Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2) (7 page)

Heading down South Fletcher Avenue, his mind wandered and he recalled the moment he’d first seen Laney in the Media Center at their school. He’d glanced over to see a beautiful, brown-haired woman with a dress that couldn’t hide her amazing curves. He’d been so nervous that he’d tried to joke around with her about how she’d induce lust in the hormonal boys being as gorgeous as she was. And it had come out so wrong.

So. Very. Wrong.

Instead, his words jumbled and he’d insulted her, resulting in her dismissal of him from that point on. The only way he had managed to get her attention over the past eight years was to piss her off or annoy her in some way. And, like a juvenile, that’s exactly what he did. And he did it well. Because, if he couldn’t get Laney to pay him any attention aside from trading insults, then so be it.

But, as he reminisced that tender moment on the beach with her, when they had been two people and not enemies slinging insults at one another, he wondered what might have been if their first meeting had gone differently.

And he knew, if nothing ever came of it again, that moment on the beach would be forever etched in his mind as one of his favorite memories.

* * *

Hendy tried to convince her to come along with all of them and hit the bars in downtown Fernandina Beach. However, since Tate had been asked last minute to fill in for an early morning yoga class because the usual instructor had come down with a nasty stomach bug, she couldn’t join them. That left Laney as the lone woman, bar hopping with a bunch of crazy man-whores.

Um, no thank you
.

Hendy tried to guilt trip her as the guys made their way out of Mac and Raine’s house to the cab that had been waiting.

“Aw, Laney. Now, I’m going to end up having dirty, wild sex with some random brunette and end up calling out your name.” He pouted. “You don’t want that, do you?”

Drily, she said, “You’re going to do that whether I tag along or not. Minus the name calling part.”

His head tilted to the side for a split second. “Huh. Well, what do you know? You’re right.” He held a hand over his heart. “But I promise I’ll be thinking of you the entire time I fu—”

Doc had slapped a hand over his mouth. “Stop. Just stop. That was about to be so far past the X-rating and you know it.” He slowly removed his hand from his friend’s mouth.

Hendy considered it for a moment before shrugging. “Yeah, well, it is what I do best.” Turning back to Laney, he said, “You had your chance. Now, I’m up for grabs by the rest of Fernandina.” He ambled off to the cab.

“I’m sure they’re already lining up.” Doc’s expression was deadpanned. Then, he wrapped Laney in a hug. “Bye, baby girl. It was good seeing you.”

“You, too. Tell my brother to stop working you so much so you can join us for karaoke on Saturdays.”

A look flashed across his face before he answered her, a tinge of sadness laced in his tone. “Yeah, well, right now it’s a good thing I have a heavy workload.” With a wink, he said good-bye, heading over to the cab.

“Later, Laney McBrainy!” Foster called from the open window of the cab. Seriously? That freaking nickname needed to die, already.

“Remember, I’ll be thinking of you when I slide inside— Ow! What the hell was that for?” Hendy yelled.

“You’ll be cock-blocked like never before if you don’t stop talking to my sister like that,” Foster tossed back.

Oh, hell. That poor cab driver. They’d better tip well. Like,
really
well. Laney waved as they backed out of the driveway, ready to head down South Fletcher Avenue, just as Tate walked up beside her.

“So, you’re really not going to do anything?” hissed Tate. “I mean, what the hell, Laney? Anyone with half a brain could notice the sexual tension radiating from the two of you?”

“Shh!” Laney told her friend.

Looking around with wide eyes, Tate stage-whispered, “Oh, sorry! I forgot the palm trees can hear us. My bad.”

“Tate,” there was a warning to her tone. She tipped her head in the direction of Zach who was walking down the steps of the house, heading toward his car. She and Tate returned his wave before he got into his car, quickly backing out of the driveway to head home.

“So, Laney,” Tate mocked her. “Or should I call you Ginger? Because you were certainly channeling your inner Ginger Rodgers with Twinkle Toes Mayson tonight.”

Tossing her head back, peering up at the stars in the night sky, she groaned. “Tate. It’s not like that.”

“What’s it like, then?”

Laney shook her head. “I don’t know …”

Tate held out her hands, palms up. “Tonight is special. Romance is in the air. Why can’t you take advantage of this moment?”

