Adam's Thorn (18 page)

“Heard she had you wearing our
lunch.”  Brandon smirked.  “And you didn’t arrest her for assaulting a police
officer.”

Taking a big bite of beef salad
roll, Adam leaned back in the chair and propped his booted heels on the edge of
the desk.

“You could’ve handcuffed her, had
her at your mercy,” Brandon continued.  “I’d have thought you’d like that.”

Adam grinned a little, a picture
forming in his head.  Yeah, he would like that, Barbie with her hands cuffed
behind her back, looking up at him, totally at his mercy as he bent her over -
Goddamn!

The ice coffee jerked in his hand,
splashing over to spill down the front of his shirt.  Cursing, he straightened,
dropping the beef salad roll to the desk as he grabbed some tissues from the
box and dabbed at his shirt.

“Clumsy,” Brandon remarked.

There was something in his voice
that had the warning bells clanging inside Adam’s head, and he looked across to
see Brandon’s eyes gleaming.

It was the same kind of gleam that
Ghost and Matt had had in their eyes.

Bastards.

Irritated at both his unexpected -
and totally hot - thoughts, not to mention Brandon’s smirk, Adam shoved
upright, growling, “Laugh it up, hyena.”

“Maybe you better go home and
change again.”  Brandon leered and slurped his milkshake.  “Make an arrest on
your way back.”

Leaving his lunch on the desk,
Adam headed to the bathroom where he dabbed at the new mess on his clean shirt.
A good sponge down only produced a huge, wet patch, but luckily he had a spare
shirt in the locker.  Pulling it on, he thought that he’d never been out of his
clothes so often during a work day as when Barbie had returned.

And that just so didn’t sound
right.

After lunch, he and Brandon went to
Gus’s to pick up the other patrol car which had had new tyres and a realignment
done, and was now ready for pick up.

About to get into his patrol car
as Brandon drove off, Adam was stopped by Gus doing his usual leaning against
the driver’s door, his way of ensuring people stopped to shoot the shit with
him for several minutes.  The man did love a chat.

Amused, Adam stuck his hands in
his pockets.

Gus didn’t waste time.  “Hear that
pretty blonde is back in town.”

No sense pretending he didn’t know
who the grizzled business owner meant.  Yep.”

Gus nodded.  “Left town for a
week, huh?”

“Seemed like it.”

Gus squinted up at him.  “She get
those security lights installed?”

Now, that had his interest. 
“Security lights?”

“She was going to see Winslow
about security lights.”  Gus scratched his whisker-shadowed jaw.  “I reckon she
saw something up at that old house.”

For once, Adam was rather glad of Gus’s
habit of trapping his clients to chat.  “Did she tell you what she saw?”

“Nope.  But she was spooked, I
could see that right off.”  He tapped his temple.  “I know a spooked woman when
I see one.”

Interesting.  This called for a
bit more snooping.

Managing to edge Gus away from the
door by promising to bring his own car in for a long-overdue wheel alignment
the next week, Adam got in and drove to Winslow’s Electrical Shop. 

Sitting at the counter writing in
an invoice book, Bob Winslow greeted him cheerfully.  “Afternoon, Adam.  What
can I do for you?”

“Afternoon, Bob.  How’s business?”

“Can’t complain.  The old lady
hits me if I do.”

“I heard that.” His wife’s voice
came from the back room.

Bob grinned.

“Hello, Mrs Winslow,” Adam called.

She appeared in the doorway.  “How
are you, sweetie?”

“Fine.”

“And your parents?”

“Enjoying their retirement on the
ocean.”

Coming out to stand beside her
husband, Mrs Winslow shook her head.  “I just don’t understand how your parents
could just up and go to the coast after all their years living here.”

“Dad always wanted to buy a yacht
and live by the ocean.”  Leaning on the counter, Adam rested his weight on one
hip.  “They’re loving it.”

“You must miss them heaps.”

“I do.”  Yeah, he missed them a
lot.  When they’d decided to have a sea change it had been a shock, especially
when they’d decided to shift to Tasmania after loving several holidays there,
but he could understand. However, Peeron was the place he wanted to be, he’d
had a taste of other places and Peeron always called to him.  “But I fly over
at least once a year to see them.”  He smiled.  “They’re actually coming here
for Christmas.”

