In spite of all the romantic activity, my work couldn’t have been going better. For years, several clients had promised me that, if I ever decided to go freelance, they’d follow me. Now, I had a large project due for a New York client and they were so pleased with the spec work they’d seen so far, they’d hired me to do a second job once the first was finished. It seemed I might actually be able to make my plan work – to break free of my LA ties and go it alone. But did I want to live in Raysville after all? I considered the point that Johnny could be right about small towns. They seem fetching at first, only to drive you crazy after you got to know what went on behind the scenes.
To keep my mind off Alden and Sheila, I forced myself to work regular hours at my desk. Generally, I play the radio while I work, but here there was only one station in town. Milly, the postmistress, who had her own bluegrass show on Tuesday nights, explained that the poor reception of other stations had to do with the fact that the transmission tower was right in the centre of town, blocking out all other signals.
‘I’ll explain it all to you if you want to be my guest on the show.’
‘I don’t listen to bluegrass,’ I told her. ‘No offence. It’s just not my style.’
‘That’s reason enough to be on,’ she said. ‘A bluegrass virgin.’
I laughed.
‘Besides, I’ve had everyone else in town on already. Some people twice. You know almost everyone here has their own show. I’m surprised you haven’t been a guest before.’
I told her I’d think about it, and then returned home. When I got back to my place, I realised that Milly had been friendly to me. She hadn’t looked at me as if I was the whore who tore apart Sheila and Alden. Maybe my plan was starting to work. Maybe people were already focused on something else: Mia and Noah.
Maybe –
Alden tried to explain the situation to me again, on the same day that he tried to figure out how I’d got home the previous Saturday. He danced around the question for a while, clearly wanting me to come clean with him. I was surprised he hadn’t heard. Wouldn’t at least one of the locals have seen Cody and me on the horse, and wouldn’t that news have travelled through town by now?
‘So do you like KETR?’
‘It’s fine, I suppose. I’m just accustomed to having more choices.’
‘That’s something you’ll have to get over quick if you’re planning on staying in Raysville.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Limited resources,’ he said, ‘on all counts.’
‘It’s fine,’ I said again, but this time I meant something else, and I was fairly sure that he did, as well.
‘You walked home four miles?’
I didn’t answer.
‘I was sure you were only going out for some air. That you’d be back in a few minutes. That you’d go home with me.’
‘So how long did it take for you to miss me?’
He sat down on my sofa and motioned for me to sit with him. I hesitated, not wanting to let him off so easy, yet wanting to go to him just the same. What sort of pull did Alden have for me? Something fierce and magnetic.
‘Come on, Charlie. Don’t be like that.’
‘It’s not me who’s been misbehaving,’ I said.
‘Come on –’ he insisted, and when I finally walked over and sat at his side, he pulled my legs over his. Even though I was still upset, I let him manipulate my body. Was he that good of a lover, or was I just that damn lonely?
‘I missed you from the start.’
‘It didn’t seem like that to me.’
‘I went looking for you in the truck. You must have taken the backroads. Pretty brave for a city girl.’
I thought about being nestled against Cody’s chest, leaning against him, feeling his arms strong around me as he guided the horse. I thought about the safety of being in his embrace and the romance of the moonlit ride. And then I thought about his kiss. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’d done. Taken the backroads. I wondered, yet again, what Cody’s secret was. The bartender had told me to look out for him, and he’d told me to look out for Alden. Who was telling the truth? Could I believe any of them?
‘And then you were gone again.’
‘I’m not like you locals,’ I said with a grin. ‘I go over the hill when I need a break.’ I’d heard of a woman who hadn’t been ‘over the hill’ in more than six years. She had her friends and family pick up anything she required that wasn’t readily available in the immediate vicinity, and she stayed in her safe little enclave, without ever needing to drive further than ten miles. Although the women who shared this story with me at the Cowpie thought it was wonderful, I found the concept almost unspeakably frightening.
