Hard & Lethal: A Bad Boy Romance

by Jade Allen

  “Jeez, someone needs to loosen up,” Jason muttered under his breath as he returned his gaze to his empty plate.

  He remembered now that she had had a hard time thanking him for saving her derriere last night. What was her name?

  Leila, his subconscious supplied, even as he dimly recollected rolling her name around on his tongue.

  The woman rose to her feet and slowly crossed the room, her eyes trained on Jason’s face as though she were searching for something there.

  He hesitantly let go of his coffee cup, and rose to his feet politely. He was a lot of things, but his mother had raised him right.

  “J-Jason,” she said, her voice catching slightly on the word.

  He nodded in greeting, eager to get back to his coffee.

  She searched his eyes with hers as though looking for something. She didn’t find whatever it was if the sudden pinched set of her lips was any indication.

  “Why are you looking at me as though you don’t remember me?” she demanded.

  He shrugged. What was she going to tell him? Had Slick come after her?

  “D-Do you remember me?” she asked hesitantly, confusion and fear making her voice quaver as she stared up at the dark forbidding man.

  “I remember enough to regret last night,” he tossed out carelessly, her less than enthusiastic behavior after he had damn near gotten beaten to a pulp, foremost in his mind.

  She gasped and paled, swaying on her feet so suddenly that he reached out immediately to grab her hand to steady her.

  How could she have been so wrong about this man? At twenty-eight years of age, one would think she would be a better judge of character, but no, one boyish grin and she had fallen for him like a ton of bricks! Then as if that wasn’t enough, he had moaned someone else’s name while she was still wet from their lovemaking!

  Leila’s small palms balled into fists as tears welled in her eyes and then, before she quite knew what she was going to do, she swung in a wide arc. Her fist connected with his cheek with a satisfying thump.

  “I hope you rot in hell for this Jason Fielding! I hope you suffer eternal damnation!” she yelled, startling the restaurant staff with the sheer volume of her shouts.

  Then she whirled around and ran sobbing from the room.

  Jason stared at her in confusion. What was she blathering on about now? Seemingly of their own accord, his legs started after her. But after one quick panicked look over her shoulder, she dashed into an elevator and the doors slid shut before he could reach the banks.

  Impatiently, he waited for the next one to arrive, all the while thinking about what she had said. Eternal damnation? For what, saving her?

  It didn’t add up. Had he done or said something that made her feel he had wronged her? He searched his memory and came up blank. Unbidden, images of himself entwined in naked splendor with Leila flashed through his mind. It was a dream, he assured himself firmly. There was no way he would have forgotten making love with anyone! Besides, he hadn’t been drunk when he left the bar.

  But you did take a lot of booze plus a blow to the head and aspirin, a snide inner voice reminded him.

  “Shut up,” he snarled angrily earning a fearful glance from two elderly ladies also waiting for the elevator.

  The women moved back perceptibly, their eyes watching him carefully.

  Great! Now he was talking to himself!

  He rushed into the elevator as soon as it arrived and noted that the two ladies hung back, staring at him out of beady little eyes as though he were a crazy man. With a mental shrug, he pressed the buttons for his floor and then raced straight into his room as soon as it got to his floor. The room was empty.

  Well, what had he expected; that she would be in his room? He didn’t sleep with her; why would she be in here?

  He turned to leave, but his toe kicked against something on the floor and he stopped cold. It was a woman’s hat! Instant recognition flooded him; that was the hat Leila had worn in that accursed bar last night! How had it gotten here?

  Unless...

  In a sudden flurry of movement, Jason leaped towards the large bed in the middle of the room, searching for something, anything. Just proof that he had actually lain with Leila. Perhaps a condom? He hoped he had enough sense to use one if he had actually slept with her. He was an extremely wealthy man by any standards and women had been forever trying to trick him into commitment. Besides, if she was the sort who ‘performed’ at night as she had promised to do for the bar guys last night, he sure hoped he had remembered to protect himself.

  He yanked the duvet away in one angry frustrated motion as he searched in vain for incontrovertible proof of their joining.

  Then his blood froze in his veins when he found a lacy bra tangled with the duvet. He had made love to her last night and forgotten; no wonder she had slugged him!

  He was a monster!

  ****

  Jason rubbed against the stubble of his five o’clock shadow as he staggered off the field, nursing a few more bruises from his bull-riding show. He could feel the amazement of the crowd at his horrible performance. He would have been shocked, too, but he happened to know exactly what was eating him.

  He couldn’t sleep, eat or think since the last time he had seen Leila Wright three days ago.

  He kicked a clump of dirt as he walked, his body radiating angry energy that had nothing to do with the fact that he had just lost another level of the rodeo competition. It had everything to do with a pair of twinkling green eyes and soft red lips.

  He was suffering! He needed to see her and try to make amends. He had gone a little crazy after he found the bra. No matter how jaded he might personally be, he hated hurting a woman—any woman. He had raced down the stairs to the reception, so upset that he had not even remembered to use the elevator. When he had asked for her room number, they had politely but firmly refused to give it to him. He had staked out the hotel and even the Bar H as much as he could but he had seen no sign of her whatsoever.