Mrs Winslow brightened.  “Really? 
I can’t wait to see your Mum again.”

“I better get back to work.  Nice
to see you, Adam.”  Bob started to move away from the counter.

“Wait a minute.”  Adam
straightened.  “I actually came to ask you something.”

Both of them looked quizzically at
him.

“I understand that Barbie Declan
came in to get security lights put up at the old Declan house.  I was just
wondering, has it been done?”

Bob shook his head.  “Not yet.  I
got the order, but then she left for a week.  I’m just waiting for her to
return and contact me.”

“She just got back today.  Maybe
you should give her a ring.”

“I don’t usually chase my clients.”

“She’s a woman alone out there,
Bob.”

A small smile playing around his
mouth, Bob exchanged a look with his wife.  “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?”

Uh-oh
.  Adam’s eyes
narrowed.  No doubt this couple were getting entirely the wrong idea.

Before he could say anything further,
Mrs Winslow reached across the counter to pat his hand.  “Don’t you worry,
sweetie, Bob will get it sorted as soon as he can.”

“I’m not worried-” Adam began.

“Pretty thing like that,” Bob
added.  “Pays to keep her safe, eh?”  He winked.

Jesus
.  “Look, I-”

“Now don’t you worry about a
thing, Adam.”  Mrs Winslow turned and bustled out the door leading to the
storeroom.  “I’ll see check our appointments, see when we can fit your Barbie
in.”

His Barbie?
  “What?  Wait,
I-”

“I’m sure the lights have arrived. 
Don’t you fret, young bloke, I’ll have her sorted out quick as a flash.”  Bob
followed his wife into the storeroom.  “You tell your young lady I won’t be
more than a day or so.”

Not wanting
that
kind of
rumour to start, Adam raised his voice so they could hear him.  “She’s not my
young lady.”

A chuckle greeted him.  “Of course
not.  This is just business.”  Mrs Winslow stuck her head back around the door,
mimed zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key.  Eyes sparkling in
delight, she retreated back into the storeroom.

Well, shit a brick.
 
Knowing any more protests was just going to be fuel to the fire, Adam shook his
head and left the building.

As he got back into the patrol
car, his gaze fell on the yellow slip of paper still sitting on the console. 
While he was at it, he was going to see Barbie, give her his phone numbers,
and, oh yeah, thank her for paying for his lunch.  Least he could do, seeing as
he’d jumped to conclusions once more.

The rate he was going jumping to
conclusions, he’d break a leg soon.  The thorn in his side was somehow becoming
a log to trip over.

Driving up to the old Declan
house, he could see the van belonging to the painting contractor, Henry, parked
near the veranda.  Inside the lounge room window, a big, tattered, black and
white cat with one ear glared at him.  Seconds later he was joined by the big
tabby that Adam had seen on an earlier visit.  The tabby pressed his nose to
the window and eyed him narrowly.

Talk about suspicion, these two
cats had it in spades. Grinning, Adam got out of the car and closed the door
just as Henry appeared with two of his painters, calling over his shoulder as
the security screen swung shut behind him, “We’ll be here bright and early,
Barbie.  Just make sure those two miscreants are locked in a room to give us
free range, and Bruce’ll start scraping that wall paper off in the top
bedrooms.”

Henry spotted him, waved as they
all got into the van and drove off.

Obviously Barbie didn’t know Adam was
here. Straightening from where he’d been leaning against the car door, he
crossed the grassy area to the veranda, coming up onto it just as the door flew
open and a soft, warm, very sweet smelling woman came barrelling out into his
arms with such force that he overbalanced and fell back down the steps, landing
on the grass on his back with Barbie sprawled on top of him.

It jolted the breath from him, and
he lay there, staring up at the late afternoon sky.  It took a few seconds for
him to get his bearings and regain some breath, and then he became aware of
several things at once.

He had a luscious, full-figured
woman on top of him, his thigh was right between hers, nudging a warm, almost hot
mound which he could feel even through the material of his pants, his face was
close to hers, her breath right in his ear, that thick, blonde hair was sliding
across his face, two generous breasts were deliciously pressed against his
chest, and his arm was tight around her waist, holding her to him.

