by Tonya Brooks
He had decided to get the hell out of town and put some distance between him and the woman driving him crazy. If he didn’t have to be in court on Monday he’d stay gone until Easy went back to Virginia. Maybe if he stayed hammered for a few days he’d forget her. Yeah, like that was ever gonna happen.
When he saw a leather clad woman walking down the sidewalk he hit the brakes and stopped in the middle of Main street. “Easy, what the hell are you doing?” he asked through the open window.
“Walking,” she said and didn't slow her pace. With her emotional state being so fragile right then, Luke was the last person she needed to see.
He rolled along beside her and said in exasperation, “I can see that. Why are you walking?”
“The Harley broke down.”
“Why the hell didn't you call someone?” he asked irritably as he kept pace alongside her.
“No sense in ruining everyone’s evening,” Easy pointed out and heard him mutter something about damn stubborn women.
Thanks to Easy driving him batshit crazy for the past forty-eight hours, Luke had a date with a bottle of Jack tonight and fully expected to own a massive hangover the next morning. The last thing he needed right now was to be in close proximity to the temptation she presented, but there was no way in hell he was gonna let her walk across town to Grayson Manor. “Get in and I'll take you home,” he offered.
“No thanks,” she refused and kept on going. No way in hell was she getting back in that hummer. No way in hell was she getting close to that man again either. Her battered heart had been through enough tonight, thank you very much.
Annoyed and frustrated enough without her obstinacy, Luke accelerated until he was ahead of her, braked and pulled up at the curb. He left the engine running, got out and met her on the sidewalk. “Get in the damn truck, Easy.”
“I'd rather not,” she refused and would have walked around him had he not scooped her up into his arms.
Luke stalked the few feet to his vehicle, opened the door and sat her in the passenger seat. He slammed the door shut, went around and got in on his side to complain, “You are the dammed stubbornest woman I've ever had the misfortune to meet.”
“I'm sorry,” she said hollowly and fought the tears that threatened to fall. The emotional turmoil was taking a toll on her. The fear of being back in the hummer was almost drowned out by the pain of being near Luke. God, she couldn’t take much more of this.
He tilted her chin up until their eyes met and the despair he saw tore at his heart. Jesus, she had to care about him to be this torn up, didn’t she? But if that were true then why had she told him that she wasn’t interested in a relationship? That all she wanted was hot, sweaty no strings attached sex? “I never meant to hurt you,” he said hoarsely and saw a tear roll down her cheek.
“I know,” she said dejectedly.
“We're just so wrong for each other,” he insisted as another tear slid slowly down her face, piercing his heart and his resolve. “So why the hell does it feel so right when I'm with you?” He demanded in frustration.
“And hurt so bad because we can't be together,” Easy whispered brokenly.
She was right. This was complete bullshit and he was tired of fighting the inevitable. Whether she cared or not was a moot point. They were both suffering for no good reason and enough was enough. “The hell with it,” Luke said in grim determination and pulled the truck into gear. He drove straight to his house, parked in the garage and went around to open her door.
When he lifted her out of the hummer, kicked the door closed and carried her into the house, her heart began to pound with hope while her brain screamed at her to bail while she had the chance. Easy knew that she would never be able to walk away from him if they made love. It was better to cut and run now before he completely broke her. “What are you doing?” she asked warily.
“What I should have done two days ago,” he growled and carried her through the darkened house and up the stairs to his bedroom.
“Luke, we can't,” she protested when he stood her on her feet beside the bed and turned on a lamp. Her resolve was weakening and she wanted this, wanted him with a desperation that frightened her. “You’ll regret it and you know it.”
“I don't give a damn,” he insisted. “I have to know, Easy. No matter what happens, we deserve to know how it could be.”
“It'll just make it harder to walk away,” she reasoned in a last ditch effort.
Luke placed his hands on her hips to haul her body flush against his where the evidence of his desire for her was painfully obvious. “It can't get any harder than this,” he said in complete seriousness and lowered his head to claim her lips. Easy melted against him and the only thought in his mind was to take what he so desperately needed and give the same in return.
They tore at each other’s clothes in a frenzy of need, fell back onto the bed and made love with a desperation that couldn't be disguised. There was no time for gentle caresses and tender kisses as their hands and mouths devoured each other. He couldn't touch enough of her and she couldn't taste enough of him. He barely remembered to grab a condom before he joined their bodies as one. They made love wildly, passionately, in a no holds barred race for satisfaction and it was like nothing that either of them had ever experienced before. When their mutual climax came, both of them cried out in exultation.
Luke felt as if he'd fallen down the rabbit hole and into a state of complete and utter madness. Even as he wondered what the hell he'd done, he felt a deep sense of contentment that he'd never known before. In spite of the fact that they had no future together, he was absolutely certain that he had done the right thing. And he'd been right. Nothing could ever compare to this and there was no way in hell he could forget it. Did he regret the decision to make love to her? Hell no. Would he? Without a doubt. But even knowing that, he'd still do it again and not change a damn thing.
