by Katee Robert
He blinked. “You don’t own a swimsuit?”
“Well, I do. But, you see—”
“What Jules is trying to say is that to describe her suit as ‘matronly’ would be to put it kindly.”
“Aubry, shut up,” she hissed, blushing even harder when Adam laughed. “You shut up, too. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a suit that will keep all my goodies in place no matter how I’m moving.”
His hands skated up her sides and back down to her hips. “Do you need some help picking out a suit?”
Danger! It was all too easy to imagine the kind of trouble they could get into in a fitting room with her scantily clad in a bathing suit. “Uh, no, thanks. Aubry will help me.”
She might have imagined the disappointment that flickered over his face, but it was gone too fast to be sure. “In that case, I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow.”
“How do you know what time they’re going?”
“Because it’s a party at the swimming hole. They always start at noon.” He hesitated, almost like he thought he should kiss her good-bye or something, but then he seemed to think better of it, because he turned on his heel and marched back through the door to the kitchen.
It took Jules a few seconds to get control of her body enough to follow him. “Hey, hold up!” She caught him just inside the door out to the back parking lot. “Why’d you come in this way?” And what are you doing here in the first place?
“I’ve been working on my mama’s place, so I was picking up a few things at the hardware store across the street and saw that jackass walk in here. Figured it was a good time to remind him of our fake relationship.”
“Oh.” She had no business feeling the disappointment that made her stomach dip. He was doing her a favor. That was it. “That’s smart.”
“Hang in there. He might not believe yet, but he will after by the time we leave that party.” And then he was gone, disappearing through the door and leaving her to wonder if she should be looking forward to tomorrow or scared out of her godforsaken mind.
Chapter Seven
“I thought only high school kids did this shit.”
Adam unhooked the last black tube and tossed it into the back of his truck. “They do. But I get the feeling Grant is trying to recapture his glory days.” And maybe Jules, too.
Quinn snorted. “The more I hear about this guy, the more he sounds like a winner.” He looked around. “Where’s Daniel?”
“He’s busy.” Or, more likely, he didn’t want to see his cousin and Adam putting on a show for a guy he hated. Adam was sorry he felt that way, but he’d seen the look on Jules’s face when he walked into her shop today. Grant got under her skin in a bad way, and watching the light in her eyes dim had grated on Adam something fierce. There was enough bad shit in this world without that asshat making her feel like she was lacking.
Adam wasn’t exactly a white knight, though. He was taking advantage of her with these “lessons.”
Which made him no better than Grant, in the end.
Adam looked at his hands. He had calluses across his palms from rope burns, and there was the scar on his right ring finger where he’d broken it in a truly impressive way after being thrown from a bull with the name of Satan’s Revenge. He’d only managed four seconds that ride, but it had been more than worth it.
What he wouldn’t give to take it back and know he’d been by his mama’s side when she found out about the cancer instead.
“You okay?”
He blinked. “What?”
Quinn looked distinctly uncomfortable to be shucking aside the joking demeanor he preferred. “I don’t know, man. You just seem kind of lost since you got back into town. Is it your mom? I know she’s sick—”
“She’s fine.” He wasn’t ready to admit that she wouldn’t even talk about the cancer with him. Not now, not like this. There would come a time when he’d have to sit her down and force it out of her, but he sure as fuck wasn’t ready for it yet. Really, he should thank Jules. When they were together, he was able to forget his fear that one day he’d wake up and his mama would be gone for good.
He realized he’d spoken too sharply and sighed. “Look, it’s complicated and I’m not handling it well.”
“No shit.” Quinn hesitated. “If you need anything—anything at all—I’m here. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And Daniel is, too, even if he’s got his own shit he’s dealing with.” He held up a hand before Adam could ask. “It’s the same old, same old. He was never the same after John died and Hope left. The man has one foot in the grave, and it’s by choice.”
