Irritable (4 page)

Kelsey
didn't want to give Cleve the satisfaction of obeying him, but she already knew
the man would spank her again if she didn't. Her bottom was much too sore
for another punishment, and she decided to be prudent for once in her
life. She would get even with the man, somehow... someway...

Cleve
stood there and listened for the dead bolt to slide into place, and then he
deliberately tested the doorknob to make sure she knew he was checking on
her. He walked around the house and tried the windows and found them
locked, but her patio door leading to the backyard was unlocked. "This
one, too, Pebbles," he called into the house in a firm voice.

"Go
away, you odious man!" Kelsey slammed the door in his face, locked it, and then
pulled the drape shut so she didn't have to look at him. Why in hell was
she attracted to the overgrown Neanderthal? She didn't want to be drawn
to anyone at all, but Cleve Blankenship was getting to her in a big way and it
made her mad! She especially hated the fact that he was a cop. Why
a damn cop? What was God trying to do to her?

*****

Cleve
didn't see the feisty redhead for the next week, and he would have been shocked
to know that he was being observed from an upstairs window each and every day
as he left and came home from work, and the green eyes doing the watching were
not pleased.

After
all those threats, the man hadn't bothered to check even once to make sure her
doors were locked. He didn't really care about her, Kelsey decided.
She made sure the pillow was fluffed on her desk chair and then seated
herself. Sitting was finally becoming bearable, but she would use the
pillow until she was positive she wouldn't end up standing to work like she had
the first day or two after Cleve spanked her. Talk about miserable!
Her feet and ankles ached after less than an hour of standing at her keyboard,
but sitting was impossible, and she had a deadline. She'd taken lots of
breaks to go and lie down on her tummy, but she'd kept working, no matter how
much she didn't want to.

In ten
years of writing, Kelsey hadn't missed a deadline and she wasn't going to miss
one now. She could just picture herself telling her editor that the
reason she was late was due to the fact her neighbor gave her a spanking.
Elise wouldn't believe her for one single minute, and if she did, she would
probably assume it was a sexy spanking that got a bit carried away.

That
thought took Kelsey's thoughts in another direction, to another cop, the man
her father was partnered with. Her Dad invited Steven Sherwood to their
home for dinner one evening to meet his wife and daughter, and Kelsey fell in
love with the happy-go-lucky man. He made her laugh, and he wasn't at all
upset by her quick temper. Kelsey's Dad thought it a miracle that Steven
could turn off Kelsey's ire with just a wink, and when Steven asked to marry
the redhead, both of her parents were delighted. They had a laughter
filled ceremony, and both sides of the church were filled with police
officers. Making love with Steven was wonderful, and Kelsey learned she
was pregnant on the day she lost her father and husband in a high-speed chase
while they were trying to apprehend a drug dealer. The car her Dad was
driving flipped over and was hit by a semi... Kelsey miscarried her baby a
couple weeks later, and then nursed her Mom until she died of cancer less than
a year after losing her husband. Kelsey thought the part of her that
could feel loving and sexy was long since dead and buried with Steven.

Now
her dreams were consumed with her handsome neighbor, the same man who thought
her a brat and who had spanked her so soundly she'd needed a pillow to sit on
for the last week! The same man who told her to lock her doors and then
didn't bother to check and see if she was obeying him. Kelsey was
furious. With Cleve, but most of all with herself for having a school
girl crush at her age!

She
needed to clear her mind before she could work, Kelsey decided. She went
to the kitchen and poured another mug of coffee for herself, added cream and
sugar, and then unlocked her patio doors and went outside to enjoy the
morning. It wasn't too hot yet, and the breeze felt good as it tossed her
short hair about. She had a nice soft cushion in her rattan rocking
chair, and took a seat, her mind filling with thoughts of her neighbor once
more. He hadn't had a day off in over two weeks now and she knew he took
his responsibilities as Chief very seriously with all the hours he was putting
on the job. Still, would it kill him to at least act like she was
alive? Probably, she grimaced as she sipped her coffee. She'd
railed at him and made it clear she didn't want anything to do with him.

