Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3

by Mari Carr

  The Compton men were infamous for their defending natures. If anyone threatened their family, they stepped in and took care of it.

  Liam may have been twenty years younger, but he didn’t harbor any misapprehensions that Sawyer couldn’t kick his ass if he was pissed off enough.

  Liam glanced at the couch. Jade’s eyes had drifted closed once more. She was oblivious to the fact her father hadn’t left peacefully. Good. He didn’t want her as a witness if Sawyer did decide to clean his clock.

  Liam followed Sawyer.

  “Are you dating my daughter?” Sawyer asked the second the porch door closed behind him.

  Liam rubbed his unshaven jaw and tried to decide what the best—safest—answer was. He suspected Sawyer was hoping he’d say yes because it would somehow alleviate the pain associated with finding Jade naked on his couch. Put a somewhat more respectable spin on it…if that was possible. However, Liam knew Jade well enough to know she’d correct anyone who tried to call him her boyfriend. He needed to play his cards right, but he wasn’t sure which Compton was the safer one to piss off—Jade or her father.

  Telling the sheriff what he was allowing Jade to believe, that this was just a summer fling, that he was merely fucking Sawyer’s daughter because he got a hard-on every time she was within fifty feet of him, was a route fraught with peril and sure death. Unfortunately, it was probably the better way to go if he hoped to succeed in winning Jade’s heart.

  “Not exactly.”

  “Did you put those marks on her neck? Her legs?”

  Liam swallowed hard, his throat constricting. There was no way in hell he could explain to Sawyer how much Jade had enjoyed his rough claiming, but one look at Sawyer’s face told him it was pointless to deny something so obvious. “Yeah. I did.”

  “If you were any other man in town, I’d fucking kill you for that.”

  Liam frowned, confused. Why was he getting a bye?

  “But I know you. I’ve watched you with my daughter. You’d never hurt Jade.”

  Liam nodded. “You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

  “You two have been friends for years and I’ll bet a hundred dollars you’ve never crossed that line before. So what’s changed? Why now?”

  Liam didn’t bother to lie. “It wasn’t minutes.”

  Sawyer’s brow crinkled. “What?”

  “The car didn’t explode minutes after we pulled Bruce out. It was only seconds.”

  Sawyer’s face went white. “What the fuck are you saying?”

  “When I got to the accident, Jade was already at the driver’s side door, trying to get Bruce out. How that wisp of a woman thought she was going to pull a man who’s nearly twice her size away from a burning vehicle, I’ll never know, but she was sure as hell trying. I smelled the gas as soon as I got out of my truck.”

  “Why didn’t you get her away?” Sawyer’s tone was pure fury.

  “You think I didn’t try? Jesus, Sawyer. I yelled, I cussed, I tried to drag her back. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going anywhere without Bruce. So I grabbed one side of him, she got the other and somehow we got Bruce across the street just before the car exploded.”

  Sawyer put his hands on the railing of the porch, and for a second, Liam thought the man was using them to hold him upright. “Mother of God. She could’ve been killed.”

  There had been an ache in Liam’s gut ever since he’d come upon the accident. He’d spent last night trying to reconcile himself to what Sawyer had just learned. They’d come damn close to losing her. If Liam hadn’t arrived when he had, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Jade would never have left her beloved boss’s side. She would have died with him.

  “I can’t stop replaying it in my mind.”

  Sawyer looked at Liam, his gaze filled with an understanding that was difficult for Liam to acknowledge. “So you brought her back here. And things changed.”

  Liam nodded.

  “I see.”

  For the first time, Liam noticed something he’d never seen before in the sheriff’s posture, his expression, some indefinable vein of strength that marked them as kindred spirits. Maybe he would escape this conversation unscathed after all.

  “She cares about you, Liam. You’ve always been a good friend to her. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on between you and Jade. Leah would tell me it’s none of my damn business. My daughter’s an adult and her choices are hers. Unfortunately, accepting that and being able to butt out are two different things. So I’ll just say this. Be very careful. Jade comes across as being tough as nails, but—”

  “She’s not. Not really.” Liam was only just beginning to understand there were aspects of Jade he’d never detected before, injured parts that would take time to heal.

