AllTangledUp

by Crystal Jordan

  “Nope.” He sank into the chair next to hers, draping an arm across the back of her seat. “As long as you’re coming home with me, I don’t really care.”

  There was nothing in his expression to indicate he was lying. Another pleasant surprise. Most men she knew took issue with her flirtation, assuming it automatically meant she wanted to have sex with whomever she flirted with. “I don’t sleep around, you know. This weekend is a fluke.”

  He took a swig of his beer, licking the foam from his lips before he met her gaze. “I occasionally sleep around, though I’ve never brought a woman to the cabin before. So it’s a fluke time for everyone.”

  But he hadn’t said he believed her about her sexual history. That hurt more than it should, and she focused on the NASCAR race on the TV. She’d missed the beginning, but at least she’d be able to see who won. She kept her eyes peeled for the black car emblazoned with the red Hanley’s toothpaste logo. When it swept across the screen, getting bumped hard by the car following it, she jolted in her seat.

  “So, are you going to explain why we just had to watch a race? Do you have money riding on it or something?” Jesse’s tone indicated his disbelief, though whether it was because she might be a gambler or because she’d dragged him out of bed, she couldn’t tell.

  “Money is the least of my worries on race days.” She downed some of her beer. “I’m just hoping my baby sister doesn’t get smeared into a wall.”

  “Sister?” It took him a moment to process that. “Wait, Lola Adams. Casey Adams is your sister? Buddy Adams is your uncle?”

  “Imagine that.” She grinned into her drink. Her sister was one of the few women who’d ever been a NASCAR driver, and she was pretty, which the media loved. That she was related to a racing legend like Uncle Buddy was just the cherry on top.

  Jesse frowned. “Why weren’t Dean and I told about your history when the network put you on the show?”

  She snorted. “I don’t trade on my family name, that’s why. I look like my mother, so you can’t tell from looking that I’m Buddy’s niece, and I went into producing to make a name for myself. Only a select few of the network execs know I’m from the racing Adamses, and yeah, that probably played a part in them supporting me with Revved Up, but there were a lot more people than just the ones who knew that made the final decision. I got the show because I’m good at what I do.”

  “I…” Jesse trailed off, staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. Maybe he hadn’t. All he saw when he looked at her was someone to screw. It shouldn’t disappoint her that he was the same as every other man alive, but it did. Just sex. That was all this was. Chemistry and hormones. Just because he was a nice guy didn’t mean he’d fallen out of her own-or-bone categories.

  “Close your mouth, Kasen.” She focused on the screen and watched her sister jockey her way up to tenth place. It was too soon to get excited, but that would be a damn good finish for a new driver. The silence got a little too long, with Jesse still looking at her strangely, so she started talking. “Casey had a shitty run in Talladega last week, so I’m hoping this is a better race.”

  He cleared his throat. “She’s been doing pretty well this year, hasn’t she?”

  “Damn well, especially for a rookie.” She couldn’t keep the pride out of her voice. She worried about her sister because there were always dangers out on the track, but Casey was good at what she did. “Uncle Buddy is thrilled, not that he’d ever tell her. He leaves the supportiveness to me.”

  Jesse shifted in his seat and his arm slid against her back. Awareness skittered over her skin, and that was before his fingers stroked down her shoulder. “What about your parents?”

  Hesitating for a moment, she gave him the shortest answer possible. Just sex. No need to get personal. She ignored that she’d had no problem diving into his personal life last night. “They passed when I was fifteen and Casey was twelve. We lived with Buddy after that.”

  His arm tightened around her, as if he wanted to comfort her. The idea was so foreign, she didn’t even know how to respond. Men wanted things from her, they didn’t want to give her anything. And she didn’t lean on anyone, ever. She stood on her own two feet, physically and emotionally. It was safer that way. She’d learned not to depend on people sticking around a long time ago. She felt his gaze searching her face. “So you were a track brat.”

