“We’re going out tonight.” Liam rubbed his hands together.
“But we have to leave early in the morning.” Brooke looked around our room that the two of us were currently lying in.
“So, get everything packed up tonight, but we’re going out to the bar. Get ready.” He closed the door behind him, and Brooke and I looked at each other.
“I’m doing your hair and makeup.”
I groaned. Loud.
“You have to look nice for your boyfriend,” she teased.
“He is not my boyfriend.”
“Then what is he exactly?”
“Umm,” I hesitated. “I’m not really sure, to be honest.”
“Well then let’s make you so hot that there will be absolutely no confusion.”
I buried my head under my pillow, but the more I thought about it the more her idea sounded good.
“Deal.” I peeked out from behind my pillow.
She squealed then started running around the room like a maniac.
“You do know we have to get all of this packed tonight.” I waved my hand around at all her clothes and hair and makeup products that were thrown all over the place.
“That is not top priority right now.”
I was hauled up out of the bed, and she pushed on my shoulders to get me to sit down in front of the mirror.
“Now let the master do her work.”
I laughed at her, but the look on her face made me shut up.
For good reason too. When I finally stood in the mirror, fully dressed and ready to go, I was almost as excited as she was.
I looked like myself, just a much sexier version.
My long, black hair fell in soft curls down my back, and Brooke had managed to give it volume that normally wasn’t there. The makeup around my eyes was dark and smoky, and it made my green eyes pop in a way that I had never been able to manage on my own. They looked alluring and almost seductive. Words that had never been used to describe me. Ever.
I was wearing one of Brooke’s dresses, and because she was much smaller than me, the black material clung to my skin and showed off every single one of my curves. Normally, I would have hated it, but I loved the way it looked on me. I felt beautiful. I felt sexy even.
“Please just put them on.”
I looked down at my bare feet then back at Brooke who was swinging a pair of black heels from her hand.
“I. Will. Fall.” I sounded out every word to make sure she heard me clearly that time.
“I promise that I will not let you fall. Just try them on. If you hate them, you can take them off.”
I grumbled but slipped my feet into the shoes. I grew about four inches instantly. And my legs. Did heels always do this to other girl’s legs? Because my legs looked awesome. I spun around in a circle. Honestly, just checking myself out.
Brooke looked like a giddy schoolgirl behind me. “You have to wear them. I lied you are not allowed to take them off.”
“I’m not taking them off, but if I fall, I will kill you.”
“Deal.”
We made our way down the stairs, and I could hear the guys talking and laughing in the living room. Brooke was in front of me, dressed similarly to me, but she was used to it. I wasn’t. I felt nervous. My heart was racing and my hands were sweaty.
When we finally made it to the bottom, I tried to pretend like I wasn’t dressed any differently than normal. I imagined that I was walking around in a pair of my Chuck Taylors and jeans. Comfortable. Not at all exposed.
But then I heard it, the sharp intake of his breath.
I finally looked up at him. He was wearing a black long sleeve button-up shirt that was rolled up to his forearms with a pair of dark blue jeans. He looked hot. He looked…
“Holy shit.”
Tucker was staring at my legs. His hungry gaze traveling over my body. His eyes tracked over every detail, taking his time, taking it all in. When he reached my eyes, he stalked toward me and buried his hands in my hair. He tugged me toward him, hard, and a shot of lust went through me. His lips crashed against mine, and I couldn’t stop my moan as his body pressed against me.
“You’re going to mess up her makeup.” I distantly heard Brooke say from my side, but I didn’t give a crap about my makeup. I didn’t care that they were standing there watching the two of us while went at each other like a couple of teenagers. All I cared about was that I was in Tucker’s arms and his lips were pressed against mine.
I felt drunk, and I hadn’t even had one drop of alcohol. My body was tingling. My knees weak. My heart racing. His tongue traced my lips and I followed its path before sucking it into my mouth. His hands on my back tightened, and I felt my dress rise a little on my hip as the fabric bunched under his fist.
I wanted him. I needed him. Every single part of me was desperate for his touch.
