by Joya Ryan
“How do you feel about the largest button collection in Kansas?” Huck asked, pulling a napkin out of his back pocket and reading from it.
“Ah…what?”
“How about the museum of the founding of Diamond?”
She frowned. “You lost me.”
“Jenna and Colt asked me to show you around town. We should start with the town’s two greatest treasures.”
She crossed her arms. “I have legs. I can walk and look at buttons on my own.”
He met her gaze with seriousness. “I just want some of your time,” he admitted.
She stared at him for a long moment, those pouty lips parted, and damn if he didn’t stop breathing, hanging on to whatever she would say next.
…
Yes.
It was what Autumn wanted to say. It was the only word she seemed to know when it came to Huck. That and “more.” Problem was, she did enjoy spending time with him. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to get to know him. He wasn’t asking a lot from her, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel completely worthless.
He’d done a kind thing for her. While it was a foreign feeling, this “someone helping her out” thing, her mind wanted to reject it. People had agendas. They never did something for you without looking for something in return. More importantly, counting on someone else to help her out just contributed to her own weakness. And she wasn’t weak. She’d been taking care of herself for a while now.
Yet she couldn’t be mad at him. No matter how hard she tried, she just felt like a brat. But wanting more of her time? Wanting another night even?
“Why?”
The word came out softer than she’d meant, but she needed to know.
His expression turned serious. “Because I enjoy your company.”
“The majority of my company has included my thighs around your waist.”
“And my neck, don’t forget that. I sure as hell haven’t.” He winked.
She couldn’t help it, but a small laugh escaped her, and she felt a real smile sneak onto her face. Huck’s green eyes sparkled like he’d just struck gold or something, and she had no idea why he was gazing at her like she was some treasure chest.
“Honestly, Autumn.” The way he said her name made her eyes snap to his and put her body on full alert. “I’m not going to turn down another chance to feel your legs wrapped around me…” He locked his sultry gaze on her. “But if we just look at buttons, that’s fine.”
Yeah. About that. There was no way that if she agreed to spend time with him that they wouldn’t end up in bed again. And damn if his offer to leave sex off the table didn’t make her want him all the more.
He looked sincere and steady as his eyes ate up her entire being. And she was pretty sure she was looking at him right back the same way. Between the white T-shirt that was currently clinging to his slightly sweaty and impressive chest and the low-slung tool belt around his waist, Autumn had to check the urge to fan herself.
“Forget about the buttons and the museum. Why don’t we just meet at Penny’s BBQ tomorrow night?” he offered. “Natural territory. We can grab a beer and hang out with everyone. It’s spring break, so the back area is opened up. Word on the street is there’ll be a band and dancing.”
She raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t much of a dancer. As in she’d never danced before. Not even at Jenna’s wedding. But she realized that Huck wasn’t pushing for anything to happen tonight. He was willing to wait until tomorrow. Was he actually trying to set a precedent that sex wasn’t his number one priority?
She wanted to believe a guy would want more out of her than a good lay. She wanted to believe Huck wanted more out of her. That the guy who’d become her enemy could see her as something more than a conquest.
What did she have to lose? Even if they ended up at each other’s throats, she’d be out of here soon enough. Maybe even before it all fell apart.
“So you want to hang out?”
Again, his stare was steady when he said, “Yeah. I do.”
There was still one thing she needed to clear up. “This morning you were adamant about leaving. Like it was some kind of psychosis. If this is a ploy to show you’re the big man that can walk out—”
“It’s not.” There was a seriousness and sadness in his voice. “You’ve surprised me. But the truth is, you’re only here a short while. I know that. You know that. There are no promises. I’m not asking you to like me completely. Hell, we don’t even have to make up.” He stepped closer, a sexy, sly expression on his face. “But I sure hope there’s some fight left in ya. Would make for a stale couple of weeks without it.”
This was some game, but it was one she was ready to sign on for, because they’d set the expectations. Now it was just a matter of coming out on top. And that was like a drug. The power and control. She didn’t need him. Didn’t rely on him. And he didn’t need or rely on her. But they got under each other’s skin in the best way possible. That was obvious.
Some fight left in her?
She reveled in the challenge. She could think of a lot worse ways to spend two weeks. Topping Huck Galvin would be time well spent. And he’d try to top her right back.
Her blood pulsed harder, because suddenly she was looking forward to the next short while with the man before her, was practically salivating for a chance to go head to head with him again.
More like mouth to mouth. Because that feeling of being lost in pleasure was a state she wanted to revisit.
Yes, this was short term. Yes, they weren’t even close to perfect, much less good for each other. Didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy him. She was just another woman blowing in the breeze. She’d be gone sooner than later, and he’d be left—
Her brain stopped mid-thought.
There was determination in his eyes, and if she looked hard enough, just the smallest hint of pain. There was more going on beneath the surface of Huck Galvin than she was quite aware of.
Left.
A word that she understood well. A word that went with every person in her life. A word that could do damage. Damage Huck was apparently still living with. Yet he was attempting to be honest.
