Good Time Bad Boy (12 page)

“And you picked me? Why not Chris or somebody else you’ve known a long time?”

“For one thing, Chris can’t stand me.” He paused for a moment to consider how best to phrase what he wanted to say next. “I’ve noticed something about you.”

“What’s that?”

“You have a real problem when it comes to recognizing your own value.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

The archness of her tone told him he’d hit a nerve, and hit it hard. “You were shocked that I went to any trouble to get your job back. I thought that was because you figured I was a selfish ass like everybody else thinks, but I’m not so sure now. Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you? We’ve had some good talks, you and me. I think.” He stopped, frustrated.

“You think what? And yeah, I thought you were an ass, but that wasn’t the total reason I was surprised you helped me get my job back.” The words came slow, as if they were painful to speak. “I figured you just wanted to get me into bed.”

Wade flinched. “I don’t ever want a woman in my bed who feels obligated to be there. If that’s where we wind up, it’ll be because we both want it.”

“Well, that was blunt.” A ghost of a smile was in evidence as she moved to sit on the table and face the water.

God, this woman was prickly. And so guarded, and the only indication she’d given that she had any interest in him at all was showing up. But that little hint of a smile gave him hope. He stood and walked around the table to sit next to her, both of them with their hands resting behind them on the scarred wood and looking out at the lake.

Wade edged his arms further apart so that his hand was close enough to lightly touch his little finger to the side of her palm. “I’m glad you came out here with me.”

“Me too.” She made no move to pull away from him.

The small admission thrilled him. A current of awareness flowed between them, made thick as honey by the heat and the sunlight. Wade felt himself falling into it, dragged along by the undertow. He found himself wanting to fall, wanting to taste that sweetness.

N
ine hundred pages. Daisy liked to restrict her heavy lifting reading to school textbooks, so she pushed
Lonesome Dove
back onto the library shelf. Maybe another time. She drifted over to the biography section, scanning titles until she found the music-related books grouped together. Those she perused more carefully. Nobody she cared about had been around long enough to have a bio written about them. A thick book about Johnny Cash caught her eye. She pulled it from the shelf and thumbed through it. Everybody knew a few Cash songs, of course. She searched the index for references to a couple of titles she liked and read a few pages about the recording of
Hurt
, the country icon’s surprising cover of a Nine Inch Nails song. Intrigued, she tucked the book under her arm and made her way to the circulation desk.

As she entered the small lobby on her way out, a door on the opposite side opened, spilling out people. She heard Jillian Travers’ laugh and checked out the notice by the door. Sure enough, a Friends of the Library meeting was letting out. She hung back to wait.

It didn’t take long for Jillian to make it to the lobby. Curvy and pretty in a sundress, her hair a darker shade of red than usual with a cute pink streak curling down one side, she juggled her purse, a tote bag with the Friends logo, and her phone. As soon as she saw Daisy, she came to her side with a cheerful greeting.

They chatted briefly before Jillian’s eyes sharpened and a dimple curved her cheek. “I saw that picture of you and my cousin in the paper.”

Daisy felt her own cheeks burn. “Yeah, that was no big deal.”

“Just like it was no big deal he called me up and asked for your number? Honey.” Those sharp eyes of Jillian’s missed nothing, making Daisy want to crawl into a hole.

She didn’t know how to ask what she wanted to know, or even what precisely she wanted to know, so she fumbled around. “I saw him yesterday. We went on a picnic out at the state park.”

Jillian tucked her phone into her purse and adjusted the bags. “That sounds nice.”

“It was.” He’d been a perfect gentleman, which both confused and relieved Daisy. Not that broad daylight in the middle of a state park was the best place to try something, but she hadn’t really known what to expect. She hadn’t expected him to pay enough attention to notice things about her, things that revealed a little too much. She hadn’t expected to come away from the date liking him so much, either.

She sucked in a breath. “It wasn’t a date.”

“I didn’t say it was.” The dimple deepened as Jillian made a poor effort not to grin.

“He’s only going to be here for the summer, right? I mean, he’s not home for good.”

