by Mari Carr
A quick peek in the back room proved every pool table had already been claimed. She saw Liam bent over, lining up a shot. If she weren’t working, she’d challenge him to a game. Though she’d never beat him, she had definitely come closer than any of the yahoos he was currently fleecing. While hustling wasn’t strictly allowed in Spurs, Bruce usually turned a blind eye. He sold a hell of a lot of beer to the guys in that back room, so he wasn’t about to bite the hand that fed him.
Liam had become a regular at Spurs in the past few years. She’d been surprised when he started showing up on Friday nights shortly after she’d been hired. Sienna insisted he’d taken up playing pool simply because it gave him an excuse to hang out at Spurs to keep an eye on her. Jade had dismissed her cousin’s supposition as a load of bullshit.
She figured that, like most of the cowboys in Compton Pass, Liam liked to kick back with a cold one at the end of a long week and blow off some steam. Whenever he wasn’t shooting pool, he’d find a woman to dance with. Jade had watched him leave with more than a few of the local single ladies at the end of the night and he certainly wasn’t keeping an eye on her as he sashayed out the door.
Sometimes she’d ask him about his dates, but Liam was always evasive, claiming it was a casual thing or a one-night deal. He hadn’t had a steady girlfriend since Celia. Jade wondered if he’d ever love anyone like he’d loved his fiancée. It was sweet in a very sad way.
For the past eight years, they had a standing date, meeting at the cemetery just before midnight on her birthday. She’d visit George while Liam took flowers to Celia. Usually they met at the gate to the churchyard. After they’d spoken their peace to the cold headstones, they’d meet up once more at the entrance. When she still lived at home, he’d walk her back to her parents’ place. Now that she lived on Compass Ranch, he’d escort her to her motorcycle, where they’d say goodnight and head home on their own.
Jade wished he’d find someone who could make him happy. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, with his dark hair and eyes. His tan skin reflected a life lived mostly outside. He constantly sported a five o’clock shadow and the crinkles around his eyes betrayed his penchant for laughter. Plus he’d definitely treat a woman right. He’d been raised a country gentleman, never failing to open doors, pull out chairs and tip his hat for women. She had offered to set him up with a couple of her friends—even her cousin Sterling—but Liam had just laughed and informed her he was perfectly capable of finding his own dates.
Over the years, Liam had become one of her best friends. Even though she had still been in high school when they’d met, he’d never acted like she was an annoyance or in the way, though she knew she got on his nerves more often than not. She laughed way too loud, cussed too much and didn’t have a problem sharing her opinions on most matters.
A scuffle near the bar caught her attention. Jade turned just in time to catch Roscoe Hutchins rearing back to throw a punch at Bucky Dorsey.
“Jesus. Same shit, different day,” she muttered as she walked around the bar and shoved her way through the crowd forming around them.
Rhonda Barker was standing between the two men, who were arguing with more bluster than muscle.
Jade struggled not to roll her eyes. “Break it up, guys. If Bruce comes in here and sees you starting this shit again, he’ll ban you for life, Roscoe.”
Roscoe pointed an angry finger in Bucky’s face. “I’m not leaving here until I’ve taught this little shithead to keep his hands off my girlfriend.”
Bucky laughed. “Your girlfriend came on to me. Maybe you need a few lessons in fucking, Coe.”
Roscoe lunged forward again, but this time Jade and Rhonda were both there to push him back. Not that Jade sensed he was trying too hard to get to Bucky. His actions were clearly more for show.
What a joke. Jade had been walking the razor’s edge of an explosion for weeks, looking for an outlet. Looked like she’d just found it.
“Enough!” Jade yelled. “Goddammit, you people are annoying. Roscoe, at some point in your miserable life, you’re going to have to figure out that Rhonda is a slut.”
Rhonda, who had been holding Roscoe back, dropped her hands and turned toward Jade, fury written on her face. “Hey! Who are you calling a slut?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Rhonda. Does that word not work for you? What would you call a woman who sleeps around? Whore? Tramp?”