‘I’m used to LA living,’ I reminded him. ‘You have to drive to get wherever you want. From the beach to Hollywood. From downtown to Pasadena. At least the drives are prettier out here.’
A new DJ took over the station and the music shifted unceremoniously from bland female folk music to old-fashioned rock. I reached across Alden to turn up the dial. The voice was recognisable, but it took me a minute to realise that Cody’s sexy vocals were coming over the airwaves. ‘This is KETR,’ he drawled. ‘End of The Road radio. Hope you’re in the mood for some Rolling Stones.’
‘Geezer rock,’ Alden sneered.
‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ I replied. ‘He’s playing The Stones.’
He shook his head. ‘I like a more modern sound. The Chili Peppers. Monster Mouths. The Dust Bunnies.’
‘Even people with modern tastes can appreciate classic rock,’ I said, automatically quoting Johnny without meaning to. I thought of Johnny’s bedroom, a homage to the golden voices of the past. Alden started to trace his fingertips along the gold seam of my jeans, apparently appreciating the rhythm of the music despite himself. But I wasn’t ready to give in again.
‘You have to see where I’m coming from,’ I said, pushing his hand away. ‘You left me for over an hour in order to talk to your friends.’
‘You’re not upset about that. You’re upset that Sheila was nearby.’
I didn’t respond. ‘Nearby’ was not how I’d describe the way she’d manhandled him. And then she’d kissed him, open-mouthed, where everyone could see. What did he call that? ‘If I’m not wanted, I’m not going to play the game.’
‘You’re already playing.’
‘I’ll forfeit.’
‘Not your style.’
‘How do you know my style?’
‘Charlie, you’re an easy read. I could tell what you liked from the moment I saw you.’
‘Yeah?’ Cody had said just about the same thing. Was I that transparent? If so, how come I couldn’t see myself so clearly? Maybe this magical skill only worked with other people. ‘Could you tell how much I liked being left alone? Or how much I enjoyed the view of your other girlfriend fondling your ass?’
‘You’ve got a temper.’ He sounded pleased. ‘I know that much from being around redheads.’
I glared at him.
‘You could have come over and joined us,’ he continued, as if that had truly been an option.
‘Is that what you wanted? Her hand in one back pocket, mine in the other?’
‘It would have made the evening more interesting, that’s for sure.’
I started to laugh. ‘I have no desire to get to know your ex. I don’t need to be shunned by her friends or talked about at the Cowpie.’
‘Wait.’ He held up a hand. ‘Speaking of the Cowpie.’
‘You’re trying to change the subject. It’s not going to work, Alden.’
‘I have to. This is good. Did you get a load of the hot blonde who strolled in right before you left?’
‘I’m not Geneva. I don’t have an eye for the ladies.’
‘All ladies check out other ladies.’
I was surprised that Alden was aware of the concept of female fascination with one another. And in truth, I was desperate to hear what he’d say about Mia, but I worked hard on my acting skills to keep my expression normal.
‘Well, this girl comes in looking like hot shit, and she captures Noah’s attention in a heartbeat. And the Sweethearts go ballistic. They can’t control themselves. They’re accustomed to bickering amongst each other for Noah’s charms, but they can’t handle outside competition. That’s why they’re not so cold to you. I got you before Noah could make a play.’
‘They’re not cold to me?’
He shook his head. ‘You have no idea what those three can be like. They can be flat-out ice queens. Once you’re on their radar, they can be extremely devious.’
‘And what do you mean “before Noah got” me? Was that some sort of competition the two of you were having?’
‘Like I said, Charlie, resources are slim. You have to stake your claim from the start. That’s what I did with you.’
I looked directly into Alden’s gold-flecked brown eyes. Christ, he was handsome. This whole thing would’ve been easier if I didn’t melt each time he gave me that sexy smile or touched me the way he was touching me now. I’ve always been a sucker for men with dark good looks.
