Manaconda (Hammered #1)

by Taryn Elliott

  “She loves everyone. Kind of a handful sometimes, but sweet as can be.”

  “Sounds perfect for the adoption get together. They love when you bring your pets. Did you adopt from them?”

  She nodded. “Five years ago.” She shrugged. “I was homesick.”

  “Where’s home?’

  “Vegas.”

  “Wow. Really? I don’t know anyone that actually grew up there.”

  She played with the end of my tie. “Just me and my mom.” She gave me a wry smile. “She used to be a showgirl.”

  “There’s a story there.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  The fact that she deliberately said nothing about her father shifted a few puzzle pieces into place. She was scary independent, but it seemed like she had to be. Especially if her mother was an entertainer.

  And also why she understood us so well.

  I cupped her face. Dried chocolate streaks across her chin and neck, even her hair was crunchy with it—but she was so damn beautiful my chest hurt at the thought of walking away from her.

  How could I be this far gone on a woman that made a living on brokering favors to build fame? Was it just infatuation?

  Would it fade if put her out of my mind?

  When she smiled at me—the smirky one that created the little dimples that made me instantly hard— and I knew I’d do anything to see it again. That had to count for something.

  At least to see what came of it tomorrow.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Kenny.”

  She tugged at my tie before stepping back. “See you in the morning.”

  22

  Kennedy

  Me and Sammy were outside waiting for Hunter and Keys at the crack of dawn. Sammy was pulling at her leash, wanting to go and explore as usual.

  I picked my way over the crunchy grass. As usual we were holding our butts for rain. Sammy lifted his leg on everything and happily wagged his tail at a leaf blowing into his face.

  When a black Escalade came around the turn I reined in my sniffling bloodhound. “There’s our friends.”

  Sammy whined and jumped, getting himself all tripped up into his leash. When Hunter stepped from the truck he was practically beside himself to get to Hunter.

  “Well hello there there.” He dropped to his knees in front of Sammy and ended up on his back in the grass as he licked every bit of Hunter’s neck.

  Keys jumped out of the truck. “Oh, my gosh, what a sweet guy.” She bent at the waist and accepted all of the lovings from my adorable goof. She looked up at me. “Hey, Kennedy. Nice seeing you again.” She pushed Sammy off as he tried to leap into her arms. “All right you.”

  “Off.” I said the command in a no nonsense tone - it was the only one he listened to. Immediately he dropped down into a sit. “Be a gentleman.”

  Sammy tilted his head and lifted a paw.

  Keys laughed and shook his paw. “Impressive.”

  “In five minutes he’ll forget and be in your lap again.”

  She lowered herself to his side and hugged Sammy. “That’s okay. We’ll have a nice ride in the back won’t we?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to. I can sit in the back.”

  She waved it off. “I’ll probably sleep most of the way. This is an obscene time of day.”

  Hunter absently scratched Sammy’s ear. “The adoption starts at ten, but if we get there around noon, shouldn’t be too bad.”

  “That’s a lot of driving.”

  “We might stay in the city overnight. If that’s cool with you.” Keys pulled out her phone and took a half dozen pictures. “I want to catch a show outside of Bernal Heights. My favorite singer is doing an impromptu acoustic thing.”

  “We could.” I glanced at Hunter. His misty eyes were heated and steady.

  Another hotel room to test out? I fought a shiver and pushed up the sleeves of my lightweight denim jacket.

  Keys finally put her phone away. “Hey, super cute outfit, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” I smoothed my hand over the poppy red maxi skirt I was wearing. I didn’t get to dress down too often. And it was really nice to wear sneakers. I’d been wearing heels so much that week that it was staring to feel weird to wear flats.

  “Ready to get going?”

  We both nodded.

  “Come on, Samy. Back here with me.” Keys opened the back door and the two of them piled into the back. By the time we were on the highway both Sammy and Keys were curled together on the bench seat.

