Arrested Read online

  * * *

  Atlantic Bridge/Liquid Silver Books

  www.liquidsilverbooks.com

  Copyright ©2004 Alyssa Brooks

  First Published by Liquid Silver Books, Imprint of Atlantic Bridge, June, 2004

  * * *

  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

  * * *

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, Imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana. Copyright 2004, Alyssa Brooks. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the authors.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Foreword

  This book contains sexual scenes without the use of protection. I have avoided the use of condoms purely for the sake of continuity in the reading. However, this in no way suggests unprotected sex as an acceptable practice. I think it is important for all people to practice safe sex in order to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and worst of all, HIV infection. The only way to be safe is to be sure.

  Chapter One

  "Come on, move already!” Kirsten pounded the steering wheel. Her angry fist struck smack in the middle and the unintentional horn blast made her jump out of the leather seat.

  How could the longest stretch of nowhere be so backed up? Damn it. Kirsten stretched her neck to look for a break, but all her gaze found was car after car of backed up traffic for miles on end. After sitting at nearly a dead stop for three hours in the miserable dry Texan heat, she'd had enough.

  The sun's sweltering rays had burned away the last of her patience, and her skin along with it. Not to mention cramped legs, a dry mouth and sharp hunger pains.

  She needed relief. Now. Patience had met its blowing point.

  She should have flown. Kurt wasn't worth all the trouble he cost her. Hell, she'd put enough miles between them for today to sleep safely tonight. She saw an opportunity, having finally inched her way to yet another rural, going-nowhere exit and this time she'd best take it.

  Kirsten gritted her teeth and veered her Corvette off the shoulder around the stilled vehicles towards the nearest exit.

  A whine reminded her she wasn't alone. She reached out and ruffled the fluffy white fur of the Samoyed moping in the passenger's seat. The poor pup. He had to be thirsty. They'd run out of bottled water an hour ago. “It's okay, Snowball. I know you're tired. I'm bushed too. We'll take a little break. I'm sure there must be a gas station and a diner out here in no man's land somewhere. How about a steak?"

  Snowball perked up and yapped in response. The sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes showed she had his complete attention.

  "You'll like Alabama so much better, Snowball, you'll see. There's a big yard with plenty of room to run, and the country air is fresh and crisp. No more inhaling smoke and pollution for us. Best of all, Kurt won't be there.” She swore she could see the distaste in Snowball's eyes at the mention of the scoundrel's name. “Yeah, you never did like him, did you? I should have listened to your instincts."

  Snowball gave her one more bark then dived to the floorboards to curl up in the shade of the dash. “You got the right idea, boy."

  Thoughts of Kurt brought on a frown, wrinkling Kirsten's brows. Sharp discomfort followed. Another quick glance in the mirror revealed her newly attained sunburn. Though her face maintained an even tan, redness tainted her scalp under her pale blond tresses. Kirsten reached up and touched her head. The tender skin stung like the devil.

  After living in Malibu for five years you'd think she'd have adjusted to the sun. But no, her fair skin burned on even the cloudiest of days without the protection of sun block.

  It would have been best to have the top up, but she'd have baked. As it was, she'd resorted to turning off the air to save gas nearly an hour ago.

  And now the little red light in the dash blinked an annoying threat anyway.

  Damn it.

  Though its lack of signs gave her an eerie feeling, what real choice did she have but to take the exit? Man, she hoped she wasn't headed deeper into nowhere rural Texas. “At least in the bayou, we'll have plenty of shade trees. Hotter then hell down there, but we're used to that, huh Snowball? We'll finally have a normal life—if we ever get there. And at this rate, I'm beginning to wonder."

  Kirsten doubted Kurt would follow her. No, he didn't seem to give that much of a damn about her.

  Nevertheless, she wanted to be as far away from him as she could get, and as fast as possible. Better safe than sorry. From what she'd learned, her ex could be a dangerous man. Too bad it had taken her five years to figure it out.

  The exit dumped Kirsten on a tar and chip country road. On either side she could see nothing but endless stretches of Texan fields of green. “What do you think, Snowball—north or south?"

  Snowball raised his head and barked.

  "Then south it is. You know best. From now on, you make all the calls. You see where mine get us."

  Every second along the rough road felt like nail biting torture. She kept the gas pedal pressed to the floor, sure the car would putt out at any moment and leave her stranded.

  Finally, a sign appeared along the road. She squinted, sure she'd misread it. The worn paint flaked away from the yellowing white sign, but she couldn't mistake the town's name.

  Paradise, she read with a slight grimace.

  It figured. There were probably a million dead little towns in Texas, and she had to land in the one with that name.

  Paradise Club Its image rushed back to her mind, a memory she'd wished a million times she could erase. The night she'd met Kurt, the months following. The naive way she partied and played there with him. Under the glitter. The lies.

  Oh, their days were spent at the pool, their evenings sipping martinis with friends, their nights chock-full of dancing, and wild sex. They'd been like two peas in a pod.

  Until she woke up, thank God.

