Drunk Dial (Hard Core #1) (Hard Core Series) (5 page)

“Yeah, I got the same impression.” Normally taking a step back wouldn’t be a problem for me, but somehow, with her, it was. “Well, thanks for the advice…?”

“Laura.”

I was pretty sure she’d told us that when she announced she’d be our server for the night, but I’d been too distracted by watching Lacy to notice anyone or anything else. “Thanks, Laura.”

“No problem.” She patted my chest. “I’ll send her your way when she gets a minute.”

“Thanks.” I didn’t even know if Lacy would want to talk to me after that phone conversation, but I wasn’t walking out of there until I at least tried.

“Hey,” Ash said, coming up behind me. He shook my hand before nodding at our table. “Nice of you to come back with the boys.”

“I didn’t think I should just sit here by myself like a loser all night and leer at your sister,” I joked. “That might be weird.”

Ash laughed, shaking his head. “You sure you wanna waste your time with my sister, York?”

“Why not your sister?” If anyone could convince me this was a bad idea, he could. And maybe that was what I wanted—someone to give me a reason to walk away and pretend I’d never met her.

“She’s a real ballbreaker.”

I smirked. I’d guessed that within the first five minutes of talking to her. Yet I’d still showed up to meet her. “What else?”

“Sometimes I think she hates men.” He chuckled. “Not that she doesn’t have reason. First our old man, then her ex—” His face turned a ruddy shade under his tan. “Uh, I should get back to work. We’re slammed tonight.”

“Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm. “She say anything to you about me?” Jesus, now I felt as though I was back in middle school, trying to get the attention of the girl I’d been crushing on but was afraid to talk to. I was turning into a lame-ass pussy over this woman.

“Not really, but she came into work in a foul mood. You two get into it?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Before I could explain, I saw Lacy heading toward us, looking fit to kill in a pair of tight black jeans, high-heeled black shoes, and a skimpy red top that showed off her tits and cut abs to perfection. Fuck, I was getting hard from just looking at her, and judging by the way heads were turning, I wasn’t the only one.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked, planting her hands on her hips. “I don’t have a lot of time.” She gestured to the crowd of people around us. “As you can see, we’re pretty busy tonight.”

My friends were checking her out, tipping their chairs back, licking their lips, and looking her up and down, lingering a little too long on her ass and tits. I’d deal with them later. Right now, I had bigger problems, like figuring out how I was going to wipe that scowl off her sexy face.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Ash said. “I got you covered, Lace. Take a few.”

She glared at his back as he walked away, obviously displeased to be given an out when she hadn’t asked for and didn’t want one. Glancing over her shoulder when one of my so-called friends made a grab for her ass, she said, “Do that again, and I’ll bash your skull in with that beer bottle, asshole.”

I grabbed her hands and pulled her forward so that she collided with my chest, out of their reach. “You really done with me?”

Her breath hitched as her eyes searched mine. “I don’t know. You done with me?”

“Fuck no.” I lowered my head, craving another taste of those sweet lips. They were covered in some cherry gloss, which I would probably be wearing when I pulled away. But I didn’t care. Thrusting my hands into her hair, I delved deep, sweeping my tongue over her lips before she finally opened, granting me unlimited access.

Her hands snaked up my back before one found its way into my hair. Her tight little body was pressed firmly against mine, my hard-on prodding her bare stomach. She didn’t seem to mind as her tongue warred with mine, giving as good as she got.

“Fuck, York, you’re giving me a hard-on,” Ace grumbled, making the other guys laugh.

We finally broke apart, and I nipped her puffy lower lip one more time, unable to tear myself away. I should apologize for losing it like that in her workplace, but I couldn’t pretend I didn’t like the idea of all the other guys who’d been hitting on her realizing she’d made her choice.

“Let me drive you home again?”

She smiled before touching her swollen lips with her fingertips. “I have my bike. And it’s not raining tonight.”

“Don’t you have a car?”

“Nope. Don’t need one.” She hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of my faded jeans, drawing me against her body as my arms encircled her waist. “Don’t tell me you’re going to give me grief about Pearl too?”

“Pearl?” I asked, barely suppressing my amusement. “You named a badass Harley like that Pearl?”