  “I graduated and went to college three years later, so not me. Casey, though, yeah. She took to it like she’d been born to be on the track.”

  “You guys are close?” His fingers drew circles on her shoulder, and tingles flowed in the wake of his touch.

  She wanted to hate how quickly his touch could get to her, but she couldn’t quite make herself. “Yeah, we are. I took care of her until I left for university.”

  “Where does she live?”

  Taking a deep swig of booze, she attempted to distract herself from the way her body warmed when he put his hands on her. “Her racing team is based at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is where Buddy taught us everything we know about cars, trucks and anything on wheels.”

  He was silent for a long time, and they both watched the many laps of the race count down. His fingers still slid over her skin absently and she had to squeeze her thighs together to quench the ache that built between them. He didn’t even seem to realize what he was doing to her, which made it all the more frustrating. “So you really do know your shit when it comes to cars.”

  The comment caught her off guard. His thoughts definitely hadn’t followed the same sensual lines that hers had, which annoyed her a little more than it should.

  “Don’t worry,” she drawled, exaggerating her Southern accent. “You’re not the first guy to assume I’m all boobs and no brains.”

  He choked on a sip of his beer, snorting it up his nose. “Jesus, Lola.”

  “Tell me I’m wrong.” She folded her arm, giving him a look that dared him to contradict her. “Tell me you didn’t think for even a second that I slept my way into this producer gig.”

  Setting down his glass, he wiped his face with a napkin. “Okay, yeah. Maybe I did think something like that. But tell me you don’t use your boobs as much as your brains to make men do what you want. Tell me you’re not accustomed to your looks getting you anything you ask for.”

  “I didn’t ask to be born pretty, or to grow big breasts when I hit puberty.” At first, she’d been horrified by how much attention her body got from guys. But she’d had to deal with it as best she could. She jutted her chin pugnaciously. “If I have to put up with men drooling all over me, I should get something out of it.”

  He chuckled. “More power to you.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. What was the catch? She’d had variations of this conversation with men she’d worked with and men she’d dated, and none of them had ever laughed about the philosophical approach she’d adopted. Her looks were what they were, and they had pros and cons like everything else in life. “You’re not going to call me shallow? Say I’m wrong and should wear a full burqa so men aren’t tempted by me?”

  “It’d be a shame to cover you in a burqa.” He pulled the basket of peanuts in the middle of their table closer to him, plucking one nut out to crack it open and pop it in his mouth. “Why would I tell you to change anything you’re doing now? Your methods apparently work for you.”

  She stared at him, knowing she shouldn’t be so dumbfounded by his reaction, or lack thereof, but she’d had to face resentment and hostility from men and women for most of her life, just because she was nice to look at. No one outside her family had ever just accepted her. It confused her and made disquiet roil in her belly. “You surprise me.”

  “Don’t worry.” He popped another peanut into his mouth, offering her a wink. “You’re not the first woman to assume I’m an ignorant, chest-thumping grease monkey.”

  She couldn’t prevent the laugh that burst out. “Touché.”

  * * * * *

  Jesse grinned as he watch
ed Lola do an uninhibited little dance in the middle of the bar. He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Every man in the place had been pulled into the drama of the race with her, as she’d tensed every time another driver rubbed her sister’s bumper, whooped when Casey passed another car.

  Lola was a sight to behold. And the thing that killed him was she didn’t even seem to notice or care about the effect she had on all the men in the saloon. His mom would have milked the attention for all it was worth. Lola had focused totally on her sister’s race.

  “She finished ninth!” She pumped her fist in the air, then smiled when she glanced down at him. Grabbing his face, she popped a quick, hard kiss on his mouth. “Holy shit, do you know how awesome that is for a rookie?”

  He nodded. Yeah, he knew enough about NASCAR to understand how big this was. Though he was having more fun watching her do a victory dance than anything else.

