by Tonya Brooks
“He’d love it even better if I knew how to use it,” Dizzy sighed since she was infamous for her horrible cooking skills.
"So," Easy said with a devilish grin at Cyn as she handed her sister a glass. "How do you like Lakeside so far?"
Her smile was that of a well satisfied woman when Cyn replied, "It definitely has its charm." None of the women doubted that she was referring to a certain bad boys charm.
“I thought you and John were going to set off the fire sprinklers last night,” Dizzy said half seriously and fanned her face with both hands. "Girl, that dance was hot."
"Was it ever," Easy readily agreed. "You and John had to hook up after that."
"Oh, they hooked up alright," Harley informed the newcomers in disgust. "But it was just a hook up."
“What?” The sisters squawked indignantly since they were party to the matchmaking scheme as well.
“Yep. They’re just going to have mind blowing sex as often as possible,” Desi repeated what she had been told as her niece rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Easy denied with a grin and received three sets of evil eyes. “What? That’s how Luke and I started out and look at us now.”
“Thank you, Easy. It’s nice to know someone has my back,” Cyn said and stuck her tongue out at her aunts.
“Hmm. I can see why you chose to practice with children,” Dizzy said in amusement and sensed a change of topic was needed. “Seriously, Cyn, I’m so glad you decided to take the position at the shelter."
Dizzy's first husband had been the son of a ruthless drug lord. A man with enough wealth and power to do whatever he wanted to without fear of reprisal. A man who had physically and mentally abused her and kept her locked away as a prisoner in their home. She had managed to escape, but had been on the run for over two years before she moved to Lakeside and Brett Walker, Lakeside's chief of police, had rescued her.
Now that her ex was dead, she had access to the millions of dollars that he had kept in an offshore bank account, and was determined to use the drug money to help others. Dizzy was opening a shelter for women and their children who had been in abusive situations and she had jumped at the chance to hire Cyn as one of the mental health counselors. Her credentials were very impressive.
"So am I,” Cyn agreed. In more ways than one. Not only was she going to start her career in a very rewarding way by helping abuse victims, it also provided an opportunity to escape the stalker, and her sex life had improved exponentially.
“Think you’ll miss the sunshine state?” Desi queried.
“Not really," she admitted. "I've always wanted to live somewhere that the seasons actually change. I would have gone to college out of state, but mom would have worried herself to death. I'm surprised she hasn't already packed up and moved here as well." When four sets of eyes skittered away from hers, she said, "Oh, Jesus. What did she do?"
"Well," Harley hesitated before answering. "Josie put the Bed and Breakfast up for sale."
"She's going to move here and be my live in nanny," Desi confessed.
"Harley's designing an apartment for her off of Desi's kitchen," Easy added helpfully.
"You're not upset, are you?" Dizzy asked hopefully. God only knew she would freak the hell out if her mother moved to Lakeside and invaded her life.
Cyn looked at their worried expressions and laughed in delight. Leaving her mom alone in another state had been her only concern about moving away, but having her here would make things perfect. Her mom was her best friend after all. "You guys are the best!"
The four women breathed a sigh of relief as Cyn did a happy dance around the table, hugging each of them profusely in her excitement. Now if they could just figure out how to get her and John on board with having a real relationship, their goal would be accomplished.
Harley and Desi had come up with the idea of Cyn working at the shelter and then it had occurred to them that she and the last remaining unattached bad Baker boy would be a perfect match. They had enlisted the aid of the sisters and both Easy and Dizzy had agreed that it was a great idea.
The Baker women had also filled them in about Cyn's relationship phobia and the reasons for it. They had all been hopeful that the pair would hit it off and they weren't about to give up on the idea now.
The battle had just begun!
~~~~~
Dawn was almost breaking when Cyn snuggled contentedly against John's side, a satisfied smile curving her lips. Her body had the most pleasant aches in places she hadn't known could ache. They'd had what he called a three hour sex marathon and she was so tired that she could barely move. "You promised to sing me to sleep," she reminded him and fought a yawn.
