Dead Man's Bluff (22 page)

Drew raised a brow. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. Listen, I only live about fifteen
minutes from the ranch…you need the money…I need a permanent job. ”

“Hold up, what you mean you live near the ranch?”

“Yeah, with my mother and little sister.”

“You’re fucking kidding me…you live with your
mother?” Drew tossed back another shot. “Talk about epic failure to launch.”

“I’m twenty-one, not some forty year old virgin
still living at home!” Chris grimaced, some of the hatred returning as that old
familiar nerve was plucked. He scooped up a shot, puckering from the sour kick.
“She has Aids, so back off!”

Drew held up his hands in surrender, the gesture
causing him to let go of the bar, which had basically been holding him up. He
fell straight back, grabbing hold of one of the stools taking the damn thing
down with him.  Chris sighed staring down at the drunken idiot laughing his ass
off on the nasty floor. He drank one last shot to see him through what was
bound to be an interesting night. ♠

“What the hell did you do to him?” Emma sneered as
they came stumbling through the front door. One of Drew’s arms was thrown over Chris’s
shoulder; the burden of keeping them both upright killing his back.

“You should probably be asking Megan that instead of
me, Peaches. She’s really done a number on him. I’m just an innocent
by-stander.” She pursed her pretty lips and allowed Drew to drape his other arm
over her shoulder, helping lead him toward the bedroom where he could sleep it
off. She was wearing her blonde hair in a single braid over one shoulder (his
favorite) and had on shorts that looked more like guys boxer than anything else
with a skimpy tank. Chris clenched his teeth and groaned inwardly. Did she not
have a clue she shouldn’t dress like that? Not in a house full of horny guys.
He tried to focus on the drunk stumbling over his own two feet and not the
gorgeous female frowning at him. “He’ll feel like shit in the morning, but
he’ll live, even though I’m not so sure he wants to at the moment. And I’m kind
of offended you were already jumping to the conclusion that this was my fault…I
saved his ass from waking up tomorrow morning in bed with some ugly chick. ”

“Maybe you should have let him as punishment for
being a dick,” Em returned.

“You know, I am standing, okay maybe not standing,
but I am right here and can hear everything you both are saying,” Drew slurred.
“Oh fuck, I think I’m going to throw up!”

“Al-right, in you go,” Chris said, directing Drew
into the bathroom.

“I can take it from here!” Emma snapped, practically
shoving him out the door and slamming it in his face.

Chris stood there for a moment, a small part of him
seething with jealousy. No she didn’t, she didn’t just shut him out? ♠

Emma scowled down at Drew. “Are you having fun yet?”

“Um, Em, can you hold off on the sarcasm…I’m kind of
busy at the moment,” Drew groaned into the bowl of the toilet, a long string of
spit dangling from his mouth. His grip tightened on the toilet seat and he heaved
a couple of times, but had nothing left in his stomach to come up. “Oh man…I
feel like shit!”

A cold wash cloth was handed down to him. “Good. You
should.”

“Lay off, Okay?” There was the sucking sound of the
toilet flushing. He wiped his mouth with the wash cloth and sat up; not leaving
the toilet’s side, pretty certain it was his companion for the night.

Emma dropped down on the floor beside him, wrinkling
up her nose at the stench surrounding him. With her and Griffin no longer
hanging out, Drew was quickly becoming her best friend. She gave him hell, but
he was right…they were alike. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, a hand
landing on his knee.

“I fucked up…what else is there to say? I should
have gone after her two years ago…now it’s too late.”

“It’s not too late.”

“Yes, it is. She’ll never trust me again and I don’t
blame her…I wouldn’t trust me either. If you haven’t noticed…I’m not a very
trustworthy person.”

“I trust you,” slipped out. An awkward silence
settled between them sitting there on the floor. Their gazes held for several odd
beats. Suddenly she was extremely aware of what little clothes she was wearing,
especially the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, because he blatantly peeled
his gaze from hers to admire her breast.

“You do, uh?” a corner of his mouth edged up wickedly
as he leaned closer, his eyelids heavy, his breath heating her lips. His right
hand covered hers, still on his knee. And then his warm mouth was on hers.

