“I’ll walk you out.”
“Thanks. Let me grab my purse.” She slid the bottom drawer open, retrieved the tan bag, and looped the strap onto her shoulder. “Ready?”
“Ready.” He bowed and swept his hand toward the door. “After you.”
“You’re so weird.” She laughed and made her way to the door, grateful they seemed to be back in friend territory. “Oh, crap. The money.” She whirled around to head back to her desk and ran straight into Beau’s hard chest.
His arms went around her.
Hers went around him.
And it was all over but the crying.
Beau knew about the Big Bang…this was bigger. The powder keg that was their self-control ignited and blew sky high the second their bodies collided. Their mouths crashed together in a kiss so wild and obscene that he could’ve died right then and known he’d never had a sexual experience as good as this one kiss.
Hailey pulled back but kept her lips against his. “This is a…a…bad idea.”
He placed his hands under her butt and lifted. “The worst.” Her legs went around his waist, and the sensation of her core against his hard-on was an infusion of fuel on the inferno blazing between them. “Should I stop?”
“I’ll murder you if you do.”
That was all the permission he needed. He backed her against the wall and feasted on her mouth. The wild inelegance of it all ratcheted up the heat between them. No finesse, no coordination, just a frantic craving driving them to one destination. The place he’d wanted to go with her since the moment he met her.
With one hand firmly under her ass, he grabbed a handful of her hair and angled her head to give him access to her neck. The cry of pleasure that shot from her throat cut the brakes of his self-control. He sucked hard on the tendon below her ear, bit, then licked and sucked again. She’d have a hickey, and a part of him was appalled. He hadn’t given a woman a hickey since tenth grade, but as with most things with Hailey Odom, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Somewhere in the back recesses of his mind, practicality screamed to consider the consequences of doing this with her. He kicked that door shut and threw away the key. This wasn’t the time for thinking, only for feeling, experiencing, for living. And he’d never been more alive.
When she glided her hand between them and cupped his erection, he nearly lost his grip on her. He dropped his head back and the groan that roared up his throat came from some place that’d never been touched before. The warmth of her palm, even through the denim, had the ability to embarrass the hell out of him like he was some horny teenager. “You keep that up, and I’m going to lose it right here.”
She unwrapped her legs and slid down his body. “We can’t have that.” Her fingers went to the top fastening of his pearl snap shirt. With a jerk, it flew open, and her hands were on his skin. Waves of gooseflesh moved over his body when she skimmed her nails over his chest and nipples. The wet heat of the open-mouth kiss she placed over his heart was an injection of adrenaline straight into his bloodstream.
He had to have this woman.
Now.
With a yank, her shirt was over her head. Her black bra barely registered as he unhooked it and pulled it from her body. The only thing that mattered was getting her skin against his.
Her fingers fumbled with his belt. He moved her hand. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank God.” She kicked off one shoe and unfastened her pants.
Once he’d unbuttoned his jeans, he shoved them down his legs to mid-thigh. She only had one leg out of her jeans and her panties—good enough. He picked her up, and his lips latched onto her pretty amber nipple. He sucked and tasted until she was writhing against him.
Her long deep moan mixed with the panting between them. “Now, Beau. Do it now.”
A quick thrust and he was inside her. His brain short-circuited, not one single coherent thought registering.
Tongues danced together.
Fingers tangled in hair.
Flesh slid against flesh.
It was sensation, movement, groans, and frantic grappling.
Hailey stayed right with him. “Harder, faster, deeper,” fell from her lips in a filthy song that quickly became his new favorite with every repetition.
Like he could do anything else. Especially with her heels digging into his butt and the blissed-out look on her face as she rolled her head side to side against the wall.
“Ooooh.” Blunt nails pierced the skin of his shoulders. “Right there. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”
Nothing could’ve stopped him. He dipped his head and took her nipple between his teeth. Her cry rang through the room. She shattered in his arms on a string of obscenities that fell from her beautiful lips.
He would’ve laughed if his orgasm hadn’t been roaring down his spine and stealing his sanity. Two more fast, deep thrusts and he came and came and came like never before in his life.
Good God.
His head dropped to the wall next to Hailey’s. Their ragged breaths and the buzz of the ceiling fan above her desk were the only sounds in the room. The scent of floral air freshener, sex, and something that smelled a lot like what-the-fuck hung around them as they came back to themselves and reality hit them square in the face.
Shortest. Afterglow. Ever.
Hailey’s long legs immediately unwound from his hips, and she dropped awkwardly to the ground. He stepped back to give them room to right their clothes but neither moved to the task. They both just stared at the floor, huffing and puffing like they were only working with one lung between them.
The cold of the air conditioner blew across his junk. It seemed cooler than it should have. A quick glance confirmed his greatest fear. “Shit. I didn’t use a condom.”
She waved off his panic. “I have an IUD.” But then her head shot up. “What about…”
“Jack made me get tested, and everything was fine.”
It seemed to take all her energy to nod her head. She was a mess. Her jeans and underwear hung from one leg, while the other leg and foot were bare. Her dark hair fell in snarled tangles around her shell-shocked face, and the hickey on her neck flashed like a neon sign.