The teasing glint in Jillian’s eyes was replaced by a deeper understanding. She touched her hand to Daisy’s arm and led the younger woman to a more discreet spot next to the wall. “Wade’s a sweetheart and I love him to pieces. You’re my friend and I love you too, so I’m going to lay down some honesty for you, hon. He was divorced a long time ago, and he doesn’t carry a torch for her, but he doesn’t do long-term anymore, either. He would never hit a woman, and he doesn’t lie or cheat. But he doesn’t stick around long. He’s a lot of fun, for women looking for a short term kind of thing. You understand?”

Daisy clutched her library book tighter and nodded. “Yeah, I hear you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with short term as long as everybody’s on the same page.” Jillian ducked her head closer. “You’ve been working so hard for so long, and you haven’t dated in forever. If a little summer fun is all you want, he’s safe for that. He’ll be good to you.”

Daisy sagged against the wall. Not for the first time, she wondered about whatever force in the universe that sent her Megan and Jillian to make up for the shitstorm of dysfunction with her mother and sister. Wondered, and thanked.

“I don’t know what I want,” Daisy said. “I know I’m not looking for anything long term. Even short term, though.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t decide if I’m ready to date again or not.” The way her belly tightened at the thought of Wade Sheppard’s heartbreaker smile let her know she was ready for
something
, that was for sure.

Jillian patted her arm. “You think about it. He may be a little on the wild side when he’s in the mood, but he’s not mean. A little fun would do you both some good.”

They talked for a few more minutes, mostly about Jillian’s new hair, inspired by her twelve year old daughter who had recently entered a heavy beauty magazine and Youtube video phase. After agreeing to set up a lunch date with Megan, they went their separate ways.

Daisy spent the next few days working and reading and thinking things through. She hadn’t meant to cut herself off from dating after what happened with her last boyfriend. It just sort of happened. Winding up in the hospital had forced her to take a good, hard look at her life. Fear that she was following in the footsteps of her mother and sister drove her out of dating for a time. After a while, she found that she didn’t miss it. School kept her busy, as did extra shifts at Rocky Top and spending time with her friends. If anyone brought up her status as perpetually single, she just shrugged and said she’d date when she felt like it.

It just so happened that she hadn’t felt like it in over two years. But now...maybe now she did. It felt good to have her instincts about Wade confirmed by Jillian. The temptation to embark on a summer fling with a fun guy who would want nothing from her but a good time was enormous. Jillian wasn’t kidding – Daisy had been working her ass off, between classes and her job. Surely she was due a break. Hell, a reward, even, for all those long hours of study and nights on her feet at the bar.

She had Wade’s number but couldn’t make a decision. Finally on Saturday night, his choice of song and her libido made the decision for her. Late in his last set, he surprised her and everyone else still listening when he launched into a bit of classic soul –
Rainy Night In Georgia
.

Daisy stood by the bar, her serving tray tucked against her stomach and her gaze on the stage. Wade’s deep voice wrapped around the song’s lyrics like a lover, the tempo slow and sensuous. His eyes were half-closed. His fingers caressed the guitar strings.

It wasn’t hard to imagine those fingers caressing skin. Her skin. Soft, lazy strokes meant to gently arouse. Sure, confident touches designed to stoke her desire to a fever pitch.

“Girl,” Ronisha said in a breathy voice as her hands stilled while drying a glass.

“Yep,” Daisy agreed.

On the stage, Wade gripped the microphone, his big hand covering the base and holding it tight as he sang the chorus. Would he use that same strong grip to hold a woman’s wrists while she moved underneath him? That same bold strength to take her thighs and open them to make room for his body?

“Damn.” Ronisha slapped the surface of the bar with a white towel.

“Hell yeah.” Daisy swallowed the hot, dry taste of need at the back of her throat.

Mind made up, anticipation uncurled through her body like a waking cat. She was leaving the bar with Wade tonight, and she planned to have a damn good time afterward.