*****

Cleve
wished he could stop thinking about the cute redhead. Pebbles was fine
looking and he couldn't get the image of her nude body out of his mind.
He wanted to touch her, and the feeling was getting stronger all the time,
although he couldn't understand why. He wasn't partial to redheads, or
tiny women. Cleve always dated brunettes, and he liked a woman who was
tall enough to come to at least his chin. Pebbles was at least a foot
shorter than him. And she had a nasty disposition and temper. So
why couldn't he stop thinking about her? At least she'd been locking her
doors. He checked every night before he went to bed, and he hadn't heard
her music again, either. Why on earth was he interested in a female who
wanted nothing at all to do with him?

*****

Of all
the rotten luck! Kelsey kicked the flat tire. She had ice cream,
too, and it would melt by the time she called someone to come and change her
tire. A nice looking man walked over and smiled at her. "I see your
tire is flat, Miss. Could I give you a hand?"

Kelsey
was tempted to let the stranger help her. He looked harmless, but she was
a cop's daughter and was married for two years to a cop. She shook her
head 'no' but before she could speak she heard a familiar voice say, "Thanks,
but I'm here to give Pebble's a hand. Kind of you to offer,
though." Kelsey saw the angry look in the young man's dark eyes, but he
smiled and said, "Cool," and walked away. "Do you have a spare, Pebbles?"
Cleve asked, slipping out of his suit coat.

"I can
call AAA," Kelsey said in exasperation. "I don't want you to ruin your
suit, Cleve," she added when he looked at her.

"I'd
rather ruin my suit than leave you here with someone you don't know, young
lady. There is a rapist on the loose, and you need to be careful. I
would hate for something to happen to you, Pebbles," he said so earnestly that
she looked at him in surprise. To his astonishment she smiled.

"I was
planning to tell him 'no,' Cleve. My father and my husband were police
officers; I know better," she spoke of her Dad and Steven for the first time in
years. It didn't hurt quite as much now as it used to.

"Both
gone?" Cleve asked, noting her use of the past tense verb.

"Yes,
together. They were chasing a drug dealer, and a little girl ran out in
the street in front of Dad. He swerved to miss her, and flipped the
car. A semi crashed into the car, and both he and Steven died."

"I'm
truly sorry, Pebbles," Cleve said, meaning the words.

"It's
been ten years now," she admitted, then blinked. "Let me see about that
spare. I do appreciate the help."

Cleve
was pleased that they'd managed to be in each other's company for over five
minutes without arguing, and he didn't mind at all changing the tire. "At
least you have a decent spare tire and not one of those stupid donuts," he said
in approval. He took out her jack and got busy. A couple minutes
later he was frowning. "Damn it! Did that guy give you his name,
Pebbles?" he asked, rising to his full height to look at her. He had a
sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"No...
What's wrong, Cleve?" Kelsey asked, curious at his strange behavior.

"Someone
let the air out of your tire, honey. I should have questioned that
kid. Did you see what he was driving?"

"No, I
didn't. He came walking from over there," she pointed, and then shivered.

"Could
be he's a nice guy who just wanted to do the right thing," Cleve muttered, but
his gut was telling him otherwise. "I know you've been keeping your doors
locked like I asked, but make certain you continue, and if you notice anything
strange, call me. I'll give you my cell number so you can reach me at
work without going through Nina."

"Office
Lucia?" Kelsey remembered her run in with the younger woman only too
well. "She likes you... a lot! She has a possessive look in her eyes
when she looks at you." Kelsey was surprised at how jealous she felt as
she pointed out that little fact to the big man.

Cleve
grinned and then laughed. "Nina is my niece, Pebbles. She likes to
protect me from things that I don't have time for."

"She
is your niece?" Kelsey groaned. "Oh, how embarrassing!" she muttered to
herself.

"She
is expecting her first baby and I hope she retires from the police department
to stay home and be a Mommy. It scares me having her there, especially
right now. I know how that sounds," he looked at the redhead, expecting
her to chew him out.