The car crash affected them all. Everything changed after that night, and little of it for the better. Adam wished there was something he could do for Daniel, but the truth was that he had more than enough shit to deal with on his own. Fuck. He swiped a beer from the cooler in the back of the truck and opened it. “What a trio we make.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m the normal one.”
Quinn was as normal as he could be after having walked away from his oil tycoon of a father—and his family’s fortune—to be a cattle rancher. Adam shook his head. “Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night.”
“Like a baby.” Quinn closed the tailgate. “So is that mean little redhead coming?”
“Don’t know. She doesn’t seem like the type to be into this sort of thing.”
“You mean she’s like a vampire who’ll burn up in the sun and probably feasts on the blood of innocents? I totally agree.”
Adam snorted. “You enjoy pushing her buttons.”
“More than I should.” He laughed. “I can’t help it. It’s too easy to get a rise out of her.”
“Get your ass in the truck or we’re going to be late.”
Ten minutes later they pulled up in front of Jules’s shop. He stopped the truck and froze when Jules and Aubry stepped through the door and onto the sidewalk. “Holy fucking shit.”
“You can say that again.”
“Shut up.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Jules. She wore a pair of cutoff shorts that might’ve been the same ones from the other night, but this time, there were ties peeking out the top on either side of her hips. It was like seeing the tip of a present he was dying to unwrap. Adam’s cock jumped to attention as his gaze coasted up her stomach to the tiny black triangle bikini covering her breasts. There was nothing overtly revealing about the cut of the suit, but it had him fighting not to kick Quinn out of the truck and drive her off to somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted so he could explore those scraps of cloth at length.
“Jesus, man. If you could see the way you’re looking at her.” Quinn shook his head. “Should I get another ride?”
“What? No. It’s fine.” Though he wanted to tell his friend to do exactly that. Get a hold of yourself, idiot. He had to control himself—he was about to be up close and personal with Jules, and jumping her bones the second he saw her wasn’t acceptable.
“Sure it is.” Quinn hopped out of the truck, and Adam took several deep breaths and focused on getting his body’s reaction minimized. He didn’t have long, because Jules climbed up and scooted over until she was pressed against him from shoulder to hip, Aubry on the other side of her.
Quinn wedged his big body into the tiny space between the redhead and the door. “There’s plenty of room for you right here, sweet cheeks.” He patted his lap.
She shot him a look that would have sent a lesser man bolting from the truck. “Touch me and lose the attached body part.”
Quinn just grinned. “You’re all sugar and spice and everything nice, aren’t you?”
Hearing the redhead’s hiss of rage was almost enough to distract Adam from how good Jules smelled—like coconut and suntan lotion. He smiled at her. “You ready for this?”
“Not in the least
.” Her eyes were a little too wide. “It’s bringing back all sorts of memories I could do without.”
Memories of her and Grant. The thought sent a completely irrational spike of jealousy through him. That shit had gone down years ago. There was no reason for him to want to wring the man’s neck for knowing that he’d once gotten to touch Jules whenever he wanted, or that he’d held her heart close enough to break it.
Or, hell, that he still affected her strongly enough nine years later that she was willing to get up close and personal with a near stranger to prove a point.
Adam turned back to the road, clenching his jaw to keep words inside that he had no right to. He didn’t have any rights when it came to Jules, and it’d do him good to remember that.
The rest of the trip up was done in painful silence. He was almost grateful for the fact that Aubry had taken an instant dislike to Quinn’s poking at her, because her icy one-word answers to him made conversation between Adam and Jules damn near impossible. He parked next to two other trucks. Of the two, he pegged the shiny pavement queen to be Grant’s—the red Ford must have had all of ten miles on the engine. His ten-year-old Dodge looked battered and beaten by comparison.
He’d be an idiot not to see the similarities between the trucks and their owners.
It was enough to give a lesser man a complex.
Adam got out of the cab before anyone could say something to tip him over the edge and strode around to the back to start unpacking the tubes.
“Is everything okay?”
