Reckless Hearts Series, Book 1

by Heather Van Fleet

  Could’ve sworn I heard the words Needs to eat your pussy is more like it in the background, but my mind was scrambling like the eggs I’d cooked for breakfast.

  “Shut up, asshole,” Collin barked.

  I spun a loose string around my finger. “What did you just say to me?”

  Total déjà vu.

  The wind slapped against his speaker. “Are you driving?” I unraveled the string from my finger and bounced my knee. “Because in the State of Illinois, it’s illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone unless it’s hands free.”

  “Damn it, no. She’s putting that shit in her mouth.” He grumbled something else, and the sound of baby giggles tugged on my already floppy heartstrings.

  I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Chloe. I’d only been around her twice, but I kind of missed the little thing.

  “Not driving. Just playin’ at the park.”

  Playing at the park. Why did the image make me grin? Collin pushing Chloe in her swing, her little baby legs bouncing up and down as he did.

  “Why are you calling Gavin anyway?”

  “None of your business.” My smile fell. “Can you just put him on?”

  “I told you I needed to talk first.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Then talk.”

  “Gonna take you out tonight.”

  Shock pulled me into an upright position, and I stood so fast that a pile of clean towels fell to the floor. “Um, take me out?” I scrambled to pick them up.

  “Gonna apologize. Again. Buy you food, return your sweater too. If you have plans, then cancel them.”

  “Uh, no. Don’t think so.” At the simple thought of seeing him again, my stomach dipped in both excitement and unease. “You’re not going to pull that in-charge bullshit on me. And besides, what makes you think I want to see you anyway?”

  “You don’t wanna see me, sweetheart?”

  I slapped my hand over my eyes. Sweetheart? Seriously? “No. I don’t want to see you, pumpkin. Not when you got me fired from my job the other night with your ultimate-fight-club thing.” I blew out a quick breath. “Besides, I just…can’t.”

  “I need a better reason.”

  “Are you serious right now?” What was with this guy and his incessant need to be an asshole?

  “Dead serious.” He laughed. “I’ll be by your apartment at six to pick you up. Dress casual. Gonna take you to dinner, and then we’re gonna talk. You’re going to get a free meal and an apology. Can’t get much better than that, am I right?”

  How did he even know where I lived? “I-I—”

  “You’re excited about seeing me, aren’t you?” His voice went low and scratchier. I shivered and dropped onto the couch with a harrumph. Speechless and mesmerized, I couldn’t help but sigh at the guy’s holy-shit phone-sex voice. “Bet you’ve been thinking about me too.”

  I bet he’d make millions as one of those 900-number operators.

  The line went silent, but I swear I could hear his lips part. Swear I could hear him smiling on the other end too. I wanted to see his smile again, especially those dimples. Both of them.

  Because I was a glutton for punishment, I finally relented. “Fine. Six. Don’t be late.” And then I ended the call like a kid. But not before covering my mouth to hide my smile.

  Chapter 16

  Collin

  I’d always been drawn to the way a woman smells, the different fragrances they put on for different moments in their lives. But the thing about Addie was that she didn’t smell like she’d doused herself in expensive perfume or slathered on a load of fruity lotion. What she smelled like, sitting in my truck, was something I couldn’t describe, other than delicious perfection.

  “Nice truck.”

  Even though I knew this wasn’t a date, I still felt like I had when I’d gone out with women in the past. Only this time, it was worse because it’d been so long since I’d been alone with a chick who wasn’t my mom or sister.

  “How old is it?” She rubbed her fingers over my dashboard, caressing it.

  “Six months.” I shifted in my seat.

  She pulled her hands into her lap and knotted them together. Like always, she looked gorgeous, especially when the moonlight hit her face just the right way through the windshield. The windows were both down, and the temps outside were cold, but she didn’t complain, didn’t even shiver as her long hair blew across her face.

  “And it rides really good too. Smooth, unlike most trucks I’ve ridden in.” She fidgeted some more, staring out the window. Didn’t like her so nervous. Hated the tension stirring between us too.

  “You scared of me?”

  She whipped her head around, looking at me. “What? No.”

  “All you’ve done is wiggle since you got in this truck. Wanna tell me why?”

  Her lips parted, and my heart thundered in my ears. I needed to keep my shit together and get us to dinner in one piece. Looking at her lips wouldn’t help with the cause.

  “I’m not scared of you, Collin.”

  “Anyone ever told you you’re a bad liar?”

  She bit down on her lip, hiding that pretty grin. “Anyone ever told you you’re an asshole?”

  I laughed. “Plenty of times by plenty of people, sweetheart. Not only in English but in Arabic and Pashtun even.”

  “Can’t imagine why.” Her body seemed to ease up the more I talked. Maybe that was the key—she needed me to lead the conversation. I was good with that. If I wanted to get back into her good graces, I’d have to play nice.

  “Tell me about yourself.”

  Her knee bounced in place. “Not much to tell.”

  “Don’t be modest with me.” I got off the interstate and drove straight through town. “Behind those pretty eyes, there’s a story to be told.”

