He had never taken an order from a woman in his life, but he found himself handing over the keys to his beloved truck as if there was no other option. He opened the driver’s side door and made a sweeping motion with his arm. “Ladies first.”
Cammie’s red-rimmed eyes opened wide. “I was going to drive you home in my car. You’re actually going to let me drive your truck?”
Lucky frowned as her words rolled around in his head, and he realized the implication. “I never let anyone drive my truck. Hell, maybe I am wasted.” He shrugged, failing to find the matter important enough to ponder another moment. “Hop on in, Shortie.”
Cammie looked between him and the truck, then slowly moved toward the open door as if afraid he’d yell, “April Fools!” at any moment.
Lucky helped her in and closed the door behind her. As he rounded the truck, he shrugged out of his fancy rented jacket and flung the offending garment between them on the bench seat before joining her in the cab.
“Get me the hell out of here,” he muttered as he fought with the blasted bowtie he’d been forced to wear. Thank heavens it was black and not pink. The pink rose tacked onto his lapel had been bad enough. “If I don’t get into a pair of jeans and boots soon, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Cammie chuckled as she fastened her seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition. “Just don’t throw up. I’ve never been good around that.”
“Deal...” Lucky paused to roll down his window enough to let the breeze in as they started to inch along the dirt road that would lead them away from the Calhoun Ranch and connect them to the main road. “...if you tell me what that fight was about. You’re not a fighter, Cammie.”
“Sleeping with me one time doesn’t make you an expert on who I am,” she quickly snapped before straightening her lips into a thin line.
“Ouch,” he replied. “I heard enough to figure what it was about and can just deduce my own ideas if you’d like. That part about you fighting over a man who’ll never want you…was that about me?”
A little line formed along Cammie’s cheek, showing she’d clenched her teeth. Lucky waited a couple of minutes, but no answer emerged.
“You know it wasn’t true.”
“I wasn’t fighting over you,” Cammie protested as they reached the main road. She turned right, headed in the direction of the trailer park. “I’m not pathetic enough to fight over a man. I attacked her because she deserved it.”
“Oh, well then, that changes everything.”
“Don’t act like you’re so disappointed in me. You get in fights all the time. You’re the last person who should be giving me crap about this.”
“You’re a better person than me, Cam. You’re above the things I’ve done.”
She sighed. “You’re not as bad as you think you are, Lucky. You just haven’t had the best people in your life.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He started to tip one of the bottles he’d grabbed from the cooler to his lips, but realized he’d lost them during the women’s scuffle. “I know this much, the fool that chose Stacy Cove over you was one stupid bastard.”
Cammie snorted in disgust. “I guess you’d know. I found Stacy sitting in your truck when I went to it to ensure you didn’t leave the wedding intoxicated.”
“She offered her company, and I refused,” Lucky quickly defended himself. “Hell, I didn’t even refuse. I just walked away. I won’t lie to you and say I’ve never been with her before, but she’s not even comparable to a woman like you. And there was no chance she was going home with me tonight no matter what she might have said to you.”
“Why should it matter to me anyway?” Cammie threw back. “You don’t want me. I’ve accepted it. I was just doing Kenzie a favor by offering you a ride home. Her wedding would have been ruined if you got killed.”
“Well, I’m so glad you care so much about Kenzie’s well-being. She’s fortunate to have you in her life.”
“Yes, well, some people realize what they have in their life and respect it, cherish it. They don’t just cast aside good things for whatever happens to be new and shiny at the moment.”
Lucky clenched his teeth together as he gazed out the window. She was baiting him and doing a good job of it. His anger was rising as fast as his guilt. “That’s not what happened with us, Cammie. I didn’t cast you aside for another woman and you know it.”
“No, you didn’t even need another woman on deck in order to throw me away.”
“That’s not fair.” He let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned his head against the back of the seat and rubbed the sore spot forming in the center of his forehead. “I never threw you away. You threw yourself at me and didn’t even tell me it was your first time. And you weren’t mine. We were never in a relationship.”
