My Kind of Town Read online

  Kyle sauntered back to the hospital, only a mile or so away, and found another tree right outside the Yankee’s room. Taking a limb not too far from the ground, he got comfortable and watched the woman. He could see her lying in her bed, asleep, handcuffed to the railing. The thought had him purring, moments before he dropped off to sleep.

  Lying against her blue sand, Emma stared up at the sky she’d created. A little too bright. She took it down a notch until the sky became more a pale navy than a bright cerulean.

  Emma had two days. Two days to destroy whatever had tried to kill her and to get home. After that, her Coven would be coming for her, and she’d prefer to avoid that. The five of them together could cause all sorts of problems. From the time they’d all met in ninth-grade Social Studies, they’d been a functioning unit. A business partnership, almost. Each serving a purpose, each fulfilling a specific role. Emma always knew, though, if it weren’t for the Coven they probably wouldn’t be friends. They were too different and had very little in common except the witchcraft.

  Jamie always said they were more family than friends. Friends you chose, while family was forced upon you. Still, Emma liked them all and tolerated them fairly well. And she liked that no matter what, they watched out for each other. They definitely treated Emma better than her own siblings did. It didn’t even occur to Emma to call her own blood relatives after the accident. They always thought her weird and said it often, especially when the wine began to flow at family dinners. Her parents tried to make it easier on her, but they all knew she didn’t belong. Kind of like the runt of the litter.

  Emma shook her head, not wanting to think about it anymore. She came to her dreamscape to relax and just be, and that’s what she planned to do.

  A rabbit darted past her and Emma watched it with a smile. She did love rabbits. They were the only pets she ever had. Dogs were way too messy and cats simply freaked her out. They always stared at her like they knew she’d been up to something. Considering she was usually up to very little, that reaction seemed strange. Rabbits, however, were cute and fluffy and didn’t have claws. You just had to watch out for their sharp teeth, and their feet could kick you pretty good. It was their only defense, though, against animals higher on the food chain.

  Like the giant black cat racing past her.

  Emma blinked and sat up straight. Why in hell was there a panther in her dreamscape? She never had cats in her dreamscape. Not that she could stop them if they wanted in. Animals could come and go as they pleased through anyone’s dreams, but she’d never had some big jungle cat come charging into her sacred space.

  Even more disturbing, the cat caught the rabbit, shook it, tossed it in the air, caught it, and started shaking it again. Emma squealed, horrified, and the cat spun around, the poor rabbit still in its mouth. It stared at Emma and she stared back. From muzzle to ass it had to be well over six feet and easily weighed two hundred plus pounds. Its tail alone looked to be about four to five feet. Still, like most things in the universe, it didn’t even notice her until she made that stupid noise.

  She wasn’t going to run. This was her dreamscape, goddammit! She created it. She controlled it.

  The panther spat out the rabbit, and the bunny took off. Then the big cat walked toward her, its big paws slapping against the sand as it moved closer and closer. Emma still held her ground, refusing to run. But every chant she tried simply didn’t work. She used all her tricks to push the fucking thing out of her dreamscape and out of her head, but nothing worked.

  Finally, it stood in front of her. Cold light gold eyes stared at her, watching her with an intense curiosity that was making her extremely uncomfortable.

  Emma glared at it. “Go away,” she ordered it. “You’re not welcome here.”

  It made a rather rude snorting noise like it didn’t believe that for one second. Then it stepped closer to her, its smooth black fur brushing against her skin as it rubbed up against her, its large head pushing into her as it moved around her body. It purred and nuzzled the back of her neck, its breath warm and sweet against her flesh.

  Emma felt naked. Since it was her dreamscape, she’d changed into a dark red bikini after her Coven left. A bikini she’d never have the guts to wear in the real world. Now she tried to conjure a parka and full body armor, anything to protect her soft, exposed flesh from those really giant claws. But she couldn’t focus. Not when she couldn’t look away from the beast moving toward her.

