Behind the Scandal

by M.A. Stacie

  Both Josh and Libby turned at the sound of his voice. Libby strode to the fence and covered her mouth with her hand as Josh shouted Levi’s name. The brat whizzed by on his way to his mother and surrogate grandfather.

  Taylor watched the reunion, the three of them embracing. He didn’t get too close, nor did he speak. He wasn’t a part of this. The three of them were their own fucked-up family, and they had their own shit to deal with. Instead, he walked around the house to the back door and entered the kitchen.

  Hunger cramped in his stomach. It seemed like since he’d arrived here, all he’d done was sleep and eat. With the exception of fixing the fence. Hunger was a strange sensation, as back in Sea Pointe he’d spent so long not feeling the slightest interest in food. It had been a function, not a necessity. Added to that his returning libido, and it was obvious the drugs were working their way out of his system.

  After rummaging through the cabinets, he found some bread. A sandwich would be the best option. He had no clue how to cook anything else.

  His stomach grumbled as he set about spreading the bread with peanut butter. He heard Josh and Libby enter the house with the kid, but they didn’t come into the kitchen. His shoulders slumped a little, and he wondered why he felt somewhat disappointed.

  He hadn’t gone looking for the brat so people would heap affection on him for being the hero. He hadn’t been exactly sure why he’d gone. He supposed it was because he’d had nothing to do, anyway. Still, now that Levi was home, a thank-you wouldn’t go astray.

  Irritated, Taylor spread jelly onto the peanut butter with too much force. He tore at the slices, and crumbs scattered across the countertop. He cursed, tossed the knife into the sink, and grasped the edge of the wood countertop as he felt a hand flatten against the base of his spine. He hadn’t even heard anyone enter the room.

  “Thank you.” Libby’s voice was soft, light. “I can’t express how much what you did means to me.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Taylor mumbled.

  “I mean it, Taylor. You found him. I didn’t even ask you to search. You did it because you wanted to.”

  “I did it because I’d be a complete asshole if I didn’t.” He reached for a cloth and wiped his hands, realizing Libby’s hand still rested against his back. “Is he okay? His lip was cut.”

  Libby tilted her head, trying to see his face, but he turned away. “He’s okay. The cut’s small. Has he said anything to you? About why he got off the bus early, I mean.”

  “We had a chat. He said some monster named Aster has been picking on him. I got the impression the little shit said a few things that really hurt Levi.”

  Libby sighed.

  “I dunno,” Taylor said. “I could be wrong. It just seemed that way to me.”

  “Did he talk to you about how he split his lip?”

  Taylor faced her, hating the way his stomach did a little flip. Hungry. He was definitely hungry. “Look, shouldn’t you be asking your kid these questions? I just found him. No big deal.”

  Libby took one step closer and raised her hand to his face. She cupped his cheek, and he almost flinched. His skin tingled and he tried to pull away, but she shifted quickly and gripped his bicep. “I’ll be one second, then you can hurry off to whatever important thing you have needing your attention.”

  He relaxed a bit but stiffened the moment her lips met his cheek. His throat closed, and all the air seemed to whoosh out of his lungs.

  “You brought him back to me, and I am eternally thankful.”

  He couldn’t speak, so nodded instead. She smiled, patted his arm, and left him dumbfounded in the kitchen.

  Chapter 6

  Libby’s kiss had been fleeting, but Taylor thought of very little else for days. The memory of her lips on his cheek played on his periphery, and no amount of work from Josh cleared it.

  The lists from his uncle arrived daily, placed on the coffee machine with his name in block letters on the top. Just in case he mistook the demands as for someone else.

  The chores made the day move faster and, at times, eased his craving for drugs. The mood swings weren’t as easily appeased. He often bit Josh’s head off only to feel instantly guilty because the old guy had done nothing wrong. Taylor had eaten crow more times in the last week than he cared to admit. Lucky for him Libby had been busy with Levi and the riding lessons, otherwise he’d have been left apologizing to her, too.

