Seriously, girl, snap out of it.
My teeth drove into my bottom lip, still tasting him. I watched him play with Goat; he was not at all weirded out. It was just for show, to shut the woman up. He clearly wasn’t affected at all. The man was so sexual that the kiss was equivalent to a wholesome peck. Probably like kissing his sister… or at least a cousin.
Rolling my shoulders back, I faced the view again, the last bits of sun slipping away, my mind and body screaming for a drink.
And it was only day two with my travel buddy.
This was going to be a long ten days.
Chapter 8
Smith
Kinsley was quiet as she stared up at the clear night sky, one hand twirling absently through Goat’s fur. She was buzzed enough that sitting didn’t make her flinch anymore, her fifth or sixth beer cuddled between her thighs, her free hand picking at the label, dropping my gaze more than I liked to that spot.
We hadn’t talked much since leaving the lookout over the Grand Canyon, though my mind was loud and chatty enough, mostly with, What the fuck were you thinking, you stupid asshole?
I wasn’t thinking. Clearly. It was my only defense. That woman was driving me crazy, yammering on, and somewhere in my short-circuited brain, I thought it would be easier to just get it over with than to explain our convoluted and peculiar situation.
The plan was flawed. I will totally admit that. Horribly faulty, because now it made shit awkward and strained. I hoped Kinsley didn’t take anything from it. I mean, it was barely a kiss.
Meant nothing.
I took a huge sip of my beer, focusing on the flames in the fire pit, my hand scouring at my head as if trying to dislodge the nonexistent kiss that meant nothing. But my cock was not agreeing with me. I had kissed so many women. Slow and deep to fucking them with my mouth, but this tiny, quick kiss totally had me wanting more. It took everything I had not to kiss her again, consume her, drive my tongue into her mouth as my hands wrapped around the back of her head, knotting through her hair.
Holy shit. I exhaled, adjusting myself on the ground, pulling up one leg to hide my growing erection. I leaned against a log left in the campsite, taking a deep breath. It was all kinds of wrong. For so many reasons. Damn, I was an asshole.
The buzz in my pocket drove my hand to my pants, pulling out my cell, seeing the name cross the screen. Annoyance rolled my shoulders, and my back slumped deeper into the wood. What a fucking mess. And I seemed to be making every bad decision, which added to my hell.
Why did I think coming with her on this road trip would be fine?
Again, I didn’t think past the need to get away from my current situation, wanting distance to get my head on straight. This trip was supposed to be an escape. Figure shit out. In my decision-making, I didn’t imagine Kinsley being grown up… or hot.
Kyle’s call couldn’t have come at a better time. I used it as an excuse to take off, but now I was wondering if I plucked myself out of a fire and tossed my ass into an even bigger inferno.
“Who’s that?” Kinsley’s voice shot my eyes over to her.
“No one.” I turned it off, shoving it back into my pocket.
“Really?” Her eyebrows lifted. “Because it looked like you wanted to jump through your phone and strangle someone.”
I did. “Just business stuff.” Sort of a lie.
“Right.” She smirked, not believing me. She straightened her legs, tucking her hands in her light jacket. “Work is okay with you leaving for so long?”
“Had vacation time.” Indefinite right now.
“How did you get into construction?”
“Guess it was the only thing I did well and enjoyed. College or being behind a desk was never for me.” I liked being out in the open, the thought of being confined in tight places… I took a drink, trying to ease the instant tightness and panic bobbing up my throat.
We were quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “You simply left town. None of us knew what happened to you.”
“Life happened.” A derisive huff blew from my mouth. Life had fucked me for a long time. I hoped I could start to straighten it out, move on, but my past didn’t want to let things die.
She didn’t respond as she picked at her label, the tension sprouting up between us again. Dammit, I totally screwed everything up. Why did I kiss her? What possessed me? I needed to rip the band-aid. Just get it out there.
“So about earlier—”
“Forget it,” she rushed, looking everywhere but at me. “It was nothing.”
