He stared at the two of a kind, slid his last pieces of candy toward the middle. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Ethel smiled, her old face cracking into a mass of wrinkles as she fanned out a royal flush. “Read ’em and weep, children.” The old woman didn’t even wait to see his inferior two of a kind before she gathered up the pile of candy and pulled it toward her. “I thank you and my grandsons thank you. This is plenty to fill up my jar for their next visit.”
“She cheats, I tell you,” Beula said. “It just ain’t natural that one woman can be that lucky.”
“It ain’t luck. It’s skill. I told you, I use that computer my son give me for more than just looking at pictures of his little ones. I practice. And ever’ body knows that practice makes perfect. Take Nikki, for instance. She had no clue what a full house was when she first started playing with us a few years back. Now she can hold her own most of the time.”
Nikki winked. “What can I say? I learned from the best.” She smiled at Ethel before shifting her attention to Jake. “So, are you up for another round?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had my butt whipped one too many times tonight. Miss Ethel,” he grinned, “it’s been a real pleasure. You’re most certainly one of the best players I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen my fair share.”
“He’s smart as well as handsome,” Ethel said, winking at Nikki. “You picked a winner this time.”
Nikki’s gaze collided with Jake’s and her thoughts echoed through his head as crystal clear as if she whispered the words directly into his ear.
If only Ethel knew that hot and hunky, here, had his hang-ups just like any other man in her past. Not that he wore women’s shoes or fantasized about his mother, but he did have a thing for sex.
Then again, judging by the two chocolate shakes Ethel had consumed during their last game, the old woman might consider that more a plus than a negative.
“I’m afraid I’ve taken a beating, too,” Nikki said, her gaze shifting back to Ethel. “I need to go lick my wounds.”
“And I need to help her,” Jack added.
“I’m calling it a night, too,” Beula said.
The sentiment echoed around the group and Ethel shrugged. “Party poopers, all of you.” She glanced at her clock. “Not that that’s a bad thing. If I can hurry, I can still make some of Letterman.” She winked at Nikki. “I think I’ll ask Crabtree to join me.”
“Don’t get upset if he plays hard to get.”
“Child, it’s the game I live for, not the prize.” Ethel winked and pushed to her feet.
Nikki gathered up her purse and Jake reached for his cowboy hat.
He tipped the brim. “Until next time, ladies.”
“Wednesday night,” Ethel called after them. “Same time. Same place.”
“You play on Wednesday nights, too?” Jake asked as he held the door open for Nikki. She walked past him and he followed her out.
“What can I say? I’ve got a weakness for lemon drops.”
“I think the weakness is for the ladies, not the candy.” Jake kept time next to her as they headed down the front walk. The porch light pushed back the shadows a few feet and then the darkness closed around them. “They’re a nice bunch of folks. I can see why you like to hang out with them.”
“You’re the only one.” She shook her head. “Can you believe their families just abandoned them? I mean, a few of them have sons and daughters who visit, but for the most part they’re alone.”
He shrugged. “Being alone has its perks. Nobody telling you what to do or how to do it or when.”
“Spoken like a true free spirit.”
But he wasn’t. He never had been. He’d always had someone or something calling the shots. First his mother, then Mr. Caskey, then the damnable hunger.
“Still,” she went on, “as crazy as my mother and my aunt make me, I wouldn’t trade them.” A smile played at her lips. “But I would consider a temporary loan if you’re interested.”
“Sorry. I’ve had my fill of crazy relatives.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Your mom?”
He nodded. Just a nod. He wasn’t much for talking. He never had been. As a kid, the more he’d kept his mouth shut, the more hope he’d had of blending into the walls when his mother had been on a binge. When he’d grown older, he’d simply avoided opening his mouth because the less he’d talked about things, the easier it had been to keep his mind on work.
“She was an alcoholic,” he heard himself say. “When she got loaded, she wasn’t very pleasant to be around. Unfortunately she was loaded 24-7, which was why I ended up living with Mr. Caskey. He was a rancher who lived outside the town where I was born. My mother handed me over to him when I was nine, and that was the last I saw of her.”
“I’m sorry. I think.”
He felt a grin tug at his lips. As painful as the memories were, there was something oddly soothing about walking next to Nikki. “Being at Caskey’s was a lot different than being with her. No staying up all night. No liquor. I went to bed at the same time, got up at the same time and worked.” Caskey had been the opposite of his mother. He’d been sober. Quiet. Emotionless. At the same time, he’d been just as controlling. Only he’d used his fists instead of his words.
“What about school?”
“Caskey’s wife taught me everything I needed to know.” Helen had taught Jake to read and write when her husband hadn’t been looking. She’d hidden books out in the bunkhouse and slipped him an extra apple in his lunch. She’d liked him. She’d liked all kids. That’s why she’d been so desperate to have her own.
She’d died in childbirth—her and the baby—when Jake had been sixteen. Their deaths had turned Caskey into even more of a hard-ass, and he’d ridden Jake that much more.
“I know it was probably hard leaving your mother, but at least you had a better life with people who wanted you.”
