And then she was fully in his arms. He lifted her off the ground, his easy strength taking her breath away. He lifted her up, her shoes falling off, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was his mouth on hers. The silky slide of his tongue caressing hers made her womb flutter. She was softening, getting wet and ready for him.

The hard wood of the picnic table was suddenly at her back. She cursed the tight fit of her dress. Hadn’t Brooke Harper ever heard of bridesmaids getting lucky at weddings? The slim pencil skirt made it very difficult to get her legs open, and suddenly spreading her legs seemed like a really, really good idea. Alexei loomed over her, staring down. She could feel the approval rolling off him in waves. It was a balm to her ego. Maybe she wasn’t so old if she could put that look on a man’s face.

“No one will mind if we are necking?” He smiled as though he didn’t really care if she said no.

“Sweetie, no one says necking anymore. We’re going to have to get you up on the lingo. We’re making out.”

His body came down on top of hers, crushing her against the top of the table. She was caught between a rock and a really big hard place. Yep. She wished she could spread those legs wide.

“I like this making the out with you.”

She didn’t have time to correct him. His mouth came down again, this time against her neck. He pressed kisses along her neck line, all the while murmuring in Russian. She let her hands drift to his hair. It was just slightly long, curling at the ends. It was silky to the touch.

She gasped as his hand caressed her thigh, pulling at the silk of her skirt. And his lips were getting dangerously close to the bodice of her dress. Her nipples strained against her bra. Her heart raced. She wanted his mouth everywhere.

The sound of footsteps brought her out of her haze.

“Alexei,” she said, pushing at him. “Someone’s coming.”

Even here in Bliss, a little discretion was called for. And Nate Wright was known to ticket people for public sex. He was always looking to upgrade the appliances in the sheriff’s department break room. Alexei’s head came up, his eyes a bit glazed.

“Don’t let me interrupt you,” a familiar voice said.

Holly closed her eyes in horror. Caleb. Of all the people to find her in flagrante almostus, it just had to be Caleb.

Alexei smiled as if he was happy to see the man. “Hello, Caleb.”

With easy grace, he lifted himself off her and held out a hand. She was wobbly on her feet as they touched the grass.

“Do you even have a condom?” Caleb asked, a harsh rasp to his voice.

“Caleb!” Holly felt her cheeks flare with embarrassment. She suddenly felt like a teenager caught with her boyfriend.

Alexei simply laughed. “I shall have to be buying the condoms.”

Caleb’s face was drawn in rough lines, his eyes narrowing close together. “And you should have a blood test. You shouldn’t start having sex without making sure you’re clean. Be in my office tomorrow at nine. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“Caleb,” she started, but Alexei held out a hand.

“It’s all right,” Alexei said, his voice a well of patience. “He’s only looking out for you.”

Caleb’s arms folded over his chest. Somewhere along the way, he’d chucked both his tie and his suit coat. She preferred him this way. He’d looked stiff in the suit. His natural, lean grace was on display now. And his temper. “Someone has to. Someone has to make sure jerks don’t take advantage of her.”

“He wasn’t trying to take advantage of me, Caleb,” Holly explained. Though she didn’t want to, she continued. She had been the one to push the situation. She didn’t want Caleb to be mad at Alexei. “He wanted to be a gentleman. I asked him to kiss me.”

“He was doing more than kissing.” Caleb didn’t seem interested in letting his anger go. He held it tight, like a child with a prized toy.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we weren’t going any further.” Why was she explaining this to him?

“Of course not,” Alexei said with a smooth smile. “No further. Just the out making.”

“What?” Caleb asked.

“Making out. We were making out. And when do you expect me in your office?” She crossed her hands over her breasts. Caleb didn’t need to know that her nipples were still hard.

“What? Why? Are you sick?” Caleb took a step forward, his hand coming out and laying over her forehead. “What are your symptoms?”

She forced herself not to roll her eyes. The minute she coughed, Caleb was all over her. It had occurred to her on occasion that the way to get the man in bed was to fake a horrible disease. He might slip inside her during his examination. “I don’t have symptoms, Caleb.”

Nothing beyond being all kinds of hot and bothered and frustrated out of her mind.

“You guys okay?” Laura Niles asked, walking up with her two men. Cameron Briggs was a huge hunk of all-American male, while Rafael Kincaid was all Latin lover.

