Screwed

by Kelly Jamieson

  “Oh.” She glanced down at herself. “I actually came to visit someone else. Um, she’s out in the hall. Could I bring her in?”

  What was happening here? These drugs were really messing with his mind. “Uh. Sure.”

  She glided out of the room and returned pushing a small wheelchair. A girl with very short, wispy reddish hair sat in it. “This is Hannah. Along with Disney princesses, she also loves college football. I told her a friend of mine was here, and she wondered if we could visit you.”

  Still confused, he said, “Hi, Hannah. Nice to meet you.”

  “This is Cash Hale,” Callie said to Hannah. “He plays for the Longhorns.”

  Hannah’s eyes lit. “Are you the quarterback?”

  “No. Wide receiver.”

  She nodded eagerly. “I hope you win tonight. I mean, I hope the team wins. Even without you.”

  “Yeah, I hope so, too. Wish I was playing.”

  This was kind of bizarre. They talked a little football, then about his appendectomy, and then he asked, “And why are you here in this hospital, Hannah?”

  “I have leukemia,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ve had it for a long time. It went away, but it came back, and so I’m having more chemotherapy.” She sighed. “I thought I was done with all the needles and stuff.”

  “Oh.” Well, that put his freakin’ appendectomy right into perspective.

  “Hannah’s been through a lot.” Callie set a gentle hand on Hannah’s wispy hair. “She’s a warrior princess.”

  Hannah’s smile was radiant in her pale face. “I am.”

  Wow.

  “I better get you back to your room, Miss Hannah.” Callie rose from the chair.

  “Okay.” Hannah tipped her head. “You look so pretty. Doesn’t she look pretty?” She turned to Cash.

  “She does,” he said roughly. She looked gorgeous.

  “Belle is my favorite princess. Because she loves books.”

  “You like to read?” Callie asked with a sweet smile. “I do, too.”

  “Thank you for bringing me here.” Hannah turned to him. “Thanks for letting me visit.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s been a fun day, hasn’t it?” Callie asked.

  “Oh, yes! I’m going to Disney World!”

  “Thanks for letting us visit, Cash,” Callie said as she pushed the wheelchair out, Hannah waving at him.

  He looked up at the ceiling. What had just happened?

  He got more answers moments later, when Callie reappeared. “Hi again.”

  “Hey.”

  “Thanks for talking to her.” Her eyes were pink, and her lips trembled.

  His gut pinched. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She blew out a breath and pulled the chair closer to the bed. Her skirt spread out all over it. She swiped her gloved fingertips under one eye and firmed her lips. “I mean, maybe. I volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. You know what they do, right?”

  “Uh yeah. Make wishes come true for sick kids.”

  She nodded. “Hannah loves Disney princesses. Today we came to tell her that she’s going to Disney World, and I dressed up as her favorite princess to help deliver the news.”

  He stared at her, speechless.

  “Hannah’s dying,” she continued, her voice low. “She’s been through so much. She had a bone marrow transplant about three months ago, but she relapsed again. They’re not sure how much time she has.” She drew in a shaky breath and attempted a smile. “But she’s going to Disney World.”

  His heart constricted watching the emotions cross Callie’s face as she talked.

  She plucked at her satin skirt. “I had this dress from last year. Once a year we do a Princess Ball to raise money for the foundation.”

  “Princess Ball.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “It’s really fun. Little girls dress up and come to meet their favorite princesses. We take lots of pictures, and they do crafts and get manicures. They love it, and we make a lot of money for the foundation.”

  “I see.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m a princess every day.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking.”

  “No?”

  He cleared his throat, his muscles tensing. “I was thinking that’s really awesome of you to do that.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered, and their eyes met. It felt like the air in the room changed, becoming charged. “Thank you.”

  “I guess the Princess Ball is easier than meeting a kid who’s dying.”

  Her lips trembled again, and she nodded. “Yeah. But I wanted to do it. It’s important.”

