Just Her Luck (68 page)

“If you were all sobered up, I’d slap you,” I muttered, cleaning off and making my way to the shower.

I turned on the water and he peeked one eye open.

“What are you… hmm.
Good idea.”

He hopped up, using the wall to brace himself, and followed me into the shower.

“You go to bed and sleep it off. I won’t be long.” I turned my back on him and went to pick up his shampoo.

He leaned back, eyeing me lazily from his spot on the far wall, another huge yawn escaping him.

“But then you’ll try to sneak off. Nope. Not happenin’. I can wait.”

It’s uncanny how he knows me so well.

That was exactly why I’d decided on a quick shower in the first place, so he could doze off and I could sneak out, too chicken to face his rejection when we get up.

I washed quickly and shut off the shower, wrapping a towel tightly around my waist.

He motioned to his dresser and plopped naked on the bed.

“Use one of my shirts and get your ass in here.”

I tossed my wet towel at him.

“I’ll do what I want, when I want, Reeve Harrison, and not a moment sooner.” I huffed at him as I dug through his dresser, purposely messing it up as I looked for something I liked.

I grinned and pulled out a shirt, the famous owl with big round eyes, fitting perfectly over my boobs, making me laugh as I glanced down at it.

“Don’t wear that shirt outside of this room,” he grunted, springing up to pull me down to him, wrapping himself around me.

“Favorite shirt?” I queried, my lips quirked, snuggling into him.

He kissed my neck and murmured quietly, “No, you look good enough to eat in it, makes me want to do dirty, dirty things to you.”

I laughed softly, smiling as he nuzzled my temple, slowly falling asleep, enjoying the Reeve I’d missed terribly.

The one I’ll miss again tomorrow morning
, I thought, glancing at him to bite at my lip, my stomach churning.

A soft snore emitted from him, and I waited a few minutes, then tried to ease my way out of his arms.

His head popped up and he glanced around, blurry eyed.

“What’s wrong?”

Crap.

“Uh, nothing. Nothing.”

“What were you doing, then?” he was only half awake, turning his head to look at me through his good eye.

“I was just, uh…”

Think! Think!

I got fuckin’ nothin’!

Wait! Just babble, that’s distracting, right?

“Erm… I was just wondering… how come you can’t have kids? Did you get gored by a bull? Is that why you don’t let me touch your balls? Did you have to have surgery? Did it hurt? Are you…”

His hand closed gently over my mouth.

He scowled, blinking at me owlishly, sitting up slightly, trying to dredge the muzziness from sleep off.

“You want to know this
now
?” he barked, looking me in the face doubtfully.

“Uh… yeah?”

“I’m tired, but even to
me
that sounded more like a question.”

“Are you gonna tell me or not?” I demanded, looking away.

He groaned and slumped against my breasts, sighing exasperatedly in to my overly large, downy pillows.

“My lovely ex gave me an STD. I didn’t know until I went in for a physical after we broke it off. Apparently, I’d had it for a while. I didn’t know because I didn’t have any signs or symptoms.” He sighed and inhaled deeply, voice slightly muffled in my boobies. “As a result, it fucked with my junk, to the point that my swimmers can’t swim as freely. The chances of me gettin’ you pregnant aren’t worth chit chatting about. Uh, oh, yeah. My balls…”

His neck reddened, and I caressed the flushed skin.

“Uh, my balls are ticklish, so that answers
that
,” he said quickly, clearing his throat uncomfortably, carrying on, “and I was never gored by a bull, thank you lord. Especially not
there
.”

A giggle escaped me, the balls thing making me silly.

He pulled back to give me a scathing look.

“I wasn’t laughing about your infertility,” I clarified. “I’ve just never seen a grown man flush every time he mentions his balls.
His ticklish balls
. It’s funny.”

He grumbled.

I laughed in his face, irritating him further.

“You have ticklish balls?” I teased “Can I see?”

