Stay With Me (11 page)

And we retaliated the next weekend by breaking into his squad car and having sex in that very same backseat.

“Just got a lecture is all,” I said. “Nothing exciting.”

Duncan was looking at me, all delicious and warm and turned on by my bad-girl past, and I felt like cold Jell-O. I patted his chest.

“How about we head back that direction,” I said with a head nod. “Hit up some dessert and give these two some privacy.”

Dolly and Max were nuzzling each other and looked more likely to see action now than we were.

“Not a problem,” Duncan said, taking my hand. “Be careful, watch your step.”

Yep, that’s what I was thinking.

• • •

“I heard somebody had a date last night,” came the sing-songy voice of Missy, breezing through like she owned the day.

I would have gladly given her that day and tomorrow too just to make her talk a little softer.

“That’s the rumor,” I said, rummaging around in my top drawer for headache medicine. “Although why it actually
is
a rumor is friggin’ beyond me.”

I had texted Lily
GOOD MORNING
earlier.
RUNNING LATE, CAN YOU BRING ME COFFEE? :) :)

It was revolting, the smiley faces in particular, but I was hoping the cute factor would melt the ice barrier. I didn’t know why there was one, really. I didn’t do anything and neither did she. I guess she was just embarrassed to be found less than stellar. Well, welcome to the other ninety-nine percent.

She didn’t answer and didn’t bring me coffee. And now I had a monster headache. It was gonna be a grand day.

“Because you don’t go on any!” Missy squealed.

“That’s a lie,” I said. And before it ended up as a rerun of my father’s conversation, I added, “I just usually don’t tell you people.”

“So how was it?” she asked.

“And this is why,” I said, rubbing my temples.

“Oh, quit your whining,” she said, plopping herself and the six scarves she had flowing around her onto the futon couch. “Come on, spill.”

“I can’t do this on no coffee,” I said.

There were heavy footsteps overhead, clomping down the wooden steps, and I held up a finger while Missy pulled a lip curl. Five seconds later, a round, balding head appeared in my doorway.

“Y’all have a good day, ladies,” drawled the oily voice of Georgie Greene.

“You too, Mr. Greene,” I said.

“Yep,” Missy said, lifting her fingers from her lap.

“I don’t smell anything sweet in here,” he said, winking at Missy. “Nothing good today?”

“I was out of flour,” she said melodically, a smile pasted on her face.

“Hmm,” he said, smiling at her a little longer. “That’s too bad. You, woman, make the best muffins I have ever placed on my tongue.”

Missy looked just short of hurling. “See what I can do the next few days.”

“Good deal,” Georgie said, laughing. “Good deal.” He wiggled two fingers as he turned to go, his round belly pushing down the waist of his expensive suit pants.

Missy gave a body shiver when we knew he was out of earshot. “I didn’t know he was here,” she said. “If I’d have known that I would have stayed home a few extra minutes. Trimmed my toenails or something.”

“He came to see Dad,” I said.

“I know,” she said. “I know they’re old school friends, but he is just—”

“Slimy.”

“Old man still going by
Georgie,
who does that? He gives me the willies,” she said, pointing at me. “Mark my words, there is something not right with that man.”

“Oh, I think he’s just a typical rich old fart with too high an opinion of himself,” I said. “He has to come brag to Dad a little every couple of weeks. Keep the score up.”

“Keep up with his brother,” she said. “He’s nothing but a bug on Bobby Greene’s fancy shoes. Your Dad is the only one that’ll listen to him. And anyone that gets that rich off of one little hardware store?” Missy said, leaving the thought hanging.

I looked at her thoughtfully. “You think he’s in cahoots with his brother?”

Bobby Greene was a large mountain of a man with an even larger reputation. He was a land baron, business tycoon—or as much as one could be a tycoon in our area. Rumor had it that he not only bought up failing businesses to take apart but that he had a hand in causing the failure as well. Big Bobby lived on the outskirts of Katyville and fed off the souls of young and old entrepreneurs alike.

“In a heartbeat,” she said, adjusting her scarves. “Georgie’s too weak not to be. Theo needs better friends.”

“Whatever,” I said with a hand flourish and a yawn. I laid my head down on my arms. “It’s all good.”

“So, back to your night,” Missy said, leaning forward. “I heard it was that Doctor Spoon guy. Oh, he is just dreamy.”

“Dreamy,” I mumbled, eyes closed.

“Who’s dreamy?” said a voice that snapped my head up.

“Duncan!” I exclaimed, and then held a palm to my throbbing temple.

He laughed softly, leaning in the doorway, and Missy about fell over herself jumping to her feet.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said, the look in his eyes as he took me in making my whole body go warm.

“Hey,” I said, a smile spreading across my face.

“I’m Missy Mulgrave,” Missy said, holding out a hand with a look of worship.

Duncan immediately turned to her and took her hand in his, remembering his manners. “Nice to meet you, Missy. Sorry if I’m interrupting—”

“Not at all!” she said. “Come sit down! We were just talking girl stuff.”

“About someone dreamy, I heard,” he said, his eyes taking on that amused twinkle I was learning to know.

I shook my head with a mock frown. “Talking about that steak last night,” I said. “So good it had me fanning myself.”

He chuckled and those eyes of his locked in. “So I remember.”

Holy shit, that man could make me sweat.

“So, I’m gonna go check on some things,” Missy said, probably anxious to escape the sexual tension in the room.

“No, no,” Duncan said, reaching for her arm and laughing. “I’m sorry, keep talking. I just wanted to swing by for a second. Had a couple of stops this morning before work and thought I’d come tell you good morning in person. I’ll be swamped till late today.”