Roscoe, shocked by the catfight erupting in front of him, stopped trying to get to Bucky. “Damn, Jade. Take it easy. It was just a little misunderstanding.”
Jade poked her finger into Roscoe’s chest. “No. It wasn’t. The two of you start this crap up every freaking weekend with a different guy. Rhonda cheats on you, you pick a fight with the loser of the week and—”
“Hey,” Bucky interjected. “I’m not a loser.”
Jade flipped her hands as if waving away a fly. “Go away, Bucky. You haven’t changed a bit since high school. You’re still thinking with the same head. It’s a shame it’s not the one with a brain in it.”
“Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” Bucky turned around and walked back to his usual spot at the bar.
“Listen, Jade,” Roscoe started, “I think maybe you should just—”
She raised her finger to cut him off. “Shut up. Where was I? Oh yeah, and after you pretend like you’re going to kick someone’s ass, you get booted out of the bar. I don’t know…maybe this is how you and Rhonda get off, but I’m sick and tired of the game. If you want to get pissed at someone, why don’t you start yelling at this faithless bitch? Or better yet, grow a pair and dump her ass!”
“You little cunt!” Rhonda lunged for her, and Jade was ready. She’d been itching to punch something for days.
Unfortunately Roscoe grabbed Rhonda, pulling her away as Jade felt strong, familiar arms wrap around her waist, lifting her from the screaming woman with ease.
“Hey!” She fought against Liam’s hold as he started dragging her out of the crowd.
“Easy, kiddo. I think you need to go outside to cool off for a minute.”
Jade tried to shake off Liam’s grip, but she was no match for his strength. The man was built like a brick shit house, towering over her by at least six inches. “Let go of me! They started it and now I’m going to finish it.”
Bruce came through the back door just as Liam lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
Liam gestured toward the bar with a tilt of his head. “The Rhonda and Roscoe show.”
“Goddamn idiots.” Bruce slammed down his toolbox as he headed toward the crowd. “Take a few minutes to rein it in, Jade, and then get your ass back behind the bar. I’m kicking those jackasses out once and for all. I’ve had it with this shit.”
Liam carried her out of the bar as she beat on his back, his ass, anything she could reach. Once they hit the parking lot, she expected him to put her down, but he didn’t.
“You finished?” he asked.
Liam had a way of talking to her sometimes that made her feel like she was a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. It never failed to calm her down. And piss her off.
“Yeah, asshole. I’m done.”
He placed her on her feet and crossed his arms. “What the hell was that about?”
“I don’t like being manhandled, Liam.”
“I’m not talking about that.” He pointed toward the bar. “I mean you and Rhonda. You know what she’s like. Hell, everybody in town—Roscoe included—knows what she’s like.”
“So we’re all just supposed to sit back and let her and her stupid boyfriend continually create this weekly drama? What’s it for? Our entertainment? Because it’s getting old. And boring.”
“All I’m saying is Roscoe is well aware of Rhonda’s affairs, but he’s never going to dump her. And Rhonda, for all her faults, seems to genuinely love Roscoe.”
Jade scowled and started to argue, but Liam continued speaking. “She
just loves sex with other guys more.”
She laughed. “A lot more.”
“They’re harmless, Jade. A Compton Pass tradition. Rhonda cheats, Roscoe picks a fight, Rhonda cries, Roscoe forgives her and life goes on. Half of the guys who sleep with Rhonda want the fight with Roscoe more than the sex with her. Gives them a way to get their rocks off and work off some aggression.”
Jade released a long sigh. “I know that.”
“Then why the strong words?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve been feeling edgy lately. Restless. I mean, look around, Liam. Is this all there is to life? Every single day is déjà vu and not in a good way. It’s like I’m trapped in the horror movie that is my life, forced to endure the same stupid things over and over and over again.”
Liam frowned. “So what are you saying? You want to leave Compton Pass?”
