Level headed? He wanted to bust out laughing because around her his head was anything but leveled. He took a pull from his beer before he answered, “They do and…” Hank moved into her space, bent his head so his lips were an inch from hers and whispered, “It is.”
She liked him in her personal space, fucking loved it. Her body was heating up, her blood rushing through her veins. It was a challenge being around him because she wanted to know everything there was to know about him, as much as she just plain wanted him. Instead of closing the distance to feel his lips on hers, something that was growing increasingly more difficult to resist, she instead asked, “Where else besides Summerville have you lived?”
“Haven’t,” Hank answered, stepping away from Arissa and taking a seat at the table. “Lived here my whole life.”
“Really? No sowing your wild oats, seeing the country?”
Hank smiled at the slight incredulity in her question. “After high school I worked with my dad doing handyman shit. Was gonna join the Marines, but my mother had a health scare, so I decided to stay close. Went to the police academy over in Huntsville. Worked under Sheriff Drungs until he retired and then I took over,” he told her, took a pull from his beer and added, “You see how crazy this place is, hard to take any time for yourself.” He chuckled, but it seemed forced. He hated these fucking questions, but knew they were coming. Sometimes it was even hard for him to swallow the fact that he was a thirty-six-year-old male that hadn’t done any real traveling. Just his one-night rendezvous in Charleston, and a brief visit once to Nashville when he was younger. Despite not having traveled or had experiences many others his age had had, he was okay with where his life was.
Arissa joined him at the table. Noticed the slight tension in his shoulders. His life always being here explained why he was so good at being the sheriff because this town was his home, like down to the bones. “So this town really is in your blood.” She took a sip from her beer. “I think if I grew up here, I’d be hard-pressed to leave it too.”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about just taking the fuck off, but…” He shrugged. “This town isn’t just my blood, it’s my family.”
“That I knew,” she said. “My first day, the banter between you and the townsfolk…it is a family. It’s enviable.” She looked off in the distance and added almost absently, “It’s what I’ve been chasing my whole life.”
He nodded, and just watched her. The way her mouth moved. How when you spoke to her, she really listened. So lost in thought, he hadn’t even known the next words he spoke he whispered out loud. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous.”
Her focus jerked to him and her cheeks warmed as a smile spread over her face. “So are you,” she whispered back.
Hank slowly grinned then rose, grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. He glanced down at her lips before he pressed his to hers. Hers opened on a groan giving him access to slide his tongue inside. They took their time every time they kissed. Tongues mingling in a dance, one that felt like they’d been doing it for a lifetime. Her arm came up to wrap around his neck, and his snaked around her waist, pulling her into him. Not thinking it possible, Hank deepened the kiss. Soft and slow turned into heat and power. Arissa moaned as she pressed her body into him. Hank groaned accepting her invitation. Just as Hank was about to take it to the next level, his cell vibrated in his pocket. He let out a rumble before ending the kiss.
“Sorry,” he apologized, backing up from her as he reached for his cell. He looked at the screen and said, “Gotta take this.” Then he tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear. “Yo.”
But yo didn’t come off as casual as Hank wanted when Jo asked, “You working out?”
Arissa dropped down into her chair again. She’d never experienced weak knees until Hank Weathers, but he really did make her knees weak.
Hank was shaking his head when he answered, “No.”
“Sure sound out of breath is all I’m saying and…” Jo paused. “Oh my God, did I catch you—”
“For fucks sake, no, you didn’t catch me jerking off.” He glanced at Arissa who was hiding her grin behind the pull she took from her beer and questioned, “What do you need?”
“Well,” she drawled. “Hya got a little too excited at the park, started dancing, waving her cane around, hollering—”
Hank cut Jo off. “Get to the fucking point, please.”
Jo spit out, “Cane went flying, hit Nicky Jones in the head before Greg almost ran it over, which means he had to swerve and I’m guessing since the ambulance is out there, you can’t swerve on a mower cause—”
Hank took a deep breath and looked at Arissa, their eyes connecting. In his next words was also an apology to her. “I’ll be there in ten.” Then he ended the call.
Disappointment hit, but Arissa stood. Held his stare.
Moving to her, he got in her space again, looked down and said, “Rain check?”
She didn’t even take a breath when she answered back, “Absolutely, Sheriff.”
5
Arissa walked through the garden center. She had plans for her backyard, particularly after seeing Hank’s place, but focus was a challenge for her these days because her thoughts wanted to linger on Hank Weathers. Being around him, she was either smiling, laughing or teetering on the edge of arousal from nothing more than his dark gaze. And as crazy as he made her feel, it was easy being with him, natural. But that was Hank…driving Vern home, rescuing victims from lawn mishaps, giving