“Well now that I’m hard.”
I pulled my mouth away from Tucker when Ryan’s words made it into my foggy mind.
“Really, Ryan?” Brooke’s hands were on her hips.
“What? That was hot as fuck.”
Tucker’s hands turned my head back in his direction and placed a soft, quick kiss to my lips.
“You look so damn beautiful.” He breathed against my lips.
“Thanks, Tuck.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
He continued to stare down at me without saying anything else, and everyone else was clearly waiting on us to leave.
“What are you doing?” I whispered to him.
“I’m trying to convince myself that I actually want to see my old friends tonight instead of marching you upstairs and fucking the shit out of you.”
My thighs clenched and I whimpered causing his eyes to darken even further.
“Firecracker.” His voice was a warning.
“I don’t need to meet your friends.”
His hand moved to my hip. His grip almost painful.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Liam pulled Tucker’s arm causing his hand to slip off my body. “A lot of people are meeting up with us, and we need to leave now before we never get you two out of the house.”
“You’re right.” Tucker didn’t look like he thought he was right. He looked like he wanted to throw me over his shoulder and carry me up the stairs. Which wasn’t a bad plan at all.
…
We walked into a small bar, and Tucker kept me tucked into his side. The place was crowded, and I saw Brooke’s eyes light up when she saw all the men that were greeting the guys as we walked in.
The only time Tucker let go of me was when someone would stop to hug him or slap his shoulder. He introduced me to almost everyone. You know, his good friend Kennedy.
I wasn’t expecting him to confess his undying love, but I thought maybe, I don’t know, that he would introduce me as more than just his friend. But instead of acting like I cared, I planted a big smile on my face and pretended like I wasn’t affected at all.
I knew it was unfair of me to be upset. We had spent one night together for crying out loud and we hadn’t talked about being anything more, but it was impossible for me not to be hurt. By the way he had treated me all day, I had thought that we were more than just friends. Maybe he just wanted to be friends with benefits?
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
We walked up to a table that had several guys sitting around it and a few women who were hanging on to them. The women were beautiful too. The type of girls I was used to seeing Tucker around.
He pulled a chair out for me to sit down, and I tugged on the hem of my dress to cover more of my thighs. Who decided this dress was a good idea again?
Tucker sat down beside me and introduced me and Brooke to everyone. I was too stuck in my own head to remember any of their names, but I nodded my head and said my hellos. Tucker put his hand on my knee and my anxiety settled a small bit.
I looked up at his profile. He was talking to one of the men who was sitting across the table, and he looked so carefree and happy. His jaw was still covered in scruff, and I decided that it was my absolute favorite look on him. His skin was tanner than normal from our days in the sun, and he looked unreal. Too good to be true. Too good for me. Too good to exist in my world.
I saw a flash of red hair, but I didn’t pay much attention until I saw her saddle up next to Tucker.
My Tucker.
She ran her blood red fingers down his arm and acted like seeing him tonight was the best thing that had happened to her all year. Not that I could blame her. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me as well.
“Tucker, you should have called me. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“Sorry, Julie. We just came in to see the family and my boys.”
He slowly moved her hand off him, but I was still staring daggers at her. I never wanted to rip another girl’s hair out so badly in all my life. I was the girl who complimented other girls in the bathroom. I was not the jealous girl. At least not until now.
I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and I pulled my glare away from Tucker. There was another woman standing on the opposite side of me, except this woman was my favorite person in the world.
She leaned close to me and whispered in my ear, “Let’s go to the bar.”
I nodded my head then scooted my chair back to follow her. I saw Tucker’s gaze flash to me, but I didn’t stop to tell him where I was going. I just got up and followed my best friend.
“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you,” Brooke said as she handed me a shot.
“I’m not jealous.” I pouted. I actually pouted.
“Okaaayy,” she exaggeratedly drug the word out.
“I’m just frustrated.” I threw the shot back.
“Hey! We were supposed to take those shots together.”
“Then I’ll get another one.” I waved down the bartender.
