Hard and Fast (5 page)

It might just take a bomb to get their attention, given that Nikki’s hair was now caught in the windshield wipers, whipping back and forth, and she didn’t seem to notice.

Imogen reached forward in the driver’s seat and silently turned off the wipers.

 

 

FOR some reason, Imogen’s quietly killing the wipers made Ty burst out laughing. The whole thing was just damn ridiculous.

Here he and Imogen were clearly fighting their attraction to each other so that Ty could do the respectable and decent thing and break up with Nikki first, when Nikki was indulging in a downpour fantasy with a guy Ty didn’t think she’d even met before that night.

“Do you really think it’s funny or are you laughing out of defense?” Imogen asked him, giving him a concerned look, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“I really think it’s funny,” he assured her. “I think I’m staring at a little life lesson—two people shouldn’t be together just for convenience’s sake. It only ends in sex on the hood of the car. And not with each other.”

“True.” Imogen made a sound of distress. “Oh, my God. He’s actually undoing his pants.”

Before Ty could react, Imogen laid on the car horn. They heard Nikki shriek and catapult forward into Jonas’s arms, who stumbled backward, unzipped. It was raining too hard to see their expressions, which was a little disappointing. Ty thought it might be amusing to see guilty blushes.

Instead, Nikki stomped over and knocked on the driver’s side window. “Who is in there?” she screamed.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Ty told Imogen, annoyed that Nikki hadn’t just slunk off the way most people would.

Jonas was hovering awkwardly behind her, like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

Imogen glanced over at Ty. “Do you want me to get rid of her or do you want to talk to her?”

“Oh, we can talk to her.” Why prolong the stupidity?

Imogen cracked her window slightly. “It’s Imogen. And Ty.”

There was a pause, then Nikki shrieked, “Ty? That bastard is in there?”

Excuse me? What the hell had he done to deserve that title? Ty leaned across Imogen to try to see Nikki. “Since I’m a bastard and you’re swapping spit with Strickland, I think we can call our relationship over.”

“Unlock this car,” Nikki demanded.

“Why?” Imogen asked even as she did it.

Nikki opened the back door and climbed in. “Because it’s raining cats and dogs out there and I don’t want to have this conversation standing in that mess.”

“It didn’t seem to bother you a minute ago,” Ty remarked, watching Nikki slide across the backseat until she was directly behind him.

She made a
tsk
sound, then yelled, “Jonas! Get in the car.”

The idiot did, which made Ty grin. “Nikki, I don’t really think we have anything further to talk about.”

“I suppose you’re mad at me,” Nikki said, frowning at him.

“No, not really. A little surprised maybe, but you’re entitled to screw whoever you want. It just might have been nice if you’d let me know we were breaking up first. You know, just maybe.”

“I wouldn’t have had to if you had been reasonable.”

“What exactly was I unreasonable about?” And how soon could he get her out of the car? He was getting a crick in his neck from looking into the backseat, and he was feeling bad for poor Imogen stuck watching the Nikki train wreck roll. He had to admit he was feeling the sting of embarrassment that Imogen was seeing what was clearly his poor judgment in living form.

“You don’t want to marry me.” Nikki was pouting, her plump lip shoved out.

Oh, Lord.

Jonas frowned. “Wait a minute. Are you two dating?” His finger went back and forth between Ty and Nikki.

“Not anymore. It’s all good, man,” Ty assured him.

But the poor guy’s frown got deeper. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone.” He looked at Ty. “Dude, I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool.” Ty turned to Nikki. “No, I don’t want to marry you.”

“Why not?” Nikki wailed, her hands coming up to her face as she sobbed.

“Wait a minute,” Imogen said, sounding totally exasperated. “Nikki, be honest, are you in love with Ty?”

Nikki’s sob cut out. She frowned. “No.”

“Then why do you want to marry him?”

“Because I’m already twenty-two. I should be married.”

Ty winced. Was Nikki honestly only twenty-two? He probably had known that in theory but hearing it out loud was a second wake-up call. At thirty-three, he suddenly felt too old to be dating a woman that young. It was no wonder they never had anything to talk about.

