Crazy Little Thing Called Love (32 page)

“To say he has a few would be like saying
Texas is big. Gross understatement.” He chuckled.

“Really? I don’t remember seeing any the few
times I’ve run into him.”

“They’re not exactly where you’d see them in
public. He’d have to take his shirt off.”

“You want me to ask your brother to take his
shirt off?” She smirked and he laughed and pulled her tighter
against him.

“You’re right. Forget I ever mentioned
it.”

“Did you ever think of getting more?” She
asked instead.

“No. I probably wouldn’t get this one again
if I could go back and do it again.”

“Well that’d be a shame because where you see
marring I see embellishment.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He grinned.

“I do. I like it a lot. I like it so much I
want to trace it with my tongue. I still haven’t done that.” She
hid a smile against his shoulder when he groaned. “I think that’s a
situation we should right. Don’t you?”

“Is sex all you ever think about baby?”

She laughed again, completely carefree for
the first time in far too long and mimicked his words from the barn
that day, “When you’re around? Yeah.”

“I have a hard time thinking about much else
when you’re around too.”

He remembered what she’d said too. She
grinned up at him. She’d been surrounded by a crowd of people all
day but she’d felt all alone. Now, she was sitting in the front
seat of a pickup with Zach while they cruised down the highway and
she didn’t just feel better, she felt alive. He took away the
loneliness.

“Zach?”

“Hmm?”

“Pull the truck over.”

“What?” He glanced down at her quickly, “Is
something wrong?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong.” She shook her head,
“Just pull the truck over.”

His brow furrowed and he checked the mirrors
even as he tapped the breaks, “Are you going to be sick?”

“No. I’m not going to be sick.” She shook her
head again, “I want you, now.”

His head jerked and soft green eyes met hers.
He stared at her so long she was certain they’d wreck. He glanced
back to the road and his brow furrowed again.

“We can be at my house in a matter of
minutes.”

“I don’t want to wait.” She shrugged. “Pull
the truck over Zach. I want you.” To emphasize her point she went
up on her knees and nibbled on his ear at the same time she slid
her hand around the bulge at the front of his jeans, “Now.”

“Sweet Jesus…” He groaned and she felt the
truck jolt as he pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. “Here?
Here works for you?”

“Yeah, here works for me.” She slid her
tongue over the pulse beating in his neck, “You work for me pretty
much anywhere.”

The truck rolled to a stop on the side of the
empty highway and he shoved the gear shift into park. Within a half
second he’d wrapped his arms around her and somehow moved them out
from underneath the wheel. She was in his lap and his mouth was on
her neck, his hands were on her body and she was in heaven.

“You work for me too.” His teeth nipped her
shoulder. “I want you really bad, I’ve wanted you all day but I
don’t have a condom.”

“Well, that’s a first.” She grinned against
his lips.

“I never carried them until you rolled into
town but today, I didn’t want to assume…” He gave her a sheepish
smile.

“I’m clean and I’m on the pill.” She licked
her lips nervously and waited for his reaction to a statement that
big.

He didn’t disappoint, his green eyes dilated
and he swallowed hard, “Are you saying…?”

“I want you Zach. Now. Just you and me.”

“Jesus Bluebell…” He cleared his throat as
his eyes studied her face seriously, “Do you have any idea what
that does to me?”

She rolled her hips against the proof running
along her thigh and smiled softly, “I think I have an idea.”

“Being inside of you, no barriers, nothing
between us, I have to tell you it’s crossed my mind before but,
baby, the idea…” He stroked her hair gently, “I have to tell you
I’m not feeling very gentlemanly right now. I might be rough. I
don’t want to hurt you.”

Oh that was scary. Scary in the kind of way
that made her insides crumble and her heart squeeze just a little
too tight. Scary in the kind of way that would have made her
panties damp, if they hadn’t been already.

She knew he’d never hurt her, at least not
physically. He could hurt her emotionally though if she thought
about how much she cared for him and how this was supposed to have
been temporary, a one night stand. He’d hurt her when it was over
because as much as she tried not to she liked him too much but she
couldn’t think about that today. Not today. She’d think about it
tomorrow when she had to think about all the other messed up things
in her life.

