Ruthless

by Gillian Archer

  “Sorry. Emily, this is Zag. Zag, Emily.”

  Em smiled. “We’ve met.”

  “What? When?” I wracked my brain, trying to remember.

  “The morning after? You guys were making out in the kitchen when I let myself in…”

  I flushed. “Right. I remember now.” Apparently, Nicole wasn’t the only friend I had to keep my eye on tonight.

  Zag gave a deep chuckle. “I remember now. Good times.”

  I closed my eyes and muttered, “Lord, take me now.”

  “What? It’s not like he was naked or anything.” Emily paused and took a long and blatant perusal of Zag’s body. “Not that I would’ve minded if he had been.”

  My face heated with a flush even as Zag’s deep laughter filled the living room.

  I was wrong—I should’ve been more worried about Emily embarrassing me, too.

  Thankfully, I was saved by the doorbell ringing. I don’t think I’d ever been so excited to see Nic in my life.

  Until I opened the door to her scowling face.

  “Hey, Jess. Where’s the liquor? I need a drink.” She gave me a distracted half smile that was more frown than smile before quickly making her way to the kitchen, where she ripped open the fridge and rustled around for a beer.

  I threw a look over my shoulder at Emily, then followed Nic to the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

  “My shitty asshole of a boss.” She leaned against the counter and twisted the top off her beer. “He had the fucking audacity to claim total credit for my project and then report me to HR when I called him on his bullshit during our month-end meeting.”

  I exchanged looks with Emily. I had a feeling that “calling him on it” hadn’t been as innocent as Nic made it sound. Nicole chugged her beer, then gave us a bitter smile. “But the joke’s on him. I’ve got my laptop and computer logs to prove the hours I put into the project. The bastard’s going down Monday when we’re in that HR office.”

  “Nic!” I waved a hand in front of her.

  She looked up from her beer and gave me an irritated look. “What?”

  “What? What! Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. I had a shitty day and yet I’m here. What do you want from me?”

  I turned to Emily and shrugged. “I just—I don’t—I can’t…”

  Emily looked between us and chewed on her bottom lip. I felt bad dragging her into it. She really hated conflict.

  Finally, I just shook my head. “You know what, Nicole?”

  She took another bracing pull on the longneck, then swiveled and dumped her empty in the sink. “No, what?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “We’ve met,” Zag cut me off. “I’m Zag, by the way.”

  “Hey.” Nicole jerked her head in greeting, rolled her eyes at me, then went to the fridge for a second beer.

  “That’s it?” He scowled.

  My anger over Nicole’s selfishness drained away as a new concern overtook me. I had a whole other situation to worry about—two hotheads in one kitchen. I hoped there wouldn’t be too much damage. “Zag, I don’t think tonight’s a good—”

  “Jessica has been stressing out about tonight. Making an awesome dinner—which, judging by the smell, is burning—having panic attacks about how you and me are gonna get along, and you can’t even pretend to be interested? Instead, you flounce in here with your fucking drama and piss all over your host. What kinda fucking friend are you? So what if your boss is a douche? Get in fucking line. Maybe you should get your head out of your ass and look around. This night’s not about you and your silly fucking drama.”

  That had to be the longest thing I’d ever heard him say. My usually quiet guy had finally opened up, and it was to leap to my defense. It was strangely sweet, and to be honest he’d said a lot of stuff that I’d thought once or twice during my friendship with Nicole. She was kind of selfish. Everything always had to be about her. Sometimes it was hard to remember why we were still best friends.

  And then his burning dinner comment sunk in. I raced to the oven to see if I could salvage the meal.

  I pulled the crispy husk of a roast out of the oven and dropped it on the stovetop with a thunk. “Son of a bitch!”

  “Jess, I’m sorry. I just…work was…and Dale…” Nicole trailed off with a sigh. “I was in a shitty mood and needed to vent.”