  “I didn’t mean to spring the overnight on you.”

  I tucked myself against the door and curled my leg under my knee. “It’s smart. Twelve hours of driving in one day is a lot.”

  “Especially when one of your passengers is a narcoleptic when she gets into a car.” Hunter glanced in the rearview window. “No matter where we are, what town, she’s out in ten minutes on the bus.”

  “That’s impressive,” I said. “Wish I could sleep like that.”

  “That’s Keys’s superpower. She can drop off to sleep in five minutes wherever she is.”

  “I’m jealous.”

  “We all are. The rest of us are a hot mess after we have to go anywhere on the bus. Why we transitioned to the plane for most tours.”

  We talked for most of the trip. A few sing-a-long sessions with Keys when she woke in between coffee and doggie breaks.

  “Okay, so how does this showgirl thing work?”

  I laughed. “It’s definitely not as glamorous as you’d think. She’d come home early in the morning crying because the head dresses were so heavy.”

  He frowned. “They don’t regulate that kind of thing.”

  “Sure, now they do. But when I was a kid I learned how to massage her neck and get knots out. I learned how to do pilates before it was cool, and how to deal blackjack at fourteen.”

  “Helluva lot more interesting than my childhood.”

  “Believe me, it would have been nice to have normal. I bet you were on the football team and lost your virginity at homecoming.”

  “Close. I played lacrosse, and lost my virginity at the first bonfire party of my sophomore year.”

  I crossed my legs and bounced my foot in time to the Mumford and Sons album we were listening to.

  “I was home schooled. The Vegas schools kinda sucked. My mom would have been happy for me to go to public school so she could sleep in the day in peace.”

  “But you were bored?”

  I grinned at him. “Bingo. I got my GED when I was sixteen and got into college at seventeen.”

  “Overachiever.”

  “I wanted out of Vegas. Out of the seedy motels that we lived in when my mom got a wild hair to try another company. But the hotels relied on dancers less and less, and went for the bigger entertainers. So eventually my mom turned to training the elite girls for the Jubilee shows when she aged out.”

  “And your dad?”

  I picked at the my skirt. “He was around sometimes.” I took a deep drink of my latte. “He had another family.”

  “Your parents were divorced?”

  “No, he was married and had a family in Phoenix. Then he had us in Vegas where he worked.” I shrugged. “He was a real estate guy. When he passed away a few years ago, he finally did something right. He took care of my mom in his will. She still trains the dancers part time, but now she has a nice house outside of Vegas.”

  Hunter took my hand and placed it on his lap, covering it with his. It was better than any apology I usually got when I explained my fucked up family.

  Instead of trying to keep up the awkward conversation we listened to the rest of the album as he navigated the twisty roads near the wharf.

  Finally we saw the huge clock tower and white tents along the water. Sammy woke as we moved into a more stop and go traffic closer to the market area.

  Keys popped her head up between us. “Finally. I need me a doggie fix.”

  Sammy burrowed her way under Keys’s arm.

/>   “Okay, well more doggie lovings, but you’re definitely my favorite.”

  Keys took off with Sammy, sprinting across the road to the tents. She waved to people she must have known and the two of them darted into the rows and rows of kennels.

  “I haven’t been here in years. I usually just do stuff with the LA unit.”

  Hunter slid his hand in mine. “This is one thing I do every year. I got Wyatt to do it with me once, but he got chased around by fans all day.”

  “He’s hard to miss.”

  “A six-foot-five ginger tends to stand out.”

  “You’re not such a tiny guy yourself.”

  He shrugged. “No, but still normal enough to blend if I want to. And if they stare too long, I just say I play football.”

  “Jerk.”

  “What? It’s easier.”

  The next few hours were a lesson in fandom for me. I’d seen what happened at a meet and greet, but the public was the wild west. There was no Indie and Patrick to control the chaos.

