Lucky’s head shot upright as the door opened. He jumped off the stool at attention. Baby knew who it was before the person made it through the door. Slade. He was hard to miss. He soared at six feet five and was built like a MAC truck. She assumed his weightlifting addiction was due to little man syndrome. He had his long blond hair pulled back with a hair tie. His jaw was as chiseled as the rest of him. He dressed like he was a walking ad for Diesel with his shirt pulled tightly across his massive chest. Most women fawned over Slade. The girls fought over him and begged Mickey to put them on his private party circuit, but not Baby Jade. The sight of him made her shudder, and her stomach heaved with repulsion.
Slade strolled right past Lucky, throwing his jacket across Lucky’s stool, pretending not to see him standing there. There was no way he didn’t already know about the new guy. Word traveled fast around here. Let the inevitable game of “my dick’s bigger than your dick” commence.
Lucky’s body tensed up at Slade’s dismissive move. His jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. He looked like he wanted to rip the man’s head off.
“There’s my girl.” Slade looped his arm around Baby’s waist. He leaned in to plant one of his slobbery wet kisses on her neck, but she managed to duck and push him away, although she knew he let her. It was all for show. If Slade wanted something, there was no way she’d physically be able to stop him, short of using her 357 Magnum.
“Stop, Slade. I’m not your girl.” Baby Jade noticed the way Lucky’s jaw twitched. The vein in his forehead bulged underneath the skin.
“I haven’t seen you in a while. No treadmill after work anymore?” Slade ran the backside of his enormous hand along her cheek, leaving the feeling of road rash on her skin.
“You’re not discreet, are you? You want a show, come to the club.” She stepped out of his reach.
“I’m here now,” he replied in a deep growl.
“Not a chance. I’m done for the night. And I guess I won’t see you stalking my apartment later since Lolli’s keeping you in good company?” She glanced toward the stage and sympathized with the girl. Watching Slade hit on Baby Jade distracted her, causing her to stumble. She grabbed the pole to catch herself and made an ill attempt to play it off.
“Well, that depends on whether she keeps me entertained or not. Not that anyone has ever held my attention quite like you.” He placed his index finger under her chin.
She jerked away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Get a grip. I don’t know why you insist on putting Lolli through this. She’s always there, willing and able.”
“Oh yeah, she’s definitely able.” He leered up at the stage. It was pathetic the way Lolli soaked up the pitiful morsel of attention. As soon as he got the poor girl’s attention, he wrapped his mammoth-sized arm around Baby Jade and squeezed her ass. He was close enough that his heavy cologne assaulted her nostrils making her nauseated.
“Dammit, Slade!” She slapped his chest and marched past him. Lucky was still manning his post, eyeballing Slade, obviously ready to pounce. She had seen that look before. All Baby wanted to do was get the hell out of this damn Twilight Zone.
“Hey, you ok?” Lucky asked, stepping into the doorway.
“Get the hell out of my way.” She glared up at him, her cheeks red and flushed.
Lucky cleared his throat. “I wanted to see if you were ok, do you need a ride or something?”
“What I need is for you to go take a fucking leap off a short bridge. Get the hell out of my way,” she snapped and busted through the door. His nerve had her fuming. His back and forth macho man attitude had her head spinning.
With adrenaline pumping through her body, it didn’t take her long to walk home. She replayed the night over in her head, trying to make sense of the clusterfuck. Instead of finding answers, it only pissed her off more.
All the lights were out at Ma’Linn’s, and Baby was relieved to see she didn’t wait up for her to get home. However, she wasn’t surprised to find a bag with dinner and dessert on her doorstep. Her tummy growled as she popped the lid off the etouffee and inhaled deeply to savor the smell, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since the meager tomato sandwich. Snapping the lid back onto the bowl, Baby decided to knock out the treadmill while she was still too pumped up to go to bed. She stripped away her clothes. Wearing nothing but her sports bra and boy shorts, she clicked her iPod into the dock and set it to Sublime. Her bare feet pounded away for the next hour while the music blared through the apartment.
Baby hated the way her mind never slowed down. The thoughts bounced around in her head, trying to piece together the insanity from the club. Lucky was into her, it was obvious. If there was one thing that Baby knew well, it was men. She saw the way he watched her with his fiery eyes. The way he had to gulp for air and swallow when she walked into the room. When his hand clasped hers, the heat was enough to make her forget her own name. And that damn lopsided grin. Those dimples. The list went on.
She went from being angry to being flustered. Lucky had her all over the map. One minute they were joking around and getting to know one another, and the next icicles. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he didn’t get her all worked up. He was a mystery, and she fought the urge to want to figure him out.
Baby wanted no part of whatever shit Lucky was mixed up in.
If only the deep burning in her gut agreed.
Chapter Six
Lucky
From the moment Lucky walked into Bottoms Up he had hit a roadblock. A huge fucking roadblock with green eyes. Her voice and the feel of her skin had wiped out any brain cells he had left.
“You can go ahead and wrap up for the night,” Mickey said.
