One Taste

by Cari Quinn

  She picked at her flapjack, giving up to sip some juice.

  A shrill work whistle screamed out of Shane’s pocket. She laughed. “Is that—”

  “I got bored with my ringer. Besides, you know I like the Flintstones.” With a grin and a shrug, he stood. “Excuse me. That’s Jasper.”

  She watched him walk out, trying to reconcile the cartoon side of Shane’s personality and keep up their charade at the same time. She turned and found Delinda smiling at her. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I remember looking at Jonathon just like that.”

  “What? Like you want to wring his neck?”

  “And take a bite out of his cute butt.”

  Kendall barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well, they happen at the same time for me more often than not.”

  “Passion’s a good thing. There’s a reason I have five kids.”

  Kendall’s eyebrows rose. “It’s not just the God’s-will thing?”

  Delinda laughed. “I suppose that’s part of it. I always wanted a big family, but mostly it’s because we can’t keep our hands off each other.”

  “I know how that feels.” Too well. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be able to give in to that. To trust in a relationship enough that it would allow her that kind of freedom.

  She looked up as Shane came back in. “Hey.”

  He slid his thumb along one of her curls that had come loose around her face. “Almost ready?”

  She nodded. “How’s the truck?”

  “Jasper’s just about done with it. He’s sending one of his guys over to pick us up.”

  His face was stony, which wasn’t an unusual thing, but his eyes were flat. He hadn’t gotten good news. She stood. “We can’t thank you enough for putting us up, Delinda.” She laid her hand on Thomas’s blond head. “You’ve got a gorgeous family.”

  Delinda stood and hugged her. “You guys travel safe. If you can do a road trip, you can live through anything in a marriage.”

  Shane stilled beside her, but his hand found hers, and their pinkies twined. “We really do appreciate all you’ve done for us.”

  The lines between his brows deepened. Yeah, there definitely hadn’t been good news from Jasper. She lifted her plate, but again Delinda waved her off.

  “Kids, gather up the plates.”

  One by one, the children stacked up plates, with a bit of ribbing, and waved as they headed out the side door to the house.

  “You’ve certainly got great kids.”

  Delinda gathered napkins and cups. “Luckily they’re young enough that a sticker chart still works. Travel safe, you two.”

  “We will.”

  Shane let her hand go the minute they got through the doorway. He dropped his duffel and paced along the stone walk.

  “All right. Tell me what’s going on.”

  He jammed his hands into his pockets. “We’re fucked is what’s going on.”

  She winced. “How bad?”

  “Nine hundred twenty-three dollars fucked.”

  Kendall hooked her hand through his arm and stopped him. “That’s got to be most of our money.”

  His arm was rock hard with tension. His face was that careful blank she was coming to know as his I-don’t-want-to-worry-Kendall face. She’d had boyfriends for months before figuring out their quirks. Less than a week with Shane and she was so in tune with him her skin itched. It was so fast. So much more than it should be. And God, she wanted it—wanted him—so very badly. She tugged one of his hands out of his pocket and laced their fingers. “We’ll figure it out.”

  The little tick in his jaw fluttered, and he nodded. He rubbed her hand between both of his and slipped away to pace again. A battered pickup came into view a few minutes later. A kid rolled down his window. He was a carbon copy of Jasper minus thirty years. “You Shane and Kendall?”

  Shane swiped both bags off the ground. “That’s us.”

  The kid smiled wide with perfect white teeth gleaming out of his tanned face. “I’m JC. Hop in.”

  They both rounded the truck, and Shane opened the door for her. “In you go.” She looked down. No running board this time. The truck was so old there was no handle. Just as she was going to boost herself, the bags hit the floorboards, and Shane’s wide hands grasped her hips. One touch and her skin charged.

  She gave JC a small smile. “Hey there.”

  “You all right, ma’am?”

  She winced. No matter how many times she heard it with the bed-and-breakfast, she hated that word. “Yeah, just too short.”