  The calendars were gone within the first two hours, and Keys and Sammy were officially the mascot of the day, even if he was my dog.

  She took him around to kids, to the puppy pen, and down to the water to run off some energy. Sammy might be closer to seven, but he acted like a two year old most of the time.

  When it came time for photo ops, I got dragged into shots for Love & Paws, but managed to beg off for the Hammered stuff. Me and Hunter even got to walk over to the farmer’s market and get some superior seafood chowder.

  Around four o’clock I cried uncle and collapsed under a tree to take a nap with a very happy, very tired Sammy. I watched Hunter interact with puppies and ten little girls that were convinced he was Flynn Ryder from Tangled.

  When he got down on his knees in the grass and played the horse, and Keys played Rapunzel, they officially had hero status of the day.

  I must have dozed off somewhere in between the puppy bowl and ice cream because when I woke up Sammy was happily munching on a puppy popsicle and Hunter was standing over me.

  I used my hand as a visor and peered up at him. “I don’t like that look.”

  “You got a nap, and I did not.”

  I laughed. “You were too busy playing with the kids.”

  “I like kids.”

  “Now that’s something I don’t hear from any of the rockstars I know.”

  “I guess it’s something you should know.”

  My belly flipped. “I’m not sure what to say to that one.”

  “Just some information for that super brain of yours.” He held out a hand. “Up we go,” he said when I took it.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Time for the doggie promenade.”

  “Do I want to know what that is?”

  He held my hand tighter. “That’s when we take all the dogs that haven’t been taken out to be played with for a walk.”

  “Good thing I’m wearing sneakers.”

  “Good thing you took a nap.” He jogged ahead, dragging me after him. Sammy barked after him trying to take him out at the ankles.

  Somehow we ended up with nine dogs between us and three of them were pit bulls. Seriously, I prayed for a little divine helping hand as we set out a few yards after the first dog walker.

  We managed to walk the first quarter mile with all the dogs trotting along side pretty well.

  Then there was the squirrel.

  A baby dalmatian with bicolored eyes laced herself between every one of the leashes to get a hold of it. Then she crashed into Sammy who yipped and trampled a Yorkie.

  I scooped up the miniature pincher that somehow ended up in our pack—one that we had not started with mind you—and stuffed her in my jacket pocket.

  Hunter and I crashed into each other on the grass at the end of the path and fell into a pile of panting dogs. Hunter was face down with the dalmatian puppy sitting on his butt, a three legged German Shepherd gnawed on his laces, and a senior chocolate lab using him as a pillow.

  I laughed and took a picture, sending it to Keys and Indie before cuddling with the three pit bulls. The other three dogs in our care were panting happily on the grass.

  We returned the dogs, got cleaned up and collapsed in the hotel. We raided the gift shops on the wharf for fresh clothes before we left. Grass stains and things I didn’t even want to name had rendered our clothing unfit for a second day’s wear. Hunter and I didn’t even bother pretending we were going to get separate rooms.

  Watching him with the kids and animals had left me riled up in a way that defied even our first night together. I planned on seducing the hell out of him after my shower, but we both ended up falling asleep waiting for a bottle of wine to be delivered by room service.

  23

  Hunter

  I groaned, rolling onto my belly. “Go away,” I yelled at the door.

  Who in the sweet fuck was banging away at the damn door?

  Kennedy poked me. “Go get it. She’s probably dropping Sammy off for her concert.”

  I grunted. “You get it.”

  She opened one eye. “Is this how you’re going to be about kids?”

  I stared at her. “Maybe.”

  “Good to know,” she said and rolled off the bed. She stretched her arms above her head as she padded to the door. She was wearing a Love & Paws shirt and a pair of boxers with paw prints on her very perky ass.

  “Look, guys!” Keys swept into the room.

  Kenny melted to the floor with Sammy and gave her an affectionate rub down. I was suddenly very jealous of her dog. In fact, I’d been jealous of many dogs that day.