  The cat brushed against her leg and then side, moving around her and rubbing itself up against her. body. She swallowed back a lump of panic as its tail dragged along her thighs and up across her chest, settling around her neck. The tip brushed the flesh right below her ear. And, surprisingly, that felt kind of nice.

  Settling down behind her, its body snuggled up against hers, the cat rested its head comfortably on her thigh. Then he purred.

  Oh! And wasn’t that an interesting feeling.

  Trying to control her breathing, Emma glanced down at the big cat. “Comfortable?”

  In answer, the cat rubbed its head against her thigh, and then licked the back of the opposite knee.

  “Okay, feel free to stop doing that.”

  In response, it slid its head up her thigh, and Emma put her hand on his snout to halt its progress. “Don’t even think about putting your nose there. A girl’s gotta have some dignity.”

  A grumble came up from the cat’s chest, and she wondered if that was its laugh.

  The fact it didn’t try to take her arm off had her smiling a bit, so Emma gently ran her fingers across its head. When it merely snuggled in closer, she dug deep into its coat. Its muscles rippled under her fingers and the purring became decidedly louder. She tickled the backs of its ears and massaged its big neck.

  “You are the cutest thing, aren’t you?”

  All seemed to be going well … until it started moving up her body. Emma’s hand froze as the big cat dragged its head across her stomach and chest while the rest of it unwound from behind her and slowly moved over her.

  Emma slapped her hands against its shoulders, trying to push it off. Unfortunately, the big bastard wouldn’t budge, and panic had settled in quite nicely.

  She really had no idea how to handle this. Except for what she’d learned from occasionally being too lazy to change the channel when a documentary on jungle animals came on TV, Emma knew next to nothing about the animal kingdom and what to do when a big cat decided to use your body as a scratching post.

  The cat loomed over her now, staring down at her. Nope. She didn’t like the look in those eyes one damn bit.

  Clearly it was time for one of her full-blown panic attacks. She hadn’t had one of those since Jamie “accidentally” took the Coven to hell in the eleventh grade—something they still hadn’t completely forgiven their high priestess for.

  Before she could lose all rational thought and start screaming, those scary cat muscles under her fingers rippled and the fur … retreated, sliding back inside the cat’s body. Then the cat face hovering over her began to shift and change, as did the cat body sliding between her legs.

  Then he was there. The good-old-boy deputy now stared down at her, his naked body fitting comfortably between her legs. The only thing that didn’t change … those eyes.

  He gave her that slow, easy grin of his and said, “Hello, darlin’.”

  “Uh … Deputy.”

  “If I’m gonna dream about you, the least you can do is call me Kyle.”

  “Kyle.” How pathetic. Now she was conjuring up strange hillbillies in her dreamscape. Had it really been that long since she’d last gotten laid? Was she truly this pathetic?

  He glanced down at her body. “I like this bikini, Emma.” And it sounded like he sort of growled that compliment. “You look really good in it.”

  She rolled her eyes. Yup, she’d become that pathetic.

  What else would her dream Kyle say? Maybe he’d tell her she was hot and he wanted to fuck her all night long. Ooh. Or m
aybe he’d say, “I’ve been waiting my entire life for you, Emma Lucchesi.”

  Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic.

  Putting all his weight on one arm, Kyle brought his other hand up and brushed his big fingers across the exposed skin of her shoulder and down her arm.

  “So soft,” he murmured.

  She snorted a laugh and he looked at her, still smiling. “What’s so funny, darlin’?”

  “Me. My dreams. I mean, since I’m going hog wild, I should have conjured up Ares or Thor. Or had all three of you!” She nodded her head. “Now that is dreaming, my friend.”

  “You think you can handle all three of us?” he teased.

  “Hey. It’s my dreamscape. I’m a frickin’ goddess of love here.”

  “I had no idea Yankees could be so funny. Especially you New York types.”

  “It’s how we survive the rough-and-tumble streets of Long Island.”

