Chapter Fourteen
I couldn’t down the three amber-colored shots fast enough.
Ox grimaced. “Shit. The warden’s here.”
Jake strode over, his eyes flicking to each of his friends as disapproval colored his face. “You bought her a drink?” he asked, disbelief rooted strongly in his tone. “Never figured you three for traitors.” Jake gave them a harsh, cold-eyed stare that made my heart pound against my rib cage.
“Glad you could make it,” Cowboy said with an unconcerned smile. “About time you got here.”
“Had some catching up to do,” Jake replied, still looking at me.
I glared over at Cowboy. “You knew he was coming!” It wasn’t a question.
“Are you kidding? Have you met Jake?” Cowboy looked back at Jake. “How’d you get here, anyway?”
“I borrowed Hank’s pickup. I’ll need you to bring the Explorer back tomorrow. I’m driving Emily home in the truck.”
“God, Jake. You’re such a buzzkill.”
“And you’re a sneaky little—”
Cowboy got up, scraping his chair on the floor. “We’ll give you two a few minutes alone.” He motioned to Ox and Judd to follow him toward the bar.
As soon as they left, Jake started in on me. “I can’t believe you lied to me.”
“I told you I wanted to go out. I was honest…ish.”
“Are you hardwired to drive me insane? If so, you’re doing a damn good job of it. I’ve never seen a grown woman act like such a thoughtless, thickheaded, temperamental, tantrum-throwing toddler.”
I could almost admire the alliteration of his words if it hadn’t been meant as an insult. “Jeez, Dr. Seuss, tell me how you really feel.”
Jake gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. “Why do you have such a lack of commitment to your own safety?”
I sidestepped his question with one of my own. “Why does your concern feel more like control?”
“Because you can’t seem to restrain yourself from giving in to impulses.”
“God, you don’t know how to have fun, do you?”
“Sure I do. I’ll show you how much fun I’m going to have dragging your ass back to the house,” Jake said, pulling me out of my chair. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
I drew back from him. “No. I just got here.”
He tightened his grip on my arm and shook me. “You don’t want to go there. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and force you if I have to.”
A big guy at the table next to us stepped over, sizing Jake up before his eyes settled on me. “Is there a problem?”
The cords in Jake’s neck muscles tightened, but he let go of my arm. Jake was itching for a throwdown and obviously had the urge to punch something. Since I knew he wouldn’t hit me, I worried he’d just found his target.
“No, no problem,” I told the big guy. “Right, Jake?”
Cowboy, Ox, and Judd must’ve been watching from a distance. Suddenly, they stood next to Jake, awaiting the showdown brewing in the air. Or maybe they just wanted to take part in it.
“You need any help getting her out of here?” Cowboy asked, tauntingly eyeing the overgrown man next to me.
“Nope. She’s stubborn, that’s all,” Jake said, making his friends grin, and me roll my eyes.
The big man wasn’t keen on the idea of fighting once he became outnumbered. He backed off and sat in his chair without another word.
“Yeah,” Cowboy said with a triumphant grin. “She does offer a unique set of challenges, doesn’t she?”
Jake closed the physical space between us and wrapped his arm tightly around my waist. With a commanding presence, he tried to maneuver me toward the door.
I planted my feet firmly on the floor. “Jake, if you try to pull me out the door, I’m going to scream. I’ll cause an even bigger scene than I did at Dairy Queen.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Jake said, eyeing me.
I tilted my head to the side, crossed my arms, and lifted my eyebrows, daring him to try me. We glared at each other in silence, both of us trying to will the other to back down. Meanwhile, the other boys talked amongst themselves, though we heard every word.
“Oh hell, they look like two bulls with their horns locked,” Ox said, laughing. “Who do you think will win this round?”
“If I know my boy, Jake’s got this one,” Cowboy said with certainty.
“I don’t know. She’s smooth,” Judd said. “Jake may have finally met his match.”