  Taylor wondered if she was avoiding him, but he couldn’t understand why. Josh might have spoken to her about his moods, warning her away from him until he rode out that particular wave. It would be perfect if his brain could warn him when his mouth was about to go off. With that kind of knowledge, he could stop everyone being pissed at him. Kind of.

  He’d tried to call his brother last night. Each time, Kyran’s cell had gone straight to his voice mail. In truth, he wasn’t sure why he wanted to speak to him. He’d just wanted to try. Their last conversation hadn’t been all bad, had it?

  Their relationship had always been complicated, though Taylor had made it a lot worse with the drug use and the way he’d treated Kyran’s girlfriend. That hadn’t been premeditated. Kyran was never serious about any woman, so Taylor saw no problem with assuming Dale was the same as the others. The night of his father’s corporation benefit had proven him wrong. He’d watched them from the sidelines, hiding out in the shadows. Dale stood with his brother, holding hands while affection glinted in her eyes as they talked to his father and Clara. They all appeared very happy together, and Taylor had snapped.

  He threw punches, spitting venom and nasty comments. They were hypocrites, all of them. They condemned him for his use of narcotics, and yet Kyran got off on getting punched in the face. Wasn’t his brother’s need for his underground fights just as twisted as Taylor’s need for cocaine?

  Groaning, Taylor removed his clothes and switched on the shower. The spray hit him hard, easing his aching muscles and warming him through. Never in his life had he worked as hard as he did on the ranch. The jobs were tough on his body but allowed him to forget the things spinning around in his head.

  Taylor reached for the soap and scrubbed the mud from his hands and face. The skin on his palms was growing rough and calloused, something new to him. His biceps were changing, growing harder and more pronounced. Reluctantly, he admitted he liked his new shape. But no amount of sunlight and outdoor work could hide the sallowness of his skin. Or the large dark circles that sagged underneath his blue eyes. His skin had begun to tan a little, but it still appeared gray.

  The air in Hunter’s Hollow had helped with his stuffy nose, too. He liked to fool himself that the issues with his breathing had been due to the pollution in Sea Pointe, but reality was getting hard to ignore, and glossing over the truth was growing difficult. Too many aspects of his life were changing now that he was free of cocaine.

  He reached for the shampoo and rubbed it into his hair. His stomach rumbled, hungry once again. Just like his mood swings, his need for food went from one extreme to another. One minute he gagged at the sight or smell of sustenance, the next he gorged himself on whatever he could lay his hands on. He no longer knew his own body.

  A small knock on the bathroom door made him pause. He waited, hoping he’d imagined it, but the knock came again.

  “What?”

  “I gotta go potty.”

  Rolling his eyes, Taylor switched the shower off. “Kid, I’m taking a shower. Can’t you pee somewhere else?”

  “I did it in the yard once, but Mom said that’s gross. Gotta use the bathroom.” Levi knocked again. “Hurry.”

  Taylor would have preferred to stay toasty in the bathroom, to keep the door closed and let the brat piss himself. And yet, seconds later, he wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door.

  “Thanks.” Levi rushed past him, unzipping his jeans before Taylor had even turned his back.

  “Can’t you wait until I leave the room?”

  “No.” He sighed and relieved h
imself. “I had to go.”

  Taylor shuffled his feet. He slicked back his damp hair and tucked the towel tighter over his hips.

  “Thanks, Taylor!”

  Levi shoved past him, but Taylor made a grab for the hood of the boy’s jacket and pulled him back. “Wait, kid. I want to talk to you.”

  The boy’s shoulders sagged. He turned to face Taylor, though his eyes kept darting toward the stairs. “What about?”

  “About what happened the other day. Has your mom been to your school? Spoken to your teacher?”

  “She did but . . .” Levi wrinkled his nose.

  “But what? Come on, it’s freezing.”

  “It won’t matter. Mom came to school yesterday, but Aster just won’t stop.”

  Taylor repressed a shiver but didn’t miss the goose bumps that had broken out along his arms. “Has the little shit said anything to you since then?”

  Levi chewed on his bottom lip and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. “He laughed at me on the bus.”

