Apprehension (3 page)
Liza had always hated being called princess. It was an old wound for her. In Claremont County where her family owned so much, it had separated her from everyone else. She had always been treated with kid gloves. Until now.
18
APPREHENSION
Thor watched her drive off, as gravel from her spinning tires pelted the bottom of his pants and fat raindrops struck his shoulders and hat. She was a firecracker, that one. Claremont County's own Princess Liza Wright. In the two months since he'd permanently become a citizen of the county, he'd heard stories from his friends about her and her family. The county, a blink between Lowndes and Tallahassee, was almost nonexistent. It wasn't large, but her family owned a lot of it. Her great-grandfather was one of the founders.
Shaking his head, Thor chided himself on his actions. In the eight years he'd been a security force's officer, he'd never mishandled anyone. Whether a traffic violator or a suspect in a crime, he'd never overstepped his boundaries. But with the princess, it was an entirely different story. During their encounter he'd felt on edge, reckless, and untamed.
He couldn't deny that he was attracted to her. Shit, he thought she was sexy as hell. But, she wasn't the first good-looking girl he'd ever been around. He'd had plenty of women passing through town attempting to flirt with him to get out of a ticket. Most showed him a heavy helping of cleavage, while others went as far as pulling their skirts up to an obscene level.
Still, he'd kept his cool in all of those situations.
But with Princess Liza, the more she gave him her brazen attitude the more he wanted to prove to her how bold he could be. When he'd restrained her against the car, he'd known instantly that it was a mistake. He should have never touched her. Feeling her body aligned with his had made him instantly hot and horny. His cock had gone on full alert and he'd wanted to flip up the back of her skirt and take her right there on the side of the road. Feel her wet heat squeezing him tight as he buried himself deep inside of her sweet pussy and drive them both to 19
YVETTE HINES
paradise. Thoughts of showing her a better use for her saucy mouth had flooded his mind.
Sighing, he watched the shine of her taillights disappear as she turned around a bend. The only thing this night has confirmed to him was that he had to keep control of his emotions when he was around her. Now that they lived in the same town, he'd have to remain constantly on guard.
Turning back to his car, Thor adjusted the bulge protruding from the front of his uniform pants, making him uncomfortable as he walked back to his car.
What he'd told Liza had been the truth. These roads weren't safe after dark, especially for a woman alone. During the past month, he'd been assigned to the nine member Rural Area Criminal Enforcement Team, more commonly referred to as the RACE team. They'd arrested several drug traffickers who were attempting to move their wares from Florida to Atlanta, as well as a few young adults who used some of the rural roads for drag-racing. They were increasing the motor vehicle accidents.
The town princess had an annoying habit of getting under his collar, but the last thing he wanted was to see her harmed.
Shaking his head to clear it, he got in his green and blue patrol car to call the station. He had a job to do out here and it wasn't the princess, no matter what his libido was telling him.
* * * *
Zeller had sapped her of any remaining energy.
Slipping off her shoes, she berated herself for allowing him to get under her skin. Since she'd been with him on the side of the road, her body had felt hot and feverish. She would have loved to blame her physical complaints on the rising temperature of the spring change to summer, but she knew that wasn't it. It was Thor. His tall sinewy frame was playing havoc on her senses. Pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it to the floor, Liza continued her progress toward the shower. Her skirt and panties were next. In one swift motion, they met the carpet floor like the rest of her apparel. Padding into the bathroom, her bra was the last thing to drop from her body. Brushing the shower 20
APPREHENSION
curtain aside, she turned on the faucet. She tested the temperature before getting in.
Once under the comfortable stream, her skin rejoiced while the steady flow of water cascaded over her. Sighing, she ducked her head under in an attempt to rinse the day's worries of school and men from her mind. Feeling refreshed, she grabbed her puff and began to lather her body. Suds dripped from the twisted plastic and filled the air with the scent of peaches and melons.
Scrubbing her body in a circular motion, Liza relaxed. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to wander.
The steam filled the room, footsteps could be heard outside
of the shower. Slow progressive beats brought him closer to her.
Her breath quickened in anticipation for the moment he'd join
her. Waiting for him to give her body what it wanted. She didn't
have to wait long.
When she turned and looked over her shoulder, he was
there, entering the shower. She looked into his cobalt eyes and
was lost. Lost in the confidence that this man could bring her
pleasures she'd never known. Allowing her gaze to travel, they
roved past his firm lips and chiseled jaw until they reached his
broad shoulders. Reaching out, she touched them and felt the
heat of his skin. He was on fire just like her body. The desire to
cool him, taste with slow licks, covering him from head to toe
assailed her.
His gaze was intense. No words were needed. He closed the
gap that remained between them. Pulled her into his arms. A
frisson of heat raced down her spine, followed by the descent of
his hands as they glided down her back until they reached her
ass. Cupping her bare cheeks in his hands, he squeezed them.
His throbbing erection pressed into her abdomen, causing
her pussy to throb with the desire to have him deep inside of her.
She wanted him to lift her, impale her on his hard cock and fuck
her until she came pulsing around him.
But he had other plans. With the same speed that had been
performed at the side of the road, he turned her back around to
face the wall. Placing her hands flat against the cold tile, his
voice was husky in her ears, "Don't move."
