The Bribe (Calamity Montana)

DUKE EVANS WAS as addictive as hot stage lights and a silky, Southern twang.

He’d almost kissed me. And I’d almost let him. I’d find a way to get over this bribe issue if it meant indulging my crush on the local sheriff. Sure, things would get awkward when I brought him a wad of cash. After all, maybe the reason he’d almost kissed me was for the money.

The woman who hadn’t been kissed in a long, long time didn’t care.

“What’s your plan for the rest of the day?” Duke asked as he drove toward the farmhouse. He rolled down the windows and the breeze tousled the long strands of hair that had escaped his hat.

“Not much. I’ve been on a baking spree.”

“What’d you make?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.

Duke drove with one hand on the wheel while his other arm was propped on the console between us. I hadn’t really noticed a man’s driving posture before, but as with everything Duke, the should-have-been-mundane details jumped out at me like fireworks. His entire demeanor shouted confidence. He was so relaxed in his skin and sexy as hell. The man was driving and I was practically drooling.

He glanced over and raised an eyebrow. Right. He’d asked me a question.

I faced forward and unscrambled my brain. “Cookies. Cinnamon rolls. Banana muffins.”

“You’ve been busy.”

“There’s not much else for me to do. Going from a hare’s speed to turtle pace has been an adjustment. At this point, I’m searching for things to do. Hence the running this morning.”

“My mom’s a teacher. She always says it takes her a couple of weeks every summer to slow down and transition from kid wrangler to domestic goddess.” He reached into the cupholder and plucked out a packet of gum. “Want one?”

“Sure.” I unfolded the wrapper and popped the sweet mint stick into my mouth as he did the same, then I opened my mouth to say something and . . . whoa.

We were rolling through a different neighborhood than the one I’d walked through, but instead of staring at the homes and getting my bearings, my attention was locked on the bob of Duke’s Adam’s apple and the flex of his strong, square jaw.

I bet he had a talented tongue. My experience with men was relatively limited—fame was a jealous lover and wanted nothing more than your undivided attention—but if a man could chew gum like that, I bet his tongue knew its way around a woman’s lips.

And other places.

I gulped as a curl of lust tightened in my lower belly. It was impossible to ignore or stifle being in this truck, surrounded by his spicy sandalwood scent.

Duke turned onto First Street and the quiet sidewalks from earlier were now teeming with people. The once empty parking spaces were full. I pulled the brim of my hat a little lower and slumped in my seat. Every tourist in Calamity seemed to be out exploring this morning, and riding in Duke’s police truck drew attention.

Maybe I should have insisted on walking.

“Don’t worry.” He glanced over. “At least you’re not in the backseat wearing cuffs.”

I rolled my eyes and fought a laugh as I looked over my shoulder through the clear partition. This was my first time in a police vehicle. There was a laptop between us, the lid closed, and a radio that had a constantly blinking green light. Beneath it was an array of buttons and switches that I assumed controlled the siren and the lights on the roof.

My fingers itched to touch one of them, so I tucked my hands beneath my thighs, keeping my chin down as Duke drove down First.

“Do you know how Calamity got its name?” he asked.

“No. I just assumed it was from Calamity Jane.”

“Well, she did live around here as a kid, but that’s not where the town got its name. Calamity was originally called Panner City.”

“Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.” It definitely wouldn’t have piqued my interest during those hours of internet searching for a hideaway.

“No, it doesn’t.” Duke chuckled. If this conversation was to ease my concerns, it was working. “It was started as a settlement during the Montana gold rush and by 1864, almost three thousand miners lived in the area.”

I twisted in my seat, fascinated by the story. “More than live here today.”

“You’ve done some research.”

“A little.” But not enough to have read this story.

“In the course of five months, four disasters struck Panner City. First, the mine collapsed in Anders Gulch and killed a dozen men. Then there was a heavy spring storm that flooded the area and washed out most of the smaller panning sites and claims. Then there was a fire that spread through town. And last but not least, they had a late-summer lightning storm. It caused a herd of cattle to have an honest-to-God stampede through the settlement. All in the span of five months.”

“Wow.”

He grinned. “Goodbye, Panner City.”

“Hello, Calamity.” I laughed. “Why don’t they have that story on the town website?”

