Chasing Desire

by Joya Ryan

  Her breath caught just for a second, and he grinned. Yeah, he still got to her.

  “Well, now that we’ve caught up,” she said, straightening her shoulders, like she was dismissing his comment. She couldn’t fool him though. He saw her pulse quicken in her throat, and those plump lips parted just a millimeter to take another shaky breath.

  Fuck yeah, he still got to her. And now that he knew where they stood—enemies in every way but in the bedroom—he had no compunction about goading her into one more round. Hell, into as many rounds as he could fit into the next two weeks, because it was clear Autumn would never want anything beyond that.

  “I need some tools,” she said, then glanced at Huck. “Besides the one standing in front of me.”

  Colt and Bass laughed.

  Huck shot them a glare over his shoulder before returning his attention to the sassy woman before him. “What do you need tools for? It’s a wedding.”

  “The arch is falling.” She said it as though she were spelling out something obvious. “I’m going to fix it. For that, I need tools. Do you have some?”

  “Yes, I do,” Huck said.

  “Great. I need them.”

  With that, she turned and started toward the exit, as if expecting him to just follow her.

  “Dude!” Colt said when she was out of earshot. “What the hell did you do to that woman to make her hate you like that?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Bass said, tilting his chin at Huck. “He dined and ditched.”

  Huck shook his head. “No.” His gaze followed the one woman who had ever pulled this kind of stunt on him. “She ditched me.”

  He didn’t like being left, and he also didn’t like being shortchanged the night she’d promised. She owed him some hours, and she was within reach now.

  He’d get her to stay the night with him. And he’d be the one to walk away this time.

  Sure, it was selfish and not completely rational, but it was the only way for him to maintain the sense of careful control that kept him sane. Besides, he’d give her enough orgasms to more than compensate her for having to watch him stalk out the door.

  “So does this mean you’re going to keep her company while she’s in Diamond?” Colt asked.

  As a kind of tour guide? No way. If today said anything about how they’d be around each other when they weren’t having sex, he’d be surprised if they didn’t rip each other’s heads off.

  But as long as they were knocking boots? Something could be arranged.

  “Fuck yeah I’ll keep her company.”

  Watching that perfect ass as she continued to stride away from him, he couldn’t help but go chasing after her.

  Chapter Three

  Autumn never had great luck, something she’d inherited from her father. And that lack of luck was currently dressed in a tux, hiding some hot tattoos, and sporting a sexy smile.

  Huck Galvin: the epitome of bad luck.

  Of all the guys to be next to, it had to be this arrogant piece of ass.

  “Am I distracting you, honey?” he asked with a cocky grin.

  Her attention snapped back to the task at hand. The arch. She was lying on her side, screwdriver in hand, securing the base. Too bad her stupid eyes kept skating from said task to the man leaning against a wall of ivy. He was crossing his arms and staring her down, and she could hear the faint click of his tongue piercing tapping against the back of his teeth.

  Jesus, the man was mouth-watering hot. A small town good ol’ boy with a wild side and ink to match it. She’d also bet had enough notches in his bedpost to put termites to shame. The whole package had been perfect for what she’d wanted last night. One hot encounter with no chance of anything else.

  But now the guy seemed almost angry with her. All she’d done was wear him out and leave him alone to sleep it off, but he was looking at her like she’d kicked his puppy.

  “More like annoying me.” She adjusted her shoulder to get a better angle on fastening the bolt into the arch base and securing it.

  “I didn’t seem to be annoying you last night.”

  “Well, it’s daytime now.”

  And with the sunrise came the boundary that would keep her safe from him. She’d known the kind of man he was right away. The kind that couldn’t be counted on for more than a romp in the sheets. The kind that got your hopes worked up only to ditch you at the soonest opportunity.

  Which was why a one-nighter with him had been brilliant. Or so she’d thought.