He was about to say something, he wasn’t sure what, but it would probably involve swear words. Fortunately Imogen beat him to it.

“I’m twenty-eight years old and I’m not married and I’m not in the least bit stressed out about that. Being ready to commit yourself to one man for the rest of your life takes serious thought and self-awareness, not to mention a healthy dose of love and passion. You can’t rush that or force that or compromise on that.”

Exactly. Took the words right out of his mouth.

“Whatever,” Nikki said, rolling her eyes.

“I think I need to leave,” Jonas said, looking like he would give his right nut to be anywhere but where he was.

“I’m going with you,” Nikki said. She stared hard at Ty for a second while he tried to imagine what exactly was going to come out of her mouth. She said, “I hope you understand the mistake you’ve made.”

Oh, hell, yeah, he did. No more twenty-two-year-olds. No more dating women who wanted his status and money more than him. And no more casual sex for a while. It was time to step back and wait for a woman he could really connect with.

“I do,” he assured her. “And I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I hope you and Strickland have fun tonight.”

Nikki’s face brightened. “We will. Thanks.”

Then she nudged Jonas to get out of the car, which he did with a speed and dexterity that defied his rather bulky frame, and Nikki followed.

Suddenly Ty was alone again in the car with Imogen, who was frowning.

“God, I’m sorry about that,” he said, feeling downright sheepish.

She just waved her hand like it was irrelevant. “It’s okay. But I find it incredibly curious that Nikki would want to marry you.”

Ty laughed, at the same time he hoped she hadn’t meant that exactly how it had sounded. “Wow. Way to stroke my ego there.”

The corner of her mouth turned up. “That’s not what I meant. It just surprises me that in this day and age young women still think they need to be married to feel a sense of completion.”

“I don’t get it either,” he told her with all honesty. He truly didn’t understand why some women seemed to feel their self-worth was tied to being with a man. Especially one like him. He was always on the go, restless, inclined to make a joke when it wasn’t appropriate, and not exactly what anyone could call an emotional anchor for a woman.

Which was why he had thought that casually dating Nikki made sense.

Only now he knew that wasn’t what he wanted, yet was he really ready for a real, committed, mature relationship?

He didn’t know, and wasn’t even sure why he was asking himself that question. It wasn’t like it was an option at the moment anyway.

“And that they’re willing to just latch on to the first guy who shows interest in them whether he’s a total loser or not, it just baffles me.”

“You know,” Ty said to Imogen as he wondered how many more slams he could be expected to take in one conversation. “It really sounds like you’re insulting me.”

And he was having one crazy-ass kind of day. He hadn’t seen any of this going down when he’d crawled out of bed that morning, that was for certain.

But she just looked at him. “I’m not insulting you. I’m speaking theoretically, not about you specifically. I’m sure you have many qualities that make you an excellent candidate for a serious relationship, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that your cup doesn’t exactly overflow with love for Nikki.”

She pushed up her glasses to emphasize her point, and at the same time Ty thought he’d never heard any woman speak quite as strangely as Imogen did, he found her incredibly cute. Like, so adorable that he wanted to kiss the tip of her nose.

He didn’t actually do it. He just grinned wryly. “No, it wasn’t love flowing out of my cup, that’s for sure.”

“Is that a sexual innuendo?” she asked, looking curious.

“Do you want it to be one?” He couldn’t tell from her expression at all.

“It’s not a matter of whether I want it to be or not. I am just curious as to the exact intent of your words.”

Ty thought about being a smart-ass, but then again, he was intrigued by a woman wanting to understand exactly what he had meant. Being dyslexic and unable to read at a functional level, Ty was always conscious of the meaning and mystery of words. He was addicted to audiobooks and found the flow of language in novels fascinating and wished he could see and read them for himself. That Imogen was looking at him and wanting to hear the true intent behind his words gave him pause.

So he answered her truthfully. “I’m uncomfortable with this whole situation. So it was meant to be a crack at myself, that no, it wasn’t love leaving my body whenever I was with Nikki but something else entirely.” And beyond that, he wasn’t spelling it out. He had a few gentlemanly tendencies instilled by his Southern mother, and he wasn’t saying “ejaculation” to a woman he barely knew.