  Kirsten shook her head. Her purse had been full, but not her life. She knew now she'd never loved him. Idolized him, yes. Loved, not ever. Even the sex had gone cold after the first year.

  How could she not have seen the signs? Kurt could never have made such money off of one club and a mediocre line of coffee shops. Worse, he'd shut her out of everything, dangling the profits in front of her like candy to a hungry kid. And she'd eaten it up.

  She just hadn't taken Kurt for the type.

  Kirsten pressed down harder on the gas pedal as she flew into the small town. It all made so much sense now.

  "Shit!” Panic snapped her attention back to the road. Out of nowhere, a dog jumped out alongside her car.

  Her heart leapt in her throat as she swerved. Panicked, she slammed the brakes too hard and the tires screeched as she fought to keep the sports car on the road. Terror seized her. Alarm and fright tensed her body. Instinctively, she grasped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

  Immediately, Snowball jumped up and leaned over the side to give the strange dog a piece of his mind. Kirsten imagined his growls and barks to be a thorough tongue-lashing. The annoying shepherd mix continued to chase her as he yapped his threats.

  L
ivid, she held back the fire on her tongue, said her prayers and straightened out her car. The idea of turning back tempted her to no end, but the irate notion fled as she spotted a gas station next to a diner.

  A sigh of relief escaped Kirsten. “Thank God."

  She pulled over, parking her car in front of the lone gas pump. Out front, a wrinkled old man dozed in a rocking chair. His gnarled fingers wrapped around a rolled up newspaper, and every couple of seconds, he'd jump to swat away a fly.

  Kirsten laughed softly to herself as she got out of the car and yanked free the nozzle. She grabbed a card out of her purse and swiped it. After several moments passed with no response, Kirsten's panic grew. Then the screen blinked back. She'd been denied. Kurt, she grimaced. He'd cut off her credit cards.

  Anxious, she sifted through her wallet in a search for some cash, fished out a twenty, and headed in to pay.

  * * * *

  Looks like my instincts proved right, Reid thought as he replaced the radio on the dash. With a shake of his head, he refocused on the red Corvette parked at ole Henry's pump. The little blonde had just sped into the wrong town.

  He narrowed his eyes and rested his jaw in his hand, flicking stubbly growth against his fingers. The stranger drove the sports car like the typical spoiled rich girl, without an ounce of respect for the law—or other's lives. Just the type he didn't want in his town.

  Three minutes ago, he'd have been content to write her out a hefty ticket and send her on her way. Yet as he'd watched the look of anger, not fluster, cross her face when the pump denied her credit card, he'd known something had to be wrong. Women who owned Corvettes didn't typically fly into his town wearing sweats and frantically searching for cash.

  The nation-wide search on the tags had revealed the car as stolen, just as expected. What bewildered him was why the pinched car had been driven into a tiny rural town like Paradise.

  Reid leaned back in his seat, keeping one eye on the Corvette as he decided his approach. The aroma of tonight's special, Edna's slow cooked roast beef, floated through the air. His empty stomach growled, so he lit a smoke to cover the mouth-watering smell of it.

  Like a fool, he'd skipped lunch today, too up to his elbows in drywall mud to drop everything and eat. Redoing his office and the single cell in the town jail had turned out to be quite the task. More mess then he ever expected, or wanted.

  He'd just set aside the half-finished job for the day, and been on his way to the diner when she'd came squealing wheels into Paradise to interrupt his plans.

  Reid didn't like that. Not one bit.

  Dinner would have to wait. Right now, he had a car thief on his hands. Under-construction jail cell or not, the law said he had to take her in. Reid started the engine of his Blazer and pulled into the station in front of the stolen car. He flashed on his lights, leaving them on as he got out to walk around the vehicle, and inspect it as he waited for her return.

  The radio had been left blaring. Annoyed, he reached in to flick off the noisy rock tunes, but the sight of the white dog curled under the front seat stopped him. Ice blue eyes followed his every movement with a cold glare.

  "Howdy, boy.” Reid reached in his pocket and pulled out the jerky strips he liked to keep handy for snacks. He tore back the plastic wrappers and offered them to the dog. The fluff ball yapped and accepted the peace offering, choking it down in one gulp. The pup sniffed for more, than disappeared back to his spot on the floor. “Hot, ain't it? You're a smart one."

  Reid shut off the radio, leaned against the car, and waited. After several moments, the flaxen-haired beauty exited the store holding a twenty-ounce soda and a bottle of spring water.

  Reid's breath caught in his chest as he watched her. Her luscious curves swayed under the baby-blue cotton of her sweats, and bounced to the beat of her feet. A tight top that read ‘flirt’ stretched across the deep curves of her chest, and nipples the size of quarters hardened against the pull of the fabric.

  Her perky breasts jiggled up and down as she increased her brisk pace, her shake more and more tantalizing the closer she drew.

  No way could she be wearing a bra. Not a chance. And the white cotton of her shirt was entirely too thin.

  The gall of some people, Reid gulped.

