His eyes brighten. “That so. Well, lucky for you, I live there, so I can at least follow you to make sure you make it home safe and sound. Who are you staying with?”
“No one. I’m cleaning out my dad’s trailer.”
He squints his eyes and makes a weird face. “Are you Joe’s daughter?”
“Yeah, did you know him?”
“He’s only one of the greatest riders I have ever known. The man taught me everything I know.”
“Funny, I can’t remember a thing he ever taught me. I hadn’t seen him since I was three. Anyway, tonight was fun, but I’m tired…”
Lucas cuts me off, planting his lips firmly on mine. He pulls back and gives me a goofy smile. “Been wanting to do that all night.”
I give him a faint smile. “Good night, Lucas.”
He nods, and I get in my car touching my lips. Only it isn’t the kiss I shared with Lucas presently that is on my mind. I’m thinking about his brother, Zane.
As I drive back to the trailer park I wonder who the slut is now. I kissed two brothers and in the same night. I need to steer clear. I can’t become involved with either of them. It’d be pure trouble to contemplate doing so.
However, when I lay my head down to go to sleep I can’t stop myself from thinking about them.
Both of them.
*—*
Filling up another trash bag I think it is safe to say my father loved checkered shirts. I believe the man owned every color combination imaginable. The only thing larger than his shirt collection is his belt buckles. Rubbing my fingers over them it is evident he had a lot of pride in riding. He must have been good. Part of me wishes I could have watched him ride. The other half of me is angry that I never was given the choice. I lay my favorite buckle to the side. Maybe Lucas would like to have one to remember him by. I place the ones that look special in a box for later.
I’ve been cleaning for what seems like days, but it has only been hours.
I’m making progress. I have my piles separated between trash, keep, and donate.
I feel like there is so much I need to do. Like go to the store. I can’t constantly eat out at Rowdy’s, even if the company is cute there.
A knock at the front door pulls me from my thoughts.
Some chubby blonde stands on the porch holding a travel mug.
“Can I help you?” I ask through the screen door.
“You must be Hattie. I’m Mary. I dated your daddy.”
“Okay. What can I do for you?” Bethel’s warning about Mary rings in the back of my mind, and I fold my arms over my chest, not wanting to invite her in. I know it isn’t very Christian or southern of me not to do so, but I don’t know this Mary chick or what she wants from me.
“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?” She purses her lips before sipping on her drink.
“Sorry, I’m busy and not ready for company.”
“Well, I won’t be a bother. You see I can’t find my favorite earrings and I am sure I left them in the bedroom. I’ll only be a minute.” The woman steps forward and goes for the door handle.
“If I find them I will leave them at the front office.”
Her beady eyes narrow on me. “I don’t know what Bethel told you. She was always jealous of me. Wanted Joe for herself, but he didn’t like her old wrinkly ass. It will only take me a minute.”
“Mary, quit buggin’ the poor girl and get gone. You aren’t even supposed to be on the property after you tried to burn up Bethel’s golf cart,” a voice I don’t recognize calls out.
“Hmmph.” Mary spins on her fat ankles and wobbles when her heel snaps.
I try not to laugh but a giggle squeaks out.
A guy I haven’t met yet steadies her as he helps her down the steps. “I want my earrings,” she huffs.
The older man gives me a nod and I see the patch on his shirt reads, Maintenance.
Throughout the day one by one my new neighbors make their way over to offer their condolences and make my acquaintance.
Once everyone has left me in peace, I gather up the clothes Bethel was interested in, toss the bags in the back of the truck that belonged to my father, and drive them the short distance to her trailer which doubles as the office.
“Someone mentioned you were looking for a lifeguard.”
“You got your certification? Job won’t start till summer time.”
“Yeah.” I pull my cards out of my purse, so she can make copies.
“Everything checks out. Job is yours for the summer. The pay is shit and the work is boring.”
Thinking about the high demanding job I left behind as a personal assistant for a news anchor, I’m oddly happy with my new situation.
