Love Her Madly

by Christie Ridgway

  He shrugged. “Not ‘never.’ Rarely. But I heard Mrs. Roth makes some mean-ass spinach dip and it sounds good tonight.”

  Narrowed eyes still on him, Brody tipped back his beer for a long drink.

  Movement across the street snagged Bing’s attention. Alexa was moving about the neighbor’s lawn, arranging portable tables and unfolding chairs. People were arriving to the party and she passed out hugs and cheek kisses. Just like her father, she acted as if it had been eons and disaster since she’d seen each one last.

  Bemused, he shook his head. There was nobody like her.

  “We went running this morning,” Brody said. “Me and Lex.” His gaze had followed Bing’s.

  He grunted. Last time they’d talked about Lex, his brother had told him she’d been quiet during their morning exercise. No matter how curious he might be, he wasn’t going to ask his twin about her mood now. That wasn’t the kind of thing he did.

  He hadn’t changed just because she’d had her hands on him, just because she’d wanted to watch him come, just because he’d slid his dick into her mouth.

  His hand curled into a fist in his pocket. “She seem okay?”

  Idiot.

  “The new curtains at the house on the next block that just sold are hideous. The car wash she uses has a wax that works like a dream. There’s a leaky spigot in her back yard.”

  “I’ll fix it.” He wanted to bonk himself in the head with the Playmate. “She was her usual talkative self then.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cheerful morning person.” He slid a glance at his brother. “Just your style.”

  “What the hell, Bing?” Brody’s brows drew together. “I thought we’d been over this. Are you throwing her at me now?”

  No! He cleared his throat, ensuring he was his cool, usual self. “No. Just a comment.”

  “You don’t know anything,” his brother muttered. “Maybe I’ve got a thing for wild these days.”

  “Feeding feral cats again, are you?”

  “You could say that,” Brody muttered, then took off across the street without a backward look.

  That went well, Bing decided. He’d annoyed his twin, but he’d been doing that a lot lately. Not changed, not changed at all.

  In his brother’s wake, Bing took his own trip over the asphalt. Alexa had her back to him as she arranged the platters of food. His mind snapped to his sister, Cilla, doing the same thing at the rock royalty reunions. Bringing the Velvet Lemon kids together, offering food as a binding tie, creating new memories to take the place of the less-pleasant ones. Knocking a little bit off of all their rough edges.

  Thinking that over, he found a place well away from where the others were mingling and pulled a beer from his cooler. Maybe he should go over to his new lover, ask her about her day, help her set out some more chairs.

  But it seemed smarter to keep his distance. More normal. More like what he’d always do.

  So instead he watched her operate. She smiled and laughed and plied people with food and drink. When Mrs. Roth appeared at the end of the walk, she rushed to her side and helped her into a chair.

  Such a good girl.

  Except when she was bad.

  The idea got him halfway to her before he thought better of it. Fact was, he needed to make sure he had control of himself. If he did what he wanted—go over to her, shove his tongue in her mouth, cop a feel of her probably bruised ass—he’d shock the hell out of the neighbors. Tarnish her rep, too.

  Neighborhood angel getting dirty.

  Retreating back to his secluded spot, he nursed his beer and wondered how long he could hold out before his appetite drew him to the tables. His appetite drew him to her, that was sure. They hadn’t set up any more boundaries. After their morning of sex, she’d told him she had work and laundry and he’d let her go.

  They hadn’t made further plans.

  Close voices interrupted his train of thought. On the other side of the bush that was screening him, through the leaves he caught a glimpse of Marty and an older woman who he recognized as the other man’s mother. There was an edge to her voice. “Ask her out again, son. It just takes tenacity.”

  “She doesn’t seem interested, Mother.”

  “I thought you said that Bing Maddox was standing in your way. Well, he’s not here now. Go to the woman.”

  Marty mumbled something.

  “Speak up, son.”

  “She’s…I think she’s out of my league.”

  “Nonsense. You need to get over there. Now.”

