Seeing Red Read online

  “All I’m getting at is how can one really great night without strings be a bad idea?”

  “Red.” Christ. He was only human here. “We have a past. That makes it impossible to do the no strings thing.”

  “Hey, I can make a no strings night work with just about anyone.” Her smile turned self-mocking. “It’s a special talent of mine.”

  He’d held the same talent. In fact, in a true ironic twist, the last person he’d had any deep, emotional ties to had been her. Knowing that, there was no way for him to make just talking to her casual, much less a physical intimacy.

  If they slept together, she’d do him in for sure.

  “You know what I want?” she asked softly.

  His body leapt in spite of himself. Yeah, he was pretty clear on what she wanted. To escape, to forget. She’d just never wanted it from him before. “The oblivion of a good orgasm.”

  She closed her eyes, hiding. She was good at that too. “Besides an orgasm. I want to go home, Joe.”

  “That’s easy enough.”

  “I need a ride.”

  No. Don’t offer. Don’t say a word. “I’ll take you,” his mouth said, clearly disconnected from his brain.

  She smiled at him, the kind that used to grab him by the throat and squeeze until he couldn’t breathe. Then she nudged his shoulder with hers, an old gesture that brought him back years.

  He nudged her back, and with a laugh, she staggered toward the water, laughing, losing her balance. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright, knocking her right into his body.

  Bracing herself with a hand to his chest, her fingers curling into him, her grin slowly faded. “You know what gets me?”

  “Um…” His mind raced. “The ridiculous price of gasoline?”

  “No.”

  “The amount of crumbs at the bottom of a box of cereal?”

  “Silly.” She smiled, but it was a sad one. “What gets me is that you sound the same.” Her fingers tested the strength of him, from pec to pec. “But you sure don’t feel the same.”

  Her touch made him want to roll over like a puppy and expose his underside. He stepped back so that her hand fell free. “We’d better go.” He turned toward the way they’d come, flinching when he felt her hand on his arm.

  She just danced her fingers to his shoulder, down his spine, slowly but not tentatively, tearing away his defenses as only she could. “Don’t,” he managed.

  Her other hand joined the fray.

  God, don’t. “Red—”

  “You feel good, Joe. Warm. Strong.”

  Not strong enough to resist this, but he gave it a valiant effort. He had to, or lose it, because with her, only with her he felt far too vulnerable.

  Take that, Kenny, he thought. I did it. I found the woman I could actually let in.

  Only I can’t really do it because she can’t be trusted to stay in.

  Chapter 7

  Take me home, Joe,” Summer whispered, and stroked her hands up his back.

  Taking her home would be bad, Joe thought. Very bad. But she kept touching him and suddenly he couldn’t remember why.

  Because she’s leaving.

  Because she’ll hurt you.

  Oh yeah, now he remembered. Turning to face her, he encircled her wrists with his hands.

  She merely leaned into his chest, their hands squished between them, and looked at his mouth.

  A low, rough groan tore from deep in his throat.

  Reaching up, she kissed his jaw.

  He hissed out a harsh breath and tugged her hands behind her back, pinned low on her spine. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but that meant she was helpless, pressed against him. He could feel her breasts, her belly, the outline of her thighs, and before he could pull away she arched into his hard-on with a little hum of pleasure.

  And just like that, he was a goner. Dipping his head, he did what once had been his greatest fantasy. He covered her mouth with his and dove headfirst into a kiss that rocked his world, curled his toes, and drained the blood right out of his head.

  When they had to break apart or suffocate, he stared at her, unable to catch his breath. Had he thought her helpless? She smiled up against him, her mouth still wet from his, with so much promise in her eyes he would have followed her to the damn moon, which meant he was the helpless one here. Send out a life vest, he was going down. He let go of her but she merely slid her arms around his neck and nibbled at his throat. When he groaned again, she sank her fingers into his hair, changed the angle of his head to suit her, and took his mouth.

  Damn it, he was not going to do this, but then she murmured to him, stroking him with her hands, her tongue, her body, and he began to drown after all. “Red.”

  “You’re shaking,” she said with surprise.

  “I know.” He was the biggest fool on the planet, a fool who had to touch her. He ran a fingertip over her jaw, down her throat. Over her collarbone.

  “Kiss me again,” she whispered, and outlined his lower lip with her tongue.

  That was all it took. Some big, bad, tough guy he was. He sank into what she offered, giving it back, until they were both shaking. His hands and mouth couldn’t get enough of her.

  “Mmm.” Eyes closed, she let out a long, catchy sigh. She had her hands beneath his shirt, touching skin to skin. “You kiss so amazing. Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

  His fingers dug into her hips, squeezing. He didn’t want to talk, he wanted—

  She sank her teeth into his lower lip and tugged. His knees nearly buckled and the next kiss lasted even longer. The urge to drag her down to the sand shocked him back into awareness. He was breathing like a lunatic, and had one hand gripping her ass, the other cupping her breast. Even as his senses began to clear, his thumb stroked over the hardened tip of her nipple, once, twice.

  She gasped and her head fell back, exposing the beautiful, tempting line of her throat. He leaned in to taste her there and she let out a sexy little moan. “See how easy it is to forget all your troubles?” she gasped.

  His mouth open on her, he went still. He’d been about to inhale her whole, but he closed his lips and set his forehead to hers. Forget his troubles? She was his troubles!

  “Home.” She kissed one corner of his mouth, then the other. “Take me home, Joe.”

  Incredibly bad idea, but they moved in silence along the soft, giving sand, with the waves occasionally sloshing over their feet as they went, thankfully not running this time, and when he stopped at the sleek black classic Camaro parked near Creative Interiors II, she laughed. “This used to be your fantasy car! When did you get it?”

  He shrugged off the vague embarrassment. “A few years back.”

  “You ever make out in it?”

  “Red.”

  She laughed at the look on his face. “Well, I hope you have. That’s why you always wanted it, remember?”

  “I wanted it,” he corrected, having to laugh at her, at himself, “because of the power of the beast.”

  “Ah, yes, the size of the engine.” Her eyes flashed warm and affectionate. “What is it with men and the size of their…toys?”

  “Ha-ha. Just get in.”

  She put her hand over his and tried to take his keys.

  “Hell, no,” he said.

  “Come on.”

  “Do you think I’ve forgotten who taught you to drive, and that you suck at it?”

  “I’ll have you know I no longer plow into mailboxes.”

  He lifted the keys up over his head. She was tall, but not quite tall enough, and he decided he was a sick, sick man to enjoy how she tried to climb up his body to get the keys. “You had two glasses of champagne.”

  “Far too long ago,” she replied.

  “Maybe next time,” he said, knowing there wouldn’t be one because he was going to get smart and stay far away from her. Any minute now. He waited until she buckled up before he hit the gas. The car leapt to life, and she whooped with glee as they took off.