Jake didn’t care for Judd’s remark. “She’s not smooth…she’s stubborn. There’s a difference. She’s not any worse than a stubborn heifer that doesn’t want to be loaded into a stock trailer, and I’ve dealt with plenty of them. That’s what cattle shockers are for.”
“Twice today you’ve referred to me as a cow,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Once more and I won’t speak to you for a week.”
Jake grinned. “Promises, promises.”
I grinded my teeth together, but thought it would be better to offer a solution. “We’ll compromise. One hour, then I’ll go willingly.”
“That’s not a compromise. That’s you getting your way,” Jake argued. “Besides, I don’t have to compromise. I can force you to go now.”
“Not without a scene, you can’t.” I smirked, knowing the last thing he wanted was to draw more attention. Then I stole a note from Junior’s book. “One hour. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
“Emily…” Jake glimpsed around at the packed bar and swore under his breath. “One hour,” he agreed. I cracked a smile, but he pulled me roughly against his chest. “But the next time you pull this crap, I’m going to call you on your bullshit and see just how far you’re willing to go to put yourself in danger.”
Once he let go, I rubbed at my side where Jake’s fingers had dug into my flesh.
Cowboy grinned. “So, date night, then?”
“Yeah, whatever,” Jake said, stopping a waitress and asking her to bring him a bottle of water.
“Water?” Judd asked. “What’s up with that?”
“Someone needs to be the responsible one. Besides, the best part of being the designated driver is figuring out who’s drunk and who’s stupid.” He said, tossing a look my way.
“So now I’m fat and stupid?”
Cowboy, Ox, and Judd bit their lips.
“I’m not taking back the stupid comment,” Jake said, “But I did not say you were fat.”
Barely paying attention to him, I rambled on. “It’s because my cheeks are chubby, right? Squirrels aren’t fat, but they have chubby cheeks.”
He shrugged. “You could pack a few nuts in there…”
I gave him a warning look. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
Jake sighed. “You’re not fat.”
Cowboy patted Jake on the shoulder and threw his arm around my shoulders. “Jake, pull your foot out of your mouth and tell Emily how beautiful she looks tonight.”
Jake’s eyes touched upon my curve-hugging, off-the-shoulder dress. “Where’d you get the gown?”
“It was in one of the bags Junior brought over for me. It fits, but it’s a little tight,” I said, adjusting my breasts as Cowboy’s eyes slid down my chest.
“A little?” Jake said with disbelief. “It’s practically painted on your ass.”
“Aw, Jake. It can’t be that damn tight,” Ox said, trying to be the voice of reason. “It doesn’t even show her panty lines.”
I smoothed my hands down my dress and laughed. “Who said I was wearing any?”
Their heads whipped toward me. They all looked stunned, including my so-called hero sitting at the table next to us. With as large of a breath as they each sucked in, I was surprised there was any oxygen left in the room.
“Damn, woman,” Cowboy said, looking me up and down with his tongue practically hanging out of his mouth. “You have to stop saying shit like that. Men aren’t corkboards you can keep pinning messages to.” His eyes smiled at me as he tightened his grip, pulling me closer.
Jake watched closely as I rubbed a finger down Cowboy’s lips. “Now, now,” I teased. “You know what they say about coveting your neighbor’s—”
Cowboy didn’t allow me to finish. “They also say ‘do unto others as they do unto you’…and damn, girl…you don’t know what the hell you’re doing to me.”
That comment prompted Jake to speak up. “Look all you want, but keep your hands to yourself.”
Cowboy frowned. “You’re no fun at all.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jake said, nodding toward me.
His friends laughed and I couldn’t stop myself from joining in.
“Well, if I can’t touch them, then I guess that means you’re dancing with me.”
“I’m not in the mood right now,” Jake replied. “Get one of them to twirl you around the dance floor a couple of times.”
“Performance anxiety?” I asked, making his friends smirk. I grabbed Judd’s hand. “Come on, Judd. Dance with me.” Reluctantly, he let me lead him to the dance floor.
Judd put his hand nervously on my waist and moved me around the floor. “I’m not a good dancer,” he said. “The other guys say I can’t walk over a painted line without tripping.”