  Sawyer paused. “You might not plan to hurt her, but she can be injured just the same.”

  For a moment, Liam considered opening up to Sawyer. Telling him about the fake fling, Jade moving in, his intentions for the future.

  Then he reconsidered. His feelings for Jade were too fresh, too confusing even for Liam. Until he sorted out exactly how he was progressing from here, he’d hold his peace.

  “I’ll be careful.”

  Sawyer nodded and, for a moment, Liam thought he’d say more. Mercifully, he didn’t. “Guess I’ll head over to Compass Ranch.”

  “Goodbye, Sheriff.”

  Sawyer walked back to his patrol car without another word. Twice, he hesitated, and Liam braced himself, expecting Jade’s father to change his mind, to lose his cool, to come back and punch the shit out of him. He’d seen the marks on his daughter’s neck and legs, the light bruises on her wrists. Liam wasn’t sure he’d have been able to show as much restraint if the tables had been turned. If it had been his daughter on the couch.

  Finally, Sawyer made it to the car. He started it and pulled away.

  Liam took a deep breath, then walked back into the house. Jade was still asleep. He grinned at her ability to snooze through anything. Bombs going off wouldn’t rouse the woman. He’d have to get two cups of coffee in her before she’d even start to wake up.

  He knelt beside the couch and lightly brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes opened slowly, focusing on him for only a second before taking in the rest of the room.

  “Did my dad leave?”

  Liam nodded.

  “Is he pissed?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

  A crease formed in Jade’s brow as she considered his reply. “He didn’t take a swing at you?”

  “You expected him to?”

  She nodded.

  “Thanks for coming to my defense.”

  Her grin was smug, too pleased as she sarcastically said, “Any time.”

  Liam stroked her cheek, loving the soft sigh his touch provoked. She was calmer in the morning. Most of the time, Jade stormed through life moving quickly, almost frantically, as if she was always late for something.

  He preferred this woman. The one in no hurry to go anywhere. The one who didn’t stiffen up at his gentle caresses.

  “So Dad really wasn’t mad?”

  He chuckled at her surprise, even though he’d expected the same response from Sawyer. “Nope. It was all very civil.”

  Jade closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s boring.”

  Liam laughed. “You hussy. You really are sorry he didn’t punch me, aren’t you?”

  A mischievous grin appeared as she rolled over onto her back. The sheet pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts bare for his perusal. The sexy woman didn’t have a modest bone in her body as she let him look his fill.

  “Given the way you’ve been manhandling me lately, I wouldn’t have had a problem if Dad felt the need to defend my honor.” While her face was still playful, he suspected there was some seriousness to her words. It would take Jade a damn long time to admit—even to herself—that she enjoyed being dominated sexually. She was too headstrong, willful and independent to accept that truth easily.

&
nbsp; “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. There’s still time. I do have three uncles, four rambunctious male cousins, not to mention Daniel, Wyatt and Clayton in my arsenal. I’m not worried. You’ll get yours eventually.”

  He shook his head, wondering how much danger he was in. While he figured he was safe with Daniel, the uncles, cousins and other ranch hands definitely might take exception to the rough way he’d handled Jade last night should the details ever escape.

  “Get up, Jade. I want to finish this conversation in my bed. Or better yet, I’d like to not finish it there.”

  Jade stretched lazily but made no move to rise. “I think I’m going to head on home.”

  Liam reached out and cupped her breast. He’d been waiting for this. Expecting it. “Aren’t you forgetting something? For the next two months, you’re living here.”

  She scowled. “I can’t be held accountable for anything I agreed to while under the influence of sex. You coerced me with orgasms. Therefore I’m not staying here.”