She took a deep breath. Fuck it all. This was a shit storm she didn’t know how to handle. What she did know was that Huck was looking to prove something to himself and to her, whether he admitted it or not.
For whatever reason, whether insanity or intensity, she looked at those eyes, thought about how he’d held her, how his breath had felt against her neck as he’d wrapped her up last night and she’d fallen into some of the best sleep she’d had in a long time.
Then she thought about today. His random act of kindness. Him coming through for her when she needed help. Something she hadn’t asked for, yet he’d done anyway.
Heaven help her, she opened her mouth, not sure what words would come out, then heard herself say the dumbest thing on the planet:
“Tomorrow night it is.”
Chapter Eight
“You’ve got a lot of leather,” Penny said as she went through Autumn’s suitcase.
Where Autumn was from, going through someone’s stuff was unheard of, but Penny was doing it like it was a totally normal thing to do. Not that Autumn took it the wrong way. She knew now that the people in Diamond simply enjoyed a kind of intimacy she wasn’t used to.
“Do any of your jeans not have holes in them?” Penny asked.
Autumn stood in the doorway of her room—well, Jenna’s guest room—while Penny “helped” her pick out something to wear for tonight’s festivities. She hadn’t talked with Huck since he’d invited her out yesterday, and part of her was disappointed he hadn’t shown up last night. Not that she’d expected him to. But it did make her think that maybe he did want to get to know her.
“I have hole-free jeans, they’re just in the dryer.”
Penny held up Autumn’s leather jacket and eyed it. “This is pretty cool. But it doesn’t go with the theme for tonight.”
Autumn frowned.
“And what’s the theme?”
“Think more country, less biker chick.”
Ah crap.
Apparently Jenna had left specific instructions for Penny to “befriend” Autumn and make her feel welcome. That, tied with their “bonding experience,” as Penny had called it yesterday at breakfast, looked like Autumn had a new personal stylist.
Penny stood to her full height, all of maybe five-foot-two, which made Autumn feel like an Amazon warrior around the adorable, cherry-haired woman. “Come on, we’re going through Jenna’s closet,” Penny said, bypassing Autumn and heading towards Jenna’s room.
“I can’t. That would be rude.”
Penny frowned halfway down the hall. “This is what girlfriends do. Jenna is still shorter than you, but we can work with that.”
“Doesn’t Jenna typically dress in business casual attire?”
Penny smiled. “Yeah, but she has some stuff hidden just for this kind of occasion.”
She didn’t know what she was getting into, but with Penny’s persistence and the devilish look she was wearing, Autumn didn’t think she could argue with the town’s golden girl.
“I’d ask Lily, too, but she took Alex camping this week. Worse comes to worst, we can break in and raid her closet, too.”
Surely Penny was kidding. But nothing about her looked to be joking. Especially when she opened the double doors of Jenna’s walk-in closet and did just that: walked in.
Holy hell, the thing was bigger than the studio Autumn had lived in above her old shop. And there was a section near the back dedicated to lingerie alone. Frickin’ newlyweds.
After sliding hangers down to go through the full collection, Penny grabbed a couple of things and tossed them on the bed, then returned for shoes. Boots, rather. But not the kind Autumn wore. They were the cowgirl kind.
“What size are you?”
“8.” Autumn crossed her fingers that Jenna wasn’t the same size.
Please don’t make me wear boots. Please don’t make me wear boots.
“8!” Penny said, holding up a pair. “Here, try these on with this.” She shoved a skirt, the boots, and a frilly top at her and waited.
“Like, right now?”
“Yeah. The BBQ is already getting busy. With the back patio area set up for spring break, it gets packed by seven. Band is there, and the guys are already waiting.”
The guys were waiting? Autumn never thought she’d hear that sentence in relation to herself.
Penny turned her back to Autumn, giving the illusion of privacy. Not that she overly cared. She hustled into the outfit and immediately felt like a life-size doll trying to fit into Barbie’s clothes.
Penny turned back around. “Oh my god.”
Autumn waited, because she didn’t know if that was good or bad.
“Holy crap, how long are your legs?” Penny said. “You look great! The top isn’t really you though.”
Autumn looked down the front of herself. The skirt felt like it barely covered her ass, but it looked longer than it felt. But it was a skirt, so it was bad enough on its own.
She had to admit it though, it wasn’t horrible. The denim was distressed and made to wear in that same trendy way she’d seen other women wear skirts. Paired with the brown cowgirl boots, it wasn’t too bad.
“The top is a bit much though.” It had some kind of swooping ruffle thing going on. Not her style at all.
“I agree,” Penny said, standing back to look her up and down. “Let’s keep it simple. A pink tank top—”
“How about black?”
Penny’s horrified frown made Autumn feel like she’d just spoken in tongues. “With brown boots? No. You can do a soft color, like pink or white.”
“I have a white tank. Will that work?”
Penny nodded. “Yep. And you’ll look hot. Now we just need to fix your hair and we’re in business.”
Autumn gave a tight smile. Part of her felt like this was something she’d missed out on growing up. Was this what having girlfriends—or any friends—was like?