  She laughed then—the full-on belly type. I liked the sound so damn much. Liked even more that I was the one who caused it.

  “Not sure what your game is, Number Six, but flattery and feigned interest won’t get you where you think you’re going to go.”

  “And just exactly where do I wanna go?” I pulled into the parking lot of the old drive-through restaurant. It wasn’t the classiest of places, but the milkshakes were awesome and I loved the burgers.

  “Don’t make me spell it out for you.”

  I laughed this time, liking her smile like I liked her laugh. It was genuine and real, something I hadn’t seen much of. “Fine. I won’t push, but you’ve got to be honest with me about shit.”

  “Why?” The question was softer this time, and my throat closed off at the emotion in her words.

  “Because I need you. And I was a damn idiot for letting things get as far as they did between us.”

  By the time I pulled up behind the line of cars waiting to order, she’d shut down on me again. Her lip was between her teeth, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. I wanted fun, easygoing Addie back, not the nervous one. With this girl, it was like I took one step forward and about fifty steps back. It wasn’t like the moments I’d spent with Amy, or any other woman I’d ever been around for that matter. And that scared the hell out of me. Different wasn’t predictable.

  A Garth Brooks song played over the speakers. I reached over to turn it down, but she grabbed my arm, eyes bright. “Good song.”

  I pulled my hand away, studying her profile. God damn, she was beautiful.

  “Didn’t think you’d like real country. Most of the women I’ve known prefer all that Taylor Swift shit.” I shuddered, fearing the day Chloe would want to listen to it too. If I had my way, she’d grow up with a steady diet of Garth and Aerosmith, a little bit country and a lotta rock and roll.

  “Taylor technically started out country.” Addie leaned her head to the side, her eyes teasing. “And just so you know, I’m secretly a country girl at heart.”<
br />
  “That so?”

  “Yep. Growing up, I spent a lot of time listening to my dad’s old record player in our attic. The guy was big into Hank Williams and all things country music—Elvis Presley too.” She stared out the windshield.

  “Nice. A little Presley never hurt anybody.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t mind it. George Jones and even a little bit of Willie every now and then didn’t bother me.”

  “That right?” I grinned wider.

  “Yep.” She stared down at her hands, her voice almost longing.

  You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they like, but with this girl, she was more of an eclectic mix of all things, a puzzle even—one I was dying to piece together. But this wasn’t the time, nor was it the place to do it. And when I’d said I wanted to get to know her, I didn’t think she’d actually buy into it. There again, I liked hearing about her, even something as simple as her music choices.

  I leaned back against the headrest and exhaled. “Haven’t been here since I was a kid. Mom loved bringing us here on Friday nights for root beer floats.”

  “I grew up in Matoona.” She looked out the passenger-side window.

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded.

  “Huh, who would’ve thought? I grew up in Carinthia. We were almost neighbors.” Matoona was only a short fifteen-minute jot on the interstate.

  She nodded again, still looking out her window.

  “You’re hungry, right?”

  Her head snapped back to me. “I could eat.” She shrugged and then laughed as she said, “Probably more than you can.”

  My eyebrows rose. “That a challenge, sweetheart?”

  Her lips twitched. “Depends on the wager.”

  “Didn’t take you to be the betting kind.” The cars ahead of us moved and I followed, hating to break the moment if I had to stop and order.

  “On occasion I’m good for a wager.” She smiled, softer this time, but it was there, and that’s all I wanted.

  “All right. Then let’s do this.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “What are we doing exactly?”

  “Whoever eats the most food wins. Burgers, fries, milk shakes. You good with that?”

  She set her feet on the floorboard of the truck. “Oh yeah.” Her grin grew wider.

  “Good.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

  She tapped her finger against her chin. “But before I agree, I need to know the stakes.”

  Okay. I could do stakes—not to mention I could win, hands down. This woman had nothing on my eating skills.

  “I win, you come back to work for me and watch Chloe for real this time.”

  Her lips parted. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  I held my hand up. “Hold on now. Let me order. Then we’ll discuss this.”

  “Collin, for real. There’s nothing to discuss. We obviously can’t be around each other on a level that’s professional.” She sounded so fucking sad, her voice all soft.

  I couldn’t look at her for fear I’d beg, but she was blowing me off already, and I didn’t like to be told no—not when I really wanted something. And I really wanted this woman in my life.

  As Chloe’s nanny.

  And yeah, maybe even my friend.

  After ordering a bag full of food, I pulled into a parking spot toward the back of the lot and waited for them to bring it out. Not wanting to scare her off, I decided on a different tactic. One I was sure she’d respond to.

  “Hear me out. If you happen to win, I’ll leave you alone. For good.”

  She bit her lip, meeting my gaze. Those dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks, and my dick immediately hardened. I needed to move, adjust, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Couldn’t pull my eyes off her.

  When she looked away first, my chest tightened in disappointment. “Do you want to know a secret, Addison?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  The slow curve of her lips sent my pulse into action. “You always have a choice, sweetheart.”

  “Not true. Sometimes, you don’t have any options. Sometimes, you have to take what’s given and deal with it.”

