“You know what?” Cole looks back up. “Make that two of each.”
Crap.
The waitress finishes taking our orders and disappears.
“How about you guys?” Laney leans into us. “You celebrating something big tonight?”
“Just each other,” I offer, and I can’t help feel like I just lit a very short fuse when it comes to my brother. I know full well there’s bad blood between him and my brand new boyfriend.
Cole wraps his arm around me. “I wanted to do something special for Rox since she had a tough day.”
“What happened?” Laney rasps her knuckles over the table as if she wants names. She’s always the first to stand up for me. I should have listened to her eons ago when she told me to dump Aiden’s sorry ass. Laney is always right.
“Guess who’s baking cupcakes for LeAnn Giggle-Box’s big Whitney Briggs’s burp and chirp?”
“Crap.” Her features harden. I can always count on Laney to side with me when the crap hits the fan.
“Crap is right. And I’ll be essentially competing with Melanie Harrison because she’s donating her signature venereal disease delights to the event as well.”
“Ecstasy Delights?” Ryder’s affect brightens for a moment, and I shoot him a look. “What are you baking?”
“My new signature cupcake.” I look over to Cole because I haven’t exactly gotten around to telling him the stellar name I chose yet. “It’s the, I love Cole Brighton.”
Cole’s eyes widen. His lips crimp a tiny smile before breaking out that thousand-kilowatt grin of his. “You said that?”
“I meant it.” Every word. “Then I promptly changed it to the I Slept with Cole Brighton. I figure it appeals a little more to the masses.”
Cole cinches a smile.
“Rox,” Ryder moans and closes his eyes as if I just ran over a puppy.
“What? I’m sure if I called it the I Love My Big Bro, you’d be singing a different tune.”
“Yes, I would,” he mutters under his breath.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” My mood plummets right along with that grin I’ve been wearing ever since we sat down. Teaches me to smile. There always seems to be a bucket of crap waiting for me at the end of the deliriously happy rainbow.
“It means I have more longevity.” Ryder glances up at me from his menu, and that familiar rage percolates inside me. For one, the fact he won’t give this conversation his full attention is pissing me off, and, secondly, this entire conversation sucks.
Cole’s chest pumps with a silent laugh at the balls my brother has for dismissing him like that. I have a feeling we won’t be staying too much longer. And the way my brother’s acting, I wouldn’t mind stiffing him with the bill—not that it would ever come near to hurting him the way he’s hurting me right now.
“Take it back,” I say it low, trying not to cause a scene, but a part of me wants to crawl over the table and shake my brother by the pretentious collar peeking out from under his cashmere sweater. “Cole and I are together, and that’s not changing.”
Ryder ticks his head back an inch. “How do you know it’s not changing?”
Cole leans in ready for a fight. “Because I say it’s not. Don’t bust her balls. What part of crap day don’t you understand?”
“Guys, relax.” Laney holds her hands out over the table as if she were about to conduct a séance. “Nobody’s busting anybody’s balls. Ryder was just trying to say that you guys haven’t been going out very long and for you to declare your love for him as a part of something that should be recognized with your brand—well, it’s kind of out there.”
“What?” A flood of rage fills me. Suddenly it feels as if I’m right back with the bitterness, right back to detesting the entire human race, save for a few select people, and I think both Laney and Ryder have just wiped themselves off that list.
“I’m not trying to insult you.” Laney gets that I’m-only-doing-this-for-your-own-good look in her eye—the same look she used to give me when she said kick Aiden to the curb, preferably by the balls. “This is all new, and maybe you should call your signature cupcake something more representative of who you really are and what kind of public image you want to portray.”
“Like? The unlovable loser who can’t keep a guy?”
“Nobody said that,” Ryder snips.
“You implied it!” I snatch up my purse with one hand and Cole with the other. “You know what? I don’t need the two of you in my life to remind me of what a failure I am at things. In fact, why don’t you both just stay out of it, and that way you won’t have to keep yourselves up at night trying to find new ways to tell me how much my relationship sucks.”