“Take me Zach, take me now and don’t hold
back.”

He groaned even as his mouth took hers in a
brutal kiss and he did just that. He pulled her hair to get better
access to her neck. He shoved her dress up and her panties aside.
He unzipped his pants and slammed into her and she gasped and held
on tight.

It was hard and fast and she was on fire. It
felt like she was burning up from the inside out. She’d never had
him like this; dark and edgy, like he was so desperate for her he
couldn’t control himself. She was that desperate for him too. It
was out of control and she basked in every single second of it.

“So good,” He groaned as she began to
tremble, “So good and so fucking crazy.”

She bit her lip to stifle a scream as her
orgasm raged and she found herself smiling through it. Her heart
was going to beat out of her chest. Her whole world exploded in a
ray of light and sensation. When it was over and she floated back
to reality she felt different, not so alone in the world.

He was panting as he rest his forehead
against her chest, “Are you okay?”

She smiled and ran her hands through his
short hair. There wasn’t really much to play with but she grabbed
what she could and pulled his head up so she could look him in the
eye. He looked wary again, like he wasn’t sure of himself. He was
really worried he’d hurt her and that might mean he cared too. A
girl could hope, but she wouldn’t bet her newly inherited money on
it.

“I’m more than okay.” She kissed his forehead
lightly, “That was amazing.”

“That was fucking crazy.” He sucked in a deep
breath and released it with a shake of his head and the wariness
faded away as he came back around, a smile tipping the corners of
his mouth now.

“You mentioned that.”

“I like your kind of crazy Bluebell.” He
kissed her on the lips briefly and then picked her up and set her
back on the seat.

As they righted their clothing Blue couldn’t
help but wonder just how much he liked her crazy. She didn’t want
to wonder, didn’t want to care too much but she knew now that she
did. She’d known he would be good at sex. She hadn’t figured on him
also being sweet and understanding. He was a good friend and he’d
been there for her and when he wasn’t she was going to be in a
world of pain.

After they had sex on the side of the road,
Zach drove them back to his house. He popped a beer for each of
them and then said he’d worked up an appetite and offered to grill
steaks. She took him up on the offer and they sat on the back porch
in comfortable silence watching the sun set over the land in the
distance.

“It’s really beautiful here.” She tipped her
beer to her lips.

“My favorite view.” He looked at her out of
the corner of his eye, “Except maybe for when you’re riding my lap,
that’s a pretty good view too.”

“Just pretty good?” She laughed.

“Let’s call it a tie for first then.”

She smirked as he rose and went to check the
steaks on the grill. He’d pulled his pearl snap shirt off the
minute they walked through the door and she appreciated the
unfettered view of his chest in nothing but a white t-shirt. She
also appreciated the glimpses of that tattoo. She still hadn’t
traced it with her tongue. She’d definitely have to get around to
that before this, whatever this was, ended.

“My daddy always said the best view in town
was from the back porch at Montgomery Oaks.”

“I’d have loved to tell him he was wrong.” He
winked playfully and she laughed again.

“God, I can only imagine the look of horror
on my daddy’s face if you’d tried. He never had any issue with the
guys I dated but the idea of me going heels to Jesus with one of
you West boys would’ve made him see red for sure. He’d probably
have decked you.”

Zach chuckled, “I’d probably have decked him
right back.”

She rolled her eyes, “You would not.”

“Don’t bet on it. I have a hell of a
temper.”

“You’re joking right?”

“I wish.” He shrugged, “I do a pretty decent
job of keeping it beat down but when it comes up I usually swing
first and ask questions later. It’s one of the reasons I like demo
work, gives me something to beat up, to take my frustrations out on
instead of going looking for a fight.”

She eyed him carefully to make sure he wasn’t
screwing with her. He had rough edges sure but he didn’t look like
a rage monster. She couldn’t even imagine him angry. Upset sure,
frustrated sure, but angry enough to fight?

“Do you do that a lot? Go looking for
fights?”

