His sandy-blond hair was usually cut short, but he’d let it get away from him lately, and dark scruff peppered his jaw this late in the day. Sharp blue eyes met hers through the driver’s side window as he reached the truck with her belongings.
He opened the door and slid in, his left hand clutching her bag that held her clothes and purse. He reached over to hand it to her, and she flipped her hands over and cuffed his wrist to the steering wheel.
How do you like that?
She gave him a smug smile and grabbed her stuff.
“Damn it, Zoe.” He struggled in the cuffs. “How the hell did you get out of these?”
She pointed to her wig. “Bobby pins. Thanks for my stuff. I’ll be returning to work now.”
“The hell you will. I had a talk with the owner. You are no longer welcome at Ticker Tavern.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can and did.” It was his turn to give her a smug smile, one she wanted to wipe off.
“Well, I’m sure they’ll welcome me at the Lonely Lady in Fairbanks.” That did it. His blue eyes darkened to a stormy cobalt.
“The hell you will. I’ll hunt you down, Zoe Wilde, and forcibly remove you from every strip joint in the state. Don’t push me.” He swore under his breath and lifted up to reach in his back pocket, most likely for the key to the cuffs.
She had to get far away from him before that happened.
Reacting on instinct, she pushed him back onto his butt, sandwiching his hand under it. With the other cuffed to the steering wheel he was as helpless around her as he’d ever been. She couldn’t help taking advantage of the position.
“Don’t push you?” she taunted, leaning into him, her hand flat on his chest, her face much too close to his, closer than she’d ever been. He smelled amazing. Powerful and sexy, earthy and all male. Whatever aftershave he used blended with his skin and created the human equivalent to crystal meth. She glanced down at his lips.
Did she dare?
Turns out she did.
She captured his mouth with hers, moaning at the arc of current leaping from him to her. She’d wanted to kiss him since she’d started kissing boys, had always wondered how it would feel to have her lips pressed against his.
But this…
This was so much more pleasurable than she’d thought it would be.
He went still as granite. She didn’t even think he breathed. And then a rumbling growl traveled up his chest. She felt the vibrations through her hand where it rested over his stampeding heart. Goose bumps erupted on her skin as the sound reminded her of the warning a mountain gave just as an avalanche fractured free.
He kissed her back. Not just kissed her—he devoured. His teeth nipped at her lower lip, and then his trapped hand was suddenly free and cupping the back of her neck, holding her prisoner as his tongue breached past her lips, diving deep to tangle with hers.
From there the kiss went feral. Before she knew it, he had her flipped back on the seat, his body covering hers.
The weight of him was delicious. He was hard, the feel of him thrilling with more than a little hint of danger, yet she felt enveloped with a tremendous feeling of safety.
His other hand claimed her breast, his fingers teasing the nipple. Yes, she wanted to scream. He was finally touching her.
Before she could remember, she had a crush on Trip Hunter. Ever since the time when she’d been eleven and trailed after him and her twin brothers into the woods. She’d fallen from a tree where she’d been spying on them, and he carried her home, bandaged her knee, and wiped away her tears. From that moment, she’d been utterly infatuated with him. That infatuation hadn’t dimmed with age, if anything, it had grown. Grown so much that she couldn’t see herself with anyone but him.
There had been others. She was nothing if not adventurous and prone to unpredictability, which is why she was presently in this situation—thank you, God.
The knot of her halter top released, and Trip’s hands replaced the fabric, his mouth tearing away from hers to kiss down her neck, her collarbone, and then to take her nipple. She arched against him, her gasp filling the cab of the truck as sensations rocked her to her core.
He paused, and her hands tore at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers, not wanting him to stop touching her.
She couldn’t think, could only feel as skin met skin, molded, seared with such heat that she thought she might expire from it. This was beyond any sexual experience she’d ever had.
Please, God, I need to have him inside me.
Curbing her tongue not to speak, not to demand, as that might raise his consciousness to reject her like he had so many times before, she continued to touch him, stroke him, undulate under him. Demand with her body. He easily divested her of her silky shorts as they were meant to be torn away, leaving her in just a G-string.
His body shuddered above her, and she felt him unbutton and unzip his jeans.
Oh, God, this is really happening.
She wanted to shout for joy but bit her lip instead, then ran her tongue over her swollen flesh. His eyes darkened to indigo, following the action that was far from innocent.
He pushed away the flimsy barrier of her G-string, and his fingers tested her wetness. His eyes shuddered closed on a curse at finding her more than ready for him, and then he pushed into her with one solid, hard thrust. A sound of triumph escaped him, while all she could utter was a gasp as he filled her like no man before him ever had.
Then any thought or reason left her as he started to move, retreating, returning, faster and faster, until she screamed her release. Still he didn’t relent, forcing her to take him harder, faster, deeper until her vision blurred, and her world shattered into pieces that would never align the same way again.
He stiffened above her, holding her hips tight against him as he emptied himself deep inside her, the veins in his neck pronounced and his eyes closed as if caught in a bout of delicious pain.