“If it makes any difference at all, Tucker hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you got up.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
“It doesn’t.” I raised my second shot, and she hit hers against mine before we downed the contents.
“Hey, ladies. Can I buy you all a drink?” I looked at the guy who was standing behind us. Brooke’s smile became bigger when she looked at him, and I knew why. He was hot. Like really hot. His head was covered in a baseball cap, his smile was sexy, and his body was built. It was easy to see even through his clothes.
“Hi. I’m Brooke.” Brooke placed her hand in his, and his sexy smile became even hotter.
“And what’s your name, sweetheart?” He turned to me.
“I’m Kennedy.”
I didn’t stick my hand out to him because I’m awkward and I forget how to act in normal situations when hot guys are around. He brushed my awkwardness off though, and he slipped my hand into his much larger one.
“It’s nice to meet you ladies. I’m James.”
He flicked his hand out and the bartender stepped in front of us. I was already feeling the effects of the two tequila shots that we had just taken, but I needed alcohol to get through the night so I threw caution to the wind and ordered a margarita.
Why the hell not?
I felt heat against my back. Pressed completely against the back of me, and I looked over my shoulder. Tucker was there staring daggers right at James.
“Tucker, what’s up, man?” James slapped Tucker on the shoulder, but Tucker didn’t look like he was happy to see him at all.
“Hey, James. I’m just coming up here to get my girl.” He wrapped his arm around my middle. “It seems she ran off without telling me.”
Excuse me?
I jabbed my elbow into his stomach to give him a warning to quit being a jerk, but he barely even budged. I wasn’t even sure if he felt it.
“This is your girl?” James looked down at me, but before I could answer with a big fat negative, the bartender set our drinks down in front of us.
James pulled his wallet out of his jeans, but Tucker beat him to it. He held out a twenty-dollar bill and James grumbled.
“Now, Tucker. I offered to buy these ladies a drink.”
“Well, James. I’m sorry, bud, but no other man is buying my girl a drink.”
I. WAS. FUMING.
“I wasn’t your girl a few minutes ago when you were introducing me to your friends.”
I heard Brooke snort, and when I looked over, she was hiding her smile by taking a sip of her drink.
“We didn’t talk about how you wanted me to introduce you,” he growled into my ear.
I turned to face him. “Yet, you didn’t care what we talked about when you came over here to piss all over me.”
“Kennedy.” His voice was a warning, but I didn’t care.
“Tucker,” I said back in the exact same tone.
He was staring down at me, but he didn’t have near as much height on me as usual with the heels I was wearing. When he didn’t say anything else after a moment, I started walking away from him and back toward the table.
Screw him and that damn margarita.
I didn’t make it but a few steps when I was tugged back against him.
“Don’t do that shit.” He growled, low enough that only I could hear him.
“Do what? Practically ignore you all evening then let you sit beside me while another man has his hands all over me?”
His grip tightened around me.
“I didn’t ignore you.”
“Whatever, Tuck. I don’t even care.”
“Yes. You do.” He pressed a barely there kiss behind my ear.
“Not anymore.” I attempted to stomp off, but he didn’t allow it. Instead, he threw me over his shoulder and stormed toward the door.
“Tucker!!! My dress.” I frantically tugged against the fabric to make sure it was covering my butt.
He slapped my ass, hard, and I yelped. He used the same hand to hold on to the fabric on my dress keeping me covered. The people around us cheered. They were all drunk and excited that Tucker Moore was carrying his girl out of the bar, but not me. I was furious.
“I am so damn mad at you, Tucker.”
“I got that, Firecracker.” He continued to walk, and I felt the temperature change when we stepped outside.
“Put me down.” My words were pretty jumbled since my body was bouncing against his shoulder.
“Not happening.” And he didn’t. He carried me the whole way to the truck, and only set me on my feet then.
“Get in the truck.” He pulled the door open.
“What is with you? You can’t just throw me over your shoulder when you’re not getting your way.”
“It’s worked so far.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Get in the truck.”
“What about everyone else?” I asked with my arms crossed. There was no way that I wanted to get into that truck alone with him.