His other hand was flat on her bottom.

Jesus, he was cradling her in
his arms!

No sooner had that thought
cannoned around inside his head than Barbie started struggling.  “Let me up!”

When her elbow smacked him in the
side in her efforts to push up, he relinquished his hold on her waist and
bottom to grab her shoulders, holding her still while easing her up enough that
he could meet her gaze.  “Settle down.”

Normally his stern tone had people
blinking and obeying, but not Barbie.  Bracing her hands on the ground either
side of his head, she snapped, “Listen, you - oh!”

Her hands slid on the grass, he
could tell by the way her arms shot forwards, and then she was flush against
him once more, only this time her mouth was just inches form his, her eyes
gazing down into his, their faces so close it would only take a small lunge up
and-

Unbidden, his shaft jerked, a
singe of fire piercing through him.

Her lips were so soft, the hint of
mint on her breath, her lush curves fitting against him so decadently, nipples
pebbling against his chest.

He’d actually started to move towards
that tempting mouth when she rolled off him fast, the warm weight of her body
leaving his feeling suddenly bereft and cold.

It was enough to bring commonsense
to the fore, and he pushed quickly to his feet at the same precise moment as
she.  He swept his gaze over her, more to ensure that she wasn’t hurt from the
fall than anything else, only to have his gaze lock onto her nipples which
pebbled so mouth-wateringly against the thin material of her gauzy blouse.

God, he could suck those
nipples.  Lick, tongue, tease
.

“What do you want?” she snapped.

His attention went from her
nipples to her face.  Colour filled her cheeks, her eyes snapped fire, those
lush lips were pressed tight.  When she folded her arms beneath her breasts,
those mounds pressed up against the neckline, giving him a mouth-watering view
of her cleavage.

God, the woman had a cleavage that
called to a red-blooded man.  Thing was, she obviously had no idea how much her
lush curves enticed him, and no way in hell was he going to let her know. 
It
doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a physical reaction
.

He had no freakin’ idea just what
was wrong with him, why he was reacting to her like this.

Wait, hang on, he hadn’t actually had
sex for quite a few months, ever since his last girlfriend left town.  That was
it, he liked full-figured women, and Barbie had the body he loved to indulge in
- soft, curvy, all tempting swells and intriguing dips, with secret places that
would clasp a man’s shaft like a slick glove, while he held onto her generous
hips and buried himself inside her, rode her lush body like - yeah, that was
it.

Sucking in a deep breath, more
than aware of his shaft pressing against the front of his pants, Adam swung
away, bracing his hands on his hips as he sought to regain some control.  Damn
it, he’d never lost control before, never forgotten where he was…that he was on
duty, for God’s sake!

Heat was still pooled low in his
loins and he tried to still it, will it down, will it away, will it anywhere
but his shaft.  Now he knew how other men felt when they said they’d allowed
their dicks to rule their heads.  He’d never allowed it, never lost control,
but one accidental collision ending up with a luscious babe on top of him and
his dick was looking to find her snug, warm, wet -
shut the hell up, Adam! 
Bloody focus!

Another deep breath, a third, a
fourth, and he finally felt in control enough to swing around and - face thin
air.

Startled, he glanced around to see
Barbie storming onto the veranda.

“Barbie, wait.”  When she ignored
him, just grabbed the door and started to open it, he took the veranda steps
two at a time and grabbed her arm just as she stepped inside, jerking her to a halt.

She looked coldly down at his hand
on her arm and then back up to his face.  The chill was enough to cool any
lingering heat.  “Want to arrest me?”

“What?”

“What are you going to do?  Slam
me up against a wall?  Cuff me?  Drag me out to the car?”

More like shove her against the
sofa, cuff her, and bend her over -
where was that thought bloody coming from,
damn it?

Needing to break contact before he
lost control again, Adam released her arm, transferring his grip to the door
instead.  “It was an accident, Barbie.  That’s all.”

“Me falling on you, or tipping
food over you?”  She asked sarcastically.