by Jess Bryant
“Sure, I can think of plenty of dark wooded areas where we can park and make out in my dad’s car.” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
“Did that line work for you in high school?”
“Every time.” He shrugged.
She bit her lip to keep from smiling, “Ever let one of them drive?”
“No.”
“First time for everything I suppose.” She circled the hood of the car, “What’s this baby got under the hood? 327?”
He tilted his head, sure he misunderstood. She wanted to go for a ride in the Impala and she knew what kind of motor was in it? She was beautiful, good in bed, didn’t want anything from him but sex and to top it all off she liked cars, fast cars. And he’d thought she was great before? He’d officially stumbled upon the perfect woman.
“You want to go for a ride?”
“No, I want to drive.” She smiled at him and then looked back at his chest, “I thought maybe we could hang out, do something other than just get naked. I don’t have very many friends in town and… I want to be your friend.”
Friends? She wanted to be his friend? Where had that come from? And why did it annoy him all over again when he’d just been annoyed five minutes ago that all she wanted from him was sex.
“I already thought we were friends baby-doll. With benefits.”
She smirked, “Is that what we’re calling this?”
“You got something else you want to call it?”
She looked thoughtful for a long minute. Her big blue eyes were on him and she didn’t just stare at his chest. He felt like he was holding his breath and waiting, for what he had no idea. Finally she smiled and the tight pain in his chest released.
“No, I think that about covers it.”
“Good.” He slid his arms back around her waist and pulled her in close, “Because I want to be your friend and all… but I still want to see you naked.”
“I think that can be arranged.” She tiptoed up and brushed her lips across his lightly, “If you let me drive the car.”
“If I let you drive the Impala you’re going to owe me again.” He grinned.
“I don’t mind paying up in advance if necessary.”
Blue yawned and stretched and then blinked and looked around. It took her a second to place her surroundings since she wasn’t in her bed at the ranch. The dark, distinctly male furniture reminded her that she was in Zach’s bed, again, and that sent another round of memories through her that warmed dark hidden places in her body.
They’d made it all the way to the river before they ripped each others clothes off and went at it in the backseat of the Impala like teenagers. The fact they’d lasted that long had been a miracle. From the minute she set eyes on him she’d wanted to simply insist he drop the blue jeans, shove her against the nearest hard surface and do with her as he pleased.
She’d had to remind herself she hadn’t gone to see him for sex. Nah, who was she kidding? Of course she’d gone to see him for sex, but that hadn’t been the only reason. She’d needed a friend, needed to get away from her grouchy father for a little bit and have some fun. Her first thought had been of Zach. She always had fun with him.
She knew she was sitting on the edge of a very dangerous ledge. She liked him, liked him too much really if she let herself think about it so she tried not to. She tried not to think about the difference in liking what he did to her and liking the man himself. She could want him, she just couldn’t want more.
That was why she’d stayed away from him for four days; her period had just been a nice excuse she’d known he wouldn’t argue over. Because the last time she’d been with him she’d seen him watching her from the barstool while she attempted to cook them dinner and for just a split second, she’d thought about wanting more, wanting that moment over and over again. His green eyes had looked at her and glazed with desire despite the fact they’d already had sex twice and she’d known he wanted more.
But more for him was just sex and that’d been enough to convince her she needed a couple of days on her own. Because if she wasn’t careful she could really want more with a man like Zach and he wasn’t offering her anything but sex. That’s all either of them were capable of, he didn’t do relationships and she wasn’t staying in Fate long term anyway. They were just friends, with lots and lots of sexual benefits.
Driving around the back roads of Fate with him had been fun. It had also been insightful. She’d never heard him talk so much. Compared to the other times they’d been together he’d been an open book, an open book written in another language maybe but open nonetheless.
They’d talked about their parents, about growing up on ranches. He told her about his progress with the house. She told him about her job back in Denver. It had been nice, really nice. So nice, in fact, that when they finally got back to the house she hadn’t done the responsible thing and gone home. No, she’d gone inside and enjoyed some more of the benefits of her handsome, sexy friend. And then apparently she’d fallen asleep.
She cursed as she realized sunlight was filtering in through the curtains. She’d spent the night. She had given herself one rule before giving in to the temptation to go see him yesterday and she’d broken it. She was not a spend the night type of girl. She was not his girlfriend and she had strict rules about sleeping in men’s beds that were not her boyfriend.
He wasn’t in the bed beside her which meant he was up, awake, somewhere in the house. That meant they’d have to do the awkward morning after goodbye. She hated the awkward morning after goodbye. Maybe as a friend with benefits it wouldn’t be as bad as the casual hookup. She crossed her fingers and grabbed her clothes from the floor.
She went into the master bathroom and came to an abrupt stop. He’d finished it. Her mouth gaped open in surprise. She’d been here four days ago and it had been a mess of rubble and wood. Now it was beautiful.
