Dark Desire Read online

  He tried to convince himself that he did it as sheriff, but deep down he knew the tiny bit of femininity standing in front of him and her sassy attitude were the main reasons. He couldn’t figure out why she opened a club like this one, and the possibilities ate at him. If she touched one of the men who came in here, he would beat her ass so badly she wouldn’t be able to sit down. He didn’t give a damn what the rules said about being single.

  The fact that he didn’t have the right to do a fucking thing about it wouldn’t stop him. She’d be over his lap so fast...

  “I want you to do that to me.”

  Ace whipped his head around. Lost in thought, he’d forgotten what they’d been talking about. “What did you say?”

  Hope blushed again, her big brown eyes downcast. “I want you to make me so crazy with need that I’d do anything you want.” She shrugged and looked up, tucking a loose stand of hair behind her ear, surprising him to notice that her hand shook. “I know you think I don’t know anything about any of this, but you’re wrong. I’ve done it before, but it wasn’t you. I want it with you.”

  Knots formed in his stomach as the implications of her claim set in. He ground his teeth together so hard it hurt and he had to relax his jaw before he could speak. “You’ve done what before?” Why the hell had he asked? He really didn’t want to hear this. Hell, he’d go nuts if he knew what she’d done. He’d go nuts if he didn’t. Damn it. She was going to drive him insane.

  Lifting her chin, her eyes sparkled with defiance even as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I’ve been with dominant men before. I’d always fantasized about it and knew that you would expect nothing less. I fantasized about it. I tried it. I like it. A lot. But I could never really let myself go. I didn’t feel…special, the way I know I’d feel with you.” Her voice lowered, and he had to strain to hear her. “I dream about it.”

  Reaching out, he grabbed her arm, trying to ignore how soft her skin felt or how wonderful she smelled. “What the hell did you let them do to you?”

  Hope pushed his hand away, and turned toward where the men approached from inside the club. “Really, Ace, unless you’re interested in me, it’s none of your business, is it?” Turning to look at him over her shoulder, she raised a brow. “Or have you decided to make it your business?”

  The need to know what had been done to her clawed at him like sharp talons in his stomach. Seeing the others approach, he kept his voice low, clenching his hands into fists to keep from grabbing her again. “I’ll pick you up at seven. You and I are going to have a little talk, and you’re going to tell me everything.” He walked away as the others began to file out, no longer in the mood for their camaraderie.

  He jumped into his truck and made the short trip back to the building that housed the sheriff’s office, lifting a hand in acknowledgement to several people who greeted him. He didn’t stop to talk to anyone as he pulled into his parking space and got out, slamming the door behind him. He strode straight back to the office, covering the ground quickly in his need to be alone. Once there, he closed and locked the door behind him and dropped into the chair behind his desk, wincing as his cock protested the movement.

  Something had to be done. And soon.

  He wanted answers and somehow had to keep his hands off of her in the process. He’d tried to tell her many times that it would never work between them, but Hope was the kind of woman who charged into things without thinking them through.

  If she knew what he’d demand from his woman, she’d look at him in disgust.

  Worse than that, though, she would avoid him like the plague.

  Perhaps it would be best that way. It sure as hell would be a lot easier to avoid her if she did her best to stay the hell out of his way.

  It would hurt. That look of revulsion on her face when she faced the truth about him would hurt like hell, but he couldn’t see any way around it.

  Fuck.

  Once he scared her, that would be the end of it.

  Damn it. Why the hell did that have to hurt so much?

  Chapter Two

  Standing naked in her bedroom, Hope couldn’t stay still. She didn’t remember being this excited since the night she lost her virginity in the backseat of Todd Rigg’s car just a few weeks after graduation.

  Ace had given Todd an ass-kicking for it, and Todd had left Desire to work in Tulsa soon afterward.

  To this day she didn’t know how Ace found out about it.