  “I hear ya. My dad is a kick-ass mechanic, but he definitely didn’t bring height to the gene pool.”

  Shane stepped in because he was tall enough—the jerk—and slammed the door behind him. He dropped his arm over her shoulder. She gave him a sidelong glance. What the hell was with the proprietary bullshit? Her death stare had little effect; his focus was on the road ahead.

  Kendall shifted and jammed her back into Shane’s chest. Instead of moving, he stretched his arm across the bench seat. Ass. Ignoring him, she turned to JC. “We really appreciate the pickup.”

  “It’s too blasted hot to walk, that’s for sure. Dad was taking the Silverado off the lift when I left, so you should be ready to go.”

  “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

  Shane grunted behind her.

  “Yeah, Dad told me you guys were heading to New York. Helluva haul.”

  Shane shifted, and the end of her braid loosened. She nudged him, but he didn’t stop. Her hair tie dropped into her lap. She rolled her eyes and snapped the band around her wrist. Still no expression on his face.

  “Three thousand miles plus a few detours.”

  JC’s toothpaste-commercial smile flashed again. “I made the trip with a couple of buddies after college. We stayed at a bunch of hostels and worked our way across the states. We zigzagged a bit so we could see the high points. Was a fun two weeks.”

  She looked at Shane, but he shook his head. That would definitely help them with the money situation. Then again they had subzero sleeping bags, so they could sleep in the truck if they had to. JC chattered on about his trip, and it was a short drive to the garage. He pulled in and stopped in front of the pumps. “I’ve got to get a part. Just head on past the pump. Dad’s got the bay doors open.”

  “Thanks for the ride.” Shane hopped out and reached for her, then set her down in front of him. He played with the ends of her hair just above her waist, tugging lightly. Her skin tingled, and the restless itch returned sevenfold.

  Kendall waved and shut the door. “All right. What was that about?” Shane hadn’t touched her all night, most of the way through breakfast, and now he was all hands?

  He shrugged. “I like your hair down.”

  That wasn’t it. Yes, he liked her hair, but that wasn’t the reason he’d been so handsy in the truck. “It’s not even nine o’clock and I’m already sweating, and you want all this down? No.” She lifted the heavy mass off her neck and rolled the tie off her wrist. “You try having all this hair.”

  He covered her hands to stop her. His chest brushed hers as he shook out the curls. She closed her eyes at the light tugs. Just when she thought she understood him, he threw her off with this power play crap. And she didn’t want him to stop. He finger combed the curls and cupped the back of her neck. “You’re too goddamn beautiful for your own good.”

  She peered up at him through heavy lids. What the hell did that mean? His fingers kneaded the base of her neck. His beard was softer with growth against her cheek as he nipped at her ear. “Keeping my hands off you gets harder every day, Sunshine.” And then he was gone. She opened her eyes, and he was stalking toward the bay doors with both their bags.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Her whole body was on fire, and he left her.

  Again.

  She scraped her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail. Damn that man for keeping her so off balance.

  Chapter Te
n

  Shane dug his wallet out of his pocket. He untucked his T-shirt to bunch around his zipper. He was a goddamned walking erection lately. All that pale corn silk followed him in dreams. He could feel it against his thighs, across his chest, and the scent of her scraped him raw. Fucking apples.

  He’d woken in the night to find his chin buried in her neck, her scent invading his dreams. He’d been curled around her, holding on to her as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. He tipped his head back, scratching at the dense scruff that climbed down his neck.

  He dragged in a deep breath of oil, gasoline, and the lingering overlay of cigarettes. Familiar scents. Enough to snap him back to the task at hand. Jasper’s bill. He had just enough on his credit card to cover it, but the fear of something far worse happening to them made him cautious to use the last of his credit. Everything about this trip was out of his control. Kendall included.

  He forced his lips into a smile. “Jasper.”

  “There’s my favorite twosome.” Jasper peeked around him. “Well, part of it. Where’s your pretty girl?”

  “She’s coming.”