“No.” Jade closed her eyes wearily. “This is my home. I don’t want to leave. My whole family is here and with Vivi’s memory getting worse…” Her words fell away as her shoulders slumped. She was in a funk. Usually life didn’t get her down, but for the past few months, she’d struggled to shirk off her constant state of unhappiness. The worst part was she didn’t really know what was bothering her. She was suffering from what Vivi called a case of the blues. And she had it bad.
Liam reached out to touch her arm. “Maybe you’re just bothered about your grandmother’s illness. Alzheimer’s can take its toll and you’ve been watching Vicky’s decline for a couple of years now.”
She shrugged. “I am worried about Vivi, but I don’t think that’s what’s wrong with me. Not really.”
“Then what?”
“I’m stuck in a rut. I work at the ranch. I tend bar here. I hang out with my cousins and you. I eat the same breakfast every day. The same damn lunch. I break up the same ridiculous redneck fights week after week. I’m coming out of my skin. It makes me want to do something crazy, wild, impulsive.”
“What else is new?”
She shot him a dirty look that he ignored.
“Fine, kiddo. Be impulsive.”
She released a quick snort. “Easier said than done. I’m Jade Compton, the sheriff’s daughter, one of the Compass girls. Sometimes it feels like I have a thousand eyes on me—all watching out, ready to protect me the second I step one tiny toe over the line into anything that could be potentially dangerous. I’m living my life swaddled in freaking Bubble Wrap.”
Liam laughed. “I don’t know about that. It seems to me you’ve managed to do some damage. Weren’t you the girl who got pulled over by her father for going a hundred and twenty on her motorcycle?”
“Yes. And I caught holy hell for it too. Uncle Silas is still reading me the riot act for that, and it happened nearly six months ago.”
Liam leaned against Bruce’s car. Her boss always parked in the alley. “I bet he is. That is one man I’d never wanna piss off.”
Jade blew out a long breath and tugged at her T-shirt. “It doesn’t help that it’s a gazillion degrees this summer. I’m tired of being hot. It’s like I’m living in a pool of my own sweat with my clothes sticking to my skin every time I step outside.”
“Attractive image. Thanks for sharing.”
She grinned. Liam always knew how to talk her out of her anger. No matter how mad or annoyed she might be, Liam managed to calm her down. “Okay. You win. I’m finished bitching.”
“So what’s your plan for getting out of your depression?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to come up with something spontaneous and reckless. Maybe I’ll jump my motorcycle over Beyer’s Creek. I can sell tickets and put on a flashy pantsuit. I can even come up with a cool stunt-girl name like Jumpin’ Jade.”
“Selling tickets hardly makes it an impulsive act.”
She could tell he wasn’t taking her seriously and her pride kicked in, his whatever attitude rubbing her the wrong way. “Then maybe I should do something even more stupid.”
“And what would that be?” His casual tone tweaked her temper and made her long to wipe the smug smile off his face. As always, she acted without thinking.
“This.” She gripped his shirt in her hands and tugged him close, kissing him roughly. She felt him stiffen with surprise, the response appeasing her enough that she released him with a superior laugh. Served him right for dragging her out of the bar and then not believing her when she threatened to do something insane. He was her friend. The least he could do was play along when she was in a mood.
His eyes narrowed, pleasing her even more. Liam was a hard person to shock, so it felt good to shake the cocky man up.
“Oh my God, you should see your face right now, Liam.”
Her laughter died when Liam grasped her cheeks in his large palms and pulled her forward.
“Apparently you need a lesson in recklessness, Jade.”
“Wha—” She didn’t have a chance to ask what the hell he was doing before Liam placed his lips on hers and kissed her. Shock held her still for a full minute as Liam took charge of her mouth. His grip was firm, directing her face this way and that as he pressed her lips apart and started exploring her mouth with his tongue.
Part of her was compelled to shove him away. She’d only meant the kiss as a joke. This was Liam, for God’s sake. For eight years, he’d been her best friend. They didn’t kiss.
But damn if he didn’t know his way around a mouth. Jade lifted her hands to his shoulders. Her initial intention had been to push back, but once her fingers found the firm muscles on his upper arms, she decided to indulge in a little exploration of her own.