  Rage seared through Taylor’s body. “The little demon! Clearly he doesn’t learn.” He pointed at Levi. “He won’t be messing with you once I have a word with him.”

  The boy’s brown eyes grew wide with shock. “Momma won’t let you.”

  “Momma won’t know.”

  From somewhere downstairs, Libby shouted her son’s name. Levi froze, his mouth dropping open. “I gotta go. ’Bye!”

  He raced away before Taylor could say anything more. Instead of going down the main staircase, the boy rushed into Josh’s bedroom and down the small staircase in there, which let out right next to the back door, where he could effectively avoid bumping into his mother. Taylor shrugged. What did he know about six-year-old boys? And what did he know about running away from his mother? He had been robbed of his before he could talk. His only parent had been absent for most of his youth, leaving his brother, Kyran, to step up. Their whole childhood had been a disaster, and their father still refused to apologize for it.

  “Has Levi been up here?”

  Taylor blinked, burying his dark thoughts and focusing on the redhead. She pouted, her chest rising and falling rather quickly. Her white top was devilishly low-cut, and it stretched across her ample breasts. Her skin flushed pink, and Taylor found her reaction to him somewhat intriguing.

  “Uhhh,” he said to buy some time while he raked his brain for an answer. “What?”

  “Wow, we’re back to that, are we?”

  “Back to what, Blue? You asked me a question. I asked you to repeat it.”

  Her bottle-green eyes drifted over him, her gaze heating his skin. She licked her lips, her eyes fixed at his hips, and he remembered he was standing there wearing just a towel.

  “This Blue thing is getting old.”

  “And so am I, standing here listening to you complain. Are you going to tell me what you want?”

  “Not before you tell me what Blue even means.” She looked him up and down again, taking her time around the area his towel covered.

  “Because it’s the opposite of your red hair.” He smirked and cocked his hip, well aware the movement pulled the towel taut across his groin.

  Libby’s eyes widened, reminding him of her son. If he thought she’d been blushing before, he’d been wrong. Her color deepened to a vibrant red.

  He arched a brow. “Cat got your tongue?”

  Libby stammered and tore her gaze from his waist. She folded her arms over her chest and stared. “Not at all. I’m just struggling to work out how to deal with you. One minute you’re a total asshat, and the next you’re helping to find my son. I don’t understand you at all.”

  “Good.”

  “I—what? Good? You’re happy that people don’t know how to interact with you?”

  Taylor took a step closer, grinning when she took a step backward. “I surprise people, Blue.”

  She shook her head. “No. You scare them. There’s a difference.”

  He took another step closer, knowing she could only back up so far before hitting the wall. He shouldn’t tease her, but what else was there to do for amusement around there? He wasn’t hurting her; she was giving him as good as she got. It was fun, and it was also more than a little interesting feeling the way his body responded to her.

  He reached out and hooked a finger underneath her chin. She reared her head back, her eyes narrowing as she tried to work out what he was up to. Her arms remained folded in front of her, her whole demeanor warning him off.

  He’d never been very good at heeding the signs.

  He lowered his tone and replaced his hooked finger under her chin. “Your reaction to me tells me you like being scared.”

  “You wish,” she said.

  He straightened his finger and skimmed it along her jaw. Libby’s breath hitched, and he felt her swallow. Whether she admitted it or not, he affected her.

  “If that’s true, and you dislike me so much, why aren’t you running? Why aren’t you screaming for Josh to come and save you?”

  Libby didn’t answer.

  “I don’t think I scare you, Blue. I think I arouse you. I make you want something you don’t really like.”

  She huffed. “You’re right about one thing. I don’t like you. I’m thankful for what you did, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I want you.” Her voice quivered.

  “So move.”

  She didn’t, leaving Taylor no doubt that what he was saying was true. But he’d been here before, with Tori. He’d read the signals, had been certain she’d wanted it, too, but afterward all hell had broken loose. It left him questioning every part of this interaction.