“Roxy.” Ryder’s voice carries, and everybody within a three-table span turns to look at us.
“Save it!” I bark. “I never once said to either of you that it wouldn’t last. In fact, when it didn’t last, I was your biggest cheerleader to get you two back together. Boy am I ever sorry.”
Cole drops a wad of money on the table, and we fly out of there.
Just what the hell do Laney and Ryder see wrong with my relationship that I don’t?
Cole
Who the hell are Laney and Ryder to cast the first stone?
I pull Roxy in and wrap my arms around her as soon as we get outside the financial fleecing trying to pass off as a sushi bar.
“I’m not walking away from us.” I pour each word into her eyes.
Roxy takes a breath and relaxes into me.
“Get me the hell away from here.”
“You don’t need to ask twice.” We get in the truck, and I hit the road. I’d take her home, but I’d love to cleanse our palates first, get both her psycho friend and her mentally-challenged brother off our minds. No thanks to the two of them, Roxy’s day has gone from crap to worse. There’s no way I’m letting her end her night this way.
“You still okay with a drive-thru?” At this point it’s questionable I can even afford that. I dumped all my tip money back there, but there was no way I was going to let Ryder have the satisfaction of bitching about how I walked out on my bill.
“Drive-thru’s fine,” she growls. “I think it’s a public safety issue at this point. I’m ready to claw out the eyes of the next person who looks at me crooked.”
My lips twitch, but I hold back the smile. I happen to think Roxy is sexy as all hell when she’s fired up.
We hit the nearest burger joint, then drive past Whitney Briggs, up further into the mountains until we pass the river, the hot springs, and a rickety old bridge. I take the road up about as far as it goes and head toward the overlook.
The stars spray out like a million grains of salt—while the city lights of Hollow Brook sparkle back at us like beacons. In the distance, you can see Jepson.
I help Rox into the back of the truck, and we snuggle over the sleeping bags while wolfing down our ninety-nine cent burgers, our shared large fries, and diet Coke.
Roxy’s skin holds the scent of vanilla and a dusting of powdered sugar. I bet she tastes like it, too. I take a playful bite out of her neck to confirm my theory, and I’m right.
“This is quickly becoming my favorite place to eat.” She rubs her shoulder into mine.
“Just eat?”
“You’re my favorite dessert.” She pitches her brows before her features fall again. “I’m sorry about everything that happened back there. I’m pretty embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure they were only looking out for you. Give it some time. Once they see me hanging around for ten—twenty years, they’ll get the hint I’m not going anywhere.”
Her lips twitch with a quiet smile. “This is beautiful.” She looks up at the sky as if she were changing the subject.
“I think you’re beautiful.” I run my fingers over her cheek. Roxy is a sculpture’s dream with those high cut cheekbones, those perfect full lips.
“You don’t have to compliment me.” She looks into my eyes, sad
, despondent as if she had given up on some level. “You’re going to get lucky either way.” A tiny smile breaks free.
“I like the sound of that, but I wasn’t buttering you up to get lucky. I mean it. You’re the most gorgeous human I’ve ever laid eyes on. I have to pinch myself at least twice a day to believe a girl like you would have anything to do with someone like me.”
“Please, you can have any girl you want, and, believe me, there are enough tally marks on that wall back home to prove it.”
“You know what got my attention that day we first met at the Black Bear?” I hitch a shard of hair behind her ear.
“The fact I was more interested in the BTUs your oven could put out than I was in any of your mattress moves?”
“Exactly. You were the one I couldn’t have.” I shake my head. “And you were the one I wanted from hello.”
“Really?” She tucks her thumbnail between her teeth and laughs.
“Yes, really. I took one look in your direction and my entire body demanded to have you. You’re hot, and, underneath that tough exterior, sweet as hell. You’re perfect, Rox.”
“It’s cupcake to you.” She lies down and nestles her head into the sleeping bag. “I secretly like it when you call me that.” Her eyes slit to mine. “Don’t tell anyone, or I’ll cut you.”
“Physical threats, huh? That’s one of my favorite things about you. You’re not afraid to say how you really feel.”