“They can catch a cab.”
“I’m not leaving Brooke.”
“Liam has her. She’ll be fine.”
“Tucker,” I groaned.
“Kennedy, you are about a minute away from getting fucked in the back seat of this truck. If you want the rest of them here to see it, then fine. I’ll go get them.” He waved his arm back toward the bar.
I wanted to be mad at the words he just said. I really did, but my body betrayed me and my thighs clenched together.
“That’s not happening.” My words weren’t convincing, even to me.
He crowded my space and pressed me up against the truck. “Is that why your breath just became faster and your nipples hardened? Because it’s not happening?”
I pulled my arms tighter over my chest and attempted to cover my breasts, but I only succeeded in putting them further on display.
“You’re an asshole.”
“We’ve known this, but you still like me.” He smirked. That damn smirk that I love so much with his stupid perfect dimples.
“So you think.”
His smirk dropped and he leaned in closer. “You’re telling me that you don’t want me to bend you over, hike up this fucking dress, and bury myself inside of you?”
I shivered and let out the tiniest moan. My traitorous damn body!
“That’s what I thought. Get in the truck.”
I stomped around him on shaky legs and climbed into the truck. My whole damn body was buzzing with anticipation, and although I was still pissed at him, I wanted him. Bad.
We drove in silence for the first few minutes, him watching the road and me looking out the window at basically nothing since it was pitch black outside.
“You can’t stay mad at me forever.”
“Watch me.” I crossed my arms.
My body jolted forward when he slammed on the brakes.
“What the hell are you doing?” He was pulling over onto the side of the abandoned road, and I momentarily looked down to make sure the doors were locked before he managed to get us mugged.
“I wasn’t trying to ignore you.” He scrubbed his hand down his face as if he was irritated.
“I don’t even care, Tucker.” I was trying so hard not to care. “Just take me home so I can go to bed.”
“Stop saying that you don’t care,” he growled before he unclicked my seat belt and dragged me across the cab of the truck. My resolve to stay mad was really difficult when my legs were straddling him.
The steering wheel dug into my back when I tried to put some much-needed space between us.
“Stop acting like you don’t.”
He groaned, his frustration with me clear. He stared into my eyes. It was so dark inside the cab of the truck that he was the only thing I could really make out.
“Tuck,” I breathed out his name. Ready to just go home. Ready to forget this night even happened.
But instead of letting me do that, he wrapped his hand in my hair and closed the space between us. When his lips touched mine, I was no longer mad at him, no longer ready to go home. I just wanted him. Nothing else mattered.
Our kiss was messy, rushed, and frantic. It wasn’t a kiss of want. It was need. Need to erase what had happened tonight. Need to be closer to each other.
He tugged on my hair, almost to the point of pain, and I arched back giving him full access to my neck. He kissed, licked, and bit, and I was a writhing mess on top of him.
My dress was riding high on my thighs, and I rubbed myself against him, aching for more.
“Fuck,” he whispered against my neck. His breath hot against my already overheated skin.
He gripped my dress in his hands and pulled it over my head leaving me in a pair of lace black panties and a matching strapless bra. My bra was jerked down, making quick work of the fabric that was hiding me from him.
His tongue ran over my skin then his mouth latched onto my nipple. The steering wheel was digging into the skin of my back, but I didn’t care. He could mark me, leave scars, and I would still want more. Need more.
I frantically worked the buttons of his shirt, my fingers slipping and struggling to get them undone. He pulled himself away from my breasts long enough to assist me, jerking both his button-up and his T-shirt over his head.
The moon light was shining through the window and shining straight on him. Every ridge of his abs visible. The sharp rise and fall of his chest mesmerizing.
The sound of his belt buckle being worked open caught my attention, and I sat up on my knees to give him room to free himself. He fumbled around in his pants for a condom, and I had to stop myself from laughing at the frustration on his face. All laughter was gone when he finally pulled it from his wallet and tore it open with his teeth. There was just something so damn hot about it. The determination in his eyes. His eagerness to get to me.