He didn’t look over at Jules. “I could live the rest of my life happy knowing I wouldn’t hear that question again from another damn person.”
If he expected her to rabbit away from his snarled words, he was sadly mistaken. “You don’t have to do this. We can just say something came up and skip it.”
Even if he was willing to do that—and piss-poor mood or not, he couldn’t let Jules down so spectacularly—the chance to bolt disappeared when Grant came around the back of the truck and waved. “I’m glad you made it.” He did a double take when he saw Jules. “I can’t believe your mama let you out of the door dressed like that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Funny thing—I have my own place, and I’m not sixteen anymore.”
“I can see that.” And then he proceeded to rake her with his gaze in a way that had Adam seeing red. He stalked over to slip an arm around her waist, telling himself all the while that he was playing a part.
It sure as fuck didn’t feel like a part. It felt like he was half a second from beating that smug piece of shit’s face in. Adam put every ounce of that desire onto his face when he clenched his teeth in a way that only a fool would call a grin. “Didn’t your daddy ever teach you that it’s not nice to eye-fuck another man’s woman, let alone when he’s standing not two feet away?”
Grant took a step back and seemed to catch himself because he straightened, his shoulders going back. “You know as well as I do that she’s not the kind of—”
“Boy, I suggest you rethink the words that are about to come out of your idiot mouth.”
Grant’s teeth clicked together when he snapped his mouth shut. He glared. “Hurry up. The party’s already started.” Then he strode away, yanking his shirt off and pausing to shove it into his truck before he disappeared down the path leading to the swimming hole.
“Well, that was…” Jules let out a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“I offered to keep this thing going, remember? You didn’t get me into anything I didn’t want to do.” He forced the tension out of his body. He’d wanted to do this because Jules offered a one-of-a-kind distraction from the shit his mom was going through, but that didn’t do a damn thing if he didn’t let her distract him. “I’m just in a piss-poor mood, and it has nothing to do with you.”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound sure, though. But she brightened immediately. “I’ll grab the beer.”
He was quickly learning that Jules covered up nearly any uncomfortable emotion with cheer. It should have been annoying as fuck, but it was strangely endearing. Then she shimmied out of her shorts and he forgot about everything but the fact her heart-shaped ass was barely covered by her bikini bottom.
He rubbed a hand over his face, his chances of making it through the day without killing Grant Thomas—or fucking Jules senseless—disappearing before his eyes.
Chapter Eight
Jules could feel Adam’s eyes on her, and it was driving her crazy. She tried to focus on where Aubry floated next to her, her friend’s giant hat shielding her face and chest, and her equally giant sunglasses masking any expression of judgment that she was sure to be leveling at Jules right about now. “Sorry.”
“You keep saying that. I keep not believing you. In fact, I don’t think that word means what you think it means.” She held her hand out, and Jules passed her another beer from the cooler strung between Jules and Adam’s tubes. Aubry took a long drink and sank lower into the hole in the middle of her tube. “But it could be worse.”
“Dear God, was that an actual admission of you having fun doing something outside surrounded by nature?”
Aubry laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s entirely possible that some undiscovered-until-now alligator will appear to pick us off one by one.” She seemed to consider. “But if that bastard starts with Grant, I might be okay with my inevitable fate.”
She looked over to where Grant floated near them, surrounded by Kelly, Kelli, and Jessica. They were all former cheerleaders, and all were conveniently single and looking to sink their claws into an up-and-coming lawyer.
That’s not fair. You were panting after Grant for years.
As if he could read her mind, Grant shot her a look over his shoulder and grinned. “Hope you’re having as great a time as I am, Jules.”
She gritted out a smile. “Of course. This is just peachy.”
“Sugar, you’re lying through your teeth.” Adam snagged the line between their tubes and towed her closer to him until they squeaked as they rubbed together.
