Page 2 of Bedded and Bred

A phone rings and it’s loud and obnoxious and I jump, startling into the books behind me. One thuds into the floor on the other side and I gasp, my feet finally moving, racing for the office as heavy footsteps rush up behind me. I reach that door and slam through it, locking the door behind me and grabbing that ringing phone.

“Hello!” I holler and my buddy, Hestia, laughs.

“What the hell? Why are you yelling?” I can hear the sounds of the little police station behind me. She’s the new dispatcher for the police department.

“There’s somebody in here with me!” I scream when there’s a shadow that slams into the locked glass door in front of me.

“Holy shit!” I can hear her yelling off the phone and then she gets back on with me. “I’m in the station and one of the guys is on the way. You’re not far so it’s not gonna take him long.” Her calm voice makes me close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can hear a siren coming and I suck in a slow breath, light-headed with relief.

“I can hear them coming.”

“Good, good. Stay on the phone. Don’t worry. You’re gonna be alright.”

The shadow turns and light catches a familiar face. One that I know all too well.

Jesse. The blind date from hell.

I knew that he wasn’t too stable after listening to him babble on our date but then when I told him I didn’t want to see himanymore and he kept calling and showing up, I knew there was something off.

“It’s Jesse,” I whisper into the phone.

“The blind date? That guy?”

“Yeah.”

I nod my head even though she can’t see me through the phone. The front door rattles and then the shadow growls and ice trickles down my spine.

“I’ll be back, baby.” And then he races out the back and I sprint for the front door to let Officer First in the door. He looks at me and grasps my arms calmly, his bright blue eyes wandering up and down my body looking for injuries.

“Are you alright?”

I nod my head quickly and point to the back and he takes off, yanking his gun out and hitting the radio button at the same time. I vaguely hear him calling in but I slide down the front door to the floor, my back cold where my sweater has ridden up in the back. My legs sprawl in front of me and I choke on a sob. People walking by on the sidewalk in front of the building stare at me, but nobody says anything. Normally everyone in our little town would be all over me but nobody says anything and I realize I don’t recognize any of these people. We’ve had more and more visitors to our little town since the calendar came out last year and most of these people look like sight-seers hoping to catch a glimpse of one of our famous Wildwood handymen.

“Beth, is that you?” Finally, someone I know. I look up into the Sheriff’s calm face and immediately burst into tears.

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Officer First is looking for him.” I nod my head but I already know he won’t find him and even if I tell them who he is, he didn’t do anything and he can just claim that I’m wrong.

There seems to be no way out of this hellacious nightmare. But there’s one thing that I know.

I’m never going on another blind date again.

CHAPTER 2

Cannon

Sighing sharply, I push back from my desk and stalk to the front door. I reach out to pick up the phone, growling under my breath since my secretary went on lunch break and disappeared. Again.

This is the third one this week and I’m really starting to lose patience with that temp agency. This one didn’t even last a whole day.

“Hello,” I bark into the phone and hear a sucked-in breath.

“H-Hello? Is this Cannon Reed?” A soft, sweet voice whispers into the phone and normally I’d be growling and hanging up the phone. But there’s something about this voice that has shivers dancing up and down my spine. Desire pools in my belly and my dick jerks in my pants. I hold the phone away from my ear and jerk my ass back under control. If this woman is calling my office, she’s a client and I don’t shit where I eat.

I put the phone back to my ear and answer more calmly. “Yes, I am. Can I help you?”

“God, I hope so. I need help. My name is Beth Lange.” As soon as she says those words I know that I’ll do anything for this woman. I’d tear down the world for her and then build it back upany way she wants me to. I haven’t even seen her yet and Iknowshe’s something special.

“You tell me what you need and I’ll take care of it for you, honey,” rumbles from my lips and she laughs gently.

---