Screwed

by Kelly Jamieson

  Argh, he’d felt guilty before about what happened. Now they’d done it again. She had to make sure he knew this didn’t have to mean more than just sex. Explosive, eye-crossing, mind-bursting sex. She could handle this.

  It was a little early for bed—ha! A quick look at the clock showed it wasn’t even six o’clock yet. She glanced around. Her clothes were somewhere on the floor. Maybe she could quickly find them…

  Too late. Cash emerged from the bathroom and sauntered toward her. Sweet hopscotching Jesus. She couldn’t stop her jaw from going slack with admiration. Even though he wasn’t fully erect, his cock was beautiful—plump, round, and long. She swallowed and lifted her gaze to his face.

  He smirked as he sat on the side of the bed next to her. “Magic Dick is relaxing.”

  She laughed so hard she snorted and fell back on the pillows. “Oh my God. I never should have said that.”

  He laughed, too, and leaned over to smooch her lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t bring it up at every opportunity. Nor will I start talking to him and calling him Magic Dick.”

  “Thank God for that.” Her stomach chose that moment to give a loud rumble.

  He looked at her belly. “Hungry, darlin’?”

  She patted her stomach. “Apparently.”

  “Don’t tell me you forgot to eat again.”

  She squinted, thinking back. “Um. Well, I was busy getting the wedding cake ready, and then delivering it.”

  “Christ, Callie. You need to eat.”

  “What are you saying?” She drew her chin down and frowned at him. “Are you saying I’m too skinny?”

  “Christ, no! You’re perfect.”

  “Hmph. Okay.”

  “I wasn’t commenting on your weight. I mean, you’re not overweight. Or underweight. Jesus, there’s no good way to talk about a woman’s weight, is there?”

  She pursed her lips. “It’s definitely a sensitive subject.”

  “Like I said, you’re perfect. What I meant is, you need to eat to stay healthy, so let’s get some food into you, woman.”

  Warmth unfurled inside her. “I’m good with that.” Then her bottom lip pushed out. “Although I’m not sure how much food I have in the house.”

  “You must have some cookies.”

  She laughed. “Yes. But in terms of a meal…I haven’t exactly been cooking gourmet meals for one lately.”

  “There’s always pizza delivery.”

  “I could go for tacos, actually.”

  “Hell yeah.” He rubbed his flat abs. “Hot Tamales delivers.”

  “Yes!” She rose to her knees, forgetting she was naked. “I love their shrimp tacos.”

  “Okay. Where’s my phone? Where are my pants?” He stood and turned in a circle. “There.”

  A moment later he had found the number and was ordering her tacos and a fiesta platter for himself, which she knew included a chalupa, two cheese enchiladas, a beef taco, and chips with chile con queso and guacamole.

  “That’s a lot of food.”

  “You know you’re going to steal some of my chips.”

  She grinned. “I totally am.”

  Suddenly, she had a weird sensation of unreality. Like…she and Cash were naked in her bedroom, ordering Tex-Mex and laughing after having sex.

  This wasn’t really happening.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cash grabbed his pants and stepped into them so he was decent when the food arrived, while Callie pulled on a tiny pair of shorts and a thin T-shirt. He tamped down the guilt that tried to rise up, unwilling to let it ruin what had just happened. How could something so good be bad? And he sure as hell wasn’t going to run out on Callie again and hurt her feelings.

  They ate in the family room off the kitchen, a room that should have been cozy but wasn’t. The huge size and high ceiling made the space feel empty and cool despite the leather sectional and the fireplace in the corner. Big windows on one wall overlooking the gorge and bayou let in a lot of light even at this time of day, and a ceiling fan circled slowly above them. Callie turned on the flat-screen television, then handed him the remote with a raised eyebrow.

  He shrugged and channel surfed while she set out food on the big square coffee table in front of them. After checking every available channel, he concluded, “There’s nothing to watch.”

  She smiled. “We could watch something on Netflix. There are a bunch of shows I missed when I was in Europe.”

  “Huh.” He explored further.