“Cole?” She wraps her arms around me, and I land on my elbows staring down at the most beautiful girl on the planet. “What did you see in all those other skanks you were with?” Her eyes catch the moonlight and glow like copper.
“Not going there.” I land a soft kiss over her lips. “They meant nothing. I swear it. I’ve never felt so damn gone, so heart stopping in love with anyone in my life.”
“So that spell I cast over the first batch of cupcakes I fed you really worked, huh?”
“Enchanted cupcakes?” I tweak my brows, amused at the idea.
“Works every time.”
“Newsflash, it didn’t work.” I land a wet kiss just shy of her ear and blow gently over it until she shudders beneath me. “I didn’t need a spell to make me want you. What I’m feeling is one hundred percent born from my heart. And thank you because I didn’t think it existed before I met you.”
“Again, no need to score brownie points because you’re pretty much guaranteed to dip your wick.”
“My wick?” I pull back and examine her. She’s funny, and smart, and hot as hell, and Roxy still can’t wrap her head around the fact I want her just for who she is.
“So answer my question, what was with the line outside your door?”
“Drop the inquisition.” My lips land over hers, and she turns her head.
“It’s just that I noticed something, and I wanted to see if you noticed it, too.”
Crap. She’s really going to ride this horse to the finish line, so I might as well play along.
“The girls.” I close my eyes a moment straining every cell in my body trying to figure out some commonality they may have had. “I don’t know—they were easy.”
“They were all blonde and perky, cheerleader types.”
“I’m pretty sure they weren’t all blonde.” Although, now that I think about it—there might have been a disproportionate amount. “And, if they were, I blame it on the peroxide industry. I bet you good money they were all secretly brunettes.” I nuzzle a kiss into her neck, and she giggles. Something in my heart soars just hearing her happy, and knowing I’m the one that made her feel that way makes me feel pretty damn good.
“I guess what I’m getting at is that I’m not really your type, so it made me wonder—”
“Whoa.” I land a finger over her nose. “Hold it right there.” I trace her lips out before dipping the tip of my finger into her mouth. “I don’t have a type.” My gaze softens. “I have a girlfriend.” I entwine our fingers. “And I love her so damn much, I feel like I might explode.” A grin presses out of me, and I can’t help it. “Every word is true, cupcake.”
I crash my lips over hers, and she meets me right there. Her tongue flirts with mine. Her teeth graze over my mouth while I detonate over her with all of the passion—all of the assurances that my words couldn’t even begin to touch. Rox has to know how much I care about her. After a lifetime of feeling unimportant, unwanted, invisible, I want to be the one to make her feel special. I want to show her that two people who care about one another more than anyone else on the planet can be magic. That it’s so much more than a one-night stand, so much more than an entire string of girls I can hardly remember. Sex had become a thing, something like a chore that I penciled into my weekends to help pass the time because I promised my father I would shop around. I’m sure if I could rewind that conversation, I would have heard things a little bit different. I’m sure what he was trying to convey was look for someone special, someone who makes your heart thump like a jackhammer, who’s spirit is so damn sweet you want to protect her every day for the rest of your lives. I finally found that person in Roxy. And I plan on protecting and loving her for the rest of my damn life. I only wish my dad was around to meet her. I’d love to be the one to tell him I didn’t have to shop around anymore, that I found the one I’ve been looking for all along.
I reach down and run my hands inside her sweater, her warm skin heating my palms. Roxy’s kisses taste like watermelon, like a bright spring morning with the hope of something new just on the other side. A horrible winter had passed, and, now, with Roxy in my life, every day is sunshine and roses.
Her kisses track up my neck until she takes a hard bite out of my ear.
I give a little roar, and she laughs. I know that’s what she was after, hearing me scream.
“The first time I saw you”—she pants—“I had a mini orgasm just looking at you. I thought who the hell does this guy think he is looking so damn hot? You ruined me right then.”
“Ruined.” I unbutton her jeans and work them down along with her panties. “I like where you’re going.”