  We’d been so busy all day we hadn’t gotten a chance to just be with each other. Then I finally got her in a bed and we both passed out like old people.

  It was pathetic.

  Keys leapt onto the bed and shoved her iPad at me. “They replaced the adoption logo with a picture of your guys on the Facebook banner.”

  “Finally, some good publicity,” I muttered.

  Keys took it back and bounded over to Kenny. “See?”

  “Great, I look like I’ve been living in kennel for a week.”

  “No. You’re totally rockin’ that maxi skirt. And you look mad cute next to Hunter. Perfect shot.” She folded herself into a club chair in the living space of our room. “Of course people are going to think you’re going out again.”

  “Good.”

  Kenny’s lips quirked. “So, this week it’s okay?”

  “It’s always going to be okay,” I said and rolled onto my side.

  Keys looked from me to Kenny and back. “All righty then. I’m off to see Matt Nathanson. Don’t wait up, Mom and Dad.” I threw a pillow at her and she ducked. “Have fun. I’ll see you in the morning. Unless I get a better offer.”

  Sammy gave a long stretch and jumped on the couch before curling into a ball.

  Kenny crossed the room, her knees bumping into the mattress. “I guess that means we have the night to ourselves.”

  I sat up, reached for her hands and dragged her onto the mattress, then over me. “I guess it does.”

  She slid her hands under my t-shirt. “Whatever shall we do?”

  I slid my glance from her to the dog sleeping on the couch. “He won’t do something crazy like jump on us when we’re doing it, will he?”

  She laughed. “The most he does at night is whine in doggie dreams.”

  “Excellent.” I curled my fingers around her heart-shaped ass until we lined up perfectly. Her amber eyes went heavy as she slowly rolled her hips against mine.

  This time there was no hurry. There were no tricks. We slowly undressed each other, and took our time learning what worked for us after nearly a week apart.

  I licked a slow trail up her neck and swirled around the skin behind her ear before biting lightly. She shuddered over me with whispering groans. The more she undulated against me, the more I had to keep myself in check.

  I didn’t want to rush through this. I
knew we had all night, but there was a sense of urgency strung between us. She raked her nails through my hair, tugging lightly as our kisses grew more heated.

  I rolled her under me, my heart rate jumping as her wetness slicked over the head of my cock. I’d never been with a woman that made me want to be gentle, and didn’t seem to want it in return.

  Her touch roughened and her nails bit into my back as she settled herself under me, bringing her legs up to cradle me.

  “Don’t make me wait.”

  I pressed my cheek to hers. “If you keep doing that there’s going to be no waiting at all.”

  She dragged her nails along the top of my ass and up my lower back. “Good. Inside me, now.”

  I rolled to the side, grabbing my wallet from the bedside table. I flipped out the trio of condoms I’d stashed in there.

  She grinned. “Only three?”

  “Twenty-four hour drug store across the street,” I muttered and suited up.

  “I do like a man who’s prepared.”

  I shifted and slid inside her. “Fuck, yes.”

  She arched under me, rolled her hips until she took all of me, and groaned out a slew of mumbled words I didn’t understand. She grabbed onto my ass and urged me faster.

  I wanted to make it last.

  I reached behind me and drew her hands up over her head. I maneuvered until our gazes met and she tried to hide her face in my neck.

  “No, look at me, Kenny.”

  She dragged slumberous eyes open, pleasure swamping the amber until it was firelight. Her warmth infused me, chased my pleasure and created more.

  I felt her fist around me as I finally lost it. Her name a litany on my tongue as I thrust into her, taking and giving as much as I had in me. When I finally emptied into the condom I felt exposed in a way I’d never been with another woman.

  She didn’t say a word.

  It was as if neither of us knew quite what to say.

  I reached for her another two times in the night. I was tempted to go across the street for more supplies but as dawn slipped into our room I steadied myself with holding onto her.

  It was the only thing I could do.