  From where she sat in the crowd, Leila watched the tall, powerful figure of the man she had come to detest and she shivered. She had changed hotels just to avoid running into him, but every time she shut her eyes these days, there he was!

  Something inside of her tightened as she watched Jason stride off the field with slow measured steps, his head turning this way and that as though searching for someone. With a sudden flash of certainty, she knew he was looking for her! Her stomach quivered as she slouched lower in her seat. The last thing she needed was for him to let her know some more just how distasteful he found her. She could only hope he was surly enough to avoid the fair coming up tonight, she thought angrily.

  ****

  Later that night, Leila climbed onto the stage at the fair organized for cowboys in the rodeo and sang her heart out. She was wearing a sheath leopard skin gown that accentuated her curves and clung to her so tightly it seemed she had been poured into it. She also had a very large sunhat perched atop her head that added to her air of mystery and made her feel even sexier than ever.

  Her voice was a lilting soprano as she crooned, tantalizing everyone and drawing them in. She sang about unrequited love and loss of innocence and betrayal in such haunting tunes that by the time she was finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Her gaze met Jason’s once across the crowded room, but she simply looked through him as though he didn’t exist.

  She bowed low, accepting the praises and whistles from the gathered crowd, painfully aware that in a corner of the room, Jason sat, silently watching her. His eyes roved languorously over every inch of her body with such bold intensity it was almost as though he had touched her physically.

  Leila felt a flush work up her cheeks as she pretended not to notice that her breasts had beaded into hard little points of desire beneath the thin lace of her bra.

  So that was what she meant when she said she was going to ‘perform’ to make up for broken furniture, Jason realized as he watched her drink in the adulation
of the excited crowd. She was a country singer, and a damned good one!

  His heart thudded loudly in his chest as he watched her accepting praises from several patrons at the bar. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met; he decided to try to ignore a surprising stab of jealousy as he watched her grin at a gap-toothed octogenarian. Heck, the man was old enough to be her great-grandfather and here he was, wanting to knock the old man’s teeth out for smiling at Leila.

  He had fallen for her, he realized. It didn’t even make sense since he hadn’t gotten to know a lot about her, but he felt strongly attached to her. Before he was even aware of moving, he was standing in her path.

  He saw her green eyes narrow with a flash of intense hatred and he knew genuine sorrow.

  “You sing very well,” he said. “You have an amazing voice.”

  Leila didn’t say anything, just regarded him in wary silence. What more does this jackass want from me? she wondered.

  “I’m sorry,” he got out before she could escape him. “I’m a monster. I feel sick about this situation, and I haven’t eaten in days. I’m so sorry I hurt you, Leila.”

  Cold anger darkened her eyes and he realized he was digging his hole deeper.

  “Leila—” he began.

  Without a word, she yanked her arm from his grasp and melted into the crowd.

  Jason bowed his head in defeat, but this time, he didn’t try to stop her. He let her go.

  The fair had opened up into a party of sorts with dancing and drinking going on. Rock and rolled strummed from the speakers as different cowboys shuffled with their partners on the dance floor.

  Jason sipped his beer, sitting in a corner of the room as his eyes scanned the crowd for signs of Leila’s leopard skin dress.

  He heard a throaty laughter and looked in that direction; Leila was being twirled about by one brawny cowboy with his hat pulled low over his forehead as he dimpled down at her. They look so perfect together, he thought feeling something suspiciously like jealousy eat away at his insides.

  He watched as Leila’s laughter turned into girly giggles as the wonder-cowboy bent her backwards over his strong arm. Impatience strummed along Jason’s veins and in a flash, he was beside the laughing couple. His heart constricted in his chest as he watched Leila’s happy smile dry on her face as she caught sight of him.

  “Mind if I cut in?” he said gruffly, his eyes daring the other man to challenge him.

  “As a matter of fact, I do!” Leila spat.

  Jason grinned at her. “I was talking to the man darlin’. Jesse?” he asked.

  Jesse Catalona grinned and quickly released Leila into Jason’s arms.

  “That’s not even remotely funny,” she growled.

  “Tell me about it. How did you manage to keep your toes intact? Catalona is notorious for having two left feet!”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said, her eyes flashing fire at him as she stiffened in his arms. “I like Jesse!”

  “As do half the gay men in Texas! He’s gay,” Jason lied baldly.

  He watched the confused expressions play across Leila’s features and he hid a grin. Jesse, who also happened to be a good friend of his, would skin him alive if this got back to him. Jesse was straight, and unless Jason missed his guess, was as interested in Leila as he was.

  “You have an amazing voice,” he told her softly.

  “Thanks,” she muttered, ducking her head as she hid a blush. Her eyes sparkled at him, lively and vibrant.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed.

  His head descended slowly and his mouth melded with hers. Passion sparked immediately and with a groan that was part-triumph, part-longing; Jason deepened the kiss. His tongue stroked hers, sending shivers of excitement down her spine, and without thinking, Leila arched into him, her breasts shoving against the hard wall of his chest.

