The Keaton Series Boxed Set

by B. A. Wolfe

  I wanted, needed, to touch him in a way I knew was more intimate. My hand couldn’t stop itself as it slid up his shoulder and cupped his neck. I lifted my gaze to his, as if to make sure it was okay.

  He smiled wide then lowered his mouth, whispering into my ear, “You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”

  His question was cocky and sexy and all things that it shouldn’t have been, but I loved it.

  “Maybe.” I returned his smile.

  Within seconds, our bodies were even closer together. The melody that poured from the stage grew quieter as each beat in my chest grew louder. I willed my eyes to blink, to move, to do anything but get consumed by his ravenous gaze, but my willpower had vanished.

  His hand released mine and a single finger hooked under my chin. My insides knotted as he licked his lips only to part them. My teeth captured my bottom lip as I waited for his next course of action and as I did, realization that my arm still held his neck hit me. I bit on my lip harder, almost to the point of piercing it as time lagged.

  A painfully slow smile crept across his lips and then words spilled out of that perfect mouth. “Thank you for this.” He ran his thumb across my bottom lip. “You’re a better dancer than you think.”

  I was sure a soft sigh escaped me at that very moment. He released my chin from his touch and instantaneously the song changed to a slow melody. I blinked several times, noticing people shuffling all around. Nothing was as it seemed. The lights were a little brighter and the warmth that once blanketed me must have been a dream by the way bumps prickled my skin. What had just happened? My cheeks flamed with heat as I spun on my heels.

  Thirteen

  Dan

  THE SONG CHANGED AND instantly the words don’t go wanted out of my mouth. I wanted to intertwine my fingers with hers, pull her back, and slow dance the night away.

  The thing that stopped me from pulling her back?

  Red.

  A red line that I shouldn’t cross or even blur halted me. I’d already done enough damage. I didn’t dare ask for another dance, and she didn’t stay. Like she knew as well as I did, that territory wasn’t to be crossed.

  I strolled behind her, my hand on her back. Not the small of it, that wouldn’t fly. Instead, right in the middle as I guided us back to the bar. She waved the bartender down and leaned into him, ordering drinks. I couldn’t hear her over the music and the noisy crowd. The bartender returned and her eyes lit up. He then set the drinks in front of us and I understood why.

  “Cute.” I playfully rolled my eyes.

  My head shook as her lips secured the straw in her mouth and she sucked the iced tea down. She tilted her head and a few strands of her hair lay flush against her cheek. I wanted to tuck them behind her ear so I could have a reason to touch her.

  Fuck it.

  My hand moved at a snail’s pace as it reached the side of her soft face. I swept the loose strands back, securing them behind her ear. Her body froze. My hand lingered longer than it should have, but it still wasn’t long enough.

  She cleared her throat. “I thought you’d like the tea,” she said, her lips releasing the straw.

  “It’s perfect.” I smiled shamelessly at her. My eyes went to her lips again. They fit her face perfectly. They were plump, and when she smiled they spread into a grin even models couldn’t compete with.

  “Thanks for the dance lesson, Mr. Bradley.”

  Her voice brought me to, but I didn’t hear a word that came out of her. “Huh?”

  “I said, thank you for the dance lesson, Mr. Bradley.” The way she said Mr. Bradley had everything in me on high alert. Including my cock, which I’d prayed would behave tonight. She’d already touched him at the coffee shop, and it was enough that I had to haul ass out of there before I put on a show. I wasn’t running late, that’s for damn sure. She bought my story, though.

  “You’re a fine student, Ms. Pierce.”

  The grin on her face grew wider. I wasn’t sure I could take any more without doing something really stupid tonight . . . like crossing a line.

  “Hey, Cassandra. Remember me?”

  A male voice took me by surprise. I twisted my neck and saw Jeff standing next to Cassie. I knew him through Jason and Moose. Jeff was their age and went to school with them. Last I heard he was still working at the motel his parents owned. His hands were in his pockets. He looked nervous as hell.

  Her eyes grew wide and she swiveled on her stool. “Oh. Hi, Jeff,” she answered politely.