“Caskey didn’t want me.” Jake wasn’t sure why he told her. He never revealed more of himself than was absolutely necessary. He evaded questions, kept his distance, kept moving. But suddenly he wanted her to know the truth. Part of it, at least. “My mother stole money from him. Instead of pressing charges, he agreed to let me work off the debt.”
“But you were a child.” Her touch on his hand stopped him cold. He turned to see her eyes blazing with outrage. “That’s against the law.”
“Only if someone reports it.” And only nowadays. But back then…He shrugged. “Caskey wanted his due and meant to get it one way or another. He needed an extra pair of hands and he didn’t mind my age.” In fact, he’d liked it. Jake had been easier to intimidate. “At least I got to eat regularly.”
That still doesn’t make it right. The silent thought gleamed in her eyes and it was as if her soft voice whispered directly into his ear.
It did.
He could hear her thoughts. As loudly as she could hear his if he wanted her to. Because they’d had sex. They were now connected. While the link wasn’t as strong as it would have been if he’d also bitten her, it was still there. Fragile but real.
She slipped her hand into his, entwining their fingers as they started to walk again.
“How long did you stay with Caskey?” she asked.
“Too long.” Jake had been twenty-five by the time he’d worked off his mother’s debt. A grown man. At the same time, he’d been as scared as a kid when he’d ridden past the front gate and left behind the only world he’d ever known. It was no wonder he’d hooked up with the first friendly face. And married her.
“And I thought my childhood was bad,” she told him, her voice light.
“Neglect is abuse in and of itself.”
“Maybe, but I had my aunt Izzie to pick up the slack. She went overboard with the attention, so that sort of cancels out the fact that my mother didn’t. Izzie was always giving too much, my mom too little.”
“And you were caught in the middle.”
“I still am.”
; “You don’t have to be.”
“Says you. I’ve tried tuning them out, but it doesn’t work.”
“You could walk away.”
“That’s your thing.” She tried to play off his words, but he could tell by the gleam in her eyes that she wasn’t as immune to the pain as she wanted him to think. “I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder.”
“I thought sex was my thing.”
“That, too. You’re a double whammy.” Just my rotten luck.
Jake stiffened as he heard her silent thought. Tune her out. That’s what he told himself.
But he wouldn’t do it.
He didn’t want to. Just as he didn’t want to be another in a long, endless string of bad luck as far as men were concerned. He wanted to be different. Because she was different.
She had a heart even bigger than her sexual appetite. She cared about people. Her mother who’d neglected her. Her aunt who smothered her. Her friends. The seniors at the retirement home. She was living out a charade with him to avoid tarnishing her aunt’s image. She was spending her Sundays doing hair when she could have been at home enjoying her free time.
But that was Nikki. Selfless. Caring. Different.
He’d never met a woman like her, and she’d never met a man like him.
She just didn’t realize it yet.
“Come on.” He took her hand, his fingers twining with hers as he headed toward his motorcycle.
13
THEY DIDN’T GO TO the Skull Creek Inn, much to Nikki’s surprise.
Rather, Jake zoomed past the motel and headed for her house. She braced herself for a fight as he killed the engine and followed her to the door.
Not that she feared he would try to force himself inside. He wouldn’t have to. If he kissed her, touched her, stirred her the way he had the night before—and the night before that—she knew she would welcome him inside with open arms, and that’s what really frightened her.
“Look—” she started, but he cut her off with the cool press of one fingertip against her lips.
“I know what you think, but I’m not like all the other men in your past. I’m different. We’re different.” Before she could respond, he kissed her.
It was a kiss unlike any other. His mouth feathered over hers. So soft. Sweet. Tender.
And then it was gone.
He was gone.
Her eyelids fluttered and she found herself staring at the empty spot where he’d stood only seconds before. Her gaze swiveled to the motorcycle parked at the curb in time to see him straddle the black-and-chrome monster.
He’d moved so fast. Too fast.
That or she’d been so lost in the moment that she’d been extremely slow to recover.
It was an excuse. Like so many others she’d made where he was concerned. But it eased the anxiety that niggled her and soothed the gut feeling that told her something wasn’t right.
I’m different.
The engine roared in her ears as he gunned it. Kicking the bike into gear, he sent the motorcycle racing down the street, and disappointment welled deep inside.
She watched as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. But only when the sound had faded completely did she finally turn and go inside.
Because he might change his mind.
Because she wanted him to.
The realization followed her down the hallway and into the kitchen. She hit the light and flipped on the radio. Brooks & Dunn belted out a steady country two-step. Reaching for a screwdriver, she popped open a gallon of Aunt Izzie’s Sunshine Yellow. She dipped a brush into the bright thickness and dabbed at the face of one cabinet.
She spent the next four hours going from one cabinet to the next. But no matter how much she painted, she couldn’t shake the niggle of regret that ate at her. Need gnawed at her, so hungry and unrelenting, and her hands trembled. Her thighs ached and her nipples throbbed. With every stroke of the brush she imagined Jake touching her, feathering his hands over her skin.
And she thought he was the sex maniac?
