Red Zone: Boys of Fall (2 page)

Laid. Damn. Sadie really wanted to get laid. It had been months. She’d never suffered this kind of dry spell. She was hitting critical mass and something had to give. She’d been hopeful about tonight…until Oakley and Joel had plopped themselves down next to her at the wedding. From that point on, they’d become her shadows. Fun shadows who brought her drinks, but shadows just the same.

None of the other guys at the reception had dared ask her to dance with Oakley and Joel next to her, looking intimidating.

And possessive.

That word kept drifting back to her. Tonight, they’d sort of claimed her. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but they weren’t playing that touch-and-go game with a healthy dose of proper distance they usually enjoyed. She’d expected to see them tonight, anticipated the teasing, and she’d even planned to dance with each of them a time or two. But other than that, she figured she’d be on her side of the room, scouting out the eligible bachelors, while they charmed the local hotties on the other side. After all, that’s what they always did.

So why had they spent the entire evening attached to her hip, hovering around as if she was theirs? It felt as if they were calling her bluff, forcing her hand.

Or maybe it was just what Joel had said. They didn’t like watching her hook up with losers. She didn’t care for that herself, but what other options did she have? She was tied to Quinn. Her dad owned one of the only bars in town, Pitchers. Sure, it was kind of a dive, but it was
her
dive. She was queen of the bar and when her dad was ready to retire from slinging drinks, it was going to be hers. All hers.

She loved the damn place, with its sticky dance floor, wobbly pool table, and old-fashioned cash register. Every inch of wall space was covered with sports memorabilia that her dad had collected over the years. Joel and his state champion teammates claimed a fairly large section of wall near the bar. She’d catch a glance of seventeen-year-old Joel’s grin as he posed alongside his team with the huge state trophy sitting on the ground in front of them, and she had to force herself to remember that was him. While his face hadn’t changed that much over the years, his body certainly had.

Years spent working on the ranch had honed his body into a Magic Mike paradise in a way football hadn’t. She’d caught glimpses of him and Oakley shirtless whenever she hung out with Lorelie at the ranch. Since her sexual drought had taken hold, she’d actually gone to the ranch a lot more often, just in hopes of seeing their sweaty six-packs, so she would have something nice and juicy to fantasize about while her vibrator took care of the rest.

She jerked when Joel placed his hand on her lower back.

“Sorry, Sadie. Didn’t mean to scare you. The cab’s here.”

Her face was on fire. Unfortunately, it wasn’t embarrassment sending the heat. It was hardcore,
somebody fuck me already
desires.

She allowed Oakley to take her hand and lead her to the taxi as Joel pressed his palm against her lower back. She caught more than a few sideways glances from people as the three of them left together. God only knew what everyone was thinking.

Actually, Sadie had a pretty good notion what they thought. As she climbed into the cab—Joel and Oakley doing exactly as she’d expected as they trapped her in the middle—she wondered if the dirty-minded people didn’t have a great idea.

Oakley kept hold of her hand, his fingers absentmindedly toying with her rings. Joel leaned closer, his arm draping around her along the backseat. Sadie gave the driver her address, though it was hard to speak with a dry mouth.

They hadn’t been in the cab more than two minutes before the darkness of the night wrapped them up in a cocoon that wasn’t lost on the guys.

Joel’s fingers began to stroke the nape of her neck—dear God, that was one of her favorite erogenous zones—as Oakley’s hand released hers in favor of her knee.

“I like your dress,” Oakley murmured.

She’d wondered when she bought it if it was too short for a fall wedding, but had decided fuck it. She’d liked it because it showed off all the assets she felt like revealing perfectly. She hadn’t cared about the old biddies giving her the hairy eyeball as much as she’d wanted to find a lover for the night.

Instead, she’d snared the wrong two guys.

Or the right two.

Oakley’s hand drifted higher and, because she didn’t have an ounce of self-restraint, she parted her legs in silent invitation.

Neither man missed the movement. Joel turned toward her, his fingers gripping her neck more firmly as he leaned closer to kiss her cheek.