  He nodded toward me. “Big D, what’s up, man?”

  I returned the gesture and mumbled, “Hey, Jeff.”

  I’d never had a problem with him. Until now. He rested his hand on her shoulder and I didn’t like it. I watched their interaction. Casual, polite, a little awkward, but nothing wrong. So why was my jaw ticking and my hands fidgeting with my glass? Because I knew what would probably happen. And . . . it just did. Fucker asked her to dance.

  “Sure, why not?” she responded.

  With her hand in his she turned toward me, flashed me a sweet smile and they were gone, doing what I wanted to be doing. Holding her, touching her, letting her lean on my shoulder, my hand securing her back so she’d know I had her in my care. I had boundaries, and I respected them. Tried to at least.

  “Scott, I need a Crown and Coke,” I told the bartender. “Don’t stop, just keep ‘em coming.”

  “You got it, Dan.” He slid a full glass across the bar toward me.

  I wrapped my fingers around it and let the Crown coat my throat.

  Jeff’s hands stayed clear of the danger zones and remained in gentleman territory, but it still didn’t stop the blood in me from boiling. She wasn’t mine to take, but I’d be damned if I let him do it. Call it liquid courage or maybe just being a dumb shit, but I stood, slammed the last of my drink, and was about to really blur the lines.

  With my hands tucked in my back pockets, I stopped a foot away as they swayed to the music. They were in mid conversation as I butted in. “Jeff, someone at the bar’s looking for you.”

  Their attention was immediately drawn to me. My lips tugged up as I watched Cassie’s doing the same thing.

  “Oh. Okay,” Jeff said, looking more than confused. Poor bastard.

  “I’ll finish dancing with Cassandra.” I winked at her, removing my hands from my pockets and grabbing her hands as he let them go to leave. “You don’t mind, do you?” I peered into her hazel eyes.

  I held in a moan the minute her petite hand was enclosed in mine. Her other hand, as if by instinct, went back to my neck, causing me to hold back another groan.

  Her eyes lit up. “No, I don’t mind. I need to thank you, actually,” she admitted.

  “For what?”

  “Saving me. I’m not the type to say no, but he was kind of a creeper the last time I met him.” Her teeth bit down on her lip. I couldn’t help but notice. I loved her lips.

  My brows puckered. “What do you mean?”

  “He got a little . . .” Her body shuddered slightly. “Grabby.”

  I held her a little tighter than a friend should. “Jeff? The Jeff who just left?”

  She nodded slowly and bit her lip again and I swore to myself if she didn’t stop I was going to have to fucking walk away.

  “Really? He’s harmless. A little weird, but not that type of guy. But I wished I would’ve known. I wouldn’t have let him steal you away.” By the end of the sentence my voice had dropped about ten octaves and became more of a whisper.

  Her eyes fluttered as she gazed at me. Did I make her nervous? It sure as shit seemed that way. I eyed her and smiled while I softly sang the words to a song I’d heard more times than I could count.

  “You know this song?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

  I nodded.

  “And your country boy side just keeps on coming out.”

  “Shhh.” I pressed my index finger to her soft lips and they immediately pressed into a straight line as I made contact. I shouldn’
t have done that. My body had no boundaries with her. She made it hard to follow the rules. I cleared my throat. “We don’t want the world to know I’m a country boy at heart.” My hand lowered and snaked back around her waist, caging her in again.

  She released a soft sigh that a man could only dream of hearing. “So . . .” A wicked grin spread across her face. “Where are you hiding your cowboy boots and tight jeans?”

  She was adorable right now. My lips spread into a huge-ass grin.

  She grew giddy in my arms. “I knew it. You do have some, don’t you?”

  “I’ve rocked a few pair in my day.” More than she’d ever know. I’d left all but a few pair of jeans behind when I left for college.

  “What about . . .” Her head tilted and a few strands of hair brushed against her cheek. “ . . . a cowboy hat?”

  It occurred to me then—I couldn’t stop noticing anything she did. And I didn’t want to. “A cowboy hat, huh?” The thought brought to mind my black felt hat—the one identical to Jase’s. We wore the shit out of those damn hats.

