I needed to talk to her before I carried it any further.
“I can’t be your friend, Tucker,” I admitted.
“And I told you earlier…I can’t be whatever it is other girls are to you, Joey.”
“You aren’t. Other girls mean nothing to me. You mean everything.”
“But you don’t date,” she reminded me cautiously.
“I don’t want to date.”
Goddammit. Why couldn’t I say the words I wanted to say?
“So what?” she asked. “You want to be something more than friends but less than dating?”
“Tucker…I want more than both of those things.”
I reached over and ran my fingers along her cheek. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in. Tucker turned into me, melding into my body. I draped my arm across her. I wanted to pull her in as close as I could so it would be that much harder for her to pull away when I told her the truth. For a moment, desire reigned supreme, and I thought I might back out of my own resolve to put my explanation for my behavior before my need to have her. I pushed it down.
“We need to talk,” I told her in a rough voice.
“All right,” she sighed. “Take me somewhere warm.”
I pulled her to her feet and led her to my truck.
I reached over and opened her door. I helped her climb in, sliding my hands along her waist and down to her hips to lift her up. The action sent a wave of heat through me. As she sat down and turned to face me, I held on, enjoying her soft skin under my fingers. She put her hands over top of mine and drew me closer. Her face tipped down toward me. My breath caught in my throat as I caught a glimpse of raw need in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes. An answering passion licked across my whole body.
Just a few hours ago, had I been claiming to be her friend?
There was nothing friendly about what I felt at that moment.
She dragged her hands up my arms, across my shoulders, and around the back of my neck. Under her thumb, I could feel my pulse pounding in my throat, perfectly matching the one in her fingers. She bent down and brought her lips to the source of the throb. I leaned into her, acutely aware that she wasn’t wearing anything other than Evan’s giant T-shirt and her underwear.
Tucker’s mouth worked its way up to my jaw, and she trailed kisses across the line of it.
A groan came from deep within my throat.
“Can we have this?” she murmured into my skin.
“This?”
“Yes. This. Before you tell me whatever it is that’s going to break my heart.”
I pulled away, but she held me in place with her thighs. I was quickly losing the battle. In a swift and gentle motion, I hoisted myself into the truck and laid her down on the bench seat.
I rolled us to the side so that we were pressed together, and sought out her mouth with mine, teasing her lips open with my tongue. I brought my hand up to her face, tilted it sideways, and traced the curve of her neck with my lips. The aggressive move made her arch against me.
“Tucker, look at me.” My command was tender.
Her eyes were nearly black in the darkness, and they were filled with want.
“You need to tell me to stop.”
“I can’t do that, Joey. I don’t want you to stop.”
Her hands gripped my hips and she dragged me to her. She brought her mouth to my throat, sucking and nibbling. I forgot my protests. I forgot that we were in my truck and in full view of a dozen houses.
I grabbed one of her bare legs and hoisted it to my hip, then slid my hand to Tucker’s waist. I found my favorite spot—that soft curve in the small of her back—and held it tightly for just a moment before moving my palm up her spine and around to her breast. I grazed my thumb over her already taut nipple, relishing it. I brought my mouth down, following the path my fingers created.
“Joey.” Tucker gasped my name, her sweet, desire-filled voice right into my ear.
Her warm fingers found the button on my pants and slid them down my hips. As I kicked them off the rest of the way, she pushed me back onto the seat and swung her legs around me. The smooth satin of her underwear pressed against my erection made me moan. She rocked against me once, twice, and a third time before she leaned down and kissed me gently.
Swiftly, I rolled her onto her back and knelt between her legs. With one hand, I hooked my thumbs through her underwear and slid them off. With the other, I popped open the glove compartment and grabbed a condom. I ripped open the package with the teeth, sheathed myself, and then paused.
I met her eyes, a question on my lips, but she spoke before I could get a word out.
“Please, Joey.”
Tucker’s heated whisper was all I need to hear.
I pulled her hands together, lifted them over her head with our fingers laced together and eased into her. I took each thrust slowly at first, but as she held me and buried her mouth in my collar, my fervor increased, and so did our pace.
In minutes, the world faded away, and the only thing I was aware of was how perfectly we fit together.
Thursday
Joey
I opened my eyes slowly, relishing the ache that coursed through my body. In spite of the fact that I’d fallen asleep wedged between a steering wheel and Tucker’s petite frame, I felt rested. And utterly satisfied. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face
She wriggled against me, and I tightened my arms around her waist immediately.
“If you keep doing that,” I growled. “I won’t be held responsible for my actions. And it’s daylight now. Evan’s neighbors will talk.”
She laughed softly, and wriggled again.
“Dammit, Tucker.”
She pouted, and the look was so uncharacteristic that I burst out laughing.
“It’s your loss anyway,” she told me.
I traced a finger up her bare shoulder. “I’m well aware of what I’m missing. But that doesn’t mean I want the whole neighborhood to be aware, too.”