“Well, excuse me. I’m sorry if I don’t know the proper verbiage to use in these situations, but I’m new to the whole hook-up scene.” Cammie’s breath hitched.
“Which is exactly why it shouldn’t have happened,” Lucky explained, wishing he had alcohol to chase away the guilt slowly suffocating him. “You’re not one-night-stand material. You’re better than that. You’re too good to sink to my level.”
Cammie’s foot came down hard on the brake. The truck swerved before screeching to a stop along the side of the road.
“What the hell?” Lucky surveyed the road. They were the only ones on it, no animal had shot out before them, nothing had spooked her.
“Stop it.” Cammie took off her seatbelt and turned to face him dead on. “Stop acting like you’re so bad that no woman could ever love you. Stop infecting yourself with alcohol and bad choices just because you want to wallow in self-pity.”
“Now, wait a minute,” Lucky quickly interjected as his temperature rose. “I’m not some whiny cry—”
“Well, you’ve certainly been sounding like one. Everyone deserves to be loved and cared for. Quit denying yourself the chance to have something really great.”
“I ruin everything I touch!” Lucky shouted. “What part of that do you not get?”
“The part where you believe in that foolishness,” Cammie answered. “You touched me, Lucky, and you didn’t ruin me.”
He shook his head. “Yes, I did. You were a virgin. That shouldn’t have been wasted with a guy like me. That should have been with a guy you were in a real relationship with.”
“But you aren’t that guy because you don’t think I’m good enough for you.”
“What?” Lucky felt his jaw drop as he stared at her. “Why would you think that? You’re smart, beautiful, and a good woman. Any man would be honored to have you.”
Water filled her eyes, but she blinked it back. “Then why did you throw me away after I gave myself to you?”
He swallowed hard as regret stuck in his throat. “I didn’t deserve the honor. I don’t want to hurt you, Cam.”
“Don’t you see that all you’ve been doing by staying away is hurting me? I chose you, Lucky. You!” She grabbed his face with both hands and captured his eyes. “You are a good person despite all the hurdles life has thrown you. Let me show you.”
Lucky stared into her hazel eyes and felt his heart hammering so hard he feared it would burst right out of his chest. Fear and excitement mixed together until his head rushed with dizziness. He prayed there really was something good in him that this woman could find, but feared she was in for a major disappointment. Images of Sylvia Case and his mother flashed through his mind, and he imagined Cammie’s brownish-green eyes, so full of life, staring back at him with the same glaze of death those women had worn the last time he’d seen them. Those women were weak, and he had been useless in helping them.
“My own mother didn’t want me, Cammie. No woman has really loved me. I’m just a one-nighter, it’s all I know how to do. I don’t know how to give you what you’re asking for.”
A hesitant smile spread across her pretty pink lips. “I’ll teach you,” she whispered as she leaned in and covered his mouth with her own
. She took her time, savoring the taste of him before pulling back. “Your first lesson will be tomorrow night. A real first date. That is, if you really want to try.”
She bit her lip, searching his eyes for hesitation as she awaited his response.
Chapter Seven
Cammie ran the brush through her chocolate brown hair for the twentieth time, her stomach in knots as she checked herself over in the bathroom mirror, making sure there wasn’t anything amiss anywhere. Lucky would be arriving soon for their first real date.
She’d been afraid all day that he would call and cancel on her, stating he had agreed while intoxicated and had later come to his senses. He called while she was at the diner, and her hand had shaken so badly while answering the phone, she’d nearly dropped it. He hadn’t canceled though; he’d asked her favorite color and confirmed he would be at her place at seven.
Determining she was as polished as she was going to get, Cammie reentered the kitchen and opened the oven to check on the steaks. Assured those were fine, she stirred the green beans simmering on the stove and peeked in the refrigerator to make sure the dessert had set. With everything in order, she took a deep, calming breath.