“Why do they say that? I think you’re doing fine,” I lied, stumbling around the dance floor with him.
“I’ve got fifteens,” Judd explained.
My face bent with confusion. “Are we talking about tires?”
“No, we’re talking about the size of my boots,” he said with a grin. Then he stepped on my foot.
“Ouch.” I stopped to rub my foot and caught Jake watching us from a distance with a grin.
“Sorry. See, I told you I wasn’t good at dancing.”
I smiled up at Judd, trying to make him feel better. “Hey, I don’t know how to two-step either. We’ll pretend we know what we’re doing. Besides, I’m sure you have plenty of other things you’re good at. Every girl knows what they say about the size of a man’s feet…”
Judd’s face lit up with the compliment and he hugged me closer. He spun me around the floor until I was dizzy. I’d swear my feet never touched the ground.
After two awkward dances in a row, Judd offered to get me a drink. I made my way over to Jake and Cowboy, who sat in a dark corner of the bar with their backs to me and away from everyone else. As I approached, I overheard my name and eavesdropped on their conversation.
“I know what you told me earlier,” Cowboy said, keeping his voice low. “But I still can’t believe she’s one of your cases. So the girlfriend bit was…”
“Me keeping up appearances until we figure out who’s releasing information,” Jake said coldly, as if he had the emotions of a popsicle.
“She’s a feisty little thing. You’ve got your hands full with that one,” Cowboy said, laughing.
Jake shook his head in agreement. “She’s an acquired taste.”
“Sounds like you two need to go ahead and bang it out,” Cowboy suggested. “That’ll let the air out of her sails and keep her on course.”
My heart wrenched in my chest, and I couldn’t stand to hear any more. I was pissed Jake told Cowboy the truth about our arrangement, but also confused by Jake’s callousness. I wound up inside a bathroom stall unable to swallow and sniffling so much snot that I was sure the lady in the stall next to me thought I was an addict. I blew my nose and wiped my wet cheeks, but not necessarily in that order. No doubt about it: men are jerks.
It was bad enough Jake fooled me into believing he actually cared, but I resented him for allowing me to fall in love with him. Oh God! I loved him. That’s why I was upset and sniveling like a wiener. I was in love with Jake.
He was mad I blindsided him by sneaking out, but he had fooled me in much the same way. Except, emotionally, he was never there to begin with. He just pretended to be. And, stupid me, I believed him when he said he cared about me. Damn him.
After straightening my face, I came out of the bathroom and looked for Jake. I picked him out of the crowd on the dance floor where he two-stepped with a pretty blonde with big boobs. Bobbie Jo. That sonofa—
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I turned around quickly. “I’ve been looking for you,” Cowboy said. “I requested a fast song. Want to dance?”
“Ask one of your groupies,” I told him, acid leeching into my voice.
His face twisted. “Something wrong?”
“If you have to ask, then you’re even more na?ve than I am.”
Cowboy gazed over at Jake dancing with Bobbie Jo. “That’s why you’re upset? Hell, sweetheart, Bobbie Jo is our friend. None of us are romantically involved with her, including Jake. Do you think he would’ve kissed you in front of everyone earlier if he had feelings for her?”
“Just a kiss,” I said, shrugging, minimizing how I felt.
“Just a kiss?” He blinked with surprise. “Both of you were on the verge of losing your clothes.”
“And you boys think I’m melodramatic?”
The song ended, and the music changed to a fast rock beat. “Why don’t we go out there and show them how it’s done?”
I considered it for a moment. Determined not to let Jake ruin my good time, I accepted. Cowboy pulled me out to the dance floor and started shaking his ass. I laughed, which made me feel better. Then I saw Jake and Bobbie Jo sitting together at the bar watching us intently. I wasn’t sure which of them I wanted to put on a show for, but the next thing I knew, I had one of Cowboy’s legs between mine as I ground my hips against his. Cowboy had less scruples than Ox and Judd. I wasn’t surprised when he grasped my hips and grinded back.