  I laughed. “Always so serious.”

  She folded her arms over her chest, slouching lower in the seat. “I don’t have a sense of humor.”

  “Bullshit.” I laughed harder. “Now, can I tell you my secret or what?”

  “Is this a tell-all? Because I don’t know if I feel comfortable enough to—”

  “Christ, woman. Would you let me finish before you go all judgmental on me?”

  She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “I’m not a judgmental person.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “Excuse me?” she scoffed, pressing a hand over her chest.

  “This was a bad idea.” I turned away, gritting my teeth. One second we were laughing together, and the next she was getting all empty on me. I didn’t get this woman, but the scary part was, I wanted to—and not just for Chloe.

  I’d admit that to no one though.

  “I don’t like to party with the rugby team. I don’t go out, hardly at all. I prefer to hang out and just do stuff like this.” I motioned around us. “I like being around people, but not when they’re all performing like circus drunks.”

  She tipped her head to the side, studying me. “But what about that night at the bar when you approached me?”

  “Ahh, well, I was feeling braver than usual.” I smirked.

  “Something tells me you don’t usually have a problem picking up women. I mean, Samantha was into you at the restaurant and she’s gorgeous, so I figured you two…”

  “Would hook up.”

  She bit her lip. There’d be a hole there soon if she didn’t stop.

  “No. Believe it or not, I haven’t been with a woman since Chloe’s mom.”

  And why was I telling her this? My sex life had nothing to do with hiring her. Had nothing to do with a friendship either. Yet it was still important to me that she knew. No doubt she thought I was a player. Thing was, I’d never been the type, not even in high school and college.

  Just when the silence couldn’t get any worse, a knock at the window rattled through the truck. With it was a skinny, teenage girl wearing braces and holding three bags of food I was no longer hungry for.

  * * *

  Addison

  I watched Collin flirt with the young girl serving the food. Her cheeks were pink, and she was eating up every word he said. It should’ve been my service to women of all ages to tell them to run as far away as they could. Because if they didn’t, there was no doubt in my mind that they’d be sucked in, never to be released.

  He rifled through the bag, searching for something. In a flash he had out four burgers and two large fries.

  “I’ll set the rules.” I grabbed my food from his hands and set it in my lap, needing a distraction from the heavy talk.

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “This…eating contest. I set the rules.” I motioned toward the food.

  One side of his mouth curled up into a smile, enough so I could see his dimples.

  Be still my heart. I will not lose my cool over the dimples tonight.

  “Hit me with them rules, sweetheart.”

  I rolled my eyes at his pet name for me. He’d see how sweet I really was after this.

  “No drinking water to wash things down. We do it dry.”

  One of his eyebrows quirked. “You like things dry, don’t you?”

  I reached over to slug him in the shoulder. “Screw you.” But I still laughed.

  “Dry it is.” He settled the food on the console in between us, his smile never leaving his face. It was irresistible really, and I couldn’t help but stare at it while he opened the burger w
rappers and set them in his lap.

  “First one done wins?”

  I grinned stupidly. “It’s on.”

  “Ready?” His lip curled into a sardonic smile.

  I nodded once. “Ready.”

  He cracked his neck back and forth, rolling his shoulders. If he were standing up, there was no doubt in my mind that he’d be bouncing on his toes like a boxer.

  “On your mark…” he whispered.

  “Why are you whispering?” I whispered back.

  “Habit,” he grumbled. “Now stop interrupting me.” One lone giggle slipped through my lips. He rolled his eyes at me but smiled anyway. “Get set…”

  “Oh my God, hold on.” I pressed my hand to my mouth, giggling harder this time. If I didn’t get it out now, I’d probably spit my food out all over his jeans.

  “Jesus, woman. You need mental help.” But he laughed too, and soon we were both laughing for absolutely no reason, and it was the best thing I’d experienced in a very long time.

  “Fine.” I held my hand up a few minutes later. “Let’s do this. I’ll count down from five.”

  He pursed his lips. “What, you don’t like my version of a countdown?”

  I reached over and jabbed him in the ribs, forcing a grunt from between his lips. “Nope. Mine is better. And…five-four-three-two-one-go.” I shoved the first bite of burger in my mouth.

  With a quarter of it gone, pride radiated through my insides. I glanced at Collin, finding his gaze on me. Shock and amusement both registered on his face, and I shoveled more food inside in return. I chewed, and chewed, and chewed some more… But then, like a snake devouring a mouse, he shoved an entire sandwich inside his mouth. And I’m not talking about a tiny McDonald’s burger either. This thing was double patties with onions and ketchup and everything under the burger sun.

  “Jwweeesus.” I gaped, talking around my own packed-full mouth. He winked, and holy hell…even making a mess, he looked sexy.

  In response, my competitiveness snuck in, and I piled a few salty fries inside too, along with the last of my burger. I snuck a peek at Collin again, finding him frozen, watching me as I unwrapped my second sandwich.

  “God damn, that’s hot.” Ketchup slipped over his lips, and a small piece of lettuce stuck to his chin. I winked at him this time, taking a nice, big bite.