  None of the men she’d ever dated could hold a candle to Ace, and the two dominant men she’d slept with during her senior year in college educated her and even thrilled her, but she’d been fantasizing about Ace the entire time. She could never find the connection she needed, and both times she’d walked away frustrated. Even though her body had been satisfied, her hunger could never been appeased.

  It appeared that the only man in the world who made her weak in the knees was a six-and-a-half-foot, hard-headed sheriff with a body packed with thick muscle and an ice-cold wall around him she couldn’t resist butting up against.

  Go figure.

  He had that dominant, hard-as-nails quality that a lot of men played at but could never quite pull off combined with a heart of gold he tried so hard to deny. She shook her head, smiling to herself. Men like that could be found in abundance just by walking down any street of Desire, but in the outside world, they’d been a little harder to find.

  She’d grown up in a house in which she had three fathers, all of whom ruled their house with an iron fist wrapped in velvet. Even though they’d always been in charge on the surface, her mother’s happiness meant everything to them, and they absolutely adored her. In return, her mother had always been madly in love with her husbands and did everything she could to please them.

  Even their fights were filled with love. Hope chuckled to herself as she thought about some of the fights her parents had over the years. Even when arguing, their respect and devotion to each other showed through. She’d taken it for granted just how happy relationships could be.

  She wanted a marriage like that.

  Going away to school made her realize just how hard it would be to find a man like the men she’d grown up around. Alpha male qualities combined with loving tenderness were an irresistible combination.

  The sheriff of Desire, Oklahoma, had both in spades.

  And she wanted him badly.

  He’d moved to Desire as a teenager with his father and his stepmother when his half-brothers, Law and Zach, had been in grade school a few years ahead of her. His father had been elected town sheriff, and when he quit to move to Dallas several years ago, the town elected Ace as his successor.

  His father had since divorced and remarried, again, and travelled extensively with his new wife after turning over his oil company to his three sons. He’d inherited it and was smart enough to know that he didn’t know the first thing about running it, so a board ran it until his sons could take over. Law and Zach loved the business, but Ace wanted nothing to do with it and cared only about being a good sheriff.

  Nobody could fill out a sheriff’s uniform like Ace. Damned if he didn’t look like an erotic fantasy in that tan shirt and black pants. The boots he wore with it made him look even taller. With those cool shades, tan hat, and a holster on his hip, he looked hard, rugged, and absolutely irresistible.

  Knowing he wouldn’t be wearing it tonight, she inwardly shrugged. He looked damned good in anything he wore, and if she played her cards right, she’d have him naked one day soon anyway. She couldn’t wait to see the body that uniform hid. Imagining it kept her awake at night.

  Glancing at the clock, she cursed and ran to her closet. Cleaning up after Rachel’s baby shower took longer than she’d expected, even with all the help they had. She ended up talking way too much as the women watched the men load up all the gifts, and the time had gotten away from her.

  Wondering if she could earn herself a spanking from Ace by being late, she decided not to chance it. He already co
nsidered her immature because of her speeding, but she’d only done it because she’d become desperate. She didn’t mean to play games, but she’d tried everything else she could think of.

  How had he known she only did it to get his attention?

  It backfired on her anyway. She had to pay the damned tickets, her insurance rates went up, and she got a stern lecture from her fathers. She’d just about given up hope of ever getting Ace to notice her until this afternoon.

  Not quite knowing where they would be going caused a little bit of a dilemma until she remembered a casual dress hanging in her closet which would be perfect for just about any occasion. The cool night forbade wearing it alone, but she had a shawl her mother and fathers had given her for Christmas that would be perfect with it.

  She loved bright colors, and this dress was no exception. Fire-engine red, it clung to her slight curves beautifully and made her feel sexy as hell. She laid the dress on the bed and went to her underwear drawer and paused.

  She would be out with Ace. What the hell did she need a bra or panties for? Having small breasts made it easy to go without a bra, but it also made her a little insecure. Hoping he wouldn’t be too disappointed in her less than ample breasts, she shoved the bra and panties back into the drawer, her eyes lingering on her garter belts.