"It's
not a sin to want to keep someone you love safe," Kelsey surprised him by
saying. "Of course, you might not want to tell your niece that.
What does her husband think about her working?"

"He
doesn't mind a desk job, but he doesn't want her out on the street. Nina
respects that for the time being." He couldn't help wondering at her
attitude towards him when they met, and wondered if it was because of the
badge. "Were you so antagonistic towards me because of the job?" Cleve
had to know.

"No,"
Kelsey answered, and felt her face turn red as she quickly changed the
subject. "I really appreciate this, Cleve. My ice cream would have
been soup if I'd had to wait for AAA to come."

"Ice
cream, huh?" he looked at her. "What kind?"

"Plain
ole vanilla... My favorite kind," she added defensively.

"Mine
too," Cleve nodded.

Kelsey
giggled at the hopeful look in his eyes. "I think I can spare a bowl of
ice cream for the man who changed my tire."

"Great.
I'll follow you home." He wanted to make damn sure and certain that no
one was lurking about. He simply couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had
that the air was let out of her tire on purpose by that young guy who eagerly
offered to help. The rapist had done that same thing a time or two, and
there was nothing wrong with Pebbles' tire.

Although
Cleve was alert all the way to their street, he didn't see any sign of the
young man. He did notice, however, that Pebbles drove like a person
possessed. He could have cited her at least six different times on the
short trip home, and he intended to warn her to slow down and quit taking
chances. After he had his ice cream, he amended. If he started scolding
she would never ask him inside, and he really wanted to check out her condo and
make sure no one was hiding in there.

Cleve
stepped on the gas and caught up to her on their street. He didn't want
her to get out of her vehicle until he was there. He didn't see any cars
or trucks that didn't belong. The two women who lived through the vicious
attacks told of being taken from one place to another. Several others had
been attacked in their own homes, and those were the ones who usually ended up
dead. Cleve watched the rear view mirror and saw a black van pull into a
driveway down the street. He decided it was the caretaker for the elderly
woman who lived there, and pulled his car into his garage and then pushed the
button to close the door as he stepped outside. He'd foregone getting his
own groceries and didn't have anything to carry inside.

Pebbles
was taking bags from the trunk of her car and he stepped forward to take three
bags from her arms while she grabbed a fourth and then shut the trunk lid.
She led the way inside through the utility room and he noticed that the dryer
was running! One more think to scold for, he decided. It seemed the
tiny woman liked to live dangerously.

"Have
a seat at the table, Cleve," Kelsey invited. She quickly put away her
groceries, and was thankful that she was neat by nature. The dirty dishes
were hidden in the dishwasher until she had a full load and her home looked
nice... except for her office, and she worked in there and it showed. "The
ice cream should be easy to dip," she said as she got out bowls and
spoons. "Would you like chocolate syrup on yours?" she offered.

"No!"
Cleve shook his head. "Why spoil a good thing?" he grinned.

"I
agree." She fixed a bowl for each of them and then joined Cleve at the table.
"Okay, you can start yelling about my driving now..."

Chapter Four

"I was going to finish my ice cream first," Cleve didn't pretend he didn't
understand what she meant, "but since you brought it up, young lady, I could
have given you at least six citations on the way here. You were speeding
every inch of the way... At one point you were seventeen miles past the speed
limit. You didn't come to a full stop at the stop signs, and you took
every last light on yellow as it was turning red."

"You
missed the pedestrian in the cross walk. I didn't stop for him, either,"
Kelsey added with amusement.

"It
isn't funny, Pebbles. You were risking your life and the lives of other
people."

"Not
really. I was being exceptionally careful," she insisted. "I just wanted
to see if you would notice."

"You
did that on purpose?" Cleve asked in startled surprise.

"Yes.
I wanted to see if you would break the law to keep up with me," she wiggled her
eyebrows. "You did."

"So
you were testing me?" he drawled, wondering what the heck she was up to, but
close to upending her for a good spanking.