Saving Her Curves (Alpha Authority Book 2) Read online

  Landon nods, already on his way.

  It’s a hell of a view.

  Chapter 3

  Landon

  I’ve been having difficulties keeping to myself, feelings and emotions better left upon the shelf. Animals and children tell the truth, they never lie. Which one is more human? There’s a thought now you decide. — Savage Garden, ‘The Animal Song’

  I’m quickly learning it’s not just Maddie’s eyes that are unique.

  Everything about the gorgeous curvy blonde is a fantastic contradiction. She’s sassy and sexy, quiet and quirky, witty, and mysterious in turn. Madeleine Brown is a layered enigma, and I never have been able to resist a puzzle. It’s part of what makes me such a good Ranger.

  I hear the passenger door slam behind me and turn around just in time to catch her smile, bright and wide.

  Talk about irresistible.

  I may have just met her this morning, but I already know I’ll do anything to see that smile light up her face. Even if that means using all my missing persons expertise to chase down a wayward one-eyed feline.

  “Maddie! Is everything ok?” The man standing on the lush green carpet of Madeleine’s front lawn looks from her to the cruiser and back to my face.

  Rounder than he is tall, Melvin has one of those faces that could be anywhere from sixteen to forty-five. His eyes are the same shade of brown as the greasy hair plastered to the top of his head. Under the harsh glare of afternoon sun, I can see the faint vee of sweat pressing against the front of his shirt.

  “Yeah.” Maddie offers her neighbor a tight smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I mean no, not really. Nacho is missing. But Land— er, Officer Bell is here to help.”

  Melvin is having trouble maintaining eye contact with Maddie while she talks, instead dragging his gaze across her full curves in a way that’s steadily increasing my blood pressure.

  “Oh no!” He clutches a hand to his stained shirt with a wide-eyed gasp. “Not Nacho! Poor baby. He never even leaves the house.”

  Madeleine’s full bottom lip quivers at the reminder of her lost cat’s inability to fend for itself. It takes every ounce of willpower and the embedded information from at least four different police seminars to keep me from decking him on the spot.

  “Thanks for your concern,” I cut in before he can make things any worse on her than they already are.

  “Well,” Melvin finally finds it in himself to tear his eyes off of the front of Maddie’s scrubs.

  “There’s really no need to get the police involved for something like this, is there? I’m happy to look for Nacho with Madeleine. I’m sure you have much more important—”

  “Nothing is more important than helping Maddie.” I’m surprised by the seriousness in my own tone. More surprised still to realize that I mean it.

  Judging by the way she nearly gives herself whiplash turning to give me a wide-eyed look, it’s a safe bet that Maddie is just as startled by my vehement admission. Doesn’t make it any less true, though. In uniform or out, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now than easing the worried furrow from between her brows.

  “But surely a missing cat isn’t—” Melvin starts again, setting my teeth on edge.

  “We’ll be in touch, Melv.” I take Maddie’s arm in my hand, leading her away from her still-stammering neighbor.

  It takes her two tries to get the key in the lock, and I can’t tell if the slight tremble in her fingers is from stress or our proximity.

  This close to her, I can smell the scent of her shampoo; something light and citrusy. The soft length of her blonde hair is pale as straw in the afternoon light of the porch. My cock swells almost painfully in my uniform. I can’t remember the last time just being near a woman turned me on like this.

  “Well hello, beautiful.” Maddie’s sing-song voice cuts through my lust, bringing me crashing back to the present with a start.

  I follow her through the front door, watching in fascinated awe as she bends down to scoop up a bundle of grey fur. The scrawny kitten meows loudly in response to being held, though it seems rather resigned to its fate of being loved as Maddie drops a dutiful kiss between two pointed ears.

  “How’re you doing, Salsa? Any sign of your brother?” Maddie looks expectantly at the cat in her arms. It’s quiet for long enough that even I’m starting to wait for a reply.

  It isn’t until I’m standing directly behind her that I really take notice of the cat. I make a point of scrutinizing its eyes, then looking back at Maddie’s.

