by Dylann Crush
She gripped his arms, lifted her hips, searching for the friction she needed.
Denied.
Her eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering in from the front windows. She expected a cocky grin, a smug, self-satisfied smirk. But instead, his eyes filled with heat. Deep, intense heat.
She worked his T-shirt up his abs until he whipped it over his head. This was happening. This horrible, awful, very bad thing was happening between them. And it felt so incredibly good.
* * *
Need took over. Edged out any rational thought from his brain. And thank goodness for that, because rational thought would tell him this was a monumental mistake. Then Jinx moved under him. The ripped-up, black leggings sailed over his shoulder. His hand traveled over soft skin that pebbled under his touch. He lifted his lips from her neck long enough to shed his jeans and boxer briefs. She stretched beneath him, rubbing every exposed inch against him. Skin on skin. Groaning, he felt for his jeans on the floor. Condom in the wallet. The just-in-case protection he’d carried around with him for longer than he cared to remember.
Her hair fanned out behind her onto the arm of the couch. So many reasons why this was a bad idea. As he struggled to remember just one of them, his radio crackled.
“Cash, you there?” Tippy asked over the radio.
Dammit, couldn’t the man figure something out on his own for once? Cash tried to ignore him, to refocus his attention on the woman sprawled out naked underneath him.
“If you can hear me, we got a situation over here,” Tippy continued, his voice filling the weighted silence.
“You need to go?” Jinx made a move to roll out from under him.
“No. He can handle whatever’s going on.” He brushed her hair back from her cheek. “I’m otherwise engaged, wouldn’t you say?”
She nodded, then pulled his head down to hers, their lips connecting. Her body rubbed against his, urging him on.
The radio crackled again. “Last chance. I’ve got your brother here. Caused a bit of a fuss out at the Deere dealership. Figured you might want to get your hands on him before I take him in.”
Cash scrambled for the radio. “What’s he done?”
“Finally. I figured you were asleep, since you hadn’t answered yet.”
He ran his tongue over his lower lip; the taste of Jinx’s lip balm lingered. “Nah, just wrapping something up. Who is it, Presley?”
Tippy chuckled. “Believe it or not, it’s Statler.”
Cash struggled to his feet, already feeling around on the floor for his underwear. “You sure? What the hell did he do?”
“I’d…uh…rather not say over the air. Can you come and get him?”
“I’ll be there in ten.” He tossed the radio onto a cushion, then leaned down to where Jinx sat on the edge of the couch. “I’m sorry. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. It’s one of my brothers. I’ve gotta go see what the hell he’s gotten himself into. You sure you’re all right?” He caught her hand as she stood from the couch.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, we just—”
“We got caught up.” She shrugged. “Can I use your bathroom?”
He pointed across the living room to a hall. “Second door on the left.”
“Thanks.” She let his hand fall. Her bare ass sashayed across the room.
Cash cradled his head in his hands. What the hell? Yeah, they’d almost defiled his sofa. But he didn’t do casual sex. He didn’t get “caught up” either. Always the epitome of calm and controlled, he maintained a tight rein on his actions and emotions. Things didn’t catch him off guard.
Until now.
He made his way to the bedroom to grab a fresh set of clothes. If she wanted to play this off as a spur of the moment, casual hookup, he’d roll along with that. Seemed the most logical explanation anyway, since he still hadn’t figured out how he’d gone from threatening to arrest her to almost burying himself inside her.
Stress.
Lack of sleep.
Worry over Kenzie.
All that must have had something to do with his momentary lapse of control. That and this woman threw him off guard. Something about her rang silent alarms. He hadn’t been able to pinpoint it…yet.
The clock over the mantel chimed four o’clock. He straightened the couch cushions, flipped on the tableside lamp, and waited for her to exit the bathroom.
“Hey, Cash?” The door cracked open.
“Yeah?” He was on his feet, headed her way before she stuck her head out the doorway.
“You have a T-shirt or something I can sleep in? All of my things are wet.”
He padded into the bedroom and grabbed a shirt from the top of his drawer along with a pair of shorts. “Here you go.”
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom. With his shirt hanging down to graze her knees, she looked so young, so vulnerable, so frightened. Where was the badass biker chick who’d been slinging comebacks at him from across the bar?
Jinx held the shorts out to him. “They don’t fit. But thanks for trying. I’ll just lay my stuff out to dry. They’ll be fine by morning.” She moved past him to retrieve her shirt and pants from the hardwood floor. Seemed to take her much longer than necessary to drape them over his kitchen chairs before she turned back toward him.
“Is the offer for the couch still good?” She’d scrubbed her face free of makeup and twisted her hair up on top of her head, making her look even younger than he’d originally suspected.
“Um, yeah. Or if you want, you can go ahead and take the bed. I don’t know how long I’ll be but—”
“Couch is good. Maybe just a blanket?”
So they were going to ignore it. Not even acknowledge it. Is that how casual hookups went nowadays? He was way too far out of practice to know for sure, but this was fine by him.
He pulled a fluffy fleece blanket from the linen closet and a pillow to go with it. “Here. You need anything else?”