“The chamber thought it might send the wrong impression. That if tourists came here, they were risking their lives.”

Silly. That story made this place even more rugged and attractive, like the narrator himself. “Thanks for telling me.”

Duke looked over and his blue eyes ensnared me. “Welcome.”

Whatever worry I’d had about being recognized had disappeared but as Duke pulled off the highway and onto my gravel road, a new thrill took hold and my stomach did a cartwheel. It was just the two of us. Alone. After he’d almost kissed me.

Should I invite him inside? Would he drop me off and leave? The dull throb in my core begged for the latter. An invitation. Inside.

My face flamed. Today had to be a record for dirty thoughts. I blamed Duke for being so potent. Being around him was exhilarating and tense. It was reckless for me to be thirsting for the one person in town who knew my real identity, the person I’d bribed into silence, but my body didn’t care.

Neither did my heart of hearts.

Besides the bribe, Duke was honest and kind. He didn’t seem to care about my fame or fortune and hadn’t once tried to exploit me for more. Most assholes would have rejected my initial offer and asked for double.

But Duke hadn’t mentioned the money, had he? Why was that? Wouldn’t he want to know when it was payday? The only one who kept bringing it up in our conversations was me. Huh.

The driveway was empty when he pulled in front of the farmhouse, because I’d started parking in the garage. Duke had barely come to a stop when I blurted, “Want to come inside for a muffin?”

He hesitated, staring past me to the house. My heart was in my throat as he silently debated my question. We both knew if he came inside, there’d be no more almost about any kiss. Duke finally answered by shoving the truck into park and twisting the key out of the ignition.

My mind was spinning as I hopped out. Anticipation hummed in my veins as I climbed the porch steps.

Duke wasn’t far behind as I walked to the door and took the key from the small pocket in my leggings. His gaze burned a hot trail down my neck. The magnitude of his presence pinned me in place. There was no ignoring a man like Duke, not when he was within touching distance.

I fumbled the key before it finally slid into the lock. I flicked my wrist and turned the knob, only to get a whiff of myself in the process.

Oh. My. God. I smelled like wet dog and seaweed.

The door bounced against the stop as I flung it open, practically leaping over the threshold, anything to put some space between me and Duke. Why hadn’t I thought this through? I’d almost let this gorgeous, delicious man kiss me when I was a hot mess.

“Can I have ten minutes?” I asked, already racing up the stairs. “Just . . . make yourself at home. I’ll be right back. Ten minutes.” Twenty, max. I’d never taken a ten-minute shower in my life but damn it, today would be that day. My legs had renewed strength as I pounded up the stairs. “Muffins are in the kitchen!” I called over my shoulder, rounding the railing.

I stripped off my tank top, stiff with dried sweat, and threw it on my bed as I dashed through the bedroom. I ducked my nose to my armpit and gagged. Oh hell, what if Duke had smelled me in his truck? Was that why he’d rolled the windows down?

Shit. I collapsed on the bed, rumpling the bedding that I’d artfully made this morning, as I shoved off my leggings and kicked off my shoes. Naked, I balled up my smelly clothes, tossed them in the hamper in the closet, then hurried to the en suite bathroom.

The water in this old house took minutes to warm but I cranked it on and stepped under the cold spray, wincing and swallowing a yelp. I shampooed with fury. I conditioned haphazardly. I soaped up my shower poof and scrubbed until I no longer smelled like a man’s dirty jockstrap.

I toweled off, dragged a comb through my hair and twisted it into a dripping knot. I didn’t give much thought to my clothes as I slipped on a pair of denim shorts and a green tee over my favorite neon-yellow panties and matching bra.

Duke was in the living room, staring out the front window at the blue mountains in the distance, when I came downstairs.

“Sorry,” I said, sweeping into the room on bare feet.

“No problem.” Duke shifted away from the window and nodded to the room. The couch that used to face the window was now opposite the fireplace. I’d swapped it with the chairs and moved the coffee table to a different angle. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”

“More like desperate for entertainment.”

I’d rearranged almost every room in the farmhouse, choosing layouts that suited me best. Or that were just different for the sake of something different. Besides baking, rearranging had been my favorite pastime.

