voice, light and teasing. A matching grin curved her full, just-kissed lips.
“Why wait?” He took her mouth in a devouring kiss, his hands cupping her face. Everything inside him seemed to click into place. This was what he wanted, what he’d been searching for without even realizing a piece of him had been missing.
Lifting his lips from hers, he trailed a line of kisses along her throat. Beth tipped her head to the side, her eyes sliding closed, and she tangled a hand in his hair. He worked his way back to her lips, devouring them, and deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. He drew his mouth along the skin under her ear, and down her neck, over her collarbone. Her skin was soft, silken, and perfect beneath his lips.
“Brody…” The words were a plea for more and he’d gladly give it. Give in to the desire rocketing through him. Make love to her until—
“Brody, you and Beth come in. Time for supper.” Ms. Patti’s voice broke them apart, and Beth stepped back, giggling like a schoolgirl who’d been caught doing something naughty. Her hands slapped across her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.
“Momma’s timing could use a little work. Though she’s right, we shouldn’t be outside too long. Not with your ex still out there. It’s not safe.”
Beth leaned her head against his shoulder. “I always feel safe with you, Brody. We probably should go in, though. Thank you for sharing this beautiful place with me.”
“My pleasure. All of it.” In the glow of the twinkle lights, he watched pink suffuse her cheeks, knew she got the double entendre. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“I think I’d like that.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Evan pulled the stolen car onto a dirt-and-rock encrusted path, barely visible road out in the middle of nowhere. He’d been avoiding anywhere people might be around, knowing his face was probably plastered all over the news. Anybody owning a television must’ve seen his mugshot by now. Between TV, the internet, and social media these days, he’d be lucky to stay off the grid for any length of time. He hoped it would be long enough to finish what he needed to do.
He’d wandered through a couple of suburban backyards, definitely well outside the outskirts of town, where houses weren’t close together, spotting a few snot-nosed kids playing behind fences. But then again, he hadn’t seen a lot of fences in this Podunk small town. Guess people didn’t crave the privacy like the bigger cities. Not his cup of tea; he’d much rather live it up with loud music, wild nightlife, big cities, with bars, and lots of liquor. Maybe a couple of hookers. Prison had severely restricted his access to female companionship.
People must be more trusting in Middle America too, because he’d discovered a whole lot of unlocked back doors while he’d been snooping around, scouting Beth’s location. He’d managed to enter a couple of houses without being spotted, grabbed clean clothes and food. Who’d have figured he’d turn into a halfway decent thief?
Too bad Beth hadn’t been where she was supposed to be. He’d kept watch over the address of the apartment he’d been given, but he hadn’t spotted her or his daughter. But his luck turned when a woman in a rusty older compact sedan pulled in and started unloading groceries. The idiot obviously didn’t know a thing about the cardinal rule—never leave your keys in the ignition. Of course, he benefitted from her mistake, because he didn’t have a clue how to hotwire a car. Not a skill set he’d ever thought he’d need. When she’d foolishly walked toward the building’s entrance, he sprinted across the parking lot, slid behind the wheel, and sped away, easy-peasy.
Where is Beth?
He drove as far as he could down the barely negotiable path, needing to get off the road for a while. By now, the woman had probably reported her car stolen, and the last thing he needed was to be pulled over by the cops.
Especially that lousy sheriff, Rafe Boudreau. Oh yeah, he had a score to settle with the good sheriff. He was top three on his list, along with his brother. He couldn’t comprehend what Tessa saw in the sheriff, with his cornpone, aw shucks personality.
Grabbing a couple of branches off the ground, he stacked them around the rear bumper of the car, obscuring it from view as best he could with the leaves mostly brown and brittle. They blended right in with