Curves and the Sheriff (BBW Romance - Coldwater Springs 2) (3 page)

“
Having
a good time?” Libby looked up to see her cousin’s
smiling face.

“
Of
course.” She tried to sound as if she meant it, but she
couldn’t help wondering if the sheriff had noticed she was
here.

“
Guess
who’s arrived?”

“
Who?”
Although Sarah had introduced her around town, there were still
plenty of people she hadn’t met yet.

Sarah
whispered in her ear. “Jake - the sheriff.”

Libby
drew back to look at her, trying to appear nonchalant. “So?”

“
So…”
Sarah’s eyes sparkled. “He’s attractive, don’t
you think?”

“
I
guess so, if you like that type.” She shrugged, hoping her
cousin couldn’t hear her heart beating - hard.

“
He’s
single.” Sarah waggled her eyebrows.

“
Why
are you telling me this?”

“
I
want you to be as happy as I am with Chase.” She hugged Libby.

Libby
couldn’t help smiling. “I’m sure I will be - one
day.”

Sarah
grinned mischievously. “Why not today?”

Why
not indeed? Libby snuck a peek at Jake
standing near the
fireplace. She didn’t need Sarah to tell her he was
good-looking. Although he made a regular appearance in her dreams -
both day and night - she had no way of knowing how he felt about her.
He might just regard her as a pesky librarian he almost arrested.

“
I
could tell him you’re here,” Sarah continued.

“
No!”
Libby hissed, turning back to her cousin, an alarmed look on her
face. “Don’t do that.”

“
Uh-oh,
too late.” Sarah glanced over at Jake
and Libby did the
same. His heated gaze held hers. A flush stole through her body.

“
Lib?”

“
Hmm?”
She barely heard her cousin. All her focus was on Jake. She
couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

Sarah
chuckled. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Libby
hardly
noticed her cousin leaving. What a pity Sheriff Jake
Morgan was so uptight. Gruff, tough men were
so not
her
type.

Until
now.

“
Get
a grip,” she muttered to herself. Wrenching her eyes from his,
Libby gulped her punch and headed outside. She needed some fresh
air, no matter how chilly it would be.

Standing
on the porch she breathed deeply, the frosty air filling her lungs.
The French doors muffled the noise of the party and she heard a cow
moo in the distance. Libby walked down the porch steps to the garden
below. A short stroll, even though it was dark and cold outside,
would help clear her head. So what if the sheriff had looked at her
for a few seconds? It didn’t mean anything.

###

“
Where’s
Libby?” Sarah scanned the room, looking for her cousin.
“Chase, have you seen her?”

“
Not
since you were talking to her a few minutes ago.” He wrapped
his arm around his fiancée.

“
Mom
wants us to cut the cake now.” Sarah frowned.

“
Jake.”
Chase turned to his friend. “Have you seen Libby?”

“
I
think she went outside.” Jake had been watching every move she
made. He
knew
she’d gone outside.

“
It’s
time for the toast and the cake. I don’t want her to miss it.”
Sarah looked up at him with big brown eyes.

Damn.
Chase was a good friend of his, which meant that Sarah was his
friend now as well. “I’ll go and look for her.”

“
Thank
you.” Sarah smiled at him before another guest claimed her
attention.

Jake
stepped outside. “Libby?” Damned if he was going to
call her Miss Grant again. Since she and Sarah were close friends as
well as cousins, he guessed he’d be seeing a lot more of her if
he still wanted to hang out with Chase.

He
spotted a movement in the dark and walked towards it. “Sarah
wants you inside for the toast.”

Libby
froze at the sound of his
voice. What was
he
doing out
here? Deep breath. “Okay,” she called out. She turned
around quickly to face him and felt herself slipping on the slick
path. “Ohh!” Her arms flailed in the air as she tried
to maintain her balance.

“
I’ve
got you.” Strong arms wrapped around her, steadying her,
making her feel safe and protected.

Libby
clutched his shoulders, catching her balance. Breathing in his scent
of smooth leather
,
her pulse beat
erratically when she
realized she’d started to relax in his embrace
.

“
Thank
you.” She looked up at him in the darkness, her breathing
shallow.

Tall,
lean muscular. It felt good to be in his arms. So good she didn’t
want to leave them. Not her type, she reminded herself. And she
probably wasn’t his. Before she could wonder why that thought
disappointed her, he cupped her face in his hands. Libby held her
breath for a split second. His lips descended on hers.

Jake
coaxed her lips apart, caressing and teasing, until her hands
tightened on his shoulders and she leaned into the kiss, wanting
more. So much more.

“
Libby?
Jake?” Sarah‘s voice broke the sensual spell. “Are
you out here?”

Jake
reluctantly lifted his lips from hers and she blinked, opening her
eyes.

“
We’re
going to cut the cake now.” Sarah’s footsteps came
closer. “What - oops!”

Heat
crept along Libby’s cheeks as her cousin caught her in Jake’s
embrace.

A
grin played on Sarah‘s face. “Don’t mind me. The
cake can wait a few minutes.” She hurried back to the house.

Libby
looked up at him. His large hands lingered on her curvy figure. “I
guess we better go inside.” His voice didn’t give
anything away, and Libby couldn’t tell if the kiss had affected
him the same way it had affected her.

“
I
guess so.” She cursed the breathy sound of her voice. Why
couldn’t she match his neutral tone?