He didn’t look much better: condomless, hair hanging in his eyes, scratches on his shoulders, and his pants still around his thighs. All that was missing was a circle with a big red line through it that read, Don’t let this happen to you.
His brain, which had been blissfully blank only a few moments before, was now a superhighway of thoughts that refused to align into coherent words. He literally could think of nothing to say.
Are you alright? Seemed condescending.
You were great. Seemed redundant.
What the hell just happened? Seemed to send the wrong message.
So he kept his mouth shut. Hailey didn’t utter a word either. The heavy silence was like an armored tank parked between them.
Slowly, methodically, they dressed like they could keep reality at bay if they didn’t make any sudden movements.
Once they were clothed, Hailey pointed to the desk. “I’m just gonna…”
“Oh, sure.” He stepped to his left to get out of her way.
She stepped to her right. “Sorry.”
“My bad.” He stepped to his right.
She stepped to her left.
Finally, after several shuffling moves, he got out of her way. She grabbed the money bag and her purse from the desk, then headed out the door. He followed with his mouth glued shut.
He didn’t regret what had happened. He was just having a hard time putting words to what was going through his head. He heard once that if you weren’t a little embarrassed after having sex, then you weren’t doing it right. He guessed that was true if the heat crawling up his neck and the pink splotches on her cheeks were any indications, because that’d been world-class sex.
His boots on the concrete floor boomed off the hallway walls, and the awkwardness between them multiplied with every step they took.
“I hear it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow.” She sounded like a cartoon character on crack.
He scratched the back of his head. “Yep, should be nice.”
“Yes. Yes, it should. Don’t you just love the sun?”
He opened the back door and waited for her to pass through before him. He had no idea why she was discussing the weather with such enthusiasm. It was like she’d turned into a meteorological Stepford wife. “Um…sure.”
“Mmmmm, me too.”
Outside in the muggy Texas air, Hailey turned to him. “Thank you for walking me out, Beau. It was very nice of you.” The wattage of her smile threatened to short-circuit the blaring lights in the parking lot. Her lips said I’m a maniacally happy woman, but her eyes said I’m holding a live grenade, and I’m not afraid to pull the pin.
Not sure how close she was to losing it, he played along. “You’re welcome.”
She pulled on the hem of her shirt. “Well, I better be going. I have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“In the sunshine?”
Her overexaggerated laughter mixed with the crazy glint in her eyes was creepy as hell. “Yes, in the sunshine. Well…” She held out her hand like they were concluding a business deal. “Thank you, again.”
He took it. “You’re welcome…again.”
She pumped his arm twice, released it, and climbed into her car. A cloud of dust billowed behind her as she peeled out of the parking lot.
He’d had some awkward post-sex experiences, including the chick who whipped out a DNA kit and asked if she could swab his cheek in case she was pregnant. And the woman who FaceTimed with her mother post-coitus and forced him to say hello to “Mommy.”
But nothing compared to the last five minutes with Hailey.
Shit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sweat gathered between Hailey’s breasts and trickled down her spine. It was one of those ninety-degree fall days in Texas when a short-sleeved t-shirt and a ponytail would help her to stay cool. But she was strolling around downtown with a high-necked shirt and her heavy mane of curls hanging down her back and, more importantly, over her shoulder because she had to hide a hickey.
She hadn’t had a hickey in…well, she couldn’t remember when, but whenever it was, she hated them then, and she hated them now. Fire scorched the underside of her skin. The heat stinging her neck and cheeks had nothing to do with her clothes or the temperature and everything to do with what had happened between her and Beau the night before. They’d not only had wild monkey sex, but she’d behaved like a raving imbecile afterward.
A handshake, Hailey. Really?
“Idiot.”
“What’s that, dear?” Honey Jenkins asked.
Crap, she hadn’t seen the woman walk up beside her. A quick hair adjustment to make sure it was covering her neck, then she plastered on a smile. “I’m sorry, Honey. I was talking to myself.”
“Darlin’, you’re too young to start that.” She linked her arm through Hailey’s, and they continued walking.
The contact was not unwanted, but it was unfamiliar. And a reminder that not everyone in Zachsville hated her. If Honey Jenkins, the biggest Zachsville Raiders fan around, could like her, then it gave her hope that her reputation was redeemable.
“Some days I feel older than I look.” Hailey glanced at the floral arrangements in the Blooming Flowers window display.
“I hear ya. Most days it takes an act of Congress to get me out of bed.” Honey laughed. “Where’re you headed?”
“To The Emporium.” The Emporium was her friend Charlie’s shop, where she sold homemade soaps, lotions, and now hair care products. “I’m having my car serviced, and Lonnie said it could take three or four hours. I thought I’d go bug Charlie for a while.”
Hailey didn’t believe for a second that it would take that long to service her car. For every Honey in town there was a Lonnie from Lonnie’s Tires and More. His nephew had played nose tackle on the team that lost the State Championship the year she got pregnant. He was one of Zachsville’s finest who never forgave her. For years she’d taken her business to Stemson’s Automotive in the next town over, but Syd Stemson had retired last year, making Lonnie the only game in town.