  “So, it’s hereditary? Passed down from mother to— oof.” I’m surprised at how quickly Maddie is able to set the cat down gently and thwap me in the arm. She eyes my innocent grin warily.

  “Complete heterochromia.” Maddie nods towards the small cat bouncing its way awkwardly along the tile floor. “Fancy pants name for two different colored irises. It’s pretty rare in both people and animals. I was still an intern at the clinic when they brought in a litter of kittens that were in rough shape.”

  I take myself on a self-guided tour of Maddie’s eclectic living room while she talks. Along with the scratching posts and cat toys I expected, there’s a whole host of other finds. A lizard terrarium tucked in the bookshelf. An elaborate hamster condominium dominating the far wall. Everything is immaculate, everything is customized. She wasn’t kidding when she said this is her family.

  “Nacho and Salsa were the only two that survived. I stayed up every night for weeks to make sure they pulled through.” It’s impossible to miss the raw emotion in her voice.

  “Salsa?” I turn to look at her. I’m seriously hoping the aquarium by the window isn’t actually housing a tarantula. The small welcome mat outside its habitat declares your arrival at the residence of one Mr. Fluffybottoms.

  “Pico de Gato,” Maddie nods. “Salsa for short. She’s actually older than Nacho, even though she’s smaller.”

  I fell through a rabbit hole. A tarantula hole?

  “Come on, Maddie,” I pull my notepad and cell phone out of my pocket. “Let’s go bring Nacho home.”

  Chapter 4

  Maddie

  Well my heart knows me better than I know myself, so I’m gonna let it do all the talking. I came upon a place in the middle of nowhere with a big black horse and a cherry tree. — KT Tunstall, ‘Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’

  “I’ve got the map of the neighborhood pulled up. Let’s break this down into a grid and search it sector by sector. Alright?”

  Landon’s voice is brusque, all business. There’s a near-military efficiency to him that’s as intimidating as it is attractive.

  It makes me wonder all the other ways he'd be good at bossing me around.

  Wait. Is that a thing? Am I into that?

  My libido has certainly decided that I'm into that.in fact, my whole body is rapidly zeroing in on the fact that one Officer Landon Bell is what I’ve been saving myself for.

  The sudden mental image of tugging open his uniform and tracing my name across his chest with my tongue surprises me with its crisp clarity, making me flush.

  “S-sounds good to me,” I stammer out in reply. Hopefully, Landon won't question why I’ve turned the same shade of red as Beefsteak, the cranky tomato frog in my amphibious aquarium.

  “Uh. I’ve got some of his favorite treats and toys, too. I thought it might help.” My voice sounds strange to my own ears, shaky and unsure in a way I haven’t felt since I was a teenager.

  Get yourself together, Maddie. Nacho is counting on you.

  I take a deep breath and give Landon a big smile.

  “Also, it’ll probably help if you call him by his full name. Since he doesn’t know you and all.” I give him an encouraging nod.

  Landon’s smile freezes in place on his handsome face.

  “Ah, what was it, again?” He asks hesitantly in the same tone you use when you're trying very hard not to spook a frazzled animal.

  Or a crazy animal lady, I suppose?

&nb
sp; “Ignacio J. Chippen.” I pat his arm, then press one of Nacho’s favorite toys into his big palm. “Here, take Mr. Squeakers. He’s Nacho’s favorite.”

  Seeing Landon Bell holding a squeaky mouse cat toy is enough to lift my spirits, even in the absence of the light of my life.

  “Should I use Ignacio, or Mr. Chippen…?” Landon trails off, sounding utterly befuddled. I give him another smile and a wink.

  “Well, that’s up to you, officer. Try them all out.” I walk forward, jingling Nacho’s second favorite toy.

  “Here, Ignacio Ignacio Ignacio…” Echoes out from behind me.

  I reach up to cover my mouth. It takes everything in me to stifle my giggle into a cough. I can’t help it — hearing Landon’s deep voice calling for my cute little ball of fluff is just too adorable for words.

  My joy is short-lived, though.