“That’s what I thought,” she said. “But I wanted to confirm it.”

Ty laughed. “Why?”

Now she blushed. “Because I’m just incredibly curious all the time. I want to know everything about everything. I like clarity and I ask endless questions. I know it’s annoying. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for. And I see curiosity as a sign of intelligence.”

She looked at him in surprise. “I think it is, too.” Then she blushed deeper. “Not that I’m calling myself intelligent. I mean, I’m not stupid but I’m no Einstein, that’s for sure.”

“I think you probably do alright,” he told her. “Given that you’re getting a graduate degree.” A thought had just occurred to him. “And you’re clearly smarter than me, because not only did the girlfriend I was planning to break up with make out with another guy in front of me, but she also left me stranded here.” For the first time since he’d ditched Nikki and escaped onto the porch, he felt real annoyance.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t have my car here. Nikki picked me up, and she drove because she lives in the opposite direction from my place to here. So now I’ve got no way to get home.”

“I can drive you.”

“You don’t have to do that.” He didn’t want her to feel obligated, but he really did want her to. Not to mention he wanted to kiss her, dipping his tongue inside his mouth and running his hands all over her petite body. “I can get a cab.”

“Where do you live?”

“Mooresville.”

“Well, that’s on my way, then. It’s not a problem at all for me to drop you off.”

“Okay, thanks, Emma Jean. I appreciate it.” Ty smiled at her, slowly, enjoying the way her cheeks went pink and she broke eye contact. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her, and he was going to get his kiss before the night was over. A simple kiss wouldn’t break his newfound conviction to steer clear of casual sex for a while.

“Should we tell Tamara and Elec that we’re leaving? I hate to be rude.”

“Does it really matter?” he asked, thinking he didn’t really give a shit. He’d call Elec or text him on the way home.

“I just feel so terrible. Here I’ve been missing half the night . . . Elec knows I was outside with you. I’d hate for any rumors to get started. That’s not fair to you.”

Now he
really
didn’t give a shit if anyone thought he was making a move on Imogen because the God’s honest truth was that he was. But it clearly was worrying her, so he said, “It’s still pouring outside. I’ll run back in and tell them we’re leaving. You wait here.”

“No, I’ll go with you.”

“What is the sense in both of us getting soaked all over again?”

“I don’t mind getting wet.”

“There are all kinds of wet, and some are better than others,” Ty told her, unable to resist.

Her eyes went wide behind her glasses and she dug her fingernails into her thighs. “That was a sexual innuendo.”

“Yep. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. And you tell me which wet is more fun . . . getting nailed by rain or just getting nailed?”

He should shut up. Quit tweaking her. But it was warm and humid in her small car, and she was so close to him that he could smell the dampness of her skin, see the way her hair was drying in tiny wisps above her ear, hear the catch of her breath behind her teeth. Ty was intrigued by her in a way he hadn’t been by a woman in a long, long time. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say, but he was almost certain he would enjoy her answer.

“Well, I think, inarguably, unless someone is suffering from a sexual dysfunction, that most people would prefer the wetness of arousal to the wetness of a cold rain.”

Ty laughed. Yep, he liked that answer. “Which do you prefer?” he teased her.

Imogen didn’t stop to think about the ramifications of her words. She just spoke honestly, “Oh, arousal. Undoubtedly.”

The look on his face told her she was playing with fire. He wasn’t just having a casual conversation where they were making sociological observations. He was flirting with her and she had known it all along. From the minute he’d spoken to her on the porch.

Now they were alone in her car, he was suddenly single, she had offered to drive him home from Tamara’s, and they were discussing sexual lubrication.

Often throughout her twenty-eight years, her mother had told her that her curiosity and innate honesty were going to get her in trouble, and if winding up naked in bed with Ty McCordle was trouble, Imogen had the feeling that was precisely where she was headed. Interesting that she didn’t seem to be running from said trouble, but was actually leaning closer to the source.