Outlaw Lawman by Delores Fossen Page A

arms were strong. She knew that. But knowing and experiencing it were two different things. Those strong arms drew her in until she was against his body. Not that she needed a punch of heat, but it made the kisses even better.
    Mercy, he was good at this.
    Gentle and rough at the same time. His hand went into her hair, to the back of her head so he could control the movement, angle and pressure. He already controlled everything else, so Caitlyn didn’t even try to resist.
    He tasted good. Like something familiar but forbidden. That was Harlan. A contradiction. Their bodies pressed closer. Until she could feel all those muscles on his chest.
    His zipper, too.
    No cooldown for her. Just the opposite. While her head yelled for her to back away, Caitlyn let her fingers and mouth play with fire. She slid her hand between them and touched. That incredible chest. His stomach—hard and tight.
    She wanted to go lower. Actually, she wanted sex, and clearly Harlan wanted that, too, because his stomach wasn’t the only part of him that was hard.
    Without breaking the kiss, he moved her, turned her, until her bottom was pressed against the edge of the desk. A good angle for sex. Not so good for cashing in on some willpower. The new position put him right between her legs.
    Everything aligned.
    Only the blasted clothes were in the way. And as hot as the kisses had made her, clothing removal was just one touch away.
    Or not.
    Harlan stepped back.
    Not easily. And she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t just dive right back at her again.
    Harlan stood there. Breathing hard. Smelling like the sex she wanted to have with him. His hands tightened into fists. Finally one of them had acted like a responsible adult, but Caitlyn was having a hard time remembering why that was important.
    Oh, because they had other things to do. Like clear their names and catch a killer.
    So why did this suddenly seem more important than anything else?
    “We need to agree that was a mistake,” he insisted.
    She glanced at the erection straining the zipper of his jeans. Then at her own nipples, puckered and very visible since she wasn’t wearing a bra.
    “A compromise,” she murmured. “Let’s just agree that it was mutual...and really, really good.”
    He laughed. The sound was so unexpected that it took Caitlyn a moment to shake off the tension and smile. Not because there was anything to smile about, but it was impossible to stay in sex-land with that laugh. And that smile. Mercy, the man had some big weapons in his male arsenal, and that smile was one of them. Except the smile didn’t last. It dissolved in the blink of an eye, and the look on his face definitely wasn’t that of a happy man.
    “What the hell is that?” he snapped.
    A jolt of fear went through her. God, she couldn’t take any more bad news.
    Afraid of what she might see, Caitlyn followed his gaze to the laptop screen. The scalding kiss had numbed her brain, because she’d forgotten that was on the screen. The working headline said it all.
    U.S. Marshals’ Cover-Up of Jonah Webb’s Murder?
    The question mark was there for a reason, because she wasn’t at all sure there’d been a cover-up, but Harlan likely wouldn’t even notice it. That was because his attention was nailed to the first paragraph and the other question she’d posed.
    With his foster sons’ help, did retired marshal Kirby Granger get away with murder?
    “I can explain.” But she couldn’t. There was no explanation she could give Harlan that would undo the fury she now saw in his eyes.
    “Save it,” Harlan growled. He grabbed his bag and stormed upstairs.

Chapter Nine
    “Really?” Caitlyn grumbled. “You couldn’t come up with a better meeting place?”
    For once in the past fourteen hours or so, Harlan agreed with her, but he didn’t mimic the huff she made when Slade turned onto the road at the weathered sign.
    Rocky Creek Children’s Facility.
    Apparently they were headed back for another trip down memory