All my tightly held control had crumpled at my feet instantly.
But when I woke the next morning, she was gone. Christ, I’d run from the room down to the bar, but the lot had been empty. Her car gone. I was still pissed off about it. Since Janie left, I hadn’t been with anyone else. I’d tried, gone on a few dates, but I hadn’t been into it. Dating was the last thing I’d wanted to be doing.
No one had got me excited enough to even consider it. And I definitely wasn’t interested in another serious relationship.
But that night with her had been the best fucking night I’d ever had. Having that beautiful girl under me, riding me—my stomach muscles clenched—asking me to hold her down while I fucked her? I growled. She was the best I’d ever had, and I hadn’t wanted it to end. I’d wanted more.
Shit, just talking to her had lit me up. She’d made me laugh until my face ached, had made me so fucking hard I could barely think straight. And I didn’t even know her goddamn name.
I climbed out of the shower, dried off, and got into bed. Taking my wallet from the bedside table, I pulled out the note she’d left me, scanning it like I had more times than I cared to think about.
Thanks for getting me through one of the shittiest days of my life.
Not sure I’ll ever forget you.
Your kitten xxx
Every fucking word of it tormented me. What had I gotten her through? That beautiful, sweet, funny girl had been hurting and I’d had no clue, is that what it meant? What else could it be? Shoving my fingers through my hair, I stared at the ceiling. How the hell was I going to find her? I was a sheriff, and though using resources to search for her was wrong in every way, if I had something, fucking anything to go off, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist.
I didn’t have a name or even a town. She’d simply been passing through.
The only thing I had to go off was the car, and I didn’t even have a license plate. A green Ford Mustang, probably a ’66 or ’67, but it’d been dark, and I hadn’t gotten a good look.
I rubbed at the ache behind my ribs. It was fucking hopeless.
Not sure I’ll ever forget you either, kitten.
The next night when I got back from my run, the lights in the trailer were off, the place completely dark. Jimmy came to greet me again, and I gave the mutt a quick pat, then headed inside.
I was in bed an hour later when the low rumble of a car pulling up outside reached me, followed by a muffled voice greeting the dog. I got out of bed and walked to the window just as Trixie walked into her trailer. All I saw was a flash of bright color and the dog’s butt as he followed his master inside.
It was late, my best bet was to catch her in the morning. But honestly, I was starting to think Trixie was avoiding me.
The next morning, Jimmy greeted me as I knocked on the trailer door and got nothing. The girl and her car, were already gone. Muttering a few curses, I pulled out my phone and tried her number, it rang three times and went to voice mail. Was she screening my calls now as well? Besides that one time, when I’d come home for the weekend and she’d not showed, she’d always answered my calls.
“Fuck it.” I tapped out a text.
Mase: You avoiding me?
The reply came a minute later. Yep, she was totally screening my calls.
Trixie: You got a problem with the house?
I tried calling again. Texting was fucking annoying.
The phone clicked, followed by a long sigh. “Mase, I’m at work, you have a problem, leave me a message.”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Then stop stalking me, dude. You’re happy with the house, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Job’s done, I’ve been paid, so let’s just move the hell on.”
I yanked my car door open. “We live on the same property.”
“You want rent, I’ll pay it. If you have a problem with the dog, you’ll have to suck it up until I find somewhere else to live. Quinn said it was fine for us to be there. You can’t just kick us out without notice.”
What the hell was going on? I was this close to banging my head on the fucking roof of my car. “First, your dog, weird looking as he is, is fine—”
“Weird looking? Are you saying my dog’s ugly?”
Shit. Why the hell had I said that? “No.”
“So you want rent? I have no problem paying my way.”
Her voice had risen an octave. She was pissed off. “No…look, let’s just…”
“Awesome. Then what else is there to talk about? You made it crystal clear you disliked me, repeatedly. Now you hate my dog as well. So let’s just remain ships in the night, yeah? I’ll look the other way if I see you, and you pretend I don’t exist if you see me. Me and my ugly dog will be out of your hair before you know it.”
Was she serious? “You wanna let me get a fucking word in?”
“Nope, wasn’t planning on it. The job’s over, butt munch, I don’t need to be pleasant to you anymore. And I have no time for people who hate dogs. Who hates dogs? Sickos and weirdos, that’s who. Honestly, you are the rudest, most arrogant bastard I’ve ever had to deal with. And if you’d heard some of the shit people have said to me, you would know how much of a dick that really makes you. I don’t know how Quinn didn’t knock you over the head and bury you in