Duke grinned and his eyes held me captive. They were bluer than normal with the daylight streaming into the room. Two cerulean pools that I wanted to dive into headfirst.

Neither of us spoke. Neither of us moved. The tension grew thick and the air in the room heavy.

Maybe the fact that I’d been upstairs, naked, was the reason Duke seemed rooted on the other side of the room. Maybe I should have spent another minute in the shower thinking this through.

Except the last thing I wanted was to think. The past week, all I’d done was overthink. I’d questioned my every move.

Had running been the answer? Was I a coward for leaving Nashville?

Insecurity had been slicing through my thoughts regularly and it had taken all my energy to not let it shred me to ribbons.

Had I been too harsh? Was there something I could have done to save Meghan?

Her smile had flashed in my mind countless times in the past four weeks. Her laugh echoed in the farmhouse on the still nights. The sight of her lifeless body soaking in a pool of her own blood haunted my dreams.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to ask her why.

But she was gone.

“Lucy.” Duke’s voice caught my attention and I shook myself out of my head.

“Yeah?”

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing.” I waved it off and smiled. “Sorry. I think I’m still a little lightheaded from that run. So how about that muffin?”

“Actually, I think we’d better skip the muffin. How about we sit down and talk about the reason you left Nashville and changed your name?”

“But—”

“Lucy.” He used the same tone on me that he had on Travis. “Sit down.”

I groaned. “It’s been such a nice morning. Let’s not ruin it. Please.”

He fisted his hands on his hips. “Lu—”

“You took the bribe. You agreed to keep my secret. So can we just drop this? Whether I tell you my story or not, you’ll still get your money.” The words sounded trite and repetitive. I cringed, regretting my outburst instantly as his face turned to stone.

Duke strode out of the room, blowing past me on his way to the door. “Good luck, Ms. Ross.”

Damn it. What was my problem? “Wait,” I said, my throat hoarse.

The door flew open and Duke stepped onto the porch, not slowing.

“Wait.” I raced after him. “Please.”

He stopped and turned his cheek, giving me one ear and maybe five seconds. The silhouette of his body took up nearly the whole doorframe.

“I’m sorry. That was . . . I’m sorry.”

If he left today and never returned, I wouldn’t fault him. What gorgeous, devilishly sexy, single man needed my kind of drama in his life? Especially when I kept reminding him of that insane bribe.

It was only money. I had plenty to spare. Maybe Duke wanted to use the cash for Travis’s college education. Maybe he was hoping to help fund his parents’ retirement. Maybe—

“I don’t want the money.” He shook his head and turned. “I was never going to take it. Should have told you no from the start.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’m not taking your bribe.”

No. My heart plummeted and my mouth went dry as panic set in. “I can get more money. I just need some time. Please, please don’t tell—”

“For fuck’s sake, Lucy. I don’t want your goddamn money. I’m not going to tell anyone who you really are, just because you asked me not to.”

I gulped and dropped the hands that had been flailing in the air. “You aren’t?”

“No.”

“But . . .” This seemed too good to be true. “But why did you agree to the bribe?”

“Because I need to know why you’re here. I need to know what I’m dealing with. For your safety. For the town. For me. The easiest way to keep you from slamming the door in my face was to make you think you owed me something. Figured you’d be more willing to talk if I was on the hook. Turns out, you just keep throwing it in my face.”

“You don’t want the money.”

“No.” His jaw clenched. “For the last time, I don’t want your fucking money.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s not how the world works.”

“Maybe.” He sighed. “But this is Calamity.”

A world of its own. A world where good men existed. Where I wouldn’t be exploited or betrayed or despised.

The knot in my stomach unraveled. My heart soared.

Duke was the quintessential, unprecedented good man. I’d been denying it, scared to trust in his decency. But deep in my heart, maybe I’d already known the truth.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded. “Take care, Lucy.”

I was surprised when he left, but it still hurt to watch him descend the porch steps.

The urge to cry nearly drove me to my knees but I put a hand on the wall and held fast, then bit the inside of my lip to keep the tears at bay.

I’d lost Duke. I’d lost someone I hadn’t even had, and fuck, I was tired of losing people.

This time, I couldn’t blame a drunk driver or a razor-sharp kitchen knife.