  He squeezed her breast roughly, loving the way her body responded. Jade flushed and he could feel her heart begin to race. She tried to covertly squeeze her legs together under the blanket, but he saw the action just the same. “Be a good girl, Jade, or I’ll show you what happens to bad ones.”

  His taunt had the desired reaction. She knocked his hand away from her breast and sat up, laughing. “God, you’re an arrogant prick. You wish you had that much control over me.”

  She stood, walking across the room in search of her clothing. He waited until she bent over to pick up her jeans before reacting. She pretended to dislike his dominance, but he knew better.

  Reaching for her arm, he pulled her upright, then tugged her against his chest. She put up a fight, struggling. Jade was a physical woman—in everything she did—from her chores around the ranch to her ability to break up fights in the bar. It was little wonder she craved that strength and aggression in the bedroom as well.

  Liam managed to lift her, hoisting her over his shoulder as Jade pummeled his back. He was reminded of the night of their first kiss at Spurs. In the foyer, he spotted some new straps he’d purchased at a supply store. He grinned as he grabbed them, suddenly finding a more useful purpose for them.

  Climbing the stairs, Jade rained a nonstop torrent of nasty names at him, but Liam didn’t bother to speak again until they reached his bedroom. He tossed her onto the bed, prepared to counter any attack. She didn’t disappoint him when she leapt up immediately.

  It took every ounce of strength he had to push her onto her back on the bed. Using his entire body to hold her to the mattress, he called on his rodeo background to help him subdue his wild filly. When Jade realized his intent was to bind her, she kicked the fight into high gear, managing to land two hard blows to the side of his head before he captured her hands. He bound both of them with one of his straps and secured them to the headboard.

  He paused. “What’s your safe word?”

  “Fearless.”

  “You gonna say it?”

  Jade paused. For a moment, he thought she might. Then she shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

  It was just as he suspected. She liked the fight.

  With her hands fastened to the bed, he slid lower, still using his thighs to hold her immobile. Twisting, he tied straps to her ankles. Holding tightly to the bindings, he crawled off the foot of the bed and secured her legs, spread eagle to the bottom posts.

  Jade’s breathing was loud, her entire body flushed with the exertion. “Had your fun?”

  He had to hand it to her. Even defeated, Jade never gave in. Her voice was strong, almost mocking. He might have her tied to his bed, but it would take more than a few straps to hold her.

  He crossed his arms, refusing to show weakness, but the intimidating pose only made her laugh. “Ooo, look at you, Mr. Tough Guy.”

  He smiled, enjoying their game of wills. Jade challenged him, kept him on his toes. Life with her would never be dull, predictable.

  Kneeling between her outstretched legs, he countered her strong words with soft touches. Liam lightly stroked her clit, pleased by how well he’d tied her. Jade tried to shake off his fingers, but the straps left her very little wiggle room—literally.

  He ran his fingers along her wet pussy, traveling straight to her ass. He circled her anus, using the moisture he’d gathered from her aroused body as he pushed a single finger in to the first knuckle.

  Jade gasped and tried to move once more. Liam noticed the tenor of her struggles changed. He didn’t think her motions were driven by the desire to escape anymore.

  “Move in with me. Just for a little while.”

  “Why?”

  He paused briefly. “What?”

  “Why do you want me to stay here? And don’t tell me it’s just for sex. You know as well as I do, now that we’ve opened that floodgate, there’s precious little—including time and place—that will stop us from coming together.”

  She was too savvy, too perceptive to buy his lame excuses. He should have known better, but he was thinking with the wrong head these days.

  He studied her face, then decided it might be time to start clueing her in to some of his intentions. “You said a real relationship between us could never work. That we fight too much.”

  Jade wiggled her bound hands, drawing his attention to them as if to say her current position proved that very point.

  He ignored her actions. “You’re wrong.”

  She frowned. “So what? Neither of us is looking for anything long-term. Why does it matter?”

  “It just does.” He was hanging himself out to dry with every word he spoke. Yet part of him wanted her to see what was going on, to understand exactly what was at stake.