  When he’d first met Callie, they’d been learning about electricity in one of his classes. Electricity was a form of energy, the flow of charge carried by free-flowing electrons. You couldn’t see electricity…but you could feel it. And around Callie, he felt something—a charge, a flow of energy. It seemed like there was an electric field around her, and just being in her presence was… Okay, he was a nerdy engineering student.

  Yeah, he’d thought Callie was a princess when they’d first met, and not in a good way. She was beautiful and glowing, always perfect and polished, and she came from a different social sphere than he did—wealth and privilege and everything she could ever want. That didn’t stop him from wanting her.

  Until she started dating his best friend, Beau.

  She was perfect for Beau, who came from the same kind of social background she did. Cash couldn’t deny that.

  But as she hung out with them and he got to know her better, he realized she wasn’t the spoiled and self-absorbed princess he initially thought she was. Sure, she took a while to get ready to go out and was a frequent customer at The Glam Bar, getting manicures and pedicures, but she was unassuming and friendly, warm and caring. And now he also saw she was brave.

  Seeing her with that sick little girl, being so warm and nice, dressing up as a princess to make Hannah happy, visiting the hospital—which was a crap place to be—and nearly in tears because a little girl she barely knew was dying…a strange sensation twisted in his chest. The affection he’d developed for Callie over the years, as well as the inconvenient physical attraction he’d always felt for her, now mixed with admiration. It all swelled up inside him and became something…huge. Intense.

  Impossible.

  She was his best friend’s girlfriend. And he was in love with her.

  Time stopped, and his world narrowed to a pinpoint of light as this realization struck him. He felt like he’d been tackled hard and slammed to the ground.

  “Are you okay?”

  He focused on her face, her eyebrows pinched together. “Yeah.”

  “Is there anything you need? Or want?”

  Oh fuck. He stared at her. So pretty and sweet, gazing back at him with innocent eyes.

  You. I need you. I want you.

  He was so screwed.

  “Why aren’t you at the game?” he managed to croak.

  “Oh. I’ll get there.” She lifted a shoulder. “Want me to get you a Coke or anything?”

  He swallowed and curled his fingers into the hospital blanket. “I’m good.”

  “I guess you won’t be able to play for a while.”

  “Yeah. They said a couple of weeks, at least.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “But I won’t miss many classes.”

  “That’s good. I’m sure Beau will help you catch up with anything you miss.”

  They were both engineering students. “Yeah.”

  “And if you need anything when you get home, let us know.” She paused. “When you get discharged, call us. We can come pick you up.”

  “What makes you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Volunteer.”

  “Oh. Well, the sorority does a lot of charity work. I’m the one who got involved with Make-A-Wish, and then I roped some of the other girls into doing the
Princess Ball with me. I…like making kids happy. It puts my own problems into perspective.” A faint shadow passed over her features that made him wonder what kind of problems Callie Sutherland could have.

  “Yeah,” he agreed with a wry smile. “I was lying here feeling sorry for myself until Hannah came in and told me her story. So thanks for that.”

  Their eyes met, and she smiled. “These kids are amazing. So strong and brave. Inspiring.”

  Again…why did she need to be inspired? She led the perfect, charmed life. He longed to know…because if there was anything he could do to make Callie happy…he’d do it. He’d do anything.

  Even if that meant…staying away from her.

  Chapter Six

  Present day

  Callie opened the door to Cash the next afternoon. It was only three o’clock, and he was early. Her heart quivered as she saw him on her doorstep, looking gorgeous in a pair of boots, faded jeans, and a soft T-shirt. Why was she suddenly noticing how good-looking he was every time she saw him? “Hi! Come in. I’m not quite ready to go.”

  He eyed her as he walked into the house. “You look fine like that.”

  “Pfffft. You know I can’t go out looking like this.” She touched a hand to her messy bun.

  “So I should come back in two hours, then?”