John was amused that she really wanted him to sing her to sleep, and there was no way in hell that he'd refuse. Not after she had just rocked his world with three solid hours of mind bending sex. "I don't do requests, but for you I'll make an exception," he teased. "What would you like to hear."
"What's your favorite song?" She asked as her eyelids began to droop.
"Sweet Child O' Mine," he answered without hesitation.
"Why?" Cyn asked curiously.
"It was my mom's favorite," John admitted. "She used to sing it to me all the time."
"It was the first song I heard you sing," she sighed and yawned sleepily. "It's perfect."
John sang the first verse softly and recognized by her even breathing that Cyn was already asleep. He smiled and placed a tender kiss atop her head where it rested on his shoulder. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something special about the woman in his arms. The fact that she was in his arms said a lot. As a rule, when he hooked up with a woman, he left immediately after sex and went home to his bed. This was the second night in a row that he had no inclination to do so.
He liked having her wrapped around him all soft and cuddly while they slept. When she was wrapped around him while they were awake there was nothing soft about it. Hard, fast and out of control was more like it. Jesus, they went at each other like a couple of wild animals in a mating frenzy. That shit was fuckin' awesome.
She was such a tiny little thing that he was afraid he'd hurt her, but the woman was proving to be tougher than she looked. What Cyn lacked in stature she sure as shit made up for in stamina. John had joked about wanting a three hour sex marathon for years and he'd finally gotten it.
Holy shit, he was exhausted. Performing always took a lot out of him, and the sex kitten had completely worn him out. Goddamn, he couldn't wait to do it again.
After he got some rest.
Chapter Four
Sunday, May 25
As usual, Sunday dinner at the Bakers' was a boisterous affair. Jed Baker was in his element as he and his wife prepared a veritable feast to feed the family. Jed, Claire, and their infant daughter Daisy shared the family home with Jed's eldest son Matt and his wife Harley, their son Jed and baby girl Gigi; and Jed's youngest son John.
Mark, his wife Desi, their daughter Kylie, and baby boy Anthony, were also there along with Luke and his fiancée Easy. Then there was their extended family, Easy's sister Dizzy, her husband Brett, and with Cyn staying with them, there were seventeen in all. Fortunately, the dining room was six hundred square feet, with an ornate antique dining table large enough to accommodate them all.
John flashed Cyn that bad boy smile as she joined them, and the look she gave him could have steamed up the entire house. It had him sporting wood at the dining table and that was not a normal occurrence for a family dinner. At least it wasn't for him, so he casually dropped a napkin in his lap to hide the evidence before anyone noticed.
His niece and nephew, Kylie and Jed, had commandeered Cyn and made her sit with them, which was as cute as it was unexpected. Those two kids were inseparable and never let anyone between them. That she doted on the two little hellions was obvious in the way they laughed and teased each other. He'd bet she did great as a counselor since she seemed to love kids and they sure did love her
.
John had a soft spot for kids himself. He served on the board of directors for a privately funded child protection agency that helped foster children find permanent homes. He firmly believed that every child deserved to have a family who loved them, and he did what he could to help as many as possible.
Half way through the meal, Cyn asked in a casual manner, “Aunt Harley, would it be alright if I move to a different room?” Since the club was not open on Sunday, she had realized that she and John would be sleeping on opposite sides of the house tonight. The last thing she wanted was to be caught sneaking into his room, so she had come up with the perfect solution. Move into the room next to his.
“Of course,” Harley agreed and then thought to ask, “Is there something wrong with your room?” She hadn't gotten around to modernizing the entire house yet, and Cyn's bedroom was still in line to be remodeled.
“No, it's lovely,” she assured her. “But it gets the morning sun and since I'm keeping such late hours, I won't be able to sleep a wink once the sun comes up.”