  Craning his neck, Bing could see the other man obey, but his steps were slow and reluctant. His posture the picture of dejection.

  When he reached Alexa, tapped her shoulder, she turned with her usual kind expression.

  Marty still appeared miserable.

  Bing didn’t give it a second thought. He dropped his empty beer to the grass and strode in the direction of the pair. As he came up to them, Marty was in the midst of asking Alexa to the movies.

  She opened her mouth to answer, but Bing slid his arm around her shoulders, interrupting the moment. “Baby,” he said, knowing his voice sounded possessive and his touch appeared proprietary.

  Her eyes went wide. “Uh. Hi.”

  The note of breathlessness in her voice tugged on his dick. He leaned down to brush his mouth against hers. “Looking lovely.”

  She blinked. “Thank you.”

  Now he glanced over at Marty. “Evening.”

  “Uh, evening.” Marty began to back away. “I’ll just be going—”

  “Not so fast, friend.” He gave his voice a hard edge.

  Marty froze. His whole body looked worried. Even his glasses looked worried. “Uh, yes?”

  “We have to have words, man.” He leaned close so that their talk was private from the other neighbors. “About how you keep trying to date Alexa.”

  “Oh. Well. I won’t.”

  Bing lifted a skeptical brow. “So you’ve said before.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “Coming on to my woman, not cool. You get that, right, Marty?”

  “I do, Bing. I do.”

  “I’m not sure about that. A man like me, sees a rival sniffing around, it can get me pretty steamed.”

  Behind his wire rims, Marty’s eyes rounded in shock. “A rival?”

  “That’s right. Makes me feel very territorial. So I have to ask you to stop laying out all those nice offers to the lady on my arm before I have to deck you one.”

  “Deck me one?”

  Alexa grabbed Bing’s shirt. “You wouldn’t!”

  “If I have to, doll.” He narrowed his eyes at the other man. “Now tell me you get me, Marty.”

  “I get you, Bing.”

  “Good. And I’ll give you a little tip.”

  “Okay?” Marty didn’t sound all fired up for his advice.

  Bing continued anyway. “You know the single lady who lives in the green bungalow on the corner?”

  “Pam?”

  “Yeah, Pam. I heard her say her printer’s all messed up. Isn’t that the kind of thing you’re good at fixing?”

  Marty’s face turned red. “Well, yes. I’m excellent at—”

  “Perfect. You’ll find her over by that table with the pies.”

  In silence, they watched him shamble in the direction of the unsuspecting Pam who was in the right age group and, well, who knew? Ridiculous, huh? But he’d just tried to play matchmaker.

  Alexa tugged on Bing’s shirt. “Sniffing around?”

  He glanced down at her. Her lush lips were curved in a half smile. He wanted to kiss them again, but resisted. “Did I play it too strong?”

  She shook her head. Her silky hair swirled over the arm he had still flung over her shoulders. “Not for Marty, I don’t think. But Bing…does Pam even have problems with her printer?”

  “Everybody has problems with their printer.”

  She continued staring up at him. Then she laughed. “What am I going
to do with you?”

  “Feed me?” He tried looking hopeful about eating as a way to explain the hunger and greed—for her—that was rising inside him. God, what would she do if he got her alone somewhere and demanded she slip down her pants and panties so he could inspect what his teeth had done to her ass? Would she comply like the good girl she was?

  He reined in his wayward thoughts. “You know the best of what’s out here, right? Put together a plate for me?”

  With a last, bemused look at him, she moved toward the stack of paper goods and then the table of finger foods. He followed, because he couldn’t do anything else. “Uh, how was your day?” Without his permission, his palm brushed one denim-covered cheek, a surreptitious caress.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him, a blush warming her cheeks. “I started it off by going running with Brody. He was quiet.”

  Bing frowned. He didn’t want to talk about his brother. “Nobody can get a word in edgewise when you’re in your morning mood.” His voice lowered. “Nothing’s sore? I might have been a little…rough.”

