Fender Bender Blues (26 page)

“Nah.” He grinned and lay back onto the bed, clasping his hands together behind his head. “Your car doesn’t count as grand theft auto. It wasn’t in one piece when we picked it up.”

“It wasn’t—what are you doing?” She eyed him getting comfortable on the bed. “We’re not staying, remember. Leah will be here in—” She glanced at her watch. “Five minutes exactly.”

“Call her and tell her not to come.”

“I can’t.” But she did want to cancel on Leah. Spending another night with Craig sounded much more interesting than a girl’s night out. There’d been enough girl’s nights out in her past, but how many nights had she spent with a gorgeous man who wanted to love her all night long? None. All the men from Rach’s past were nothing compared to the one gazing into her eyes just now.

“That’s too bad. We’d have a lot more fun, I promise,” he said and sat up. Rach had to bite back a whimper. When he stood and began walking toward her, her breath caught in her throat. His arms circled around her waist, pulling her against him so he could lean down and place a soft kiss on her lips. “My guys started on your car today. It’ll be done within the week. You can thank me now, Babe.”

Rach rolled her eyes, but snuggled up against him. She whispered, “Thank you.”

“Where are you going tonight?”

“Meeting an old friend from HHS.” She wasn’t sure how it had happened, but when Andrea phoned earlier that day to suggest drinks, Rach had accepted right away, no hesitation, though she knew Andrea would bring up the looming cutoff date for Rach’s leave of absence. One more month and she’d have to either go back to work or they’d replace her. After hanging up, there’d been no anxiety, and she looked forward to visiting an old friend and finding out how the office had been since she’d left.

“Health and Human Services?” He hugged her tight and she could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s great, Rach. I’m happy for you.”

“Just drinks, that’s all it is,” she cautioned.

“Whatever it is, enjoy yourself. I’ll be packing.”

“Already? You’ve closed on the house, then?”

He nodded and brushed a strand of hair from her shoulder and it settled against her back. “We closed the other day before…”

His innuendo hit home and she flushed. The memory of them rolling around his bed caused a heat flash and the large, wolfish grin on his face told her he had an idea of where her mind had gone.

“So no leaky shingles then?”

He dropped a kiss to her nose. “Sorry to disappoint, but no. You really weren’t kidding? You wanted me to have leaky shingles?”

“Nope, you were an ass when we met.” She grinned up at him. “Oh, and I was also hoping your toilet seats would give you butt cramps.”

“Nice.” He laughed and his eyes twinkled down at her. “But the shingles don’t leak, and if they did, the roofing company would fix it free of charge because of the warranty.”

“No place can be that perfect. Maybe you’ll have annoying neighbors,” Rach teased, but hoped it wasn’t true. She wouldn’t wish such a thing on anyone after the yard war fiasco she’d just been involved in.

“Speaking of neighbors, I see you took the yard decorations down.”

“Without your help since I wasn’t talking to you after the incident at your apartment with your ex.”

“I do like these little jealous rants of yours.” A coy smile played at the corners of his lips. He moved quickly, trapping her body between the hard planes of his chest and the wall. She could have pushed him away, but she didn’t want to
.
She let him close in, his lips just a hair width away from her neck. She almost shuddered but willed herself to stay still.
Jealous, my ass!

“I can’t wait to get you alone tonight.” His whisper raised the hairs on the back of her neck and sent shivers down her spine. She couldn’t hold back, the shudder rippled across her body. His breath kissed the side of her neck seconds before his lips made contact with her skin, just under her ear. Rach sucked in a short breath and shut her eyes.

She had no idea why he affected her the way he did. The guy she’d lost her virginity to hadn’t made her feel so alive and excited. True, Todd the Creep hadn’t been a thirty-six year old chick-magnet. Instead, he’d been an inexperienced boy with wet dreams who’d thought Rach would be his first real porn experience. What they’d done under the stars by the lake on an ugly mustard-colored quilt from his mom’s basement hadn’t been as beautiful as her young teenage mind had deluded herself to believe it would be. The experience had been clumsy and painfully disappointing.