Then the doorbell rang and the butterflies in her stomach whipped themselves into a frenzy.
She smoothed her hair with her hands and snatched a quick glance in the hallway mirror as she made her way to the front door. She didn’t want to be overdressed for the simple date, which consisted of a rented movie and a homemade dinner, so she’d chosen jeans and a fitted white T-shirt with DOLLYWOOD emblazoned across the chest in shiny silver studs.
Cammie wiped her sweaty palm on her pant leg, took a deep breath, and opened the door to see the handsomest man in Cook County standing on her porch wearing jeans, battered brown boots, and a freshly pressed, white polo shirt. Her mouth fell open as she saw what he held out to her in his hand.
“Where on earth did you find blue roses?”
“Not in Cook County,” he grumbled, but the tilt at the corner of his mouth showed he hadn’t minded finding the rare beauties for her. “You said blue was your favorite color, and I’ve been told there’s not a woman alive who doesn’t love roses so…I found some.”
“Come on in.” She gestured for him to enter before closing the door and taking the flowers out of his hand. “I’ve never seen roses so beautiful.”
Cammie guided Lucky into the kitchen where she put the roses into a glass vase and set them on the counter to admire. “Are they dyed?”
“No, that’s the real color.” Lucky pointed to the bottom of one of the stems where a knobby little bud poked out. “The florist said this one right here might make it if you planted it.”
“Really?” Cammie peered closer, excited. “I could have a whole bush of these in my yard?”
“Of course you can.” He smiled. “Tell you what, honey, if this one doesn’t grow for you, I’ll drive back to Greenbriar and get you some with roots.”
“Greenbriar?” Cammie gawked. “You drove all the way to Greenbriar and back just to get roses in my favorite color?”
He shrugged, eyes downcast with shame. “I owed you something beautiful after such an ugly first time.”
“It wasn’t ugly,” Cammie said softly, hoping to ease the guilt she could feel emitting from Lucky. “I love the roses. I’ve never been given anything so sweet and so unique.”
“Neither have I,” Lucky replied.
Cammie turned her face away, suddenly bashful, and her gaze fell on the stove. “Oh shoot.”
She quickly crossed over to the stove and stirred the green beans before checking on the steaks. “Looks done. Ready for dinner?”
“Sure am,” Lucky answered as he set the DVD he’d been holding in his hand on the counter and grabbed plates from the hutch. “I’ll set the table.”
“Thanks.” She eyed the DVD case as she removed the steaks from the oven, hoping he hadn’t selected something with raunchy sex scenes in it. She’d feel too embarrassed watching a movie like that with him, wondering if he was comparing her body to the better ones on screen. “What movie did you get?”
“Rebel Without A Cause,” he answered sheepishly. “I know it’s older than dirt, but I’ve always liked the classics. You seem like the type of woman who would appreciate them, too. Maybe I should have gotten Nine To Five,” he added, glancing down at her shirt.
Cammie smiled. “No, I love James Dean and Rebel Without A Cause is one of my favorites. I’m going to love watching it with you.”
“Yeah, so am I,” he commented warmly as he helped her bring the food to the table.
****
She tasted like wishes and promises with just a dash of Heaven thrown in for good measure. The movie had ended some time ago, but neither had chosen to stop the tongue-dueling that had started about midway through.
At some point, they’d ended up horizontal, stretched out on the soft, ivory leather couch, Lucky’s lower half nestled in the cradle of Cammie’s hips, bodies perfectly aligned to do what came naturally.
Down boy. Tonight is about respect. This woman deserves the real deal.
Damn, but she smelled so good, and tasted even better.
She raised her pelvis, grinding against his erection, and he moaned from the sweet agony of it. “Sugar, you make being good too damn hard,” he whispered against her lips as she trailed her hands over his spine, having slid them beneath his shirt a while ago.
“You know all about hard,” she whispered back with an impish giggle as she wiggled her hips, tormenting him further.
