I was twenty-two years old, and the world was mine for the taking, or so my dad was constantly telling me. Honestly, I think he was a little disappointed that I’d graduated from college without a job already lined up. I’d only gone because he’d insisted I needed a higher education, that I wouldn’t get anywhere with just a high school diploma. Arguing, that he had seemed to do okay without a degree, had never gotten me anywhere. Little did he realize, the job I wanted didn’t require a degree. It did require a large dose of sex appeal though, and I thought I had accomplished that with the curves I’d sprouted during my college years. I was no longer the gangly girl who’d had an insane crush on her dad’s best friend. Now I was a woman on a mission.

Joshua Sparks—Sheriff Sparks—had no idea that trouble was headed his way. I’d called his office this morning and arranged a meeting with his secretary, who was scheduled for maternity leave at any moment. While I hadn’t worked in an office before, I was confident that I could do the job. It would get dad off my back about being gainfully employed, even if it wasn’t in my field, and it would give me lots of time to seduce the sexy sheriff. I knew that loving him would cause problems down the road, something that would have to be dealt with sooner or later, but sometimes you just had to jump straight into the fire and hope it was worth getting burned.

Janine, the secretary, had informed me that the office was casual and I didn’t need to dress up. I had a feeling the booty shorts and tank I was currently wearing weren’t what she had in mind though. I dug through my closet and pulled out a denim mini skirt with a body hugging, red, sleeveless top. The matching red sandals had just enough of a heel to make my ass pop and my legs look killer. With Sheriff Sparks’ reputation with the ladies, I didn’t think it would be long before I had him right where I wanted him—buried deep inside me.

I wasn’t a slut. I actually had very little experience when it came to men. Okay, I had zero experience with men and very little with boys. The guys at college just hadn’t appealed to me. They were gross with their sloppy kisses, roaming hands, and from what I’d heard, none of them could last more than a few minutes in bed. I wanted a man, a real man, who would know how to touch me, how to make me scream his name, and could go all night. I wanted Joshua Sparks.

It had started innocently enough. When I was five, he’d given me a pink tiara for my birthday, calling me his little princess. I’d worn it every day, until someone at school had broken it. I’d cried and cried, not because the tiara itself was all that great, but because of who had given it to me. I’d told my mom when I grew up I was going to marry Mr. Sparks. She’d laughed and waved me off the way adults usually did, explaining I’d find someone my own age when I was older. Except I hadn’t. No one had every compared to the sheriff. I’d worshiped him my entire life, and when I’d turned sixteen, and my hormones had started surging, I’d wanted him the way a woman desires a man.

My sixteenth birthday was the first night I’d gotten myself off, imagining it was the sheriff’s hands pinching my nipples and playing with my clit. Even now my panties grew damp just thinking of all the things I wanted him to do to me. I’d watched porn, done as much research as I could on sex, and I’d tried to learn ways to please him. Because once I got my hands on him, I wasn’t letting go. The sheriff went through women like I went through chocolate, and I knew those sluts had way more experience than I did. If I wanted to hang onto the sheriff, I’d known early on that I would have to learn as much as I could while remaining a virgin. That was one gift I refused to give to anyone else.

Once I was dressed, I went into the bathroom to put on a light layer of makeup and fluff my hair. The wavy blonde tresses were shorter than what was popular right now, but I’d never mastered the art of brushing my hair without splitting the ends. The look was sassy and very me, and I thought it made me look a little older. Probably not a bad thing since the prey I was hunting was twenty years older than me. I blew myself a kiss and gave my reflection a wink before I snagged my small purse and sashayed out of my room and down the stairs.

My mother was walking through to the kitchen and did a doubletake, but didn’t say a word. There was a hint of worry in her eyes. If my dad had been around, there would have been hell to pay. As far as he was concerned, I was still daddy’s little girl and didn’t need to slut it up. His words, not mine.

I climbed into my car and tossed my purse onto the passenger’s seat. When I cranked the engine, the radio blared to life and I winced at the volume. I turned it down and pulled out of the driveway, the butterflies in my stomach flitting about and making me a little queasy. I hadn’t seen the sheriff since I’d come back to town. Actually, I hadn’t seen him since my high school graduation. He’d given me a hug that day and congratulated me. But even then, the look in his eyes had said he saw me as a child, and nothing more. It had hurt, nearly crushed me, but I hadn’t let it keep me down for long.