Laney mulled this over, head cocked to the side. “You mean, I should take advantage of this truce-like moment? Like maybe Zach and I could have one night and then revert to our norm tomorrow …” she mused.

“That’s not what I meant.” Tate spoke the words slowly. “I was trying to say that maybe now you’ll be open to—”

“Yes!” Laney continued, not even hearing Tate, so lost in her thoughts. “That would totally work. Take advantage of everything because who knew we’d have this kind of chemistry, right? Then, we’ll go back to normal tomorrow.” She hugged Tate. “Brilliant! Thanks, Tate. Be careful going home.”

Laney hurried to her car, not registering her friend’s muttering of disapproval.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

L
ANEY HAD OFFICIALLY LOST HER
mind. That was the only possible reason for her car ending up where it was currently—in Zachariah Mayson’s driveway. What was she doing? And how did this seem like such a brilliant idea less than five minutes ago?

“Idiot, idiot, idiot!” She punctuated each word, lightly thumping her head back into the car’s head rest.

“What am I doing?” she mumbled to herself, still sitting in her car. She had turned off the ignition and lights and was sitting in Zach Mayson’s driveway. Because that didn’t scream creepy or anything. Riiiiight.

Suddenly, his front door opened, the lights on inside the house casting a silhouette of him while the small outdoor light by the front door illuminated him. He had clearly been in the process of changing out of his clothes, shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest.

He braced his arms on either side of the doorjamb as if waiting on her to come up the stairs of the one-story beach house. Was she going to do this? What would she say to him? Oh, hell. Could she really follow through?

Somehow, she found herself opening her car door, getting out, and closing it. Pressing her key fob to lock it before dropping her keys into her small clutch purse, she walked slowly up the driveway and up the stairs of the beach house on stilts. Bracing herself, she stopped in front of Zach. He hadn’t moved from his position in the doorway.

His gaze was guarded. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she returned the simple, one-word greeting.

“I thought I heard a car pull into the driveway.” His gaze was curious, eyes searching hers. They both stood there, warily watching one another for a long moment. Finally, Zach moved his left arm, shifting slightly to one side. Laney slid through and heard him close the door quietly behind her.

Turning around to face him, she saw him watching her carefully, closely, as if unsure what she was doing there in his house. Hell, she was unsure of what she was doing there.

Those full lips of his quirked up in a half smile. “You get lost on your way home?”

Crap. She should have known he wouldn’t make this easy for her. She decided, right then, to go with blatant honesty.

She spoke, the words rushing out before she lost her courage, “Can we just have tonight? You can go back to hating me tomorrow but, please, can we have tonight?”

* * *

Her voice sounded so small, so timid and vulnerable, so unlike Laney that it stunned him. Having her stand before him, in his foyer, so beautiful in that long dress with strands of hair that had come loose from her up-do made it difficult for him to catch his breath. He never really thought this moment would happen. Sure, he had hoped—dreamed, even—but thinking it would actually happen? Never.

The stars had aligned and he wasn’t about to turn away from this. Even if a small, nagging part of him screamed that it was a mistake. He took a step closer to her and then another. Reaching his hands out to cup her face, thumbs swiping tenderly across her cheekbones, he bent his head. “I don’t hate you, Laney,” he whispered before taking her mouth.

The moment their lips touched, he felt a jolt run through him. He walked her back against the wall, pressing his body to hers. He deepened the kiss, tilting his head to the side, sliding his tongue inside to taste her. Her soft moans encouraged him, and when he felt her hands fisting the collar of his shirt to tug his body closer to hers, he couldn’t withhold a groan of pleasure.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he took her hand in his. Zach led her through his house, turning off the lone hall light as he went, until they came to his bedroom. Laney kicked her heels off to the side and he pulled her to him, pressing a trail of kisses along the column of her neck.

His breath was hot against her skin as he spoke. “As much as I’d love to rip this off you, I don’t want to ruin your dress …” She took a step back, reaching to her side beneath her right arm and began to tug the zipper down slowly. He watched the dress slide down her body, landing in a pile at her feet, leaving her clad only in a pale purple thong with lightning bolts printed on them. His gaze stayed on those panties of hers and felt his lips tilt up at the corners. Those were totally Laney. Full of personality.