  I looked up from my angry contemplation of dinner and gave Nicole a long look. “You know what? ‘I’m sorry’ just isn’t going to cut it with me anymore. Things have got to change.”

  Emily rushed between us and held up a placating hand. “You know, I don’t think tonight’s the best night to do this. Everyone’s tempers are up and—”

  “No,” I cut in. “With all due respect, Em. But I agree with Zag.”

  “There’s a shocker,” Nicole muttered into her longneck beer.

  “What was that?” I glared at her.

  Nicole tilted her head and met my glare head-on. “You lose yourself in every relationship you’re in. Everything is ‘Randy said this’ or ‘Toby said that.’ Of course you agree with Zag. You agree with all your boyfriends. You don’t know how not to.”

  I couldn’t hold back my bitter laughter. “You don’t know jack shit about my relationship with Zag.”

  “And that’s my fault?”

  “Yeah, it kinda is.”

  Emily tried to wade in again. “I think this might be getting a little out of hand here. Things might be said that will be hard to take back later and—”

  “No.” Nicole cut her off. “Jessica here has finally found her voice, and she obviously has a load to get off her chest. Come on, Jess. Tell me how I’ve been a shitty friend.”

  “What do you want me to say? You are a bad friend. Everything has to be about you. In case you forgot, tonight was supposed to be about you guys meeting Zag.” Oh shit, Zag. In all our little drama, I’d forgotten about him. I darted a look over my shoulder and found him sprawled out on a kitchen chair looking for all the world like he was enjoying the show.

  I gave him an apologetic smile, but he waved me on like it wasn’t a big thing, then crossed his arms across his chest.

  I turned back to Nicole. “I get that I had my part in all this. I should’ve called you guys more these past couple months, and I kind of lost myself in what was going on in my life, but it’s not all on me. There was a reason I couldn’t call you. And this whole display today just underlined it for me. Shit has got to change if you want to stay in my life.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stood up for myself. But it felt good. And high time I called Nicole on her bullshit.

  “I, um, wow.” Nicole seemed to have a hard time deciding what to say. “I…you’re right. I gotta do better.”

  I nodded. “Me too.” Honestly, I felt a little deflated that she’d agreed so quickly. I was geared up for a fight, dammit.

  “Well, I’ll say this for your new guy,” Emily cut in once more. “He’s certainly improved your cursing skills.”

  I had to laugh at that, which I think was what Emily was hoping for—something to loosen the tension in the room. “I just wish I’d remembered to set the damn oven timer. Dinner’s ruined.”

  Zag cleared his throat and pulled his cell out of his back pocket. “I’ll call for pizza. But none of you better be vegetarians. I’m not wasting any money on meatless pizzas.” He walked to the far side of the kitchen while he spoke into the phone.

  Emily grinned. “PS, how amazing was it that he stood up for you like that? But does he pull that mean biker face with you?”

  I really didn’t want to answer that question. “Um, well…”

  “Because it was ridiculously hot. Both physically and what with the way he was standing up for you. I just…wow.” Emily pantomimed fanning herself.

  I couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that swept across my face. “Oh, if you guys only knew.”

  “Oh, we will,” Nicole said. “I want details. You’ve been holding bac
k for way too long.”

  I just laughed. I’d never been the detail-sharing type. “Does this mean he gets the girlfriend stamp of approval?”

  “Anyone who would go to bat for you like that automatically does in my book.” Nicole raised her beer bottle in a salute.

  “Hell yes.” Emily wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “All I wanna know is: Does he have equally hot friends you can introduce us to?”

  The three of us burst into laughter. Tonight hadn’t gone at all like I’d thought, but now I knew it’d be okay. My girls trusted my judgment—for the most part—and Zag was an amazing, one-of-a-kind guy.

  Our laughter was slowly dying down when Zag came back. “What’s so funny? What did I miss?”

  “Emily wants to meet some of your hot friends.”

  Zag shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I dunno. You two might be too much trouble for my crew.”