“When I was younger? Yeah.” He flipped the
steaks and closed the grill. “Now I’ve found healthier ways to work
out the frustrations.”

“Like demolishing your bathroom.” She
snorted.

“And getting naked with a pretty blonde.” He
grinned as he sauntered closer, “That helps sometimes too.”

So that’s what she was? A release for
frustrations? She wanted to be mildly offended but she couldn’t. He
was her distraction from her terrible, spiraling life. They were
using each other. That’s all. They were benefits.

“Glad to be of assistance.” She batted her
lashes as he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

“I’m sure Devin’s face thanks you.” He
chuckled as he sat back down beside her and tipped his beer to his
lips.

“Devin?”

“Yeah, you know, my brother, shorter,
stockier, less handsome version of me.”

“I know who you meant.” She rolled her eyes,
“And you forgot to mention younger old man.”

“Ouch.” He tugged her into his lap, “That
wasn’t very nice.”

“Neither was what you said about Devin, at
least what I said was true.”

“You don’t think Devin’s a less handsome
version of me?” He raised a curious eyebrow.

“Nope. I think he’s definitely better
looking.” She lied with a smile on her face. “All the girls in town
go crazy for his broody bad-boy thing.”

“I didn’t realize that included you.” He
pulled her hair lightly so they were eye to eye.

“I do like them tall, dark and handsome
apparently.”

He laughed, “Maybe you should go heels to
Jesus with him instead then.”

“Maybe I will.” She shot back.

“God you’re frustrating.”

His mouth was on hers in a wild kiss a second
later and she slid her arms around his neck. If this was what she
got out of frustrating and provoking him she’d happily do it all
the time. His mouth was warm and aggressive as he kissed her
senseless. When he broke the kiss his green eyes were a little
glassy and she was breathing hard.

“Keep that up and Devin’s face won’t fare
well baby-doll.”

She liked that admission so much she couldn’t
help but wiggle in his lap, “You like it when I frustrate you don’t
you?”

“No.” He shook his head and curled her hair
around his fist, “I love it when you frustrate me.” His warm mouth
trailed down her neck and her insides quivered. “I love touching
you, and kissing you.” His big hands cupped her breasts. “I love
sinking deep inside you.” His tongue traced the seam of her lips.
“It’s never enough.”

She melted into him. She couldn’t help it
when he said he loved her. He didn’t say that, not really. She was
smart enough to know that saying he loved touching her and having
sex with her wasn’t the same thing as actually loving her.

In the past she might have gotten confused
and thought they were the same thing, that it was this emotionally
unavailable man’s way of trying to tell her but she didn’t get
confused this time. She knew the difference now.

Zach didn’t love her and that meant she
couldn’t possibly fall in love with him. But she could fall in love
with the way he touched her. She’d definitely fallen for that.

“Zach?”

“Hmm?” He nipped her earlobe.

“I think the steaks are on fire.”

“What?” His head popped up and she pointed to
where smoke had started to seep out of the grill. “Fuck. Hold
on.”

She giggled as he quickly picked her up and
placed her back on the other side of the lounge chair. He scrambled
across the deck. Smoke billowed out of the grill as he opened it
and he cursed some more. She bit her lip to hide a smile.

“Don’t laugh. This is all your fault.” He
frowned as he pulled the steaks off the grill, “Damn distracting
woman.”

“Frustrated again?” She giggled.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” He chuckled,
“Well, the steaks are definitely done so let’s go inside and eat
our burned dinner and then you can make it up to me.”

Blue pushed to her feet, grabbed their beers
and followed him inside. While he grabbed a salad out of the fridge
she set the table. It probably should have been awkward. She wasn’t
his girlfriend. She shouldn’t be sitting and having dinner with
him. She definitely shouldn’t be looking at the table and
remembering what he’d done to her on it the last time she’d tried
to have dinner with him.

“I know.” Two big strong arms circled her
waist and his husky voice came from near her ear, “I can’t even eat
in my own house without thinking of you now. You taste better than
anything I could ever cook baby-doll.”