  Another half an hour of taking his precision grid apart one square at a time, we’re still short one cat.

  Even worse, the sky is beginning to darken by the time we’ve circled back to my front yard.

  “I’m starting to get really worried about this, Landon.” I rub my arms absently, attempting to chase away a chill that's coming from inside of me. “It really isn’t like him.” It feels like I've said that a million times today, but it's true, damn it. I kick at a nearby rock, sending it into the nearby shrubbery.

  Landon hands me a bottle of water from his cruiser before taking one for himself. I lift the cool water to my lips and take a long sip, watching him do the same. He doesn’t stop though, his thirst apparently enough that he finishes off the entire bottle in one long pull.

  You aren’t the only thirsty one, Bell.

  Landon shakes his head as he tosses his empty bottle in a nearby recycling can, then sighs.

  “Well, I don’t work a lot of missing kittens, but I do know that with missing people? It’s almost always someone who knows them.” Landon cracks his knuckles before absently stroking his jaw.

  Idly, I wonder how he manages to keep from cutting himself on something so sharp.

  “Come on. I’ve got one last trick up my sleeves.” Landon grumbles.

  He turns, stalking towards my neighbor’s house. I practically have to jog to catch up to his sudden determined stride. There's a sharp, honed look in his hazel eyes that I haven't seen all afternoon.

  “What’s that?” I tilt my head up at him.

  “What I do best. Shaking down perps till they spill.” His mouth is set in a firm line.

  “Wait!” He’s nearly across the stretch of lawn that separates my house from Melvin’s now. “Landon, you can’t just go assaulting my neighbors.”

  Landon frowns, turning back to me. I can't quite read the look on his face.

  “Why, you like this guy?” He huffs.

  “Who, Melvin?” I stifle another laugh. “God no, please. But you can’t prove he did anything. He’s never been anything but nice to me.”

  “You haven’t seen how he looks at you.” Landon’s jaw is clenched in a way that makes my heart do things I've never felt before. Other parts of me are responding, too.

  “How does that matter at all, Landon? Besides, I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

  “That’s different,” he says it like a fact.

  “Why, because you’re the one doing it?” I ask dryly.

  “Because you don’t want me to stop looking at you. Now come on, I need a witness or my chief will have my ass riding the front desk for the next decade.”

  He doesn't even give me a chance to react, the big handsome brute.

  I hate how right he is. If it were up to me, he’d never stop looking at me.

  Without missing a beat, Landon bounds up the steps to Melvin's front door. He takes all three in one long step while I rush to follow. His big fist is hammering at the door before I can stop him.

  “Ringing the doorbell would be nicer.” I hiss at him, but he just turns back at me and smirks. It makes me want to strangle him and kiss him in equal measure.

  “I’m not trying to be nice, Maddie.” He growls at me, then raises his voice.

  “Melvin! This is the police, open up!” Landon hammers his fist against the door again, then shrugs. “Alright man, I’mma break this door down on the count of three. One…”

  There’s the sound of a deadbolt being turned, thunking open, and then the door cracks open an inch, still chained shut at the top.

  “Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with you! You woke me up from a nap and — oh, h-hi Maddie,” Melvin stammers as he catches sight of me behind Landon.

  Melvin looks even squirrellier than usual. Even in the dimness of the partially opened door, I can see his shifty eyes looking everywhere but at us from beneath his shaggy hair. Immediately, I realize Landon was right about him.

  Ugh, the big bastard is going to be so smug about this.

  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Melv.” Landon’s voice is icy calm in a way that I haven't heard before. Reinforced steel. “I think you know something. Something about Nacho. Like, say, he decided to come home with you tonight?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, officer. Maddie, I swear I’d never do anything like that.” Melvin looks past Landon’s solid shoulder, trying to plead with me from inside his house. “You know that. Let me help you look, you know Nacho likes me. I bet I can find him.”

  Landon shakes his head, and with one arm shoves the door open. The chain snaps beneath his immense strength, sending Melvin sprawling onto his floor.

