I knew Dara wanted her mother at her graduation, so the only thing I knew to do was to find her mother myself and then decide whether I should try to get her to come to the ceremony. It could possibly be painful for Dara either way, so I had to figure out which would be the lesser of two evils.
I glanced up to see Dara holding a dress in each hand, a sequin-covered, pink gown and a soft, green gown.
“Both of these are my size, and they’re marked down to two hundred dollars,” she said, excitement in her voice. “Do you like them?”
I was impressed. Both gowns were beautiful. “Yeah, I do. Why don’t you try them on?”
“You’re not just saying that, are you?”
“No, they’re both nice.”
She grinned. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
She held each coat hanger up high, so that the dresses wouldn’t drag the floor, and disappeared into the fitting room.
I checked the messages on my phone while I waited and replied to one from Mike. He was taking Crimson to the prom, and he wanted to know if we all wanted to go eat together. Since Crimson was one of Dara’s best friends, I knew she’d love that idea, so I didn’t hesitate to tell him we would.
Dara approached me in the first gown, her palms pressing the fabric to her chest. I knew she’d try on the pink dress first. It was her favorite color, and she gravitated toward it.
Once she reached me, she turned her back to me. “Could you zip me up?”
I stood frozen for a moment, enjoying the view of her slender frame. Then, my fingers trailed along her exposed back, gently caressing the outline of her spine until they reached the zipper pull. Reluctantly, I zipped the dress, watching as her satin skin disappeared beneath the sequin-covered gown.
Shocked that such a simple act could send desire racing through my body, I took a deep breath and exhaled, hoping that some of my lust would be expelled along with the carbon dioxide. After a couple of tries, I made a mental note that deep breathing did nothing to relieve sexual tension.
Dara spun around and took a step back. I could feel her watching my face, her expression almost a frown. “You don’t like it.”
Inwardly, I groaned. Hell, yeah, I liked it. I liked the way the strapless gown showed off the sexy lines of her collarbone, and the soft pink sequins shimmered under the fluorescent lighting, reminding me of her lip gloss. I liked the way it clung to the curve of her hips and the slit showed a peek of her shapely leg. In fact, I liked it so much that I’d just decided that shopping for prom dresses wasn’t that bad after all.
I forced myself to smile, knowing that she was mistaking my earlier distress for disapproval. “Dara, the only way you could look any sexier is if you were naked.”
“Stone!” she shrieked, her mouth gaping.
“I meant it when I said that you’d look beautiful in any dress.” I shot her a devilish grin as I stepped toward her and rested my palms on the curve of her shoulder. Lowering my voice, I continued, “I also meant it when I said you’d look even better without the dress.”
She lowered her eyes and smiled coyly. It was damn cute the way she was so easily embarrassed.
I kissed her forehead. “Now, let me unzip you, so you can try the green gown on for me.”
She turned, and I unzipped the dress. I watched her as she walked back to the fitting room, the dress hugging the curves of her derriere, and I caught myself smiling, smiling because I loved her ass, but mostly smiling because I knew I was damn lucky that she was my girl.
I sat back in the chair, my elbows resting on my knees as I stared at the floor and waited for her, my thoughts reverting back to the fact that I needed a plan to find her mother.
Oakley didn’t have a huge population, but I wondered how difficult it would be to find someone with so little to go on.
I could physically go to the hotels and ask again if anyone knew of an employee by the name of Yvonne Golding, but that seemed redundant and a waste of time, something I didn’t have to spare. Maybe if I had a picture of her, someone would recognize her even if her name hadn’t been familiar.
I glanced up as Dara came out of the dressing room, once again clutching the prom gown to hold it up. When she reached me, she immediately turned her back to me, so that I could zip it.
I rose from the chair and stepped forward, unable to resist the chance to skim my fingers along her bare skin again. I took my own sweet time to zip the dress up.
She spun around, the soft green fabric fluttering around her legs. My breath hitched in my chest when the vision of her registered in my brain. Like the pink dress, this strapless gown hugged her small breasts and clung to her slender waistline. Silver embellishments lined the top edge of the dress, drawing my eyes downward as the design weaved between her breasts and flowed out again around her waist. Unlike the pink dress, the floor-length skirt on this one flowed freely around her body, the fabric hanging in soft folds.
But perhaps it was the color that appealed to me the most. The soft lime seemed to accentuate her emerald eyes, one of the first things that caught my attention when she first began working at the bookstore with me over the summer. Why the hell did I compare all the dresses to parts of her body?
“Do you like this one?” she asked, posing with her hands on her hips, her eyes watching me as she waited for my answer.
“Shit, Dara, you could come out wearing a muumuu, and you’d still look sexy.”
Her laughter floated to the ceiling. “A muumuu, Stone? Really?”
“Which one do you like?” I asked.
“I like the one that you like,” she said. “Do you like either of these or should I keep looking?”
“I like them both, but the green one makes me think of the first day you came to work at the bookstore.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because your eyes were so bright, they reminded me of a Kawasaki dirt bike I used to have.”
“My eyes reminded you of a motorcycle?” she asked in feigned indignation.