“Shut up,” she warned, planting her foot between my legs to let me know that one knee lift was all it would take for her to lay me out. “I happen to like that name. For my high school graduation my brothers gave me pearl earrings. It was the first really nice gift anyone ever gave me. Why? You got a problem with the name?”

“No, but I do have a problem with the thought of you ridin’ that thing in all kinds of crazy weather. You have to promise me if it’s raining, you’ll call me to pick you up.” Not that I wouldn’t already be parked out front at quitting time to make sure she didn’t plan to do anything reckless. “Say it.” I tugged on her chin to encourage her to form the words. “Say ‘I promise, York.’”

She tried to hide her smile by pulling her full lips into a straight line, but I knew she was amused. “What are we doing here?”

“Breaking all our rules, apparently. You don’t do relationships. I don’t get protective about a woman I just met. Yet here we are on the verge of… something.” I knew if I tried to nail her down or define it, she’d run as far and as fast as she could.

“You do make me want to break the rules,” she whispered, brushing her lips across mine. “And that’s bad, very bad.”

Felt pretty goddamn good from my perspective. “If you won’t let me drive you home, will you call me when you get home, just to let me know you’re all tucked into bed, safe and sound?”

“Did I say I was going home?” she asked, frowning. “I don’t think I did.”

I was tucking her hair behind her ear when she said it, making me reflexively tug on the silky strands instead. “Where the hell are you going at two in the morning?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She grinned. “Gotta get back to work, York. I’ll see ya later. Maybe.”

I grabbed her wrist before she could get away. “Tell me where you’re going, or I swear to God I’ll close this place down waiting for you.” I hated the things I was saying, the way I was feeling, but I couldn’t let her walk out of this place tonight and into some other dude’s arms. It just wasn’t gonna happen.

She stroked my face, smiling. “Just got a call from my roomie. Apparently there was a gas leak in our building, so we can’t go back until tomorrow at the earliest.”

At least she had a legitimate reason for not going home tonight. That made me feel marginally better. “So stay with me tonight.”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious.” I thought of my brother sleeping in my guest room. He’d like nothing more than to wake up to the sight of Lacy wearing a T-shirt and nothing else. The prick.

“Thanks for the offer, but I already told Ash I’d crash at his place tonight. He knows we just met, and he wouldn’t be too happy if I told him I was going home with you.”

I got that. I was an overprotective big brother too. “Fine, but you can still call me when you get to his place, can’t you?”

She glanced back at the table where my rowdy friends were downing another round of shots. “Don’t you have to drive those guys home?”

“I can shove them in a cab.” Which had been my intent if Lacy agreed to let me drive her home. “They won’t know the difference in an hour anyhow.”

She grinned. “I can’t believe I threatened to smash a beer bottle over Ace Matthews’s head. What the hell was I thinking?”

“You were thinking you don’t like some drunk son of a bitch grabbing your ass. If you hadn’t put him in his place, trust me, I would have.”

She tipped her head to the side. “You’re the jealous type, aren’t you?”

“Usually? No. With you? It seems all bets are off.” I hoped she would appreciate my honesty, especially since I didn’t see any reason to lie about something that was painfully obvious. I was jealous when I saw other guys checking her out. I needed to protect her, to know that she was safe. If she thought that made me the wrong man for her, I’d just have to figure out a way to convince her otherwise.

“You’re crazy. You do know that, don’t you?”

“Crazy about you, baby.” I stole one more kiss before she managed to wiggle out of my grasp. “We’re gonna head out soon. Make sure you call me when you get in.”

She clicked the heels of her shoes together while saluting me with a sassy smile. “Yes, sir.”

Smartass woman, I thought, watching her walk away. I was so fucked with this one.

***

I was lying in bed, on the verge of falling asleep, when she finally called. I answered on the second ring. “Hey, babe. Why’re you getting in so late?”

She sighed. “You have the sexiest voice I have ever heard.”

I sat up straighter when I realized her words were slurred. “You’ve been drinking?”

“We did some shots after we closed up.” She giggled. “I don’t usually partake, since I have to take Pearl home, but since Ash offered to drive, I thought what the hell, right?”

“Hmm.” At least she was with her brother. That made me feel better.