“God, woman, is that all you heard?” He muttered more choice things under his breath, rolling his eyes. “I’m beginning to think you’re a bit rattled from all them books you like so much, they’re making you wonky. Now shut up and
go to sleep.”

Now that is just fuckin’ mean!

Bastard!

“You shut up and go to sleep, asshole!” I tugged at a lock of his hair. “I can read, ask and question your testicles all I want!”

Wait. That sounded funny…

“Good, just do it later when I’ve slept some. I wanna remember it.”

I snorted, and he smiled, wedging his leg between mine.

“And stop trying to sneak off,” he said sternly.

I peeked over at him, and he kissed me, arching his eyebrows haughtily over his closed lids, not bothering to open them.

“You’re a fucked up liar, Miss Ferguson. Now go to sleep and quit tryin’ to move away from me. I’ve got you now and you aren’t going anywhere. You’re all mine. You ravished me, now you have to put up with me.
Deal with it.”

A few minutes passed, and I thought about, for real this time, what he’d just said.

“Hey, wait. Does that mean that your swimmers are still swimming? Just not as freely or not freely at all, because…”

“You’re still talking…” he groaned, flopping back, turning his head enough to sigh heavily into his pillow.

“But this is a legitimate…”

He rolled me under him and yanked my legs apart, glowering down at me.

“I only know one way to shut you up.” He leaned down and kissed me, his legs sliding between mine, nestling his erection into the ‘V’ of my legs.

He slid home right away and started pumping into me eagerly.

“If you aren’t tired after
this
, hell cat, then I’m in trouble,” he muttered, gasping when my sheath contracted around him.

I grinned and giggled.

“Not a word, beautiful,” he warned, “not a word.”

“And if I do?” I laughed.

I squealed when he showed me
exactly
what he’d do to keep me silent.

Tangled Up

I squinted when I heard a noise, the distant rumble of an engine instantly waking me up.

The phone rang and I yawned, flopping back on the bed, snuggling back down into my covers.

A few minutes passed and I stretched, my hand going out and hitting meaty flesh.

I would have rolled over, but a strong arm banded around me and Reeve started grumbling in his sleep about asinine females, shoving his face in my hair.

Nudging him, he moved and I rolled over, studying him while he slept, letting him pull me tight against him once again.

My hand went over his chest and I rested my head on his shoulder, watching the rise and fall as he slept peacefully, his face softer somehow in sleep.

It would be nice if we could stay like this, just the two of us, just for a little while.

Just for today.

He twitched when I traced the long scar running down his face, easing the worry lines wrinkling his brow, even now.

He worries even when he’s sleeping.

I kissed him gently on the mouth, and he smiled, sighing in his sleep.

Content for now, I dozed off too, drifting back to sleep.

****

The second time I woke up, I knew I was alone.

The phone was ringing and I smacked around, bumping my elbow on the nightstand as I reached over to pick it up.

“Ullo?” I mumbled, glancing at the clock.

My eyes widened.

Holy crap, it’s twelve!

“Genny?”

“Wha…?”

“Genny?”

“Ephraim?”

“You okay, baby? I called you this morning and Reeve said you were sleeping still. Are you feeling alright?”

“Uhm, yeah, just tired.” I yawned and stretched, cutting my yawn short when Reeve walked in.

He didn’t say anything, just walked over, plucked the phone out of my hand and put it on speaker phone.

“Reeve! What are you…”

I should have known he’d be like this.

I’d known, no doubting that, but…

I swallowed hard, the reality of it so much worse than dreading it.

Don’t let him get the upper hand, Vieve. You leave first.

I stiffened and went to get up, head held high, trying to build up a wall mentally.

Reeve pushed me back on the bed.

I let out a rude noise and struggled to get up.

He kept his hand on my abdomen.

“Is everyone right there, ‘E’?” Reeve asked.

“Uh, yeah. What’s going on over there? I…”

“Put it on speaker phone, will ya.”

“Reeve!” I snapped.

“Quit squirming, gremlin. I only have on hand.”