I exhaled, my head dipping. “Okay, yeah. Cool.” Good. She felt the same. Probably disturbed an older-brother type was kissing her.
But the tension didn’t dissolve; it actually seemed to thicken through the air.
“I’m gonna go to bed.” She stood up, Goat leaping to his feet at her movement, staring up adoringly at her.
“It’s eight thirty.”
“I’m tired and my ass hurts.” She spun around, striding back to the van, grabbing her stuff to get ready for bed.
“Night,” I muttered loud enough for her to hear, but she didn’t reply, taking water from the stove to brush her teeth and wash her face.
Sighing, I laid back, staring up at the stars. Pulling out my phone, I clicked on a name, needing to feel a tether.
Me: Hey, man, just checking in.
Chance: Everything’s fine. Pixie ate your flowers, but what did you expect planting them along the fence? You really JUST checking in?
I scoured my face, feeling like the dude could see right through me.
Me: Having a moment.
Chance: I get it, mate. You know I do.
He did. The only one who truly understood.
Me: Well, thanks for watching my place again.
Chance: You’ve lived in it for like a month and still is empty. Nothing to steal… I looked.
Me: Ha Ha. You couldn’t steal shit from me, even in cards.
Chance: Ah, still lying to yourself I see.
Dots came up, telling me he was still texting.
Chance: Know you aren’t alone. I tell my girl everything, but still there are things she’ll never totally understand.
Me: Yeah. Thanks, man.
I shut off my cell, tossing it on the blanket. I folded my arms under my head. The ground was lumpy and jabbed into my back.
Sleep, no matter if I was in a bed or on the hard ground, was hard to come by lately. My mind didn’t shut down, which was the routine I had for years.
But with the beautiful night sky blinking over me, I forced myself to empty my mind, relax, and take it in. Appreciate the clean air and view.
The freedom.
My lids blinked open, the warm sun already streaming over the earth. I groaned as I rolled onto my side, my muscles and joints popping from the jarring terrain and lack of true sleep. Several times during the night, I jolted awake, not knowing where I was, imaginary clanks and bangs ingrained in my mind like a soundtrack.
I rolled my neck, trying to ease the stiffness, when my gaze landed on a pair of lean legs, halting my lungs. My attention drifted from the pair of trainers up the smooth, toned calves, to the tiny running shorts, bare stomach, and sports bra, to her face, still red and sweaty.
Her hair was in a single braid down her back, like it used to be all the time when I knew her. A cup of steaming coffee in her hand, Kinsley sat on the bumper of the van, favoring her good side, staring over at me. Goat lay on the ground next to her, panting, looking like they both went for a run.
“Hey.” My voice was scratchy as I pushed myself up, a nerve in my shoulder making me flinch as I stretched.
She took a sip, her lips pressing together.
“Something wrong?”
“No.” She lowered her gaze.
Okay.
“Go for a run?” Hello, Captain Obvious.
“Yeah. It helps me clear my mind.”
“How early were you up?” I got on my feet, stretching up.
“A couple of hours.” She shrugged. “Didn’t sleep well.”
You and me both.
“Next time wake me up. I’ll go with you.” I ambled toward her.
“I don’t need a bodyguard. I’m fine on my own. I can take care of myself.”
My feet didn’t stop until I was right in front of her. “I didn’t say you couldn’t…” I leaned closer, her pupils widening slightly at my intrusion. “I like running too. Wanted to go. Is that okay?”
“Y-yeah.” She swallowed roughly, and I backed away, heading for the stove, turning it back on.
She stood up, brushing her running shorts, her toned stomach pulling my gaze. She was petite in frame, but athletic, smaller chest than I usually went for, but plenty to make me want to rip the sports bra off and see how they filled my hand. How they tasted against my tongue.
Fuck! Stop it, pervert. I growled under my breath, dumping the instant coffee in my cup.
“I was thinking my choice today would be Monument Valley?”
“Yeah. Fine.” I poured in the hot water, not looking up.
