Playing With You

by Cheyenne McCray

She shook her head. “Two is my limit and I had a glass before you picked me up.” Her cheeks turned a little pink. “I was so nervous I thought I’d have something to calm my nerves.”

  “Nothing to be nervous about,” he said.

  “I don’t know about that.” In the dim lighting of the restaurant he saw that her cheeks turned a deeper pink. “To be honest I was even more nervous when I found you on my doorstep.”

  He studied her. “Why’s that?”

  She bit her lower lip in a way that he found adorable. Then she shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  He could tell that wasn’t the entire truth and he wondered why she’d be nervous with him.

  Sasha took their order for the pie and two cups of coffee. Ricki put cream and sugar in hers.

  “I don’t know how you drink your coffee black.” She stirred her own coffee.

  “You like yours sweet ’cause you’re sweet,” he said in a teasing tone and she smiled.

  Once the pie was served, they talked as they shared it and he couldn’t help watching her. He liked the sparkle in her eyes and how easy it was to talk with her. He couldn’t help but dwell on her attributes and his thoughts strayed again to just how good she’d look with nothing on at all.

  Hell, McBride. Get your mind back where it belongs. You’re not going there. Ever.

  Ricki ate about a third of the pie then told him she couldn’t fit in another bite. “You finish it,” she said, and he easily obliged.

  “So tell me,” she said as he ate more pie. “How did Aunt Madge rope you into a blind date?”

  He swallowed his bite. “She’s been trying to get me to go on a blind date for some time. I owed her a favor and she called it in—you might say she had me over a barrel.”

  Ricki looked intrigued. “What kind of debt would get you suckered into going out with an unknown?”

  He looked almost boyish as he responded. “I promised to mow Madge’s lawn and couldn’t get to it when I promised and was a couple of days later than I’d planned. You know how ornery she is when she wants something. She’ll call you out on any misdeed.” He held his fork as he met her gaze. “How did you get dragged into tonight?”

  “Kicking and screaming.” She smiled. “Seriously, who can say no to Aunt Madge when she sets her mind to something?”

  “Not many people,” he admitted. “Is Madge your aunt by blood?”

  “She sort of adopted me.” Ricki shook her head. “She’s been coming to the bakery since the day it opened and she puts in a lot of orders for gifts as well as arranges to have us cater charity events.”

  “Madge collects people,” Garrett said.

  Ricki laughed. “That’s a good way to put it.”

  “You know about my huge family,” he said. “We haven’t really talked about yours.”

  Ricki shrugged. “My mom and dad, and two sisters all live in Phoenix. My sisters are married and have two daughters each.” Ricki smiled. “I love my nieces.”

  She told him some anecdotes about her nieces and he loved to watch how animated she became when she talked about the four girls who were all under the age of seven.

  After they’d finished and he’d paid for the meal, he scooted out her chair then assisted her with her shawl before escorting her from the restaurant, out into the cool spring night.

  They were walking out the door of Devine when a woman’s voice cut through their conversation. “Hi, Ricki.”

  Both Garrett and Ricki turned to face a striking woman. Out of habit he catalogued her appearance. Short-cropped, spiky white-blonde hair, brown eyes, fair skin, a long, elegant neck, and strong, well-defined Slavic features. She had a pleasant expression but something in her gaze made him wonder what had happened in her past to give her eyes such a hardness in their depths.

  “Hi, Deena.” Ricki gave the woman a smile in greeting. “What a surprise to see you here.”

  Deena returned Ricki’s smile. “I heard this was a great place.”

  “It is.” Ricki glanced at Garrett. “Garrett, meet Deena Samson. She’s new to the area.” Ricki turned to Deena as she settled her small hand on Garrett’s forearm. “This is Garrett McBride. He’s a Prescott native. He could tell you far more about this part of the state than I ever could.”

  “A pleasure, Ma’am.” Garrett held out his hand.

