especially here in Black Oak, were clueless.
“Look, I’m not at liberty to divulge the details,” he started to say. Her eyes chilled and her expression closed up.
“Because, what? You might lose your job? Oh, wait…”
“No. Because Hunter trusts me.”
The ice in her eyes melted a little, but she still looked hurt. Then she nodded. “Okay, I get that. It’s not fair to ask you to break a confidence.”
But it was fair of him to ask her to take him at face value? After everything she’d been through, unless he told her who it really was, she’d never believe it wasn’t her. Caleb scrubbed his hands over his eyes, then blew out a breath. “Okay, you have to promise that this stays between us. You can’t even tell those psychic cats of yours.”
She nodded, a tiny smile playing over her lips.
“The FBI had tips that there is more going on than just the drugs. That someone with a lot of influence was using the town as their own crime ring.”
She nodded, then gestured toward the door in the back that led to the jail cells.
“The sheriff, right?”
“Higher.”
“The mayor?” she asked, sounding appalled. Then Pandora slapped both hands over her mouth and grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I forgot she’s your aunt. But, I mean, who is higher than the sheriff?”
Caleb gave her a steady look.
It didn’t take her long. Her eyes widened and she shook her head in denial.
“Noooo,” she breathed.
“Yeah.”
“No way. I mean, I don’t know what kind of evidence they have, but it’s wrong. There’s just no way.”
“That’s what I said.”
“So you came home to prove your father’s innocence?” she asked. Then her eyes rounded again. “And what? You had to prove mine, as well?”
“It’s been an interesting month,” he said with a laugh.
“No kidding,” she agreed. “You must have been so worried. So scared of what you’d find.”
Her brow creased in empathy, she took those two mile-long steps and gave him a hug.
And just like that, everything was okay.
Caleb’s shoulders sagged as he returned her hug. He let out the breath he’d been holding and gave a half shrug. She understood. Totally got it. Instead of running disgusted from the room because his father was the kind of guy who triggered a major FBI investigation, she offered comfort and understanding.
He was so freaking in love with her, it was scary.
Tension and a fear he hadn’t even realized was eating at his guts faded as Caleb tightened his arms around her, never wanting to let go.
Needing to taste her, desperate for more, he swept his hands down to the delicate curve of the small of her back, pressing her tight against him. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she arched a brow. Whether she was shocked or impressed by his burgeoning hard-on, he wasn’t sure.
He took her mouth in a deep, desperate kiss. Tongue and lips slid together, tasting. She was warm and delicious. Everything he needed. Everything he wanted. Everything he hoped to keep, forever.
Then she kissed him back. Her lips moved against his in welcome, then in passion. Their tongues wrapped together in a familiar dance. Caleb groaned, feeling as if it’d been years since they’d been together instead of twenty-or-so hours.
They needed to get this all settled so he could have her again.
Gently, slowly, he pulled his mouth from hers. He couldn’t stop touching her, though. His hands stroked up her back, down to her butt, then made the trip again. A part of him was worried that if he let go, she’d walk out and not come back. He had this one chance with her.
And he’d damn well better not blow it.
“So what now?” she asked, her hands loose around his waist as she stared up at him.
She probably wasn’t referring to the investigation.
Time to put up or shut up. Nerves jumped in his stomach, but Caleb was ready for this.
“This is a pretty nice office,” he noted dryly, looking around at the barren two-desk setup. “And now it’s empty.”
“I’m not doing it with you in here,” she warned. “There’s not enough Foreplay Chocolate Cake in the world to get me to, either.”
He snorted a laugh. Grinning, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Had he ever been as happy as he was with her? Had he ever felt as good about himself as he did when he was with her? Was he ever going to find anyone who made him want to share himself, his life and his heart, the way he wanted to with Pandora?
The answer to all of those was no.
Still grinning, Caleb looked around the office again. Maybe it was time to stop bullshitting around.
“No, I didn’t mean sex. At least,” he corrected as he pulled her tighter between his thighs, “I didn’t mean now or here. I meant…”
Pandora reached up to frame his face in both of her soft hands. Smiling, she arched a brow and asked, “Meant?”
“I meant, the position as sheriff will be open. I’ve got an in with the mayor, could probably snag an interim appointment until the next election.”
Her eyes lit up and her smile was huge. Then she gave a little wince.
“What about Tobias?”
“He’s not interested in the position. He runs the town just fine without all the crap that goes with an elected job.”
She smirked. “No. I meant, can you live here, in the same town as your father? Does he know you were investigating him? Will you be able to handle being his son
A huge one. Because rather than clearing Tobias’s name, this bust had only pulled him deeper into things. Kendall had claimed he answered to one person, and one person only. Then he’d invoked the Fifth and refused to say another word. Clearly, the first official job of the new sheriff would be to find out who was trying to turn Black Oak into their own little crime den.
But Caleb wasn’t worried about handling the investigation. His old man was a lot of things, but he wasn’t involved in this mess.
“Can you live here, Caleb? In the same town as your dad?”
“When I was a kid I guess I thought I had to leave, get as far away from him as I could so I could be myself. And those are just about the most touchy-feely words I ever want to say,” he added, making her laugh. “But, really, he was always there. He’s a big part of who I am. He’s shaped my choices and my strengths. So living in the same town? That just means he’s talking to my face instead of being a nagging voice in my head. As for the rest? It’ll all work out fine. I have faith that he’s innocent in this, and I have faith that the law will prove it.”
And wasn’t he all freaking grown-up and stuff. Caleb noticed the look in Pandora’s eyes. Sweet acceptance mixed with pride and just a tiny bit of lust.
Just as soon as someone showed up to watch the prisoners, he’d get her back to her place to do something about that lust.
“You’re really going to stay?”
He hesitated, then put it all on the line.
“Do you want me to?”
Caleb had faced a lot of scary shit in his life, but he’d never been as nervous as he was at this very second.
And, dammit, Pandora wasn’t making it any easier. Instead of wrapping her arms around him and declaring her undying love and gratitude that he’d be around, she pulled away.