  Jasper tucked a rag into his back pocket. “I did the best I could to keep the cost down.”

  “I know you did. And I appreciate it. ”

  “Hard times are everywhere.”

  “Kendall and I know that all too well.” A new thing for him to deal with. Living an easy life within the family empire was the only thing he knew. Scraping his way across the states wasn’t the plan.

  “Hell, the only reason we’re still going strong here is because of my son. He’s got an affinity for classic American cars and brings in a lot of traffic from the Richie Riches. They like their old muscle cars to show off. Of course they fuck them up by driving like assholes, but it keeps us in business.”

  Shane’s belly loosened, and his hard-on eased. “I’m from Monterey, man. I see the assholes firsthand.”

  Jasper dragged his hat off and smoothed his hand over his buzzed head. “That coastal road? Yeah…that’s one helluva road to hit with a good engine.”

  Shane tipped back on his heels. “I had a Mustang when I was in my twenties. I scared the hell out of my dad with that car.”

  Kendall stalked in, her mouth tight and murder in her eyes. Damn, she was gorgeous when she was angry. He knew he’d been pushing her buttons, but if the kid in the truck had been a puppy, the drool would have soaked her shirt. She had no idea just how appealing she was, which was part of the problem. A woman like her should be settled with a man who wouldn’t let her out of his sights. Just what kind of men did she have in her town who wouldn’t have snagged her with a ring?

  His shoulders tensed again. Rings and marriage had never been in his periphery. His focus had been his furniture company for so long. The minute marriage had been mentioned, he’d been fucked-up about it. Each time another guy looked at her with anything close to interest, he was fucked-up about it. He couldn’t remember the last time he gave two shits about a woman enough to get bent. And it had to be this woman?

  She held his future in her tiny hands. A future that had been manipulated by the one person he’d thought he could trust. He had to be out of his mind to think he could control any part of this situation. All he could do was drive through and hope to shit they got to New York with both of them intact. Kendall kept her distance, and their sham of a marriage was null and void here. His wallet dug into his palm. Son of a bitch.

  Jasper shuffled off to a desk along the wall and came back with a work order. Shane traded it for cash and stuffed the receipt in his wallet. Kendall came forward and smiled at Jasper. “Thanks for finding us a place to stay last night. Delinda and her family were amazing.”

  “They’re good people.”

  “The best.”

  Shane jammed his wallet back in his pocket. “Well, we better get on the road.”

  Kendall jerked her thumb at him. “We’re behind this one’s schedule.”

  Jasper held out his hand to Shane. “Good luck.” He turned to Kendall, but she stepped forward and wound her arms around the wiry older man.

  “Thanks again.”

  Jasper blushed and fussed with his cap. “Don’t mention it.”

  Shane opened the passenger door and tucked their bags away. Not trusting himself to touch her right now, he gave her a wide berth to go around the car. She hoisted herself in and settled into her corner with her car charger for her phone. They waved as he pulled out onto Main Street. Silence permeated the cab of the truck. She didn’t speak, and he didn’t have anything to say.

  Three hours later, they’d crossed the border into Utah.

  The dusty road was as flat as Arizona with the hazy blue of mountains to come. The sun blazed, belying the middle-of-November date. Kendall stripped down to a T-shirt. She had lightweight khakis on, and her legs crossed in her usual fashion. The silence was heavy, but he didn’t know what to say to her. He didn’t know how to handle the jealousy and the emotions she dragged out of him so effortlessly. None of this was in his plans. And all he had right now was his plan.

  Those days he’d left her with Kain he’d finalized his life in California. The fact that it had been so easy to do didn’t sit well on his shoulders. California had been his home for most of his life, and yet the moment he’d lost his father, the disconnect was like cutting a string. When he hit New York, he’d get to work on the orders he was behind on, figure out a space for his shop. Maybe a little apartment over it until he got himself established.

  Work was his solace, and it made sense. It was all he had—all he’d ever wanted. Now he had a bed-and-breakfast he didn’t know what to do with and feelings for a woman who made him think of sunshine and…well, something other than work.