  Now she needed to stay away from him, because being with a guy like that beyond one night was bad news waiting to happen. The smoldering gaze he threw at her said he was interested in a second round, but she’d just have to let him know there was no chance of a repeat performance.

  Last night had just been sex. Mind-blowing sex? Okay, yes. But nothing more. No emotions. No attachment.

  So why did she feel so…needy? Like the pleasure had been so beyond amazing that it wasn’t enough? She craved more. And craving was not what a one night stand was about.

  God, all the more reason to get away from him.

  “You’re thinking about me, aren’t you?” he said, and took a step toward her.

  She went to readjust the bolt again. Anything to take her mind off her tingling body. Her breasts seemed to perk up on every sway of her tank top, and her scalp prickled at the thought of Huck and the night they’d had.

  No way was he having this effect on her. It must be the curlers. They were cutting off circulation to her brain. With a huff, she stood and started unpinning them from her hair.

  “I was thinking about how I’m doing all the work while you stand there,” she said, dropping the curlers onto the short, manicured grass. Jenna could give her shit later, but these damn things were coming out.

  Huck came so close to her that his skilled mouth was a whisper away from hers. He reached up, slowly unfastened one of the remaining curlers, and let her long black hair unwind. “I’d be happy to do all the work, honey,” he whispered. “Just say the word and I’ll show you. Again.”

  His gaze caught hers. The scent of pine and spice and all man wafted from him, and good lord, her body wanted to take him up on his offer. She reached up to touch his chest—

  But thankfully she realized what she was doing and disguised the motion by unwinding another curler from her head. She needed to keep her hands busy before she did something she’d regret.

  “Why are you set on having a repeat?” she said. “We don’t even know each other, much less like each other.”

  “I like you. You’re a pain in the ass, but that has nothing to do with wanting you.”

  “Charming.”

  He grinned and continued to help her unwind her hair. “I want the opportunity I missed out on. Which is you. Our friends seem to think you deserve all two weeks with me, but I figure you’ve got to earn your time. We’ll see if you can behave. For one night. Completely.”

  “We had a night.”

  “No, we had a couple of hours. Then you left. I want one whole night.”

  “Not going to happen.”

  “Why? I can tell you’re thinking about it. Hell, it’s all I’ve thought about.” He leaned in closer, his mouth against her earlobe. “Remember how you moaned when I licked your sweet pussy and you felt my tongue ring for the first time?”

  Her nipples instantly shot to alert, and her chest struggled on a heavy inhale. Oh, she remembered. But she needed to remember the facts, too.

  “Yeah, I do. I also recall us agreeing up front that this wouldn’t go beyond last night.”

  That made him pause and Autumn took the opportunity to gain a few feet of distance and finish unraveling her hair.

  One night she could handle, but more? No. She could handle a lot of shitty things, but the reminder that she wasn’t a priority to anyone was an experience she never wanted to repeat.

  He let out a long breath that sounded almost like a growl. “What we agreed was to scratch each other’s itch. It�
��d be fine if last night had done it. But I can tell you right now, you’re too delicious not to taste again.” Her hair was finally down and hung in long curls. Huck picked up a tendril, and the back of his fingers barely brushed her breasts as he did. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said.

  Beautiful.

  The word made her ribs tighten and her heart beat a little faster. People didn’t usually call her beautiful. Or a woman for that matter. She was known back home as one of the guys. Freddie’s daughter who worked on cars. No one looked at her the Huck did. Like she was desirable. Like she was more than what she appeared.

  She closed her eyes and took a minute to refocus. Clearly the makeup was seeping into her pores and causing her to have crazy thoughts. No one wanted her for much of anything—sometimes it seemed not even for sex—and the fact that this guy was asking to spend more time with her said something about his state of mind. Eventually, he’d see what she was really made of.

  “I didn’t know you were going to be at the same wedding,” she said, as if somehow that made it okay that her skin was buzzing from his nearness.

  “Colt is one of my best friends.”