“Nope. I’m good. Thanks for…um…everything. I’ll get out of your way by morning.” She glanced around the open-concept first floor. “What time will Kenzie be home?”
“Not until after breakfast. They usually move pretty slow in the mornings.”
“That’s good. I wouldn’t want her to be confused if she found me here.”
“Yeah.” He hadn’t been thinking with his head. His daughter didn’t need to get caught up wishing and hoping that Jinx would stick around.
“So…um…good night?” She held the blanket against her chest, essentially giving him a major brush-off.
“Good night. You need anything before I get back, give me a call.”
“I won’t.”
He nodded, sure she wouldn’t. He edged toward the front door, wondering what the hell had just happened and what he was supposed to do about it.
Chapter Eight
Jinx stared at the ceiling for hours. When Cash returned just after six, she pretended to already be asleep. He must have left his bedroom door cracked. Probably wanted to make sure she didn’t steal anything. Even so, his steady breathing soothed her numb nerves. Listening to him breathe in and out, a reminder she was in his house, on his couch, at his mercy, gave her a sense of security but also set her on the edge of a panic attack. She vacillated until the sun began to spread a pinkish, reddish glow through the early morning sky, and she finally closed her eyes.
Clanging pots and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee woke her. Paradise. Wade hated the smell of coffee, so it had been months since she’d treated herself to a hot cup of homemade brew. She cracked an eyelid to find herself nose to nose with Kenzie’s freckled face.
“She’s awake, Daddy!”
“Kenzie, I told you to let Jinx sleep. She was up late last nigh
t.” Cash’s bare feet slapped the floor as he crept close to Kenzie, slung an arm around her waist, and pulled her away from the couch.
“But her eyes are open, see?” Kenzie twisted in his arms, pointing a finger her direction.
“So they are.” The two of them towered over her. The smell of bodywash drifted off Cash. That and the damp hair meant he’d probably just showered. That would be a luxury. Maybe she could beg a quick shower before she hoofed it into town to see if Dixie’s offer was still good.
“Morning.” She squinted up at them. Father and daughter. Fragments of the night before flitted through her head. She’d almost done a dad. And a freaking cop at that. So much for making better choices.
“It’s not morning anymore.” Kenzie beamed. “Daddy said you slept like you were dead.”
“What time is it?”
Cash glanced to the clock. “Almost one.”
“Oh my gosh.” She threw the blanket aside. The cooler air hit her bare legs. No pants. That’s right. Her leggings and her panties were still draped over one of his kitchen chairs. Kenzie had turned toward the kitchen. At least she hadn’t just flashed Cash’s daughter from the waist down.
The look on Cash’s face showed he’d caught a glimpse though. Otherwise, why had the smile morphed into the same kind of dark intensity she’d seen last night?
“Kenzie, why don’t you go get Hendrix? Jinx probably wants to say hi.”
“Okay.” She skipped to the hall, calling out behind her. “He spent the night at Nana and Papa’s last night.”
As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Cash gathered Jinx’s clothes and tossed them to her. “Sorry about that. I forgot you didn’t have pants on.”
“Thanks. Everything turn out okay with your brother last night?”
“Yeah. Statler somehow got locked into the cab of a combine over at the Deere dealership.”
“A combine?”
“A big tractor kind of thing. Presley had a hand in it. My brothers need to grow up and stop trying to outprank each other.”
“Mmm.” Jinx nodded, making the walk of shame from the couch toward the bathroom, the fuzzy blanket wrapped around her hips. Before she reached the sanctity of the bathroom, Cash cleared his throat, drawing her attention.
Her lacy, black boy shorts dangled from his finger. “Forgot something.”
She snagged them from his outstretched hand. Could things get much worse?
The front door opened. Ann and Tom bustled in, arms full of bags. Jinx froze, her foot in midair. No way. Hello, much worse.
“There she is.” Ann set her bags on the foyer floor and moved toward Jinx. “How are you feeling this morning? When Cash told us what happened, well, we brought you some necessities.”
What could Cash have told them? Surely not that they’d almost had hot, wild, primal sex on the cowhide sectional? She felt like she was standing in the middle of a stage, spotlights trained on her, buck naked, so uncomfortable to be the center of their attention. Her gaze traveled across the room to meet his.
“Sorry.” Cash stepped between his mom and Jinx. “Mom, she just woke up. I think she’s feeling better but is still a little out of it. Maybe you could come back later?”
Ann reached around him and placed her palm on Jinx’s forehead. “You do feel a little warm. It’s probably one of those twenty-four-hour bugs that’s been going around. Let’s move you into Cash’s room. I’ll just throw some clean sheets on the bed, and we’ll get you settled, okay?” Without waiting for a response, she moved down the hall, toward Cash’s room. “Kenzie, be a doll and come help Nana.”
Kenzie held Hendrix out to Jinx. “Be right back.”
Jinx scooped him up with one hand, the other still holding the blanket tight around her middle. Hendrix wiggled in her grip, trying to smother her face in kisses. Jinx glared at Cash, willing him to provide some sort of explanation. Before he could speak, Tom crossed to the kitchen table and set down his bags.