“Well, what the hell are you…”

“
Trying
to wake you up properly,” he clipped out, “Now, quit fuckin’ movin’.”

I looked up at him, leaning on my elbows, gawking at him in disbelief.

He wove his fingers through my hair and mashed his lips to mine, sighing into my mouth, his tongue meeting mine, teasing and tasting, taking, eating at my lips hungrily; smiling when I eventually submitted to his drugging kiss, clawing at him to get closer.

He pulled back and grinned, crowding his body close.

My body zinged with that familiar, almost tangible crackle of low level electric sexual current, our bodies practically humming loud enough to hear as his hot, hard flesh pressed up against my soft, rounded curves.

Not even a layer of clothing between could numb the effect.

Chemistry. We just have chemistry.

A lot of it.

“Tell them what you told me last night, Vieve,” Reeve ordered.

“What?!” I blurted, puzzled, trying to figure out what the fuck he’s talking about.

He nodded and kissed my nose, encouraging me.

“You heard me, gremlin. Tell them you’re mine.”

“Hey! What the hell are you…” this from Ephraim.

“You son of a bitch!” Sawyer swore.

“I told you!” Thatcher bitched, ranting over the raucous Reeve’s statement created. “I
told
you this would happen! But did anybody listen to me?
Nooo…”

Bowen muttered,
loudly
, about tying Reeve to a tree, pouring honey over his junk and putting fire ants down his pants.

“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Brayden added,
oh, so helpfully
. “That boy’s had his eye on her since she walked through that door, if I had to guess. Why’d you think he’s such a dumb ass with her?”

“Get off of me! Your dads are listening!” I whispered fiercely, slapping at him.

“Then tell them and I won’t have to fuck it out of you.” He shrugged, unperturbed.

“Reeve!” I screeched indignantly, blushing hard.

He muffled my banshee ranting with a kiss, dodging me, laughing when I would have bitten him.

“You’re adorable when you’re pissed off. Did I ever tell you that?”

“OH!” I huffed, wiggling away, hurrying to crawl across the bed to the other side.

One firm grip on my ankle and two good tugs had me right where he wanted me-
underneath him.

His eyes gleamed hotly, my shirt having ridden up, caught up under my arm pits, exposing
everything.

It had rolled up, coiling around me, and I couldn’t get the damn thing down fast enough.

Don’t even think about it!
I mouthed, my breasts tightening up from the slight chill in the air, jiggling to and fro as I wiggled frantically.

It untangled eventually and I could have whooped for joy.

I looked up as Reeve adjusted himself in his pants, stroking along the steel pipe tenting his denim as I watched.

My mouth went dry.

The man has that effect on me.

I need to drink more frickin’ water.

At the rate we’re going, I’ll be a little dried husk when he’s done!

He smirked, enjoying my stupor.

Sufficiently covered now, I reached over and gripped a pillow.

I growled and went to whack him with it, but he saw it coming.

He dodged, snagged it and tossed the pillow over his shoulder.

You could hear his laughing grunts, my harsh slaps and irritated squeaks and screeches as I attempted to beat his ass.

Attempted.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him bein’ there much longer if he keeps
that
shit up.” Jep added his two cents in, coming out clearly through the phone. “She’ll kill him and have him buried somewhere good and deep on the property long before the week is up at the rate he’s goin’.”

Smart man!

“Listen to your dad,” I huffed, my arms pinned now by the dumb brute, crossed over my chest.

He chuckled.

Stupid, laughing…

He leaned in the tiniest bit, and I grunted.

Squashed! I’m squashed!

“You’re squashing my titties, moon shine. Get off!” I whispered this as quietly as possible, glancing over at the phone to make sure my voice didn’t carry.

Chuckling, he snuggled me up to him and nuzzled my neck, giving it a loving bite, followed by long hot sweeps of his tongue that had me squirming and panting under him soon enough.

“Should we make our own dirty, X-rated proclamation?” he purred, his fingers trailing down my torso, playing at the edge of my t-shirt.