The explanation made sense and John practically held his breath as he waited for his sister-in-law's response. His room was the only one occupied on the north side of the house where the morning sun was not an issue. Matt's family were situated in the east wing, while his father, Claire and the baby were in the west wing.
“I didn’t even think about the sun.” Harley said in dismay. “I'm sorry, Cyn. Feel free to pick any room you'd like. Lord knows we've got enough of them.”
“Thanks, Aunt Harley,” she said as she leaned past Jed to kiss her cheek.
When her eyes met John's across the table, the heat in that look actually made him nervous. Sonuvabitch. He knew exactly what Cyn was thinking and he couldn't believe it. The woman fully intended to have sex with him right here in his own bed. John hid a grin as he looked down at his plate because the old man would have a fit if he found out.
Then again, he might not since John had caught Claire half dressed in the kitchen one night before she had married his father. None of the brothers had ever dared bring a woman home with them, but if she was already under the same roof... who was he to complain if shit happened?
All three of his brothers picked up on the undercurrent and they watched the youngest in varying degrees of amusement. They knew that John was planning on taking advantage of having the sexy young woman so conveniently located and fully expected their father to kick his ass when he did. This should prove to be highly entertaining.
~~~~~
After dinner, Harley had informed John in her usual direct manner that she was not pleased with his and Cyn's 'just sex' agreement. Needless to say, he had taken her less than subtle suggestion to show her niece around Lakeside as an indicator that the de-nutting would be imminent if he refused.
He didn't have a problem spending time with Cyn outside of a bed, but she had bluntly told her aunt to stop meddling. He'd laughed his ass off and hustled the crazy woman out of the house before Harley could retaliate.
"Darlin', you've got balls of steel to sass Harley," he said in amusement. "There's not a man in this family who can get away with that."
"I'm not a man," she grinned.
"Don't I know it," he readily agreed and smacked her hot little ass playfully. "What would you like to do?"
"I don't have a clue," she admitted. "It's your town. How do you usually kick it in the sticks?"
His normal Sunday afternoon was spent hanging with his band or his brothers. Neither of those seemed like a good idea. Truth be told, John had no idea what to do with a woman outside of a bar or a bed. "Why don't we take a ride and go from there," he suggested.
"Fine by me," she agreed as they walked over to his truck. His big, black, jacked up truck with huge tires, lots of chrome and floodlights mounted on the roof and the grill. It was the embodiment of every country music song she'd ever heard and should have been a complete cliché. Somehow it suited his larger than life personality perfectly.
Cyn flashed him a devilish smile and couldn't help teasing, "You know, it's fairly common for men with small penises to compensate by driving monsters like this."
John stopped beside the passenger door and stared at her in disbelief. "Darlin', you did not just insult my dick," he said indignantly.
"As if," she laughed in genuine amusement and looked pointedly at the prominent bulge behind his fly. Sweet lovin' Lord. The man was not lacking in that area at all, and those pearls were the stuff of dreams. Very wet dreams. "Since I know that isn't your issue, I just wondered why you drive something so big."
Now he knew where to take her. John flashed that bad boy smile as he opened her door and said, "I'll show you. Hop in."
The floorboard was at least waist high and there was no way in hell she could get inside the thing. "Does a ladder come standard or was that optional?"
He laughed at her smart mouth, scooped her up and sat her on the seat. "This is gonna be fun," John assured her as he closed the door, walked around the truck and bounded into the driver's seat with ease.
He cranked the truck and she barely held back a laugh. Of course, it would be big and loud. The mufflers and the stereo were in a competition that rattled the windows. John was such a guy and for some absurd reason, she found it to be absolutely adorable. "So where are we going?" She asked when he turned the radio down.
"Ever been mud boggin'?"
She wrinkled her nose and asked, "Isn’t that a gooey chicken and rice dish?” Harley had talked Cyn’s mom into cooking it once and she had not been impressed.