The new tile was a slate gray and laid diagonally across the room in a crisscross pattern. The vanity, which had been missing before, had been replaced with a gorgeous dark wood pedestal with gray granite countertop. The out of date gold hardware had been replaced by stainless steel and a new mirror, framed like an old window hung from a nail above it. Just like the bedroom it was beautifully masculine.
She had no idea he could do this. And to think he’d done it in a matter of days. It was remarkable. She stared in utter wonder as she slipped her clothes back on and borrowed his toothpaste, using her finger since it would be rude to use the toothbrush of a friend, benefits or not.
Her hair was a tangled mess as much from her braids the day before as from Zach’s hands and sleeping. She twisted it into a quick ponytail. She wished she’d thought to bring her purse inside from the Audi the day before since she had some makeup in there but she hadn’t. She wiped the dark mascara smudges from beneath her eyes and resigned herself that she was going to have the morning after look no matter what.
When she finally took a deep breath for courage and turned to go face him she stopped again. A blush stole over her cheeks naturally. She hadn’t seen him come up behind her. He was lounging against the doorway, his big arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her. She wondered how long he’d been standing there.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” He pushed off the door and stood up to his full height, “You want some coffee?”
“No thanks. I should get going. I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“It’s not a problem. I told you that you could stay.”
“Yeah it’s just…” She shrugged, “Now you know how awful I look in the morning.”
“I don’t think you could look awful even if you tried Bluebell.” He stopped in front of her and kissed the top of her head, “Even with hat hair and no makeup, all I want to do is strip you down and get you back in my bed.”
“Such a sweet talker.” She took a step back away from him and changed the subject from the morning sex she would not be having with her friend, “This place looks amazing
by the way. I can’t believe you finished it since the last time I was here.”
“It’s been four days.” He frowned, “I had to do something with my time other than sit around wondering if I’d ever get you back in that shower.”
“It’s really beautiful.” She sidestepped another of his explosive comments that made her a little weak in the knees.
He didn’t mean anything by it. He was just charm and sex in dangerous quantities with a face to match. Still, something in her stomach wanted to hope he’d been missing her, at least missing the sex if not more.
“Thank you.”
“You’re really good at this you know that?”
“It’s just a hobby.” He shrugged.
“It shouldn’t be. Really. You could make a lot of money doing this for people. Lord knows all the houses in Fate probably haven’t been updated since 1972.”
“I don’t have time to renovate other people’s houses. I barely have time to renovate mine.”
“Well you should make time.” She shrugged.
“That’s what my brothers keep telling me.” His mouth pursed into a line and his tone hardened.
She blinked and it was like looking at a completely different man. The good natured, charming flirt was gone. In his place was a darker, serious but no less sexy man. Not for the first time she had the thought that she might actually be seeing the man behind that wall he had stacked so high.
“I’m not surprised. Anybody that’s seen what you can do should be telling you how great it is, how good you are at it.”
“You really like it that much?” He looked wary.
“Yes. I really like it that much.” She nodded and stepped back against him, cupping his cheek so that his stubble scratched her palm in a gesture he did to her all the time to make her look at him and listen, “You’re good at this Zach.”
“Thank you.” Some of the wariness faded to what she thought was relief or possibly just gratitude.
“You’re welcome.” She tiptoed up and brushed her lips against his, “I should get going though.”
“Probably.” He nodded even as his arms went around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest and his lips whispered over hers again.
“I mean it. I need to go.” She let him kiss her even as she argued.
“Definitely.” One of his hands tangled in her hair, tugging just hard enough to tilt her head back and give him better access to her lips for more light, teasing kisses.
She was losing the battle with herself to leave. She was losing the battle with herself not to like him too much. She was losing her mind because she would be crazy to actually care about this man.
“Zach?” She breathed his name as his lips trailed down her neck. “This is crazy, I can’t. I have to go.”
“I know.” His hips tilted into her pelvis and she felt him against her, hard and wanting, “I know its crazy but stay…” He kissed her jaw, the edge of her lips, her nose, “just stay a little while longer.”
He didn’t give her time to answer or argue. His mouth was on hers then and the light, playful kisses ended and something dark and heady exploded instead. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, demanding entry and she gave it to him, clung to him as he plundered her mouth. He tasted like toothpaste and coffee and recklessness and she was drunk on him. She was sinking into him when the sound of a door slamming broke into her thoughts.
“Zachary? Are you here?” A woman’s voice called loudly.
They broke apart, panting and a little unsteady. Blue took deep gulping breaths. She couldn’t look up at him, she knew she shouldn’t but she did it anyway. She felt a little dizzy already but the look of pure hunger in his green eyes made her sway from the intensity.
“Zach? Where are you?” The woman’s voice again and then the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
“Damn it.” He grumbled and scratched his head, an apologetic look crossed his handsome face and she wasn’t sure why until the next words came out of his mouth, “That’s my mother.”
“Oh God…” She’d barely muttered the word when she saw a small figure stop in the doorway of the bathroom. Well this was going to be awkward. Awkward and embarrassing.
“Oh… I didn’t know you had company. I’m sorry. This is terribly embarrassing.” The other woman looked between them and Blue blushed furiously.