Lucky never noticed him walk up, and forgot what he was supposed to be doing, still wanting to kick his own ass for the way he let Baby walk out of the club without making things right. “Cool, thanks.”
“Not too bad for a first night, maybe it’ll work out after all. It’s only for a few weeks anyway, right?” Mickey folded his arms across his chest.
“Yeah, shouldn’t be too long.” Lucky didn’t like the way his new boss was sizing him up. “Hey, sorry about that whole thing with those assholes earlier. When he grabbed Baby I saw red, ya know?”
Mickey shrugged. “No big deal. Of course, I’d like to think you would have done the same thing for any of the girls, not only Baby.”
“Fuck yeah, I would. The douchebag deserved to have his cock knocked in the dirt.” He tried to size up Mickey. He didn’t want to cause any problems, and risk losing the job. “Look, I know you’re making a position for me because of Rodney. I don’t know why and I don’t give a shit, but I plan to do the best job I can while I’m here.”
Mickey shifted his weight; the look on his face was blank. Lucky didn’t like that he couldn’t get a read on the man. He already knew he didn’t like him. The way he ran his business spoke volumes. If his girlfriend was any indication of how he treated the girls, the son of a bitch was scum. Mickey didn’t give anything away when he said, “You do your job, and we’ll be fine.”
Lucky gave a curt nod. “Yes, sir.” He extended a hand. Mickey took it and gave it a quick shake with the same blank expression on his face before walking away.
He couldn’t wait to get the hell out of the club. Without Baby Jade, he had no reason to be there.
Chapter Seven
Baby Jade
Baby shuddered as the cool air whipped across her bare body. A tall figure tossed the sheet to the floor as he climbed onto the bed. Using his knee, the man nudged her legs apart, leaving her exposed for his pleasure. He nestled himself in between her trembling legs and used one hand to pin her wrists above her head. The bulge throbbing against the inside of her thigh confirmed the man was naked as well. Baby searched the man, attempting to make out his face, but only saw a dark silhouette. The warmth of his breath on her skin made Baby writhe under his weight. The fingertips of the man’s free hand caressed her breast, and down her side, slowly making their
way closer to her groin.
“Baby …” the man whispered. The familiar way he said her name sent her hips up to meet him, pleading. “Baby … say my name.”
A throaty moan escaped her lips.
“Say it. I want to hear my name roll off those luscious lips. Say it.” He pressed his body into hers.
Baby’s moans grew carnal as she wrapped one leg around his, begging him to take her.
“Let me hear it, Baby.” The man gripped her wrists tighter. “Say Lucky.”
***
Baby Jade’s eyes flew open and she shot up in the bed, trying to catch her breath. A dream? I’m dreaming about Lucky? Sweat soaked the bed sheet, and worse, her body was buzzing. Almost aching, close to an orgasm.
A pounding at the front door shook Baby from dwelling on the dream. She hopped out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. The pounding continued, causing her to rush across the room, sending her stumbling into the wooden bookshelf.
“Shit!” she screamed as her foot met the corner edge. The pain was intense, her stomach knotted and she went weak in the knees.
“Hold on!” A voice came from the other side of the door right before it caved and a figure came barreling through.
“Lucky?”
“Baby, are you ok? What happened?”
Her eyes were wide and her mouth gaping. “What the hell are you talking about? And look at my front door? SHIT!” She looked past him.
Lucky twisted his body to look at the damage. The door now hung from one hinge, barely attached to the frame, which had now splintered. The chain lock was still hooked, and dangling from the wall.
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine! What are doing here?” she asked, too startled to move.
“I thought I’d come by to check on you since I was such a dick before.”
“You couldn’t leave a damn note?”
Lucky ran his hand through his windblown hair. The pensive look on his face gave her the impression he realized how badly he screwed up.
“Well, I knocked and didn’t hear anything. I was gonna leave, but then I thought about that ogre-sized jackass last night. I needed to make sure you were ok. I knocked forever. When I finally heard something, it sounded like a struggle and you screamed. I thought you were in trouble.”
“I was sleeping. And if I was in trouble, you aren’t my fucking bodyguard! Shit, look at this mess.” Baby Jade stood, surveying the room, trying to make sense of what had happened.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was helping.” Lucky waved his hand back at the scene, clearly irritated.
“Do us both a favor, and don’t think!” She now stood toe to toe with Lucky, looking up into his face. Her hands placed on both hips.
“There’s no reason to act like a bitch.”
“Uh, excuse me?” Hands on hips, glaring up at him as she points to the door. “The last I checked, you don’t have to fucking deal with Mickey, and if you call me a bitch again, I will wear your balls for earrings.”
Lucky walked over to the door and started picking up wood and debris. “What’s that asshole got to do with anything?”
“He’s my landlord. How am I supposed to explain this?” Baby knew Mickey would charge her three times the damage, or try to make her work it off some other way.
“Look, I’m the one who broke it. I’ll get it fixed before he finds out.”
Baby attempted to soften her tone, realizing Lucky felt bad enough. It wouldn’t help anyone for her to make the situation worse. “That would be a good plan if Mickey didn’t have eyes everywhere.”