Her eyes drifted closed, savoring the heat from his breath as his lips lingered there, stroking the sensitive skin of her face.

Oakley didn’t hesitate to explore deeper between her legs, his fingers lightly grazing her panties. They were wet, a dead giveaway to her desires, but it wasn’t as if she was pushing them away or protesting. Instead, she slid her hips forward a bit more, making sure Oakley had even better access.

The smart cowboy never missed a beat. Oakley dipped his finger beneath her silky panties and found her clit almost instantly.

Sadie sucked in a loud gasp, then pressed her lips closed tightly. The cab driver’s gaze found hers in the rearview mirror. There was no way she could play off the fact she was currently the cream filling in a cowboy Oreo, so she just winked at the guy.

What the hell did she care what he thought?

She didn’t give two fucks about what
she
thought either. The champagne had done its job well.

Oakley applied some pressure to her clit and the world shrank down to just that tiny spot. Well, that one and the one Joel was currently sucking on her neck.

Sadie was in serious danger of spontaneously combusting when the cab pulled up to the curb outside her apartment.

Oh, hell no. She was about to tell the guy to circle the block a few times, but Joel spoke before she could make the suggestion.

“Thanks.” He handed the guy a twenty, told him to keep the change and then he got out, reaching to help her. When she heard a second door close, she realized Oakley had gotten out too.

The cab drove away, leaving her on the curb, hot and bothered and still not alone.

“Did the plan change? I thought the taxi was taking you guys to the ranch.”

Oakley chuckled. “Do you want us to call him back?”

She shook her head. “Fuck no.”

Oakley gave her a sexy grin that made her pussy gush, but Joel’s face revealed something way more dangerous.

She was tipsy. So were they. None of them would be here if they hadn’t had so much to drink. Sober Sadie would have sent them packing.

Sober Sadie can suck it. She’s no fun at all. Lame bitch.

“So, are you guys coming up?” Jesus. Where did that sexy, come-hither tone come from?

Joel nodded slowly, though she thought, like her, he was slowly starting to figure out this wasn’t somewhere they should be. Oakley didn’t give either of them time to let that realization take root. He clasped hands with her and led her up the stairs to the entrance of her apartment building.

When they reached the top, she glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see Joel was following them.

Relieved? Really?

When he reached out to take her key from her, unlocking the front door with big calloused hands that led her imagination down some hot paths, she knew that, yeah, she was relieved he was still here.

She lived in a three-story apartment building. Back in the day, the place had been a storage warehouse. About ten years ago, the owner sold the property to a big-city developer who converted it into three studio apartments. The place was damn trendy for small-town Quinn, which was why she’d fallen head over heels for it. She’d scored the top floor eight years earlier when she started to fear she’d smother her father in his sleep if she didn’t get out of her childhood home.

She loved her old man, but not as a damn roommate. First of all, he stifled her sex life. Bastard liked to show her dates his gun collection whenever they came to pick her up, and then he’d insist they bring her home at a reasonable hour. Like she was still a teenager in high school rather than a grown woman of twenty-five. No matter how hard she tried to break him of that habit, it was still there. Even now. In her dad’s eyes, no one would ever be good enough for her. It was sweet, but annoying as crap.

Secondly, he was a freaking slob and she’d hit her limit when it came to picking up his shit.

“Nice place,” Joel said when they entered her apartment. Neither he nor Oakley had ever been here before.

Because she’d never been stupid enough to get three sheets to the wind with them.

Because alcohol made her do crazy things.

Because her libido always switched into overdrive around them so she knew putting them anywhere near her and a bed would be the wrong thing to do.

“Yeah. I like it,” she replied, distracted by the thought of her bed. Had she made it this morning? Did she have anything lying out in her bedroom that would be potentially embarrassing? Panties on the floor? Birth control pills? Vibrator?

Bringing both of them back to her place was ranking fairly high on her list of insane life choices. Right after getting her first boyfriend’s initials tattooed on her ass. That tat had been turned into a butterfly after the breakup.

