A Good Day for Chardonnay

by Darynda Jones

  “Yes, I do. You’re her daughter.”

  She scoffed. “You don’t know my mother very well.”

  “I’m not saying you won’t get in trouble. I’m saying I won’t. Because you compelled me.” He tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. “I’d be under your spell. That’s something your mom will understand. I promise. Also, she likes me.”

  Auri tilted her head. “She does, doesn’t she?”

  “She let me stay in your room when she could’ve arrested me.”

  “That says a lot.” Something dinged on Cruz’s small desk and Auri looked over at the clock perched atop it, the red digits forming the numbers eight zero zero.

  “Oh, my God.” She catapulted to her feet. “Is that the time?”

  “Did you sneak out again?”

  “I’m so sorry.” She twirled around, looking for her things even though she didn’t have any. “I have to go.”

  “I thought you were going to cut back.”

  “My grandparents went out on a date. They’ll be back any second. Is that really the time?”

  “Yes,” he said, casting her a sideways smirk.

  “I’m dead. I am so dead.” She ran to the window and practically fell out of it. “Oh,” she said, turning back to him once she gained her footing, “wear comfortable clothes tomorrow and shoes you can sprint in, just in case we have to run from my mom.”

  “Okay,” he said, watching her from the window.

  Auri jumped on her bike and sped off. A light came on in the kitchen as she rode past and blind panic spurred her faster. She could only hope she didn’t get Cruz into trouble.

  10

  Forecast for tonight:

  Alcohol, low standards, and poor decisions.

  —SIGN AT THE ROADHOUSE BAR AND GRILL

  It wasn’t that late when Sun and Quincy got back. Part of her felt bad considering her parents had wanted a date night. But another part, a bigger part, didn’t feel the least bit concerned. It was their fault she was sheriff.

  After checking in at the station and finding out they’d recaptured Randy the raccoon, rescuing him from inside a vending machine, Sun headed home for a much-needed shower and a glass of wine. She would have made it, too, had her fuel light not come on.

  She pulled into the Quick-Mart and parked beside her favorite gas pump: number three. Humble. Nondescript. Unassuming. But because the credit card machine still wasn’t working on pump number three, she had to go inside to pay.

  She stepped into the small convenience store and slammed into a brick wall. When she bounced back, she looked up into the face of the brick wall. A wall named Levi Ravinder. For some reason, her hand immediately went to her gun. Thankfully she had the wherewithal to leave it holstered, but he’d tracked the involuntary movement with his caramel-colored irises before refocusing on her face.

  She did the same to him. The bruising had only gotten worse. His left eye was swollen with dark, puffy splotches. His jaw was a combination of several shades of blue under the scruff, yet somehow the damage only added to his appeal.

  When he questioned her with a minuscule lift of a single brow, she dropped both her hand and her gaze. The latter landed on the items he’d just bought: a large coffee and a giant bottle of painkillers.

  Concern rocketed through her, but she slipped into her best poker face and stared him down. Or up, as the case may be. “I see you’re still alive.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Did you ever get checked out?”

  “I checked him out,” the cashier said, a twenty-something named Lottie, who stood staring at Levi like he’d just saved the world from an alien invasion. Lottie was the younger sister of a classmate and had been destined for stardom. The fact that she was working at the Quick-Mart for Mr. Walden was a little depressing.

  Sun didn’t respond to her. Instead, she waited for Levi to answer.

  “I’ve been busy,” he said at last.

  “Right.” She nodded, unconvinced. “Did you find them?”

  “I found where they aren’t.”

  “That’s one way of looking at it.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the parking lot. “No wonder we haven’t picked you up yet. You switched trucks.” She recognized the only other vehicle on the premises, a dark gray F-150. It belonged to Levi’s distillery, Dark River Shine, but she’d never seen him drive it.

  “Don’t bother,” he said when she made a mental note of the truck. “I won’t be driving it much longer.”

  “No, you won’t.” She turned back to him. “Because I’m taking you in.”

  He graced her with a pitying curve to his mouth. “No can do, Sheriff. I’m still looking for the men who attacked Seabright.”

  “As are we.”

  “And how far have you gotten?”

  “About as far as you have from the looks of it.”

  After a lengthy stare-down during which she tried to assess the damage to his left eye, the hemorrhage alarmingly dark, he started around her. “I’ll be on my way.”

  She blocked him with a sidestep and her palm once again landed on her duty weapon. The reflex spoke more to her years of service than to any question about how dangerous Levi Ravinder was. He was very dangerous, just not to her.

  Or so she’d thought until he closed the distance between them and glared down at her. “Are you really going to try to stop me?” he asked, his voice deep and even.

  “Only if you make me.” Her mind raced through the plethora of offensive moves she could use to subdue the man, the same man who stood a head above her, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him any further. Still, if he forced her hand, she would have no choice. “I’m taking you in, Levi. And then I’m taking you to urgent care.”

  She reached for a plastic tie on her belt, hoping it wouldn’t come to that, when a loud crash reverberated from behind the counter. Sun looked over and jumped the barrier. Lottie was having a seizure, her dark head thrown back, her arms stiff, her back arched.