Chapter 3
What the hell did I just do?
Trip crashed back to earth with a jolt that shook him to the bone.
Holy shit, he’d just had sex with Zoe Wilde, the sister of his best friends, the daughter of the formidable Jack Wilde.
He was a dead man.
He wanted to regret it, he really did, but the only thought in his brain—both of them—was, when would he have the chance to do it again? Hopefully somewhere a hell of a lot more comfortable than the cramped cab of his pickup. Good thing he’d parked behind Ticker Tavern and there were trees blocking them from the view of anyone leaving from the front. Due to his size, he hadn’t shut the driver’s door. Anyone glancing their way would know immediately what they were up to. He’d chosen the spot to help conceal his presence, not so he could have sex in his truck. He hadn’t had sex in a car since he’d been in high school.
“Are you all right?” he asked, slipping free of Zoe’s body, wishing he never had to leave her sweet velvet heat.
“Hmm.” She stretched under him, humming.
Good hell, those sounds she made. They would be the end of him.
He was already in deep shit, and a huge part of him didn’t care. The fast fumbling had been the most mind-blowing sex he’d ever had. But why did it have to be with the baby sister of the best men he knew—men who he would lay down his life for—which might be soon called upon when they found out what had happened between him and Zoe just now.
How could he be so stupid?
He knew better. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had years of spurning her advances, tolerating her teasing and taunts. He’d become a master at resisting Zoe…until tonight.
Seeing her gyrating onstage, willing to take her clothes off for the men in attendance, had his protective nature baring its teeth. Yet, as it turned out, Zoe was the one who’d needed protection. Protection from him.
“Zoe,” he started, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” The sexual slumber of her eyes
quickly cleared. “I hope you’re apologizing for dragging me off stage and not regretting what just happened between us.”
“Of course I regret what just happened. You’re the kid sister of my best friends. I shouldn’t have touched you.”
Her face flushed red, her eyes burning hot. “I’m not a kid,” she said through clenched teeth, sitting up, grabbing the bag he’d retrieved that had fallen on the floorboards, and rummaging through it.
“Believe me, I’m very aware of it,” he muttered. Good God Almighty, am I aware of it.
Zipping his jeans, he realized he hadn’t used a condom. Shit. “Are you on the pill?” he blurted out.
“Excuse me?” She paused in the act of putting on a t-shirt.
“We didn’t use—”
“Don’t worry about it.” She grabbed a pair of sweats from her bag and struggled into them, moving her hips back and forth still wearing the G-string and high heels, as she worked the fabric up her long legs.
Good God, he wanted her again. “Listen. We should talk.”
“Actually, you communicate better when you don’t talk.” Gathering up her halter top, she stuffed it into the bag, then searched for her tear-away shorts.
“Zoe, would you stop and look at me?” He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she froze under his touch. Slowly her head came up and she gazed at him. He thought he saw pain swimming in the dark green depths, but it was so fleeting that he figured he’d imagined it. “I’m sorry about tonight.”
“Would you stop saying you’re sorry.”
“But I never should have—”
“Believe me, I get the picture. You regret what happened between us. You’ve made that crystal clear. Tell you what, you don’t tell anyone you caught me working here, and I won’t tell anyone we had sex in the parking lot.” Her lips tightened into a hard line. “Good enough for you?”
She didn’t wait for his answer. She opened the passenger door and got out, slamming it behind her. Something flared in his chest, feeling a lot like heartburn.
One thing he did know, it wasn’t good enough for him.
God help him, he wanted her again.
Chapter 4
Zoe glanced in her rearview mirror, her eyes narrowing, seeing the large white truck behind her.
How dare he follow her home? He had his way with her, broke her heart, and now he trailed her to make sure she arrived home safely like some gentleman.
The bastard.
She wanted to hate him. It was easier than dealing with the hurt of his rejection. She should be getting used to him turning her away. He’d done that most of her life. And yet, she’d continued to put herself front and center for him to do it again and again.
But this…
This was different than all those other times. Being with him, having him inside her, wanting her to distraction until he was wild with it liked she’d wanted him all these years made his rejection harder to take. Sex with him had been so much better than she’d fantasized and she’d fantasized about Trip Hunter many, many times. He was right up there with Chris Hemsworth. Didn’t hurt that they resembled each other with their penetrating Viking good looks.
If only the sex had sucked. Then she could forget about him chalk it up to another of her illustrious mistakes and move on.
She turned off the Main Artery of town and watched as Trip made the turn with her.
Seriously?
She could take care of herself. She didn’t need his overprotectiveness. She had enough of that in her life being the youngest of seven. Losing her mother at the young age of nine, had not only her family, but the whole town of Heartbreak watching out for poor, little Zoe.
Well, she was all grown up, damn it. What did she have to do to prove it to everyone?
She had a plan. A good one. Except Trip had derailed her timeframe, now that she’d have to find another job to keep her plan alive. Nothing around would pay her what she earned stripping in just a few hours. Lord knew, she didn’t qualify for much more than minimum wage.
