Wasted (6 page)

I climbed up the ladder, water cascading
down my body. Goosebumps covered my flesh, and I clamped my teeth
together in an effort to stop the chattering. I walked around the
pool and met him on the other side.

He pointed beyond the pool. “The
playground’s over there. See it?”

I shielded my eyes from the sun and focused
on the direction in which he pointed. “Yeah. I see it.”

“
I would take you over
there, but considering we’re both drenched, maybe we should sit on
the bench we passed earlier and dry off a bit—unless you’re ready
to go back to the apartment.”

“
The bench is
good.”

We backtracked, leaving a trail of water and
wet shoeprints in our wake as we made our way back to the
garden.

The warming rays of the sun beckoned me, and
I lifted my face toward the sky. I sat down on the bench and took
off my shoes and socks, laying them on the pavers in front of us,
so that they could begin drying.

Mason peeled off his dripping shirt, hanging
it on the back corner of the bench, and then he sat down and
removed his shoes and socks, placing them in the sun beside
mine.

“
The sun feels good,” he
said.

“
It does.” Water trickled
down my scalp, and I rubbed my fingers across it to rid myself of
the icky feeling. I gathered my hair in my hands and squeezed out
the excess liquid.

“
Well, I guess you know
where the pool is now,” he said, stretching his arms across the
back of the bench.

“
I guess so.”

“
Maybe next time we’ll try
it with our bathing suits.”

I stole a glance at his profile. He talked
like we were going to be best buddies, hanging out at the pool all
summer.

He caught me looking and amusement lit his
eyes. “Unless you want to skinny dip?”

Definitely not. His back was pressed against
the back of the bench, and I glanced at his tattoo, my eyes
following the design down to his well-defined abs. Absolutely no
skinny dipping.

“
Is that a
‘yes’?”

My eyes flew to his face, and I could feel a
crimson heat flooding up from my neck as I realized that I hadn’t
answered him.

His smile widened. “Well, it wasn’t a
‘no’.”

Chapter
5

Rusty Nail

Mason

Even though I’d already been turned down for
a couple of loans, I’d spent the last two weeks searching for new
places to apply, thanks to Lexi’s comments about creating options.
I’d had a business opportunity presented to me a couple of months
ago, but I couldn’t secure the funds to turn it into a reality.

“
Well, shit,” I mumbled as
I hung up my phone after being notified of another rejection.
Bankers were a strange breed. They wanted you to have money before
you could borrow money. How the hell did that make any sense?
Apparently, my flat-ass busted bank account was doing nothing to
prove that I was worthy of a loan.

Attempting to push the disappointing phone
call out of my head, I concentrated on training Lexi behind the
bar. She could make the most popular drinks with little input from
me, and she often helped me take orders from patrons. Since it was
Monday, we weren’t overly busy, and I watched her as she talked and
laughed with an older gentleman at the end of the bar.

When she turned and searched for me, I knew
he’d probably ordered a drink that was unfamiliar to her.

I stood motionless as she sauntered toward
me, her dark curls swaying as she moved. Her red lips broke into a
smile, and as I often did, I watched them as she spoke, “Can you
help me make a Rusty Nail?”

“
You know it.” With only
two ingredients, it didn’t take long. She delivered it, and I
continued to watch her.

I’d thought about her a lot
since the morning she’d pitched a fit about the naked chick in our
kitchen. Her words haunted me.
…if you
want to spend your life chasing meaningless relationships, that’s
your prerogative.
Ever since I’d destroyed
everything that had meant anything to me, that’s exactly how I’d
been spending my life. My friends knew I dallied in meaningless
relationships. The chicks I passed time with knew our relationships
were meaningless. It was strange how someone who I barely knew was
the one who called me out on it. Something about the way she’d so
easily dismissed me that day wrenched my gut.

She leaned against the bar, the older
gentleman still demanding her full attention. When her laughter
floated through the air, I suddenly had the urge to interrupt
them.

I didn’t know why it bothered me. Hell, he
was old enough to be her daddy. And even if he wasn’t, she was
nothing to me—just a temporary roommate.

Some women liked older men, and for some
reason, that thought spurred me into action.

Picking up a bar towel, I began twisting it
while I watched her shapely ass wiggle from side to side as she
shifted her feet while she talked.

Closing in on her, I let the towel go with a
flick of my wrist, and a loud crack filled the silence as the tip
of the towel whacked her butt with a sonic boom.

“
Ouch!” She turned around
and glared at me before her peal of laughter rippled through the
air. Satisfied that she was smiling at me now, I couldn’t stop the
grin that shot across my face.

She rubbed her ass. “What’d you do that
for?”

“
Because I can.”

Her plump lips curled into a smile as she
approached me and poked her finger into my chest. “Now I owe you
one.”

“
Oh, I’m counting on
it.”

“
Did you need something, or
do you just enjoy inflicting pain?”

“
I don’t inflict pain. I
inflict pleasure.”

“
So you needed
something?”

“
As a matter of fact, I
do.”

Her finger dropped to her side, and she
shifted her stance. “So what can I help you with?”

“
It’s almost closing time.
Let’s get everything stocked up, so we can get out of here. I
thought we could hang out for a bit when we get home.”

“
What? No hot
date?”

“
Not tonight. How about
you?” I motioned toward the man sitting at the end of the bar, just
out of earshot. “Going home with grandpa?”

She turned and looked. Spinning back around,
she frowned at me. “I’m not into one-nighters.”

“
So he offered?”

Leaning forward, she whispered in my ear.
“Get your mind out of the gutter. He was telling me about his
grandchildren. And if I’m not mistaken, it was you who told me that
people just want someone who will listen.”