She couldn't have moved if she'd wanted to. He kept a firm
hold on her hips, restraining her. There was no fear of the
21
YVETTE HINES
situation or of him. The position aroused her. But, those
sensations were tame compared to the searing passion that
assaulted her senses as he pushed her hair aside and began
raining open-mouthed kisses along her shoulders and the sides
of her neck. She began to shiver with pent-up desire. Release.
More than her next breath, she needed it.
"Touch me," she begged. "Please…" She knew there was a
whine to her voice but Liza didn't care. She needed him.
Sealing his lips to her ear, he asked, "Where? Where do you
want me to touch you?"
Reaching back, she made an attempted to grab his hand and
place it where she wanted it. But he evaded her.
Seizing her wrist again, he returned it to the wall.
"Stay," he growled.
Spreading her legs, Liza tilted her ass back, trying to
communicate her need.
"Where?"
That one word and his tongue stroking the outside shell of
her ear was enough to make her reel.
"My pussy. Now. Please," she demanded.
His low chuckle rumbled along her spine as strong hands
circled her waist and slipped between her legs. His agile fingers
parted her aching lips. She almost sighed with relief as he slid
along her juices and made swirling motions around her clit.
The trembling began in her legs, making her aware that her
orgasm was heartbeats away.
His other hand reached up and captured her breast,
massaging and flicking her taut nipple. Liza began to pant as she
realized his cock was sliding down the crease of her ass, joining
his hand in playing with her heated sex.
Slippery, wet and aroused, Liza enjoyed everything he was
doing to her, but she needed more. Rotating her hips along with
his movements, she was prepared to help him get her off.
He had other plans for her. With one of his feet, he nudged
one of hers until her stance had widened. Dropping his hand
from her breast, he wrapped it around her waist to support her
as his other hand joined hers against the wall. The tip of his cock
rested at the opening of her sex, then without a moment of
22
APPREHENSION
further hesitation he thrust forward thick and hard, not stopping
until he had seated himself deep inside of her heat.
Liza screamed as her orgasm overwhelmed her. Shaking and pulsing she leaned against the wall of the shower panting.
Her legs were weak and threatening to collapse as her sex throbbed and contracted in its final spasms of ecstasy around her own fingers. Eyes hazy with lust, she looked around her empty shower. Sadness invaded her heart as she realized it had been a dream, a fantasy of her own making. Thor had not been there pleasing her. Her imagination had played a wicked trick on her.
Righting herself, she rinsed the remaining soap from her body, then turned off the shower and got out. After drying herself briskly with a towel, she collected her clothes from the floor as she entered her bedroom. Depositing them in the dirty laundry basket, she pulled a t-shirt and panties from her dresser and put them on.
Climbing into bed, she told herself that she was not attracted to Officer Zeller, she had just been working herself too hard for school and that was all.
Her sex chose that moment to give her one final flutter of the previous climax, calling her a liar. Squeezing her eyes shut, she ignored her body's response and hoped for a dreamless sleep.
* * * *
Jack moved down the bar until he stood in front her, drying a glass, then placed it on the shelf behind him. "Pretty busy for a Wednesday night." He turned back to her. "But I guess I can attribute it to the high school baseball team playing in the regional championship against Echols."
23
YVETTE HINES
Leaning into the tall polished wood bar, Liza gave him a small smile. "Too bad we didn't win."
Shrugging, Jack said, "Guess we can't win 'em all. What can I get you?"
"Classes are over for now, so I'll take a Bacardi Lemon with 7UP...just for a little celebration."
Jack gave her a quick wink before moving around the back of the counter to mix her drink. Liza observed her old classmate.
She'd known Jack since the third grade when his family had moved into town. They'd attended the first two years of college together, but he left school to join the military. He'd said he needed to do something different for a while that wasn't in Claremont. After four years in the military, he'd come back, opened up the Dirty Dozen bar and married Betty Dixon, his high school sweetheart.
"Here you go, little lady." Jack placed her clear beverage on a small round coaster, which boasted the name of his establishment.
She could see the words, 'Dirty Dozen', magnified at the bottom of the glass. Laughing at the nickname, little lady, her friend had given her in high school after she'd failed to have a growth spurt like the rest of her friends, finally capping out her height of five' six". Rising up on her tiptoes, she reached across the bar and ruffled Jack's short black hair. "Thanks, Jackie boy."
Reaching into her purse for money, she was stopped by Jack's voice.
"No need to pay. It's my gift to you, little lady. Congrats on another semester ended." Grinning at her, he continued, "But, don't get beside yourself. It's only the first one that's on the house."
"Jackie boy, you know I only ever drink one."
He nodded. "That's right, college girl, and you keep it that way."
Returning his earlier wink, she strutted away from the bar to join Stephanie, who looked as if any moment she'd come over to the bar and get her.
"Well, it's about time you got over here, Liza. I thought I was goin' to have to drag you away from the bar," Stephanie reprimanded from her perch on Wyatt McCall's lap. Wyatt was a 24
APPREHENSION
surgical assistant in Tallahassee and by the looks of it, Stephanie's new boy-toy.
Liza shook her head at her girlfriend's antics and wondered how long this relationship would last before Stephanie resumed her pursuit of her brother Robert. Her best friend had been after Robert since her brother had graduated college and went on to law school. But, Robert was doing an excellent job of playing hard to get. He hadn't seriously dated anyone since college, which was usually a topic of discussion at Sunday afternoon family dinners.
"I was just chatting with Jack for a moment." Liza glanced around the booth, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to squeeze in around all the men at the table. "Evenin' Dale, Wyatt, Harvey, Steve."