‘OK, Alden. If that’s the case, then you’d better start staking. Because I’m not going to give you a second chance to do what you did to me the other night.’ I wanted to mention the gossip I’d overheard about Sheila’s car, but I couldn’t make myself do it. And although my voice sounded stern, I realised that I wasn’t actually angry at him. I was simply trying to set down some ground rules for the future.
Rather than offer any explanations or excuses, he simply nodded. ‘Fair enough. So how do I start to win back your trust?’
‘I can’t tell you. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.’
‘Oh, I like a challenge –’ His hands returned to trace the seams of my jeans, but I pushed him away.
‘I know you’re good in bed. Be good out of bed, and then maybe we’ll talk.’
Cody’s rich voice filled the room once again. Each time he spoke, a shiver went through me, but Alden didn’t seem to notice anything odd in my response. ‘We’ve got a bit of Pink Floyd coming up next,’ the rancher murmured. ‘So don’t go anywhere.’
‘Can’t we take a little trip?’
‘Where?’ I asked, thinking he meant Heart’s Desire again.
‘Down the hall, to the bedroom?’
I shook my head. Even though my body responded to the request, remembering immediately what our last bedroom tryst had been like. So he was good in bed. Well, lots of people are good in bed.
‘All right, then right here. Forget the bed. Let’s do it on the sofa.’
I didn’t say a word. He had his hands under my T-shirt now, and his fingertips brushed over my nipples. I closed my eyes and sighed, and he seemed to understand what I wanted. He pinched my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and I groaned, telling myself the whole time to make him stop, but not wanting him to stop at all. Wasn’t that my world in a nutshell? I never seemed to be able to do the right thing.
‘Come on, Charlie.’ His hands were all over me now. ‘Let’s take this to your room. We don’t have to go all the way.’
‘What is this?’ I murmured. ‘High school?’
‘You know you want to.’
‘Definitely high school.’
‘You’re going to give me blue balls.’ His expression was pained.
‘Stop it, Alden. You’re making me feel like a teenager again.’
‘I can see you as a teenager, your pretty red hair in braids, your big green eyes rimmed in some cheap turquoise Wet and Wild pencil. I’ll bet you wore those satiny little striped Dolphin shorts and the OP tops that drove all the boys insane.’
I stayed quiet, not letting him know that he was right. The itsy-bitsy short-shorts had ultimately been banned by our principal because none of the boys seemed able to get any work done while the girls were wearing them. Of course, that had been the point. Teenage girls love their first taste of power.
‘Do you still have all that gear? Packed away in some little box? I’d die to see you do some cheer for me.’
‘I was no cheerleader, Alden.’
‘Then let me play at being your first.’
I gave him a look.
‘You were a little prick tease, weren’t you? You drove the boys crazy, but you wouldn’t go all the way. You were saving it for the one you loved.’
‘You’re the one who’s been playing the tease. You’ve been trying to have it both ways. From me and from Sheila. It won’t happen like that again. I’m telling you that now. I won’t allow myself to be put in such an awkward position.’ I tried to push myself away from him, but Alden easily swung me back on to his lap.
‘What about a less awkward position?’ As he spoke, he started to undo my jeans. This time, I let him. He had my pants and my panties off in a second, and then he stood and undressed himself while I pulled my shirt over my head. ‘What about a position like this?’ he asked, sliding back down on the sofa and pulling me on top of him into a sultry sixty-nine. Although I knew full well what he wanted from me, I waited for a second, feeling his warm breath flutter against my pussy, and at that all of my resolutions to keep calm dissolved. His tongue flicked out and touched my clit and a hunger slammed through me. I gripped on to his cock with one hand and brought my lips to the head.
So maybe this wasn’t the way to show him how upset I’d been. Well, sue me. I couldn’t deny the connection I felt with him, or the desire I had to be with him. Or the fact that at this particular moment in time I wanted nothing more than for him to make me come like a powerhouse, the way he had before our most recent night at The Saloon.