Before I could respond, she walked away.

I glanced at the man as he stared into his
drink as if the answers to life’s questions would magically
appear.

Bringing the glass to his lips, he downed
the rest of it, tossed a tip on the bar, and left.

After we closed, I walked Lexi to her car,
as I did most every night, and followed her home. Once we were in
our apartment, I poured a glass of whiskey. Holding it up, I asked
her, “You want one?”

“
No, thanks.”

I took a long swig to get started and then
took a sip to appreciate the nuances of this particular
whiskey.

“
So have you enjoyed being
back in Creekview?” I asked as I sat beside her at the
bar.

She watched her fingers as she tapped her
nails against the counter. “I haven’t really done much since I’ve
gotten here, other than working at Spanky’s.”

“
We’re both off tomorrow.
We should go do something.”

She turned to look at me. “Like what?”

“
We could go for a
hike.”

“
I didn’t know you had an
interest in hiking.”

“
There’re a lot of things
you don’t know about me.” I took a sip of whiskey.

“
I know you drink too
much.” She watched me, her eyes scanning my face. I didn’t know
whether she was judging me or just stating a fact, but I saw no
signs of condescension.

I took another sip as if to prove her right.
“Shit, I know it. It’s the only way I can stand my life.”

Closing my eyes as I realized that I’d said
too much, I wondered what in the hell had gotten into me. By
nature, I was a private person, and I’d just invited a whole lot of
questions.

“
Why do you say
that?”

I knew it was coming. I opened my eyes and
smiled at her, trying to dismiss the awkward moment. The emotion I
saw on her face nearly took my breath. She looked genuinely
concerned with her eyes opened wide, her delicate brows knitted
together.

For a moment, I felt something warm and
tender spread through my chest, a feeling that I hadn’t felt in a
very long time. She was drawing me to her by making me feel like
she actually cared.

I watched her slightly-parted lips as she
awaited my answer, and I had the urge to lean into her and press my
lips against hers, to taste her, to feel her warmth against me—just
an innocent kiss because she moved something inside me, an innocent
kiss filled with appreciation, not lust.

Pushing that thought out of my head, I
replied, “Eh, no reason.”

I nursed my whiskey, her gaze burning my
skin.

Relieved when she said nothing further, I
turned the conversation to her. “So you haven’t hooked up with any
of your old friends?”

“
The only one I’d really
kept in touch with was Seren, and she just graduated from college.
She’s supposed to move back to Creekview soon and start looking for
a job.”

“
Seren
McCormick?”

“
Yeah. Do you know
her?”

“
I went to high school with
her. She was two years behind me. She’s been in the bar a few
times, but I haven’t seen her lately.”

“
I’m sure you’ll see her
soon. She promised that she’d come in for a drink the minute she
hit town.”

“
You’ll have to whip her up
something good then. Maybe a Long Island Iced Tea or a Pear
Martini.”

“
A Pear Martini sounds
good.”

“
Women love them.” I
finished off my whiskey and poured another shot. “Sure you don’t
want any?”

“
I’ll try some of
yours.”

I grinned and set the glass down in front of
her. Pulling another glass out of the cabinet, I filled it with
water, walked around the bar, and set that glass down in front of
her.

“
What?” she
asked.

“
Oh, nothing.”

She picked up the glass and took a swig. Her
eyes bulged, and she started coughing.

Smiling, I took the glass away from her.

“
What is that?” she asked
between coughs.

I pushed the glass of water towards her.
“Drink some water.” She immediately began drinking it. “That was
straight whiskey.”

“
It’s like drinking liquid
fire,” she said in a raspy voice.

“
Yeah. It is a bit of an
acquired taste.”

She patted her chest with the flat of her
hand.

Amused, I took another sip. “It’s a good
burn.”

Emptying the glass of water, she stood up.
“Well, I’m going to leave you with it.” She stretched. “I’m tired.
I’m going to take a hot bath and go to bed.”

“
Good night.” I sat down at
the bar to finish my drink.

“
Good night,
Mason.”

I watched her as she walked away. “Hiking
tomorrow?”

She stopped as she reached the hallway and
turned back to look at me, only remnants of her curls remaining as
she swept her hair over her shoulder. “Hiking tomorrow.” Her mouth
tilted upward into a slow smile as she studied me. “I’m looking
forward to it.” Then, she turned and disappeared down the hall.

***

I woke up to the smell of bacon, and I
pushed the covers off me and stepped into last night’s blue jeans,
pulling them up and fastening the button. Barefooted, I exited my
room in search of the source.

Lexi was in the kitchen frying eggs.

“
You’re up early,” I said
as I leaned against the fridge and watched her. She was already
dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug-fitting tee shirt. Her hair
had been pulled into a sleek ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing a bit
of makeup. She looked damn cute.

“
I thought I’d fix us some
breakfast before we go hiking. I imagine we’ll burn up quite a bit
of energy.” She slid the eggs onto a plate and cracked a couple of
more into the skillet.

“
Smells good.” It’d been a
long time since I’d lived with a female, and I’d forgotten some of
the little touches that a man like me could appreciate.

With the skillet and a spatula in her hands,
she turned and looked at me. “Have a seat. Breakfast is almost
ready.”

I sat down at the bar, and she placed a
plate in front of me with bacon, eggs, and two pieces of toast. The
toast had been buttered and cut diagonally into halves.

“
You want
jelly?”

“
We have jelly?” I asked,
surprised.

She smiled. “Strawberry or grape? I didn’t
know what kind you liked, but I thought one of those should cover
it.”

That warm feeling hit my chest again. She’d
actually thought about me while standing in the jelly aisle,
contemplating flavors? “Strawberry.”