This loss was on me.

“Actually . . .” Duke stopped on the bottom stair.

I blinked my eyes clear, pushing off the wall. “Yeah?”

“I do want something.” He spun and stalked up the stairs, each step deliberate. He pinned me with his piercing gaze as he crossed the porch.

My breath was lodged in my chest. When he stood before me, I tipped my chin up to hold his eyes. I was frozen, unable to contemplate what this meant as he leaned in so closely that his nose was inches from mine.

“I want something.” His whisper caressed my cheek.

“What?” Me. Let the answer be me.

“A kiss.”

My knees wobbled.

Duke lifted his hand to my cheek. “You gonna stop me?”

“No.”

He flashed me a smile before dropping his lips to mine, stealing my senses with the touch of his soft lips.

Duke’s kiss was firm. Steady. Then his tongue licked the seam of my lips and we melted into one another. I opened for him and let him sweep inside as his arms banded around my shoulders.

My hands ran up his torso, skimming over the soft cotton of his T-shirt to feel the hard, rippled grooves of his stomach. I stretched up onto my toes as my hands ran up the wide and solid plane of his chest. Our tongues tangled and I looped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer as his hold on me tightened.

Duke was a wall of muscle, a tower of strength. He held me at his mercy.

He tasted like man and spice mixed with the sweet, cool mint of his gum. My heart thundered in my chest as he devoured me, leaving no corner of my mouth untouched. The strength of his arms was a marvel. He held me effortlessly, my toes dangling above the wooden boards of the porch.

A hum came from deep in Duke’s chest and the vibration pebbled my nipples.

I tightened my grip on his neck and wove my fingers into the short strands of hair at his nape. The kiss took on a whole new heat as he angled his head to dive deeper. I nipped at the corner of his lip. He fluttered his tongue against mine, a move I wanted to feel against the swell of my breast. Against the swollen bud between my legs.

I’d underestimated Duke. The spark between us hadn’t just been a sizzle. It was a raging wildfire that was going to incinerate, not singe. At the moment, I didn’t care how dangerous this might be. I was too consumed by the blinding need for more.

Duke growled against my mouth. His arousal was thick and heavy where it pressed into my hip.

More.

But instead of hauling me inside and using that tongue on my naked skin, he tore his mouth away. I didn’t loosen my hold and his arms stayed tight at my back. He held me, my toes still off the floor, staring into my eyes as we both panted.

His gaze darted to my swollen, wet lips and his jaw ticked. Was that a good tick? Bad? I’d have to spend more time around Duke to figure out how to read them. I was willing to put in the time, especially if at the end of our conversations he kissed me like this.

The corner of my mouth turned up. “Not bad, Sheriff.”

“Hope that earned me your vote in the next election,” he teased.

I giggled as he set me on my feet.

Duke held on to my elbow until I steadied my legs, then he ran his thumb over my bottom lip.

I waited for another kiss but he sucked in a deep breath, took one step away, then turned and jogged down the steps before I had a chance to object.

“What? That’s it?”

He kept moving. “No, that’s not it.”

“Then where are you going?” I walked to the top stair and put my hands on my hips.

“Think it’s better if I leave now,” he said, reaching his truck.

Seriously? “But you didn’t get a muffin.”

Lust flared in his gaze and his feet stopped. He dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Then he looked at me like it was torture to walk away.

Good. It was torture to watch.

“If I step inside that house again . . .” He didn’t need to finish that sentence.

If he stepped inside this house, everything would change.

There’d be no more guarding my secrets. Or my heart.

“Come inside, Duke.”

His eyes darkened at the sound of his name. He stalked up the stairs until he stood in my space, one step lower so we were closer to eye level. “You sure?”

Was I? This was out of character for me. I’d met Duke just one week ago—he was practically a stranger. I didn’t have sex with strangers.

He ran a hand up the bare skin of my forearm. His tongue darted out, pink and hot and my mouth watered, desperate for a longer taste.

The breeze caught Duke’s scent, dragging it to my nostrils and forcing me to take a long breath. I wanted that smell on my sheets.

So I shut off my brain, shoved my nerves aside to fist the hem of Duke’s T-shirt.

And dragged him inside.