  Her attention returned to the food. “I’m fine,” she murmured, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “I don’t break, Bing.”

  Unaltered, she was saying. Unbothered by what had happened between them the night before. Just like him. Relief quelled any lingering disquiet. “That’s good, Lex.”

  Then she turned, a full plate of appetizers in her hand. Before he could grab it from her, she lifted a tidbit to his mouth. “Stuffed mushroom,” she said. “Mine.”

  Hers. He stared at the treat, then back to her eyes. Time stretched as he bent to take it from her fingers and into his mouth.

  Bing had never taken food from a woman’s hand and it struck him as unbearably intimate. As he drew in the morsel, it seemed natural to flick his tongue across the end of her fingers. The sound of her small gasp made his cock twitch, but he pretended the sound didn’t affect him at all.

  Bing, cool as he ever was. Untouched.

  Unchanged.

  Alexa stared up at Bing as they stood on the busy city street just outside the snazzy, Art Deco-styled hotel where they were attending the evening event. “I’m not asking that woman for her panties!” she hissed.

  His head bent over the paper in his hand. “It says the first woman we see. Shall I do it then?” He started forward.

  She grabbed his elbow and dragged him back to her side. “This is the stupidest game I’ve ever played,” she complained. “Didn’t scavenger hunts go out with seventh grade?”

  “Wouldn’t know, doll. This is your cousin’s thing.”

  “Combined ‘stag and hen’ party,” she muttered. “And didn’t those terms go out of fashion during the last century?”

  “You’re usual a better sport than this, Lex. What’s up?”

  She scowled at him. He had on black slacks, black dress shoes, and a gray dress shirt shot with blue stripes the exact color of his eyes. In this civilized, sophisticated get-up he looked as powerful and attractive as he did in his ragged denim and worn tool belt.

  No less delicious. No less desirable.

  She’d yet to get a handle on it.

  Her great idea, that having sex with Bing would eradicate her interest in having sex with Bing, had yet to reap the expected results. If anything, she felt even more fascinated. Now that some mystery was gone, shouldn’t her avid interest in him be fading?

  What did it mean that it hadn’t?

  Reaching out a long arm, he traced his fingertip down her cheek. “We could forget all about the game, the stags and hens. Do what I suggested when we first arrived.”

  Beneath his touch, her flesh heated. “We can’t skip the party and go straight to a hotel room.”

  “Don’t look so scandalized, doll.”

  “This is a family event.”

  He leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear. “Doesn’t make me want to fuck you any less. That dress is making me mad, Lex.”

  Her mood lifted. She’d gone for candy-apple red. It was short, tight, and was a racer-back style that left no room for a bra under the tight knit.

  “I shouldn’t tell you where I want those red-painted lips.”

  A shiver worked its way down her spine and she ducked her head to hide what he might read on her face. A woman shouldn’t be so easy to arouse. “What’s the next item on the list?”

  He glanced down, glanced back at her. Between the streetlights, car headlights, and the district’s stylish neon business signs, it was as bright as day. Mischief sparked in his blue eyes as he took her arm. “We need to visit a shop down the street.”

  They walked hand-in-hand along the wide sidewalk. All the guests who’d arrived to the bachelor/bachelorette party had been divided into two-person, co-ed teams. Their scavenger lists had been varied and they didn’t encounter any other guests on their walk. Alexa relaxed a little, enjoying the warm evening and the firm clasp of his fingers. Team Bing Maddox might just be a winner, she thought, grinning a little. The good girl and the sinner.

  Then he hustled her through the door of a boutique, barely giving her a chance to note the windows were plastered with “Adult” and “XXX” so the items for sale inside were obscured from casual passersby.

  She squeaked when she caught sight of the colorful, raunchy-looking items hanging from racks about the room. “What is this?”

  “Just what it looks like,” he said, grinning down at her. “The first floor is bawdy lingerie. Upstairs is the stuff that will really give you an education.”

  “Why am I not surprised you know the layout of the merchandise?” she asked, one brow rising.