  “Ooh, Daredevil. Let’s watch that.”

  He’d heard of the show but had never seen it. “Okay.”

  “Oh God, this is good.” She held her shrimp taco over the Styrofoam container after taking a bite.

  “Mmm.” He took a chip and scooped up some guac. “Have to agree. I was starving.”

  They ate in comfortable silence, watching TV, quickly becoming engrossed in the show. Callie snitched several chips from him, but he didn’t mind since he had more than enough and he loved watching her enjoy food.

  Well, somehow they’d done it again.

  He was just gonna put that thought aside while he enjoyed his Tex-Mex and Netflix and Callie beside him.

  His cell phone warbled, and he reached for it with a frown. “Who’s calling me on a Saturday night?”

  “Uh-oh. Hopefully you didn’t have a hot date you forgot about.” Callie picked up the remote and paused the show.

  He rolled his eyes. “My sister.” He swiped the screen. “Hey, Ginnie. What’s up?”

  “I’m calling about Mama’s birthday party.”

  “Oh yeah, right.” They’d decided on a date, the Saturday closest to Mama’s birthday, two weeks away. Ginnie would come home for the weekend. “I talked to Barb, and she’s making a guest list. I think she’s already told a bunch of people to hold the date.”

  “Good. We need to figure out where it’s going to be. Any ideas?”

  “The Houston Club?”

  Ginnie laughed. “Mama would die if you had the party there.”

  “Hey, why not? I’m a member.”

  “She’d be totally intimidated. So would I.”

  Cash grinned and watched Callie steal another chip from his dinner. “Okay, not there. The country club?”

  “Just as bad. Come on. There has to be a nice restaurant she would like.”

  Cash lowered the phone to speak to Callie. “Any suggestions for a restaurant for my mom’s birthday party?”

  Callie tilted her head. “Hmm. Interlude is nice. Or Beaudelaire.”

  “Who’s there with you?” Ginnie demanded.

  Cash spoke into the phone. “Callie.”

  Silence. “Oh.” A pause. “Are she and Beau back together?”

  “Nope.”

  More silence. “Um. Okay. What did she say?”

  He named the restaurants.

  “Oh, Interlude is so nice! I think Mama would like that. Can you see if they have a private room?”

  Cash relayed the question to Callie, sure she’d know.

  “Should I talk to your sister?” she asked with a smirk. “Maybe we could plan the party.”

  “I wish,” he muttered.

  “Yes, they do have a private room. It holds about twenty, I think.”

  “That sounds good. We were figuring on about a dozen people.” He spoke to Ginnie again. “I’ll make the reservation.”

  “What about food?”

  “Jesus. Can’t we just order when we get there?”

  Callie spoke up with a smile. “They have fixed-price, family-style menus. You can plan it ahead of time.”

  “Uh. Okay.” Maybe he should hand the phone over to Callie.

  “What are you getting her for a present?” Ginnie asked. “It’s her fiftieth birthday.”

  “Yeah, I know. I haven’t thought about it.”

  “You’ll be buying something that day.” Ginnie laughed. “I know you.”

  She was probably right. “Diamond earrings.”

  “Ooooh, s
how off. You know I can’t compete with that.”

  “It’s not a competition. Hey. What’s up with the guy you’re seeing?”

  “His name is Kevin. We’re just going out to a movie.” Cash could tell Kevin was there with her.

  “He’s a good guy?”

  “Yes, he is.” He heard the smile in her voice. “He’s coming home with me for the party so you can meet him then.”

  “Huh. This is serious?”

  “Mmmm. Who knows?” Ginnie’s tone was light, but he sensed that she really liked this guy.

  His gut tightened. “Okay, good that I’ll get to meet him.”

  “You be nice to him.”

  “Not if he’s an asshole.”

  “Cash!”

  He grinned. “Just sayin’.”

  “Okay. So we’re on track for the party.”

  “Callie’s making Mama a birthday cake.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Another pause. “Um, you and Callie…?”

  “Gotta go. Take care, Gin.”

  He ended the call.