“O-kay.” She set her empty cup in the wash bucket. “Everything all right?”
“Peachy.” I repeated her response from the other morning. My gaze hit hers before going back to my mug. I knew I was being a jerk, but I couldn’t seem to stop.
“Great,” she snapped back, twisting away. “Gonna go rinse off around the van.”
Meaning, stay here because I’m going to be naked.
The solar shower bag she hung up after we stopped last night was probably already heated up from the hot morning sun.
She grabbed a towel and a small bathroom kit. Goat trailed after her around the corner, his tongue hanging out.
“Bastard,” I muttered, realizing I was envious the dog got to follow and watch, while I had to sit and stay.
The sound of water tapping dirt hit my ears, grinding my teeth together; my hand adjusted my pants. I needed to get laid. Maybe that was my problem for my misplaced attraction. I knew I couldn’t go the whole time without; it had been too long. Maybe at the next big town I’d venture out for a night on my own. Get it out of my system.
A trail of water slid past the RV like some shiny dangly object, drawing my attention back to what was happening on the other side.
Do not think about her naked. Do not…
Shit. I was.
I could feel the pull, like a siren call, wanting me to follow the water trail around to her. She needed help reaching her ass, right? There was only enough water for one, and I wouldn’t mind cleaning off too…
Groaning under my breath, I downed the coffee, heading for my satchel in the van, the side door open.
Maybe I’d splurge for a hotel tonight. A real shower sounded great. A soft bed… and maybe a random woman in it.
Searching my bag, my gaze drew up, noticing movement from the driver’s side.
I froze, my chest constricting when I realized what I was looking at. Fuck. Me.
Look away. Don’t be a perv.
Did I listen to myself? Hell no.
Her naked reflection in the side mirror was far too much temptation. Her profile was to me as she looked out at the desert, her long hair twisted up on her head, the water coming down the back of her neck, curving down her shoulders to her tits, right above the line objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
That’s Kyle’s sister. Baby K. You dated her sister. She’s a kid, and you can’t ever touch her. Your life is complicated and fucked up enough. Every reason to look away passed through my head.
Fuck. Shit.
A guttural noise ebbed up my throat, forcing my head to look down. I dug through my bag, not having a clue what I was looking for.
“I saved you some water, if you want to rinse off.” Faster than I expected, Kinsley came to the back, wrapped only in a towel, her skin glistening. It was more than what she had on earlier, but ten times worse.
Fuck sake, will she put some clothes on?
“It’s not great, but at least it gets the first layer off until we get a real one.” She pulled her bag to her, snatching up some clothes. “Maybe we can get a hotel soon or an RV park with a shower?”
“Yeah,” I croaked, picking up my plastic zip-up bag I kept my bathroom stuff in. “Was thinking the same thing,” I mumbled, taking a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and strode to the shower side.
Really, it was to get away from her. Not that it helped; the smell of her vanilla body soap perfumed around me like a bubble, twitching my cock.
Shit. I really needed to get this out of my system. ASAP!
Chapter 9
Kinsley
I stared at another glorious sunset off the Mesa Verde horizon, taking a deep breath from my perch on top of a picnic table. The sun was almost gone, painting the earth in deep blues. A slight chill from being higher in the mountains drifted over my exposed legs, reminding me to put on my sweatpants. The mosquitoes buzzed around me, finding me a delicious dinner. I was exhausted, but a hum of energy still whirred around me from the day.
The wood creaked as a figure stepped up next to me, his profile straight ahead.
“Hey.” I peered up at him, seeing Goat leap up after him, snuggling between us.
“Hey,” he replied curtly.
Oh good, the asshole was still on duty.
Smith had been a bastard all day, snippy and short with me. Never looking at me or getting near, though he treated Goat like he was the best thing alive, offering him treats and love like a grandma at Christmas. My dog was starting to follow him around more than me, which really annoyed me.
