Love on the Wild Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  So much for luck.

  “Hi, Dad. It’s Lizzy.”

  “Elizabeth! You know, I was just talking about you the other day to Brad. We met on the set of his latest film. I have a project that would be just great for him. You could co-produce. I think it’s Oscar-worthy stuff.”

  No don’t worry, Dad, I’m fine. Missing? Yeah, I was missing, but luckily a strong, handsome cowboy rescued me before a wild animal had a chance to eat me. Thanks for your concern.

  “Dad, I told you. I don’t want to produce movies.”

  “Your mother also has some news for you, hold on.” The phone muffled, but she heard her father call out, “Dinah, pick up the phone. It’s Elizabeth.”

  This was a shocker. Her parents were actually in shouting distance of each other? She waited for her mother to come on the line.

  “Elizabeth, darling. We met Martin today at the Harrison Benefit Gala.”

  Ah, they had just come back from a Gala. That explained why they were together. Hanging on each other for appearances sake, no doubt.

  “His new script has a part in it that would be just perfect for you. I told him I’d give you a ring about it.”

  A heavy weight settled in her chest. She shouldn’t be surprised or hurt, but she was. Was it too much to ask for a little concern? Shouldn’t parents be worried about their only child when they went missing?

  Not her parents. They only cared about getting her back to Hollywood to follow in their superficial footsteps. Even the way they said peoples’ names: Brad, Martin. Leaving off the surname to show how important they were, how connected.

  Normally, she would feign politeness, repeat her denial, and hang up. Not tonight. A red-hot ball of anger started a low burn in her gut. The little girl who cried out so hard for her parent’s attention spurred up inside her. Nothing had ever made them notice her, not good grades, equestrian trophies. They didn’t even attend her college graduation. The only thing they wanted from her was something she refused to give. She would not be like them. She would never follow in their vapid and self-absorbed footsteps.

  Time to start playing hardball. She had a whole new life now, states away from them. She was a successful, smart, happy woman. She did not need or want their approval on her life anymore. It hurt too much every time she failed to get it.

  “Mom, Dad, listen to me. I’m not coming back to LA. Ever. I’m going to be a co-owner of a wonderful cupcake shop in Colorado. I’m happy with my life and my friends. If you can’t accept that, then maybe we shouldn’t talk anymore.”

  Tears started to well, but she refused to let them fall. She loved her parents, but enough was enough. She couldn’t keep letting them hurt her like this. They didn’t like who she was? Fine. She didn’t like who they were either. She was happy being Lizzy, cupcake shop co-owner and manager.

  “Sweetheart,” her father crooned. “Surely you don’t mean that. Hollywood is your home.”

  “No, it’s your home. Yours and Mom’s. Not mine.”

  “But, Elizabeth, you’re a legacy,” her mother’s high-pitched voice pleaded over the line. “Everyone expects you to follow your great family into the arts.”

  The arts? Sure maybe her great-grandfather had produced artful movies back in the day, but what her parents were involved in was sensational, money-making crap. She appreciated a blockbuster as much as the next person, but she didn’t want to be a part of making it. Paying twelve dollars for a movie ticket was as involved in Hollywood as she ever wanted to be.

  “I don’t care what everyone expects.” She was practically shouting over the line now, but the beast was free, and there would be no putting it back. “It’s my life. For the last time, I do not want to be involved in The Biz!”

  “What about abandoning your father and me?”

  Her mother could not be serious. In LA, she’d lived thirty minutes from her parents, and the only time she ever saw them was if she instigated a meeting. They hadn’t even come to visit her when she had her appendix out four years ago.

  “I’m sure you can manage without me. You’ve done so for years.” Tears burned the back of her throat, and she choked back a sob, trying to keep her voice steady. “And by the way,” she added, unable to keep the anger from creeping into her words. “I was found last night, and I am fine. Thanks for all your concern.”

  Then she hung up the phone with a less than satisfying press of her touch screen. Man, cell phones suck for dramatic phone slam moments.

  Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she felt her lips tilt up in a small smile. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She’d finally done it. She stood up to her parents and let the real Elizabeth—no, the real Lizzy—shine through.

  Suddenly, she was very hungry.

  The sharp peal of the doorbell rang.

  Who could that be? She wasn’t expecting company.

  Setting the phone down on the coffee table, she rose and made her way to the door. Peeking out the peephole, she saw a sight that made all her swirling emotions scatter. A low burn—having nothing to do with anger this time—flared to life deep in her belly. Dade, looking very sexy in a tight black T-shirt, faded jeans, boots, and a black Stetson, stood on her stoop.

  Oh yes, suddenly she was very hungry indeed.

  Chapter 20

  Dade stood on Lizzy’s front stoop with no idea why he felt so nervous. He was just here to bring her some dinner. Maggie worried about her best friend. When Lizzy had declined to come to dinner, she sent him to her place with a homemade one. Now, he stood there, dinner in hand, waiting for the door to open.

  So, why the hell were his palms sweaty and his heart racing?

  He could blame the palms on the warm dish in his hand. The racing heart could just be from the hard day’s work he put in. He could lie to himself, but the truth was, he was nervous.

  On the other side of the door stood a woman who made his blood boil and his body burn. Last night had not been enough. He needed to have her again. He was pretty sure they were on the same page with what they wanted, but there was always the chance he misinterpreted her signals that morning. She might not be as in to this “just sex” thing as he presumed. She might take the dinner, thank him, and send him packing. Or, she could invite him in, strip her clothes off, and give him another chance to worship her perfect body.

  He hoped for the second option.

  The door opened and there she stood, looking like every man’s fantasy come to life. A mischievous smile curled her full lips. Lips he tasted just that morning. Lips he was dying to taste again.

  “Just the man I wanted to see.”

  That was a good start.

  “Maggie sent dinner.” Smooth man, real smooth.

  She laughed. “I knew she would when I declined her dinner offer. She can be a bit of a mother hen sometimes.”

  “She said you once started a fire boiling water.”

  “I left a dish towel near the gas burner, and it caught on fire.” Her brows pinched. “I put it out before it got out of hand.”

  Taking a step back, she opened the door wide. “Come on in. You can set it on the table.”

  He entered the apartment, reminding himself he was only here to give her the dinner then leave. Then why the hell was his dick starting to stand up in anticipation?

  No food sat out, so she must not have cooked for herself yet. Judging from the story she just shared, that was a good thing. He made a mental note to check the batteries in the smoke alarm before he left.

  “Mmm,” she moaned, opening the bag he set on the kitchen table. “Maggie’s baked chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. She must have been really worried about me last night. This is my absolute favorite.”

  She pulled the covered dishes out of the bag. He took off his hat and held it between his hands, not knowing if he should stay or leave. Okay, he knew he should leave. This woman tempted him more than he liked to admit. The temptation was the exact reason he wanted to stay. He shifted on his feet, indecision maki
ng him antsy.

  “Can you grab some plates and silverware for us?”

  “Us?”

  She looked up. Confusion colored her stormy gray eyes. “You don’t want to stay for dinner?”

  Dinner and a whole lot more.

  “I want to stay.”

  It was true. He did want to stay. Whether or not he should was the real question and getting harder by the minute to address. He knew what he wanted, but what did Lizzy want? Could she really be on board with just sex? Was she okay with keeping it casual?

  Sinfully enticing lips tilted up, a playful light entering her uniquely beautiful eyes. “Good. Then get the plates, and we’ll enjoy dinner. Then…”

  He gripped his hat so hard his knuckles turned white.

  “Then?”

  She licked her lips, her gaze traveling up and down his body in a sensual caress. “Then we’ll enjoy each other.”

  They were on the same page. Halle-freaking-lujah! Anticipation coursed through his body. He took a step toward her—he had to taste her again—but she held up a hand.

  “Dinner first. I’m starving.”

