Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“I saw you up there,” he says quietly as he removes his hand. “On the stage. You were…” He exhales like it costs him. “…magnificent.”
“I saw you too,” I say, heat flooding my cheeks. “You were watching me.”
“I couldn’t look away.” His jaw clenches. “You put on a mesmerizing show.”
My breath hitches. For a heartbeat, the whole world shrinks to his deep alluring eyes, his hand still warm on my arm, the smell of him—intoxicatingly masculine.
A crackle on his radio slices through the spell. A woman’s voice is tight and urgent. “Sheriff, we’ve got a situation by the ticket booth. Couple of them are getting rowdy about Cooter.”
His eyes harden in an instant. The protector instinct switches on like a light and he pushes the button on his radio. “On my way.”
He leans in close and I swear the room tilts. Or maybe gravity is off. I don’t know. This man’s proximity is making me all loopy.
“I have to go, Ellie,” he says like it’s causing him pain.
He looks at me for a long moment and for a dizzying second, I think he’s going to kiss me. Instead, he takes a slow breath like he’s reining himself in, tips his head once, and turns toward the door.
“Wait,” I call out before it’s too late. “What’s your name?”
“Ryland,” he says with a sexy grin. “Ryland Grey.”
And just like that, he’s gone. I splash some cold water on my face and then clutch the sink, trying to pep talk my legs into working properly before I head outside.
There is indeed a commotion by the ticket booth. My heart pounds as I get closer to see.
A cluster of carnies is shouting at Emmanuel as he drags Cooter toward the patrol truck. Three officers, one female and two males, are trying to push back the wave of angry carnies.
Ryland marches toward them like a storm in a uniform.
“Back up!” he hollers, his voice thick with authority. “Anyone want to spend the night in a cell with your buddy, step right up.”
“He didn’t do nothin’!” an overweight guy in a dirty sleeveless tee shouts. “You can’t just take our guy!”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” Ryland growls. “This is my town. And that piece of shit assaulted a woman and attacked me with a knife. Now, you want to keep testing me, or you want to go home with all your teeth?”
The redneck carnie is already missing a bunch of teeth, so I guess that threat doesn’t carry much weight with him. He steps forward and two of his buddies flare out at his sides.
Sheriff Ryland doesn’t so much as blink.
Sleeveless then makes the worst decision of his life. He pokes Ryland’s massive chest with his index finger. “Fuck. You.”
In one breathless, fluid motion, Ryland grabs his finger, bends the guy’s wrist into an awkward angle, and slams him onto the ticket counter so hard it makes the whole booth rattle.
The crowd gasps.
Someone cheers. Another guy laughs.
One of the carnies backs up. He’s the smart one. The other one rushes forward, but the female cop is ready. She grabs a hold of him while Ryland snaps his cuffs around sleeveless’ wrists.
“Anyone else?” Ryland asks, looking almost bored as he drags the guy to the police truck.
Another carnie decides that he would in fact like to be “anyone else.” He pulls a knife and lunges.
I don’t even see what Ryland does—it’s like watching a storm shift. One second the guy is coming in hot, the next, Ryland has him face-down on the grass, knee pressed between his shoulder blades, and his arms pinned. The guy is completely disarmed and helpless.
My insides come alive as I watch him manhandle these criminals. Arousal courses through me like wildfire, catching me off guard.
He’s so hot.
I want to feel those hands on me like that—pinning me down, holding me in place. I want to feel him on top of me. I want to feel him in me.
The rest of the carnies disperse as Ryland and the other cops shove the ones that are under arrest into the police trucks.
The crowd is humming, excited from the show and looking proud of their local cops for keeping them safe. Some people are recording on their phones.
When it’s all done, they let out a collective cheer for their town’s police force.
I feel a wave of pride—I don’t know why—as I watch Ryland wave respectfully to his people.
He suddenly looks around like he’s searching for something or someone. I think it might be me, but for some reason, I hide behind the big guy beside me.
“Can we please go now?” Sloane says, tapping my shoulder and making me jump six inches, I get so startled. “Where have you been?”
“I… Uh…” I look back at Ryland, regretting that I hid, but the moment is over. He’s busy with the criminals.