  Okay. She’d admit it. This was strange and fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d dreamed about another human being. But it had been ages since she’d been with a man, and to be quite honest, she was a little horny. Had been since she saw the deputy standing over her at the beach.

  Hell, what was she fighting here? It was merely a stupid wet dream. She might as well enjoy it before she woke up in her continually empty bed.

  Slipping her arms around his neck, Emma smiled up into his surprised face.

  She sighed. “I have to say, you are really hot, Deputy.”

  “Why thank you, ma’am.”

  “You’re welcome.” She cleared her throat and said, “Kiss me, Kyle.”

  He grinned, slow and lazy, his head dipping down and his lips hovering right over hers. “Where I come from, we always try and do what the lady asks.”

  Emma’s eyes closed as his breath brushed her lips. “Good to know.”

  He didn’t dive right for her lips like she thought he would. Instead, he brushed his forehead against hers, nuzzled her chin with his nose, and rubbed his cheek along her jaw. He moved slow and easy, like he had all the time in the world.

  It dawned on Emma she had no control over Dream-Kyle, which seemed strange. She had control over everything else in her dreamscape but the animals. Maybe the fact she’d first envisioned him as a panther caused this, but she couldn’t seem to rush him. Couldn’t seem to force him to do anything she wanted.

  When his lips finally touched hers, it was nothing more than a gentle caress. Their breath barely mingled.

  Her body moved under his, trying to get closer, and wetness began to seep from between her legs. Frustrated, she tightened her arms around his neck and tried to pull him closer, but he only smiled.

  “Easy, darlin’. There ain’t no rush.”

  “I’m from New York. We move much faster there.”

  “That’s a real shame,” he murmured as he lowered their bodies to stretch out on the sand. “Y’all don’t know what you’ve been missing.”

  Before she could respond, he kissed her. No mere touching of lips, this. No, there was real intent and hunger behind this kiss, and Emma immediately opened her mouth to him. His tongue touched hers and she groaned, desperate for more. Desperate for him. As his tongue explored her mouth, he pried her arms off his neck, gripping both her wrists in one big hand while pinning her arms over her head.

  In real life she’d be terrified if some guy she barely knew held her down like this but, as Kenny would say, “Fuck it.” It was her dreamscape, and if Dream-Kyle wanted to be all alpha dog on her, who was she to argue?

  Besides … she liked it.

  Kyle’s free hand slid down her neck, her shoulder, and settled on her breast. He squeezed and Emma arched into his hand, a soft moan torn from her throat. Strong fingers toyed with her nipple until it stood hard and ripe. That’s when Kyle stopped kissing her. Panting, she stared up at him.

  Kyle squeezed her nipple again between his thumb and forefinger. Emma gasped, desperately fighting to pull her hands out of his grasp, if for no other reason than to get herself off.

  Kyle lowered his head, and she watched his lips wrap around her bikini-covered breast. He sucked hard and Emma felt herself unraveling. She slammed her thighs together, trying to create some friction, trying to throw herself over the edge. But then Kyle’s free hand was there, forcing its way between her legs and under her bikini bottom. He slid two big fingers inside her pussy, and his thumb played mercilessly with her clit.

  The rush of power slammed through her and Emma turned her head, burying her face in her upper arm. Emma bit hard into her own flesh to stifle her cry as the orgasm roared through her. So intense, she tried to pull away, but Kyle wouldn’t release her. His hand tightened on her wrists, his mouth on her breast, and his fingers found a spot inside her that he caressed over and over again.

  She didn’t know if she came again or if it just kept on rolling. All Emma knew was that she’d never felt anything like it before.

  In dreams or out.

  Finally, the strength of her orgasm forced her teeth to tear past skin, the pain shoving her right out of her dreams and right back into her hospital room.

  Jerking awake, Emma looked into strange hazel eyes.

  “Who … who the hell are you?” she panted out.

  “And a good morning to you, too, sunshine. Hope I didn’t scare you.” A slow, easy grin spread across a handsome face. “I’m Tully Smith, Kyle’s bigger and much better-looking brother.”