W
ade finished his last set with a flourish and packed up his gear. He scanned the main room for Daisy, then the smaller dining room. She stood by the window holding a pitcher of tea and chatting with the two couples seated at the table. Her long blond waves were in a ponytail tonight. He imagined searching the back of her neck for sensitive spots, first with his fingers and then his lips. Would she shiver or squirm? Would she encourage him or play it cool? There were so many things he wanted to discover about her.

He’d already double checked the schedule posted in the break room. She’d be done with her shift soon, at eleven. He went to the back and waited, playing cards with Alonzo and Toby with one eye on the clock. Alonzo was collecting his winnings for the latest hand when Daisy came in to get her things and punch her time card out.

Daisy snickered as she addressed Wade. “What, all that time playing gigs at casinos and you can’t play poker any better than that?”

“I’m more of a blackjack guy,” he lied, not wanting to admit he’d played sloppy because he was so distracted. “Hey, Ronisha said Megan dropped you off tonight. Something wrong with your car?”

“My brother’s got it until tomorrow. He’s giving it a tune-up and oil change.”

“That’s nice of him. Where’s he work?”

“He’s more of a shade tree mechanic these days. Donny’s good with cars but not so good with holding down a job.” She dropped into the chair between Wade and Toby. “Megan texted me. Her dad’s having a bad night. I may be stuck here a while.” Was he imaging things or was there a hint of invitation in her smile?

Toby said, “My brother and I can take you when he comes to get me.”

Wade cut a quelling glance at the kid. “I’m done for the night. I can drive you home.”

Alonzo mumbled something in Spanish and rose to his feet. “Let’s go clean up the kitchen, Toby.” He clapped Wade on the shoulder and grinned. “This man here has his work cut out for him.”

Toby scrunched his face in confusion. “Huh?”

Alonzo ushered the younger man out of the break room with an emphatic mix of Spanish and English.

Daisy studied Wade with a cool gaze that made him reconsider his tactics. Sometimes charm worked. Sometimes you just had to bite the bullet and take the direct approach. This seemed like one of those times.

He picked up the cards and shuffled the deck slowly. “I’d be happy to see you home. We didn’t get to go for a drive the other day, we could do that tonight.”

“It’s eleven o’clock at night.” There was no hostility in her voice so he took that to heart.

“I’m too keyed up to go home.” He placed the deck of cards on the table between them. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

“Is that right?” Something in her tone made heat curl in his belly.

“Unless you don’t want me to be.”

She touched the deck, her fingers caressing the top card. “Tell you what. I’m feeling reckless tonight.”

The heat in his body became a flame. “That has potential.”

“We’ll each draw a card. If you get the high card, you get what you want. Whatever you want.”

Wade swallowed. If he played this right, and drew the high card, this could lead to more than just one good night. To make that happen, he had to surprise her. Had to make her not only enjoy the time with him tonight, but want more. So did he do that with sex or romance? To figure that out, he had to figure out what he wanted.

Though, Jesus, he was probably the world’s biggest idiot for even debating the question. She was offering him sex. That much was clear. All he had to do was draw that high card. The realization helped him find his answer.

He gestured at the deck. “Ladies first.”

Daisy hesitated, her hand hovering above the cards. Then she picked up the top card and held it aloft so they both could see it. “Ten of diamonds.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s a high card. Gonna be tough to beat.”

“Best of luck to you,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Now, what do you get if you win?”

“Whatever I want,” she said slowly.

Wade sucked in a breath. She wasn’t offering sex, she was practically promising it. He paused with his hand over the deck, watching her. Color flushed her cheeks. Her eyes were glittery and bright, her mouth red as a ripe strawberry, offered up for him to taste. For a weak moment, he wanted her to win. Or for him to win, and to give her what she so obviously wanted. But that would likely mean one night, and
only
one night.

It surprised him to realize just how much he wanted more than that.

“Here goes nothing.”

He kept his face expressionless as he checked the card before showing it to her. He tossed it onto the table face up. “King of hearts.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Bullshit.”

“What can I say? I guess it’s just my lucky night.” How he’d managed that, he’d never know. But he silently thanked God, the Baby Elvis, and whoever was the patron saint of washed up country singers looking for love in all the wrong places.