Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle - Serve & Protect 02 - One Night of Paradise Read online

  Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle - Serve & Protect 02 - One Night of Paradise

  One Night of Paradise

  Copyright© 2006 Anna Leigh Keaton

  ISBN: 1-60088-043-6

  Cover Artist: Sable Grey

  Editor: Melanie Noto

  Excerpt from Five Alarm Neighbor by Anna Leigh Keaton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Cobblestone Press, LLC

  www.cobblestone-press.com

  Chapter One

  “Hey there, beautiful.”

  Carol swung around at the sound of the deep male voice. Her eyes widened at the man who’d slipped onto the barstool adjacent to hers.

  “Hi,” she replied, cringing inside.

  Mid-forties, balding, and he had a big nose. She wanted to groan. This was the fourth one so far, and she was getting discouraged. She’d come to Darby’s for one reason and one reason only, and it didn’t include the smarmy middle-aged men who’d been hitting on her for the last two hours.

  “My name’s Henry,” he slurred. “What’s yours, honey?”

  “Kim,” she answered quickly, leaning back slightly to avoid his bourbon-laced tobacco breath. The lie was coming more easily now, after she’d stumbled over it the first couple of times.

  The man’s gaze roamed over her breasts. She shivered in disgust, practically feeling his lascivious thoughts.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked.

  “They don’t drink much.” She dropped the pleasant smile she’d tried to keep plastered on her red painted lips.

  The man’s watery, pale brown eyes snapped up to hers. “I, uh—”

  “I’m sorry, Henry, but I’m waiting for someone.” She wasn’t very good at this. Sure, she’d read a few books she’d never admit to buying about attracting a man. Yet she wasn’t getting men, she was getting flies. Short, balding flies. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe Gracie was right. Besides, she didn’t want just any man, she wanted one in particular. She took a quick glance around the pub. Where is he, anyway?

  “Yeah, sure.” Henry slid off the barstool and ambled away none too steadily. He didn’t seem too upset as he sat down next to a pretty, petite brunette at the other end of the bar.

  Yeah, maybe Gracie had been right. Carol drained the last of her white wine spritzer and motioned the bartender to bring her another. As she laid the money on the bar, she checked her watch. Another hour was almost up. Time to check in. Two hours, four losers. No Detective Taggert. This night was not going well at all.

  She pulled Gracie’s cell phone from her purse and pushed the speed dial numbers, as Gracie had instructed her to do.

  “Carol, where are you?” Gracie said in way of greeting after only the first ring.

  “Hi Grace. Still here. No go so far.” She glanced around the bar again, dejection weighing her shoulders. He came in here every Friday night between seven and eight. It was now going on nine-thirty and he still hadn’t shown.

  “Time to give up,” Gracie said a bit too cheerfully. “Bret, Keith and Toby are here. Why don’t you come on over? We’re making chocolate malts and watching a movie.” Bret, Keith and Toby were firefighters who worked with Gracie’s husband, Steve.

  “No. I’ll call you in an hour.” Carol hung up the phone before Gracie could say another word. No way was she going to go to Gracie’s, show up in front of all those men, looking the way she did. She didn’t even want Gracie to know what she’d done to herself. This was not her. Tonight she was someone else. A seductress. And darn it, she wasn’t going to leave until she had what she’d come for! If the object of her lust would please just show up like he was supposed to—

  The door opened and two men came in laughing. “Oh, my,” Carol whispered on a breath. Her tummy made a little dip and tingles raced down her arms.

  Detective Liam Taggert. The sexiest father of any student at Cooper Valley High School.

  Carol thought she might be sick.

  * * * * *

  Tagg slipped into the booth with a huge grin and adrenaline coursing through his veins three hours after the takedown. “Did you see Thompson’s face when we hauled Richardo in? Damn, that felt good!”

  Paul Jensen returned Tagg’s grin. “Oh yeah, after the crap Thompson gave us about finding him, that made my day. Hell, it made my year.”

  Tagg ordered two beers for them when the voluptuous redheaded waitress came to take their orders. “You think the charges will stick?” They’d been after this guy for so long, if something went wrong now...there went several months’ worth of work.

  “Hell yeah! There was enough dope in that apartment to stoke all of Cooper Valley for a month.”

  “He’s gotten off before,” Tagg reminded him.

  The waitress returned with their beers and Tagg gave her a bill, telling her to keep the change. She batted her big green eyes and smiled. He gave her a wink and wondered if he should ask what she was doing after she got off work. He couldn’t help but admire the way her well-rounded backside clad in painted on black jeans swayed as she walked away.

  Paul cleared his throat. “You‘re feeling good tonight, aren’t you?”

  Tagg took a slug of his beer and grinned. “Why not? We got the bad guy. He might not be at the top of the food chain, but he’s bigger than the others we’ve been tagging for weeks.”

  “I was referring to you hitting on the waitress. Haven’t seen you do that in forever.”

  “Yeah, well.” Tagg took another drink. It had been a long time. A damn long time. And he was in a damn good mood tonight. Maybe...

  “Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Paul rushed to say. “You and Janice have been divorced for over two years. It’s about time you got back in the saddle.”