  She nodded. Small fricking world, and Autumn was caught staring down the one man she never thought she’d see again. The same man that made her feel all…weird.

  “So you live here?” she asked.

  “I live in Diamond.”

  Shit! Huck picked up on whatever expression she wore and asked, “What has you looking spooked?”

  “I’m going to be in Diamond housesitting for Colt and Jenna.”

  Huck’s smile was sly and victorious. “I know. Our friends want me to be your chaperone. Show you around town.”

  Now she remembered the comment he’d made earlier about their friends thinking she deserved all two weeks with him.

  “I can find my own way around town, thanks,” she said.

  “Oh, I know. And what you do with those two weeks is your business. But first, we need to finish what we started.”

  “Uh-huh.” She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged her lips. “Why don’t you tell me what your angle is?”

  “Angle?” He looked her up and down in a way that made her body kick into overdrive. “I have lots of angles I’m thinking about. Staring with you bent over—”

  “I mean your motivation,” she said, placing her fingers against his mouth to silence where his description was headed. He instantly pulled them between his teeth and delivered a little bite.

  “I just want one night with you. Not an hour. Not two hours. The whole night.”

  “Just one?”

  He nodded.

  “So you want a night, then you’d leave me alone for the time I’m in Diamond?”

  When she spelled it out, he looked almost shocked, like no woman had caught on to this game of his before. “Well, yeah,” he said.

  “Don’t look surprised, Huck. I’m not an idiot. I just want to be clear. One night is all you want, right?”

  If expectations were upfront, she could steel herself against the rest. She wouldn’t dupe herself into thinking there was more when there clearly wasn’t. Huck wasn’t a more kind of guy, and she wasn’t the more kind of girl. Even when she wanted more, no one wanted it from her. But she couldn’t be let down if she knew what to expect.

  That didn’t mean she was giving in to him…yet.

  “Give me the one night I’m after, and then I’ll walk away,” he said.

  “What about our friends? Don’t they want you to be my…what did you say? Chaperone?”

  “You let me handle them.”

  Truth was, she could use a good distraction from the reality of her situation. Whatever happened with him, it would still be temporary. And it would still be the blessed relief she craved.

  Her body was a greedy bitch and begging for the feel of him, and getting lost in pleasure for an evening may not be so bad. Especially if it meant she could refocus on moving forward in her own life afterward. She needed a dose of control, and she could use him to get it.

  Time to put the playboy in his place.

  She swayed a little closer and buttoned one of the buttons on his shirt, then the last one. His body tensed, and he skimmed his nose over her forehead, as if liking the intimate moment. She braced herself. She wouldn’t get lost in him again. She was in charge, and it would stay that way.

  After fastening the tie, she pressed her finger along his jaw and gently scraped it with her nail. He growled, and a dark heat lit his eyes.

  “One night, Autumn,” he rasped, and it almost sounded like a plea.

  She met his gaze and smiled. “I’ll think about it.” With that, she pulled away. “I need to finish fixing this.”

  She went back to work on the arch. Huck turned to leave, but when he reached the back door of the hotel, he looked over his shoulder at her.

  “I can play this game too, honey,” he said. When she met his stare, he tossed her a wink. “Pull my strings and back away all you want, but we both know how this is going to play out.”

  …

  All Huck knew was that he needed one full night to get her out of his system, then he could walk away happy and back to his normal self by morning. Two weeks screwing each other’s brains out sounded nice if that was what she wanted, but he was already pushing his luck going after her for a second night.

  He really wasn’t sure how he’d explain to Colt and Jenna why he wasn’t showing her around town, but he’d figure something out. As soon as he got his cock to shut up so he could think straight.

  “You going to ask her to dance?” Ryder asked. His friend was standing in a matching tux, looking across the reception dance floor in the same direction as Huck.