I shimmied and squirmed up and down his nether region, hoping Jake watched every suggestive move I made.
Cowboy’s eyes widened. “Damn, sweetheart, Jake’s done gone and got himself a live one.”
Turning around and shoving my ass against him, I threw my head back onto his shoulder and turned my face toward him. “I hope I’m not getting you into trouble.”
“Nah. Jake’s all bark, no bite.” Yeah, no kidding. That’s been the problem all along. “Is that what you’re doing? Trying to make him jealous?” Cowboy asked. I chose not to answer because I didn’t want to lie. “It won’t work,” Cowboy said, still moving against me. “Jake knows I’d never make a move on his woman.”
Surprised, I turned to face him. “But I’m not his…”
“I know. Jake told me already. But I know him better than anyone, and you’re definitely Jake’s woman. You two just don’t know it yet.”
“You’re wrong about—”
“Darlin’, I’m never wrong about women.”
After the dance ended, we headed over to Jake and Bobbie Jo. Cowboy ordered me a drink, but I didn’t plan on hovering. Last thing I wanted to do was schmooze with the two of them. It required everything I had to control the chaos raging inside me while we waited for the waitress to bring our beers.
“Your hour is almost up,” Jake said, checking his watch.
“What do you care? Don’t you have your hands full?” I said, blatantly staring at Bobbie Jo’s large breasts, barely covered by her white top. “Or are you bored with her…again?”
Bobbie Jo swung her head toward me. “Wow. You can be a bitter pill to swallow.”
Some of it may have been the booze, but her sheer presence grated my nerves. The model behavior I promised Cowboy flew right out the window. “Somehow I doubt that’s the only thing you’ve ever swallowed.”
“Emily!” Jake grabbed my arm. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Sure, Jake, take up for your ex-girlfriend. If she doesn’t want anybody to think she’s a slut, maybe she shouldn’t be sneaking off with someone else’s boyfriend.”
Bobbie Jo came off mousy, but she struck back with the accuracy of a snake. “It’s okay, Jake. When little Miss Know-It-All gets through divvying up her time among all of my boys, maybe she’ll have some left over for you.” She got up to leave, but turned once more. “And if I’m the slut, then how come you’re the one not wearing panties?” She smirked as she walked away.
I tried to go after her and grab her by the back of her fake-ass blond hair, but Jake wouldn’t let go.
Cowboy positioned himself in my path. “No catfights.”
“Oh, now she needs both of you to protect her?”
“It’s not her we’re protecting. She would’ve wiped the floor with your ass. You’re lucky she walked away when she did, or we’d be pulling her off you right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right! What’s she going to do? Steamroll me with her tits?”
“Enough, damn it!” Jake squeezed my arm tighter, showing me he was serious. “She knows people in here and you’re not going to embarrass her, or yourself, by acting like this.”
I wrenched myself from his grip and walked away, ignoring him when he called after me. I sat at the bar. I hadn’t meant to take my anger out on Bobbie Jo, but my tolerance level for being around Jake without bringing up what I overheard him say to Cowboy had peaked the moment I came face-to-face with him. He didn’t care about me, just his stupid case. That was why he kept me at a distance. It all made sense now. I didn’t have anything else to say to Jake. If he wanted me to talk to him, then he’d have to break the silence.
After about ten minutes, Jake strode briskly toward me. I held my composure, pretending not to notice him. He stopped next to my seat. My eyes hovered somewhere around knee-level, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he snagged me by my elbow, ripped me out of my seat, and manhandled me across the room. I got a reaction out of him, but it wasn’t the one I wanted. Guess I’m not the budding genius I thought.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, unable to pry his fingers loose.
He shoved me into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind us. “All that because you were jealous?”
Knowing Cowboy opened his big mouth, I crossed my arms and turned away from him.
“Emily, I can’t read your mind by looking at your ass. Bobbie Jo is my friend, nothing more. I’ve told you already. I don’t understand why—”
I whipped around to face him, my eyes burning with heated fury. “I’m just one of your cases, right?”