  “Ms.” Deena offered him her fingertips in a brief greeting and her eyes were cool as they met his. She let her hand fall away. “Not Ma’am. It’s Ms.”

  Garrett hooked his thumbs in his belt loops as he studied her. “Pardon, Ms. Samson.”

  Deena gave a little wave of her hand. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

  He studied her. “I take it that’s not a good thing.”

  Her expression changed as she looked at Ricki, as if a light switch had been thrown and she brightened. “You look even more gorgeous in that dress. Especially when all of the accessories are put together with it.”

  “Thank you.” Ricki smiled at Deena before she turned to meet Garrett’s eyes. “Deena helped me pick it out earlier today.”

  “I’d better let you two get along.” Deena took a step back.

  “I’ll see you Sunday,” Ricki said.

  Garrett touched his fingertips to the brim of his hat. “Ms. Samson.”

  “See you, Ricki.” Deena gave a little wave to Ricki and a nod to Garrett before she turned and headed into Devine.

  “Have you known your friend long?” Garrett asked as he touched Ricki at the base of her spine and she turned her attention to him.

  “Just met Deena in my bakery today,” Ricki said. “Ran into her later in the dress shop and she helped me do my shopping.”

  He guided her toward his truck. “Seems you hit it off.”

  “I like her.” Ricki smiled. “She doesn’t have anyone to go house hunting with for a rental, so I volunteered to show her around on Sunday and maybe she’ll find a part of town she’ll like.”

  As Garrett helped Ricki into his truck, he couldn’t help but let his hands linger just a little too long on the curve of her waist, above the flare of her hips.

  His hands itched to touch her everywhere and he cursed himself for his weakness. She was too damned good for him, he thought yet again. Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he’d get it through his head that he needed to stay away from her.

  It wasn’t much of a drive to reach her home, a little one-story in a small but nice neighborhood. Garrett parked and cut the engine. He climbed out and went around to the passenger side and helped Ricki out of the truck. He had to resist real hard to keep from sliding his palm from her waist to her soft round bottom and squeezing it.

  When they reached the doorstep, she unlocked the door then turned and faced him, tilting her face up to look into his eyes. She was about eight inches shorter than his six-three.

  “Do you want to come in and have a glass of wine?” she asked in her soft voice. “I don’t have any beer but I do have red and white wines.”

  Hell yeah, he wanted to go in and spend more time with her in more ways than he could count. He wanted to do things with her that would make her blush six ways to Sunday if he said them aloud.

  Without thinking about what he was doing, he brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. The urge to take all her hair down and run his fingers through it was nearly overpowering. He trailed his knuckles across her cheek and her throat worked as she swallowed.

  “I’d better not go in,” he finally said.

  She seemed to shiver at his touch. “I’m looking forward to the Easter softball game with your family.”

  “We’ll have a good spread for lunch before the game so I’ll pick you up in time for that.” He moved his knuckles down the side of her neck to the hollow of her throat. “I’m leaving town and I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. I’ll call you before Sunday and set up a time to pick you up.”

  “Okay,” she said softly.

  He had to kiss her then, needed it more than he�
��d needed anything in a long time. He slid his hand to the back of her head and cupped it before he slowly lowered his mouth. Her lips parted and she seemed to catch her breath.

  When their lips met he had to hold himself back from crushing his mouth against hers and drawing her up hard against him. Instead he gently tasted her and drew her soft moan inside him at the same time he drank in her sweet scent.

  He held back a groan as he raised his head. He couldn’t remember wanting a woman so badly in a long time. Not in this way.

  Damn. Being around her was not a smart thing. Not a smart thing at all. She was a good girl but he was not good for her.

  “’Night, Ricki,” he said, his voice low as he rubbed her upper arms with his palms.

  Her throat worked again as she swallowed. “’Night.”

  He let his hands slide down her arms before he released her, then watched as she turned and slipped into her house. He listened to her greet Xena, wishing he was in there instead of the dog.

  With a shake of his head, he turned and headed toward his truck.