  Chapter 21

  Zag

  AUGUST 16

  The second Jess closed the door behind her friends—which wasn’t until the god-awful hour of one in the morning—he pounced, sliding up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and tugging her back into the cradle of his hips. He nuzzled her neck while his hands wandered up to caress her amazing tits.

  Jessica moaned and arched back into his arms. “I think that went okay. Don’t you?”

  “Mmm hmmm.” Zag slowly walked backward in the vague direction of her bedroom. She could’ve asked him for anything at that moment. He couldn’t think above the painful throbbing behind his fly. He’d been hard ever since the moment Jess had stood up for herself in the kitchen. Her flashing brown eyes and the passionate way she spoke had him wanting to clear the room and take her right there on the table.

  But he hadn’t.

  He’d waited like a good guy until her friends had finally left the house. Each minute had felt like twenty. And it’d been damn awkward to hide his hard-on behind furniture, like he was some out-of-control teenager. But he’d done it.

  And now they were gone, so he could be as fucking bad as he wanted.

  The back of his legs slammed into the end of the couch. Fuck it, this was close enough.

  He enclosed her tightly in his arms and pitched them backward over the arm of the couch. Jessica let out a startled squeal as their legs lifted off the ground. Once they rested on the couch, Zag pivoted and braced himself on his left elbow, keeping his other arm on the back of the couch and effectively boxing Jessica in.

  He stared down at her and tried to ignore the pounding pulse below his belt. What was it about this woman that got him every time? Hell, half the time she didn’t even have to say anything. She’d just give him a look, and he was lost.

  Jessica blinked and tilted her head as confusion clouded her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  Zag had to smile. “Do you have any idea how fucking hot you were tonight?”

  “Are you nuts? I was having dinner with my friends. How was that hot?”

  “You telling your friend off—that was so hot. I might just make you into a biker babe yet.”

  Jessica laughed and shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  “Crazy about you.” Where the hell did that come from? He sounded like some lovesick fool. That wasn’t him.

  Jessica’s eyes widened and she took a breath to say something.

  Zag didn’t want to know where that was going, so he swooped down and took advantage of her open mouth. Using his lips and tongue, he teased her until her she had to pull away to catch her breath.

  While she was occupied trying to remember how to breathe, he left a trail of kisses across her cheek to her ear, where he nibbled on her earlobe. A rash of goose bumps broke out down her neck and she shivered.

  Apparently she’d decided to get the show on the road as her wandering hands pulled at his shirt and then his belt underneath. Deciding to help her, he knelt and ripped his shirt off, and his belt soon followed. Next he undid his fly and wriggled his jeans down his legs, but got caught up on his boots. Calling himself three kinds of fool, he pivoted on the couch to reach for his boots.

  And promptly fell off.

  His breath left him in a whoosh and he found himself on his side still tangled up in his jeans like some clumsy, lovesick teen. For the second time that night.

  Fuck.

  Jessica’s giggle as she peeped over the edge of the couch at him with sparkling eyes didn’t help. More than anything, it underlined the differences between them. He was hard, nasty, and now. He didn’t do light. He didn’t do hopeful. That shit was a pipe dream for someone like him.

  Now, more than ever, he knew that this—what was between them—was temporary.

  And that pissed him off.

  He reached down and tore at his bootlaces. In no time flat, his boots were off. Then, shedding his jeans and boxers in one fluid motion, he stood. His chest heaving, he stared down at Jessica through narrowed eyes.

  The merriment left her face as her eyes darted from his face to his naked chest to his throbbing erection. No words were spoken because none were needed. Her thoughts were written right there on her face. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Zag lost it.

  He covered the distance separating them, then reached down and lifted her into his arms. For what he had planned tonight, the couch just wasn’t going to cut it.