“Seriously, it’s not a problem. I’ll have it fixed before he finds out.”
It threw her for a second to think about the fact that Lucky was standing in her living room. He was bending and moving to clean up the mess on the floor, trying to piece it back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Reaching to lean the broken door against the wall, Lucky’s black t-shirt rode up enough for Baby to catch a peek at his lower abdomen. Muscles molded together to form the perfect trail to his loose fitting waistband. The way the jeans hung low on his hips made her blood soar, making her cheeks hot.
“Baby?”
The way he said her name. That one word sent the flush from her cheeks straight to all the important parts of her body as she remembered the dream, the way she became wet by the sound of his voice.
Lucky stopped working. “Baby? Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was thinking.”
“With that look on your face, I’d give my right arm to know what you were thinking about.”
Baby stepped closer to Lucky, close enough to smell the intoxicating soap that lingered off his skin. She involuntarily placed her palm square on his chest and settled one leg in between his. As Lucky’s eyes grew wide, he fumbled trying to form words.
“Sorry, you’ll have to come up with something better than that.” Baby let her fingertips graze the bare skin where Lucky’s t-shirt met his jeans, leaving him speechless. “Now get to work,” she said and walked away.
Chapter Eight
Lucky
The clanking around in the kitchen was a constant reminder that Baby was close. She had plugged in her ear buds and was dancing in and out of each room, trying to go about her daily business. Imagining what else she could do with that body was driving Lucky insane. He had become a walking hard-on since laying eyes on her.
He attempted to put all his efforts into fixing the door. Ducking out for an hour, he had managed to find everything he needed at Tubby’s Hardware. The rest, he borrowed from Rodney’s Garage. He aimed to finish before Mickey found out. That douchebag was sure to take advantage of the situation if he found about it, not to mention he couldn’t leave Baby’s apartment wide open at night.
He felt like a jackass for breaking down her door, and he was trying not to regret the decision to track her down and apologize for being such a dick at the club. Last night was crazy. This woman had him at a loss. He couldn’t think straight. He spent the entire night waiting until an appropriate time to knock on her front door.
Lucky came back to town with a plan. In and out. Cut and dry. Falling hard was not on his agenda. It wasn’t until the giant troll with a ponytail stepped into the picture that Lucky’s plan fell apart.
After seeing the guy manhandle Baby, he knew there was more to the story. He wanted to bury his desire to protect her. To bury his need to keep her safe. Actually, what he wanted was to bury himself right inside her.
Chapter Nine
Baby Jade
Alabama Shakes filled Baby Jade’s eardrums as she cleaned the kitchen. She loved mood music, and it helped tune out the sound of Lucky working in the other room. She hummed to the lyrics, but it was impossible to forget he was nearby.
Lucky busied himself fixing the door that he had gallantly knocked down coming to her rescue as a corner bookshelf viciously attacked her big toe.
She decided the least she could do was offer him lunch. Looking in the refrigerator, she mentally kicked herself for not being more normal. A half bottle of wine and an old bowl of gumbo wouldn’t go far. She was able to pull together a plate of cheese and crackers. To her surprise, she had a couple of Shiners in the door. She couldn’t remember the last time she bought beer, hoping they were still drinkable.
“Hey, wanna take a break?” Baby asked, holding a beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
The way Lucky’s eyebrows shot up told her she had caught him off guard, and she liked it.
“Sounds good. Is that for me?” He pointed to the Shiner. Baby Jade handed him the bottle and took a sip from her own drink. She hoped the alcohol would settle her nerves. He made her weak in the knees, leaving her feeling like a schoolgirl on her first date.
“I have a snack too.” Her voice shook. She picked up the plate of cheese and crackers from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table. “Sorry, I’m not big on furniture.” The living room consisted of an old couch in great need of repa
ir, an end table from the ’70s, a thrift store coffee table, her treadmill, and four overpacked bookshelves.
“Not a problem. I’ll sit here on the couch beside you if that’s ok?” When she didn’t protest, he must have taken it as an invite, sitting down next to her. “This is good, thanks.” He took another swig from the bottle.
“I thought you might get done faster if you didn’t have to leave for lunch.”
He laughed. “Oh is that it?”
Damn that grin.
“Mmhmm. You think you’ll be done before work tonight?” Baby looked away before he caught her staring at his yummy dimples.
“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem. I didn’t know Mickey was your landlord.” He glanced around the room. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“I know. It’s a real shithole, but it’s not forever.” She lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Seriously? You got plans?”
“Doesn’t every girl?” She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
Lucky’s gaze hardened. She wished more than anything she knew what he was thinking.
“I suppose they do, but I can also tell you’re not like other girls. You’re different.”
Baby cocked her head to one side, letting a strip of hair escape from the messy bun. “How’s that?”
He reached up and tucked the hair behind her ear, sending goose bumps across her flesh. “I can’t put my finger on it, but you’re definitely different. You’re real. None of that fake shit girls are putting on these days, playing games and always out for themselves.”
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