  “Nice wording.” Tagg set his bottle on the table. “I’m not exactly one to pick up chicks in a bar.”

  “You’re not exactly one to pick up chicks anywhere.” Paul flicked several strands of hair off his forehead. “How long’s it been?”

  “You need a haircut.”

  “Tagg,” Paul said with a grin. “Are you telling me you haven’t had a woman since Janice?”

  Tagg rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass. I said no such thing.”

  “Oh my God, man!” Paul burst out in hysterical laughter.

  Tagg couldn’t help but chuckle, even if he wanted to kick his partner under the table. Paul was two years younger than Tagg’s thirty-seven, and as randy as any teenager he’d ever met. The man went through women as often as he changed his underwear. Tagg, on the other hand, had been a quiet bachelor for over two years. Ever since the day he’d come home to find his wife in bed with a meter maid. And to top it all off, the guys at the station got wind of it.

  “All right, all right.” Paul’s fit was almost through as he raised his beer to his lips. “So, Janice screwed you up so bad that you can’t even sleep with women? Damn, Tagg, if I’d come home to my wife in bed with another woman... Well, let’s just say—”

  “I think I’ve heard about enough from you. You’ll never get married anyway, so you’ll have no idea what it’s like.” He had a hard time feeling anger over Janice’s defection any longer. Their marriage had never been great. He’d known she wasn’t happy, even though he’d done everything he could for her. A giant light bulb had gone on over his head when he saw what made her happy, but it had nearly killed him. He’
d loved her since high school.

  But that was over and done with. He’d moved on, even if he was still alone. Besides, Billy needed at least one stable parent.

  “Tagg, get laid.”

  He raised his eyebrow at Paul. “I’m assuming you mean that in the literal sense and you didn’t just tell me—”

  Paul burst out laughing again, and he shook his head. It must be nice to be as happy as Paul, to not have a care in the world besides his job. And he was a damn good detective. They’d been partners for over five years and there wasn’t anyone in the world Tagg trusted more.

  The waitress came back to the table with another beer on the tray and set it in front of Tagg. “From the blonde at the bar. She said she’d like you to come over and talk to her.”

  He turned in his seat to see the woman to whom the waitress referred.

  Their gazes locked, and all his blood rushed from his brain to his crotch in the time it took him to draw his next breath. She was the most incredibly sexy woman he’d ever seen. His face heated and his body’s instant, hard, reaction was something he hadn’t felt in years.

  Where had she come from? He was sure he’d never seen her in here before. Anyone that looked like her couldn’t go unnoticed, not even by an idiot like him.

  Small feet encased in black stiletto heels were propped on the bottom rung of the barstool. Long, slender legs, bare to mid-thigh where her short, tight, black dress started. Flared hips, flat stomach, and perky little breasts. Her bare shoulders looked creamy and soft. And her face...holy shit.

  He pictured her naked in the center of his king-sized bed, all that wavy blonde hair spread out over his pillows. His cock throbbed and he gripped his beer bottle tighter. He couldn’t tell the color of those big, almond shaped eyes, but they were trained on him.

  “That’s one fine babe,” Paul said.

  “She’s mine.”

  “What? Hell, no. You can’t start at the top after so long in the desert. You’ll hurt yourself, man. Let me take that one for you, and you can…well. Check out that brunette over at the end of the bar. She’s more your speed.”

  Pulling his gaze from the stunning blonde, he turned to Paul. “You just told me to get laid, and I think I’m gonna take you up on that suggestion.” With that, he picked up his beer. “See you Monday morning.” After giving his friend a little salute, he headed toward the bar.

  Chapter Two

  Oh no, oh no, oh no, he’s really coming over here.

  Carol gripped her glass so hard her newly applied acrylic nails felt as if they might snap off. Detective Taggert couldn’t be coming over here, she thought. She glanced at the people around her, but there weren’t any other women perched on the row of barstools. He was coming to her.

  Carol’s face heated for the second time in as many minutes. The look he’d given her from his table had made her blood sizzle from the purely masculine once-over he’d given her. She’d come to the pub for him, sat here for two hours waiting, but she never thought she’d really get the chance to talk to him. Never believed her lame come-on of sending him a beer would work.

  He’s Billy’s dad, she reminded herself. Just another parent. But I’m not a librarian tonight, she wanted to scream. She spun around to face the bar so fast she almost slid off the slippery vinyl stool. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been in love with Liam Taggert since the first time she laid eyes on him at the meet and greet for parents and students last spring.

  “Hi,” Tagg said as he slid onto the stool next to her. “Can I buy you a drink?”

  Breathe, darn it! She caught her reflection in the mirror behind the bar and began to calm. She could do this. She could. She would.

  Oh, God, it’s Detective Taggert.

  She clenched her thighs together, forcing all the steamy, late-night fantasies she’d had about him from her mind.

  “Hi.” She glanced sideways at him from under her lashes, trying to act demure like those blasted books had instructed. “Sure.”

  “I’m Liam Taggert.” He extended his hand toward her.

