Sophie Oak - Three to Ride

“You want to move that car, Ms. Swift?” He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her his best lawman stare.

It made her stop in her tracks, but only briefly. “What are you going to do, Sheriff? Give me a ticket? Lock me up?”

He could think of a few things he would do. None of them had anything to do with jail. “Maybe I’ll just spank that ass of yours, sweetheart.”

He shouldn’t have said it, but the words were out of his mouth before he could think twice. It was exactly what he’d do if she was his woman. If she belonged to him and she’d pulled this shit, he would lay her out over his knee, and she wouldn’t get up again until she’d nicely apologized.

“What did you say?” She practically growled the question at him. Her eyes narrowed, and she held her ground.

Rye towered over her. “I said I would spank that little ass of yours red, darlin’.”

“I think Max might have something to say about that.” She shot the words at him, but there was a telltale trembling to her voice. He would bet everything he had that she wasn’t entirely put off by the prospect of getting over his knee.

Max would watch if their relationship was on a normal footing. For all his anger issues, Max was softer than Rye when it came to sex. It didn’t mean Max didn’t enjoy playing a few games. He’d spanked a perky little ass on more than one occasion. “You push Max like you’re pushing me, and he’ll understand.”

Her eyes flared briefly before she hardened them to flinty green stones. “Yeah, well, you don’t have to worry about it. I’m leaving. Don’t worry about me screwing up your perfect world anymore.”

She started to turn, and Rye’s arm shot out. He was running on pure emotion. She was leaving? Not on his watch. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

She pulled against him, setting her sneakers solidly against the road. “It’s none of your fucking business, Sheriff. Let me go.”

Not on his life. Rye looked around and realized they were stopping traffic. Rachel’s car could wait. He needed to figure out what the hell had turned her into a raging maniac, and he couldn’t do it in public. Without letting go of her arm, he leaned down and slid his free arm beneath her leg. He hauled her up against his chest and strode back toward the sheriff’s office. No one was in there. They could yell at each other in perfect privacy.

He kicked the door open and walked her back to the small confines of his office. He set her down and swiftly blocked the door. “Now, do you want to be reasonable about this, or should I get ready to administer a little discipline?”

Her face was red, and her small hands were clenched into fists at her sides. “You let me go right now, or I swear I will sue you for everything you’re worth.”

“Feel free,” Rye shot back. “Take me for everything I’m worth. You’re not leaving.”

“You can’t keep me, asshole.”

“Watch me.” He leaned back against the door. “And watch your language, Rachel. You curse me one more time, and I won’t give a damn that you belong to Max. I will pull those jeans down and leave an imprint of my hand on your ass.”

“You’re a big man to threaten a woman, aren’t you?”

Rye laughed. “Yeah, poor little Rachel. You’re so downtrodden.” Tears filled her eyes, and Rye practically melted. He took a step toward her, his hands curving over her shoulders. “Baby, I didn’t mean it. I wouldn’t hurt you. It’s a game. Fuck, I’m sorry. Please tell me why you want to leave. I promise I’ll make it all right.” All of his anger evaporated like someone had taken a pin to a balloon, popping it, deflating him. He couldn’t help himself. He pulled her into his arms.

“I’m sorry.” He was willing to say anything to make her stop crying.

Her hands came up across her chest as though she couldn’t stand to be so close to him. He would call Max. She only wanted Max. His heart hurt. And then her arms wound around his waist, and she sobbed into his chest. A great sigh of relief left Rye’s lungs. He let his head sink down against her hair. His hands soothed over her back. “I’m sorry.” He said it over and over. He wasn’t even sure who he was saying it to. He was sorry something bad had happened to her. He was sorry he’d done something to piss her off. He was so, so sorry she wasn’t his. He wanted nothing more than to call Max and take her home where they could take care of her. She would be their princess, their partner, their perfect lover. God, he was so sorry she didn’t want that.

After a long while her head came up, and she pulled away slightly. “I apologize for yelling at you, Sheriff.”

A veil had come down over her eyes. Rye’s chest constricted. She was shutting down the intimacy between them. It was good one of them had a lick of sense, but he wished she was still in his arms. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

She shook her head. “It’s best I just leave.”