Chapter 5
Two months later
Hattie Mae
“Oh, Kiesha, you can’t be serious.” I roll my eyes at her crazy suggestion. “Me…go on a date with Zane? We are talking about the same guy, right? Zane, the biggest male-whore in the whole town other than his brother, Lucas. The man is known for sleeping with anyone who will lay with him. The man who punched his brother in the face for asking me out. I mean yeah, he is sexy as sin, but no thank you.” I had a wild hair in my ass when I first came to town and kissed them both but since then I have avoided them. Not that they haven’t tried to get me to change my mind. Zane keeps trying to be my friend, but I had to distance myself. I had just gotten out of a long relationship that ended badly.
Single is working for me.
“Hattie, people change. I haven’t seen him with anyone since you moved in.” She nods her head yes as I shake my head no at her words.
Zane has been trying to get in my bikini bottoms since I decided I wanted to stay. I have managed to resist his bad boy charm this long and I am certain I can continue to do so. He is always trying to get me to hang out with him under the pretense of wanting to be my friend—he just wants to get to know me or, so he claims. Yeah right, he just wants to know how to get me to fuck him is all.
“Don’t you have something to do, like work on your tan?” I ask, sticking my tongue out at her. She always pops in on me at random hours. She has designated herself as my friend. If you had told me I would become best buds with a stripper, I would have laughed in your face. But Kiesha has a magnetic personality. I can’t help but be drawn to her. All the men around here are as well it seems. Every time she comes down to the small beach area of the lake where I am posted as a lifeguard, to work on her tan, suddenly all the men have an urge to go swimming or hang out near where she is sunbathing. Well except for Zane, I have noticed he is about the only one who doesn’t show up for the Kiesha topless sunbathing show.
“I’m out, but we are going out for drinks tonight. No ifs ands or buts about it.” She winks, fluffing her chestnut hair. Kiesha manages to keep a flawless tan in between stripping and driving me nuts. I can only imagine what tonight will entail.
Putting on my red lifeguard one piece and pulling my long dark hair into a ponytail, I look myself over in the mirror. Working here has done wonders for my figure. I’m no skinny girl by any means. I have healthy thick curves, but now I am more tone. I slip my shorts on and pull my tank top down over my chest. I have been walking to my post. I could easily drive but I love the exercise. It helps me clear my head. More often than not, I have Zane on my mind and I don’t like it. Him and his stupid good looks. And his voice—he could sing professionally. He has this husky deep drawl that makes my panties disintegrate. I’d never tell him that though. He sometimes sings at the local bar. And man can he sing.
Lucas has been off competing in the rodeo circuit, so I haven’t seen him much lately. Not that I am keeping tabs on him, but we’ve bonded. He was so happy to receive my dad’s old championship belt buckles. Says they bring him luck when he rides.
Okay, so maybe I have a little crush on both of them. I am not the only one either. I am positive Kiesha has slept with one or both of them. That shouldn’t make me jealous, but it does. I had my chance and I decid
ed it would be better not to go there. We all live here, and I like hanging out at Rowdy’s.
I never plan on acting on my crush, so I don’t know what the big deal is. Zane has screwed anything with legs as far as I can tell. The last time I went to Rowdy’s with Lucas, his brother had some chick in the bathroom giving it to her hard for Christ sake! The worst part of the whole night was he had come onto me earlier that night. Spouting some garbage about how fate had intercepted, and we were supposed to meet. He said some nonsense about some psychic telling him he would meet the love of his life. Must have been that other chick he was nailing. The sounds that were leaving her throat did leave me curious as to what in the hell he was doing that could make her moan in such a manner.
Nothing Justin ever did to me ever made me feel that way. He would touch me, but not the way my body ached for him to.
Lucas and I were dancing, he was holding me close during a slow song, but it wasn’t romantic.
Next thing I knew, Zane was tapping him on the shoulder asking to cut in. When Lucas turned around he cococked him.