“You okay?” he asked when he realized she was too quiet.
Somehow Easy had wound up sprawled across his body and she just lay there listening to the beat of his heart as it slowed to a normal pace, a smile of absolute satisfaction on her face. She had been right. Nothing could compare with what they had just shared and there was no way she could ever forget or regret it.
“Yes,” Easy replied softly and lifted her head to look down at him in the golden glow of the lamp. “I hope you know you've ruined me for any other man, Luke. No one could ever compete with that.”
The knowledge delighted the primal part of him even as his rational side was dismayed because he knew that no other woman could ever take her place. “I know,” Luke admitted honestly and tightened his hold on her possessively. “But for now, you've got me.”
“Then let’s make some memories,” she suggested wickedly and bent her head to gently nip his nipple with her teeth. “Before I'm through with you, this will be a night you'll never forget, Sugah,” Easy promised in that sultry Southern drawl.
It was. The woman drove him past the point of reason before she finally sat astride him and rode him with abandon. Luke had never seen anything more beautiful than Easy in the throes of passion. That sinful smile on her too kissable lips, the green eyes glazed with a wild, hungry look as her head fell back, his hands clutching her hips as she led him to a climax even more powerful than the first one had been. He lay there holding her in a fierce embrace as his mind and body became one again.
“You do know we're not gonna get any sleep tonight,” Luke murmured.
“It's like the song says, 'I don't wanna miss a thing',” she smiled contentedly. “Besides, life's too short to waste a precious minute and I wouldn't trade this time with you for anything.”
He knew that every time he heard that song, he'd think of her and this night. And so would she. “Then I guess we'd better take advantage of it while we can,” he decided and slid out of bed, lifted her in his arms and carried her into the shower. At her questioning look, he flashed that bad boy grin and explained, “You're not th
e only one who has fantasies.”
“Tell me more,” she said in breathless expectation.
“I'd rather show you,” he said as he squeezed shower gel in his hands and began to lather her perfect breasts. Luke knelt as he worked his way down and by the time he reached her feet, she was trembling with need. “Turn,” he commanded hoarsely and when she obeyed, he began to work his way up the back of her legs to her firm, rounded bottom. The trembling increased and his smile became even more wicked.
Luke stood and sucked in a shocked breath at the sight before him. A jagged eight inch scar ran diagonally up between her shoulder blades to the base of her neck, marring her beautiful skin. “My God,” he barely breathed as he stared at it in disbelief. “What happened?”
“Battle scar,” Easy said self-consciously as she turned toward him because she knew exactly how ugly the scar looked.
“What?” Luke asked in confusion, his eyes dark with the knowledge that she had sustained such a painful looking injury. Then his visage became truly fearsome and fury burned in his vibrant blue eyes as the obvious answer occurred to him. Gripping her shoulders gently yet firmly, he demanded, “Someone cut you?”
“No,” she hastily denied since he looked ready to kill anyone who had harmed her. “It was a work related injury.”
That only served to upset him even more. “What the hell were you doing?” Luke bit out, furious that her job had somehow managed to endanger her.
“I was in a car accident while on the job,” Easy gave him the abbreviated version and smiled tentatively. “Talk about road rage.” Her attempt at humor fell flat when he didn't so much as crack a smile. “I've talked to a plastic surgeon about it and he assures me that he can make it almost disappear.”
The scar wasn't what bothered him, but the thought of the pain she must have endured did. “It must have hurt like hell,” he said gruffly, his hands gently massaging her shoulders.
The excruciating pain had been unbelievable, but the sheer terror had been even worse for the few minutes that she had been cogent. “I was unconscious for most of it.” Easy admitted and couldn't repress a shudder as she relived the horror over in her mind. “It's not something I want to remember.”
Nodding his understanding, Luke gently turned her back around and bent to place his lips against the edge of the scar. In his own way, he was trying to show her the disfigurement was not important as well as remove any lingering memories of the pain that she had endured. It worked all too well.
Easy leaned her forehead against the cool tile as he kissed every last inch of the scar over and over again until she was overcome with emotion. The sweet, caring gesture was more meaningful than she could have believed possible and his tender action reduced her to tears. “Luke,” she whispered pleadingly. “It doesn't hurt anymore.”
“I can't stand the thought of you in pain,” he said as he turned her to face him and the vulnerability in her eyes struck a chord deep within him. Luke wanted to promise her that he’d never let anything hurt her again, but that would be a lie, so he gently kissed the tears away from her cheeks and then just held her in a comforting embrace. When the water began to run cold, he turned it off, wrapped a towel around his hips and proceeded to dry every inch of her body as gently as he had bathed her.
As he dried the water from her hair, she reached up to caress his cheek and said in absolute amazement, “You are the most incredible man I've ever known.”
That bad boy smile firmly in place, he promised, “Baby, you ain't seen nothin' yet.”
True to his word, she hadn't. Luke made love to every inch of her body with his mouth and hands until she was writhing uncontrollably with need and pleading with him incoherently in a multitude of languages. And then he made love to her with such tender passion that tears slid down her cheeks yet again and at long last, exhausted and replete, she fell asleep in his arms.
