“Maybe I wasn’t before.”
“Maybe the big city is good for you.”
“Maybe you should stop talking and finish what you’ve started.”
Reid had time to grin, then Cassie kissed him again. She’d no sooner locked her mouth over his than he flicked his thumb against her three times in rapid succession. The move sent her over the edge, but he caught her nape with his free hand and devoured the sound of her release.
She opened her eyes to find him watching her with satisfaction, his eyes gleaming. She slid her hand down the length of him, letting it linger on the front of his jeans. “Now it’s your turn.”
Reid shook his head. “You’ll be late for dinner, and I’ll never live that down.”
“But...”
He kissed her swiftly and there was a raw hunger in his kiss. “The deal was a drive for a kiss but I’m open to further negotiations,” he said, his voice husky.
“I do have your number.”
“Call anytime.” He looked fierce then and Cassie was excited to catch a glimpse of his desire. She kissed him again, more slowly, then he eased her into the seat, opened the door, and got out. He walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat, cast her an intent look, then started the car. He reached into the glove box, his hand brushing her knees, and got a wipe. “In case I have to shake hands with Devin,” he murmured with a wicked wink, which made Cassie laugh out loud in surprise.
Then he backed out of the spot, squealed the tires, and headed back to town.
Cassie straightened herself out as Reid drove, fixing her lipstick and tugging down her skirt. She hoped she didn’t look too excited but knew there wasn’t much she could do about it. She was probably flushed after that orgasm and looking like she was ready for more. With any luck, she’d be able to go to her room at Tori and Nick’s and change before dinner.
She’d just reassured herself that no one would notice when Reid turned the corner and she saw the large RV parked at the curb in front of the house where she’d grown up.
Her heart sank.
Her parents had arrived back from their winter in Arizona a day early.
With plenty of time to make sure that Cassie was forced to talk to all of them.
And as a bonus, they’d arrived just in time for Cassie’s mom to see Cassie arrive with Reid. They could start the familiar argument right away instead of leading up to it.
“What’s wrong?” Reid asked.
“Nothing new,” Cassie said through her teeth, then forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my baggage.”
He looked skeptical, but she couldn’t share all her troubles with him as if they were friends. Negotiating for sex was completely different from confiding in someone.
She couldn’t keep from tensing up, though. There would be a fight, as much as she’d prefer to avoid one.
Coming home was such fun.
Predictably, Cassie’s mom stepped out of the RV onto the sidewalk as Reid pulled to a stop in front of Nick and Tori’s place, then glanced down the street with disapproval. She had radar for things like Reid’s arrival.
“Even your car annoys her,” Cassie murmured.
“Maybe I should go shake her hand,” Reid said and Cassie was shocked.
“Don’t even think it!”
“Why not?”
“You’ll only make it worse.”
He eyed her for a moment. “Make what worse?”
“It’s really not your problem.” She thought he might argue with her for a heartbeat, but then he nodded with resolve.
“Be sure to wave when you get out,” he said, as indifferent to making a stir as she remembered. “I always knew that if I even tried to tarnish your reputation, your mom would catch me before I got far. She’ll be glad to have nipped this in the bud.” He slanted a glance at Cassie. “If she has.”
“She hasn’t.”
His slow smile heated her blood.
“You could drive around the block. She’ll have gone in the house by then.”
Reid scoffed. “What a chicken-shit suggestion, Cassie. Your mom’s already seen us and, trust me, there isn’t another car like this one in town.”
Cassie bit her lip, knowing he was right. Still, she was tired of fighting. She wasn’t married or pregnant and probably wouldn’t be either anytime soon. She also would never answer the one question her mom wanted answered more than anything.
It was a stalemate.
“Don’t you live on your own terms now?” Reid asked.
“Well, yes, but there’s something about coming back here that makes me feel like I’m in high school all over again.” It was true. Cassie wanted to duck down and hide from her mom’s gaze. She could hear the lecture already.
She felt her cheeks burning already.
She could feel all that old rebellion rising hot in her chest, as if she really was eighteen again.
And people wondered why she avoided Montrose River.
“You need to take command of the situation,” Reid advised. “Don’t let her see that she still has influence over you, even if she does.”
“I didn’t know you were the king of ‘never let them see you sweat’?”
He laughed a little. “You’d better believe it,” he purred, then got out of the car. He came around and opened her door with a flourish, pausing to wave to her mom. “Welcome back to town, Mrs. Wilson!” he called and Cassie ground her teeth.
“Now, you’re just gloating.”
“Come on. I’ve waited for this moment for years.” Reid’s grin was reckless and so confident that she couldn’t help but smile back. She got out of the car and waved to her mom as well.
She could feel the disapproval from eighty feet away.
“Hi Mom! See you later tonight!” Then, infected by Reid’s cavalier attitude, Cassie reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
“And how hard was that?” he murmured, his satisfaction clear.