  “What?” Huck snapped from his thoughts and glanced at his friend and business partner. Ryder was the patriarch of the town and had saved Huck’s ass a time or two. He could always count on his friends.

  A few years ago after Sydney left, Huck had hit a downward spiral, and Ryder had been there to pull him out. They’d gone from swinging hammers on odd jobs to launching their own business, and now they were co-owners of the most successful contracting and land development company this side of the Mississippi.

  “You keep staring at the leggy bridesmaid,” Ryder said, and Huck didn’t miss the way his buddy’s eyes did their own scan. Something like fire and annoyance pricked his stomach. Something like…jealousy.

  “Don’t you have a date somewhere?”

  “Nope,” Ryder said and downed the rest of his beer. Huck didn’t know what was going on with him lately, but between the trips out of town and his normally happy mood teetering, Huck could guess it had something to do with a woman.

  “Go ask her to dance and stop staring like a creep.” Ryder nudged Huck’s shoulder.

  “Nah, man.” In the past hour he’d watched her turn away at least four guys who’d asked the same thing.

  “Why?”

  “Because I think she’ll she shoot me down.”

  Ryder’s eyes went wide, and Huck realized what he’d said. “Holy shit,” Ryder said. “This woman has you nervous.”

  Huck frowned and looked at Autumn. She was clutching her glass of water and seemed nervous herself. She didn’t appear to know anyone there, just hovered near the wedding party’s table. He’d never seen someone more alone in a crowd in his life. And that bugged him for some reason. He didn’t like the look he saw in her eyes. The woman was tough, but there was a glimpse of something very soft beneath.

  The dress was obviously not to her taste, but it was short and showcased the longest set of legs he’d ever had the pleasure of having wrapped around him. The light color of the dress made her olive skin glow in contrast, and her black curls hung down her back in glossy waves. All he could think about was how it had felt, soft and fine, and he wanted to wrap all that hair around his fist while he fucked her.

  All he needed was for her to agree to one more night. Yet he stood ther
e, doing nothing.

  “I’m not nervous,” he said, more to himself than Ryder. “I know that woman enough to know that asking her to dance isn’t going to get me anywhere.”

  “And where is it you’re trying to get with her?”

  Huck didn’t answer his friend’s question, because truth was, he was trying to get back to feeling normal. Whatever that meant.

  “Look, man, I know you had a hard time last week with the—”

  “It’s cool,” Huck said. That was his answer to a lot of things. Just like he was picking up that Autumn’s go-to response was, “It’s fine.”

  Yeah, last week had been the anniversary of the day his ex left him. The day he came home to the truth that Sydney was gone and had been fucking someone else. He still remembered the smell of stale carpet as he stood in the doorway and found his entire house cleared out and her gone. Nothing had shocked him more.

  He thought they’d been happy. Christ, they’d been set to get married, talked about having kids. Shit of it was, he’d wanted those things. The idea of being a dad and husband had made him happy. Now it gave him the shakes. He’d been a sucker. Never again would he be caught off guard like that. Never again would he be left. Destroyed.

  “All I’m saying is maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to hang around the same woman for a while. Just for two weeks. Especially since she seems to have an effect on you.”

  Huck tried to brush off Ryder’s remark. “Well of course she does, she’s gorgeous.”

  “Gorgeous?”

  “What? It’s not a secret that I like women.”

  “No, but you never talk about them.”

  “Hey, expectations are clear going in.” He didn’t go around hurting people. He just didn’t stick around. He put in a lot of effort in making sure that the women he was with felt good and wanted, even for a night.

  “I’m not saying you don’t talk to women, or are an asshole. I’m saying you don’t talk about them.”

  He faced Ryder. “Don’t go thinking you’re seeing something that isn’t there. I like Autumn.” Christ, he could hear himself getting defensive. “Same as I liked…”

  Shit, he didn’t even remember the last time he’d liked a woman beyond the sexual draw. Not since Sydney, he guessed. And look where that had gotten him.