  “Call 911!” she shouted to Levi as she cleared the immediate area of anything Lottie could hurt herself on. Then she pressed the TALK button on her mic when she realized Levi hadn’t answered her.

  She rose onto her feet. Both man and truck were gone. When she looked back, Lottie was coming out of it. She scooted against the liquor case, her knees drawn, hands cradling her forehead.

  Sun squelched the dubious scowl threatening to break free. “Stay put. I’ll call an ambulance.”

  Lottie’s eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. “Oh, no. I just need some water. I’m much better now.”

  Sun leaned closer and let the barest hint of the scowl she’d been holding back float to the surface. “Oh, I insist.”

  The sheepish air that came over Lottie’s entire demeanor spoke volumes as Sun depressed the talk button on her mic. Lottie was going to urgent care and she’d have every test known to man run on her before the day was done if Sun had anything to do with it. Or she could charge her with obstruction. So many choices, so few hours in the day.

  * * *

  The lights were out at the Freyr house, thus Sun headed straight for her own humble abode and the magnificent shower ensconced within. No need to wake Auri.

  Thirty minutes later, squeaky clean and slightly annoyed that Carver had texted her yet again, she’d settled on her sofa in a knee-length nightshirt, beige slouch socks, and an overfilled glass of chardonnay. She opened her laptop to do some research on Keith Seabright when a knock sounded at the door. She froze. Surely he wouldn’t. Surely he didn’t know where she lived.

  She took a huge gulp of wine, then stood and walked to the door, fully prepared to confront Carver and inform him that their one date was also going to be their only date. Honestly, the nerve of the guy.

  She did a quick scan of the room. All of her strategically placed décor that served as lethal weapons should she or Auri ever need them were in place. A metal arrangement with razor-sharp, detachable leaves. An umbrella in a stand
that harbored a short sword. A tissue box with a Taser underneath.

  The first thing she did every time she entered the house was lock up her gun. The wall safe sat just inside the front door. Having seen too many crime scenes, she quickly entered the combination and let the door crack open on its hinges.

  “It’s just me,” Quincy said outside the door. “No need to unlock the safe.”

  She looked through the fish-eye lens at her bestie’s handsome face, then relocked the safe before opening the door. “What are you doing here?”

  “Date night.”

  She looked down at her oversized nightshirt and the thick knit socks bunched around her ankles. She’d pulled her wet hair into a ponytail and applied a mask that was, thankfully, invisible to the naked eye, besides giving her an unnatural shine. “So soon?”

  “No time like the present.” He lifted a box of wine.

  “I had no idea boxed wine was a real thing,” she lied, opening the door wider.

  “Yeah, it’s all I had.” He’d showered, too. The scent of soap and warm cologne filled the air as he walked inside. “I prefer the term cardboardeaux.”

  “Okay, then,” she said, fighting a grin and questioning their decision. Was this really happening? With her best friend? With Quincy? After closing the door, it hit her. What was really going on. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You just want to get laid.”

  He put the wine on her snack bar and turned back to her. “Well, yeah.”

  Fair enough. “Yeah, me too.” Sun walked to her still-full glass of wine and downed it in five massive gulps before coming up for air.

  The edges of his mouth slid into a humorous smile. “Nervous?”

  She coughed then walked up to him, holding the glass out for more. He refilled it before pouring himself one, and they went to town on a boxed red with subtle hints of fruit. Like, really subtle.

  “Is that prunes?” she asked, smacking her lips.

  He shrugged and downed another glass, apparently as nervous as she was. And they had to get back to work in ten hours.

  The wine hit her instantly. She walked to the sofa and sat down before it and the world got pulled out from under her.

  He joined her there.

  “We need to set some ground rules,” she said, a strong buzz already taking hold.

  “Agreed. You come first.”

  She choked on the sip she’d been in the middle of taking and decided a slower approach to the wine thing would be best for all involved. “What? No. Why? What about you?”

  “Honey, don’t worry about me. I can come inside of three seconds.”

  “It takes a big man to admit that.”

  He sobered and studied her, before admitting, “You aren’t like the other women in my life.”

  “Inflatable?”

  “They had their reasons for being with me. I just … I want this to be good for you.” His statement was almost sad.

  “Okay.” Possibly more aroused than she cared to admit after seeing Levi, she sat her wine down and attacked. It had been a long time. A very, very, very long time.

  He lifted her onto his lap and she draped her arms over his wide shoulders before reality sank in. Kissing him was about as stimulating as kissing the back of her own hand. She turned her head, and said, “Oh, my God, wait.”

  “Okay,” he said from behind a trail of kisses from her mouth to her ear.

  It was enough to make her forget where she put her senses again. To throw caution to the wind. For the protest that had formed on the tip of her tongue to vanish.

  He stopped and licked his lips, his expression similar to when Sun ate Lemonheads. “What is on your face?”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s a mask. You don’t want to lick that.”

  Her mouth covered his again.

  He was everything a girl could want. Insanely handsome. Amazing body. Fantastic personality. A girl would be crazy not to desire him, which had her questioning her sanity when she broke off the kiss again.