“What?”
“It’s what you told Cowboy…that I was one of your cases.”
“I don’t know what you think you heard, but—”
“Don’t embarrass yourself by denying it. I know what I heard.” Then I tried to master Cowboy’s tone as I said, “You two should bang it out.”
“You didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, did you?”
“I heard enough—”
“Woman, get your head out of your ass,” he yelled in a holier-than-thou voice. “You don’t ever shut up and listen. Your mouth is like a runaway train—no f*cking brakes.”
“Up yours, Jake! Who do you think you—”
He grabbed my waist and covered my mouth with his. My hands went straight to his chest to force him away, but I might as well have been pushing against a statue. When his tongue nudged its way into my mouth, I couldn’t deny him access. Wasn’t much coaxing involved, anyway. It was an unguarded moment. I wasn’t prepared for the warmth of his lips or the heat of his hands.
Jake kissed me deeply, tracing my lips with his. He pressed his body into mine until he had me aching for him. I ran my fingers through the back of his hair, then down to his sleek shoulders, as he pulled his mouth from mine.
I swayed to the left, intoxicated more by his kiss than the alcohol. He steadied me, resting his velvety fingers against the pulse on my neck. I tilted my head back to look at him, reveling in my guilty pleasure and the intensity of his gaze.
He smiled lightly. “Do me a favor?”
“Mmmm,” I murmured, my head flopping lazily onto his shoulder.
“Apologize to Bobbie Jo.”
Moments before, my heart was in freefall with sixty seconds of pure bliss, but his words snapped me back to reality like a bungee cord. “Do what?”
“She’s forgiving,” he said.
“Screw her and her forgiveness. That’s why you kissed me? Because you wanted me to say sorry to your old flame? You’re crazy if you think that’s going to happen.”
I unlocked the door to the bathroom and marched out. Jake didn’t try to stop me, which bothered me more. Tears sprung from my eyes as I made it to the bar. I wiped them away, but more surfaced in their place.
Ox sat beside me and handed me a napkin. “Here, dry your eyes,” he said softly. “Want to talk about it?”
“No, I just…I cry when I drink.”
“Don’t we all,” he said, smiling, rubbing his hand on my back. “How about a dance? I haven’t got you out on the floor yet.”
I wanted to decline, but he didn’t give me a chance before he hauled me to the dance floor. I didn’t know how to two-step, but within minutes, Ox had me two-stepping almost as well as him. It wasn’t as hard as I thought, and after a moment, I wasn’t required to concentrate on my movements anymore.
“I’m a mess, aren’t I?” I asked him as he wiped mascara out from under my eyes.
Ox smiled at me as he pulled me closer, rubbing my hair to console me. “I think you’re cute.” Something hard in his pants brushed across my thigh, making me pull away from him. “Calm down, it’s a roll of quarters,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s what they all say.”
To prove me wrong, Ox dug in his bulging pocket and pulled it out. “It’s for the pool table.”
“Oh, shit, it is a roll of quarters,” I said, laughing.
“I like you, Emily, but I’m not the least bit attracted to you,” Ox admitted gently. “Sorry, honey, but you’re not my type. You’re cute, but you ain’t that cute.”
“Most guys won’t say something is cute,” I told him. “In fact, I’ve only known one guy who ever—” Jake walked past us outside the dance floor. He glanced over at me as he took a seat at the bar next to Cowboy. “God, I’m starting to feel like I have leprosy or something. What’s wrong with me?”
“What’s the problem with you and Jake?” Ox asked. “He has it bad for you.”
“I think you’re wrong. Every time we start to get…uh…close, we end up throwing sparks.”
“Shit, girl, even electric eels can mate without stunning each other.”
“Yeah, but how?”
“That’s for you to figure out. If I were you, I’d take a more proactive approach with Jake. He can be a little slow out of the starting gate on a relationship, but you’re one of them high-spirited fillies that jumps the gun. You have to find something that’ll elicit a reaction from him. You know, make him catch up. I’d tell you to slow down, but that’d be like trying to stop a fast-moving train with my bare hands, and I’m no Superman.”