Long after Easy fell asleep, Luke continued to lay there and argue with himself. He was seriously beginning to wonder if he was suffering from temporary insanity or had some other type of mental defect like dual personalities. Because on one hand he was ecstatic to have the woman of his dreams in his arms, while another part of him was appalled at what he had done.
The sex had been mind blowing, off the charts, orgasmic ecstasy and he didn’t regret a single minute of it. Hell, he couldn’t wait to do it again. But why did it have to be that incredible with this woman? How had she been able to slip past all of his defenses and why the hell was he helpless to resist her allure? Easy called to the part of himself that he’d fought so hard to keep buried deep inside and the thought of it emerging terrified him.
But just having her curled so trustingly against his side simultaneously stimulated and soothed the wildness inside and made him realize that he’d never felt this content before. It was like he had found a part of himself that he didn’t know was missing. She made him feel… complete. Dammit, Easy really was the woman he’d been looking for. The one who held the key to his heart. So what the hell was he going to do now?
She’d told him all she wanted was casual sex and Luke had known that would never be enough for him. He wanted to bind her to him in every way possible and make damn sure she never wanted to leave, which brought him right back to his original dilemma. Would he be able to keep his wild side under control or would he let it destroy everything he’d worked for? Hell, if it did, he knew he could walk in her world and survive, but if it didn’t, would she do as well in his?
It was temporary insanity, his rational brain decided. It had to be. Anything else was completely unacceptable.
Chapter Four
Sunday, March 16, 2014
“Easy didn't come home last night.” Dizzy announced with a worried expression as she joined her husband in the kitchen. When she had noticed that her sisters bed hadn’t been slept in, she had tried calling her mobile phone, but it went straight to voice mail.
“Maybe she got lucky,” he teased as he poured her a cup of coffee.
“I told you she's not like that,” she said as she accepted the cup absently. “Easy isn't really as wild as she pretends to be.”
If that were the case, she damn sure had him fooled, but Brett wasn't about to tell his wife that. “You're worried about her,” he deduced.
“Of course, I am,” she agreed. “She was upset when she left the bar last night.”
“I'm sure she's fine,” he said confidently and kissed her hungrily. “Call me and let me know when she gets home.”
“Alright,” she agreed with a smile, pleased that he was concerned as well.
Brett wasn't really concerned about Easy. If ever he'd met a woman who could handle herself, it was the eldest Grayson sister. Hell, she hung out in biker bars so she had to be as tough as nails or those guys would eat her alive. No sooner than he arrived at the station, one of his deputies approached him. “Morning, Tommy. What's up?”
“Do you want Matt to tow Easy's bike over to the garage?” the other man questioned.
“For what?” Brett frowned.
“Alan said her bike broke down at Lakeside Park last night and she asked him to keep an eye on it.” Tommy explained. “I checked on it this morning and it’s still sitting there.”
“Why the hell didn’t he take her home?” Brett demanded angrily.
“He offered, but Easy said she’d rather walk.”
“She never made it home last night.” Brett growled and now he began to worry. He didn't think his wife would be able to bear it if anything had happened to Easy. “Where was she when Alan saw her?”
“All he said was Main Street,” the deputy admitted. “You don't think anything happened to her, do you, Chief?”
“I don't know what to think,” he admitted. “But I damn sure don't intend to worry Dizzy until I know something,” he informed the other man as he headed back to the door. “I'm gonna ride around town. Maybe I'll get lucky and find her.”
“Keep me informed,” the younger man requeste
d.
Brett drove down to the park and saw the Harley. He got out and walked around on the off chance that Easy had come back. There was no sign of her so he got back in the jeep and began to drive slowly down Main Street looking for some clue that might tell him where she had gone. Everything appeared normal for a Sunday morning and he pounded his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. Dammit! Where the hell could she be? The logical conclusion would have been Luke's, but he had been with Shelly last night.
And he'd taken her home right after Easy had left the bar, he recalled. And Easy had left immediately after they had danced together. Was it possible that they had arranged to meet, he wondered. Hell, it was worth a shot and like it was, he didn't have any other options to go with. Brett made a right turn and drove to his friend’s house.
Luke answered the door wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a guilty expression. “Luke, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have any idea where Easy might be?” he asked hopefully and a movement behind the other man caught his eye. Easy came walking down the stairs wearing a man's wrinkled dress shirt and a very satisfied smile.
“Morning, Brett,” she greeted him evenly.
“Easy,” he said in obvious relief.
“Come on in,” Luke offered.
“I can't stay,” the Chief denied. “Dizzy was concerned when Easy didn't come home and then when I got to the station and found out her bike had broken down, I started looking for her.”
“Luke took John’s advice and gave me a ride,” she said with that mischievous grin so much like her sisters.
No doubt. From the smile on her face it had been a hell of a ride, Brett mused and couldn't prevent a grin. “Call Dizzy and let her know you're okay,” he suggested. “I'll see you both later.”