“Remember who you’re talking to,” I replied. “Being compared to a motorcycle is my highest form of affection.”
“Like the relentless lick of a puppy?” she asked.
“Exactly. Who doesn’t like puppies?” I moved closer to her ear and whispered. “Would you rather I lick you instead?”
She rewarded me with a thump on the chest.
“Hey, I’m just trying to accommodate you.” My fingers tilted her chin up, and I bent down and lightly kissed her lips. “You look absolutely beautiful, Dara, in either dress, but if you want to know which is my favorite, I’m going to have to say the green one.” I licked her cheek.
“Ooh, Stone!”
I chuckled while she rubbed her hand across her cheek.
“If I want a puppy,” she blurted, “I’ll go to the pound.”
“But he won’t be as cute as me.”
“Or as annoying.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” I cooed, pulling her into my arms. “I couldn’t resist. You were just standing there, looking all sexy in that green dress….”
“So you really do like the green one the best?” she asked.
“Yeah, I really do.”
“I guess that settles it then,” she said. “Will you unzip me?” She turned her back to me.
“Can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” I grasped the zipper pull. “Wait, yes, I can.”
“Does it involve a motorcycle?” she snapped.
I laughed. “Nope. It has nothing to do with a motorcycle.” I unzipped her dress, and she began walking back to the fitting room.
About halfway there, she gasped and turned to look at me while she clutched the dress to her chest, her blond hair sweeping across her shoulder. “There’s only one thing I can think of that you’d probably like better than riding motorcycles.”
I grinned. “Exactly.”
“Making mud pies,” she said more to herself than to me as she swung around and kept walking.
I laughed. “I
do love a good mud pie,” I called as she disappeared into the fitting room.
Damn, I had the urge to take Dara to my favorite mud hole. I checked the ten-day forecast on my phone, wondering when the next good rain would arrive.
Chapter 4
Dara
Scarlet folded her arms over her chest and looked at me with contemplating, brown eyes. She cocked her head to the left, then to the right. “Don’t tell him I said this, but I have to agree with Stone. That color does look amazing on you.”
I sat down on the edge of my bed, my lime green prom dress flowing around me. “Thank you, but how should I wear my hair?”
“How does Stone like it? Up or down?” Crimson asked as she sunk down beside me, looking at my reflection in the dresser mirror.
“Who cares how he likes it?” Scarlet asked, her dislike for Stone obvious in the tone of her voice.
“Dara does,” Crimson answered, flipping my hair to the front of my shoulders and then examining my reflection again.
“Well, she shouldn’t,” Scarlet replied.
“No reason to get snippy just because you don’t have any dating prospects,” Crimson told her twin sister.
“How’re you wearing your hair?” I asked Crimson, who was going to the prom with Stone’s best friend, Mike Waters.
“I’m wearing mine up in a braided twist. Scarlet fixed my hair like that yesterday, and it looked really good.”
“How do you think I should wear mine?” I asked Scarlet, whose eyes were still fixed on me.
Scarlet approached me, her long, thin fingers weaving into my hair and scooping it up on my head. “You should wear it up and have curls cascading down, and you should have sparkly accents in your hair to match the bling on your dress.
“When I get through with you two girls, Stone and Mike’ll be wanting to poke all the other guys’ eyes out.” She rubbed her palms together. “This is so up my alley.”
“What? Poking guys’ eyes out?” Crimson asked. “No wonder no one wants to date you.”
“Can I help it if no one on Quail Mountain lives up to my standards?” Scarlet asked with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Well, let’s just see if you can deliver,” Crimson challenged. “I’d like to see Mike a little jealous for once.”
“Pfft,” Scarlet puffed out between her glossy lips. “I can deliver on a freshly polished silver platter wrapped up in a perfectly tied bow. And you know it,” she added, pointing a French manicured nail at Crimson.
“Speaking of below-standard guys, where’s Stone at today?” Scarlet asked me.
“Don’t be mean, Scarlet. His parents are out of town, and he has to run some errands for them.”
“Out of town?” Scarlet questioned, furrowing her daintily plucked eyebrows. “I just passed his parents on my way here.”
“Are you sure it was them?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah. It’s kinda hard to miss them in that fancy sports car. His dad must’ve been having a midlife crisis when he bought that.”
“Maybe they’re just now leaving,” I suggested.
“Maybe,” she agreed, her voice lacking conviction. “Or maybe he’s got another girlfriend.”
“Scarlet,” Crimson hissed. “Seriously, just because you don’t have a boyfriend, you don’t have to ruin it for everyone else.”
“I’m not trying to ruin anything. I just don’t trust him.” Scarlet sat on the bed beside me. “I’m still rooting for Chance.”
I sighed. “Chance and I are over. If you like him so much, you should ask him out.”
Scarlet shook her head, her hoop earrings swaying. “No. I have a rule not to date my best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Besides, I thought y’all were good together.”
“Well, that was before she met Stone,” Crimson interjected. “Can’t you see the poor girl’s in love?” Crimson patted me on the shoulder.
