Page 48 of Her Maine Reaction

I reach out blindly for the mug and take a sip, letting the hot, sweet liquid slide down my throat.

Closing my eyes briefly, I feel the caffeine flowing through my body, waking me up.

“It’s perfect,” I whisper, taking another sip.

“I know.” He winks. “I’m going to go and get your bags.”

Watching him leave, I sigh a breath of relief, and sink down into the chair. I don’t know why I’m so on edge around him. Maybe I’m scared he’ll see too much. Or, maybe I’m scared he’ll realize I’m someone not worth his time.

Why does Ryan bring out all of my insecurities?

I’m a strong, confident woman. And he’s just a man.

I just need to keep reminding myself of those two facts.

When Ryan comes back in with my bags, he brings them right upstairs, and I don’t even bat an eye at how good he looks carrying my heavy bags. Okay, I do, but it’s when he comes back down fifteen minutes later, that I almost choke on my coffee.

Holy shit.

Raking my eyes down the entirety of his body, I take in all the glorious, sexy, powerfulness that is Sheriff Ryan Taylor.

It’s the first good look I’ve gotten of him like this. In the café, and last night, he had his coat on. And he wasn’t as put together last night as he is this morning. Plus, I was a little tipsy by the time he got there.

He’s tamed his hair so that the longer part on top is slicked back, and his freshly shaven is face has my fingers itching to feel the smooth skin beneath.

And that uniform, my God. Dark brown pants with a stripe on either side do nothing to hide his powerful thighs underneath, and the khaki colored long sleeved shirt hugs his chiseled chest and arms like it was tailored for him. The badge on his chest shines like it was just polished, and the pins on his collar, and patches on his sleeves, all add to the hotness. He’s so official. I would totally break the law just so he could arrest me.

If he wanted to, he could make me do just about anything while in that uniform.

I meet his eyes, and they’re molten. He knows I’m appreciating him right now, and I’m not ashamed.

“Where’s your…uh”–I clear my throat and wave my hand at his belt area–“gun and cuffs and stuff?”

Smirking, Ryan walks over to the coffee pot and pours himself a travel mug. “My duty belt is in the truck. I have it locked in the safe.”

“You have a safe in your truck?”

“Yeah. It’s in the floor on the passenger side. I put it in there before coming to you yesterday.”

“Oh.” I guess he didn’t want to scare me or something.

“You can call me if you need me. I’ll leave my number here,” he says, writing it on a notepad on the counter.

“Okay.” I nod.

“Make yourself at home, sweetheart.” He smiles. “I’ll be back after six.”

“Alright. Be safe.”

He was putting a lid on his travel mug, but pauses and looks over at me with a surprised look in his eyes. “I will.”

Watching him walk out of the kitchen and towards the side door we came in earlier, I feel a twinge of loss, and I hate that. I don’t want to feel this attached this fast.

I really do want him to be safe, though. It’s still snowing, and he’s going back out there. Anything could happen. He could get stuck in the snow, or crash into a tree and freeze to death without anyone even knowing he needed help.

Oh my God. Fucking relax, Ashley. He knows what he’s doing.

Bringing the mug to my lips with shaky hands, I take a sip, hoping it’ll calm my nerves, but it doesn’t. I’m going to need something to distract myself with until after six, or else I’m going to go crazy thinking about Ryan out there.

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