Free Deadly Abandon by Kallie Lane

duty.
    Man-oh-man, the police ethics board will have a field day if I don’t stomp on the brakes with both feet. I’ll be FUBARed and fried. I can see the headline—‘Death by Professional Suicide.’
    He set her slightly away from him, ran his hands through the russet curls at her shoulders, and frowned into the forest depths of her eyes. “Bree, I need to back off.”
    “I know,” she sighed.
    She leaned into his side again, her breath squeaking in her throat. He kissed the top of her head, smoothed a loose strand of hair behind an ear, and gave her a gentle nudge.
    “A man can only take so much, cookie. Let’s get some sleep before I change my mind and we do something we’ll both regret in the morning.”
    Sully camped on the sofa after taking a long, very cold shower. The protectiveness he felt for Breeana was out of character. Lust he understood. But, the sappy need to coddle and touch her in non-sexual ways was new to him. Maybe he had a raging fever.
    All he knew for sure was he burned from the inside out. He suspected he wanted a lot more from the woman than a romp in a king-size.
    ****
    The Shepherd crept along the stone retaining wall to get a closer look at the living room—Breeana and the cop on the couch. Touching and kissing.
    He spat on the ground, his mind seething with anger and disgust. The woman was a slut, a lousy whore. She was all over the police lieutenant like fleas on a dog. Even a man of strength was powerless to stop her.
    The Shepherd wanted inside the house to punish her.
    Too bad it couldn’t happen tonight, not with super cop on the job. He’d checked the man out, knew the lieutenant was military trained, Special Ops trained, and still on the active reserve list.
    Hell, the man dodged bullets for fun. He liked playing with guns and other bang, bang toys. And, oh yeah, he mixed it up with his fists like Rocky on steroids.
    I won’t go up against him, not yet. Especially not with the Rottweiler staring out the window as if it knows I’m here. The dog wants me dead. That much is clear. Another time. Another place.
    He watched Breeana and the cop climb the stairs with their arms wrapped around each other—probably headed to her bedroom to sweat up the sheets.
    He lowered the binoculars, checking for passers-by before dropping from the retaining wall to the well-worn path below. Keeping to the shadows, he followed the shoreline to his car parked near the marina.
    Rage ate holes in his gut. Burning was too good for her, the pain too quick. It came to him then, a message from the Lord, Himself.
    He needed to step up the pace. He knew the kid’s schedule, only had a few days to put his plan together.
    Why not? He’d use her son to draw her out.
    Too bad, so sad, Breeana. Satan’s got you by the throat, but not for much longer.

Chapter Five
    The alarm beeped. Breeana hit the snooze button, rolled over, and covered her head with a pillow. She hadn’t slept well, wanted to stay in bed. Still, Cody had an exam today. Would he get up on his own and be ready to leave on time?
    The sound of someone moving around downstairs sharpened her focus. Way too early for Cody’s feet to hit the floor. And she remembered. Sully. Crap .
    Did the fire have something to do with her restless sleep? Sure. But holy, holy cow, her grieving widow’s restraint slipped big time last night, singing Hit Me With Your Best Shot while she crawled all over Sully on the couch. She groaned. When had her need for comfort shifted to lusting after him? Thank God he’d pushed her away and slept on the couch.
    The front door opened and closed. Breeana crept to the window and peeked out. Below in the driveway, Sully spoke with the uniforms in a police cruiser parked in front of the house. He glanced up at her window, saw her standing there, nodded as he unlocked his Tahoe, started the engine, and pulled out of the driveway.
    Embarrassment flooded her system. Congratulations, Bree. Not only does he think you’re a sex