“Good thing Cash found you when he did. The creek rose last night. Flooded several acres. It’s gonna be a mess out there for a while.”
“I’m just going to go freshen up.” Jinx focused on the open bathroom door. If she could reach the room, she could close the door and pinch herself out of this whacked dream she must have been having.
“Ann brought you something dry to wear.” Tom rummaged through a bag, pulled out a silky nightgown, and held it out toward Jinx.
She just stared.
Cash took it from his dad’s hands and shuffled toward her. “I’ll explain later, okay?” he muttered.
Speechless, she took the nightie and continued to the bathroom. Finally, she clicked the door closed behind her and flipped the lock. How long could she hide? Long enough for her hookup’s parents to leave the building? Maybe they’d take his daughter with them. She’d picked the wrong guy to engage in a night of bumping uglies.
She held the nightgown out in front of her. Tiny purple and pink flowers on a light blue background. Not nearly as sexy as what it looked like in Cash’s huge paw. But still. There was no way she was going to slip into lingerie picked out by her…her…her what? Her boss’s mom? She’d found herself in the middle of some crazy situations over the years. But never, ever had she woken up the morning after to find herself face-to-face with a guy’s kid or parents. A knife-wielding ex? Hell yeah. She’d even been chased out of bed by a jealous Rottweiler once. But Mom and Dad and the rest of the family? This was a first.
And a last.
Engine be damned. She could catch a bus to New Orleans and come back after the holidays to get her bike. If she called Jamie and told her she’d changed her mind about waiting for her bike to get fixed, she could be on her way later this afternoon. As soon as she ditched Cash and the rest of the Walkers.
She cracked open the door and peeked out. Cash and his parents sat at the oversize wooden kitchen table. Her gaze darted around the room, at least as much as she could see from the skinny crack in the doorway. The house was a blend of rustic and modern. Exposed stone walls met with log-cabin siding. The couch she’d spent the night on took up half of the living room. A cowhide print, splotches of brown and white, the couch faced a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The kitchen sparkled. Stainless-steel appliances, everything in its place.
Except her. She was definitely out of place.
Cash lifted a mug to his mouth and glanced her way. His eyebrows rose. He’d seen her.
She left the safety of the bathroom, decked out in her leggings and Cash’s shirt. Hendrix trotted behind her, trying to keep up.
“Did the nightgown not fit?” Ann pushed back from the table and stood. “We can get a different size if you want.”
“No, it’s not that.” Jinx’s stomach sank, thudding like a heavy rock into her boots. “I need to get going. Thanks for letting me crash here last night. I—”
“But Daddy made pancakes. He made me wait until you got up to have some. You can’t leave before pancakes.” Kenzie tugged on her hand, pulling her toward the table.
Cash stood and held out a chair. “No, you can’t leave before pancakes.”
“Nana and I made Hendrix a poncho last night.” Kenzie let go of her hand and ran to the other room, returning with a red-and-green fleecy square of fabric. “Nana had it left over from when she made last year’s pajamas.”
“Wow, I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. Thanks.” Jinx smiled as Kenzie slipped the poncho over the dog’s head. He held perfectly still while she secured it under his belly, then pranced around her in a circle. Traitor.
“Nana makes jammies for all of us every year. She said I’m big enough to help this time.” Kenzie rocked back on her heels, a giant, proud smile plastered across her face.
“Do you want syrup?” Cash asked, dangling the bottle of syrup from his fingers.
“Syrup,” Jinx mumbl
ed.
“It’s just syrup,” Cash added.
Jinx buried her face in her hands. He didn’t understand. She didn’t do syrup. She didn’t do dads. She didn’t do breakfasts the morning after. She didn’t do any of this.
“You know what? I’m not very hungry. I’ll just grab my stuff and head out.”
“Where are you going to go?” Cash cocked a hip.
“Mr. and Mrs. Walker, it’s been nice…uh…seeing you again. Kenzie, thanks for taking care of Hendrix. I’m going to head into town and check on my bike.”
“I can run you over to Dwight’s later.”
“That’s okay. I can walk.”
Cash’s gaze drilled into her. “Why are you so damn stubborn?”
“You owe the curse jar!” Kenzie piped up, her mouth stuffed full of pancakes.
“Why are you such a bully?” Jinx demanded.
“I’m just offering you breakfast. Have a pancake, Jinx. Would it kill you to sit down and eat a fucking pancake?”
Kenzie’s eyes widened at the f-bomb.
Ann pushed back from the table. “I think we’ll head out. Cash, Jinx, Kenzie, you’re all invited for dinner at the house tonight.” She pressed a kiss to Kenzie’s temple and scooted toward the front door. Tom followed.
Cash set the bottle of syrup on the table and held up a finger. “Can you wait here, please? I’ll be back in just a minute.”
He trailed his parents to the front door.
“Daddy owes the curse jar a whole bunch now.” Kenzie struggled to separate a bite of pancake from the stack.
“Want some help with that?”
The little girl nodded. Jinx sat down next to her and picked up a knife and fork. She cut the stack of hotcakes into bite-size pieces, then popped one into her mouth.