  That wasn’t the first time he’d teased her about being high-maintenance. She lifted her chin. “Okay, you know what? I will go out like this. No makeup, hair a mess, wearing cut-off sweat shorts…sure, why not? My mama would have a fit if she saw me, but we’re not likely to run into her at Joe’s Tattoo Parlor—”

  A bark of laughter escaped him.

  “On top of which, she’s going to have a fit anyway when she sees the tattoo.”

  “She’s not going to see much of it, where you’re planning to put it. Or is that the idea…hide it from Mama? Maybe you’re not such a badass after all.”

  “Ha. Actually, I’ve changed my mind about where I’m going to get the tattoo.”

  “Oh yeah?” His gaze flicked to her boobs, then back up right away. Her skin heated everywhere.

  “Yes. I’m going to get it on my finger.” She pointed to her right middle finger just above the knuckle. “Here.”

  He nodded and reached for her hand. When he closed his strong, tanned fingers around hers, her belly fluttered. “How big?”

  “Just tiny.” She drew her left index finger over the spot.

  “That’ll actually look real pretty,” he said slowly.

  “Thank you.” She paused, looking down as he continued to hold her hand. “I’m going to put off the piercing, though.”

  He dropped her hand, and his gaze snapped up to hers. “Piercing?”

  “Yes. Maybe an eyebrow piercing. Or a little diamond stud in one nostril.”

  “The piercing would be less permanent than the tattoo. Just sayin’. If you change your mind, you can take out the little ring or whatever and let it heal up.” He fixed his gaze on her. “The tattoo is permanent.”

  “I know.” Again, she firmed her jaw. “That’s why I want one. I want a permanent reminder that I’m stronger because of adversity.” Then she beamed at him. “Hey, be glad I’m not getting a tattoo that says ‘Marriage—the leading cause of divorce.’”

  He shook his head, smiling. “Thank fuck for that.”

  “Or, ‘I’m only upset I’m not a widow.’”

  His smile became pained. “Callie.”

  “Hey. You have to keep a sense of humor. Right?”

  “Right.” He paused. “You know this is gonna hurt, yeah?”

  She clucked. “Seriously? You think a little prick is going to hurt more than a big prick?”

  His lips twitched, and he looked at his boots. “Good one.”

  “Sorry. I know he’s still your friend and partner.”

  “Hey, I’ve called him worse names in my head. Actually, to his face, too.”

  Her eyes widened. “You have?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  He met her eyes and held her gaze steadily. Her belly muscles tightened. Finally she said, “You don’t have to take me to get this done.” Her smile faded. “Especially if you don’t approve.”

  He lifted one shoulder. “Hey, it’s none of my business if you get a tattoo or not. It’s your decision. I just want to make sure you don’t end up with some kind of monstrosity or an infection. At least I know Mystic Tiger is clean and everyone is competent.”

  “Okay then. Let’s go.”

  An hour and a half later, Callie walked out of Mystic Tiger with a bandage on her finger, her hand throbbing a little, kind of like a mild burn. On the sidewalk in front of the shop, she let out a little whoop of triumph and pumped her left fist into the air.

  Cash lifted an eyebrow at her.

  “I did it!” She grinned. “That was awesome! See how tough I am?” She gave his upper arm a punch, a little awkwardly because it was her left hand.

  “Always knew you were strong, darlin’. Just hope you don’t regret this in the morning.”

  She snorted. “Regrets are for horseshoes and hairdos.”

  He choked on a laugh as they walked toward his truck.

  “It hurt while he was doing it.” She winced. “But it got to be kind of fun to see how much pain I could stand.” Weirdly, she’d gotten almost high, like she was floating. And even more weird? She felt turned on. Her inner thighs rubbed together as she walked, and her girl parts tingled. Whoa. Her entire body was sensitized.

  “Should I take you home?” He jingled his keys. “Or you want to go get dinner?”

  “Hmm. Dinner sounds good, actually. I don’t think I’ve eaten all day.”

  “What?” He glared at her.

  “I was too busy baking. I had a couple of cookies.” She shrugged. “But although I may have been willing to go to a tattoo parlor looking like this, I’m not willing to go out for dinner this way.”