I smiled. Once I’d met Stone, I had no interest in anyone else. I glanced at Scarlet. “She’s right, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know,” Scarlet acknowledged with a lack of enthusiasm. She took a deep breath. “I just hope he deserves you.”
Stone
Oversleeping sucked. I’d intended to get an early start on my road trip to Oakley, but somehow I’d slept through my alarm.
I hated taking the time to stop for breakfast, but considering I was on my bike, eating on the go was not an option. Besides, I desperately needed caffeine.
Since I’d told Dara that I was busy running errands today for my parents, I decided to forego Awesome Sauce, in case she happened to be there, and opted for a small café that was usually frequented by an older crowd.
I ordered a meat lover’s omelet and a large, sweet tea. While I was waiting on my food, I mulled over my strategy, or lack of, for finding Dara’s mother.
“Stone,” a sultry voice called from behind me.
Shit. Not now.
I shifted in my seat and planted a smile on my face. “Jess, how’re you?”
She sashayed to my table and slid into the empty seat across from me, giving me a lascivious grin. “You look lonely.”
“I’m just having breakfast, Jess.”
“So what’s up?” She settled back in her chair, her eyes locked on mine as she played with the silver bangle bracelets dangling from her wrists.
“I’m going to take a ride to Oakley.” I leaned back as the server brought my food.
“Why would you want to go Oakley? That town’s a bore.” Her eyebrows rose. “Unless you’ve got a girl there….”
I took a bite of my omelet and glared at her.
“What?” she shrieked.
“You know I’m with Dara.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you were so much more fun before she came along.”
“Besides,” I continued, ignoring her comment, “since when have you been to Oakley?”
“Since my brother’s been working there. Me and mom visited him one weekend. It was totally lame.”
“Drew’s working in Oakley?”
“Temporarily. His company’s moved him up there for about six months until their job’s finished.”
“What’s he doing in Oakley?”
“Refurbishing a bridge.” She ran her fingertip along my hand. “Want some company? I’ll ride to Oakley with you.”
“Jess, nothing’s changed since the last time we talked.” I held her gaze. I wanted her to understand that anything that had gone on between us was over. There was no way in hell that I was going to take her anywhere.
But if Drew had spent some time in Oakley, I wondered if he might know of a hotel other than the ones listed on the Internet.
“Could you text me Drew’s number?” I asked, thinking it was worth a shot. While I hadn’t spent much time with him, I knew him well enough from my many months of dating Jess to call him up and have a conversation. “I might need help finding my way around town.”
She pursed her lips and exhaled through her nose. “I reckon, but you should take me with you.”
“Jess, just text me his number, please.”
She swiped her phone, pressed the screen, and in a few seconds, I heard my phone ding with a text message.
“There,” she said, her full lips pressed together.
“Thanks.” I watched her, and I couldn’t help remembering the night at Awesome Sauce when she claimed that she was in love with me. I had felt like such a prick. “Are you doing okay?” I asked, truly hoping that she was happy.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, tilting her chin upward.
“Good. I’m glad.”
She stood, smoothing her miniskirt back down into place. “Tell Drew I said ‘hey’.”
“Okay.”
She turned to leave, her high heels clicking against the tile floor. She stopped, angling her body toward me. “Stone?”
I raised my eyebrows in silent question.
“This is hard for me to say, but…Dara’s good for you.”
I nodded my head in a
greement, and she turned and ambled out the glass door, the bell ringing as she exited.
I scarfed down the rest of my omelet and hit the road. Oakley was a straight shot, and even though it mapped out on the Internet as being four hours away, I made it in three and a half. I pulled into a gas station, removed my helmet, and got off the bike. My ass ached, and I needed to stretch my legs.
From first appearances, Jess was right about one thing. Oakley looked about as much fun as a lecture from my father. I had the overwhelming feeling that I had taken a step back in time, and I glanced around the dilapidated town, wondering if they even had a cell tower.
I fished my cell phone from my pocket and glanced at the signal indicator, which was about half its normal strength. I pulled up Jess’s text and dialed Drew’s number. It rang and rang until voice mail finally picked up. Damn it. I hung up.
After I screwed off the gas cap, I picked up the nozzle and began pumping gas, hoping that Drew would call me back.
Ten minutes later, I had stalled as long as I could. If I was going to have time to look around town, then I needed to get going. It would be a long ride back, and I wanted to spend some time with Dara this evening.
I shoved my helmet on and rode a wheelie through the parking lot in a vain attempt to add some excitement to the hell hole known as Oakley. I rode down the main drag in search of a hotel.
It didn’t take long to find one. As I pulled into the parking lot, a shudder ran down my spine at the horrid thought of having to actually sleep in this hotel. Appalled by the state of disrepair, I quickly made my way inside. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I pulled up a photo of Dara with her mother.
When I entered the building, the overwhelming smell of mothballs assaulted my nostrils. I held the back of my hand up to my nose, hoping for a scent of cologne or soap or anything other than the foul odor that wafted through the lobby.
A thin, elderly man peered at me over the gold rim of his glasses from behind the front desk. A few, unruly strands of his comb-over stood straight up defiantly, and his appearance was so comical, it was all I could do not to have a stupid grin on my face.
Devious Page 4