  Carol glanced at his hand then back to his face. She almost said, “I know,” but caught herself. “Ca—Kim, Kim Barnes.” She put her hand in his. As his big, callused hand engulfed hers, her mouth went dry—and every erotic image she’d ever imagined flashed through her mind. Ever naughty delight she’d dreamed of his hands inflicting on her hungry flesh.

  Her heartbeat sped to triple time. Her tummy tickled and heat crept up her neck. She couldn’t even contemplate what was going on below her waistline or she might moan aloud—and that would be very embarrassing.

  He was the most perfect male specimen she’d ever laid eyes on. Raven black hair, stunning midnight blue eyes with the sexiest squint lines in the corners. High cheekbones, square jaw, and his lips... She’d spent endless nights fantasizing about those lips on hers. On her body. Her breasts, her...

  She’s lying, Tagg thought. “Kim,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Nice to meet you.” Her fine-boned hand was ice cold and clammy in his. She lied about her name and she was wearing colored contacts, no eyes could be that shade of aqua. He leaned in just a bit closer and could see the faint edge of the contact around her iris. As his gaze dipped to the alluring cleavage her skimpy dress revealed, her pulse thudded so hard he could see each frantic beat at the base of her throat. Her breasts rose and fell with every heavy breath. If the dress was just an inch lower and to the side, he’d be able to see if her nipple was pale pink or deep rose.

  Damn it. He couldn’t even find a quick lay without encountering problems.

  When her drink was in front of her, she snatched her hand from his and took two big gulps. Her gaze darted from him to the mirror behind the bar, and back. Damn it all to hell.

  Leaning toward her, his lips just a scant inch from her ear, he whispered, “How much for the night?” Wow, she smelled sweet. Like strawberry candy. If he weren’t a cop, he’d probably pay whatever she asked.

  Carol’s hand slipped off her glass and it would have tumbled over if he hadn’t caught it. “Excuse me?” Her eyes went wide and her full, cherry red lips parted on a gasp.

  Well, if he wasn’t going to get what he wanted, he could at least teach her a lesson. She was far too innocent and scared to be doing this. She could get herself killed. Cooper Valley might be a small community, but there was enough crime to go around.

  “Come on honey, how much? My place or yours?”

  Kim slipped off the stool and grabbed her little black purse from the bar. “How much? You couldn’t afford me,” she said in tone acid enough to burn. Back straight, she turned and headed toward the door. Her indignant stalk nearly landed her on her butt as her five-inch heal skidded on the shiny tile floor.

  “Nice one, Tagg. Way to go.” Paul slugged him in the shoulder and chuckled. “I think you’re a little out of practice, though. Your technique could use some help.”

  Tagg glared at his partner, set his drink on the bar, and then headed for the door. Kim—or whatever her name was—was trying to hail a cab without any success. “I’m sorry,” he said to her back.

  “You should be!” Carol stepped out into the street to stop the next cab. She had to get out of here. This had been the biggest mistake of her life. How stupid of her to think she could entice a man. Not just any man, but the only man she’d wanted in...forever. And then when she thought she actually had a real chance, he thought she—she couldn’t even think it. Her, a hooker? If she weren’t so mortified, it’d be laughable.

  Tagg grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back onto the sidewalk, saving her from being run down by a taxi that hadn’t even slowed.

  “Listen, I’m sorry, I thought—”

  “I know darn well what you thought!” She jerked her arm from his grasp, hating the way his fingers made her skin feel. Tight and tingly. He’d elicited that reaction from her body the two times he’d shaken her hand, too. Once at the meet and greet at school, and then in the bar. She hated the way h
er entire body tightened whenever he was near. She hated the fact that he was the only man she wanted, and she’d done all this...this...stuff to herself to make herself beautiful, and he thought she was a whore!

  “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  His gentle apology settled over her and she took a steadying breath. “Fine. Apology accepted.” She swiped a tear from the corner of her eye before remembering the eyeliner she’d so carefully applied a few hours earlier.

  “Let me buy you a cup of coffee to make up for it.”

  “Why? Why would you buy me a cup of coffee after what you thought?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at her. Why was he doing that? She felt like a bug under the microscope in the Mr. Billingsworth’s science lab.

  “You lied to me.”

  Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she looked away from the too-sexy detective. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered, but she couldn’t say whether the chill was because of her next-to-nothing, barely-there dress that was probably close to illegal or the way he stared at her.

  With a sigh, he slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders, tugging it together over her breasts. Her breath caught at the slight brush of his knuckles against her nipples, tingly waves zipped through her. When she sucked in a gulp of air, she was surrounded by his spicy, masculine scent. Oh, God, she needed to get out of here and away from him before she totally embarrassed herself and jumped into his arms.

  So what if he thought she was a prostitute? She needed this night with him, had changed her entire exterior in the hope of getting between the sheets with him. Maybe she wasn’t any better than whore. She didn’t want his money, she just wanted to know what it was like to be ravished by someone as tall and beautiful and wonderful as Liam Taggert.

  He held the lapels of the jacket in his big hands, his fingers close to her nipples. She tightened her grip around her little good-for-nothing purse and forced herself not to arch her back so he touched her breasts.