  So was he, but not for food. Not even Maggie’s famous baked chicken could excite him as much as the woman standing before him. She was smart, funny, sexy, and turned him inside out. But the lady wanted to eat, so he would do as she asked. She would need the energy. He intended to leave her sated and exhausted come morning.

  He gathered the place settings while she grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. Once everything was set out, they dug in. The food was delicious—like everything Maggie made—but Dade’s mind wasn’t on his plate. His sole concentration hinged on the woman in front of him. He found her fascinating. Not just her body, but her mind, personality. He wanted to know more about her.

  A slippery slope that lead to caring.

  He did care for Lizzy. Wouldn’t have slept with her if he didn’t. He just couldn’t fall in love with her. Love was something he could never do again. It hurt too much when it got taken away.

  Still, he wanted to know the woman he was sleeping with better, so he asked, “Did you get ahold of your parents?”

  The bite she brought to her mouth stopped in mid-air. Grimacing, she put down her fork. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but he found her relationship with her parents intriguing. If they were as bad as she made them out to be, how the hell had she grown into such a grounded woman?

  “Yeah.”

  He waited for more, but it didn’t come. How very un-Lizzy-like. “And?”

  Grasping her wine glass, she emptied half of it. Not a good sign. He reached for the bottle and refilled her glass.

  She gave him a weak smile. “Thanks.”

  He nodded.

  “I talked to both of them actually. I was surprised they were home together. They’re usually not even in the same state at the same time, but they’d just come back from some fancy gala.” She took another sip of wine. “Anyway, they were being their usual selves. Both trying their hardest to get me back to LA and working in ‘The Biz.’”

  He paused in his meal. Another reason it had to stay strictly sexual with this woman. She might be in Colorado now, but no telling when she would get sick of mountain life and head back to the glamour of Hollywood. He couldn’t let himself get in too deep only to have her flit back to the land of sunshine and caviar when she discovered how different life was out here.

  “I’ve always told them I don’t want to be in the entertainment industry, but they never listen.” She twirled the stem of her glass with her fingers, absently watching the pale yellow wine swirl back and forth.

  “Parents don’t always listen to their kids.” His did, but he had the world’s best parents. A kid couldn’t ask for a pair of more loving and supportive people than Kathy and Clay Denning.

  She smiled, but it was a sad one. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her. Dangerous territory, so he stayed in his seat.

  “I know, but this time I was a little harsher. I said if they can’t accept my life the way I want to lead it then they shouldn’t be a part of it.”

  Wow. He didn’t doubt she said it. Lizzy was a no-nonsense person. She may have made exceptions for her mom and dad, because they were her parents, but eventually, everyone reaches their limit. Guess she reached hers tonight.

  Her eyes glossed over with unshed tears. “They either want me the way I am or not at all.”

  Damn, she was the strongest person he’d ever met. It had to kill her to tell her parents off, but she did it because it was all she had left. And just like that, he knew this woman was the most amazing creature he had ever come across.

  “I think you’re just perfect the way you are, Lizzy.”

  Her eyes widened. He spoke the truth, but he shouldn’t have said it. The comment was too intimate for their arrangement. He had been humbled by her inner strength. He wanted to get the sadness out of her eyes. Once again, his stupid mouth spoke without the go ahead from his brain. It happened much too often around this woman. Time to get back on track.

  He dropped his voice to a husky timber. “And I want you just as you are. Well…maybe with a few less clothes on.”

  Finishing the last bit of wine in her glass, she ran her tongue along her bottom lip. His body tightened. His dick pressed hard against his zipper. Yes, this was better. Sex, lust. Two people enjoying each other, no messy emotions involved.

  “Are you done with dinner?”

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He stood, holding out a hand. “Then let me show you just how much I want you.”

  Lizzy accepted his hand. He wanted to rush her to the bedroom, rip off her clothes, and sate himself on her body, but she deserved better. He couldn’t give her love, but he could love her body, slowly, thoroughly. He would make love to every inch of her. Show her just how amazing he thought she truly was.