  Five

  Kyle snapped awake and, for the first time in his entire life, he lost his grip on the limb his body lay across—and fell out of the tree, hitting the ground hard, panting and goddamn horny. His eyes flickered around as he desperately tried to get his bearings.

  He looked up into the faces of two nurses he and Tully once had quite a good time with at one of the town’s annual barbecues.

  “Hi, Kyle,” one said, laughing as they walked around him, “Good thing it’s warm out this mornin’, huh, darlin’?”

  That’s when Kyle realized he’d shifted back to human sometime during the night. He’d never done that before. However he went to sleep was how he woke up.

  It must have been because of that damn dream that seemed so real he imagined he could still feel the sticky wetness of Emma’s pussy on his fingers.

  How he’d gone from chasing rabbits to making one hot, adorable Emma Lucchesi come, he had no idea. He didn’t appreciate the damn dream ending, either, before he had the chance to bury himself inside the woman.

  That bikini. That bikini had been his undoing. Once he saw her in that damn red bikini, he couldn’t keep his paws off her. Hell, what red-blooded American male could?

  Plus, for once, she didn’t look panicked or scared or shy. Instead, she seemed damn relaxed and comfortable. She even hit on him. That’s when he knew it was only a dream. But why should he fight a good wet dream?

  Lord in Heaven, he thought those sounds she made while sleeping were sexy. Those didn’t hold a candle to the sounds she made while coming.

  Never before had Kyle regretted a dream ending as much as he did this one. Especially when he felt like he could still taste Emma’s skin on his tongue.

  Nothing had ever tasted sweeter.

  Blinking hard to snap himself out of it, Kyle sat up. He needed to distract himself before he did something stupid. Like storm into Emma’s room and take her right there in her hospital bed.

  No, no. Bad idea. He’d have a hot breakfast first, like the elk he could smell somewhere nearby, and then he’d be right as rain and would be able to face one Emma Lucchesi—hopefully not wearing that damn bikini.

  He’d never survive her in that bikini.

  “We’re not blood. Me and Kyle. His daddy took it upon himself to defile my momma. To ruin her pure innocence.”

  Laughing, Emma asked, “Um … she already had you. So how innocent could she—”

  “She was innocent and I won’t hear any different. This is nothing more than an unholy alliance as far as I�
�m concerned.”

  For some unfathomable reason, Emma liked Kyle’s brother. She definitely liked him way more than she liked Kyle. Tully could talk to anyone, it seemed. Emma always had a hard time holding conversations. Small talk had never been her friend, but Tully Smith made it easy even while she knew his presence here wasn’t merely altruistic.

  Besides, around Tully she didn’t get all … squirmy.

  “Don’t you have a baby sister, though, because of this unholy alliance?”

  “The only good thing to come out of it, if you ask me.”

  “What about your real father?”

  “Ah, yes. My real father. Well, Miss Emma, he’s what they would have called in ancient times a bastard. And we avoid each other’s company as much as possible.”

  Tully looked at her hospital door. “You gonna stand out there all day, hoss, or are you coming in?”

  Emma frowned and glanced at the door. “Who are you talking—”

  The door opened and the biggest man Emma had ever seen in her entire existence walked in carrying the duffel bag she’d brought with her from New York.

  So tall, the man’s head nearly touched the ceiling; so wide she wondered how he got through the damn door. Well into the three-hundred-pound range but without an ounce of fat on him, his body wasn’t awkward because of its size. Instead, it was perfectly proportioned.

  Like Kyle, this man wore black boots, black jeans, and a black T-shirt with the Smithville County Sheriff’s Department logo stitched in white on the front. But he also had on a black baseball cap with the same logo.

  Brown hair, brown eyes, and, except for that rather permanent-looking frown on his face, incredibly handsome.

  “Miss Emma, this is Sheriff Bear McMahon. And yes, Bear’s his real name. Bear, this is Emma Lucchesi, our little accidental visitor.”