“I like where you’re going.” Her teeth glitter through her smile. I’d give anything to see her face light up more often, and if it takes me pouring out my affection on her, I’m more than willing to repeat the effort on a daily basis.
“Anyway”—she sighs, tugging down my jeans and pulling me free from my boxers like rescuing an animal from captivity—“I wanted you in the worst way. I thought the only way I could have someone like you was in my dreams, and, trust me, we had a few adventures there, too.”
I pluck the condom from my back pocket, and she takes it from me, tearing it open with her teeth.
“And here we are”—she holds the small rubber disc in the air like a prize—“with you on top of me, right where I’ve secretly wanted you from the beginning.”
“Cole Brighton at your service ready and willing to make all of your fantasies come true.” I float my fingers softly over her belly.
Roxy gives a guttural moan as her body moves beneath me. Her eyes flutter into the back of her head as she takes in a breath and locks it in her throat.
“That mini orgasm you had when you first saw me?” I run my tongue over her mouth, and her lips open wanting more. “I want to apologize for that. It should have been much more pronounced. Honestly, I’m disappointed in myself. Let me make it up to you.”
Rox looks back up at me, her pupils dilated into twin black pools so deep and terrifyingly beautiful, I jump right in with my soul. Our future is buried in that expectant look in her eye, and I’ll do everything possible not to screw it up. We hold onto one another’s gaze like climbing Everest with threadbare rope. We don’t blink, falling faster, deeper.
Then it happens, her body bucks into mine, and I tremble over her in a fit of delirium like I have never known before.
“I love you, Cole Brighton.” She pants into my ear, hot and breathy.
“I love you, cupcake.” I press a wet kiss o
ver her lips, her body still vibrating into mine. “I won’t ever let you forget it.”
She gives a hard sniff into my neck, and I pull back to find the moon highlighting a sheet of tears washing over her face. I don’t say a word, just kiss each one while Roxy holds on like she’s about to blow away.
I want to spend each day showing her just how special she is, just how much I love her. And I plan on spending my life doing just that.
Roxy has breathed new life into my world. I hope I can return the favor. I hope I can heal all the hurt buried deep inside her.
She’s already healed mine.
All-Purpose Faking Mix
Roxy
School sucks per usual, and I bake my butt off all week, so I don’t even pay much attention to the fact that with each passing day Aiden and his silicone squeeze have let an entire student body come to rest between them in our Entrepreneurship and Small Business class. I take a seat in my usual spot, and Aiden has the nerve to plop down beside me.
“What the hell do you want?” I grunt as I pull out my laptop and reading glasses. For the life of me, I don’t know why he’d want to sit next to me unless he feels the sudden urge to have my boot hiked up his ass. And, believe you me, I would love to arrange that.
“LeAnn broke things off with me.”
She cuts a look over to us when he says it and sneers at me for a minute.
“Crap.” I spike up and trot over to her end of the room before falling into the seat beside her. The last thing in the world I want the teen queen to think is that I stole her boyfriend. God knows she’d take it out on me during the Sticky Quickie baking competition, and Melanie’s ridiculous sexed-up muffins would run away with the cash and prizes. I’d do the same if the oven mitts were on the other foot—hand, whatever.
“What are you doing here?” She slits it out low, genuinely pissed. “Spying?”
A huff of a laugh escapes me “Right. Like I would ever side with a low life like Aiden Ryerson. He’s lower than low. In fact, there isn’t a snake lower than that bonehead.” Okay, so I might have laid it on a little thick, but I still think someone like LeAnn needs it painted crystal clear. “We sisters need to band together and steer clear of sewage like him. We should send a mass email to every female in Hollow Brook, alerting them to his slimy ways.” On the other hand, maybe I shouldn’t have painted him to be such a jackass? The odds are still pretty good the two of them will be knocking boots by midnight, and then she’ll be virally pissed at me for cutting down her man. “I mean, if you feel like that. I guess he’s all right as long as he’s treating you well.” Not that Aiden couldn’t “treat her well” and cheat on her, I should know first hand.
Valentine's Day Kisses : Boxed Set Page 15