“What’s wrong? You don’t approve?”

I wasn’t a big drinker, usually because I was in training, but I’d spent too many years seeing my buddies make asses of themselves because of the bottle. “It’s your call, Lace. I can’t tell you what to do. Just be careful. I’ve seen the way some of your so-called customers look at you, like they’re just waiting for you to let your guard down.”

The thought of someone slipping something in her drink or waiting for her outside of work, after she’d had a few too many, made me want to make good on my threat to wait outside so I could make sure she got home safely. If anything happened to her, I’d have to kill somebody.

“You’re sweet to worry about me.” She sighed. “Have I told you how sweet you are?” Air seeped through her lips before she giggled. “I probably shouldn’t say that to a big, tough guy like you, should I? You don’t wanna be sweet, right? You wanna be badassssss.”

She was cute when she was drunk. And since she was safe and sound at her brother’s place, I could laugh at her antics.

“You are a badass.” Apparently she was content to ramble until she fell asleep, which was fine by me. I could listen to that sexy, raspy voice all night. “But you’re also sexy and sweet and smart and…” She sighed. “Just everything. You’re everything I ever wanted, York.”

I smiled, knowing she wouldn’t remember a word of this in the morning. Still, it was nice to hear.

“I want to fuck you, you know,” she said.

“Don’t say that.” I was thirty seconds away from jumping in my truck and tracking her down. While I’d never take advantage of her in her current state, it would be nice to hear her whisper those things while she was straddling me. Fully clothed, of course.

“Why not? It’s true. Do you want to fuck me?”

“You have no idea.” But for the first time in a long time, I wanted more than a physical relationship. Too bad I’d picked the wrong girl for that.

“I bet you’re good in bed.” She sighed. “You are, aren’t you? You always make sure your lover is satisfied first?”

I’d assumed that was a given until I heard some of my buddies talk about getting off with random women and how they didn’t give a shit if it was good for her, unless they planned to do her again. I really needed to find new friends.

“I try.” With her, it wouldn’t require much effort. Just kissing her gave me some idea how responsive she was.

“I don’t usually have a hard time resisting men, but I can tell you’re gonna be trouble.”

“Why would you have to resist?” I propped my free hand behind my head. I knew there was a lot about Lacy I didn’t know yet, and my instincts told me there was a lot she wouldn’t want me to know. She was cautious about how much she shared, and a woman didn’t get that way by accident. She’d been burned.

“It’s complicated.”

“I’ve got nowhere to be.” It wasn’t fair to ask her to share when she was under the influence, but since she wasn’t likely to tell me her life story while she was sober, I had to take advantage of the opportunity.

Her voice was small, almost timid when she said, “I watched men wander in and out of my mother’s life.”

“That must have sucked.”

“I hated it. I hated her for putting us through that.”

“That’s understandable.” I knew if we were face to face, she probably wouldn’t have been able to open up to me, so for the first time, I was grateful I couldn’t touch her. As much I’d love to hold her, I sensed Laura was right—Lacy spooked easily.

“Her boyfriends were pigs, always leering at me, especially when I turned thirteen and started developing.” She sounded more clear-headed now, as though thoughts of her childhood were enough to sober her up.

“Did they ever try anything?” I knew she had two older brothers to protect her, but they were presumably teens at the time. No match for full-grown men with wandering hands.

“No, but they said things they shouldn’t have, which made me feel dirty. I got my brother to install an extra lock on my bedroom door, so whenever I was home alone with my mom and one of her men, I locked myself in my room and didn’t come out. Not even to eat. I always said I had homework. I think they were happier to have the place to themselves anyhow.”

“At least you were safe,” I muttered. It must have been brutal to grow up that way.

“We lived in a trailer. Did I tell you that?” She laughed uncontrollably, though I couldn’t see the humor in her story. “I know what you’re thinking—trailer park trash, right?”

“No, I wasn’t thinking that, Lace.” There was nothing trashy about this woman. She was strong, resilient, and incredibly brave, as far as I was concerned. “Where you live doesn’t define who you are.” I’d lived in tiny apartments and run-down houses growing up. Now I lived in a big-ass house surrounded by acres of land. I was still the same person, just with a different address.