  But she pulled back at the same time he did. They looked at each other, the hopelessness of the situation sinking in.

  Then a thought hit her. “Maybe we need to be naked.”

  “Of course!” He knocked a palm against his head. “That’s exactly what we need.”

  They kissed all the way to her bedroom, ripping off clothes as they went, bumping into this table and that dresser. She may have heard a crash or two, but she couldn’t be certain. He broke off the kiss to lift his shirt over his head in that way men do and, admittedly, her knees weakened just a little. His pecs were the stuff of legend.

  Before Sun knew it, her skin was brushing across his and he felt good. She had to admit it, and yet …

  They stopped again, naked in each other’s arms, their breaths coming in short, agitated gulps.

  The look in his eyes, although resigned, was filled with admiration. “You are so beautiful, Sunny.”

  She ran her hands over his biceps. “So are you, handsome.” She gestured toward the bed. “How about we take a break.”

  She crawled into bed as Quincy went to refill their glasses of prune-flavored wine. A part of her adored him even more now. And she didn’t doubt that another part of her did love him in that way. They’d just been friends for so long.

  When he came back to the bedroom, he was wearing his underwear. Charcoal-gray boxer briefs. He handed her a glass, then slid his legs under the covers with her and leaned back against the headboard.

  “Now we know,” he said, almost sadly.

  “Now we know.” She ran her fingers along the rim of her glass. “Who are you trying to forget?”

  “What?” he asked, coming out of a trance he’d been in.

  “Who are you pining after?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Quincy.” She put a hand on his jaw and turned him toward her. “Of course it does. Is it Zee?”

  There had been an instant attraction between the two, but as far as Sun knew, neither had acted upon it.

  “No, Sunbeam. She’s all kinds of gorgeous, but…”

  “But you gave your heart to someone else.”

  “You might say that.”

  “When?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “You’ve been gone a long time.”

  “Wait, it’s not really my mother is it?”

  He laughed. “No, though I have to admit, if not for your father, I would’ve proposed to that woman years ago.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Always.”

  “When did you get a bacon tattoo?”

  He glanced down. On the left side of his impressive abs sat two slices of bacon. “Told you. You’ve been gone a long time.”

  “You got a bacon tattoo and didn’t tell me?”

  “’Parently.”

  “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

  “I’m like a wild stallion, Sunburn.”

  She tried not to snort. She failed. After taking one more sip, she put her glass on the nightstand, and scooted down beneath the covers.

  He did the same, turning to face her. “It’s really too bad.”

  “What is?”

  “That you’re missing out. I could’ve made the heavens open up and the angels sing.”

  “You’re that good, huh?”

  “I would’ve made you question everything you know about the S-word.”

  “Syphilis?”

  “You’d never be the same again.”

  A languorous sigh escaped him as the Sandman lured her closer and closer to oblivion. It had been a long two days. Then again, who was she kidding? It had been a long four months, and she didn’t know what she would’ve done without Quincy by her side. “I am in love with you, you know.”

  He ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’m in love with you, too, Sunburn. In so many ways.” He leaned forward and kissed her again, his mouth warm and pliant against hers.

  When he leaned back, she g
rinned at him. “Kissing you is like kissing my brother.”

  One sexy corner of his mouth lifted playfully. “You don’t have a brother.”

  “Which makes it even weirder.”

  “Yeah, well you drooled in the car while you were sleeping.”

  “Shit,” she said even though she already knew. “Was that the deal-breaker?”

  He laughed softly, his eyes drifting shut. “Honey, if my standards were that high, I would never date at all.”

  “Who is she?” she asked him one last time before letting the darkness overtake her. She thought she heard a name whispered on his breath but couldn’t be certain.

  * * *

  She dreamed of rain. It pelted the metal around them, but they were safe inside. The space was cramped, but she didn’t care. That just meant he had to be that much closer to her.

  Hands caressed her back. Slid over her ass. Cupped her breasts. Hands she’d wanted to be caressed by for so long she could hardly believe it was actually happening.

  Sitting astride him, she leaned back and gazed into the whiskey-colored irises of Levi Ravinder. So exquisitely real. But he was younger. She was younger. They took refuge from the downpour inside his old truck. Where some would see a pile of junk, she saw a classic. It fit him perfectly. The sensual shape. The warm colors. The growl it made when he’d cruised into the parking lot that night at school. He’d graduated already, but he’d come back for the big game, and Sun’s world toppled all over again.

  Lightning flashed bright and hot to reveal his heavy-lidded gaze as it slid over her. She sat straddled atop his lap and he pulled her down to him. Pressed her mouth to his. Pushed his fingers between her legs.

  She’d never felt anything like it. Heat flooded her nether regions like a tidal wave of molten lava. It pooled in her abdomen and throbbed with a sensation so exquisite, she bit her lip to keep from gasping aloud. Then his hands were at the waistband of her jeans. The button. The zipper.

  Cool air rushed over her when he peeled them off only to be replaced by the warmth of his palms. Long fingers spread her apart and pressed inside, and that familiar pressure formed in the distance. Each time he brushed his thumb over her clit, the pressure grew, coming closer and closer. He bent his head and drew a nipple into his mouth.