Lucas was out and two of his buddies had to drag him out to his truck.
Zane tried to apologize, blamed it on being drunk.
All he did was show me what kind of man I don’t want to be with.
Walking past Zane’s trailer, I try to avoid looking his way at all cost. Then I hear an ear-piercing whistle and my eyes betray me. Curiosity has my green orbs shifting left. There he is, smiling wickedly. Why do his lips have to look so perfect and kissable? I can feel the blush creeping across my cheeks. Damn him. So, I may have kissed him briefly the night we met. I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with me after the whole thing with Justin. And well, kissing Zane proved that it was indeed Justin and not me. Zane definitely enjoyed kissing me but then again so did his brother.
I’m a mess.
“Morning, tight ass.” He waves at me with his coffee mug. It reads Honk if you’re Horny. Gah, does he ever wear a shirt when he is hanging around outside of his trailer? I swear every time I see him around outside he is shirtless, flashing his hot body at me. Okay, well, not exactly at me, but it is damn near distracting.
Rolling my eyes, I turn away and pick up my pace, walking faster.
“Come on now, I made you a cup,” he pleads as he rushes out, stepping next to me. He produces a Styrofoam cup and places it in my hand. His fingers brushing against mine sends a tingle all the way down to my toes. He grins lazily at me, knowing I am attracted to him. “Enjoy the coffee, Hattie Mae.” Him using my middle name does something to my insides, making me feel all tingly. Zane flicks his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth and my mind flashes to wondering how those lips of his would taste again.
Before I can respond he has gone back inside his trailer. The gesture is sweet, but I am not falling for that. He keeps insisting that he wants to be my friend. I don’t buy it. I have been told so many tales of his conquests. Zane and the words woman and friend do not go hand in hand. Mentioning his name to the wrong woman can get you smacked around here.
When I get further down the path and I am sure he can’t see me, I toss the cup in the trash. I spend the rest of my walk doing the exact opposite of what I intended—thinking about Zane and his damn abs. I would so lick them if I didn’t think I would be one in twenty. The man has my head feeling fuzzy instead of clear.
I go into the office and get clocked in. Time to tackle the day ahead, and hopefully get ol’ blue eyes out of my head. But dang it, I have to pass back by his trailer to get to my post.
Stupid sexy smirk.
Stupid sexy abs.
He infuriates me.
I reach the area of the lake that is reserved for swimming without seeing Zane again.
There is a nice beach area. I really do love working here.
Taking a drink of my water, I get ready to start my shift.
Climbing up my post, I take my seat and look out at the water in front of me. It truly is so peaceful and serene here. I can see a few fishermen out in the distance on their Jon boats. A few residents have already started setting up on the beach. I watch as one of the couples rub sunblock on each other, touching and laughing with huge smiles. They seem so natural together. I miss that feeling but that doesn’t mean I want Justin back.
The asshole has tried calling me twice a day since I left. My only response has been a text to say I am fine and to leave me alone.
My few minutes of peace are soon interrupted as a shadow eclipses my view—Lucas.
“Hey, stranger.”
“I got tickets for the movies tonight. That new chick wedding flick is playing.” He grins while flashing two tickets at me. Hearing the word wedding reminds me of why I came here in the first place, my stupid ex-fiancé. I guess my tits simply weren’t his cup of tea.
“Sorry, I’m going out with Kiesha tonight.” I smile at him, knowing I am telling the truth.
He frowns, shoving the tickets in his wallet.
I like Lucas. He invites me to hang out with him and his rodeo friends when he’s in town. I give him credit, he has stayed true to his word. He hasn’t kissed me since that first night and he doesn’t bring it up.
The guy doesn’t even attempt to flirt with me. It’s nice but it also drives me crazy wondering why he doesn’t seem to want more from me.
I’ve thought about what it would be like to date Lucas. He’s funny and he’s sweet. He travels for his competitions so we wouldn’t be in one another’s faces all the time.