“Only totally.” She lowered her voice. “The water’s freezing, I’m mostly naked, and now Aubry’s got me thinking about mutant alligators. I used to love this, but for the life of me, I can’t remember why.”
“Is it because of that trio?”
“No.” She let her head drop back to rest on her tube. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want anything to do with him, but seeing him makes me crazy.”
It was probably karma kicking her in the lady bits for thinking she could stick it to Grant by doing the same damn thing. She should have taken a page from his book and let him think she had a harem of men stashed away, all ready to drop everything and see to her needs. She laughed at the thought.
“What’s so funny?”
She debated not telling him for half as second, but it was too much. Besides, the brisk breeze had eased them just out of earshot of the rest of their group. “Just picturing if Grant’s and my positions were reversed and I had three gorgeous men hanging on bated breath for my attention. The imaginary look on his face is very satisfying, if you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.” Adam put his hand on her knee, the contact shockingly warm. “I’m hurt, sugar. You think one of me isn’t man enough for you?”
Jules was suddenly very aware that she was wearing a sad excuse for a swimsuit and that it wouldn’t take but a second to divest her of it if Adam was interested. She went very still, torn between wanting to laugh the whole thing off and wanting to take his hand and slide it higher up her thigh. Her skin felt too tight, her nipples pebbling in a way that had nothing to do with temperature. “Oh, no. You’re great. I mean, uh, yeah.” You can do better than this. “So, about that dirty-talking lesson…”
His hand tightened almost imperceptibly. “You want that lesson now?”
“No time like the present.” It was such a bad idea, but dragging Adam into some of the trees lining the swimming hole was an even worse idea. “How do I start?” She cleared her throat. “Adam, I’d very much like you to stick your bits into my bits.”
Adam laughed, the sound deep and carrying. “Holy shit, sugar.”
“That’s not exactly the reaction I was going for.” She frowned and tried again. “I want your c-co… Dang it, I can’t say it. Why can’t I say it? It’s a freaking male chicken.”
He tilted his sunglasses down so he could shoot her a look over the top of them. “There isn’t a damn thing in common with a male chicken and my cock.”
The way he said it, as if it was just another word, inexplicably made her stomach tighten. And his hand was still on her knee. “Fine. I already said I suck at this. Teach me, Master Adam.”
“Patience, young padawan.” He kneaded the sensitive skin above her knee. “You want to know the trick to dirty talking? It’s to say everything with confidence. You don’t give the other person enough time or space to stop and think and feel awkward about what they’re hearing.” His hand inched higher. “Like right now, I want nothing more than to untie one side of that tiny bikini and touch that pretty pussy of yours, spreading you where only I can see you. I’d tease you, sugar, dragging you closer and closer to orgasm. And them?” He jerked his chin at the rest of their party. “They wouldn’t have a fucking clue.”
Her body felt too hot and too cold, all at the same time. She shifted, pressing her legs together, trapping his hand between them. This is a lesson. He’s not really going to do that…no matter how good of an idea it suddenly sounds like. She could be student to his teacher without begging him to follow through on his example. Really, she could. “Oh.” She took a breath and tried again. “I thought the whole point was that they knew what we were up to.”
“Right now, we’re focusing on the dirty talking. Now, your turn.” His voice deepened. “What would you do to me, sugar?”
I can do this. It was too much to look at him, though, so she leaned back and closed her eyes, the words barely more than a whisper. “After you…make me come…” Her face felt like it was on fire. “It wouldn’t be enough. I’d want to return the favor.” He made an indecipherable sound, but she kept going because if she stopped now, she wasn’t going to start up again. “I’d kiss you. I very much like kissing you, Adam.” She licked her lips, almost able to taste him. “And while I was kissing you, I’d, ah, stroke you.” Maybe this isn’t so bad. His hand made rhythmic circles on her skin, relaxing her further. “I’d slip my hand into your shorts and touch you there.” She could almost imagine doing exactly this, his hard length filling her hand. “I want to see you go wild and know it’s because of me.”