No, Craig was a man, gorgeous and confident, and he gazed at her as if she were the only woman he’d ever wanted or would ever need. And it made her insides hot.

“I haven’t invited you over. I’m still a little mad at you.” She dug her heels in and planted her palms against his chest. With a deep breath, she pushed him away.

He ran his hand down the side of her ribcage, the satin of her shirt rubbed provocatively against her flesh. He stopped the movement just at her waist and grasped her by the hook of her jeans to pull her close. Against her lips, he whispered, “I’ll be coming home with you. Then I’m going to undress you slowly, everything but that lace I know you’re wearing under your jeans, kiss you all over your soft, naked flesh and make you come in those panties of yours.”

Then he kissed her. If the doorbell hadn’t rung when it did, they would have ended up naked in her bed. She wanted to run downstairs to tell Leah to go away. A sweaty night in with Craig sounded much better than a girl’s night out. Just the idea made her lightheaded.

Craig sighed and rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was as heavy as hers. “You sure you can’t just stay with me?”

Disappointed, Rach said, “I can’t. Not tonight.”

He kissed her softly and pulled away. “I know. You go have fun. I’ll come pick you up if you need a ride tonight, okay? Just call me or Rick. He’s helping me pack some things.”

Craig left her in her room so she could get ready. From below, Leah’s and Craig’s voices carried to her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She caught a few words here or there, and when Craig said, “I know, she’s special,” Rach grinned.

You need to get a grip
. Rach gazed at herself in the mirror and swiped on her lip gloss, barely able to bite back her smile. Was this what it felt like to have a crush? Wasn’t she too old for a crush? Whatever it was, she didn’t want it to end, and after spending the last few weeks insisting to Leah and herself that she despised Craig, she now realized she’d been denying her attraction for him. They’d gone from nothing to something after an amazing night of sex and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. Her heart did a flip-flop
. Right now, we’re just…

She didn’t know what they were, but she liked the way his arms felt around her, the way his lips always found that sensitive spot just behind her ear, the way her breath caught every time his fingertips touched her skin, making her skin tingle and goose bumps prick up on her arms.

What about my no distraction rule?
Rach’s reflection frowned back at her. Was he a distraction?
Only if I quit looking for a job, which I’m not going to do.
There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t enjoy Craig’s company while she figured out what to do with the rest of her life. Pleased with her decision, she gave her hair roots one final scrunch with the shaping paste, then hurried out the bedroom door so she could feel Craig’s lips on hers one more time before she went out with the girls for the night.

Chapter Thirty-One

Too many margaritas later and well past midnight, Rach and Leah waited outside the bar for the guys to pick them up. It had been a good night. Drinks with Andrea had been exactly what she’d needed. Rach’s return to HHS had only come up once and she’d been assured she was missed. They’d discussed a few cases Andrea was involved in and that old familiar rush of compassion had flooded through Rach.

As a social worker, so much responsibility lay on one’s shoulders. It went with the job and she’d never before been frightened of it. She’d always cradled that responsibility, respected it, and thought her decisions through so carefully that she’d never before questioned her ability to make the right choices. On that last case, Rach should have trusted her instincts. In the end, two little ones were lucky to be alive, no thanks to her mistake. Right now, she was just grateful the physical injuries had been minimal, bruises that had healed with time. Emotionally, though, the children would struggle with the memories and the ache of having a parent who hadn’t loved them. She hoped they were young enough to overcome it all.

“So what’s going on with you and Craig?” Leah demanded and dug through her purse. “I don’t know where I put my damn cell phone.”

“You just called Rick with it, how did you lose it that fast?”

“You know what tequila does to me. We’re lucky I’m still standing,” Leah muttered. Then she whipped out her phone with a squeal. “Here it is!”