He slid the condom on, and I pulled my panties to the side and followed its path. His moan filled the truck as I settled fully onto him. I contracted around him, and his hands gripped my hips.
“You are so fucking wet,” he sounded breathless, and I loved it.
I began to move on him. The constricted space forcing us closer to each other. Skin dragging against skin as I lifted and dropped back down. The smell of his spicy cologne filled the space and drove my lust even further. I began working my hips in small circles, and he devoured my mouth, his tongue matching the speed of our bodies.
Sweat pebbled against my skin and made my body slick against his. Our breathing was hard, and I breathed in everything Tucker would give me. I swallowed his moans. I drank in his pleasure. I made it my own.
I could feel myself falling over the edge, just needing something, anything, and Tucker knew it too. He thrust up into me, taking away my control, and his thumbed grazed against my clit. His teeth clamped down around my nipple, and I was lost. I screamed out as my orgasm crashed into me. I thrashed against him, and he rode it out, coming with me. My name on his lips.
My body went slack against him. My face buried in his neck. His hand traced a path down my back, slick with sweat, causing goose bumps to break out on my skin. My body clenched around him, and he groaned low in my ear.
“Remind me to make you mad at me more often.” He chuckled, causing my body to softly bounce against his.
I couldn’t bring myself to lift my arms so instead, I bit down on his shoulder. His hand on my back coming to a sudden stop.
“Don’t be an ass.” I drug my nose against his neck breathing in his scent further.
He laughed softly again, but then seemed to sober up. “I’m sorry, you know. I didn’t mean for you to think I was ignoring you. I just didn’t want to scare you away. I didn’t want to introduce you as my girlfriend if you aren’t ready for that.”
I nodded my head against him because I knew I was overreacting.
“Are you ready for that?” His voice was vulnerable and they matched his words.
But instead of answering him, I screamed and clung closer to him.
“What the fuck?” He struggled to jerk up his pants as the flashlight shined in the window.
There was a series of loud, sharp raps on the window, and Tucker’s body stiffened below me.
I scurried back to my side of the truck and threw my dress over my head as Tucker managed to pull his pants up without buttoning or zipping them. He rolled down the window a few inches after he made sure I was covered, and I could barely make out the police officer that was standing outside the window with his flashlight shining in my eyes.
“Excuse me, folks.” His deep southern twang came through the window.
“Yes, sir.” Tucker rolled the window down fully.
“Tucker Moore?”
“Bobby Smith?”
“Hey, man. How the hell are you?” The cop clicked the flashlight off, and I was thanking God.
“I’m good, man. Was better just a few minutes ago, though.”
I smacked Tucker in his still naked chest and Officer Smith laughed.
“Man, what are you now? Twenty-eight years old? Haven’t you figured out how to take it to the house yet?”
“I know, but did you see her?” He hiked his thumb in my direction, and I shrunk into myself. “I couldn’t help it. She’s a little vixen.”
“Oh my God, Tucker.” I buried my face in my hands.
“Well, this is your warning, Moore,” he said with laughter. “Get her home.”
“Yes, sir.” Tucker saluted him and pulled his T-shirt over his head.
“Bye, Tucker.”
“Bye, Bobby.”
Tucker turned to me when the window was finally rolled back up.
“I can’t believe you got us in trouble.” He buttoned his pants and started the truck.
“Me?” I pointed to myself incredulously. “You are the one who pulled the damn truck over and pulled me on top of you.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who wore that damn dress,” he waved his hand in the direction of the fabric that was barely covering any of my skin, “and then you went and flirted with some asshole I went to high school with.”
He pulled out onto the road and into the direction of the cabin.
“First of all, I didn’t flirt with him. Secondly, that doesn’t make me responsible for us getting in trouble with the cops.”
“Yes. It does,” he grumbled. “You made me fucking jealous, and I needed you.”
I smiled a small smile and looked out the window. I shouldn’t have been happy about his jealousy, but I was. I loved knowing that he needed me because the only thing I was sure about was the fact that I desperately needed him.