  His grin widened. “My expertise is the prime reason you put up with me.”

  Not really, she thought, as he pulled her farther into the store. While she might not be able to put her finger on exactly why she was so attracted to him, it was for more than his experience. It was because he made her laugh and because he drew her with those silly fish-lips and because he’d never questioned her wish not to attend the wedding events without a man at her side.

  And because he cheated.

  “We can’t do that,” she said automatically, as he dropped a pair of hardly-there panties in the basket he’d snagged from a nearby stack. “Can we do that?”

  “They don’t need to come with an affidavit,” he said, moving toward the stairs at the rear of the shop. “We’ll have the cashier remove the tags and say we got them from someone on the street.”

  She smiled. “You’re brilliant.”

  He glanced back at her. Stopped. A speculative expression overtook his face. “Unless…”

  “Unless?”

  His smile went wicked. “I should have thought of it before. The list reads ‘Panties from first woman seen on the street.’ The first woman I saw, Alexa, was you.”

  Her skin burned. “Um…”

  “Yeah,” he said with obvious relish. “You could save me,” he lifted the scrap of fabric and checked the tag, “twenty-nine bucks if you’d just fork yours over.”

  “Twenty-nine dollars!” She snatched them from his hand. “Those aren’t worth that much.”

  “Choice is yours, Lex,” he said, and grabbed her hand to haul her up the worn wooden steps. The whole time she climbed, she felt the shift of her skirt on her bare thighs and wondered what it would feel like if she was bare everywhere.

  Upon reaching the second floor she was breathless. And dizzy, as she took in an emporium of unfamiliar devices and unknown instruments hanging from the walls and stacked on shelves.

  She lifted on tiptoe to whisper in Bing’s ear. “Where are the guys in the trench coats?”

  Not a single one of that type browsed the large room. Yes, there were a couple of normal-looking men as well as several well-dressed couples. A trio of women about her age were giggling as they picked up items to show one another. Each had a basket on her elbow and from the bright fabric at the bottom of them, they must have spent time cruising the lingerie floor as
well.

  Bing moved about the space. She followed more slowly, wide-eyed, her attention snagging on brightly colored packages with lewd names. Obscenely shaped objects were encased in shrink wrap, but she was still afraid to touch them.

  Transfixed by a trapeze-like mechanism hanging in one corner, she didn’t hear Bing come up behind her until he wrapped his hand around her hip and pulled her against his front. His mouth moved against her ear. “Do I need to find a place for that in my house?”

  “Not unless you’re planning on joining the circus.” She glanced over her shoulder and looked straight into his lazy eyes and too-handsome face. When would she grow tired of it?

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She glanced into the basket he carried. “What did we need to get for the scavenger list?”

  “Cuffs,” he said, lifting up a pair of silly, white fuzzy ones by hooking a pinky between the chain.

  They didn’t look scary. But there were other things in the basket beside them. Her gaze flew back to his. “Bing…”

  “Picked up a few more things.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “For us.”

  “We shouldn’t,” she said, her response immediate. Sex toys? Alexa Alessio and sex toys?

  His gaze held hers as one eyebrow drew up. “No?

  He’d exposed her to so many new experiences already. She’d wanted to spread her wings, sure, but this was like being guided through a sky of a whole different galaxy.

  “I can’t,” she said, embarrassment making her hot and shaky.

  “Really?” He chucked her beneath the chin. “Or is this some hang-up you have about holding on to your good-girl cred? Because that’s already blown, babe, at least with me.”

  “I…” What could she say? Toys? Experimenting with things like that didn’t seem dignified, let alone serene, or…safe. But perhaps that was the point. Maybe sex, intimacy, being with Bing wasn’t supposed to be any of those things.

  As if he already read the answer on her face, he put his arm around her and led her toward the stairs. To the cashier and a bag full of goodies.

  She paused in the doorway of the shop, glanced back, glanced at him who was waiting patiently for her to take another step. He saw through her, she thought. No, into her. He let her fly free, without judgment, and always with a sense of fun.