  Jade fell silent for several moments, uncertain how to reply to Liam’s admission. Something had shaken loose in him last night. She’d noticed it in the hospital, as they waited for word of Bruce’s condition.

  She’d tried to dismiss his overblown reaction to the accident as the result of an adrenaline rush. Something they could erase with hot, rough sex.

  Only the remedy had backfired. Rather than calming Liam down, it seemed to ignite even more of this previously unseen possessiveness.

  The same response from any other man on earth would have had her kicking the guy to the curb, reading him the riot act for thinking he could actually attempt to stake a claim on her.

  But for some reason, that didn’t hold true for Liam. She was experiencing an unfamiliar tug. Part of her actually liked that he’d been so afraid of losing her that he freaked out. It warmed some long-cold spaces inside her. His possession didn’t feel stifling or threatening or overwhelming. It just felt…good.

  Which was bad. Regardless of his opinion, she knew herself—knew them—well enough to know they were skirting a dangerous line. She didn’t do relationships. Had never managed to date anyone successfully for more than a few weeks. Something about the concept of forever caused her chest to tighten with fear and she couldn’t shake that.

  She wouldn’t live her life like Vivi, who’d spent more than two decades with a broken heart, longing for the man she’d loved and lost. Her Granddaddy JD had succumbed to cancer before Jade was even born. Her grandmother had spent Jade’s entire lifetime with that gaping hole left behind when he died. Jade could only begin to imagine how unbearable that pain and loneliness was for Vivi. Though she’d never spoken it aloud, sometimes Jade wondered if Vivi’s memory loss was actually a coping mechanism, a way for her grandmother to forget the man she missed so much.

  Jade wouldn’t sign on for something like that. Not even for Liam. And she couldn’t believe he’d want to either. After all, hadn’t he just spent the last eight years of his life mourning for Celia? He couldn’t seriously want to take a chance on more pain, more loss. He was just having a weak moment, feeling lonely. The mood would pass soon enough. It had to.

  While she loved Liam as a friend, she refu
sed to stand in as a replacement for his true love. She may not long for marriage or commitment, but by the same token, she wouldn’t play runner-up to the woman who would always hold Liam’s heart.

  She studied his face. Forced herself to really see him. His eyes were as familiar to her as her own and she had always been very good at reading the expressions she found there. Right now, she saw hope laced with fear and a fair bit of confusion residing in his dark brown eyes.

  He was her best friend and she was going to hurt him. Badly. She knew that as sure as she knew Liam’s favorite meal was chipped beef gravy on pancakes.

  She also knew nothing was going to change that outcome. They’d started something that neither of them could stop now. She would simply have to hold him to the time limit. Pray that two months would be enough for their strange moods to pass. She’d get over her blues, Liam would recover from his loneliness and they’d move on.

  “Fine. I’ll go home this afternoon and pack some clothes.”

  Liam’s gaze narrowed. Clearly he was suspicious. She didn’t blame him. She wasn’t exactly famous for her ability to give in easily. However, in the past, she’d never felt this pure, straight-to-the-bone terror before. She agreed to his demand because it was the quickest way to make him stop talking.

  Liam moved over her, caging her beneath him with his hands on the mattress by her sides. “Are you saying that just so I’ll untie you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want you to free me. At least, not yet.” She gave him a suggestive wink, hoping to lift the heaviness surrounding them.

  Liam didn’t take the bait, his expression still distrusting. “Can you take a few weeks off from Compass Ranch?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “I want you to work here, with me, with Fearless.”

  If he’d made the same offer any other day, she would have hooted and hollered and danced the Texas two-step. However, now she questioned the reason behind the offer. Did he think she would try to weasel out of living with him? Was he trying to sweeten the pot?

  While the extra incentive wasn’t necessary, she grabbed it anyway. “I’m sure I can. School’s out for the summer and there are a bunch of high school kids looking for work. I’ll talk my uncles into hiring a couple while I come here. If you’re sure that’s what you really want.”