  She blinked a few times. “Yeah, the hat. You have to complete the look.”

  We continued to sway to the music as I eyed her with a cocky expression. “I don’t know if you’re ready to see me rocking a cowboy hat just yet. You see, we have to be friends for a few more weeks before that can happen.”

  She chewed inside her cheek as she peered up. She knew how to torture a man. Right down to the hand that gripped my back a little tighter.

  Her eyes danced under the low lights as she murmured, “I think that’s doable.”

  “Oh, you do?” I brought my hand up for a moment and gently brushed the side of her cheek. I couldn’t help myself. Her skin was so soft. She leaned into my touch before I replaced my hand on her back.

  “Yeah, I do.” She nodded as if she were in slow motion. “Actually, it’s more than doable.”

  “Good,” My heart beat a little faster at the possibilities.

  She drew in a long breath. “What song is this?”

  It was one of my favorites. “Come a Little Closer.”

  With a slight tip of her lips she said, “Friends shouldn’t dance to a song like this, Big D.”

  She didn’t have to tell me twice. It didn’t matter though. We were, and I wasn’t about to stop. “You’re calling me Big D now?”

  Her face relaxed and a smile reappeared. “Friends have nicknames. Why not? You already call me Sweet Tea. It’s only fair I have one for you.”

  I hooked a brow. “I thought you already did.”

  Her eyes lowered to my chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I think you do,” I said, my lips quirking.

  Her eyes darted to meet mine. “Enlighten me, then.” Sass dripped from her voice

  I smirked. “I believe it’s Mr. Rub a Dub Dub?”

  The color in her face vanished, only to resurface in the most flushed cheeks I’d ever seen. Her eyes bounced around as if they were watching a laser. She’d just been caught and I loved it. The name had me cracking up, and by the time she found the courage to meet my eyes she’d released a set of giggles that sounded more than embarrassed.

  “So, Sweet Tea, I’m pretty sure we’re even.”

  “I guess we are. How on earth did you find out?” she asked, her head shaking. “Wait, I don’t want to know.”

  I gazed down at her, eyebrows lifted as if asking if she was sure.

  With a deep sigh she parted her lips. “Okay, tell me.”

  “I came downstairs to talk to you after you ran off when we first met in Keaton. I was going to wait until you finished your conversation, but Moose told me to go. Well, the walls are pretty thin down there. So, Mr. Rub a Dub Dub, huh? That means I had a nickname after we met at the coffee shop.” My cocky grin wouldn’t subside. I loved that the first time we met had an impact on her too.

  “Talk about stalking. You little spy.” Her lips fought a grin.

  “No way.” I shook my head. “I was concerned and wanted to talk. That’s gotta count for something.” I hated that Moose made me go back upstairs, but I didn’t want to press the issue with him. So I did as he asked.

  Her head lowered and her hazel eyes looked up at me through her curled lashes.

  “Okay, I may have lingered a few seconds too long, but I’m not a spy, sweetheart.”

  The once happy Cassie I held in my arms changed in the blink of an eye. Her face went colorless and didn’t come back. If I didn’t know better I’d have thought she was ill. Her limbs went limp, slowly slipping from my body and finally dropping to her sides. Stepping back, I peered down at her. The lights were dim so it was hard to tell, but I was almost positive pools of tears were settling in her eyes.

  I reached out for her but she continued to back away. “Cassandra, what’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t call me that. Ever again. J-Just leave me alone.”

  Before it registered what in the hell had happened, she was gone. Her blonde hair swished side to side as she rushed off the dance floor. I stood there dumbfounded; I didn’t even know what I said. I closed my eyes and replayed the last sentence in my head. Couples bumped my shoulder as I stood frozen amongst the crowd. I didn’t know what in the hell I just did wrong. I opened my eyes and rubbed my temple. D, what’d you do? I had to go after her.

  Before I took off to get her, a light hand on my shoulder stopped me.

  I sighed. “Thank, God,” I said, taking the hand on my shoulder in mine and twisting around to see her. “Tell me what I did wrong, please?”