“Baby…Rachel, I know something’s wrong. I’m not stupid. I also know none of it’s your fault.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

He sighed and brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen out of her previously perfect ponytail. “I just know. And even if it was your fault, I would take care of it.” He cleared his throat. “You’re my brother’s girl. I would take care of you. If someone’s after you, I’ll move heaven and earth to stop him. If you got caught up in something bad, I’ll take care of that, too.”

Her face contorted and, for a moment, he worried she would start crying all over again. Then she shook it off, and that wall of mulish strength she had came down between them. “No, I’m fine. But stay out of my business.”

Shit, she had found out about the trace he’d run on her. Damn Callie’s big mouth. And Rachel’s reaction did nothing but make him even more suspicious. “I don’t know if I can do that, Rachel.”

Her chin came up stubbornly. “All right. Then I’m leaving, and there’s nothing you can do. Unless you intend to put me in jail, I suggest you let me move on.”

He wanted to punch something. His gut rolled with anger, need. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling anymore. “God damn it, Rachel. You really want to put me in a corner, don’t you? I know something’s wrong, but if I pursue it, you’ll leave, and then my brother will hate the very sight of me.”

Her shoulders slumped. “It would be best if I left, Rye. I’ll let Max know you didn’t have anything to do with it.”

He forced her chin up to look into those green eyes. He couldn’t help but touch her. “Don’t go. I’ll stop looking. I’ll leave it alone. I promise.” He wouldn’t promise not to protect her. He wouldn’t promise not to come between her and anything that came her way.

Her lips trembled. They were close. All he had to do was lean down, and he could press his mouth to hers.

There was a loud bang as the door to the station house opened.

“Hey, Bro, you here?” Max’s voice rang through the building.

Rye and Rachel jumped apart like there was a blazing fire between them. Rachel’s back was against the wall when Max opened the door to the office. “Hey, what’s Rachel’s Jeep doing parked in front of a stop light?” Max’s face lit up when he saw Rachel. “Hey, baby.”

Rachel shouldered her way past both of them. “Your brother’s an asshole. I have to go back to work.”

Max watched her stalk out. There was a dippy grin on his face when he looked back at Rye. “Damn, you pissed her off but good. Glad it wasn’t me for a change. She should watch that language, though. I just had the most insane urge to spank her. You want to go get lunch?”

It took everything he had not to scream. “Yeah, sure. Anywhere but Stella’s. I don’t think I would like what Rachel would do to my food.” Rye forced himself to follow his brother out the door.

Rachel woke up smiling. There were lines of early morning sunlight cascading through the curtains. Rachel turned over and reached out for Max.

The last week had been damn near perfect. Since her near miss with Rye in his office, she’d managed to avoid him for the most part. She’d spent her days working and her nights with Max. Rye had worked the night shift or stayed with friends. She knew Max missed him, but it was for the best. It was still a worry in the back of her mind that she was coming between them, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it. Max seemed so happy. Rachel had decided, for once in her life, to live in the moment. Everything went bad eventually. She should enjoy Max while she could.

Rachel rubbed her eyes and sat up as she realized she was all alone in the huge bed. She could hear the water running in the bathroom and stretched languorously, deciding Max must be in the shower. Every muscle hummed with satisfaction as she really looked around the bedroom. They hadn’t spent much time in the big bedroom. There were five bedrooms in the house. Both Max and Rye had their own bedrooms, and, until last night, she and Max had stayed in his room. Max had made the decision to move them into the big bedroom the night before. He’d been very serious when he told her to get her stuff, as though moving into this room meant something to him.

The bed was enormous. It had to have been custom-made. It was bigger and longer than a king and would easily fit three people. She sat up and got out of bed to look around. The large dresser across from the bed was very telling. There was a small dish where Max placed his keys and his watch. There was a second, matching dish that was empty on the other side of the dresser, and in the middle, an empty jewelry box. Rye and Max had shared this room with a woman at least once. She remembered someone mentioning a woman named Nina. Rachel wondered how long she’d stayed with the brothers as their shared woman. She tried to imagine what would cause a woman to leave.