  They made it to the bedroom. The lights were off, but the light from the living room cast a dim glow. Enough so that he could see the pulse at her neck frantically beating. He stroked a finger over the smooth skin pulsing wildly. She shivered, closing her eyes on a soft sigh. Bending down, he replaced his finger with his lips, kissing softly at first, then opening to take a small love bite.

  She gasped, and Dade moved his lips from her throat to her mouth. He plunged inside, and she eagerly accepted him. Her hand went to his hair, gripping the short strands. He felt the sharp tug, but all it did was spur him on. Her sweet, lush body pressed against his, shifting restlessly. He was so hard he was afraid he would burst through his jeans at any moment.

  Tearing his mouth from hers, he stared down at her and ordered, “Get on the bed.”

  “Oooh, feeling bossy tonight?”

  No, he was feeling out of control. The woman wreaked havoc on him. He needed to get it under control if he was going to give her the pleasure she deserved.

  “Yes. I’m the boss tonight. So, do exactly as I say.”

  Excitement lit her eyes. “Okay, Dade, you’re the boss…tonight.”

  With that sensual agreement, she turned. Kicking off her shoes, she laid down on the bed. For a moment, he just stood there, appreciating the sight of Elizabeth Hayworth stretched out ready to do his bidding.

  “You gonna stand there and stare all night?”

  He grinned. There was that sass again.

  “No.” He stood over her, staring down at her plain green T-shirt and jeans, sexy as hell. She could have worn a burlap sack and still looked sexy as hell. “Clothes off. Now.”

  Eyes hazy with lust, she sat up and whipped the shirt over her head. The jeans quickly followed. The sexy little mink had nothing on under them.

  “Commando, Lizzy?”

  She shrugged. “I’m out of clean underwear. I was going to do laundry last night, but, well…”

  He stared down at her soft, round breasts with those sweet, pink, nipples already hardened to tasty little peaks. He let his gaze follow a path down her smooth, flat stomach to
the small triangular patch of blondish red curls covering her most intimate parts. Those long, sexy legs he remembered wrapped around him perfectly as he thrust deeply into her.

  “Dade,” she cried out, shifting restlessly on the bed. “Hurry up. I’m on fire here.”

  His gaze made its way back up to her face. He shook his head, sending her a wicked grin. “No you’re not…but you will be.”

  Then he was on her. Clothes still on, because if he took them off, no way he wouldn’t be inside her, and he wanted to do so much more first.

  His mouth roamed over her body, memorizing every inch. He could feel her heartbeat accelerating, her breathing quicken.

  “Dade. Hurry!”

  He ignored her pleas. There would be no hurrying tonight. Tonight was about Lizzy. He would spend all night pleasuring her in every way imaginable.

  He slipped a finger inside of her, feeling her inner muscles tighten against him. She was already so close. Another finger joined the first and then another.

  “Oh God!” The cry escaped her lips.

  He couldn’t hold back the smug grin he felt cross his face. He moved his body down until he was staring at her. She was so beautiful, so delicious looking. He had to have a taste. Tongue sweeping out, he tasted her. Mmm, delicious.

  Lizzy cried out above him, but he kept up his ministrations. His fingers still working inside her, he pleasured her, worshiped her. The way she deserved to be worshiped. Her body started to clench—indicating her closeness—and he latched his mouth onto her. He tongued the small bundle of nerves while pumping his fingers inside her. She came with an ear splitting scream, her entire body tensing. He continued to gently stroke her as she came down.

  “Wow,” she said, breathing heavily. “That was amaztacular.”

  He couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled out of him at such a “Lizzy” thing to say. “That’s not a word.”

  Draping an arm over her eyes she sighed. “Well, it should be.”

  He chuckled. “Be prepared to make up more words then, because we’re not done yet.”

  Her arm lifted, and she glanced at him with eager eyes. “We’re not?”