Hank’s lips turned up, the smile reaching his eyes. He felt a flow of warmth course through his body. He liked it. He asked, “You haven’t mentioned any family.”
Arissa inhaled, and let it out slowly. “I don’t really have family. Parents, but they were always more about themselves. I was the obligatory child. They took off when I turned eighteen to travel. I haven’t seen them since, but I haven’t made any effort either.”
Hank took a second to reply seeing as his parents were very much in his life. The thought of them not wasn’t something he could swallow easily. “I’m sorry.” And he was because even in a small town he saw many parents doing as Arissa’s had done, having a child for no other reason than to put that notch in the family tree. “Well, you’ll certainly get family here whether you want it or not.” He chuckled, trying to lighten the conversation.
The thought was one she liked. “I’m beginning to see that.”
Hank opened his mouth to speak when he heard the chime of an incoming call. He pulled the cell from his ear. Vern. Jesus. Millie said she’d bring her home. “Hold on,” Hank told Arissa and clicked over to Vern. “Hey Vern!” he shouted.
“She’s drunk Hank, you have to come get me. Last time I drove with her drunk she almost hit one of my dogs,” Vern yelled into the phone.
“You have cats, Vern, not dogs.” Hank shook his head.
“Oh, yes. I do. Do you know that one of them—”
He cut her off. “I’ll be there soon, Vern. Stay inside, I’ll come in and get you!”
“Okay.”
He clicked back to Arissa. “Duty calls. That duty is getting Vern home from bingo.”
It was late, but someone needed him and he didn’t think twice about helping. Arissa didn’t hold back when she said, “You’re a remarkable man, Sheriff Weathers. I think I might be a little jealous of Vern.”
The way her soft voice said, Sheriff Weathers, had him adjusting his growing cock. It never affected him before, being called Sheriff Weathers. Shit, he heard it on a daily basis. But the way Arissa said it, he wanted to hear it again, while she was under him, his cock deep inside her. He absently spoke the thought out loud. “Can I just say, I really like when you call me sheriff.”
“Really?” Arissa asked coyly. “Like how much?”
Hank chuckled. “Let’s just say I’ve never given the title much thought till you started saying it.”
He heard her sigh, which made him grin. He liked that he made her speechless, and let that silence hang in the air for a minute before he said, “You have nothing to be jealous of.” He put his sneakers back on and wondered briefly to himself why he even undressed anymore. He was always running somewhere.
“On the contrary, Vern is going to have the pleasure of your company. That’s enough of a reason, but like you said, duty calls. Be safe…Sheriff.”
Hank closed his eyes, let the word sheriff bounce around for a while. Fuck, he really liked the way she said it. “Always. Have a good night, Arissa.”
“You too, Hank. Thanks again for tonight. I really did have fun.”
Hank descended the stairs three at a time and said, “The pleasure was all mine.” Then he tapped end on the screen and put his cell in his pocket. He drove to the community center with a smile on his face. He drove Vern home with a smile on his face. He passed Arissa’s house. The lights were off and all was silent. That smile faded, because he had plans, but tonight, he’d let her sleep.
4
Hank held Arissa’s hand tightly, could hear her breathing picking up with every few feet they took. They’d been walking steadily for the past fifteen minutes through the wooded area.
“Just a little farther.” Hank chuckled when he felt like he was now pulling her along and not just holding her hand. “Gotta train those city muscles, Sweetheart.”
Arissa was winded, and her legs hurt. She thought it was a workout when she’d walked from her condo to work. Trekking through the woods, damn she was going to be hurting tomorrow. “You’re not wrong,” she panted breathlessly.
Hank could see the clearing ahead, but it was her breathless voice that had him slowing. Not to give her time to catch her breath, but because the sound had a heat traveling through him. Hank had to hold back the thought of throwing her down in the clearing and fucking her till she said his name in that breathless pant. “See.” He pointed, putting the thought behind him and added, “Right there.” Arissa didn’t answer as they walked the extra steps and broke through the woods to a vast clearing. The small pond that sat in the middle was host to two geese floating in the water. Colorful wildflowers, peeking up through the grass, blanketed the area, reaching to the horizon.
He stopped, Arissa followed and when he looked at her, her eyes were taking in the area. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hank muttered quietly.
Arissa couldn’t draw a breath for an entirely different reason. It was like stepping into a little piece of heaven. “It’s breathtaking,” she whispered. Her focus shifted to Hank. “I’m guessing not many know of it or it would be overflowing with people.”
He smiled. “Yep, and those geese would be sitting on someone’s dining room table.” Hank’s eyes drifted around. Shortly after buying his house, he had gone for a walk to see exactly where the property line ended and had stumbled onto this clearing. He wondered if the Hanson family knew about it and kept quiet too. He didn’t come out here as often as he used to, but he knew Arissa would appreciate the beauty of it, like he did.
“It’s like a secret garden,” she said in awe, taking it all in before her gaze settled on him. And as beautiful as the view was, he was