Holly looked up while Caleb took her pulse. Laura was one of her closest friends, but damn sometimes she envied the tall blonde with killer shoes. Laura looked happy, her face slightly pink from her closet exertions. Laura hadn’t had to pick between Rafe and Cam. They had come to a very happy agreement between the three of them.

“Your pulse is fast,” Caleb said with a frown. “And you do feel a little hot. Maybe I should take your temperature. There’s something going around.”

“Caleb, I do not have anything. My pulse is fast because of the make-out session, and that’s precisely why my skin is a little warm, too.” Having a two-hundred-twenty-pound Russian on top of her had done nothing to cool Holly off.

Laura’s eyes widened. “Okay. We’ll leave you three to work this out.” Laura started to walk away. She turned around and mouthed “call me.”

Holly pulled away from Caleb. “I was asking about a blood test.”

His gorgeous features crinkled in confusion. “Why do you need a blood test?”

She ground her teeth together. “Because it’s the right thing to do before starting a relationship.”

His face went blank, his jaw slack. “Oh. I think you’re fine.”

Alexei was at her side, his hand reaching for hers. “She is fine. She is beautiful and perfect.”

“I don’t see why he needs a blood test and I don’t.” It seemed a bit like a double standard.

“Hookers,” they managed to say at exactly the same time and with exactly the same blank expression on their faces, like it should have been a foregone conclusion.

Holly felt her face go up in flames.

Alexei brought her hand to his lips. “Dushka, I didn’t have relationships. I had the intercourse. It means I paid women for my pleasure. It was the lifestyle.”

Caleb shrugged. This was the part of Alexei that didn’t bother him? “He’s trying to say he viewed sex as transactional before he met you. He wasn’t looking for a relationship, so it was better to pay someone. Women view sex differently than men. If there’s money on the table, no one gets hurt. But they can get the clap.”

“There was clapping a couple of times, I will admit. I am very good, but Caleb is right. I will take all of the tests. I do not wish to hurt you.”

“He means he doesn’t want to give you crabs.” Caleb frowned ferociously.

Alexei sighed. “I would know about the crabs. I’m healthy. I always use the rubber.”

Caleb shrugged, one shoulder arching aristocratically. “We’ll see about that.”

“Please stop.” Holly wanted the utter humiliation to end. She’d just wanted a few stolen kisses. Now everyone was going to know that her pseudo boyfriend had accused her halfway make-out date of spending too much time with hookers because the worst gossip in Bliss was coming their way.

Callie was waddling up. Holly couldn’t help it. There was no other way to describe it. Callie Hollister-Wright waddled, her enormous belly stretching the dress she wore. She smiled gamely, a hand on her pregnant belly.

“Alexei! It’s so good to see you!” She opened her arms, and Alexei hugged her. “I can’t believe you came back.”

“I can,” Zane said. Zane Hollister was one of Callie’s hubbies. “I think everyone knows why he came back.”

Callie elbowed her husband. Nate Wright, her other husband and the sheriff of Bliss, held out a hand to Alexei.

“It’s good to see you, Alexei. Are you all free and clear with the feds?” Nate asked. Though he’d once been a fed, she knew Nate hated to see them roll into town.

Alexei shook Nate’s hand. “Mostly.”

Nate groaned. “I’ll let Logan and Cam know to be on the lookout. Caleb, it’s good to see you. We’re going to get this sweet lady home. Any day now, you know.”

Caleb’s whole expression changed. She loved that about him. He could be a hard-ass most of the time, but when someone needed a bit of kindness, Caleb was there. “Any day now. You call me, Callie. Even if you’re just worried. Call me. Not Nell. I’ve told her you aren’t giving birth in a kiddie pool.”

Zane groaned. Callie merely smiled. “I know, Doc. I was mainly in it for all the free ice cream. Nell always brought me ice cream. And honestly, now that I’ve had a couple of Braxton-Hicks contractions, I’m pretty sure I want to be drugged up.”

“Me, too,” Nate said, his face slightly green.

“I’ll see what I can do. You call me, Callie. Any time and I’ll be there,” Caleb promised.

And he would. She’d never met anyone as devoted to the people around him as Caleb. He could be dreadfully gruff at times, his bedside manner terrible, but there was no question in her mind that the man cared. Caleb didn’t see himself that way. She knew if she asked him, he would say he was just doing a job, but it was so much more than a job to him. Caleb saw a person in trouble and he helped.