She sat, and pulled her T-shirt on, then sighed. “I’ve got class anyway. And I should go home first.”
“Let me drop you off.”
For a second, I thought she was going to say no, then her face softened. She gave me a sweet smile.
“All right, Joey. This one time, I’ll let you drive me home. I just have to grab my pants from inside Evan’s place.”
“You are not walking across his lawn with no pants.”
She ignored me, and scrambled out of the truck. Part of me was irritated at her blatant disregard for decency. Most of me was too busy enjoying the view as she scurried across the yard to Evan’s house. The perfect curve of her backside peeked out from under the T-shirt, and I grinned as I realized she hadn’t put her underwear back on.
An intrusive tap on the window spoiled the moment. Reluctantly, I rolled it down and greeted the familiar, hulking figure.
“Morning, Pete. You can let my father know I quit. Guess that means you’re out of a job, too.”
“Not at all. Just wanted to give you your parting paperwork,” the other man said.
He dropped a thin folder in my lap, then walked away. My mouth went dry as I scanned the contents of the file, flipping through the pages frantically. It was a press release, loaded with every detail of Tucker’s life.
Activist’s Father Turns Arsonist, it read. Where are your donations really going?
There was a bit about a fire, and a picture of Tucker waving a placard. Shit. My father was making good on his promise to drag her name through the mud. Had he turned it in to the papers yet? I needed to stop him.
I shoved the whole thing into the glove box just as Tucker came back to the truck.
“You okay?” she asked. “You look like you swallowed something disgusting.”
I forced a laugh. “Yeah. Morning breath. You want a kiss?”
“Gross.”
I drove her to her dorm, dropped her in front of the building with a vague promise of lunch and kicked the truck
into drive. Then I drove to my parents’ house blindly, oblivious to stop signs and streetlights and everything but my need to confront the man who wanted to break Tucker’s heart.
I parked the truck on the grass in front of the fountain and took the walkway in three strides. I flung the front door open and hollered at the top of my lungs.
“Dad!”
He answered me calmly. “In here, son.”
I followed the sound of his voice to the kitchen, and stared at him in disgust. He sipped his espresso as if nothing in the world was wrong. Fury at my father came quickly, overpowering everything.
“What the hell did you do?” I demanded.
“I didn’t do anything,” my dad replied. “Nobody is responsible for this situation but you.”
“I didn’t write a press release, damning Tucker and everything she’s worked so hard for.”
“No,” he agreed. “But you entered into a relationship with her that forced me to expose her background.”
“Please, Dad. Just let it go.”
He took another sip of his coffee. “This deal is worth over three million to me. Ten percent of that was yours. All you had to do was tell me how to stop the girl from moving forward with her plan. Instead, you turned your back on me once again. You jumped into bed with her, and you fucked all three of us over.”
“Jesus, Dad? Is that seriously how you see it?”
“Is there any other way?”
“About a hundred of them.”
“I can’t go through this again. Get out, Joey.”
“Gladly.”
* * *
I shoved clothes into my suitcase haphazardly. Jeans, T-shirts, underwear, all balled up on top of one another.
Toothbrush, shaving cream, razors. Dammit. How long would it take him to cut off my credit cards? Not long. My dad was a man of action. I had cash in the bank, but it was almost all tied up with the family name. I should probably prepay for a few weeks at a hotel somewhere. Or withdraw some cash and make a deposit on an apartment somewhere.
I drove to campus, knowing Tucker had classes most of the day, then scoured the halls of the science wing until I spotted her. I needed to get to her before the press release did.
She was hunched over, looking defeated. My sweater—I must’ve left it at her house on Tuesday night—was bundled around her shoulders, making her appear tiny. Even from where I stood, I could see the pain on her face.
Shit. Did that mean she’d already seen the paperwork?
I took a few guilty, hurried steps toward her. Then stopped. She was staring up at a gangly man in glasses.
Mark.
Tucker was too good for him. She was too pretty. Too smart. Too deserving.
What had she ever seen in that guy?
I ducked into a nearby doorway, where I could watch without interfering.
She turned her face up to meet his gaze.
“It’s one date, Tucks.”
His words, in a too-charming-for-life voice, made my stomach roll. Even her determined headshake didn’t make me feel any better. Especially when I caught sight of the knowing smile on Mark’s face.
Someone needs to teach that guy a lesson.
By the time I reached him, I was already keyed up. I wanted to punch the douche bag in the face. Instead, I grabbed him by the ridiculous tie he was wearing and pulled. Hard.
“What the fuck, man?” he yelped.
I ignored his protests and dragged him into a study kiosk.
“You need to back the hell off,” I commanded.
“Are you serious?”
Idiot.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“Is this about Tucker?” he replied.
“No shit.”
“Are you sleeping with her?”
I punched him gently in the gut. A warning. To his credit, he just winced and took a step back.
“That’s none of your goddamned business.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
“Tucker and I are good friends,” I told him in a tight voice.
“Friends?”