Rach winced. “You definitely drank too much. You’re tone def.”

Leah giggled and started to hiccup, another sign she’d had too much tequila. “So answer me. I’ve been dying to ask all night.”

Rach took a deep breath and braced herself to state the obvious for the first time out loud, “I think I might like him.”

Even though she’d been prepared for Leah’s assault she still stumbled in her heels and fell against the wall with Leah’s arms wrapped around her in a bear hug.

“I’m so happy! It’s about time you admitted it!”

Rach winced and pried Leah’s arms from around her neck.

“I don’t like him that much. Just a little bit.”

“Liar.” Leah smirked and waggled her eyebrows.

“I hate that smell. They need to move that dog food factory out of town. I swear it’s worse in the summer.” She wrinkled her nose and hoped the change of subject would distract Leah.

“Wonderful. You tell me that every time we’re downtown. What you aren’t telling me is the rest of the story,” Leah accused.

“It’s nothing. We’re just…” A good description eluded her and for lack of a better term she finished with, “Fucking.”

Leah’s jaw dropped. “Now that’s romantic.”

“Who said anything about romance?”

“I knew you’d eventually come around.” Leah grinned, ignoring Rach’s attempt to play down the relationship. When Leah started laughing, Rach crossed her arms over her chest with a glare.

“What’s so damn funny?”

Leah wiped at her eyes. “You, that’s what’s so funny.”

“You aren’t allowed to drink tequila anymore, it makes you loopy.” Rach turned to scan the street, hoping the guys would hurry up and end the conversation.

“You just are.” Leah leaned against the brick building behind her. She inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to tame the fuzzy effect of the alcohol. “You’d never understand the humor because lately you’ve been pretty morbid. Anyway, I’m glad you’re having…fun with him. He’s a nice guy and if he makes you less of a sourpuss then I’m all for your relationship. You need something in your life to distract you from everything else.”

“That’s exactly what I don’t need.” Rach looked up at the stars. She’d been thinking about it all night, how she should tell Craig she couldn’t handle a relationship right now. Didn’t have time for one. But the idea of kicking him out of her life completely left her feeling a little panicked. The last few months had been lonely and he was the first person in her life to understand why.

“Well, he makes you smile. That’s all that matters.”

Rach snorted. “I thought you’re ‘watching him’.”

Leah’s expression sobered. “I am. He better not hurt you, and I don’t think he will. Rick swears his ex is a stalker and it’s not Craig’s fault.”

Just then, a two-ton truck with rust bubbling up under the blue paint over the front fender slowed to a crawl on the street before them. The driver rolled down the window and out popped Jackie-in-the-Box’s anger-skewed face.

Rach gestured for Leah to look up as Jackie called out in a taunting, hateful voice, “Still looking for a job, loser? You really are a dumb freak.”

Rach started after the spiteful bitch but Leah’s hands caught her around the arms and the truck sped away with Jackie’s evil, tinkling laughter drifting back to them. Frustrated, she turned back to Leah who stood frowning after the truck.

“What the hell, Leah!”

“Let it go, she’s not worth it.”

Rach sputtered in indignation, hopping from one foot to the other. “You can’t be serious!”

Leah shook her head, lost in thought. When Rick pulled up, they piled in, Rach still steaming and Leah silent. The guys, sensing tension, said nothing more than a hello.

Driving down Third Street, Leah startled everyone by screaming, “Stop!” and Rick slammed on his brakes in the middle of the street, tires squealing. The SUV behind them blared its horn in protest and Rick cried out, “What?”

Leah, leaning across Rach to look out the window, ordered, “Turn right and follow that truck!”

Rach pushed Leah’s head out of the way to peer out the window and caught sight of Jackie’s pickup. Rick made the sharp turn and followed the pickup as instructed. She turned wide, surprised eyes on Leah. “Seriously? You’re going to let me punch her in the nose?”