  He’d once explained to Dale, his brother’s girlfriend, that his lack of affection as a child made him yearn for it now he was grown. He always wanted to rush in, to take whatever he could. On reflection, he realized how needy that was, and it was exactly why he’d landed himself in so much trouble. But even with that knowledge, he still wanted to press Libby’s body against the wall and devour every inch of her.

  Taylor stalled, watching her expression closely. His body was on fire, burning up with a need stronger than he’d felt before. It made no sense. His body was adjusting to cope without the drugs—did he really need to add the attraction to Libby to the turmoil?

  “I c-can’t move. You’re in the way,” she said, her voice light and breathless.

  “All you have to do is ask, and I’ll move.” He lowered his head, never breaking eye contact. Her breath warmed his lips, causing his groin to tighten. No doubt his towel had been turned into a tent by his impatient dick. “Say the words, Blue.”

  Her tongue darted out, the tip skimming across the plump flesh and leaving an enticingly wet trail in its wake. His balls clenched, and it became difficult to beat down his urges. When she uncrossed her arms and placed them at her sides, Taylor exhaled. Her breasts pressed against his naked, damp chest, and her pert nipples confirmed her arousal. She could deny her reaction all she wanted, but her body told him the truth.

  When the silence became too much, he brought his lips millimeters from hers and waited for her to knee him in the balls. Nothing came except for a sharp intake of breath. He had no idea if it was hers or his, because his world had narrowed, becoming so small it centered on the minute space between their lips. He filled his lungs with her scent, smoothed his hand along her jaw to cup the back of her neck, and readied himself to taste her lips.

  Libby reared her head back. “We’re not doing this, Taylor,” she said, placing her palms flat against his abdomen. She gave a feeble push, though Taylor stayed rigid . . . along with his dick.

  “Why not? We could have so much fun.”

  Shaking her head, she tried to shove him away again. “You might. Me, however? No.” Libby moved her head away from his and ducked around him. She sighed with relief when he gave her the space to get away. His control was shot. He could think of nothing but grabbing her arm and plastering her against the wall. He wanted that mouth. He needed to savor
her as she poured her aggression for him into a searing kiss. Damn, he could almost taste it.

  “You should get dressed.”

  Taylor turned to face her, noting her frown and the way she shoved her hands into her snug jeans. He wondered if he’d simply grown so bored with the ranch that he’d begun looking for excitement where there was none. Was Libby really saying no?

  “You’re right. I’m freezing,” he said, and Libby started to walk away. “This isn’t over, Blue. We’re not done.”

  Libby didn’t turn around. She walked down the stairs, her voice growing fainter the farther she went. “Don’t fool yourself. We are so done.”

  He thumped the wall, with no real force, and braced himself for an argument with Josh. No doubt Libby was heading straight to his uncle to inform him of his wayward nephew. He certainly wasn’t looking forward to what was coming.

  “Damn fool,” he muttered to himself and shuffled into his bedroom.

  Would he never learn? He didn’t even understand why he was drawn to her; it was debatable whether she even liked him. He could use the excuse that his libido had returned now that the drugs were leaving his system, but it was something more. Something deeper than sexual attraction.

  He thought of her as he fell asleep. What kind of loser did that make him? He barely knew her, and yet her red hair and luscious ass were on his mind morning, noon, and night. The urge grew to pursue his feelings and explore what was going on between the two of them. Libby might deny the attraction, but Taylor wouldn’t. He would take his time, learn what made her tick, and enjoy every little bit of sass she gave him.

  Libby Karlin was going to admit she liked him.

  Chapter 7

  Libby fanned her hand in front of her face as she hurried toward the front door. Her skin burned. The man was so damn sure of himself, so confident she was going to respond to his seduction, and for one small moment she’d wanted to.

  Her stomach flipped. She could still feel the ghost of his body pressed against her. Her heart still raced, her pulse still throbbed heavily between her thighs. She should be horrified at her reaction, annoyed at the way her body lit up like a Christmas tree. A small part of her was, but mostly she just felt excited, giddy even. It had been so long since she’d experienced such a surge of lust-filled adrenaline.