As his eyes encompassed the entire view of her body, he felt like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. Holy shit. She was exquisite. Even better than his dreams. Her nipples were a dusky pink, reacting to the coolness of the air conditioning, beginning to pucker.

“Laney,” he breathed. “You are … breathtaking.”

“You’re wearing way too much,” she complained huskily, fingers working the remaining buttons of his shirt. Zach started unbuttoning his pants because, let’s be honest, he was feeling pretty hasty and wanted—no, needed—to feel Laney’s body against his own.

She finished unbuttoning his shirt and was shoving it off his shoulders at the same moment he’d shucked his pants, kicking them off from where they had gathered around his ankles. Noticing her downward gaze and subsequent surprised look, he answered her unspoken question. “Yes. Commando.”

Her gaze flew up to meet his. “All the time?”

“Most of the time.”

“Huh. Interesting.” She drew out the last word thoughtfully just as she reached her hand out to grasp him. Eliciting a sharp inhalation from him, Laney smiled and stroked him, her grip driving him crazy.

“Laney,” he gritted his teeth, gently removing her hand from him, “you’ve got to stop or I’ll embarrass myself and disappoint you.”

Her smile grew wider and she walked him back to the bed until it hit the back of his knees. Gently guiding him onto it, he lay propped upon his pillows, watching as she slid her panties down her legs.

“I want to ride you, Zach. To feel you deep inside of me.” Her gaze was hot as it ran over his body before focusing on his hard, pulsing cock.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Laney was a dirty talker. He swore his cock grew even harder from her words alone.

“You wanna ride me?” He pulled her down to straddle him on the bed. “I have to taste you first. Only after I taste you, put my tongue on you—inside of you—will I let you ride me.” He brushed a thumb over her nipple, her body arching into his touch.

“Is that right?” Her question came in a near pant when his thumb was replaced with his mouth, rasping his tongue against her nipple, feeling it pebble at the touch.

“That’s right.” Zach reached up to pull her down, taking her mouth again in a hot kiss, his tongue seeking hers. God, he couldn’t get enough of this woman.

She ran her hands up his arms and shoulders to slide her fingers over his short hair. She grasped his head and pulled him closer, tilting her head to deepen their kiss, tongue sparring with his. The feel of her pebbled nipples against his chest drove him crazy. He wanted to put his mouth on her. Everywhere.

Zach didn’t know how it was possible but he swore he’d never been so turned on before in his life. How was it that the one woman who made him feel insatiable was Laney Kavanaugh? The one woman whose single mission in life seemed to be to hate him?

But, with her body pressed into his, those soft, toned curves were making him nearly orgasm right then and there. Like a fucking teenage boy. And, hell, the woman could kiss. Not to mention the fact that she liked dirty talk?

So. Fucking. Good.

His lips trailed down her earlobe, running his teeth over it, darting the tip of his tongue out to flick at it. Withdrawing his mouth, he gently pushed her to sit up, still straddling him while one hand traveled down her body.

“Are you wet for me, Laney?” he asked, his voice gravelly.

“Yes.” Her breath hitched as he slid a finger between her folds and probed gently. She arched into his touch, as if urging him to push deeper inside of her.

“You want that?” God, he loved hearing the way her breath caught as he slid his finger deep inside of her wet heat.

She whimpered, “Please, Zach.” He rewarded her by sliding two fingers inside of her again, causing her to push against his hand.

“You’re so fucking wet, Laney. I have to taste you.” Removing his fingers from her, he gripped her hips, pulling her up his chest until her center was right over his mouth.

“So soft and waxed. I am going to taste you until you come. All over my tongue.” He heard her groan just before he lowered those glistening lips to his mouth. He slid his tongue inside of her, darting it in and out, causing her to moan and thrust against his mouth.

“Zach … please,” she pleaded. Watching her, her eyes fell closed, lips parted. She had one hand gripping the headboard of the bed while the other was braced against the wall.

Zach watched as one hand moved to her breast, gliding her fingertips over her nipple. Sweet mother of God. This woman was going to be the death of him.