the waitress started.
“I’ll take care of them,” Zoe said, flicking some bills from her pocket and dropping them onto the woman’s tray. “Keep the change.”
The waitress looked from Cord to Zoe and back again, Obviously she wasn’t used to Cord’s dates picking up the tab. She left as Cord picked up a beer, poured it into Zoe’s glass and did the same for himself.
“You’re quick,” Cord said with a quirk of his lips. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“I pay my way.”
“Gender equality and all that?”
“You drove, I bought the first round. Gender equality has nothing to do with it.” She arched a brow at him as he chuckled softly. “Are you deliberately trying to irritate me? Because if so, you’ll find I’m hard to put off.”
“I’m definitely not trying to put you off.”
He smiled again, the movement of his lips sending a sucker punch to her gut. How did he manage to have such a strong effect on her? This was crazy. She’d been out with plenty of men, had relationships with a few, but she’d never felt this intense, visceral response before. It made her feel vulnerable, as if she were cast slightly adrift, and she didn’t like it one bit. Determined to maintain the upper hand, she took charge of the conversation.
“So, how long have you lived around Royal?” she asked.
“Ah, the inquisition continues,” he drawled. He sat back in his chair, hooking one arm over the back, and gazed at her through narrowed eyes.
“Inquisition?”
“Yeah, it’s what you do, isn’t it? Grill people?”
“Like dressed in black leather with torture implements and stuff like that?”
His lips quirked again, sending a spiral of sensation curling through her lower body. Oh, that mouth. How would it feel against hers? How would he taste?
“I could see you in that getup.”
She snorted a laugh. “In your dreams, buster. So, back to my question. How long have you lived here?”
His nostrils flared on an indrawn breath. “Am I wet off the back of the truck, do you mean?”
She rolled her eyes. He was needling her, twisting her words to sound like a veiled insult. That might be the angle some of her colleagues would have taken, given there was no mistaking Galicia’s Mexican heritage. But she was not that kind of person. In fact, none of her family was.
“Look, I asked you a simple question. You’re being deliberately evasive again.” She lifted her glass and took a long sip of her beer, relishing the bite of hoppy flavor as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat. “I’m not sure what you call conversation in this neck of Texas, but where I come from, when we meet a person, we chat, ask questions. Y’know, get to know one another.”
He nodded slowly. “We have similar customs here.”
She fought back a laugh. “I wouldn’t have guessed it. Maybe it’d help if I went first? I’m Houston born and raised. Youngest of five. Third-generation cop. Your turn.”
“Royal born and raised. Only child. My grandparents came here, bought land, ranched it, expanded the ranch. My father took over, did more of the same.”
She nodded. “And you? Still expanding?”
He shrugged. “Not in land, more in better ways to use it.”
She sat back in her chair and felt herself relax as he began to open up and discuss a little of how he planned to diversify his business operations. She let his voice roll over her, enjoying the timbre and the slow, measured way in which he spoke. She gestured to the waitress for two more beers.
“Let me get those,” he said.
“If you insist,” she acceded.
Once the drinks were on their table, she decided to turn the conversation back to her investigation.
“So, you and Jesse Stevens. You guys grew up together?”
“Yeah. And he’s not the man you’re looking for.”
Ha, so much for softening him up and then pouncing with a question, Zoe admitted to herself with a measure of reluctance. Cord Galicia may have relaxed with her, but it didn’t mean his mind wasn’t as alert as a fox’s.
“Why are you protecting him?”
“Protecting him?” Cord laughed. “Nope, I’m just saving you time.”
“You realize I have to question him.”
“Why? Is my word not good enough?” Galicia challenged her.
She saw the latent anger that simmered beneath the surface. Was it because she wanted to question his friend, or because she was impugning his honor by not accepting his word?
“I’m sure your word is just fine.” She sighed. “But that’s not how we conduct an investigation.”
Silence stretched between them, and for a moment Zoe thought the evening was over. She felt a pang of regret. If she’d met this man under any other circumstances, then maybe they could have explored this simmering attraction that burned between them. She watched Galicia’s face carefully, but he gave nothing away. Eventually, he leaned forward and put his hand out.
“How about a truce, then?” he suggested.
“A truce? I didn’t know we were at war.”
“Oh, we’re at something, but I’m not quite sure what it is yet. How about, while we find out, we agree that you won’t ask me anything about Jesse and then I won’t need to stonewall you?”
She hesitated a moment before taking his hand. If she did this, she was opening herself up for a whole lot of trouble. She could feel it in her gut. But then again, what was life if it meant not taking risks? She reached out her hand and felt a surge of awareness the moment their palms touched. He felt it, too; she could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t smiling now; in fact, he looked serious—serious about her.
Her inner muscles clenched on a wave of pure lust. Right now, she wanted to do nothing more than lean across their table, sweep their drinks aside and reach for him, then drag his face to hers and plant her lips on his mouth in a deep, drugging kiss that would hopefully assuage some of this crazy pent-up tension he manifested in her.
Instead, she jerked her hand free and reached for her beer, downing half of it. When she looked back at Galicia, amusement reflected back at her in his gaze and she knew, in that instant, he was dangerous. Maybe not in the criminal sense of the word, but certainly in terms of her equilibrium.