Yes, Jenna had been a friend in college. And a good one. But life had gone on, and even though they’d kept in touch, they saw each other sporadically.
Autumn had only lasted two years in college before realizing she couldn’t keep up with school and her grandfather’s shop. A shop that didn’t belong to her anymore. Once it had gone, it had taken her future and the only thing she had left of her grandfather with it.
“You okay?” Penny asked.
Autumn shook her head, realizing she’d zoned out. “Yeah, just ah…new to the dress up stuff.”
“Well, it’s always more fun when you know you’re dressing up for a purpose.”
“Like this party.”
Penny smirked. “Or like Huck.”
“He and I have come to a weird friend-enemy arrangement type thing. But I’m not dressing up for him. We’re just…hanging out.”
Penny nodded. “Yeah, I remember hanging out with Bass too. It was right before he spanked my ass and spent the rest of the night in my bed.”
That got her attention. The seemingly sweet and lovely Penny Diamond got down and dirty with spankings? Autumn had never actually been spanked herself, aside from the playful moment with Huck, but the idea had always intrigued her. Granted, she’d only been with beta-type men who saw her more as a way to pass time every once in a while than as an actual woman.
At least until Huck.
“Do you um…” Autumn glanced down. Holy hell she was nervous. She’d never “dished” or “gossiped” or traded sexrets before. Not that she had many to trade. But Huck had awoken something in her. Something that made her want to claw, bite, and even take some force back. The intensity was consuming and made her feel…
Perfect.
It was the word he’d used, and it still rang in her ears.
“Yes, I like it,” Penny said, answering Autumn’s unfinished question.
“I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
Penny shrugged. “Perceptions can be misleading. You must get tired of everyone looking at you like you’re a supermodel.”
Her eyes went wide, and she choked on a laugh. “Ah, that’s not how people see me.”
“Then you’ve been hanging out with idiots, because that’s what you look like. Sure, you have a badass biker chick thing going for ya, but a lot of guys find that hot.”
Not the guys Autumn knew. Granted, she’d lived her whole life in the same small town and thought she’d die there. She could have grown a third eye and everyone would still see her as a messy mechanic without a single feminine quality about her.
But that’s not true.
It was the first time her mind had ever whispered that.
Maybe there was more to her than even she thought. And she knew exactly who to thank—or curse—for bringing that out.
Penny looked at her with a soft expression. “I know how it feels to be put into a box and for everyone to think they know exactly who you are. You may still be in Kansas, but you’re not in your hometown anymore. Take advantage of that. Be who you want to be and accept that the people around here, especially one man in particular, like you very much.”
“He also doesn’t like me sometimes.”
“That’s because you make him think. Which is a good thing. He’ll realize that soon enough. But he does care, and so do I. You’re a great person, Autumn.”
“Thanks, Penny, that’s really nice of you.”
“Of course. And hey, if it helps, tell Huck to slap your ass a few times and your worldview will really change then!” She laughed, and Autumn made a weird chuckling noise.
“Oh my god. I think I just giggled.”
“Yeah, you did!” Penny swayed a little. “You like Huck.”
Autumn rolled her eyes. “He’s all right.”
“Well, all right or not, he’s got it bad for you. It’s obvious.”
Was it? He’d offered to show her the town, and she had the sense that he’d d
one it as much for her benefit as to prove a point. But just because he was offering to hang out with her outside the bedroom didn’t mean it would turn into anything more than an interlude between sessions in the sheets.
Still, there was that other thing he’d done for her…
“He talked to his dad and got me a job at the shop.”
“I know. Huck hasn’t done anything for anyone outside of his very close friends for a long time. He reached out and involved his dad—who he looks up to, by the way—which tells me that there’s something special about you.”
She let that sink in. Had Huck really done something nice just to help her out? Not that she’d count on such things, but just the idea felt good. Like he’d taken care of her, in an odd way.
Working on cars and bikes made her feel like she was home. Earning money was a must at this point. And he’d arranged for both of those things to happen. No strings. No bottom falling out. Just because. However temporary this was, he’d helped her find a place that felt closer to home than anywhere she’d been since her grandfather’s auto shop. Dare she hope her shelf life was increasing?
She found herself looking at the full-length mirror in Jenna’s room. She changed out of the frilly top and traded it for the standard white tank, then flicked her hair and let a small smile creep over her face.
“You look good,” Penny said.
Autumn felt a hint of confidence she’d never felt before. Maybe she was getting ready for someone in particular after all.
…
“What the hell are you wearing?” Ryder said to Huck.
“What’s wrong with this?” Huck asked.
Ryder just shook his head and laughed.
Holding a beer, sitting near the back of the large open area of Penny’s BBQ, under a beautiful spring night, he found himself nervous. Large glossy planks had been set down and sealed to make the dance floor, right in front of the deck. Twinkling lights were strung from tall posts surrounding the space. There was nothing but an open field as a backdrop to the BBQ. The whole event felt fun and peaceful.
Or would have if he could get his nerves in check.
Huck took his eyes off the band playing and people two-stepping, and he looked down at himself. “Seriously, what’s wrong with this shirt?”