  Kendall finally looked up from her phone. “There’s a rest stop coming up.”

  “Need to stop?”

  “I could use a bathroom break and a refill. I need caffeine.”

  He nodded. “We need to make it—”

  “Quick, I know. Five minutes is all I need.”

  She shoved her feet into her sneakers and pulled out her wallet as he drove up to the gas pump next to the mini-mart. “Go on ahead. I’ll fill up.” She nodded and slid out, then slammed the door. While he was alone, Shane fanned out the money in his wallet. Six hundred dollars to get them through the next few states. He drew off one hundred for gas. Make that five hundred. With his background he could find a day laborer job, but that wouldn’t haul in much more than gas money. And that was only if he was lucky and a crew needed an extra pair of hands. Shit.

  He hopped out and paid the attendant, pumped his gas, and followed Kendall into the store. She had a sneer on her face when he found her. “That was gross.”

  “The joys of gas station bathrooms.”

  “There’s no joy. I need to bathe in Purell.”

  His lips quirked. He missed her voice. The ride was getting stale because he couldn’t get his act together when it came to this woman. “Luckily I don’t have to touch anything.”

  “It’s a good thing, believe me. Want something to drink?”

  “I’ll get it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Suit yourself.” She disappeared into the aisles, and he took care of business. He met her at the registers. Diet Coke, water, and a bag of peanut M&Ms. She did like her junk food. He wasn’t sure where she put it, but she sure liked it. He put his Coke on the counter and pulled out a ten.

  “Don’t be stubborn about money now, Shane.”

  Ignoring her, he gathered his change and their bag. “I figure we’ve got another six hours, and we can stop for dinner. I’d like to drive through as long as we can.”

  “My butt says no, but yeah, that’s probably for the best.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been a bear, Sunshine.”

  Her eyebrow rose. “I’m sorry. Did you apologize?” She cupped around her ear. “I heard that right?”

  He sighed and hooked his arm around her neck to drag her into his che
st. “Funny girl.”

  She circled his waist and tucked her hands into his hip pockets. “We kind of forgot the fun part of our road trip.”

  “Yeah. The church thing was definitely a sexy-road-trip killer.”

  She looked up at him, her sly grin back and her eyes twinkling. She squeezed his ass. “Well, we’ve got a few more states to debauch.”

  He lowered his head and found her mouth. He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, and she dragged him closer. She softened for him, her tongue teasing his as playful Kendall emerged. Keep it light. Just enjoy the moment. There wasn’t anything they could do about their situation but get through it. And at least he got to touch her. He bent his knees, and she shifted her hands out of his pockets and up his back.

  He held her closer, dragging in the taste of her until his muscles stopped throbbing. He dropped their bag and gripped the waist of her pants and hauled her up. Her arms went around his neck, and her legs curled around him. Just like that they were locked in. But he couldn’t be pissed off. Not when she tasted so fucking good.

  “Get a room!”

  He tore his mouth from hers, and her laughter pushed some of the cobwebs out of his head. The disgusted tsk from a woman old enough to be his grandmother made him blush. He set her down and bent for their bag. “You make me forget myself.”

  “I think you should forget yourself more.” She walked ahead. “I like this Shane,” she said over her shoulder.

  He took off after her, and she skipped into a run. His legs were a hell of a lot longer, and he hoisted her up under his arm. She kicked out at the air. Her laughter filled the parking lot, and people turned to them with smiles.

  “Shane. No, put me down.” Her laughter released his own, and he put her down next to the truck, caging her in. Her curls fluffed around her shoulders as her ponytail sagged. He slipped the tie out, and she rolled her eyes. He didn’t care what she wanted right then. He dipped his fingers into her hair and tipped her head up. In the semisecluded part of the parking lot he took his time kissing her until he heard that soft quake in her throat. He nipped her chin and chased the sound, trailing his lips down her neck until he reached her clavicle.