  Callie smiled. “I can help you plan the menu, if you want.”

  He exhaled with relief. “Yeah, that would be good. What the fuck do I know?”

  He could have asked Barb or Eleanor to help, probably. But he liked the idea of Callie doing it.

  “I never hear you talk about your dad,” Callie said cautiously.

  Cash picked up his taco. “He lives in Dallas. I don’t ever see him.”

  “Ever?”

  “Not since he left when I was sixteen.”

  “Oh.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “That sucks.”

  “Eh. It is what it is. He knocked up some other woman and decided he’d rather be with them than with us. Why would we want such a dickhead around?” His casual tone belied the anger and hurt he’d felt at the time.

  “Wow. That is pretty dickish. Does he have more than one kid now?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Jeez, Cash. That’s awful.”

  He hated pity. He shrugged. “Nah. It’s fine.” He’d gone through a bunch of phases after his dad had bailed on them—denial, hurt, hope, and anger. Now, like he’d said, it was what it was.

  “My pathetic story about my parents ignoring us doesn’t seem so shitty now. Not to mention my daddy’s cheating.” She grimaced. “At least my parents are still together.”

  “Yeah. I guess it works for them. But it’s never easy when our parents aren’t there for us. So yours were around physically and they supported you financially—it doesn’t make it easier that they weren’t there for you emotionally. I didn’t really get it at the time, but if my old man wasn’t prepared to be there emotionally for us, it was probably better that he left.”

  She eyed him. “I guess that’s true.” She paused. “Your dad didn’t help support you and your sister financially?”

  “Yeah, he did. He wasn’t a total asshole. But those monthly checks didn’t nearly help pay for everything. Mama was a stay-at-home mom who had to go find a job. It wasn’t easy for her. I tried to help out as much as I could.”

  “And you still are.” Her smile made his chest go soft and warm. “Helping your mom.”

  He shrugged. “I do what I can.”

  “You’re a good guy, Cash.”

  His chest tightened. The praise made him uncomfortable, and yet, coming from Callie, also made him happy. He met her eyes. “Callie…”

  “Why aren’t you out on a hot date tonight?”

  The question took him aback. “Uh…”

  “You haven’t talked about dating other women since I’ve been back. You used to be such a player, I could never keep track of who you were dating. Or not dating. In fact, before Beau and I split up, we hardly ever saw you because you were always busy with someone.”

  That was a question he’d rather not ponder. It was true, he hadn’t had a date for a while. In fact, it did coincide with Callie’s return from Europe. Not that it had been a conscious decision. “I don’t really know,” he said honestly. He shrugged. “Just haven’t met anyone interesting lately, I guess.”

  Their eyes met again, and understanding flickered between them. They both knew that whatever was happening with them couldn’t be anything more than sex. Regret swelled hot inside him.

  “It’s okay, Cash. I told you before. Beau will never know about this.”

  He nodded. That didn’t make him feel any better, but he kept that to himself. “Do you want me to leave?”

  She shook her head slowly. “No. I want you to watch the rest of Daredevil with me.”

  They ended up watching three episodes in a row. And they ended up back upstairs in Callie’s bedroom.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I guess we can’t blame it on hormones this time,” Callie said, lying in bed with Cash the next morning. Well, actually it was afternoon. They’d spent most of the night having sex and had slept late. Very late. And had sex again. “Well, not entirely.” There was no denying that there had to be some kind of sex hormones that made her want Cash so badly.

  “I can blame it on hormones.” Cash rubbed her back. “Testosterone and adrenaline. From the fight.”

  “I never knew you were such a Neanderthal. Getting in a fight made you horny?”

  “Sure. It’s biology.”

  “So you have no control over your animal desires?”

  He laughed. “Apparently not where you’re concerned.”

  She laughed, too, then sobered, realizing he was serious. “Oh, Cash.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. I was trying not to ruin the fun with a big ‘what have we done’ speech.”

  She peered up at him. “You feel guilty, don’t you?”

  “Not as much as I will in a couple of hours when reality sets in. Right now I still feel post-orgasmically good.”