  Chapter 5

  In the darkness, from beneath an old cottonwood across the street from Ricki’s small house, Deena Samson watched Garrett McBride kiss Ricki. It wasn’t some simple little peck on the cheek, but a kiss like they both meant it.

  Deena narrowed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, like the therapist showed her, as heat rippled beneath her skin. It should be her standing there in the middle of that kiss. She took a deep inhale and let the breath out slowly, but that still didn’t ease the tightness in her body.

  This wasn’t the way she’d wanted it to go. Maybe she should have done something to sabotage the evening, but she needed Ricki’s trust and what better way than to help her in the way that she had? It was only one evening after all.

  But one evening could lead to two and then…

  No, she’d worked too damned hard. As far as she was concerned, there was no way Garrett and Ricki would end up together. She’d followed Ricki to the dress shop to put her plan into motion and it had gone perfectly.

  But now…

  Teeth clenched, Deena gripped the black scarf she had over her white-blonde hair to make sure she wasn’t seen. She’d worn all black tonight to make it easier to spy on Ricki. But watching this…she hated it.

  Pressure built up in her head, the pain causing her to put her fingers to her forehead for a moment. She brought her hands to her sides and clenched them into fists, digging her nails into her palms. The sensation helped to ground her. She couldn’t let her anger get the better of her like it had so many times before.

  Especially like the last time. No, she couldn’t let that happen again.

  What had she expected tonight? They were on a date after all, even if it had been a blind date.

  Well, she hadn’t expected the kiss to look so damned passionate, like they meant it, like they’d really hit it off. What had happened between them in the restaurant? What had they talked about? Had they struck some kind of chord, something they had in common? If only she’d been able to somehow plant a bug on Ricki, but that was something she’d never done before, although she’d done a lot worse things.

  Deena had followed Garrett and Ricki to Devine and had waited in her Lincoln Continental until she saw them coming out of the restaurant. She’d hurried to get out of her car and “bump” into them. She wanted to make sure she was on Ricki’s mind tonight, one way or another.

  She’d watched the pair from inside the restaurant. After she saw them climb into Garrett’s truck, Deena had hurried to return to her own car. She’d followed the pair to Ricki’s home after they’d left the restaurant, so now she knew where Ricki lived. That would come in quite useful.

  Clenching her fists at her sides as Garrett continued to kiss Ricki, Deena gritted her teeth again. She couldn’t take another moment of seeing them together. She’d just have to fix this later. She turned away to slip back to her car that she’d parked around the corner.

  Deena cast a look over her shoulder and saw Garrett with his hands resting on Ricki’s upper arms as their gazes held and Deena paused. More heat prickled her skin as it occurred to her that the night might not end here. Ricki wasn’t some kind of slut who was going to let Garrett in on their first date, was she? Deena expected more out of her than that.

  To Deena’s relief, Ricki slipped into her home and closed the door before Garrett walked back to his truck. Deena made sure the scarf hid her hair as she crouched behind a bush to be certain he didn’t see her when he drove away from Ricki’s home.

  No, Ricki and Garrett would not get together and things would go Deena’s way. This night was merely a small bump on destiny’s path, the same path that had brought her to Prescott to begin with. She was where she was supposed to be and she was starting her life fresh. She was certain of what her future held and she would do anything and everything in her power to make sure that it all went the way it was meant to go.

  Garrett and Ricki would never have any kind of lasting relationship.

  Deena would see to that.

  Chapter 6

  The night sped by as Garrett drove down the dark highway away from Prescott and toward Phoenix. He’d dropped off Ricki not thirty minutes ago. He’d already had his duffel packed and in the back seat of his king cab along with other gear he’d need.

  He was pretty sure he’d tracked Joe Tunstall to Tucson, just over a hundred miles southeast of Phoenix. The bastard’s trail had grown hot a couple of hours before Garrett was scheduled to go on the blind date.