  Her cell phone rang, and she swooped down on it. “Casey! Of course I watched it! Don’t I always? I’m so proud of you, baby sister.” She paused, and Jesse could hear shouting and excited chatter on the other end of the line. “Okay, go talk to the press and try not to swear on national TV. You’ll make granny roll in her grave.” There was laughter in response to that. “Love you, Casey. Drag Uncle Buddy out to celebrate after. Bye!”

  “I take it she’s happy.”

  “Over the moon.” She tapped the screen to end the call and slipped the phone back into her purse. “As she should be.”

  The smile that creased her cheeks was the most open expression he’d ever seen on her face outside of bed. It was clear how much she loved her family, and that was something that resonated with him. He’d worked damn hard to build his family’s legacy, enjoyed that he could work with his cousin every day because of the Kasen business.

  Cars and family. Who knew two of the things that were most important to him would also rank so high for Lola? She could have spent the day in bed, wallowing in her own pleasures, but instead she’d insisted on making sure she’d been there for her sister the only way she could from halfway across the country. It shook the image he’d formed of her in his head. The real Lola had depth and character, layers that fascinated him. He wanted to know more. He just plain wanted more.

  He sat back in his chair. “Ready to go back to my place, or did you want to flirt with the bartender a little more?”

  A smoky laugh rolled out of her. “I don’t think I have a pressing need to flirt with anyone right now. I’m all yours for the rest of the weekend. No more interruptions.”

  He liked the sound of that way too much. She was all his this weekend. He wondered what that might be like all the time, knowing that she was always his, no matter how many men fell over themselves trying to please her. It was a dangerous, temping thought.

  Far too tempting.

  “All right, let me check out those fancy indoor restrooms you promised me and then we can get back to the cabin.” Sultry heat flashed in her gaze. “And get back to what we were doing before the race.”

  The sinful expression on her face was enough to scramble what was left of his brain. Watching the sway of her hips as she walked toward the short hallway that led to the saloon’s one bathroom did nothing to help his restraint. He lasted all of thirty seconds before he was up and following her.

  He braced a shoulder against the wall for the few minutes it took Lola to open the door. She jolted when she saw him, her eyes widening in surprise. “Wha—”

  Not letting her finish, he crowded her into the bathroom and slammed the door behind them. With a quick flick of his fingers, he locked it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, groaning at the contact. “I want you.”

  Her breathing hitched, and he could see her pupils dilate. She licked her lips. “Here? Now?”

  “Always.” And then he feasted on her lips.

  God, she craved the taste of him. The joyful high from her sister’s race fizzed through her veins, and the way he’d primed her by stroking her back and shoulders coalesced into an unstoppable need. He shoved his tongue into her mouth and she sucked on him, biting just hard enough to make him jolt.

  His hands skimmed over her breasts to squeeze the heavy globes and tweak her nipples. Fire sparked to life within her, a liquid heat that sluiced over her body and centered between her thighs. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she thrust her fingers into his hair, loving the texture of it against her palms. He moved down to her skirt, pulled the denim up until it bunched around her waist. It wasn’t comfortable, but she didn’t care when he snapped one of the strings that held her panties together and slipped a finger in to tease the lips of her pussy.

  She threw her head back. “Jesse. Hurry!”

  “Whatever you want, honey,” he growled.

  The heavy rasp of his zipper sliding down made her heart leap, excitement twisting inside her. Jesus, they were in a bathroom. This was fucking insane. But it was par for the course this weekend. The hard, hot rod of his cock brushed against her thigh and a single moment of reality returned. “Condom?”

  He paused. “Shit.”

  “Uh, I think you can get one right over there.” Pointing to the condom and tampon dispenser mounted on one of the walls, she tried to keep in a chuckle, but it emerged as a snort anyway.

  He didn’t bother to hold back, laughter spilling from as he left her to fetch some protection. “Thank God bar owners are prepared for people doing drunk, stupid things.”