She was a hypocrite. Here she’d been determined to prove his guilt when the entire time she’d had a great big Do Me stamped in the middle of her forehead.
At the same time, she didn’t just find herself thinking about the way he kissed or stroked or drove her to the most exquisite orgasm. No, what she couldn’t seem to push out of her mind was the quick way he’d abandoned the movie idea in favor of a night of poker with a bunch of old ladies. He’d looked so determined and compassionate as he’d steered her back toward the bike and taken off for the retirement home.
As if he’d realized how much it had meant to her.
As if he’d cared.
He didn’t, and she didn’t want him to. She reserved the whole caring-and-sharing thing for a real relationship, one that involved a bona fide Nice and Reliable prospect.
This…this was all about sex.
It wasn’t real.
That’s what Nikki told herself. She just wasn’t so sure she still believed it.
FORGET BEING A VICIOUS, blood-drinking vampire.
He was a crazy, vicious, blood-drinking vampire.
That’s what Jake realized as he stood in front of the dilapidated gas station that sat on the far edge of town.
He should be back at Nikki’s place, sinking inside her warm body, soaking up all that delicious energy.
Instead he was here.
He walked around the deserted building, his gaze missing nothing despite the blanket of darkness. He saw everything from the rusted-out metal patches in the walls to a tiny spider weaving its magic on the other side of the dirty, grimy front window. He closed his fingers over the padlock on the side garage. Just the smallest amount of pressure and it crackled and snapped.
Jake unhooked the lock and pulled off the chain. He lifted the handle. Metal creaked and popped and the door rolled back. He ducked inside, his boots sliding across the dusty pavement as he surveyed the interior. It wasn’t nearly as small as it looked on the outside. There was plenty of room for a fabricating table, tool stands, a few welding stations.
A doorway led into the front space where a beat-up cash register still sat on the scarred countertop. It would be tricky, but with a little careful placement he could fit a file cabinet, a tricked-out computer system and a design table into the small area.
If he was going to stay.
He wasn’t. He was just thinking. Dreaming. Desperate to distract himself from the damnable need that made his groin throb.
But if he was going to stay, this place wouldn’t be so bad for a home base. While he liked the fact that his design business required him to travel, he didn’t like that he had to set up makeshift work areas when it was time for the actual build. It would be much more convenient to have one work space. No more contacting Realtors for an appropriate space or searching for local equipment dealers or renting the various machines needed to breathe life into one of his designs. Rather, he could go through the motions once. Here.
Home.
The thought stirred an image of Nikki’s place, with its peeling shutters and wraparound porch and monstrous yard.
Forget it, he told himself. The last thing—the very last thing—he needed was a place like Nikki’s when he was so close to his freedom.
But this…Rather than tie him down, this would actually make things easier.
He walked back through the garage, ducked back out the door and pulled it down after him. Hooking the chain, he tugged one of the metal rungs apart, hooked it in the next and tightened it back together.
He peeled off the For Sale sign taped to the front window, folded it and stuffed it into his pocket.
Not that he was seriously going to lease this particular space in this particular hole-in-the-wall town. He was just curious. He needed something—anything to think about besides Nikki. And the way she’d looked—both surprised and disappointed—when he’d merely kissed her.
His dick throbbed and he picked up his ste
ps. He climbed back onto his motorcycle and headed for Town Square.
He spent the next fifteen minutes sitting in the center of the park, near the plaque that had been dedicated to the infamous Sam Black. The brave man who’d fought for Texas. The vampire who’d doomed Jake to a fate worse than death.
He scanned the area, committing every tree, every shrub, every patch of grass to memory until it lived and breathed in his mind with vivid clarity. He wanted to be familiar with the entire park so that when the time came he wouldn’t be caught off guard. He would be right here. Armed. Ready.
If he fed.
The hunger stirred in his gut, faint at the moment, but Jake had no doubt it would grow. While his sexual appetite demanded sustenance far more often than the need for blood, the latter was just as fierce. He would have to feed at least once before he faced off with Sam or he’d be as good as dead.
He thought of the carnival and the throng of people. There were tons of women, yet he didn’t want any of them.
He wanted only Nikki.
Her body wrapped around him.
Her sweet blood flowing into his mouth.
But even more, he wanted her to want him. Him. Because he was different from every other man in her past. Because she felt more for him. Because she liked him.
As much as he liked her.
The truth haunted him as he headed back to the cave and straight into the warm, bubbling spring. He swam for several minutes and tried to clear his head and soothe the fire that gripped his body. Fat chance.
By the time he stretched out on the sleeping bag and tried to close his eyes he was still as wound up as ever. His body ached, his muscles strung tight. His cock sat up straight and stiff. He blew out a deep breath and the air whispered down the length of his body, across his bare chest, his abs, his damned cock.
Desire knifed through him, cutting him to the bone and making him grit his teeth. He was hard to the point that it hurt. Restlessness swept through him and he barely resisted the urge to bolt to his feet and haul ass back to town. To her.
He wouldn’t. He’d backed off to prove himself—and he meant to do just that. The next move was Nikki’s.
Love at First Bite Bundle Page 12