  “We could go back to your place so you can change.”

  She remembered last night and running into that client and his wife, who’d been clearly curious about why she was with Beau’s business partner. “Nah. Why don’t we just pick up something and take it home to eat?”

  After a short pause, Cash said, “Sure.”

  In his truck, they bickered over sushi versus pizza versus tacos. In the end, Cash let her have her way, and they drove to Tokyo Sushi in Rice Village.

  After they ordered, Callie wandered back outside and onto the sidewalk. The late-afternoon heat surrounded her, and she strolled down the street, checking out the cute little shops. She loved the Village, with its eclectic mix of boutiques and eateries. She passed a little wine café she enjoyed, then a shop where she liked to buy yoga clothes. She paused in front of a building that was now vacant and studied the For Rent sign in the window. She tilted her head, unable to remember what used to be in this location. She pressed her nose to the glass to peer in, but it was hard to see anything.

  “What are you doing?” Cash’s deep voice behind her made her jump.

  “Just nosing around. Do you remember what used to be here?”

  “I think it was a coffee shop.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I wonder why they closed down.”

  He shrugged. “I think they’ve been closed a while. Come on, let’s get our food. It’s probably ready.”

  They picked up their huge platter of assorted rolls, along with tempura vegetables and edamame.

  At home in her kitchen she pulled out a container of food and set it on the island. “We’re never going to eat all this.”

  “Don’t underestimate my appetite.” He patted his flat abs.

  “Oh right. The winner of the Omega Chi taco eating contest. How could I forget?” She was oddly distracted by the sight of his hand on his abs, and that tingling between her thighs was still there. Her gaze wandered over his torso and then lower to his low-rise jeans that were well worn, especially over the bulge behind his fly. A quivery sensation rippled through her
belly.

  He grinned. “To this day, nobody has beaten my record.” He lifted the plastic lid off a platter, then his smile faded as he saw where she was looking. His eyes went heavy-lidded, and a muscle twitched in his jaw.

  Callie’s face heated at being caught ogling him. Tension arced between them as they stared at each other, the moment dragging out a little too long.

  She whirled around to pull two plates from a cupboard. The air in the kitchen had gone static, and her lower belly tightened. “Want a drink? Beer?”

  “I could go for a beer.”

  She opened the fridge and retrieved one, grabbing one for herself as well.

  Cash cocked an eyebrow as she handed him the bottle. She shrugged. “What, I can’t drink beer?”

  “You can drink whatever you want, darlin’.”

  She tilted her head. “Damn right I can.” She didn’t have to drink white wine and cosmos and ladylike martinis. She’d drink Maker’s Mark and Shiner Bock anytime she wanted.

  She handed him a set of chopsticks and pulled her stool up to the island. Soon their plates were loaded with dynamite rolls, tempura yam rolls, and tuna maki. “Mmm. This is so good.” She closed her eyes as she savored the bite of wasabi mingled with the sweet shrimp and creamy avocado. She opened her eyes to find Cash gazing at her instead of eating. “What’s wrong?”

  That static electricity buzzed between them again.

  “Nothing.” He picked up a roll and dipped it into soy sauce, then popped it into his mouth. “How’s your tattoo feel?”

  “The tattoo feels fine…but my body still feels…weird.”

  He frowned. “Your body feels weird?”

  “Yeah.” She poked another piece of sushi, not meeting his eyes. Her lower belly ached with need, her breasts felt heavy, and her nipples tingled. She was so frickin’ horny she was starting to worry she might jump him. And that would be a disaster of epic proportions. The idea almost made her shudder, and yet…it also turned her on even more. Because Cash was hot.

  Lord have mercy.

  She shoveled in more sushi, then her sinuses started burning and her eyes watered. She choked. “Damn!” She coughed again.

  Cash rose from his seat. “Okay, darlin’?” He moved behind her and patted her back. “Need a Heimlich?”

  “No,” she wheezed, coughing more. “Too much wasabi.”