Here And Now (American Valor 2) (11 page)

Richie Rich stared at her with a smug grin on his face. “Another?”

“Sure. Why not?” The words had barely left her lips when he rushed off for the bar, disappearing into a sea of Halloween costumes.

She wasn’t a fool. She knew what was going on here. The good doctor determined she was an easy lay as long as he got her good and drunk, and if she were completely truthful, there were worse ways to spend her evening.

After all, Lucky seemed to have taken her advice to heart and found a prospect of his own. They hadn’t been here ten minutes before he was leading a gorgeous brunette around the dance floor. To be sure, she was young, but beautiful as well. And she rocked the hell out of her Catwoman costume.

At the thought of him taking her home, Rachel decided Richie Rich could serve a purpose, a distraction of sorts at least for tonight. Because the last thing she wanted was to lie in bed, all alone, and have her imagination running wild with thoughts of Lucky and his brunette.

Just to make matters worse, an hour earlier she’d spotted Curtis cozying up with her dear old friend Tamara. Which should have made her furious. Instead, she couldn’t really be bothered.

Once again, Lucky and Krista passed by on the dance floor and her stomach twisted. She wanted to be the one in his arms, her body pressed against his with that familiar weight of his hand on her hip. She wanted to get drunk on his scent, learn the taste of his lips, his tongue. She wanted to be consumed by the feel of him wrapped around her, on top of her, inside her.

It wasn’t tequila or jealousy or anything else talking. Just the simple fact she could no longer deny wanting the man who’d become her best friend.

Chapter Eleven

L
U
CKY WAS ABOUT
to put Krista into a spin when he glanced in Rachel’s direction and saw a man who was not the ER doc towering over her. As they worked their way around the dance floor, Lucky kept trying to catch a glimpse through the sea of moving cowboy hats. From what he could see, the guy was probably about his height, but definitely thicker around the middle. And the look on Rachel’s face was one he’d seen before, usually when she was talking about how her ex treated her. In a matter of seconds, she went from a woman relaxed and having fun, to one who was practically curling in on herself.

Although the song wasn’t anywhere near finished, Lucky was on the verge of making an excuse when he saw another woman come along, grab the guy by the arm, and tow him through the bar toward the exit. Lucky breathed a sigh of relief knowing the confrontation was over. At least until he saw a flash of strawberry red heading after them.

Oh, goddammit. What the hell was running through that head of hers?

Tequila, if he had to hazard a guess.

He stopped them in their tracks and spoke directly into Krista’s ear. “Sorry, but I gotta go.” He thumbed in the direction of the door. “My ride is leaving.”

She looked up at him with dark eyes. “I’d be more than happy to give you a ride home.”

“Thanks, but . . .” He threw up a hand and waved, not wanting to waste time talking when Rachel had a head start on him.

He pushed his way through to the exit, his ears ringing from the loud music the moment he stepped outside into the cool night air. Although there was no sign of Rachel, her truck was right where they’d left it. Then he heard the distinct sound of her voice coming from the side of the building.

“Asshole!”

Just as he rounded the corner he saw Rachel pick up a large piece of gravel—a rock, really—from the makeshift parking lot and chuck it in the general direction of a man and woman, neither whom he recognized.

The man looked over his shoulder, laughing at her, mocking her. “You stupid bitch! You couldn’t hit the broadside of a damn barn.”

Unfortunately, Lucky had to agree with the asshole, whoever he was. About her throwing capabilities, not the bitch part. He would intervene, but knowing Rachel like he did, it was best to stay out of it; otherwise, he’d become her next target. Lucky crossed his arms and watched in amusement as she leaned over and picked up another rock. Again, her aim was way off, striking an old farm truck about fifteen feet to the left of her target.

Then the woman decided to take a turn yelling at Rachel. “I didn’t believe Curtis at first, but you really are crazy! I can’t believe I was ever friends with you!”

Ah, yes. Just as he’d suspected. This particular asshole was
the
asshole. No wonder Rachel was lobbing rocks.

“Some friend you are,” Rachel yelled back. “You know what they say . . . ‘With friends like you . . . !’ ”

The ex-friend seized the opportunity to take another verbal shot. “Curtis deserves so much better than a crazy bitch who was a lousy lay.”

Lucky winced. He’d seen his share of catfights over the years and he knew damn well that chick’s last comment was the lowest of blows. Never criticize a woman’s sexual prowess. That’s along the same lines as a woman telling a guy he had a Vienna Sausage for a dick.