I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “With you, Ox, who needs a therapist?”
A guy wearing a Mossy Oak camouflage hat bumped into Ox’s shoulder as he passed by. “Sorry about that, shrimp. Didn’t see you standing there,” he said, laughing as he walked away.
“He did it on purpose, didn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Ox said. “He’s a spineless dick. Steer clear of him.”
“Who is he?”
“That’s Germy.”
“Germy? You mean Jeremy?”
“No, I mean Germy. That guy dips his stick into any available mud hole. Probably thinks the clap is a round of applause.”
I made a face. “Eww.”
“Yeah, none of us can stand the a*shole. He and Jake played football on opposing teams. They’ve hated each other for as long as I can remember.”
“Really?” I smiled, feeling inspired.
Hmm. The jealousy thing didn’t work when I danced with Jake’s friends. He wasn’t concerned because he knew none of them were trying to pole-vault into my pants. But I might have set the bar too high. Maybe I need to rethink my approach.
Ox read my mind. “Girl, you better banish that thought. Toss it out right now. That’s playing with fire.”
“You told me to elicit a reaction.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t say cause an explosion. There’s bad blood between them. You’re going to incite a riot if you go there.”
“Oh, it won’t be that bad,” I said. “I’m just going to dance with him.”
“Jake hates that prick,” Ox said. “And…well…you know how a male dog marks his territory?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You’re Jake’s smitten kitten,” Ox said, smiling. “And he can be territorial. I don’t want you to get pissed on.”
“Oh, come on. Jake didn’t consider my feelings when he danced with Bobbie Jo. It shouldn’t matter who I dance with.” The song ended, and I shuffled off toward Germy…uh, Jeremy.
Ox laughed and called out, “When you come back with crotch critters, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Jeremy stood talking to two other men at the bar. All three watched me approach. Silently, I squeezed in between them and sat on a barstool. Jeremy’s eyes traveled up my legs, reminding me to lock my knees together.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He motioned for the bartender. “Can I buy you a drink?”
The bartender smiled at me, probably recognizing a woman who’d never paid for a drink in her life. “Anything with a cherry,” I told him. Seconds later, he slid a drink toward me with a plump red cherry on top.
I picked it up by the stem, pulled it into my mouth with my teeth and ate it. Then I popped the stem in my mouth as Jeremy and his friends watched. Seconds later, I pulled the stem out and held it up, showing the neatly tied knot in the middle.
For some reason, forwardness always catches men off guard. That’s why Gina, Dale, and I once went through a whole jar of cherries practicing that move. I always beat them. They would’ve been proud at how fast I tied this cherry stem with my tongue. Worthy of a gold medal.
“Neat trick,” Jeremy said. “What else are you good at?”
I goaded him with a puckish look. “Lots of things.”
“Dancing?”
“Sure,” I said, knowing men can’t resist a challenge. “If you think you have the stamina to keep up.”
Jeremy grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd. We two-stepped to a country song, then the band played rock. Jeremy cinched my waist with his hands and pulled me to him. I slithered against him with slinky, sexually explicit moves that bordered on stripper. Jeremy wasn’t well behaved either, pawing at me with grabby hands and polishing the front of his jeans with the back of my dress. It did nothing for my ego.
I nonchalantly glanced over to Jake, whose brows lowered toward his eyes, and his mouth tightened into a hard line. He wasn’t enjoying the view. In fact, Cowboy, Ox, and Judd didn’t like it either. The rapid-fire succession of dirty looks they gave Jeremy made me nervous. They circulated the room, staying in my general vicinity, ready to pounce with the slightest signal from Jake.
“So you and Jake an item?” Jeremy asked, grinning smugly.
I shrugged. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s not rocket science. He’s watching both of us like a hawk, and he doesn’t look very happy I’m dancing with his girl.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“That’s the thing, honey. I don’t want him to get over it,” Jeremy said, planting his mouth over mine.