She was a long, tall streak of trouble. He knew that as surely as he knew the head count of his herd. But he couldn’t leave her alone. Even now, after that stupid handshake, he wanted to touch her again—and not just her hand. He wanted to see if those pert breasts he could see pushing against the fabric of her shirt would fit neatly into the palms of his hands. He wanted to trace the cord of her throat with his lips and his tongue, to taste her and inhale the very essence of her.
Damn, but she did things to him that twisted his gut in knots without even trying. Which meant he had to be doubly careful. He was breaking every single one of his own rules by taking her out tonight. Still, it wasn’t as if he was going to marry her or anything dumb like that, he told himself. He was distracting her. Keeping her away from Jesse. She had no business with his friend, and the sooner she realized that and returned to Houston, the sooner he could get back to his normal life. Thank goodness things were a little quieter on the ranch right now. The calves had been dried out and had regained condition. His pastures were under control and his hands were onto the usual maintenance required before winter set in. He had time to spare and he’d make sure he used it well.
“Say, you want to grab a burger or something?” Cord asked before finishing off his beer.
“I could eat a burger,” Zoe admitted.
“C’mon, the Royal Diner makes the best burgers in the state.”
“That’s quite a claim,” she said, rising from her seat.
“It’s no claim. It’s a fact,” he boasted.
Putting his hand at the small of her back again, he guided her to the door. He liked the way she moved, all smooth and lithe, her gait a match for his own. His mind flashed in an instant to how they would move together—on a dance floor, between the sheets of his extra wide bed. Damn if he didn’t get a hard-on. He reminded himself that this wasn’t just about him. This was about keeping Zoe Warren away from his best friend.
Cord knew Jesse had been in touch with Hamm before Hamm’s tragic death. He also knew Jesse had been fired up about the guy. If Zoe figured that out, she’d likely put two and two together and make whatever the hell she wanted out of it. There was no way Jesse had killed Hamm. He might have been mad at the guy, but violence had never been Jesse’s style, not even when truly provoked.
They reached the truck, and he held her door for her. She brushed by so close he could smell the scent of her shampoo or whatever it was she’d used in her hair. It made him want to lean in and inhale more deeply. To touch her short black hair and see if he could tangle his fingers in it as he brought her face to his. He must have made a sound, because Zoe stopped midway getting into the truck.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Never better.”
“Hmm.”
She swung up, giving him an all-too-brief glimpse of her sweet butt showcased in dark denim. He closed the door firmly and went around to his side, all the while wondering what on earth he’d let himself in for.
Four (#u0183beaf-0ada-5b86-a156-cf249075e9a9)
The woman had an appetite, Cord observed admiringly as she tucked into a double beef burger with all the trimmings. He’d ordered the same for himself. He nodded at a few of the people he knew as they went by, but mostly his attention was on the woman seated opposite him in the booth.
“Nice place, even better food,” Zoe said when she finished her first bite.
“It’s a staple here in Royal. You’re always guaranteed a good meal.”
“I like it. Thanks for bringing me here.”
The simple compliment with her thanks made him feel ridiculously proud.
“So, tell me more about yourself,” he said. “You mentioned you’re the youngest of five? Is that right?”
“Yeah. I like to tell everyone that my mom and dad tried five times before they got the mixture right. My brothers would disagree. If they ever listened to me, that is.”
Cord smiled. “Wow, four brothers. I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like growing up.”
As an only child whose future running the family spread was clearly outlined from birth, he had often wondered what it would have been like to share the load with one or more siblings. But from what he’d seen with a lot of his peers, siblings were overrated. Zoe spent the rest of their meal regaling him with stories of the things her brothers got up to while trying to keep her in line. Emphasis on the word trying. Seems she’d been a handful as a kid, and Cord wouldn’t mind betting she hadn’t changed much.
They were lingering over coffee when he saw her fight back a yawn. It made him realize the time—nearly ten. While that wasn’t late, when you’d done a five-hour drive, like she had, or in his case, been up since before the crack of dawn, it was definitely time to bring the evening to an end.
“It’s getting late. I’d best get you to your bed.”
His choice of words had color flaming in her cheeks. He felt an answering wave of heat pulse through his body, too. To distract them both, he signaled for the check and paid, without demur from his guest this time, and they went out to the truck. When they reached her motel, he got down from the truck and walked her to her door.
“Thank you for dinner,” Zoe said after opening her motel room and flicking on the light. “I enjoyed the company. It can get lonely on trips like this.”
“Happy to help you pass the time,” he drawled in response.
Even though he’d chosen his words to tease, oddly, he meant it. He’d engineered tonight to keep her away from Jesse but found himself enjoying her company. Hell, if he was totally honest, enjoying her. The air grew thick and heavy between them as she looked up into his eyes. Without thinking, Cord raised one hand and slid it around the back of her neck as he lowered his face to hers and gave in to the impulse to see if she tasted as good as he’d been imagining all evening.
He felt the shock that rippled through her body as his fingers touched the bare skin at her nape. Felt the sense of hesitation before her lips parted and she kissed him back. He’d been wrong. She tasted far better than he could ever have imagined, and somewhere along the line their kiss went from a questing beginning to something hot and hard and hungry. It was as if they were combustible elements, drawn together into a conflagration that took them both by surprise.
Zoe made a sound, like a deep hum, and he was lost. He wanted her—all of her. Forget she was a cop, forget she was investigating his best friend and most likely him, as well. Forget everything but the sweet, spicy flavor of her mouth, the softness of her lips and the urgency that pulled them together.
