by Codi Gary
He helped her climb over the fence and jumped it after her. As they raced to the Charger and dove inside, Jessie couldn’t stop laughing hysterically. “Come on, that was fun.”
“Woman, you are insane,” Red said as he started the car.
She flicked his ear. “Don’t call me woman.”
Red pulled out onto the highway, looking so disgruntled she reached out to run her hand across his neck. “Aw, don’t be mad.”
“I am not mad,” he grumbled, and she leaned across the middle to kiss his throat.
“You seem mad.”
“Well, I’m not.” His tone had lightened as she ran her hand over his abdomen.
“So, what else do small-town people do when they’re bored?”
“Go home and sleep?”
“Don’t be a stick,” she said, feeling wild and daring. She looked over her shoulder at the back of the car and asked casually, “So, have you ever, you know, broken in your backseat?”
“What?”
“Well, I was just thinking we had sex in my bar and in my hotel room. I think it’s your turn.”
“We do not need to pull off somewhere and have sex in the backseat. That’s how people get arrested for indecent exposure, you know.”
“So, let’s go back to your place,” she said, coyly.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t want to see my trailer.”
Sliding her hand down to cup him through his jeans, she whispered, “I don’t care about the trailer. I just want to see where you live.”
* * *
Reluctantly, Red let her go in first, then rushed forward when he saw a pair of his boxers on the floor.
“Sorry, it’s such a mess.”
“Trust me, this is clean. I once went back to a guy’s dorm room after a date, and it smelled so bad, I practically barfed.”
Orange chose that moment to come out of the bedroom, swishing his tail and meowing.
“Well, hey, handsome,” Jessie said, squatting down to greet his cat.
“He can be a shit head, so be careful…” He stopped talking when Jessie picked up the big orange cat, scratching him under his chin.
“You’re a heavy guy. What does your dad feed you, bricks?”
“He’s not fat, he’s just a big cat,” Red said, defending his buddy, whose tail had started to twitch. “And you might want to put him down before he gets pissed.”
She set him on the counter and jumped back when he turned around and swiped at her. “Hey!”
“I told you,” Red said, reaching into the cupboard for a can of cat food.
“Why would you want a cat that acts like an asshole?”
“’Cause he’s not always that way. There’s a good guy underneath.”
She went up behind him and circled her arms around his waist, kissing his back. “Like you? You’re all grumbly, roaring ogre until people get to know you.”
“Something like that.”
She took the bottom of his T-shirt and slid her arms inside, rubbing them on his flat stomach. “Well, I like you all grumbly. When your forehead goes all wrinkly and your eyes turn into slits…hmm, so sexy.”
His body shook with laughter, and she wrinkled her nose at the smell of the wet cat food. “Yuck, that stinks.”
“Probably why he loves it,” Red said as he lifted the lid. Taking a spoon from the drawer, he started scooping the mushy stuff into a blue bowl.
“Well, wash your hands before you even think of touching me.”
She knew it was a mistake as soon as she said it, and dropped her arms, waiting for his next move.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said.
He turned around with an evil grin, wiggling his fingers at her. She hadn’t seen any cat food on him, but even the thought that some of the juice might be clinging to his skin made her squeal in disgust.
“Get away from me.”
He caught her outside the bedroom, and she screamed and laughed as he ran his hands over her ribs, tickling her.
“Now I’m gonna smell like cat food,” she said when he released her and headed back to the sink to wash his hands.
Once he finished drying them, he turned to face her again with a lazy smile. “Not if you take a shower with me.”
“Our clothes will still stink,” she said, laughing.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head, and tossed it aside. “I’ll throw them in the washer.”
He stalked toward her like a jungle cat, a wicked purpose in those too-blue eyes, and her heart beat a tempo so fast, she got light-headed.
“But—”
He pulled her shirt over her head, muffling her response. When her vision was uncovered, she repeated what she’d been trying to say. “I’m picky about my laundry.”
“Then you can do our laundry, I don’t care,” he said, shucking the rest of his clothes before reaching for her again.
“So now you expect me to do your laundry? Do I look like your mama?” she teased.
He brought her up against his body and whispered, “Not one little bit.”
Her nipples tightened against the cups of her bra as he rubbed his chest back and forth. The friction was making her crazy.
“Tell me you don’t want to take a shower with me?” he whispered, gripping her hips and pressing his erection against her.
“I do not want to shower with you,” she said, trying to keep the tremor of desire out of her voice as he reached for the front of her pants.
“Lies,” he growled playfully, nibbling on her neck. “Last chance.” He took another nip just below her ear before whispering. “I promise you’ll like what I have planned.”
She shivered. “Like what?”
He leaned over and took her mouth in a heated kiss, making every nerve in her body catch fire. She didn’t stop him as his hands unclipped the back of her bra or flicked the button on her pants open. And when his hands slid into the back of her jeans, below the cotton of her panties, a heavy throb beat between her legs. She wished he’d move his hands closer to the ache.
