Before The Night Is Over by Sandy Sullivan Read Free Book Online

number,” he said and hit end. “Well that was pretty stupid, you dumbass. You obviously woke up someone in her house.” The clock on his cell phone read two-thirty. “Shit. It’s fucking two in the morning. No wonder whoever answered was sleeping. Well no use sittin’ here gettin’ all worked up.” He stood, shut off the television and stereo, and quickly finished his beer before walking up the stairs to his bedroom.

    * * * *

    The bong of the doorbell brought Kale upright in bed with a confused blink. “Who in the hell is at the door at—” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “At seven fucking thirty on a Sunday?”
    He grumbled and cussed some more, while he tugged on a pair of sweatpants and stumbled down the stairs as the bell went off again.
    “ Yeah. I’m comin’.” He yanked open the door and growled, “What?”
    Blue police uniform and red hair caught his attention moments before she turned around and slid her sunglasses down her nose with one finger. “I-uh. I’m sorry, Kale, but I realized after I stopped you last night, I still had your driver’s license.” Her gaze swept over him from head to toe and interest sparkled in the blue depths. “Did I wake you?”
    “ Uh, yeah.”
    “ I was on my way home and I figured I’d drop this off.” She had his driver’s license sandwiched between two fingers.
    He hadn’t even noticed the missing license last night. Once she’d handed him her phone number and waltzed back to her car, his mind hadn’t been on the missing license or registration. Her tight ass, those blue pants, and whether she’d let him use her handcuffs on the bed’s headboard cluttered his mind all the way to the ranch.
    “ Care for some coffee now that I’m awake?” he asked, taking the piece of plastic from her fingers after he pushed the screen open.
    “ If you’re sure I’m not keeping you up,” she said, sweeping through the doorway.
    The scent of lemon followed her into the house and his thoughts drifted to her last words. Keeping me up isn’t a problem, darlin’.
    He walked behind her toward the kitchen. “The coffee will be ready in a few minutes. How did the rest of your shift go?”
    “ Good. Not much trouble at all.”
    “ Nothin’ like Los Angeles, I imagine.”
    “ Not even close. Most shifts, I worked at least one homicide a day out there. Here it’s traffic stops, kids with firecrackers, a cow loose on Rancher John’s property—you know.” She shrugged.
    “ I bet Red Rock is kind of boring for you then,” he replied, hitting the start button on the coffee maker and returning to the living room.
    The open floor plan of the house kept things flowing between the rooms, making it much easier to keep up the conversation.
    “ No, not really. It’s kinda nice actually,” she said from the spot she’d taken up near the bay window. “You’ve got a beautiful view from here. Is all of the pasture back there your land?”
    “ Yes,” he murmured near her ear.
    She spun around to face him, startled by the closeness of his voice. Her gaze swept from his eyes, over his bare torso and down his abdomen. No way she could miss the morning wood he sported. The moment he’d opened the door to find her standing on his porch, his dick jumped to attention in a full raging hard-on.
    “ Let me go throw a T-shirt on,” he said, stepping back, hoping the distance would give him a little breathing room.
    “ Don’t get dressed on my account,” she replied in a breathless whisper as she moved close and tipped her head back.
    The strawberry pink of her lips parted and her eyes sparkled in the bright morning light. Her fingertips seared the skin of his chest like a hot branding iron.
    “ Laurel,” he murmured. “You’re playin’ with fire, darlin’.”
    Lips brushed his chest and he stifled a groan. “I need the heat, Kale. It’s been a long time for me.”
    He wrapped his hand in her long, red hair and tugged her close so he could pull her mouth