  Except the heart-shaped face I expected wasn’t even close to the one standing before me. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” I dropped Shay’s cold hand instantly. “What the hell are you doing here?” I clipped as my bitch of an ex stood before me. I didn’t wait for her to respond. Instead, I dragged myself to the bar.

  “Scott,” I shouted, flagging him down yet again. “Another, buddy.”

  He nodded and pulled a glass out, filling it with amber liquid. “Here you go, D.”

  I grabbed the glass, put the rim to my lips, and slammed more than half of it in one gulp. I cringed as the alcohol burned my throat.

  My eyes continued to dart to the bathrooms, where Cassie had run off. The knot in my already constricted chest clenched tighter each time someone came out and she didn’t have blonde hair or her face.

  Maybe she finally realized how stupid we were to even consider that getting close was okay. Our past was thick without it even being shared. Jason connected us more than either of us could grasp. He was the reason we were here and that we knew one another, but he was also the biggest reason why we shouldn’t be together.

  She knew I’d lied about knowing her, but she didn’t know why or how I knew her. I was a bastard who didn’t deserve her.

  My heart raced in my chest the second I noticed a petite blonde with a tear-free face come out of the bathroom.

  Come see me, Cassie. Please.

  She didn’t look at me once as she took a seat more than five stools down. I’d screwed up big time and it hit hard. Fucking hard. I slammed my palm on the bar. “Damn it!” I’d fucked it all up.

  Not two seconds later my conniving ex-girlfriend stole the empty seat beside me, but not before she sent a death glare toward Cassandra. “Why the sad face, hun?” She crossed her legs, letting her skirt hike up in the process.

  Like her she-devil of a sister, Anna, she hadn’t always been that way, either. She’d been sweet, a little innocent, and always a go-with-the- flow chick. She and Anna had changed the day their grandparents died and their family received a large inheritance.

  I shot her a murderous glare. “What are you doing?”

  “Just trying to chat.” She batted her long, clumpy lashes.

  I gripped my glass. “Fine. Let’s chat. How’re the mountains?” She’d found some hot-to-trot job at a ski resort and moved the minute we broke up. Some sad break-up it was for her.

&
nbsp; Her shoulders dropped. “Lonely.” She trailed her fingers down my forearm until she reached the hand that lay on the bar, holding my nearly empty drink.

  I expelled a heavy liquor flavored breath. “You really gotta stop with that shit, Shay. I’m not hashing this out with you again. If memory serves me right, your selfish ass said I was holding you back. You needed ‘more.’”

  She slipped the glass from my hand, placed her lips on the rim, and downed the rest. “If memory serves me right, the feeling was mutual.”

  Damn straight it was fucking mutual. I yanked my glass from her and pushed it toward the far edge, hoping to get Scott’s attention.

  “Can’t we be friends?” she asked, her lips pouting more than a toddler’s.

  I snickered in disgust. “You and I will never be friends. In fact, I have a friend over there I’d rather be talking to.”

  She scowled and lifted her hand, pointing down the bar. “You mean the blondie over there who’s chatting with another friend?”

  I stole a glance and my chest immediately caved. Jeff! You’ve got to be kidding me. My stomach dropped and my jaw muscles flexed as his hand rubbed the length of her bare arm.

  “Give it up. She’s a little skank who doesn’t belong in Keaton, and you know it. Let’s dance, baby.”

  I wasn’t the type to send my palm across a girl’s face, but her use of skank and Cassandra in the same sentence had Shay fucking close to being my first. I lowered my gaze. “Don’t call me baby, and if you have anything else to say about Cassie, do yourself a favor and leave.”

  She ran her hand under the hem of my short sleeve. “Old habits die hard,” she said, adjusting her legs, drawing her skirt up a little further. Her hand left my arm and caressed the side of my cheek.

  There was nothing.

  Not a jolt, an extra beat in my heart, a need to stare into her eyes. Not a damn thing as her once familiar hand touched my face. I grinned, but not for her. It was for the sole fact that I realized more than I already did that we were done. I peered around Shay’s chair. Cassandra’s head whipped around and I knew that she’d seen me.