As if he’d read her thoughts, he pushed her jeans down, and suddenly his hand was between her legs, fondling and stroking her clit. She held on to his arms, trying to stay upright as he drove her wild. Her breath came in short, quick gasps as she felt the orgasm building until she cried out. “Oh!”
As the spasms left her body, she felt him move and realized her eyes were closed. She opened them to find Red bent down, trying to get the rest of her clothes off, and stepped out of them helpfully. The gesture earned her a smile.
He stood up, pulled her bra the rest of the way down her arms, and looked her over, admiration shining in his eyes.
Jessie had never been ashamed of her body, and said, “Are you going to just stand there and stare?”
He reached out and brought her against him, kissing her as he backed into the room, and she heard him grappling in a drawer. The unmistakable sound of a foil wrapper joined their breathing. He leaned away from her, and she opened her eyes to watch him turn the knob of the shower. She broke the kiss to shut the door and turned in time to watch him climb inside, his tight ass flexing with each movement. He was just so big in the small shower; his broad shoulders nearly took up the width of it.
He dunked his head under the showerhead and looked at her, water trailing down his cheeks. It was so sexy and erotic that she stood frozen.
“Are you coming in, or do I have to come get you?”
She had crossed the floor and climbed in before she realized what she was doing. The hot water sprayed over his shoulder, hitting her skin and making her shiver. “Aren’t you going to let me under?”
He turned to the side, bringing her around until her back was against the shower wall. The downpour stung her skin, but she hardly thought about it as Red leaned over her, braced on his forearms, and kissed her. Her stomach flipped and twisted at every sweep of his tongue, and she slid her hands from his hips around to his ass. She sque
ezed the firm cheeks and felt his smile against her lips.
He broke the kiss to open the condom, but his hands were too slippery. When she took it from him and used her teeth on it, his eyes darkened to a stormy ocean blue, and her muscles clenched in anticipation. She took the condom and slipped it over the length of his cock. She’d barely covered him before his hands were gripping the back of her thighs, lifting her against the wall. Jessie wrapped her arms and legs around him as he adjusted himself at her entrance.
When he thrust inside, hard and fast, she screamed and curled her hands into the muscles of his shoulder. Using short, swift movements, he never fully left her body, and between the warmth curling inside and the massage of the water, her muscles relaxed and the tension built inside with each push and pull of their bodies.
His mouth trailed over her neck and shoulder. She tilted her head up to take his wet kiss, a powerful shudder shaking her to her core as she came. She was probably leaving imprints of her nails in his back but couldn’t help it. It was just too good.
His rhythm became jerky, and his cock flexed inside her just before he groaned against her mouth, pumping into her until his own trembles subsided.
When she could finally breathe again, she whispered, “I don’t know about you, but I feel much cleaner now.”
Chapter Fourteen
Two weeks later, Jessie was wiping down the bar after the lunch rush, humming to herself, when her phone rang. Her life had been going so well, she had been half expecting a glitch of some sort, but nothing had happened yet. Red was wonderful, the bar was great, and the town had embraced her (and her sports package).
She looked at the caller ID and picked up with a smile. “Hey, Amber, what are you doing?”
Amber was her best friend from college, and they still talked every once in a while.
“Hey, Jess,” Amber said, her tone filled with something…was it worry? Concern? Whatever it was, it made Jessie’s chest tighten as she waited for the bombshell. “Look, I wanted to make sure someone had called you—”
“He’s out, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, I bumped into him yesterday. It freaked me out, and I just thank God Troy was there. Something about the questions he was asking creeped me out.”
“What did he want to know?”
“What you were doing and if you were happy? Maybe you should get another restraining order—”
“No, because if they do that, then they have to give him my address. Right now, he thinks I’m still in California, and he can’t leave the state if he’s on parole, so I’m good.”
“Yeah, because no one has ever risked a parole violation to go after what they want.”
“I’ll be fine, I swear. So, how is Troy?”
“Good, he got a new job. Twice the pay, so we’re thinking of buying a house…”
As Amber went on to share more of her good news, Jessie tried to rationalize her fear.
He can’t get to you. He has no way of knowing where you are. Stop obsessing.
“You are freaking out, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“You always get super quiet when you’re stressing.”
“No, I’m okay. Really, I am just distracted with work. Can I call you later?”
“Sure. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
Jessie hung up and realized her hands were shaking.
* * *
Red was at Jitter Bug Coffee Shop on Friday, working on his edits, when a lean guy with a gray hipster beanie walked in. He had tattoos going up his neck above the collar of his jacket and looked shifty.
Red watched him with unease and took out his earbuds.
“Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know where Jessie’s Bar and Grill is, would you?”
Kelsey, the barista and owner, gave him a hard look. “It doesn’t open until ten.”
“I know, it’s just I heard good things about it and wanted to check it out.”
“It’s just outside of town on your left. Big wood building.”
“Thanks, and can I get a large four-drip soy Americano?”