  She smiled reluctantly. “What do we do about this?”

  He pursed his lips. “Since I don’t know what ‘this’ is, I have no fucking clue.”

  Callie’s chest tightened. “Yeah.” She sighed. “I don’t know what ‘this’ is, either, I guess.”

  Apparently there was a shit-ton of sexual chemistry happening between them. But it was more complicated than that. She genuinely liked Cash and considered him a friend. Although she’d always known he was smart and hardworking and loyal, he’d always been a pretty private guy. Now she was seeing how he cared for his family and how he’d been hurt by his dad. She was coming to understand why building the business was so important to him, and she admired that…more than she’d ever admired Beau.

  Beau. Dammit. Just when she was having faint little hopes that there could really be something between her and Cash…there was Beau.

  It annoyed her that they had to think of him, because he sure as hell hadn’t thought about her feelings when he’d cheated on her. What kind of loyalty did he deserve, whether from her or from Cash?

  And yet, she couldn’t fault Cash for his loyalty to his friend.

  The doorbell rang.

  “Who the hell is that?” Cash mumbled.

  “No idea.” She gritted her teeth. “I guess I can’t get away with ignoring them…since your truck is parked in my driveway.” After a beat, she and Cash both said, “Oh shit” at exactly the same time, their eyes meeting. A knot of dread tightened in her stomach.

  Who could it be? A list of possibilities ran through her head, and none of them were good.

  “Want me to go down?”

  “Gah. No! I’ll go. You stay here.”

  “And hide?”

  “Yes.”

  “Callie.”

  “I know, I know.” She threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. “Okay, don’t hide. Get dressed as fast as you can. Maybe we can bullshit our way through this.”

  Cash laughed softly and followed her out of bed. He gave her ass a light slap as she reached for a pair of panties in her dresser drawer. Damn. She liked that.

  The doorbell rang again as she dragged on a pair of shorts a
nd a T-shirt. Hair and makeup was out of the question. She jogged down the stairs, her heart beating in fast pumps, her breathing quick and shallow. She peeked through the sidelight and saw her mother standing on the doorstep.

  Sweet hopscotching Jesus. She thunked her head against the wall.

  Mama knocked on the door. “Callie!”

  Callie heard Cash’s heavy steps on the staircase as she reached for the deadbolt and slowly opened the door. Heart palpitating, mouth dry, she glanced anxiously over her shoulder to make sure Cash wasn’t there as she opened the door. “Good morning, Mama. What a nice surprise.”

  Her mother stepped into the foyer, looking cool and elegant in a silk dress, pearls, and heels. “Why weren’t you in church this morning, young lady?”

  Callie sighed. “It’s Sunday?”

  “Callie! You haven’t been to church once since you got back from your trip.”

  She flicked a glance behind her again. “I know. I’m sorry.” For Mama, church was another social opportunity. She and Daddy belonged to Garden Oaks Baptist Church, and she was sure they attended services more for the prestige of belonging to that church and the social and business networking opportunities than to satisfy their spiritual needs. “I’ve been praying, though.”

  Right now she was praying that Cash would stay hidden. She sucked briefly on her bottom lip, all her senses alert, her stomach fluttering.

  Mama shook her head and gave Callie an up-and-down look. “I apparently came at a bad time. Whose truck is that in the driveway?”

  Callie smoothed her hair back and swallowed.

  “Mine.” Cash spoke behind her. “Mornin’, Mrs. Sutherland. You look lovely today.”

  Callie’s heart gave a kick against her breastbone. She and Mama both turned to see Cash stroll out of the kitchen drying his hands on a towel.

  Mama blinked and shot Callie a sideways glance, then quickly recovered and smiled. “Why, hello, Cash. And thank you.”

  “Callie had a leaky tap. All fixed, by the way.” He threw a charming grin her way. “Anything else you need looked after while I’m here?”

  “Um.” Her head was a vacuum, her nerves jumping. “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay. I’ll be on my way, then. You call if you need anything else, you hear?” He handed her the towel. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Sutherland.”