  Grinning, she pulled out a sexy black one she’d found at Erin and Rachel’s lingerie shop. She’d been thinking of Ace when she bought it, vowing not to wear it for anyone but him.

  Slipping it on now with the black silk stockings she’d purchased to go with it, she shook with excitement. A moan escaped as she slipped the dress over her breasts. The feel of the soft material sliding over her pebbled nipples made her shiver, her stomach tightening just thinking about having Ace’s hands on them.

  Instead of having a zipper in the back, the dress had about a dozen decorative buttons in the front, which made it easier for her to get dressed and undressed when she had no one around to zip her. As she buttoned it, she imagined Ace slowly unbuttoning each one to expose her breasts to his gaze, sliding his hand over her skin and bending to take a nipple into his warm mouth.

  Would he be disappointed in her? Could she really handle the needs of a man like him? She wanted him so badly that she couldn’t even imagine something going wrong. She compared every man she met to him and found them all lacking.

  Ace was the man of her dreams, and she couldn’t just sit back and let him find someone else. He belonged to her.

  Seeing a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned to smile at her sister, who walked slowly into the room as she read from her never-ending supply of books and nibbled on a carrot.

  “Well, Charity, what do you think?”

  Charity looked up from her book and blinked, swallowing before answering. “You look great, Hope. You always do. Ace won’t know what hit him.” Draping herself over the foot of Hope’s bed, she carefully bookmarked the page and laid her book aside. “I knew you’d wear him down eventually. Everyone knows he’s crazy about you.”

  Hope grimaced and went back into her closet for her highest heels. “I haven’t exactly worn him down yet.” Finding the shoes she wanted, she grabbed the matching purse and went back into the bedroom. “I told him about experimenting and that I’d been with dominant men and—”

  “Ace Tyler, being the kind of man he is and caring about you even though he tries to deny it, wants to know everything.” Charity took the last bite of carrot, chewing thoughtfully.

  Grinning, Hope transferred a few things into her bag. “Got it in one. He wants to talk about it, which means he plans to grill me. He’s probably mad at himself because he has to know but at the same time doesn’t want to know. I’ll bet he regretted asking me out as soon as he did it.”

  Propping her chin on her hands, Charity bent her knees, swinging her legs back and forth as she watched Hope. “So, the extremely large and cold-as-ice sheriff is going to be angry with himself—and with you—and you’re excited about going out with him because?”

  Hope shrugged. “Unlike some people, I’m willing to go after what I want. He’s everything I always wanted in a man, Charity, and I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t give it everything I have before somebody else takes him.”

  She loved her sister dearly but sometimes wanted to shake her. It broke her heart to see Charity so resigned to being alone, turning away a man who was crazy about her.

  Grabbing her book, Charity crawled off of the bed and stood, looking more like a teenager in her ripped jeans and oversized T-shirt than a college graduate and business owner. “Don’t nag me for not going after Beau. He’s only interested in fun and games, not in a serious relationship. He’s a walking heart-breaker, something I sure as hell don’t need in my life. Have fun with Ace. I just came in to tell you that Mom sent dinner, but I’ll put yours away.”

  Hope blew out a breath and plopped on the edge of her bed, watching sadly as Charity left the room. She wished Beau Parrish would see through her sister’s brusqueness and realize just how much Charity cared about him.

  It scared Hope to think he knew it and just didn’t feel the same.

  Beau owned, of all things, the only adult toy store in Desire and would be the perfect man to lighten Charity up and teach her how to play. Charming and too damned good looking for his own good, he eyed her sister like a hungry dog eyed a bone.

  Charity had dismissed all of his attempts so far, and Hope wished her sister would just give Beau a chance before he moved on to someone else, if he hadn’t already.

  Maybe she should do something to get the two of them together…

  A knock at the apartment door interrupted her musing and had her scrambling to her feet. Nerves and excitement battled for supremacy as she hurried out of her room, through the small living room, and to the front door.