There was no mistaking what they’d just been doing, what they’d just been about to do. The room practically sizzled with sexual tension. Zach was standing there looking at her like he could devour her in one fell swoop and she looked like hell with her sex hair and lack of makeup in yesterday’s wrinkled clothes. Clothes, she quickly realized, that didn’t cover much of anything. Clothes that had been meant for Zach’s eyes only but most definitely not for his mother.
“If you’d learn to knock it’d be a hell of a lot less embarrassing for all of us.” Zach muttered and gave her another apologetic glance.
“Don’t curse Zachary.” The older woman frowned and then waved away his comment, “Besides, I lived in this house for nearly forty years. I shouldn’t have to knock.”
“You don’t live here now. So yeah, you do.”
“Watch your tone.”
Blue bit her lip to stifle a smile. It wasn’t funny. It was embarrassing. But yeah, it was also kind of funny to see big, strong Zach get reprimanded and dismissed by the tiny little brunette with the matching green eyes.
“Well, since my son isn’t going to make the proper introductions I suppose I’ll do it myself. I’m Zach’s mother, Reba West.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. West.” Blue fell back on years of manners, “I’m Blue.”
“Oh dear, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll feel better soon.”
“Mom!” Zach groaned.
“Oh stop, I was just teasing, of course I know who she is.” She grinned as she turned back to Blue, “You look so much like your mama. She was always the prettiest girl in the room too.”
“Thank you Mrs. West.” Blue blushed because she was fully aware there wasn’t a thing pretty about her right now. Her hair was a mess. What little makeup was left from yesterday wasn’t nearly enough. Her clothes were wrinkled and a little bit slutty. This was not the best way to meet the mother of your friends with benefits guy.
“Please, call me Reba.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“So, what are you kids up to this morning?”
“That’s it.” Zach groaned and rubbed his eyes, “I’ve officially entered the tenth circle of hell. Out mother, now.”
“Why Zach, that’s not…” Reba frowned at him but the laughter in her eyes made it clear she was enjoying annoying her oldest son.
“Just go away, please.”
“No, Zach, she should stay. I really have to get going.” Blue cut in when she saw an opening to get out of the whole terrible situation. “It was really nice to meet you Mrs. West, Reba… Zach, I’ll uh… see you later.”
“It was nice seeing you Bluebell.” Reba smiled as she moved to let Blue pass by.
“Wait just a damn minute…” Zach’s big hand closed around her wrist, snagging her during her escape attempt. “Mother, coffee is in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
“I’ll just go get some coffee then.” Reba smirked as she turned and waked out of the room.
“I really need to go.” Blue tried to get out of his strong grip when they were alone.
“I’m really sorry about that.” He used his other hand to tilt her chin up so she had to meet his eyes, “She does that sometimes, just shows up out of nowhere. I didn’t know she was coming over. That was awkward and embarrassing, I’m sorry.”
Some of her anxiety lessened with his obvious remorse, “Don’t apologize. It’s fine, I just wish I hadn’t met your mother for the first time looking like slutty sleepover Barbie.”
“Not slutty.” He shrugged, “Sexy sleepover Barbie maybe.”
She rolled her eyes, “Same difference.”
“Lo
ok on the bright side, you helped me out. I bet she’ll think twice before barging into my house ever again.” His arms circled her waist loosely.
“Another benefit of our friendship no doubt.” She tried to frown at him but he made it really difficult when he was grinning at her and his green eyes were still brimming with desire.
“No doubt.” He nodded, “You want to come back over later?”
“Why? You need some help laying tile in the other bathroom?”
“Something like that.” His words were husky and he pressed a light kiss against her mouth that was so sweet she had to force herself not to melt into him all over again.
“I’ll call you later.” She said her goodbye and left the house without having to face his mother again.
Meeting his mother was not okay. You didn’t meet the parents of your friends with benefits guy. And that’s all Zach was., a very sexy benefit while she was twiddling her thumbs and her real life was on hold.
She looked at the clock on the dash of the Audi. It was after seven but her father hadn’t been waking up until much later in the day, sometimes not until late afternoon. She had time to run into town and get a latte before she went back to sit by his side. She’d have taken Zach up on his offer for a cup of coffee before she left if his mother hadn’t showed up. Her life just kept right on spiraling no matter what she did it seemed.
It occurred to her while watching an episode of Family Court later that week that her life really wasn’t so bad. The couple with the dispute was arguing over who would retain possession of their mobile home after their divorce was finalized. He claimed it should be his since he’d bought it before he got married. She claimed it should be hers as payment for him sleeping with her sister. It was all very dramatic.
Blue glanced over at where her father was sleeping. He looked different since she’d come home from Zach’s that morning but she couldn’t identify what it was. He’d steadily begun to lose weight now. He was literally fading away in front of her eyes. But awake he was still loud and stubborn and grouchy. Asleep he seemed frailer. She half wanted to wake him up just to let him yell at her so she wouldn’t have to think about him being weak anymore.