Apache Nights Read Online Free PDF Page A

baby.
    That alone scared the death out of her.
    Her biological clock wouldn’t quit ticking.
    â€œWe’re in trouble,” he said.
    Joyce didn’t argue. She looked into his eyes, knowing he was going to kiss her.
    As softly as they both could endure.

Three
    K yle studied Joyce’s expression. She was waiting for his lips to touch hers, for the confusing tenderness they both craved.
    He smoothed a strand of her hair. She looked delicate, vulnerable, so unlike the tough-girl cop he knew her to be.
    His willpower sucked, he thought, as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.
    Their mouths met, and the flavor swirled in his mind. He tasted lipstick and spearmint, a combination that made his head spin.
    She ran her hands along his spine. A touch so light, so tentative, he barely knew it was happening.Wanting more, he used his tongue, taking the kiss to the next level.
    She reciprocated, making pleasured sounds. Then she lifted the hem of his tank top and rolled it up a little, just enough to create a shiver.
    Fingertips and bare flesh.
    He wanted to lift her shirt, too.
    Anxious, he positioned himself between her legs, then cursed the metal cup he was wearing, the barrier that kept him from straddling her, from rubbing his body against hers.
    He pulled back and opened his eyes.
    Silent, she gazed at him, as well.
    There she was, all soft and blonde, with her bra still undone and her top slightly skewed. Earlier, he’d tried to fix her clothes and now he wanted to peel them right off. Along with his tank, his sweatpants and the jockstrap that had brought him to his senses.
    â€œYou don’t have to stop,” she said.
    â€œYes, I do.”
    â€œIt was just a kiss.”
    â€œIt was more than that.” It was foreplay, he thought. An explosion just waiting to happen. “I don’t do this kind of thing. Not with—” He stalled and got to his feet.
    â€œNot with what?” She sat up and struggled to hook her bra. But she was careful not to lift her top, at least not in front.
    Kyle thought her cautious manner made her seem vulnerable again.
    â€œNot with what?” she repeated, frowning at him. She still hadn’t fastened her bra.
    â€œWith women like you,” he admitted. “I don’t get involved with white women.”
    Her jaw all but dropped. “That’s what this is about? My race? The color of my skin?”
    He didn’t know how to respond, how to explain why it mattered. She was looking at him as if he were some sort of monster. “I’ve never been drawn to white women. You’re the first one I’ve ever kissed. Or ever wanted to sleep with.”
    She ignored her bra and stood up. When she did, the straps peeked out from under her top, falling down her shoulders, the way they’d done earlier. “And that’s why you hate being attracted to me? Do you know how offensive that is?”
    â€œIt doesn’t help that you’re a cop.”
    â€œScrew you, Kyle. On both counts.”
    He wanted to move closer, to touch her, to stop her from being so angry, but he kept his hands to himself. “You’re making a bigger deal out of this than it is.”
    â€œAm I?” She rounded on him. “You’re part white. So what does that say about you?”
    He wasn’t about to answer her question. He didn’t want to discuss his childhood with her. Or his adulthood, for that matter. Being a half-blood wasn’t easy, not then and not now. “Drop it, Joyce. Let it go.”
    â€œWhy? Because you don’t want to admit that you’re a bigot? Do you know how many hate crimes are committed in this country? People bashing other people because—”
    â€œI’m not committing a hate crime. I’m not hurting anyone.” As soon as those words spilled out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. He’d just hurt her. He could see it in her eyes.
    Blue eyes. White eyes, as his