“I’ll pay for it later.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Maybe I should get even.” Cassie glanced toward the house her sister now owned. “I should invite you in for dinner.” How strange to find Reid Jackson as her co-conspirator, but kind of nice, too.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got plans.” Reid nodded toward the Jeep parked in the driveway before she could ask for details. “Told you.”
Cassie winced. “Is that Devin’s car?”
Reid nodded. “So, you’re officially busy tonight, too.” He sighed. “I guess that means no second kiss.”
“Think again,” Cassie said on impulse, then stretched up to kiss him. She tasted Reid’s surprise, then the heat rose between them again. She leaned against him and opened her mouth.
He put his hands around her waist, then broke their kiss all too soon. It didn’t console her that he did so with an obvious effort. “You have become a tease,” he whispered and his eyes were dark.
“Not me.”
“Prove it.” He glanced down toward her purse—and her phone—with an intensity that made Cassie’s heart leap. Then he bent to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” His warm breath made her shiver and she was tempted to demand another kiss.
“That gives me plenty of latitude.”
Reid laughed as he strode around the car to the driver’s side again. “Far be it from me to cramp your style. Give my best to Devin.” He winked then was gone, leaving Cassie watching him drive away with a roar that no one could miss.
“Just like old times?” a familiar voice asked from behind her and she turned to find her cousin Nick watching from the door. Nick was tall and dark, a man of few words and a keen observer. Like Reid, he was two years older than her.
Cassie glanced toward the RV again, and saw that her mom had disappeared into the house. “In some ways, of course.” She walked up to the front door and smiled at her cousin. “That’s quite a car.”
“Oh yes.” Nick nodded, his admiration more than
clear. “Did he warn you?”
“About?”
“Our other guest.” Nick grimaced.
Cassie smiled. “Reid did recognize Devin’s Jeep.”
Nick crossed his heart. “Not my idea. So not my idea.”
“I know. Mr. Live and Let Live would never fix anyone up.” She heaved a sigh, then tucked her hand through his elbow to go into the house. “Let’s hope it’s not too awkward.”
Nick snorted, obviously braced for just that. “I’m thinking the boots are going to start things off on the wrong foot, so to speak,” he warned in an undertone.
Cassie took one look at Devin Crawford, who she did remember when she saw him, and immediately guessed that he was conservative and careful and a terrible fit for her. “I’m thinking they’re absolutely perfect,” she murmured, then smiled and strode to Devin. She heard Nick choke a little behind her.
Devin’s eyes widened ever so slightly and he paled a little as he stood up, and Cassie knew the fix-up was over before it even began.
And once her duties were done, she could call Reid.
She’d think of it as a reward.
Devin Crawford.
Reid knew he had no business being annoyed that the other man had been invited to dinner, but he was. He had no reason to feel possessive of Cassie, but he did. He certainly shouldn’t care if she chose a reliable and upstanding guy over him.
But he did.
On the other hand, there had been those kisses. Cassie couldn’t have responded to Reid’s touch the way she had unless she had some tiny bit of interest in him.
Maybe she was interested in all men.
There was nothing wrong with a woman having a healthy libido, as far as Reid was concerned. What about that partner at her club, the one who’d married someone else? Reid had to think that guy, whatever his name was, had some serious judgment issues. There was no one in the world who could compare to Cassie, in his view, and any guy who missed that was too dumb to get the prize.
Devin Crawford wasn’t dumb.
Reid told himself that he was just annoyed because he hadn’t had the opportunity to negotiate for an evening with Cassie.
He went home and worked out, hard, pushing his way through worries with his usual determination. He did leave his phone on the floor beside his weights, but it remained stubbornly silent even after he’d repeated his usual routine twice.
There were half a dozen women he could call in town, but Reid wasn’t interested in any of them, not tonight. He could still smell Cassie’s perfume on his skin, still felt a jolt of raw lust when he remembered her kiss.
And her passion.
Only Cassie would do.
How long could it take them to eat dinner? He recalled Tori’s stipulation and knew that Cassie would do the dishes before she called him, a good girl to the end.
Still. He checked but his phone was on and its battery was charged.
Had he given her the wrong number? Impossible!
Reid growled at his own impatience and stormed off to the shower, his mood getting darker with every passing moment. He shouldn’t have left. He shouldn’t have let her walk away. He should have been more clear about what he had to offer. He should...
The phone rang just as he tipped his head back to the assault of hot water. Reid turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and ran to grab the phone. “Reid,” he said without checking the number.
“Did I catch you in the middle of something good?” Troy asked, humor in his voice. Reid exhaled at the sound of his friend’s voice. “You sound like you’ve been running.”
“Running on the treadmill,” Reid said.
“My suspicion was a lot more interesting,” Troy said. “I was thinking that you had some blonde wrapped around you...”
“I wish.”
“Maybe two. Twins!”
“No, one would be plenty for me.” One particular blonde would be plenty but Reid didn’t say that.
Someone said something in the background and Troy laughed, before speaking to Reid again. “Shayla says that you have the wildest life in my fantasies.”
“Considering becoming a bachelor again,” Reid teased, because he always did.