It also ranked after crashing her beloved first motorcycle into a tree because she’d taken a turn too fast. In addition to losing her sweet bike, she’d broken her leg in three places.

Those two decisions were worse than this one.

But not by much.

“Take a look around if you want,” she said, inviting Oakley and Joel to roam around. She had eclectic tastes and it showed in her décor. She was sort of curious to know what they thought of it.

“Who took all the black-and-white photos?” Oakley asked, pointing to the pictures on the wall.

“Me. I went through a photography phase a few years back.”

“They’re good.
Really
good.” Oakley’s expression matched his words. He wasn’t just bullshitting her, and she was flattered.

“Thanks.”

Joel picked up a calavera. “Do I want to know?”

She grinned. “Sugar skulls. I collect them.”

“You collect license plates too?” Oakley asked as he ventured farther along, getting closer to the kitchen.

“Not really. Those belonged to my mom. She was a bit of a hobo. She had a license plate from every state she’d ever been to.”

Oakley’s bright blue eyes widened as he took in the colorful plates, and she could imagine he was trying to figure out how many were there.

There were thirty-seven. She knew that because she’d counted them. About a million times. Sadie could only assume her mother had taken off in hopes of collecting the last thirteen. Hard to say that for sure, considering dear old Mom hadn’t left a note or called to touch base. Not once. In twenty-seven years. She just vanished one day when Sadie was at school and her dad was working at the bar. Packed up a suitcase and left her husband and six-year-old daughter.

When Sadie was younger, she was convinced her mom would come back once she’d found those final dozen or so plates. However, that belief faded as she got older.

Now, she hoped the bitch never showed her face in Quinn again. Some people might say Sadie’s attitude was unhealthy, but as far as she was concerned, she was in a better state of mind on her parental issues than she’d ever been. The license plates were her reminder that the only person she could really count on sticking around forever was herself.

“It’s a great apartment, Sadie. Thanks for inviting us up.”

She was surprised to see that Joel had moved closer to her. Sadie thought the heated moment in the taxi had passed, but she’d been dead wrong.

Joel reached for her with no hesitation, no uncertainty. He simply grasped her waist, tugged her close and kissed her.

Holy shit. She’d kissed enough frogs in her life to know she’d just found a prince.

He pressed her lips apart, his tongue dipping into her mouth. She tasted the tang of beer and a hint of sweetness—wedding cake?—on his breath. It was a heady combination.

She’d always wondered what it would be like to kiss Joel. And Oakley. So far her feeble fantasies didn’t hold a candle to the reality.

She started slightly when Oakley stepped behind her, his hand brushing her hair to one side so he could press his lips to her neck. They kept overwhelming her with all these sexy/sweet touches.

How could their kisses blow her mind while making her feel almost cherished?

Joel released her. They sounded like swimmers breaking the surface in search of air.

“You kiss good.” She was aiming for levity, but her voice was too breathy to sell it.

Joel didn’t seem to mind. “So do you.”

“My turn.” Oakley twisted her toward him and within seconds, she was right back in paradise, with Prince Charming number two. And Oakley fit the part perfectly too, with his dirty blond hair, blue eyes and chiseled jaw. He was basically the poster child for the Disney heroes of her youth.

She’d done some wild things in her past, but she’d never made out with two guys at the same time. A girl could get addicted to this…fast.

Joel didn’t care when Oakley cut in. Instead, he raised the bar as he pressed his chest to her back, his arms snaking around her so he could cup her breasts.

She gasped, the action breaking her union with Oakley. Oakley narrowed his eyes in confusion until he glanced down and saw what had prompted the sound. Then he grinned, gave her a wicked wink and started kissing her again. Joel squeezed her breasts, gently at first, but then he pressed tighter.

Her even-keel, no-nonsense-friend Joel had a dark side. She wouldn’t have pegged him as such a dominant guy, but there was no mistaking he liked his lovin’ with a rough edge.

That knowledge was dangerous because she liked the same thing. The way he was touching her, pinching her nipples—
holy fucking hotness
—was going to make it harder for her to put things back to right tomorrow. When she was sober.