“Charlie’s not at the store today. She’s at the doctor with Phoebe.”
Concern made Hailey forget her troubles. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just her five-month checkup. Poor baby’s getting shots today.” Honey shook her head. “I tried to get her to let me go with her.”
“I’m sure Phoebe will be fine.”
“Oh, it’s not Phoebe I’m worried about. Hank’s going with them, and I’m not at all sure he can handle the shots.”
They both laughed. It was true. The tough-as-nails lawman was a big ol’ softie when it came to his daughter.
“So, Hailey. I heard you rocked Beau’s world last night.”
“What?” Hailey’s tongue tried to retreat down her throat. Did Honey know about the monkey sex?
Don’t be ridiculous, Hailey.
“Scarlett told me how you saved the day for that boy by filling in for his backup singer. I also heard you were amazing.”
Hailey momentarily forgot why her hair was down and looped one side behind her ear. “Well, that’s very nice of Scarlett to say.”
“Oh, Scarlett’s not the only one who’s saying it. Well, I mean she did say you were great, but I’m talking about all the online buzz.”
“What do you mean?”
Honey pulled them to a stop and dug her phone from her purse. The older woman’s fingers moved over the screen like a teenager. Then she held the phone up to Hailey. “You two are all Shayla and Xavier are talking about today. And that video is hot as blue blazes, if you don’t mind me saying.”
An Instagram photo was on the screen of Honey’s phone. Shayla and Xavier were in the crowd at Boon’s with the stage behind them. Both held a longneck bottle of beer into the air. The caption below it read,
WE LOVE BEAU CALLEN!!!!! Check out our new favorite! See why we love him so much on our YouTube channel. Oh, and don’t miss the fantastic vocals of his backup singer. The two burn up the screen together. Swipe up for all the hotness!
Hailey swiped the link, and it took her to the duo’s YouTube channel. The clip was titled The Heartbreaker and His Heartthrob. The video was of Beau singing his new single. On the chorus, he stepped back and leaned into her mic. The camera zoomed in and… Honey was right. The heat between them was absolutely undeniable. Sweet Moses, with his mouth only inches from hers and all kinds of sparks flashing between them, it was no wonder they’d gone at it like a couple of teenagers last night. Watching them now, she was surprised she hadn’t jumped him right there on the stage.
She swallowed a groan and scrolled through the comments. Good Lord, it was barely ten in the morning and already there were millions of views and thousand of comments.
Holy crap. It had to be about to go viral, which was all kinds of good for Beau and about the worst thing possible for her.
People would see this, probably had already seen it.
People she knew.
People who despised her.
There was no hiding from this.
“What’s wrong, darlin’?” Honey asked. “You’ve gone as white as a sheet.”
“Um…nothing. I’m fine.” She wasn’t fine. She was most certainly not fine. “Honey, do you think you could give me a ride home?” She’d have to figure out a way to get back to her car later. Right now, she had a country music singer’s butt to kick.
Beau slicked his wet hair from his face with both hands. The movement caused the towel around his waist to slip an inch. He rewrapped it and tucked the ends in tighter. The image staring back at him in the mirror didn’t look like a guy whose whole world had been flipped on its ass the previous night, but it sure as hell had.
And he wasn’t talking about all the social media attention he was getting from the Shayla and Xavier
video, though that was life changing too. No, it was his prickly, sexy-as-hell landlady and what’d happened between them. Now that he’d had a taste of her he wanted more, but that way lay a shitload of trouble.
He could still feel her on him, around him, with him. She’d haunted his dreams, and that was bad. He had one dream, and he was so close to having it that he couldn’t afford to get distracted. He had to figure out a way to end something that should’ve never started. Hailey was his friend, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Beau Callen, open this door.”
Hailey. She was clearly fired up about something, and a fired-up Hailey was sexier than ever. Even through two inches of wood, her voice could set his blood to simmer.
Not good.
Get it together, Callen.
The wrap around his hips slipped again. If he was going to have the this can’t happen conversation, he didn’t want to do it with only a towel between them. Too much temptation. “Hang on.” He made his way to the closet to grab a pair of shorts.
Before he could pull a pair from the shelf, he heard a key being inserted into the lock, and Hailey stormed into the room. “I will not hang on.”
“Hey, ever heard of privacy?”
“Yeah, I have, Heartbreaker, and mine’s been violated.”
He tightened the terrycloth. “What are you talking about?”
She slid her thumb across her phone screen, tapped something with her finger, and shoved the device in his face. “This is what I’m talking about.”
It was the video of them singing. “Oh, that. I’ve already seen it. Jack called this morning to tell me about it.” He made his way to the coffee pot. He needed caffeine. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“No! It’s not pretty cool. It’s a disaster.” The shrill notes of her voice had him turning to face her.
“Why are you so upset?”
She held the phone up again like it would give him all the answers. “I’m in a YouTube video that has over eight million views and is going viral.”
“Eight million views?” He plucked the phone from her hand and checked the numbers. Sure enough, over eight million views. “When I looked an hour ago, it only had a couple of million.” Forget the caffeine. This news was enough to keep him awake for days.
Running After a Heartbreaker (Brides on the Run #4) Page 17