Liam twisted them until she was pressed against Bruce’s car, his body leaning into hers. One of his hands left her face, caressing its way along her neck, briefly touching her breast before latching on to her waist. He used his grip to tug her lower body even closer to his.
Shit. Liam had a hard-on. For her?
She didn’t turn him on. Did she?
He pressed her more firmly against the vehicle, and Jade let him take the lead, take over. She wasn’t a meek lover—at least she never had been in the past—but she was definitely allowing Liam to hold the reins, following along as he pushed her arousal higher.
He slipped one hand beneath her T-shirt, his fingers stroking the sensitive skin there. She moaned, the sound captured by his mouth. Too much more of this and he’d have her purring like a kitten.
His hand moved higher, cupping one of her breasts tightly in his large palm. He squeezed, slowly applying more pressure until Jade thought her body would spontaneously combust from the heat. Then he dug his fingers beneath the lace of her bra. She knew what he was seeking. When his fingers closed around her nipple, her head flew back as she searched for air.
Liam growled—an actual fucking growl—and tugged her face back to his, his lips claiming hers once more. Then…he pinched her nipple. Roughly.
Jade jerked against him, wondering if she’d ever felt anything more painfully beautiful. “Harder,” she breathed against his lips.
Liam hesitated for only a second, then he gave in to her demand, his fingers tightening around the taut nub. Her panties were wet, soaked, and for a brief moment, she actually considered saying to hell with it, tugging them and her jeans down, and demanding Liam take her—Spurs drunks be damned.
She could feel just how thick his cock was as he pressed against her. He was large and long. She wanted to see…and feel…more.
Of Liam?
What was she doing?
She shoved on his shoulders, dragging her lips away from his, despite how much she really, really wished she could keep kissing him. Liam pulled his hand out from under her shirt.
She swiped at her mouth, the slight taste of the beer he’d been drinking still lingering on her lips. “What the hell was that?”
Liam gave her a cocky, nonchalant grin. “You said you wanted to do something spontaneous. That seemed a hell of a lot less dan
gerous than a motorcycle stunt.”
With that, he turned and headed back to the bar. For a minute, she wondered how he was walking so casually with that fence pole in his pants. How could he pull himself together so quickly?
When he opened the door, he looked over his shoulder at her. “You coming, kiddo?”
Her legs felt like they were sunk in quicksand, but somehow she managed to put one foot in front of the other until she stood next to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t have a clue what. So instead, she shut it and kept walking.
Was the kiss Liam’s attempt at one-upmanship? Teaching her a lesson for teasing him? She wouldn’t put it past him to employ such a trick. After all, they both possessed an unhealthy amount of pride. She’d started the game and he had definitely finished it. Asshole.
But that didn’t really explain the erection he’d made damn sure she felt.
No, it was a lark. Just a joke. It had to be that, right?
Consoling herself with the idea Liam was jerking her chain, she took a deep breath and dismissed the kiss completely.
Returning to her station behind the bar, she began filling drink orders and consciously not looking toward the back room.
She managed to ignore the temptation to take a peek for all of twenty minutes. Then her willpower dried up and she glanced over to the pool tables.
Liam was leaning against the far wall, pool cue in hand. But he wasn’t watching the table or the game. Instead, he was looking right at her.
Her stomach fluttered at the intense—holy crap—hungry expression on his face.
Nope. It hadn’t been a game.
And Liam had lied.
The jump on her motorcycle would have been much less dangerous.
Chapter Two
Liam looked across the campfire and grinned. Jade and one of the Compass ranch hands, Jameson, were standing off to the side of the campsite, throwing knives at a tree trunk where Sterling had etched out a makeshift bull’s-eye. They’d turned it into a competition—each of them shedding a piece of clothing if their throw was farthest from the center. Jade hadn’t missed the spot yet, much to Jameson’s chagrin. The poor hand was down to his boxers and still hadn’t wised up enough to know he should quit now.