  Taking a deep breath that did nothing at all to calm her, she wiped her damp palms on her dress before reaching for the knob and swinging the door open. As always, her heart leapt at the sight of Desire’s sheriff.

  He wore black khakis and a light blue button-down shirt that stretched across his massive chest as he stood there with his hands on his hips. His already hard features, hardened even more as he looked down at her. His dark brown eyes narrowed as his gaze moved over her, from the top of her head to her toes, before moving back to her breasts. Meeting her eyes, he lifted a brow, letting her know without words that he knew she wore no bra.

  Not bothering to cover herself and very aware that her nipples poked at the front of her dress, she smiled, hoping her nerves didn’t show. “Hi, Ace. I hope you’re taking me somewhere to eat. I’m starving.”

  Ace’s lips twitched, his expression softening slightly. “You’re always starving. I don’t know where you put it. You must use it up bouncing around the way you do. Get a sweater or something and let Charity know you’re leaving.”

  Hope lifted a brow. “Bossy as always.”

  Ace surprised the hell out of her by closing the distance between them and taking her shoulders. Bending, he got right in her face. “Always. Remember it.” When she still hesitated, he straightened, folding his arms over his chest and raising a brow in that arrogant way that turned her on despite her best intentions. “I know you don’t like obeying orders. I give orders a lot and have no intention of changing. Orders that I expect to have obeyed. That’s why I said we should stay away from each other. Change your mind about tonight?”

  Hope wouldn’t abandon her plans tonight for anything. “I would love to see what you’d do if I kicked you in the shin.”

  Ace bent again, his eyes twinkling. “Try it.”

  “I’d rather touch you.” Running a hand down his chest, she toyed with a button. “I can’t wait for you to kiss me.” Elated at the surprise that flashed in his eyes, she turned. “Excuse me. I’ll just get my wrap and tell Charity we’re leaving.” Good, she’d surprised him. She’d have to keep the sheriff on his toes until she made it clear that she was the o
nly woman for him.

  Turning to look over her shoulder, she grinned when she saw the hungry way that he looked at her ass. What she lacked in breasts she sure made up for in that area, something Ace seemed to appreciate.

  He looked up, his eyes narrowing when he saw that she caught him.

  Yes, the sheriff definitely liked what he saw. She winked at him and went to find Charity.

  * * * *

  Hope stood aside as Ace opened the door of his huge pick-up truck, a sharp jolt of need sizzling through her when he put his hands on her waist and lifted her onto the leather seat. Without a word, he fastened her seat belt, letting his hands linger on her hips a few seconds longer than necessary, staring at her lips the entire time. At Hope’s slow smile, he seemed to come to his senses. Scowling at her, he whipped his hands back and straightened, closing her door with more force than necessary and leaving her feeling bereft. Placing her hands over where his had been, she shivered with nerves and need. Watching him walk around the front of the truck, she licked her lips, which still tingled from his stare. If her lips tingled from a stare, what would it be like when he actually touched them with his?

  The power and authority in every purposeful step sent her pulse racing as she watched him come around the truck. He opened his door and slid into the seat next to her, sliding a glance her way before starting the powerful engine.

  “Steak okay?”

  Her stomach was so tied up in knots, she knew she’d never be able to eat a thing anyway. Nodding, she tore her gaze away to look out the front window.

  “Of course. I love steak, but I thought you would take me to the hotel.” Reaching over and trailing a finger down his arm, she smiled her most seductive smile while inside she trembled like a virgin. “I was kinda hoping you’d reserved one of those private booths.” The thought of it had driven her crazy all day.

  She’d heard all kinds of stories about what went on inside those booths and wanted to experience it for herself with Ace. The booths had heavy curtains all around them and were reserved weeks, sometimes months, in advance. No one could enter the booth while it was closed. Even the waiter had to wait for a signal from the people inside before entering.