Alden used his tongue in the most intricately sexy manner. He tricked it up and down, giving me perfect contact, and then began to make lazy designs, caressing the sensitive area around my clit without actually touching that hot little button. I squirmed my hips, working to manoeuvre myself into a better position, but Alden held on to me firmly, keeping me precisely where he wanted me with his hands tight on my ass. I could feel the juices of my arousal gathering, and Alden pressed his mouth to me, getting his tongue deep in my fur.
‘So tell me about your first,’ he said, his breath once again tickling me until I nearly creamed. That most subtle sensation was desperately sexy. It took everything I had to pull away from his cock and give him a verbal response. ‘You want to know my past seductions?’ My voice was low, gravelly.
‘I want to know everything about you,’ he said, but I responded by sucking on him again, and making his breathing go ragged. I knew how to stop him from pressing me for stories of my ancient history. I just had to keep him on the edge, using my expertly skilled mouth and lips and tongue.
‘It was on a sofa like this, wasn’t it?’ he continued, proving me wrong. He had an amazing ability to focus. That was clear. Maybe it had something to do with being a firefighter, having to hone your powers of concentration. Well, I could play dirty if I had to. I licked up and down his shaft, then brought my mouth around to the top of his cock and sucked him as deeply as I could. Johnny always said I was a born cocksucker, and he meant that as a compliment. Now, I used all of my X-rated skills on Alden, trying to show him exactly how focused I could be. Two could play the game he was trying to stage. When I paused for a breath, I used my hand to jack his spit-slicked cock, and he sighed again but refused to let go of his new favourite topic.
‘Some old couch in your boyfriend’s basement rec-room?’ he guessed. ‘Am I close, Charlie?’
I wouldn’t say.
‘Or maybe out in the woods at a church picnic?’
I kept my mouth busy working, and he responded by licking and tickling my clit with the very point of his tongue, bringing me so much pleasure that I started to moan as I sucked him. I couldn’t help myself. I got louder and louder with each corkscrew coil he made with his tongue, and I could tell that he liked the way the vibrations felt around his cock when he grew even harder still. When I was dripping wet and his penis was well lubricated from my mouth, he spun me around. ‘You ride me,’ he demanded. ‘You get on top.’
I did as he said, gripping into his shoulders and gazing down at him. His brown eyes were glazing over with pleasure and as I pushed my way up and down on his rod, I found myself enjoying the feeling of being in control. Alden let me work him at my own speed, and I slid myself up and squeezed him fiercely, then slowly slid back down. He sighed and wrapped his large hands around my waist, giving me a bit of extra support. He wasn’t asking me any questions now, but suddenly I found myself getting into the game.
‘It was on a pool table,’ I finally said, and he arched his body and lifted me clear in the air with his next thrust, bucking me as if I were a cowgirl astride a raging bronco. I could tell that he was imagining the picture I painted for him.
‘And it was in a rec room.’ His eyes glowed and he bucked me again, and I tossed my head and held on to his muscular shoulders, my nails digging savagely into his skin. ‘And I loved every fucking second of it.’
Afterwards, I stood up slowly, my whole body feeling lit from within. The pleasure remained with me, and I felt as if a warmth was emanating from my centre, all the way to my fingertips. Slowly I searched the room for my clothes, but I only slipped my panties and camisole back on. I didn’t have the energy to get fully dressed. I sat back on the sofa and wrapped the soft blue throw blanket around my shoulders, watching as Alden pulled himself together. He took his time, too, dressing slowly, a smile on his face.
‘Tonight I’ll take you out to dinner,’ he said, as if we were still in the middle of that former conversation, as if our sex session had never even interrupted our discussion.
‘Where?’ I shot back. ‘The Weedwhack Diner? Where everyone can look at us and gossip behind their menus? Oh, look, there’s that homewrecker Charlie.’
‘The Daisy Diner,’ he said, correcting me with a fierce look because I’d dared to besmirch the one beloved restaurant in town.
‘Whatever.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m talking about a proper dinner. Barbeque at Rancho Ricardo.’
Now, I couldn’t help but smile. Proper and BBQ together in one sentence.
‘All right,’ I said. ‘We’ll give it a try.’