  —

  An hour later, Jessica held up Zag’s hand and examined it in the faint moonlight. He had a web of scars spanning his knuckles—some bridged a few knuckles, while others bisected and ran toward the top of his hand. He could easily remember how he’d come by them. The ones on his index and middle fingers were from his work as a mechanic—which was also where the calluses on his fingertips came from. Others were combat prizes. The long one on the top of his hand was from a fight with a nasty son-of-a-bitch Saddletramp two years ago. A few others were courtesy of a night on the town with Reb his first year in the club. He couldn’t even begin to catalogue the ones on his right hand.

  Having gorgeous, pristine Jessica examining the tools of his trade was too much. He didn’t need to be reminded that she was too good for him.

  But then, she couldn’t be totally perfect if she was naked in bed with him. Especially considering the things they’d just done. He tugged his hand from hers and laid it over her naked breast, branding her with his touch.

  Jessica groaned. “The spirit is willing, but I don’t think I have another one in me tonight.”

  “What?”

  She raised her head from his shoulder and looked at his face. He might’ve been in another room for all the attention he paid her. He looked somewhere off into the distance as he tried to make sense of where these crazy thoughts were coming from. Certainly not the very naked woman in his arms or the breast he was currently fondling.

  “Zag? Is everything okay?”

  He couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought. How could he tell her what was circling in his mind? She already knew he wasn’t worth a second of her time. He didn’t really feel like reminding her of that fact.

  “Zag, do you have any kids?”

  He sat up with a start. “Where the hell did that come from?”

  Jessica bit her lip and stared up at him with wide eyes. She swallowed hard, then answered. “Something Nicole said at dinner.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Given what happened tonight, why the hell would you take anything that crazy bitch said to heart?”

  She blushed and opened her mouth, but thought better of it and closed it again. She took a second, like she was weighing what she wanted to say before answering. “Because she’s been one of my best friends since grade school? Because I don’t know anything about you. We’ve been together for over two months and I still know so very little about your life. You’re all spaced-out over there and I have no idea why.”

  Zag closed his eyes and groaned. “Is this the ‘Where’s this going’ conversation? Because I can assure you, prin
cess, it won’t be a long convo.”

  “Screw you. I know exactly where this is going. And we would’ve been there already if you weren’t such an asshole.” Jessica kicked the covers off, then apparently had second thoughts and snatched the top sheet as she got off the bed. But Zag wouldn’t let go of his end. She tugged a few times but didn’t gain any ground.

  She could’ve been sending him a glare at the moment, but Zag wouldn’t have known. His attention wasn’t on her face. No, he was watching her breasts jiggle. Giving up, she threw her end of the sheet over his head and searched the floor for her clothes.

  “Come on, princess. Come back to bed and I’ll make it all better.”

  “Screw you. This needy, grasping woman is getting dressed and kicking you out of her bed. You can go home. Alone.”

  “I never called you that. Come on, princess.” Zag got off the bed and came around to grab her arm.

  “Do not”—she wrenched her arm out of his grasp—“touch me. You wanna play your Tarzan, King of the Jungle thing, fine. You need to find yourself a new Jane. Get out.” Stepping into her panties, she looked around, then huffed her irritation as she wrapped the sheet toga-style around her body.

  “Fine.” Zag held his hands up. “You want me to leave, I’ll leave. But first tell me what the fuck is going on.”

  “Seriously? You’re an asshole. That’s what’s going on. I ask you one little personal question and you get all pissy. Apparently this is a sex-only thing and since we’ve already had sex, you’re going.”

  “Because that’s what we’re about. You come to my house for sex, we fall asleep. I go to your house, we have sex and fall asleep. It’s what we do. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. But maybe tonight I don’t want you to sleep here.”

  “I don’t remember asking you.”

  “Great. Lock the front door on your way out.”

  Zag stomped completely naked and totally unselfconsciously to the connecting bathroom.

  When the door slammed shut behind him, he stood at the sink and stared at his reflection. If he was honest, he didn’t much like what looked back at him. He was an ass. Jessica was the sweetest, most thoughtful, most sensual woman he knew. She deserved someone a hell of a lot better than him.