She knew Trip’s threat of dragging her out of every strip joint in the state hadn’t been said in jest. He’d do it too. Of that she had no doubt.
She had some serious thinking to do. But first she needed to lose her tail. She doubted her little four cylinder could outrun Trip’s one-ton diesel. Part of her wanted to give it a try anyway, but Trip would probably see the action as childish, and she was sick and tired of him thinking of her that way.
She pulled into the driveway of the Wilde family home and parked, breathing a sigh of relief when Trip turned around and left her alone. She couldn’t deal with him anymore tonight. She needed a shower and to get out of the itchy wig. Luckily no one was up this late. Her dad always went to bed around ten, and Kennadee was off fighting a wildfire down on the Kenai Peninsula. Her brothers, Dare and Ryder, lived out back in the converted barn and wouldn’t know that she’d been out this late. She pretty much could come and go as she pleased, which pleased her greatly.
Grabbing her bag, she climbed out of the car, feeling weary. While she was glad no one was up, it was lonely entering the huge log house in the middle of the night. Maybe she should get a pet. A dog possibly, or a cat.
Quietly, she shut the door and headed toward the stairs.
“And just where have you been, young lady?” a voice in the corner of the living room said.
Zoe peered into the shadows, not believing her eyes. “Brey? Oh my God, is that you?”
Her brother Brey stood, looking so good that Zoe rushed and threw her arms around him.
“When did you get back? How long can you stay? Who else knows you’re here? And why didn’t you tell me you were flying in from Nashville?” This last question was followed by a slap to his arm.
He laughed. “I’m here to stay. And obviously, I’m needed here to help keep tabs on you. When—and why the hell—did you go blond?” He fingered the fake hair.
“Oh, that. It’s a wig.”
His eyes narrowed. “You sneak in here after one in the morning, wearing more makeup than a drag queen, and wearing a blond wig, covered in gold glitter. What the hell have you been up to?”
“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
He studied her with those cool, compassionate eyes of his. Whatever he read in her expression had him standing down and giving her space. “I’m here if you ever need to talk. You know that, right?”
Zoe hugged him tight, burying her face in his chest so he didn’t see the tears that suddenly appeared. “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you.”
“Missed you too, peanut. Now, go to bed. No offense, Zoe, but you look like trailer trash.”
She choked on a laugh, knowing if she gave into to the hysterical bubble in her throat that it would quickly morph into sobs. “We’ll catch up tomorrow?”
“It’s a date.” He kissed her forehead. “See you in the morning.”
Zoe turned, hiding her face, and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn’t stop until she entered the Jack and Jill bathroom she shared with Catriona when she used to live here. Now it was all hers.
She turned on the hot water and let the bathroom steam up while she struggled out of the wig and clothes. Standing under the scorching spray, she finally let the tears run free and hoped the release of pent-up emotion and hot water would wash away the memory of Trip’s touch.
The sooner she forgot all about him and what they’d done tonight, the better for everyone.
Chapter 5
Zoe slept fitfully, reliving what had happened between her and Trip. The shower and tears hadn’t done the trick. He was imbedded in her consciousness more now than ever. The best thing to beat it back, in her opinion, was losing herself in work. Giving up on sleep and being as quiet as she could—since she didn’t want to wake Brey or her dad—she slipped into what she now considered her studio.
She’d taken over Catriona’s and Sorene’s bedrooms, using one as a sewing station and the other as her art studio. S
he never used the sewing one when anyone was home. They’d certainly come to investigate if they heard their mother’s old sewing machine at work. Luckily, they had honored her wishes to stay out of the rooms until she was ready to show them what she was up to.
She knew they considered her the underdog of the clan. She’d quit college after one semester, quitting happened to be a pattern in her life. She’d lasted only a month when she taken up hockey in grade school, dance classes followed, then soccer and swimming. She liked to try things, and she usually gave them a month to decide if she really wanted to continue with them or not, and then she moved on to the next thing that piqued her attention.
But this project of hers was different. This was everything. And since it was, she was afraid to share it with anyone. What if they dashed her dreams before she could get it off the ground?
The only one she’d told was her partner in crime, Derek Waterman, her best friend since high school. They each shared the same hopes and dreams. Derek would show up at the house and work on the project, while she was forced to put in an appearance at the family business, Wilde Log Homes. She tried to get out of it, but since she dropped out of school, she didn’t have a choice but to work there until she found something else. She’d found something else, stripping at the tavern outside of town, but she couldn’t tell her family that.
Thanks to Trip, she no longer worked two jobs. There wasn’t a lot she could do at home in the evenings with her dad stomping around the ever-emptying house.
Everyone had moved out. Sorene and Ash were living at the newly finished Lake House, and Catriona and Avery lived above the Pump House until Cat won their argument of where to settle. Avery was adamant about staying in the apartment above the bar, while Cat wanted her own place away from both businesses, hers being just across the street from his. Zoe’s money was on Cat. That girl got whatever she wanted one way or another, and Zoe wished she had more of her sister’s confidence.
Wild Card (Alaska Wild Nights Book 4) Page 2