“I’ll show you,” Rachel muttered as she swiped the synthetic bright red hair from her face. She leaned over and grabbed one last rock from the parking lot as her asshole ex turned his back and continued on to his car. With a soft grunt, she heaved the golf-ball-size rock as far as she could. Lucky lost track of it in the dimly lit parking lot, at least until Curtis grabbed at the back of his shoulder, a stream of curse words flying from his mouth.

“Oh, shit,” Rachel and Lucky said in unison, both shocked she actually struck her target.

She turned to Lucky, knowing damn well she was about to have her ass handed to her if she just stood there. Wasting no time, he grabbed her by the arm and slung her over his right shoulder since he knew she wouldn’t be able to run in those damn shoes she was wearing. Thankful her truck was parked in the opposite direction of her ex, he took off running. When they reached her truck, he swung open the driver’s door and tossed her inside on the bench seat. The engine roared to life and he wasted no time throwing it into drive, immediately stomping on the gas and leaving Curtis standing in a cloud of dust.

Rachel turned in the seat and peered out the back window into the darkness. “You don’t think I really hurt him, do you?”

At worst her ex would be sporting a bruise tomorrow. Considering the distance she threw it and the rate of speed, it probably wouldn’t leave a mark at all. Instead, her little rock chucking was more like waving a flag in front of a Brahma bull.

“No, you didn’t hurt him,” he barked. “Now turn around and put your seat belt on.”

She obliged, nearly cowering in her seat as she pulled the belt and latched it. “Are you angry at me?”

“I’m only angry that you took off into the parking lot all by yourself. What if I hadn’t seen you leave? What would you have done then?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell were you thinking?”

She was quiet as she tugged the seat belt across her body and latched it in the buckle.

“I wasn’t, I guess,” her reply soft and words a little slurred. “I just wanted someone to feel as bad as I did at the moment.”

Well, if that didn’t make him feel like shit for jumping down her throat. Plenty of times he’d seen his friends do the stupidest shit when they encountered their exes out with someone new. Why would Rachel be any different? But his friends usually preferred to drown their sorrows and lose themselves in the bed of a willing woman. And in Savannah, there had been plenty who were willing, especially when it came to military guys.

But throwing rocks at your ex? He’d never seen anything like that and a part of him couldn’t wait to tell the guys all about it.

Lucky chuckled to himself as the memory replayed in his mind. “I can’t believe you actually hit him.”

“I know, right?” She smothered her laughter at first, but then unable or unwilling to contain it, she let it go. A full-bellied, musical sound that quickly had him laughing right along with her. But it wasn’t long before their laughter died down and her tone softened. “Remember when you asked if there was a friend I could stay with until I moved out, and I told you she’d just fallen off the radar? Wasn’t returning my texts or phone calls and I had no idea as to why? Well, now I do.”

“The woman with him was your friend?” Rachel nodded. “But that was weeks ago. That doesn’t mean they were hooking up then.”

“Maybe not. But I found a pair of underwear in the wash that weren’t mine. That doesn’t happen by accident. A woman doesn’t sleep with a guy and walk out of his place not remembering whether or not she had underwear on when she arrived.”

He couldn’t tell how hurt she was by the discovery. From past conversations they’d had about her ex, it may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. The reason she needed to leave him for good. And while she was better off without the jerk, he couldn’t imagine how she felt now, learning it was her best friend screwing her boyfriend not only behind her back, but in her home.

“Rachel . . .”

She waved him off, clearly not wanting any sympathy as she turned to look out the passenger window, hiding her face from view.

When they reached the edge of town, she placed her hand on his forearm. “I don’t want to go home yet. It’s still early.”

Stopped at a red light, he seized the opportunity to take in her costume. The strawberry red wig, the laced-up bodice, and extremely short puffy skirt definitely put the sexy in Strawberry Shortcake. Not to mention the stripped socks that stopped just above her knees, leaving her thighs bare. “It’s nearly two. Most places will be shutting down for the night.”

“It’s just . . .”

She cut herself off, once again turning so he couldn’t see her face. But he needed to know what was running through that head of hers.

“It’s just what?”

“I just don’t want to go home.” She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “It’s lonely sometimes.”

He should have known that was it. She was such an extrovert, a social butterfly. She loved being around people and chatting incessantly. Of course it made sense that there’d be times when the quiet of her place would get to her. Hell, he had led a relatively quiet, solitary life when he wasn’t living in the barracks or deployed overseas and the isolation of her place would likely make him crazy.

He reached across the truck cab and took hold of her hand. Finally, she looked over at him, the red glow from the stoplight highlighting her sad smile. “That’s an easy fix,” he said, giving her hand a little squeeze. “You can stay at my house tonight.”