He was referring to the whole debacle with the speaker phones and Ephraim’s birthday-
my on air performance
.

“Don’t even joke about that! It wasn’t funny!” I gasped.

“What did he say?” Ephraim demanded.

I pursed my lips, unwilling to repeat it.

“Yeah, I didn’t hear it!” Bowen rumbled.

And so on and so forth until they got to Thatcher.

“I say we go home! This is bullshit and he’s making time with
my woman!”
he protested.

“Boy, sit your ass down.” Brayden barked, silencing them all. “If I have to do this shit
every year
with all y’all, then so do you, got it? Your mama won’t let me outta this bullshit so neither are you.
No one
is leaving until we’re supposed to.
No one
.”

There was grumbling and a rustling and then, “Reeve?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“Don’t fuck it up, boy. Take me off speaker phone.”

Reeve did and listened, glancing at me thoughtfully as he talked with his dad for a few minutes.

He clicked off and put the phone back in its cradle, leaning over me to kiss me softly.

I jerked, unaccustomed to him being so sweet and lovey.

What’s with the love fest? The sweetness and the nicey nicey?

“Don’t look so surprised, beautiful. I told you I wouldn’t forget.”

It took my addled mind a minute to figure out what he meant.

“You remember everything, then?” I mumbled incredulously.
“Everything?”

My voice may or may not have squeaked a little at the end, but I’ll never tell.

He nodded, eyeing me up and down, taking his time, his hands running over my hips leisurely, thumbs stroking them admiringly as he gave me a thorough once over.

“Everything.”

I gulped, my heart doing a healthy pitter patter at all the promise etched into his usually stony expression.

He leaned down, taking my lips with his, nipping at my bottom lip, copying exactly what I’d done to him the night before.

“Oh,” I whispered.

He grinned at my glassy-eyed look, my hands gripping his flannel shirt of their own accord.

When did I do that?

Someone slammed into the house, our heads bumping as we both jerked at the sound, listening.

“Hey! Where the hell is everybody in this place?! I’ve been standin’ out there, freezing my ass off for ages! It’s colder than a witch’s titty today!”

Reeve leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine, groaning as Eustice continued to holler for everyone, making a big show of it.

He cupped one of my breasts through my shirt, testing its weight in his hand, thumb stroking the nipple.

“I think he’s wrong, gremlin,” Reeve murmured, eyeing his handy work, my nipple poking out against the cotton.

“Huh?”

He cupped the other one now too, squeezing and testing them out a bit.

Uhm, hello! Tune in Tokyo? Can you hear me?

“Nope,” he said, straight faced, “They don’t feel the least bit cold to me. Wonder what that means for the weather…?”

He looked up at me, still cupping a few handfuls in each hand, acting as if he was seeking my opinion.

“Oh! You are such an asshole!” I shrieked.

I am not a witch!

He grinned, guffawing when I mushed my palm into his face when he would have kissed me.

“Love you too, beautiful, love you too,” he muffled into my hand.

Cats N Bags

“I was wondering where everyone went off too,” Eustice took a huge bite of his omelet, chewing away happily.

Reeve sipped his coffee quietly and eyed his cousin as if he wished him anywhere but here.

“Why are you here?” he asked gruffly, scowling at his dear cousin speculatively.

“Can’t I come and visit my family without gettin’ any shit?” he demanded.

“No.” Reeve’s flat response was met with a grin from the gorilla man nurse.

I watched the exchange, eating my breakfast as I tried to make sure this wasn’t all some weird assed dream, that I really am here, and the past few hours, days, is really
real.

“You’re awful quiet over there, sweet thang. What’s wrong with you?” Eustice asked inquisitively, more than a little curious.

Snapping out of my musings, I looked up to find them both watching me.

“Hmmm?”

“Don’t call her that, she doesn’t like it.” Reeve took a bite of toast, and I felt his foot nudge mine under the table.

I was still sitting in Ephraim’s seat, not really thinking about it before I sat, putting me within footsie range.