  “At first I thought you were just being desperate, Melv, but you had a plan, huh? Steal the cat, miraculously find it, be a big hero.”

  I stiffen, my blood turning to ice at Landon’s words. I’ve never trusted Melvin, but he’s always seemed harmless enough. More of a stray puppy than anything else, always hanging around, eager to please.

  One look at his face now tells me that Landon’s detective instincts are spot on.

  How dare he.

  “Melvin, where the hell is my baby?!” I shriek at my neighbor, lunging towards his sprawled body. Propped up on his elbows, he tries to scuttle back out of my reach. Only Landon’s strong arms keep me from wrapping my hands around Melvin’s throat.

  “Trust me, Maddie, he isn’t worth it. Besides, I’m sure Nacho is fine. He wouldn't hurt him—not when he wanted to use him to get close to you.” Landon’s voice is deceptively calm, but I can feel the tension in his arms. “Now, where’s the cat, Melvin?”

  “He’s in the back. Let me go get him —”

  I push away from Landon, rushing past the prone Landon to the back of the house. The stench of body odor and stale pizza is enough to make me wish for a surgical facemask.

  From the inside of a battered cat carrier, Nacho blinks his one eye at me lazily.

  “Rwwoor” he harrumphs, looking completely unperturbed at having been the victim of a terrible cat-napping.

  I rush forward into the hoarding nest of Melvin’s room, wrenching open the door to pull him into my arms.

  “Oh, my sweet baby. Are you ok?” I inspect him all over, freezing again at the smear of dried blood on his front paw.

  “Melvin!” I scream. I can physically taste the rage bubbling in the back of my throat as I stalk back into the living room with Nacho in my arms.“What the hell did you do to my cat?!”

  “He did it, I didn’t do anything!” Melvin is scrabbling again, looking at Landon instead of me. “He scratched his paw on the patio door when I snatched—er, borrowed him, but I took care of it, he’s fine I swear!”

  Landon steps forward, putting one big boot on Melvin’s chest to press him down to the floor.

  “Melvin, you better hope, for your sake, that Ignacio J Chippen recovers completely from this. Because if he has so much as a droopy whisker, you won’t even see the inside of a prison cell. Got it?”

  Melvin nods once, sweat visible on his pasty upper lip.

  Blood is still rushing in my ears when Landon wraps his hand
around my arm and ushers me away.

  “Come on. I’ll drive you to the clinic.” He says to me as we leave.

  I look from him to the tabby in my arms and shake my head.

  “No, my place is closer and just as well-stocked. I want to take him home.”

  Without looking back, we walk out together.

  Chapter 5

  Landon

  Touch of you will my stomach. Feel how it trembles inside. You've got the butterflies all tied up. Don't make me chase you. Even doves have pride. — Prince, ‘When Doves Cry’

  Madeleine Brown is the most frustrating, curvy, sexy, crazy woman I’ve ever met.

  There’s pain in her eyes, hidden behind her sunny smile and disposition. Something about her makes me want to treat her like she treats her animals — bundle her up and keep her safe forever.

  Not that that’s all I want to do to her. She’s so incredibly hot that it’s nearly impossible to think straight around her. I’m fortunate that for most of the day I’ve had training to fall back on. Now, back in her apartment, I’m in a situation I’ve never trained for.

  “Relax. You’re giving off some very negative energy.” Maddie’s voice is soft, soothing, the perfectly pitched tone of someone talking someone suicidal down off of a ledge.

  “Sorry, I’m not —” I start to apologize, but Maddie shoots me a look.

  “Not you. Nacho.” She pats the small tabby I’m holding, stroking his soft fur. A flash of utterly irrational jealousy floods me.

  Really, Landon? You’re jealous of an animal?

  Whether it’s her words or her touch, the squirming cat in my grasp relaxes long enough for Maddie to inspect his paw.

  “Just a splinter. Hand me those tweezers, will you?” She holds a hand out without looking at me, all of her focus on the wounded animal in her grasp. I glance around for a moment before handing her a pair of hot pink tweezers that look like they came included with a Barbie dream house.