  When his breathtaking perp rounded the pump and caught sight of him, she stopped dead. For a moment she just stood there, a deer in the headlights look. Her huge, jade eyes flew to the flashing red lights on his blazer then returned to him. Reid stared back at her heart shaped face with a hard glare.

  "Can I help you?” Her sugary voice sounded smooth and calm, like syrup being poured over pancakes.

  "Yes, Ma'am. You most certainly can.” Reid told her in a flat voice to match her cool tone. Her eyes widened, big, green and devastating as he approached her. “What brings you to Paradise?"

  "Just passing through."

  "Where to?"

  "That, sir, is absolutely none of your business.” Curtness laced her reply.

  "I disagree. Sheriff Reid, ma'am” He held out his hand and she shook it, but not without obvious reservation. “And since I'm about to place you under arrest, you might make it my business."

  "Arrest?” She took a step back as she squeaked the question. Ruby red lips, full and lush, hung open at the question. “You must be mistaken."

  Man, she played the innocent act well. Hell, she probably thought she could get away with murder with only a flash of those wide emerald eyes.

  Reid had to admit—the little blond tempted him. He hadn't felt such interest in a woman in years, not since Lisa left. Not even the porn channel or Suzy May had managed to awaken his cock since his ex-wife's cold betrayal. And every bachelor in town had fallen for Suzy's wanton ways.

  But he had to uphold the law.

  "Not at all. Now, we can talk here or at the station. Your choice."

  "Look, Sheriff. I'm only passing through."

  Reid raised his eyebrows in question but was met with silence and a cold look.

  "To?"

  "Bay Crest, Alabama. Home to live with my folks.” Her hardened voice softened a notch, than she looked at him as if for understanding. “So if you'll just let me be on my way, I can get back to a simpler life—a normal life. You can appreciate that, of course?"

  Reid nodded. “So you're coming from the city then?” She took a wide step back, and he matched her movement. “What city?"

  "Malibu."

  "And this car, whose is it?"

  "Mine,” she asserted. “Kirsten Montgomery."

  "Yours? And where did you acquire it?"

  A sudden look flashed across her face. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped a notch, than they both snapped shut. “It's a gift, from my ex-boyfriend. Kurt Black."

  A chortle of disbelief escaped from his throat. If the convertible was a gift, then he was Mister Rogers.

  From the blank look of disbelief on Kirsten's face, he expected she'd try to run. He needed to get the cuffs on her.

  As predicted, when he advanced, she stumbled backwards, taking off in a sprint towards the diner. Reid pursued her, amazed by her speed. Like a flash she darted from his grasp, and he actually had to put forth some effort to catch her.

  Before Kirsten could round his Blazer, he caught her arm and stopped her in her tracks. With a forceful yank, Reid threw her against his truck and pinned himself against her.

  Feisty as a wildcat, Kirsten continued to try to break away from him with desperate yanks and tugs. Sharp nails began to dig into his skin as he pulled her hand behind her. Pain pinched into his wrists, and Reid rushed to slam shut the cuff and grab for her other flailing arm. A slight cry escaped her, a hint of desperate pain traced in it, and he softened his touch just a notch.

  He didn't want to hurt her, but Reid couldn't help but think a sound spanking was exactly what the hellcat needed as she started to struggle against him once again.

  His grasp on her arm tight, he detained her against the Blazer as he tried to grab her oth
er wrist. The vixen wriggled and twisted to keep away from him, and the movement caused her bottom to rub against his hips.

  For the first time in years, Reid's cock twitched and started to harden.

  "Stop it,” he commanded as he grabbed her thrashing hand, “Stop resisting."

  "Let me go,” she begged. Like a worm, she twisted around, and gazed up at him with a pleading expression.

  Reid whirled her right back into place. The sprite might be bewitching, but he didn't plan to let a pair of beguiling green eyes fool him. When he managed to catch her other hand, he wasted no time locking the cuff around it.

  No way would she be getting away from him.

  He didn't take kindly to outsiders in his town, especially not reckless drivers in stolen cars. One tragic accident had been enough. No family in Paradise would lose their loved ones as he'd lost his parents, not on his time.

  "This vehicle has been reported stolen, and I'm placing you in custody. You have the right to remain silent, anything you do can and will be held against you..."

  Chapter Two

  "Please, this must be a mistake,” Kirsten growled through gritted teeth. “This is my car. It's not stolen."

  "Hold still."

  Right, like she could even if she wanted to. Adrenaline rushed her body as panic raced through her, spinning her in a million directions. Wild beats thumped her heart against her ribs, and her breath came in heavy gulps. She yanked at the cuffs trapping her hands. “This is ridiculous. Release me at once, you overgrown hillbilly."

  "Can't do that, Ma'am.” The sheriff pushed her against the muddy side of the Blazer. His hands fell on her hips, their touch searing right through the soft cotton of her sweat pants. The intimate feel of his hands upon her coursed a strange tingle through her. Shocked by her body's betrayal, she reared back. Her head slammed into his shoulder, yet he didn't even seem to wince. With a firm grasp, he encircled her waist and pinned her once again. “You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop. Stay still a minute, than we'll talk. I'm going to pat you down for weapons."