He
wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her to him, guiding her
back to the house. An electrifying shiver raced through her at his
touch.

Jake
stayed at her side for the rest of the night, never letting her out
of his sight. Each time she caught his smoldering gaze on her,
Libby’s mind raced ahead to the end of the evening. Would
he kiss her once more? Did he want to see her again or was this just
a casual kiss at a party for him?

She
didn’t do casual.

Finally,
the party ended. Coldwater Springs was a ranching community and most
of the guests
had to be up early in the morning to feed their
livestock and take care of the never-ending chores.

Libby
hugged Sarah and said goodbye to Chase. As she gathered her coat,
Jake murmured low in her ear. “I’ll walk you to your
car.”

He
caught her hand in his, his fingers warm against her own. When they
reached her car, he wrapped his hands around her waist. “I
want to see you again.”

“
Yes.”
She didn’t even hesitate. His breath skimmed her cheek as he
tilted her chin up.

Her
eyes searched his in the shadow cast by the porch light. He slanted
his mouth over hers and her lips parted in surrender. Libby sighed
softly when the kiss finally ended.

“
Tomorrow
night.” It was more of a statement than a question. If he
hadn’t been such an incredible kisser, she wouldn’t have
let him get away with it. Maybe Jake liked curvy girls after all.

###

Four
weeks later, Libby grimaced as she looked under the hood of her car.
She had no idea why it wouldn’t start. She knew enough to
check the oil and water, but beyond that, she was clueless. Dropping
the hood back down, she looked at the late afternoon sky. A fat
raindrop plopped onto her nose. The forecast tonight was for rain,
not snow, but it would still be a very cold walk home from the
library.

Grabbing
her purse out of the car, she saw a sheriff’s department
vehicle approach and swing into the parking lot. Jake stepped out of
the SUV and she sighed with relief. They’d been dating ever
since Chase and Sarah’s engagement party and she‘d never
been happier
.
When he said goodnight at the end of a date she
was tempted to pounce on him, but something always held her back.
She’d only had two previous boyfriends, and while they hadn’t
criticised her curves, they hadn’t seemed wildly enthusiastic
about them either. At the end of each date, Jake’s goodnight
kisses became more and more heated. But if he found her attractive,
why hadn’t he tried to get her into bed yet?

Jake
strode over to her and looked at her inquiringly. “Problem?”

“
I’ve
just closed the library for the day and my car won’t start.”
Why did she always feel breathless when she was around him? They’d
made plans to go out to dinner tomorrow night and she’d already
chosen her lingerie - sexy and black - just in case it turned to be
the
night. The night they made love for the first time.

Rain
began to fall, sharp needles that tried to pierce their clothing. He
hustled her to his car. “Get in.” They watched the
driving rain for a second. “I’ll take you home and pick
you up tomorrow for work.” He started the engine.

She
turned to smile at him. “Thank you.”

He
cupped her face with his calloused hand. “I’m looking
forward to tomorrow night.” His lips snared hers and she
savored his kiss
,
ripples of excitement stirring within her.

When
he lifted his mouth, she murmured, “Me too.”

They
stared at each other for a long second, his eyes smoldering with
banked desire. Then Jake seemed to collect himself and put the SUV
into gear. “I’ll call Bob tomorrow and ask him to take a
look at your car.”

Warmth
flooded through her. Libby had been wondering whether she should
call AAA or ask her cousin if she could recommend a mechanic, but she
didn’t have to worry now that Jake was
helping
her.
Just one more reason why she found him attractive.

A
couple of minutes later they arrived at her house. The rain showed
no sign of letting up. She glanced at him. “Have you got time
to come in for a drink?”

His
eyes crinkled at the corners as his lips tilted upwards. “I’ve
just finished my shift, so yes, I’ve got time.”

The
way he looked at her made her forget to breathe. Sensual awareness
ran through her, and her lower body shivered. She couldn’t
help the husky tone of her voice as she said, “Come in.”

He
followed her into the cottage, and placed a hand on her back.
“You’re soaked. Why don’t you grab a shower?”

She
turned to look at him. “What about you? You’re wet
too.”

He
shrugged. “I’ll dry off pretty quickly.”

She
dragged her eyes from his. “I’ll get you a towel.”
Libby pulled out a thick, fluffy towel from the linen closet and
returned to the living room. She handed it to him, her fingers
brushing against his.

He
took it from her, the electricity from his touch almost sparking in
the air. Her breath caught as she saw desire simmering in his eyes.
Only when she realized she’d started to shiver from her wet
clothing, did she emerge from the sensual fog.

She
cleared her throat. “What would you like to drink?”
Starting towards the kitchen, his voice made her pause.

“
Libby.”
He almost growled.
“I can make the drinks. Go and
warm up in the shower.”

She
tried not to smile. Jake Morgan might sound gruff and tough at
times, but she knew after four weeks of dating him that he had a
heart of gold. “Okay.”

In
the shower, Libby found herself thinking what a shame Jake wasn’t
in here with her. Although his goodnight kisses scorched her nerve
endings, they hadn’t progressed to the stage where clothes were
optional. Hopefully that would be resolved tomorrow night.

Sometimes,
she thought she might be falling in love with him already. She tried
to tell herself it was too soon, but there was just something about
him that made her insides quiver whenever she saw or thought about
him. Although he seemed attracted to her, she wasn’t sure how
deep his feelings ran…