“You’re playing with fire now,” he warned. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
“Be a gentleman tomorrow,” she pouted and bit his earlobe. “Ravish me tonight.”
Aw, hell. Lucky rose to his knees, needing to distance his body from hers for a moment, to get the blood flowing back to his brain. “Our last time wasn’t what it should have been, honey. I don’t want the same thing with you that I’ve had with other women. You deserve more.”
She sat up, a devilish gleam in her eye as she grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down for a slow, tantalizing kiss that short-circuited every brain cell he had before pulling back.
“Then shut the hell up, cowboy, and make love to me like you’ve never made love to any woman before.”
Shit. “Well, I suppose it would be rude of me to deny the lady’s request,” he drawled, hoping he wouldn’t regret this, hoping more that she wouldn’t regret this.
He stood from the couch and helped her up, growing harder as he watched her chest heave beneath her shirt. He couldn’t wait to remove the clothes and watch her breathe heavy in nothing at all.
She winced as she stood, and her hand quickly went to her thigh.
“You okay?” Lucky gripped her waist as she started to bend over.
“Yeah,” she said uneasily as she flexed her foot and slowly straightened. “I must have stepped on something.”
“Be careful, honey. Can’t have anything happening to you,” he said as he scooped her up. “How’s this? Make sure you make it safely to bed.”
She laughed. “I can make it there safely, all right, but I bet I’m in for it when I get there.”
Lucky chuckled along as she directed him to her bedroom. He set her down easily before him and kissed her deeply before they started tearing at each other’s clothes. Leaving the discarded garments wherever they landed, they fell onto the floral comforter covering her bed. Lucky was careful not to crush her small frame beneath his full weight. “You sure, honey?”
“So sure,” she whispered as she gripped his hips and urged him into position. “I want you right here in the morning, Lucky Masters.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he answered honestly, giving up on the whole white knight idea. He was no knight, no Prince Charming. But he would take care of this woman and do his damnedest to see that she never hurt.
First, he was going to grab a condom out of his wallet, and sec
ond, he was going to give her the night of sweet, gentle lovemaking she should have had her first time. Then he was going to hold on to her all night long…maybe even longer.
****
Cammie’s eyes fluttered as she slowly came awake, thanks to the ray of sunlight slipping through the blind and shining straight into her face. She stretched out her limbs, gasping as red hot pain burst from her ankle to shoot straight up her leg.
“Morning, baby,” Lucky’s thick morning drawl brushed over her ear as his arms came around her waist from behind.
She blinked back tears as his soft lips tickled her shoulder and started on a trail that went down her arm before dropping to her waist and thigh. She couldn’t let on that she was in pain. It was too early for him to know about her illness.
Cammie held her breath as he slid lower under the covers, kissing her hot flesh. She glanced at her arms, thankful there were no red bumps or lines. No tell-tale signs. She only had to ignore the pain in her ankles and he wouldn’t know anything.
As he slowly made his way lower, her skin started to sting where he planted his kisses. She bit her lower lip as tears stung her eyes.
Suddenly, Lucky stiffened and muttered a curse before sitting up, his eyes wide as he pulled the cover off of her.
“My God, baby. What’s wrong with you?”
Cammie looked down at her body and saw what had scared him.
Her right ankle was swollen to twice its size.
Chapter Eight
A sob tore out of her throat as she quickly pulled the cover back over her, hiding the swollen ankle along with the red, rash-covered shin it was attached to. The other ankle wasn’t swollen yet, but judging by the ruddy color, it would soon be if she didn’t take her medicine.
How could I have forgotten?
“Cammie, what’s going on? Why do your legs look like that?”
“Ugly?” she blurted before she could stop herself. She knew he wasn’t being insensitive, but she was under full attack by insecurity. She’d been so careful to hide her disease. No one except Grandma Opal and her doctor had ever seen the physical signs of her illness, and Lucky was the last person she’d wanted to see her like this, sick and imperfect.
Cook County Cowboys Page 15