The parking lot at the Sheriff’s Department was nearly empty. I noticed that the sheriff’s SUV was missing and considered myself lucky. Janine had said it was solely up to her to find her replacement, which meant I could get hired before Sheriff Sparks had a chance to say no. If the man had any idea of the naughty thoughts going through my mind, he’d send me packing for sure. Or maybe he’d return that heat, pull me into his office, and welcome me aboard in the most delicious way. The thought of getting bent over his desk had me creaming my panties even more.

I plastered a smile on my face as I entered the small office. Our county was small, and aside from the sheriff, his department only employed one secretary and three deputies. Everyone was gone except Janine, who wore a pained expression as she rubbed her lower back, her protruding belly looking like it might pop at any moment. She saw me and waddled over, holding out her hand.

“You must be Jillian Simon. I’m Janine Larson.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Janine. You look like you’re due any day.”

She laughed. “Past due actually. Come have a seat and we’ll talk.”

I followed her over to her desk and claimed the chair across from her. She eased into hers with a grimace and then patted her belly. I could clearly see a foot swipe across her abdomen and longing filled me. What would it feel like to have another life growing inside of me? To know that I’d created another human with the love of my life? With some luck, I’d find out one day.

“So, I looked over the resume you emailed to me,” Janine said. “You don’t really have any office experience, but I see you have a degree in Chemistry.”

“Yes. I was always good at science.”

Janine bit her lip a moment. “Can I be honest with you?”

I nodded, dreading what was going to come next. She was going to send me away, wasn’t she? I knew Chemistry had nothing to do with office work, but I wanted this job in the worst way. I’d have done it for free if it meant spending more time with the sheriff.

“I haven’t talked to the sheriff about this yet, but I’m not real sure I’m coming back from maternity leave. I’ve talked to Sam, my husband, and we’ve discussed the possibility of me being a stay at home mom.”

“So, the position might be for longer than six weeks?” I asked.

“If you play your cards right, it could be a permanent position. I’m just not sure why a woman with a degree in Chemistry would want to be a secretary. You may not have on-the-job experience, but as far as education goes, you’re overqualified.”

“I want this job, Janine. More than anything.”

“I believe you.” She smiled. “I’d already decided, if you were serious about wanting the job, I would hire you. I just need you to complete some forms and I’ll get them processed.”

It took me about a half hour to get everything filled out. As luck would have it, a courier from the court house came over and took the documents to the county’s Human Resources department. Whether the sheriff liked it or not, he had a new secretary. I just hoped those forms were processed before he could put a halt to the entire thing.

I started to take my leave when Janine stood abruptly and cried out. There was a splash and her face blanched. I crept around the corner of the desk, ready to offer assistance, but the puddle at her feet stopped me. Holy shit!

“Who should I call?” I asked. “Your husband or an ambulance?”

“Both,” she panted as her face twisted and her belly tightened.

I used the office phone to call for an ambulance and then her cell phone to call her husband. Both were on their way. I helped her sit and tried to keep her calm. Now that the moment was at hand, she seemed to be panicking a little. Her husband arrived first, or at least I assumed the harried looking man rushing to her side was her husband, and then the ambulance came a few minutes later. Janine made me promise to stay and answer the phone before she’d allowed them to carry her out.

When she was gone, I grimaced at the mess on her chair and wheeled it out of the way. There was another across the room and I snagged it before plopping down behind the desk. Without a computer login, I didn’t have much to do besides stare at the wall and fantasize about Sheriff Sparks. Would he notice me when he came in? Was it too much to hope that he’d be overcome with lust for me, rip my panties off, and give me the fucking I’d wanted for years?

I played games on my phone and sent a text to my mother that I wouldn’t be home for a while. The office phone didn’t ring once. Reading on my cell phone alleviated the boredom some, but it didn’t ease the ache between my legs. Maybe reading about sexy silver foxes, and the young women they fell for, wasn’t the best of ideas. Where the hell was everyone? When the office phone finally rang, I shrieked in surprise and dropped my cell phone, knocking the cup of pens off the desk. I hastily answered.

“Good morning. Sheriff’s Department.”’

“Janine? Where’s Janine?”

“Um, Janine is delivering her baby at the hospital. Can I take a message for you?”

There was a curse on the other end. “This is Deputy Clarke. Can you make sure there’s a pot of hot coffee ready when I get back in? I’ve had one hell of a morning.”

“Sure thing, Deputy.”

He disconnected the call and I got up and walked around the desk. Kneeling on the floor, my ass sticking out, I started picking up the mess I’d made. As I stretched to reach a pen that had rolled away, I heard a softly spoken damn and looked over my shoulder. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my lips as I got a look at Sheriff Sparks… for the first time in four years.