  Garrett could have broken the date and headed south immediately, but he figured a couple of hours delay wouldn’t be a problem considering the man didn’t know Garrett was onto him. Garrett hadn’t wanted to leave a lady dressed up and waiting only to have the man she was waiting for cancel at the last minute. He’d been raised to treat a lady right and that wouldn’t have been proper.

  Country music played on his truck stereo, an older Miranda Lambert song involving cheating and kerosene. Considering the kind of songs she wrote and sang, he’d sure hate to get on the wrong side of that woman. Come to think of it, Ricki did look a whole lot like a curvy Miranda.

  If he was the kind of man who was good enough for a lady like Ricki, she’d be his ideal woman. Soft warm curves, an apple bottom, and she baked the best confections he’d ever tasted. He had a hell of a sweet tooth and that included a sweet woman.

  He dragged his hand down his face. With his past, he’d known since he was a teenager that he was no good for a lady like Ricki. Hell, he wasn’t good enough for a serious relationship with any woman. He’d had his share of sexual conquests and relationships, but he’d never allowed himself to become serious about anyone. If a woman started to get infatuated with him, he moved on.

  A man couldn’t have a past like he’d had and expect good things. And a woman deserved better.

  And then there was his father. The man had been notorious in the county for his bad temper and had abused Garrett’s mother. Garrett had always had to work to control his temper and in some ways he was a lot like his father. What if he turned out to be a chip off the old block?

  Garrett shook his head. No. He’d never be like his old man.

  But what if he was wrong?

  Again he asked himself why he’d asked Ricki to the softball game. Hell, he’d even kissed her… A kiss that had made him feel as if tomorrows were possible. Which, of course, they weren’t.

  Damn. He didn’t want to lead her on.

  He forced his thoughts back to his case, which was what he should be focusing on. Joe Tunstall had taken off with his wife’s jewelry and had emptied the bank accounts. Jan Tunstall had hired Garrett to hunt the man down.

  Garrett had managed to get a slim lead and had chased it to a place on the south side of Tucson, on the other side of the tracks. Now all he had to do was make sure Tunstall didn’t have the chance to run, if it was him.

  As he drove, Garrett drew his cell phone
out of its holster on his belt, used the voice option, and told the phone to call Craig Morris. It was late, but Craig would be staking out the house where their target was currently hiding out.

  “Garrett.” Craig answered the phone with his good ol’ boy manner. “Where the hell are you? I figured you’d be here by now.”

  “I got held up.” Garrett didn’t intend to go into details. “It’ll be another three hours before I make it to Tucson.”

  “I don’t think this guy is going anywhere, at least not tonight,” Craig said. “I’ve been sitting on the house since you called me and I have a tracker on his truck, so I won’t lose him if he gets the itch to leave. Got a looksee with the binocs and I’m pretty sure it’s the same fella as the one in the picture that you messaged to me.”

  “Good.” Garrett watched the yellow lines on the center of the highway speeding by as he spoke. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Damn well better be,” Craig said. “Gonna need a piss break. Might just have to use a bottle.”

  Garrett thought about the poor woman who’d been left penniless. “If he leaves that house make sure you don’t lose the bastard.”

  “Won’t let him out of my sight,” Craig said.

  Garrett disconnected the call and slid the phone back into its holster and drove with one hand on the wheel.

  His thoughts kept turning back to Ricki and how she’d felt in his arms, her soft lips against his, how she tasted and how good she’d smelled. She’d felt…perfect.

  Disgusted with himself, he clenched his teeth and gripped the steering wheel tighter. He’d never been this conflicted over any woman. Wanting her so damned bad he couldn’t stop thinking about her yet knowing it was the last thing he should do.

  He had a feeling that Ricki Sparks had just turned his world upside down.

  Chapter 7

  Sunday morning, Ricki hummed to herself as she drove her Prius in front of the doors to Deena’s hotel a few minutes before ten-thirty. It was a beautiful spring day, perfect for showing Deena around town.