Now it was John's turn to choke back a laugh. "Nope. That would be a chicken bog," he clarified with a grin.
"So what is mug bogging?" She queried, thankful that she didn't have to eat wet, sticky rice again. Southern delicacy or not, that shit was nasty.
“It’s how we kick it in the sticks," he teased her with her own sass. "It's kind of like mud wrestling in a truck."
The look she gave him was not impressed. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope."
Ten minutes later she realized that he had not been kidding. Spread out before them was acres and acres of... mud. It looked like someone had taken a field, built up several different sized hills, dug some really big ditches in between them, and covered every last inch of it in mud. "You're gonna drive through that?" She asked doubtfully.
"Uh huh."
"Why?" Other than wanting to get your vehicle absolutely filthy, she couldn't think of a good reason to do something so bizarre.
"Because it's fun," he grinned and reached over to cinch her seatbelt tighter. John put it in four wheel drive, dropped the gear stick in low and instructed, "It's gonna get rough. Grab the oh shit bar and hold on."
"The..." she began in confusion and looked up to see the handle above her door about the same time his foot hit the gas pedal. "Oh, shit!" She screeched and grabbed the handle as he cut the wheel sharply to the left and held it there as the truck spun round and round in circles, the big tires slinging mud in an arc around them.
No sooner than he straightened them out, they shot forward up the smallest hill and barreled down the other side. The truck plunged into the trench, sending a wave of icky brown water cascading over them. Cyn squealed in surprise as the windshield wipers slapped the muck away. By the time they crested the second rise she was grinning like a loon. This really was fun.
John kept his eyes on the course instead of looking at Cyn, but the sound of her laughter and shrieks assured him that she was enjoying herself. "Get ready for a mud bath," he warned as they flew up and over the biggest hill. The truck went airborne before it splashed down hard on the other side and created a massive wave that enveloped the entire truck.
"Holy effin' shit!" Cyn yelped in shock and stared over at him wide eyed. They had landed in a pond of muddy water. "Are we sinking?"
"Nope, but it's gonna ooze in through the doors," he admitted and flashed her that wicked grin. "Now for the fun part."
When t
he trucks big tires began to rotate, seeking purchase in the slippery muck, the vehicle slid sideways before it caught traction and they began to move forward. Apparently there were deep holes because the truck kept shifting at odd angles and she really had to hold onto the bar to keep from being tossed around.
Cyn looked down and saw the floorboard was filling up with muddy water at an alarming rate. "My Sexy Slings!" She exclaimed in horror and snatched her feet up beneath her in the seat before her shoes got wet. "John Baker, if you sink this truck and ruin my favorite shoes, I am so gonna kick your ass."
John had to agree that the shoes were sexy, but he couldn't help laughing at how pissed she looked. Cyn was such a chick worrying about shoes and shit. It was cute as hell. "Darlin', my baby was built for this shit," he said confidently as he powered smoothly through a particularly rough patch. "She ain't gonna sink."
Once they were back on solid ground, he flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Let's see what kind of mess we made." John hopped out of the cab and by the time he made it around to Cyn's door, she was barefoot. He scooped her up and held her in his arms instead of putting her cute little feet on the muddy ground.
"Oh. My. God," she said in shock as she looked his vehicle over. What minutes before had been shiny black paint and gleaming chrome now looked like the creature from the black lagoon. A film of brown silt covered every inch of the truck, murky water was draining out of the doors and the bed, and thick globs of mud were clinging tenaciously to every surface.
Cyn was such a prissy ass city girl. She looked so appalled, that he had to ask, "How'd ya like mud boggin', darlin'?"
She looked up at him and asked hopefully, "Can we do it again?"
That surprised a laugh out of him. "There might be a little country in you, city girl," he teased.
"Maybe a little bit," Cyn agreed mischievously as she ran a finger against the side of the truck to scoop up a dollop of mud. She smeared the icky goo on his cheek and laughed in delight when his mouth dropped open in shock.
