Animal Attraction. Maisey Yates

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СКАЧАТЬ studied him in silence before finally shrugging. “I guess I can rustle you up something.” She went behind the counter, stepped into her flip-flops and headed out a side door. “Make yourself at home.”

      Instead, Shohn followed her. “Where are we going?”

      Nadine froze then slowly looked over her shoulder at him. “I’m going to get you food. You’re going back to Animal House to wait.”

      No, he wasn’t. He wanted to stick close to her, to figure out this sudden urge to...do things to her.

      Sexual things.

      Hot, nasty, possessive things.

      Looking beyond her in the direction she’d headed, he realized that the small outbuilding could be her home. “You live here?”

      A dozen different lies showed in her big brown eyes. “Um...”

      Screw it, Shohn thought. If she already considered him an irredeemable reprobate, he may as well quit trying to be polite. “Forget I asked.” Pulling his khaki uniform shirt from his cargo military-style pants, he started toward the building without her.

      Scandalized, she asked in a rush, “What are you doing?”

      “I need to cool down.” He unbuttoned the shirt as he went. On the side of the small building was a garden hose left uncoiled in the grass. Between the temps and the direction of his thoughts, he needed a douse of cold water in a bad way.

      “Wait a minute!” He heard her hustling along behind him. “You can’t do that!”

      He didn’t slow. “Sure I can.” He shrugged the shirt off and hung it over the limb of a tree. “I’ll be careful not to soak my weapons.”

      Nadine stopped dead in her tracks.

      Sitting on the ground, aware of her consuming stare, Shohn pulled up a foot and removed his boot. As he peeled off a sock, he glanced up at Nadine.

      She just stood there, one hand on her tummy, the other at her throat.

      Liking how she stared so fixedly at his chest, he smiled to himself. “Don’t get too close. I have sweaty...everything. But especially my feet.” He tugged off the other boot. “Some kid got stuck out on a rock in a stream today. I had to wade out and get him. In this heat, my pants dried, but my socks? Not so much. My feet have been swimming for over an hour now.” He rolled up his pants legs.

      Nadine hadn’t moved.

      “Also had a lady slide down a ravine into a patch of poison ivy. And some bozo misplaced his car. Couldn’t remember which lot he parked in before taking the expert trail up into the woods.” Shohn shook his head. “I swear, sometimes it’s a wonder the human race survives.”

      Because Nadine still stood there, mute and bug-eyed, he decided to tease her. Rising up to his feet, he reached for his belt buckle.

      She gasped so hard, it took her back a step.

      Shohn laughed. “Forget it, woman. I’m not stripping down for you, no matter how hard you stare.”

      She sputtered, turned, turned again and with a distinct, “Argh!” marched past him toward her small house.

      Shohn called after her, “I’m going to use your hose to cool off while you fix me something to eat.”

      “Drown yourself for all I care!” Her screen door slammed.

      In slow-mo, the grin spread until Shohn had to laugh aloud. Yeah, he had Nadine figured out now. She wanted him. Maybe not as much as he suddenly wanted her, but probably enough.

      Nothing else made any sense. He wasn’t an unlikable guy. Shoot, everyone liked him.

      And not to be vain, but he wasn’t an ogre, either. As a ranger, he stayed fit. Had to, what with the possibility of getting stuck in the woods, having to climb mountains, swim streams...hell, he was almost like Superman, if Superman had to hang in the Kentucky hills.

      He wasn’t dumb. He’d breezed through college even while having his fair share of fun. Right out of school he’d worked as a deputy for a year, and then signed on with the park rangers.

      He came from a great family. His dad was the most popular doctor in the county, his uncle Jordan the most respected vet. After many years serving as the sheriff, his uncle Morgan was now the mayor, and Uncle Gabe was a jack-of-all-trades who at one time or another had fixed something for everyone in Buckhorn County. Casey, his older brother, had a successful financial consulting firm.

      And he was nice. Everyone in Buckhorn told him so, but especially everyone female. He smiled easily, enjoyed laughing, helped others when he could. And yeah, he was successful with the ladies. He paid attention, pampered them, made sure they enjoyed sex as much as he did...why wouldn’t Nadine want him?

      She could protest all day long, but they had some explosive newfound chemistry going on, and he for one planned to explore it.

      The sooner the better.

      Bending forward, Shohn opened the hose over his head. The water was tepid at first, warmed from the hose’s position in the sun. By the time he rinsed his arms and feet, it had cooled. He didn’t want to soak his pants, his gun, stun baton or radio, so he only splashed his chest.

      He’d just finished using his shirt to dry off when his phone beeped. He took it out to see a message from Amber. Called and left Nadine a message. Thx!

      So he could leave now. Only...he didn’t want to. Not yet. Knowing he wouldn’t mention the message to Nadine, he texted back, Drive careful, and put the phone back in his pocket.

      Now somewhat refreshed, Shohn finger-combed his hair back, folded his shirt and put it with his socks and boots on her front porch, and peered in through her screen door.

      He had a clear view from the small living room straight into the kitchen—where Nadine was bent at the waist, getting something from a bottom cabinet.

      Lord have mercy.

      That heart-shaped ass offered such a nice invitation.

      Two things happened: his exhaustion evaporated, and Nadine moved up to the top of his list.

      Shohn said softly, “Knock, knock,” and opened the door to step in.

      * * *

      Startled, Nadine straightened in a rush, the fresh buns squeezed to her chest. She twisted around to face the door, and stalled.

      Shohn was in her house.

      Every scrumptious inch of him. Shirtless. Barefoot.

      Looking at her as if she was the meal.

      Be still my heart.

      He really had rinsed off, leaving his inky-black hair damp and pushed away from his forehead. Water droplets clung to his wide, tanned shoulders, then trailed down over his chest and into that crisp chest hair.

      Lucky little water droplets.

      A СКАЧАТЬ