W
HI
LE HER NEWFOUND
independence was exhilarating at times, it also had its occasional drawbacks. So tonight she’d gladly settle for the next best thing—sleeping in Lucky’s spare bedroom.

He parked her truck in the driveway, and before she even opened the passenger door he was there, helping her out of the truck. Always the gentleman, he kept a steady arm around her shoulders as she stumbled her way across the yard and up the porch steps.

“I think it’s safe to say those shoes and tequila don’t mix.”

“But I like my shoes.”

If it hadn’t been for the smile on his face, she’d have thought he was angry. “I never said I didn’t like them.” He dug his keys from his pocket, unlocked the door, then steered her inside. “Just a dangerous combination, that’s all.”

After settling her in the recliner, he knelt at her feet, mumbling stuff about broken necks as he worked to remove her shoes. The moment his hand circled her ankle, lifting her foot so he could get a better look at the small buckle of her high heeled Mary Jane, her imagination began to run wild. She could practically feel the heat from his hand as it skimmed along the inside of her leg, his fingers raking along the soft skin of her thighs. His head bowed closer to press a kiss between—

“Are you okay?”

Startled from her fantasy, she met his gaze. “I’m perfectly fine. Why?”

His dark eyes studied her intently. “You groaned like you were going to be sick or something. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to puke on my head.”

Lovely. His mind was obviously not in the gutter.

“You spent a lot of time on the dance floor,” she asked, hoping to avoid another trip to wonderland as he tugged on the tiny buckle of her shoe. “Did you have fun?”

“It was good to get out of the house. Just like you’d said.” He raised her foot higher to get a closer look at the tiny buckle. “These little things are a pain in the ass.”

After a few more tries he finally won the battle and lowered her foot to the ground.

“Are you going to ask that girl out?”

Lucky shook his head and took hold of her other shoe. “She’s too young for me. Nice girl though. What about you and the good doctor?”

The good doctor?

“Oh, shit!” she said, smacking herself in the forehead.

“What’s wrong?” With the second buckle undone, he removed her other shoe and placed it neatly against the other.

“He had gone to the bar for more shots when I followed Curtis and Tamara out to the parking lot. I didn’t tell him I was leaving.”

The idea of Richie Rich wandering around the bar looking for his sure thing made them both laugh to the point of tears. When their laughter died down, Lucky did an impersonation of the guy returning to the table only to find her gone and then they laughed some more.

Rachel held her head in her hands. “Oh, God. My head hurts already.”

“Come on,” Lucky said as he tugged her to her feet. “Let’s get you some water and then to bed.”

“Would you mind if I take a shower first?”

“Only if you promise not to drown.”

She rolled her eyes and immediately regretted doing it for two reasons. One, it sent a stabbing pain to the top of her head, and two, he didn’t even see her do it. What a waste.

Rachel grabbed her purse and followed Lucky into the kitchen, then continued on to the bathroom. As she switched on the shower to let it warm, he went to find something for her to change into.

As she stood in front of the mirror, she slid the strawberry colored wig off her head, revealing the sweaty mess of hair beneath. She removed the false eyelashes and washed away her heavy makeup. When she finished, Rachel took one final look in the mirror and was surprised to see him standing behind her, just patiently waiting for her to finish. The tie and button-down were both gone, along with the Superman shirt that had been replaced with a simple white tee.

She spun around to face him. “What is it?”

He smiled, shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. Just watching.” He shoved a stack of clothes and towels in her direction. “Here ya go. Do you need anything else?”

“As a matter of fact . . .” Rachel turned her back to him and drew her hair up off her shoulders with one hand. “I can’t get the zipper undone. I think it’s stuck.”

She held her breath and waited.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally touched her. His first effort was nothing more than a gentle tug on the zipper, then perhaps realizing she wasn’t making it all up, he tried again, this time pulling in earnest. He crowded behind her, his fingertips ghosting across her skin as they dipped beneath the fabric and took hold.

“It looks like it’s caught in the fabric.”

He stood so close now the warm breath of his words sent a shiver down her spine. After several tries, the zipper finally broke free and he immediately stepped away.

“All good, Shortcake.”

Her eyes met his smiling reflection in the mirror. “Is that what you’re going to call me now?”

“I think so. I kinda like it.”

Then, before she could say anything else, he eased the door shut between them.

“G
ET A HOLD
of yourself, man.”

Lucky pulled a frying pan from the cabinet and tossed it upon the stove, desperately in need of a distraction. The woman needed some food in her belly if she was going to minimize her hangover. Something greasy. Something with bacon.