“She’d never let me,” Troy said, sounding quite content with his marital status.
“Because you could never find better,” Shayla said from close beside him. “Did you ask him yet?”
“I haven’t had time, woman.”
“You’ve had plenty of time,” Shayla countered and Reid cleared his throat.
“Can I call you back on the land line?”
“Ooooooo,” Shayla and Troy said simultaneously.
“He’s waiting on a call,” Troy said.
“He’s waiting on a woman,” Shayla agreed. “Who is she?”
“Is she blonde?” Troy asked then chuckled. “Does she have a sister?” Reid heard his friend catch his breath as Shayla swatted him playfully.
“You don’t even know what she looks like!” Shayla complained.
“Gorgeous,” Reid supplied.
“Got to be a stunner if Reid is giving her space,” Troy agreed.
Shayla made a sound of disgust. “More like he shared his opinion that there’s no such thing as love and no reason to marry and she ran for the hills.”
There was a moment of silence as Reid winced.
“You didn’t,” Troy said.
“We were being honest...”
The couple in Chicago groaned simultaneously. “Honest,” Troy said with obvious disappointment, then sighed.
“Honest is fine,” Shayla said. “Honest is good, but your brand of honest is too blunt to net results. You need to gloss it a little.”
“I don’t seem to have too many problems closing the deal.”
“Except this one,” Troy pointed out.
“One-nighters aren’t a tough sell, not to a woman who’s looking for just that,” Shayla said.
“Maybe she is.”
“Then why isn’t she there?” Troy asked and Reid rolled his eyes.
“Because she can’t call me, because you won’t change over to the land line.”
“You need a woman who stays in your life for more than an hour.”
“It takes longer than that,” Reid protested.
“Two hours, then,” Shayla said.
“Three, to do it right,” Troy corrected and the pair obviously kissed in agreement. Reid shook his head at the sounds of a smooch. “Could we move this discussion to the other line?” he asked again with forced patience.
“You should have call waiting,” Shayla said.
“I hate call waiting,” Reid replied. “It makes whoever you’re talking to feel unimportant and that’s not good marketing.”
“Good thing he’s not trying to sell us anything,” Troy said to Shayla and she laughed.
“Could we...” he began again, but Shayla interrupted him.
“I’ve got it already. Go see if you missed a call on your cell phone. I’m going to bet you didn’t.”
“I’ll take your bet,” Troy said. “Reid can make a compelling argument when he wants to.”
“Thank you very much,” Reid said.
“Five bucks,” Shayla said and Troy agreed before they ended the call.
The house phone was ringing already, but the answering machine didn’t answer for six rings. Reid checked and he hadn’t missed a call. His mood unimproved, he took the cell phone with him into the kitchen to answer the other phone. He looked in the fridge at the same time, not really surprised to find it empty.
How could he own a grocery store yet never have any food in the house?
Of course, he owned the liquor store and never had any alcohol in the house, but that wasn’t the same thing.
That was principle.
“What were you calling to ask me?” he said by way of answering the phone.
“All the sordid details of your love life,” Troy replied. “I want to live vicariously.”
Once aga
in, Reid heard Shayla give him a swat. “You’ll stop talking now if you’re smart,” she threatened.
Troy laughed, clearly untroubled by the possibility.
“Pay Shayla her five bucks,” Reid said, guessing where this conversation would go.
“Oooo, he’s annoyed,” Shayla said. “I think you’re right, Troy. This one mattered.”
“Every one matters,” Reid said.
“Then why are you so cranky?” Troy asked.
“The problem with having happily married friends is that they keep going on about all the sex they have, and how good it is, and how reliable it is, and that’s not welcome news when you’re waiting on someone.”
“Do we talk about all the sex we have?” Shayla asked. “Do you?”
“No way,” Troy replied. “Our completely fabulous, reliable sex life is a state secret.”
She laughed. “We don’t need to keep how good it is a secret.”
“No, I guess we don’t. Come on over here...”
“I’m thinking you could have this conversation without me,” Reid said.
“We didn’t know if you liked to watch,” Shayla said.
“Not particularly.”
“He prefers to be an active participant,” Troy told his wife.
“Should we call the blonde for him? Make a humanitarian appeal? Please call Reid and put him out of his misery, which he has created all by himself?” They laughed together at Shayla’s suggestion.
“With friends like you, I don’t need enemies,” Reid quipped.
“You need a woman, Reid, not another one-nighter,” Shayla said. “You’re getting too old for that shit.”
“And that’s why we called you,” Troy confessed. “Next Saturday night. Be here.”
“Why?” Reid asked with suspicion.
“Because Shannon Sanders is over her divorce and is coming for dinner,” Troy said.
Reid’s heart stopped cold. Shannon was single. Again.
Even though he knew it was foolish, he couldn’t entirely silence his sense of possibility.
“I saved a place right beside her just for you,” Shayla said.
“Shannon.” Her name sounded like a prayer on Reid’s tongue. It felt audacious even to say it aloud. Shannon.
Some Guys Have All the Luck Page 4