We had taken longer than we thought at Monument Valley, doing a few small hikes with Goat before Smith took us to Mesa Verde National Park, checking out the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. The moment I stepped into the first residence, I knew we’d be there for the rest of the day. Finding the dwelling absolutely fascinating, I fell in love with the life I could still feel vibrating through the preserved homes, like an echo of the past. I wanted to absorb everything, see everything. I was so thankful Smith brought me there, though most of the day I wanted to ask what had crawled up his ass and died.
Speaking of ass. Oh my god. All day my gaze was locked on his as he hiked in front of me, his basketball-style shorts clinging to every curve of his firm backside. The fabric did nothing to hide the enormous bulge that man carried with him. I couldn’t stop, even when he was being a jerk, obsessed with watching him move, getting more obvious as the day wore on.
It wasn’t my fault. I mean, ever since I accidently—okay, it wasn’t an accident at all—caught a glimpse of his naked butt when he was rinsing off this morning, I blamed him. Holy shit, I had only seen bodies like his in men’s fitness magazines where they had been airbrushed to look that good. The way my chest twisted angered me. I had never been shallow or boy crazy.
And this was Smith Blackburn.
Smug Bastard.
Womanizer and jerk.
My preteen self didn’t understand why my adult self was having such a problem computing that. Weren’t you supposed to get wiser with age, not stupider?
Clearly my education turned me into an idiot, because I hardly took in the beautiful, unique terrain, my awareness overtly tuned to him, his proximity or the fact he went out of his way not to touch me.
“I started the fire. Burritos tonight?”
“Sounds good.” I batted away a mosquito. “Thanks.”
He grunted in response. His phone buzzed in his hand, making his jaw clench, shoving it back in his pocket. His cell was going off all the time, though he never picked it up.
“Someone really wants to get a hold of you.” I poked at the topic, curious if he’d tell me. Whomever was on the other end wanted to talk to him.
“I’ll feed Goat,” he mumbled, stomping away from the table to the van, calling after my dog.
“Good talking to you,” I yelled dryly at him, annoyed by his testy mood, my brain rolling around with w
ho could be calling him, causing such a reaction.
A woman? I snorted to myself. Knowing him, probably several dozen. Each time it rang was probably a different one.
“Hey?” A voice broke through my thoughts, making me jump and peer down at a guy walking up to the table I was standing on, a beer in his hand. “Oh sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” An easy grin widened his mouth, showing off his perfect white teeth. He wore green khakis and black T-shirt. He looked to be in his early twenties, tall, lean and toned, deep chocolate skin, soft brown eyes.
Really cute.
“No, it’s okay.” I waved my hand, feeling a warmth tap at my cheeks. “Just thinking.”
“Hope I didn’t interrupt any deep thoughts.”
“Deep?” I sputtered in laughter. “No. Certainly not that.” I started to step off the table, and his hand darted out, helping me down.
“Thanks.”
“My mama raised me to be a gentleman.” His grin was so easy and happy; I couldn’t help but smile in response.
“So, you’re the one.” I snapped my fingers. “I heard about you. Most of my friends think you are myth, but I believed.”
A laugh belted from him, his smile hurting my cheeks. “See… if you believe, a miracle will find you.” He winked.
“Or at least meet you in Colorado.”
A flirty grin hooked his mouth. “Lucky me.”
Someone cleared their throat, jerking both our heads toward the noise. Smith stood there, his arms crossed, his expression detached, but I could sense irritation ticking at his jaw.
“Oh, sorry.” The guy backed up, his head swinging between us. “Stupid of me to think—”
“No.” I shook my head. “We’re not together. Just friends… or actually, he’s friends with my older brother… He dated my sister…” Shut up, Kinsley. Now. I pinched my lips together to keep from spewing more.
“Oh.” The guy looked unconvinced, but his shoulders eased down a bit. “I was coming over here to invite you, both of you, to our bonfire by the river. Bring alcohol. I mean, if you want to.”
Smug Bastard: A Hero Club Novel Page 6