“That’s right. And as her friend, it’s my duty to tell you…she hates you. She told me how much in detail.”
“So…she mentioned me?” He smirked.
“In passing.”
“The fact that she still talks about me really says something, don’t you think?”
I hate this guy.
“She said you were an asshole. And that you slept with a hooker.”
“Call girl,” he corrected, not at all phased. “I made a mistake. It won’t take long for her to forgive me.”
“If you hurt her, I will destroy you.”
“Keep it your pants. I’m not the one in danger of breaking her heart.”
“What do you mean?” I growled.
“I mean, does she know who you are?” he asked. “And does she know what you really want with her?”
I kept my face impassive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The other man rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I didn’t recognize you? Now? Or in the conference room a few days ago? Joseph Fox. Your dad’s a legend, man. And I know how to use the internet, though apparently Tucker doesn’t. I know your dad’s behind the plan to tear down that precious community center.”
“I worked for my dad. That doesn’t mean I agree with every decision he makes,” I replied.
“Is that right?”
“Make your point, asshole.”
“It can’t be a coincidence that she just happened to meet you now.”
I grabbed him by the tie again. “So help me God, Mark, if you breathe a word of any of that to Tucker—”
“You’ll do what? Tell your dad?”
“What is it you want from me?”
“First, I want you to let go of my tie.”
I dropped it reluctantly. “And?”
“I want you to quit pursuing her.”
“I’m not pursuing her.”
Mark’s expression said he didn’t believe me. “Back off, or when I take her out tomorrow night, I’ll make sure she gets an earful.”
He adjusted his glasses, gave me a glittering smile, and walked away.
I stood very still, stifling the urge to pace like a caged animal.
Tucker
I shouldn’t have been terribly surprised to find Mark standing outside the door after my first class of the day on Thursday morning. What I should’ve been surprised by was the fact that it took so long for him to seek me out again. After all, when he decided he wanted something, he usually went after it with a vengeance.
“No,” I said to him automatically.
“Hear me out,” he replied, and pushed his glasses up on his nose in the way that I used to find endearing.
“No.” I turned to walk away.
“Did you like the gift I sent you?”
I froze. “What gift?”
“I took a guess that you were the same size.”
The dress. Mark bought it. Why did I think it had been Joey?
Maybe because you wanted it to be Joey, I answered myself.
“Was I right?”
“I don’t want it,” I replied stiffly.
“You can wear it out on tomorrow night.”
“I’m not going out with you tomorrow.”
“C’mon, Tucks. Let me at least try to convince you.”
“What’re you going to offer me now?” I asked. “First cash, then a dress. What’s next?”
“An explanation,” he said.
“A what?”
He waited silently, as if he knew I would make the connection eventually. And after a heartbeat, I did. My stomach suddenly felt like it was full of lead.
“You know you want one,” Mark prodded. “And I’ll give it to you.”
I stared at him, willing myself not to care. But a small part of me wanted to jump on the chance to know why he had let our relationship go, why he had given up on something that was so
good.
Who wouldn’t wonder? Who wouldn’t turn it over and over again in her mind, second-guessing the things that had made a mutual life like ours tick?
Then I looked over Mark’s shoulder and spotted Joey. His back was to me, but I knew it was him. He was dressed in narrow-hipped, boot-cut denim and a short-sleeved jade-colored dress shirt. When he brought a hand up to massage his own neck, he turned sideways, exposing a haggard expression.
What happened?
I took an automatic step toward him, but Mark grabbed my elbow and pulled me back.
“We’re not done talking yet.”
I looked up at his face, studying him. He smiled. Once, I had loved his smile. Or believed I did. I’d also thought his cocky self-assurance was a front for the sweet, self-conscious guy underneath. I saw now that it wasn’t. He genuinely believed he was that good.
“I need to go.”
“Not until you give me an answer about tomorrow.”
I shook my head. “Go to hell.”
He grinned anyway, and I was tempted to put him even further into place, but all I wanted was to get to Joey. I took off in the direction I thought I’d seen him disappear.
* * *
After a fruitless search, my heart felt like it had been squeezed dry. Something was clearly wrong with Joey. His face had been evidence enough. I called him, but it went straight to voice mail.
I finally decided to go back to my room, and that’s where I found him, pacing frantically in front of my bedroom door. His face was dark, and full of emotion. Worry. Anger. A few more I couldn’t pinpoint.
“Joey?”
“I’m here to talk. If it’s not too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“You haven’t seen it already?”
“You’re not making any sense.”
A girl in a housecoat gave us a nervous look and inched by cautiously. I gave her an apologetic smile and turned back to Joey.
“Can we go into my room to talk about this?”
“For all the good it’s going to do,” he muttered, and followed me inside.
I froze as I spotted an open folder on my bed. My own face glared up at me from the papers in it. I reached for it, and Joey closed his hand around my wrist. I shook him off, pushed him up, and grabbed the folder. All the blood drained from my face.
Bad Reputation Page 18