  “Someone has to be responsible.” She held out a hand to him. “Now slide on your responsibility and get over here.”

  That did nothing to stop his laughter, and his hands fumbled for a moment before he was able to sheath himself in the condom. But then he was there, pulling her up into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around him. Her panties had twisted awkwardly, but they were out of the way enough to do what she had in mind. She gave him a little smile. “Since we are in a bar bathroom, can we…not touch anything? I don’t even want to know what else people have done in here before us.”

  “Too dirty for you, princess?” His grin was more playful than mocking, and his hands squeezed her ass, easily holding her up.

  “There’s dirty and there’s dirty.” She arched a bit, positioning herself to take his cock inside her. “I only like the kind that guarantees an orgasm.”

  “Orgasms are good,” he agreed.

  Standing in the middle of the room, he pressed upward and eased his grip on her so gravity would impale her on his cock. The feel of him stretching her was amazing, and she was so wet the slide was sheer, erotic pleasure. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she moaned.

  “Hold on tight.” He leaned back a bit, then lifted her a few inches and let her drop again.

  She tensed her legs to help, raising and lowering herself on his cock while his hands held her hips. She had no idea how he managed to keep them upright, but she wasn’t going to stop and ask. They moved together seamlessly, groaning each time he pushed into her. The head of his cock hit her in the just right spot and tingles exploded over her limbs. Her breathing grew sharp and frantic, her heart pounding so loudly in her ears, it drowned out all other sounds.

  The muscles in her thighs burned from the strain, but she ignored the pain. The drive toward climax held her too tightly in its grip for her to stop now. Her clit slapped against his pelvis on every downward pass and each impact made sensation bolt through her like a strike of lightning. She was so close, she could feel orgasm shimmering just beyond her grasp.

  The ragged edge to his breathing told her he was just as close as she was, and that spiked her lust even higher. She loved how they could turn each other inside out. It was crazy and powerful and like nothing she’d ever felt before. His dick filled her to the limit and her pussy clenched around his shaft. Stars burst behind her eyes and she knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

  “I’m going to come, Lola. Come with me.” It was a command, a demand, and it sent her right over the edge.<
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  A small scream broke from her throat, and the walls of her sex closed around his dick. Goose bumps shivered over every inch of her skin, and a hot wave of climax crashed over her. He fucked her harder, driving toward his own end, and it dragged out her orgasm, each thrust hitting her G-spot. Her pussy clenched in rhythmic pulses that made her eyes roll back.

  He slammed inside of her one last time, pulling her to the base of his cock as he ground himself against her clit. They both cried out, and he shuddered with climax. An aftershock of orgasm went through her, euphoria hitting her in a rush. Giddy laughter spilled from her and she buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled of sex and sweat and Jesse.

  “You okay?” He smoothed a hand down her hair.

  “Mmm-hmm. Never better.” It was the simple truth, and it shook something deep inside her. When had she ever felt this good, connected this quickly with a man she actually liked, who treated her well and actually listened when she talked? Never.

  And she couldn’t keep him. She couldn’t depend on this staying good. Nothing ever did. For some unfathomable reason, that made her want to cry. She held him tighter and allowed herself to enjoy the feel of him cradling her in his arms. Just for a little while longer, then she’d let him go.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Jesse sat on the back porch, his chair tipped on its hind legs, his feet propped on the railing. He cradled a mug of coffee in his hands as he stared out at the wide expanse of the lake. Dawn broke and shot light over the water, making the waves sparkle. He sat there thinking for a long time, facing a few truths.

  She wasn’t like his mother. His mother had been shallower than a puddle, relying on her pretty face to get her whatever she wanted and never wanting to work for anything.

  Lola might be pretty and she might use that to her advantage, but that was where the resemblance ended. She didn’t expect anyone to hand her anything. She worked hard, she knew her shit and she clearly loved her family. He couldn’t imagine her bailing out on anyone she cared about.