I licked my lips and watched his eyes drop to catch the movement.

“I’m glad you did,” I said.

“Missy, great to meet you,” he said. “Savanna, have a great day.”

I felt Missy’s eyes on me as he left.

“Dear God in heaven,” she said.

“I know,” I whispered.

“What sign is he?” she asked. “I bet he’s a Scorpio. Or a Cancer. Either of those would be perfect for you.”

“No idea.”

“Savi!”

“Shit, please stop that,” I said, pressing my temples again. Funny how I hadn’t noticed the pain while Duncan was standing there.

“Sorry,” she said, holding fingers to her lips. “Why didn’t you get your coffee this morning on the way in? Or just make it at your house?”

Because I didn’t want to see Ian.
“I like theirs better, and I was late, and I thought Lily would bring me some.” I flailed a hand. “And I haven’t had the chance to go myself.”

Missy’s gaze dropped to my desk, where there were no papers and I was currently doing nothing. “Seems you might have time.”

I sighed. “Can we move on?”

“Yes,” she said. “The scoop on
that,”
she said, thumbing behind her. “That was some hot bubbly yum going on there. Spill.”

I closed my eyes again. “Will you get me a large vanilla latte if I do?”

“In a heartbeat,” she said, patting her large chest. “Now, why do you not know his sign?”

I smiled patiently. “Didn’t come up.”

“Very. First. Thing. You. Ask,” she said, driving each word home with a glare. “Honey, have I taught you nothing?”

“You were standing here in front of him, and you ask everyone else. Why didn’t you?”

Missy patted her cheeks. “He got me flustered.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, find out next time,” she said and then cocked her head. “I assume by that little show there will be a next time?”

I remembered the way he kissed me after we’d gone back in and sat barefoot on the rug in front of the giant fireplace, lighting it in spite of the hot muggy weather. Feeding me ice cream and licking it from my lips. Moving his hands along my legs and kissing the heat back into my iced-over heart with a slow build that drove me crazy and nearly had me begging for a quicker pace. Enough to make me so needy that I had to think seriously about just how ugly my underwear really was.

“So, did you kiss him?” she asked.

I gave her a look. “Kind of private, don’t you think?”

“Savi Barnes, I’ve known you for over twenty years,” she said, looking at me like a ticked-off bear. “I’ve seen you piss, puke, and shit, my girl, there is no
private.”

“Further proof that there really needs to be,” I said softly. “Yes, I kissed him.”

“And?”

I sighed. “It was nice.”

Missy sat back in the futon so hard it rocked back. “Nice? Nice is for ice cream,” she said.

“We did that, too,” I said. “I brought chocolate.”

Missy looked at me, blinking her heavily mascara’d eyes into a puzzled gaze. “Savi, honey, did you go have a slumber party or a hot date?”

“It was a hot date,” I said defensively. “But a
first
date, so there are boundaries. And nerves, and—I didn’t want to rush it. God, but he kisses hot, and—it was all I could do
not
to rush it.”

“And when he kissed you the first time?” she asked, leaning forward. “Were there fireworks?”

It was standing in the mud in front of two donkeys. He called me a beautiful mess.

“It was—kinda sexy and sweet.”

Missy clicked her tongue. “Girl, I know you. You need explosives. That just now was more than sweet, that was some serious heat between you two. You just need to fan it a little.”

“Oh, it was hot, believe me, he just moves—slow.”

“And you want fire and some matches.”
Don’t bring up matches.
“You need combustion. You need—”

A plastic coffee cup appeared in my doorway in a blur of motion, followed by the arm of fire and matches and explosives.

“Oh—fuck me,” I gasped under my breath as he was suddenly leaning over my desk, setting the cup in front of me. My startled heart took off like I was being chased by Bigfoot.

Ian paused, mid-lean, and braced himself over my desk on one arm.

“Well, I’m a little busy right now, but maybe later.”

The rush in my veins turned to lava as the sheer audacity of his arrogance made me want to staple his hand to my desk. I didn’t look away, though. I met whatever the hell he had going on behind his eyes and concentrated on looking disgusted and unimpressed.

“You’re a pig,” I said calmly.

“I’ve been called worse,” he said, his voice soft and almost seething.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” I said. I gave my right hand a little flourish and sat back in my chair. “You remember Missy.”

Ian stood but let his hard gaze stay on me a moment longer before turning to where she sat with a surprised look on her face. A power play.

“Missy.”

“Ian.”

They were big fans of each other.

“Tell Lily thanks for the coffee,” I said. I pulled out two dollars and held them out.

Ian glanced down as he took them from my hand without touching me. A snarky grin teased at his lips. One that even after all these years I recognized as bullshit. It didn’t reach his eyes. Then he looked down again as if something caught his attention. He picked up a key from my bowl and his expression changed for the briefest of moments, as if suddenly lost in another place.

My chest tightened, watching him finger the key. He knew too much about what made me tick, even now. It was unsettling to see just how much I hadn’t changed.

“Do you need something else?” I asked, my voice faltering at the end.

He looked up at me again and set the key back in the bowl as the glaze came back into play. “What, no tip for delivery?”

I smiled. “Sure,” I said, resting my elbows back on my desk. “Stay away from my dad.”

Ian gave me a quick look that said that was lame, and he was right, it was. But it got him to turn and go and get out of my space, before I sucked up all the air and killed me and Missy both.

“Enjoy the caffeine, princess,” he said on the way out the door.

I blew out a slow breath to slow my heart rate as my headache threatened to drill a hole in my skull.