He seems nice enough, but he isn’t his brother. It would be wrong of me to pretend otherwise. I’m not a lying jackass like my ex, Justin.
“Some other time then.” He looks sad and that makes me feel guilty, but I promised Kiesha.
“Raincheck?” I offer.
“Sure. See ya around.”
I nod as he climbs down the ladder. Deep down I know he doesn’t stand a chance in hell until I get my crush on his brother worked out of my system. I don’t know what it is about the men here. I swear they must pump hormones into the water. Horniest group I have ever seen. Someone is always hooking up.
Chapter 6
Zane
I don’t know what it is about Hattie, but damn she is under my skin. I go to bed thinking of her and when I wake, the first thing I think about is seeing her smile. I don’t get caught up in females. I am a get my rocks off and get gone kind of guy. Hell, I don’t even bring women home with me. So, having Hattie on my brain so damn much has me ten kinds of fucked up in the head. I haven’t cared to be friends with a woman since I met my ex-wife, Lanie. And well, that shit didn’t pan out too well. She fucked around on me a lot. The bitch was even kind enough to empty out my savings before she screwed me ten ways to Sunday. She called me a loser and said I was headed nowhere because I turned down a recording contract. I had one song get on the radio and I hated the attention that came with it. The whole music scene wasn’t for me. Would I have liked to signed that contract? Maybe. I didn’t really have a choice though. Lucas was off doing his rodeo shit and our little brother, Mason needed a role model. Our old man had bailed, and the kid was in middle school. Someone had to be responsible for him. It meant no record contract. I wasn’t going to leave Mason to fend for himself and had Lucas been tasked with taking care of him, he wouldn’t be in college right now, earning his degree. Lanie wanted the rock n’ roll lifestyle and I didn’t. All I wanted was to own a bar and play some music. After she cleaned me out, my dream was dead in the water and I was stuck being a singing bartender who was raising his little brother.
Since she burned me, I swore I would never be that guy again. The one who falls head over heels. Once the divorce was final and she was gone, Lucas came home with an injury. He thought he would never ride again and took it out on me. He told me he had fucked Lanie. Told me what a whore I had been married to.
No one knows the hell Lanie put me through and I prefer to keep it that way. I don’t need pity. I won’t see Lucas find ha
ppiness with Hattie. He thinks he got one over on me with Lanie but he’s wrong.
I see how Kiesha looks at him. He has a thing for her too even though he won’t admit it. He’s only using Hattie to make her jealous because she told him no when he asked her out.
Working at a local bar gives me an advantage now. I have learned how to read people and know who is down for a little fun and who will grow attached after one night. Hell, one night rarely ever happens. It’s more like a few hours. Get laid and get out, that has been my plan. That is until I laid eyes on Hattie.
The day she wisped into town, Zelda had been hounding me to let her give me a reading. Telling me she seen that my love life was about to take an interesting turn. She said I was going to meet the love of my life that day. I thought she was full of shit, but then Hattie walked in and I swear I had never felt such a pull to a woman before. It was more than lust. I have felt lust at first sight plenty of times to know it and damn that feeling was so much more. It was intense and before I knew it, I was telling her that we were fated to meet. She looked at me as if I was an Ogre and shot me down quick. I dealt with the blow to my ego the best way I know how…random hookup.
When I came out of the bathroom, Sienna the other bartender at Rowdy’s that night chewed my ass out good. If it had been anyone else telling me otherwise, I would have told her where to go and how to get there, but I respect Sienna. And I like her old man, he has done a few tats for me in the past.
I have been trying to overcome my manwhore ways since Hattie breezed into town. I care about what she thinks of me. I want to get to know her. Fuck, I even told her I wanted to be friends. She basically laughed in my face, but I am determined to prove to her that I can get to know her. I can be friends with a woman I am attracted to—no big deal at all. Other than the fact that I swear I am falling hard for her and she wants nothing to do with me. However, I know she is attracted to me. I can feel the sexual tension that passes between us each time we are near one another.
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