  Jason’s hands tightened around Leila’s waist and the feel of his wide palm caressing her ass drew her back to Earth with a thud. She jerked out of his arms and glared at him as she furiously rubbed the back of her hand across her lips.

  “Stay the hell away from me,” she spat, her eyes glittering angrily at him.

  She spun around, and for the second time that night, melted into the crowd.

  ****

  Leila whistled to herself as she strolled towards her new hotel after the rodeo activities two days later. Jason had performed so badly again that some people had actually accused him of deliberately throwing the match. She had learned so much about the cowboys just sitting in the stands and her ears were still ringing with tales of his sexual conquests, financial triumphs and saddle skills. Evidently, he had been a playboy extraordinaire for years and no one was surprised to see him with two women at a time. He was even more popular in cowboy circles because he was a bronc-riding champion ten years in a row.

  Well, what most of those people didn’t know was that he was a jerk and a heartless libertine. She had learned that lesson firsthand. He’d been sending a dozen roses to her place of work every day for the last two days. She had blushed mightily when the first set was delivered, drawing whistles and calls from everyone in the bar. But the second night, one look at the roses and she had stolen outside to weep silently, her anguish rocking her body. She loved him, she knew; but that also meant he had the power to hurt her.

  A prickling sensation at the back of her neck made her pause in her strides but when she turned around, the hallway was empty. She needed to freshen up quickly and rush downstairs to perform. Being a country singer certainly had its perks—for instance, it put food on her table—but when she was depressed, singing was the last thing she wanted to do. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and sob her heart out.

  “Sobbing doesn’t pay the bills, honey,” she murmured to herself as she hurriedly shrugged out of her tattered jeans and tee-shirt and slipped into a slinky black dress that hugged her body like a second skin and heavily pronounced all her curves.

  Leila bit her lips as she turned this way and that in front of the mirror. It was a decent enough dress, but was it too revealing?

  A harsh knock sounded at the door and she rolled her eyes. The manager at this hotel was a royal pain in the ass, and he seemed to think that she was supposed to be the very first person to arrive for the performance.

  “Leila,” the unsmiling man on the other side breathed the moment she opened the door.

  “Jason! How the hell did you find me?” she grated, her heart clutching painfully in her chest as she glared at him.

  Was it her imagination, or was he somewhat thinner than she remembered?

  “I just wanted to explain what happened. It was a misunderstanding, nothing more.”

  Leila glared back at him, “Good for you. Now get out!”

  “I didn’t forget that night. I knew something good and profound had happened I was just fuzzy on the details.”

  Just like that, her anger returned. Her eyes glittered at him as she pouted, “You couldn’t remember we slept together! It’s in the past. No need to rehash that now.”

  She turned her head away, waiting for him to walk out of the room and out of her life. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing the tears glistening in her eyes.

  “What I mean is, I took a lot of booze and then you must have given me aspirin at some point—”

  “I gave you aspirin for the bump on your head,” she said defensively, leaning back to put some much-needed space between them. “Now you’re going to hold onto that?”

  His turquoise gaze slanted over her smooth features, her sad eyes, her pouty mouth and he felt his heart tighten in his chest.

  “Give me another chance Leila,” he said softly. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a while. That was the first night I slept peacefully without any nightmares.”

  Leila chewed at her lips. He looked honest enough that she wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t let go of something that was eating away at her.

&nbs
p; “Who the hell is Fiona?”

  Unbearable sadness crossed his features, and then he said, “Why don’t we sit down and talk about this somewhere else? Like over lunch?”

  “No. Here!” she insisted with childish petulance.

  He grinned. She was as cute as a button.

  “Fiona was my wife who ran off with my best friend and got killed in a freak accident as they drove off.” He waited to feel the familiar pain in his chest, but all he felt was just a hollow sadness at two lives wasted and nothing more. No bitterness; nothing.

  He looked at her, “I was bitter for a long while. Hell, I was bitter until I met you. But somehow you healed me. You are good, pure, smart, funny and sexy as hell.”

  Leila blushed. “Oh stop. I’m fat.”

  “You’ve got a body that could tempt a eunuch and make a monk stare; and I love you just the way you are. You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman alive.”

  Leila stared into his eyes; sincerity blazed back at her. He loves me? How?

  Jason seemed to read her mind because he said softly, “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. Is it any wonder that I love you?”

  Leila’s reservations melted away, as she leaned into him and lifted her face for his kiss.

  That was all the encouragement Jason needed. With a rough hungry sound, he tumbled her onto the bed and rolled her onto her back, easily fitting his slender hips between her legs. Leila inhaled sharply at the feel of his hard, masculine length against her. Their hands jointly made quick work of their clothes and they were naked in each other’s arms in record time.

  Then she instinctively pushed her breasts into his face, wanting to feel that exquisite sucking he did so well. Jason obliged immediately, his lips licking and flicking over her nipple.

  Frenzied need pulsed through Leila as Jason’s callused palms caressed every inch of her satiny skin in a mixture of wonder and desire. She writhed against him as craving roared through her before pooling in her moist center.