Red snorted at the drink, and the guy turned around to look at him. “You got a problem, man?”
Red stood up and saw the minute the little prick backed down. “Nope, no problem.”
He started packing up his laptop, and the guy turned back around. After paying for his coffee, the guy walked outside and climbed into a sedan.
“You going to check on Jessie?” Kelsey asked.
“Yeah, I’m going to call her first.”
“Good. I don’t like the look of that guy.”
Red walked out of the coffee shop and dialed Jessie’s cell, but it went straight to voice mail.
“Shit,” he said as he hurried to his Charger. He would only be a minute or two behind the little prick, but whoever he was, Red had a feeling he was part of the past she didn’t want to talk about.
* * *
Jessie was unlocking the door to the bar when a car pulled up and parked next to hers. She held her hand above her eyes and squinted against the sun.
And then the driver’s door opened, and Will climbed out.
“Hey baby,” he said, shutting the sedan’s door hard. “Did you miss me?”
Jessie couldn’t breathe as he came around the back of his car and started toward her. Above the pounding in her ears, she heard the familiar roar of Red’s Charger and sighed when Red pulled in behind Will.
Will stopped, and as Red climbed out of his car, said, “What’s your problem, man?”
Jessie wanted to run to Red and jump into his arms, but she wasn’t going to give Will the satisfaction of knowing he’d riled her.
“Like I said, no problem,” Red said as he passed him, climbing the ramp and handing her a coffee cup. “For you.”
“Thanks,” she said, afraid to take it and let him see her nerves, but it was too late. He saw the slight tremor in her hand and his eyes narrowed. But instead of saying anything, he just laced his fingers with hers.
“Well, isn’t this sweet? Making nice with the locals, Jess?”
Red’s grip tightened on her hand, and she felt the tension radiating from him. She squeezed his hand, silently hoping he would stay out of it. There was no question Red could take out Will with one punch, but the ass clown wasn’t worth it.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in California? You know how those pesky parole officers are about you not leaving the state.”
“Yeah, you know, I didn’t tell him because I figured I’ll be back before he misses me.”
“What do you want?”
“Baby, I want my money.”
Red bristled next to her at the endearment, while she felt ill. “It’s not your money, Will. Are you going to go after everyone who got a settlement from you?”
“No, just you. You’re the one who opened your fucking mouth and stirred up shit.”
Red started forward, and she grabbed his arm. “Don’t.”
“Don’t be a hero, big guy. Not for her,” Will said.
“Get out of here, Will, before I call the cops.”
Will spit on the ground, shooting her a piercing glare. “I’ll be back, Jess.”
Jessie kept her hand on Red’s arm as Will got into his car and drove away. When he was gone, she let him go and unlocked the door.
“What was he talking about?” Red asked, following her inside.
Jessie sighed. “Which part?”
“Why don’t we start with the ‘baby’ part?”
She shut the door behind them and leaned back against it. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.”
“How ex?” Red growled.
“Several years ex.”
“And did I hear you say parole?”
“Yeah, he was just released early from prison.” Jess ran her free hand over her face, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. This was not how she imagined her day starting out.
“What did he do?”
She didn’t want to t
ell him. “Isn’t that enough?”
“What about the money? Did you steal from him or something?”
“No, he stole something from me.” Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, and she cursed herself for being so weak.
“What are you talking about?” Red asked, his voice so gentle and caring, all she could think about was how she was about to lose him.
“He stole any chance I had for a normal life.”
Red looked puzzled at her words but didn’t press for more. Instead, he waited quietly for her to choose to share her dirty and not so little secret.
“God, fine, you want to know? You want to know all the details?” she asked loudly. “He recorded videos of us having sex. He had several hidden cameras around our bedroom that he used to record his own little pornos without me knowing. And if that weren’t bad enough, I wasn’t the only one. He cheated on me and recorded other women in our bed and sold them too. So I walk into an interview after graduation, and the man interviewing me turned out to be a huge fan of my work. Only the joke was on me, because I had no idea what he was talking about.”
“Fuck…”
“Yep. And when Will was arrested, they found eight other women he’d videotaped. We all got restitution, and they took down most of the videos, but they couldn’t get to the ones that had already been downloaded. There are videos of me out there for the world to see. And now every time I meet someone, I wonder if they recognize me. If they’ve seen me, and it’s just so embarrassing.”
“I’ll kill him,” Red said, his fists clenched. As he started back toward the car, she held out her hand to stop him.
“Don’t. He’ll go away. He just wanted to rattle me. I moved here so he wouldn’t be able to find me. Apparently, one of his genius friends tracked me down.”
He reached out for her, and she shied away. “Don’t. Don’t feel sorry for me.”
“I don’t. I just need you right now, because if I don’t hold on to you, I’ll go out there and show him a little Texas justice.”
She choked on a sob as he gathered her close. “He’s the dirt bag, Jessie. Not you.”
She continued to wet the front of his shirt as he held her, and she pulled away a little to wipe at the damp spot. “I am so sorry.”