First
thought: he tasted like puke. His lips were stiff, the kiss mechanical,
robotic. But then it changed. His right hand left hers to cup a breast, a thumb
stroking the erect nipple poking against the fabric of her tank top. He
gathered her closer and began a full assault of her mouth. Drew didn’t just
kiss…he devoured and it earned him a moan.

Second
thought: she didn’t really care that he tasted like puke. It wasn’t like she
hadn’t thought about kissing Drew. He was an attractive guy. She happened to
like his personality. He made her laugh. She was comfortable with him.

Third
thought: she wasn’t committed to anyone, and neither was he. Megan needed to
stop playing games, or someone was going to steal what was hers, which lead her
to her final thought, a name, and why she wasn’t disappointed when they both
came up for air… Christopher Blackwell.

Drew
pressed his forehead to hers, frowning. “I’m drunk, Em.”

“I
know. It’s okay.”

“No,
it’s not. Shit, I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have kissed you and...” his sad brown
eyes dropped to the breast he had fondled.

“It’s.
Okay,” she murmured.

“I…”
He visibly swallowed hard. “… love Megan.”

“I
know.”

“I’m
fucking dying here!”

“I
know.”

He
grinned, “You sure know a lot. How about telling me how to fix it then?”

“I
don’t know. You’re going have to figure that out on your own. You never listen
to me anyways.”

He
rolled over onto the floor; his long lashes fluttering as he stared up at the
ceiling, knees bent, a hand on his stomach. “I figured you were going to say
that.”

“Come
on… let’s go put you to bed.”

He
shook his head closing his eyes, “No. I’m good right here.”

“Drew,
I’m not going to leave you lying on the cold bathroom floor.”

“It’s
okay, Em. I don’t think I’m done puking yet.”

She
went into the bedroom and brought back a pillow and a blanket. ♠

“How
is he?” Chris asked. He was slumped down all lazy-like in one of the kitchen
chairs, his long legs stretched out, blocking her only pathway to the kitchen
sink.

“Passed
out on the bathroom floor,” she answered, stepping over his legs. She wanted a
glass of water. It was 2AM. She was tired and grumpy. Not to mention feeling a
little guilty.  The last thing she wanted was to get into a drawn-out argument
with Chris over moving his legs.

His
hands shot out, grabbing her waist. “It sure took you a long time. What were you
two doing in there?”

“None
of your damn business!” Before she knew what was happening she was straddling
his lap.

“I’ve
been thinking about your little problem?” He tilted his head up, grinning like
a rascal, his eyes caressing every feature of her face.

She
sighed, “which one of my bazillion problems are you referring to?”

He
wagged his brows, his hold on her tightening. “How you’re desperate for a guy.”

“Hey!
I’m not desperate!” she retorted slapping him upside the head, not enough to
hurt, but next time it would be. 

“I’ll
help you get Griffin’s full attention, but I have a few conditions we need to
discuss first…” When he smiled she could see faint dimples starting to form on
each side of his mouth, but never fully committing. It was cute, and
distracting. As if her hands had a mind of their own they slid up over his
chest to around his neck, where her fingers played with the length of his hair
curling near his ear.

“Okay,
let’s hear these conditions.”

The
palms of his hands went to her rear-end, cupping it and urged her hips forward,
rocking her against his erection. He gently kissed her, “For starters… no sex.”

 She
laughed against his mouth. “Yeah, like you’re going to stick to that one.”

He
pulled back, leveled her with a look that indicated he was dead serious. “I’ll
admit it’s going to be hard…” his words trailed off and he made some throaty
sound as she purposely moved on his lap showing him exactly how hard it was
going to be. “…but I’m not that kind of guy… I don’t go around popping girls
cherry’s just for the fun of it.”

She
groaned, “Do you have to say it like that.”

“How
else do you want me to say it? I’m also not one to beat around the bush.”

Her
mouth curled on one side as her arms tightened around his neck. She leaned in
licking his bottom lip. “I bet I could change your mind.”

His
lashes lowered, “Ain’t happening, peaches. My willpower is stronger than you
think.”

“Is
that so?” She sniffed, straightened her back and grinned lifting his right
hand. He raised a brow, watching her closely. She brought his hand up to her
mouth and slid his index finger between her lips, then gently glided her full
lips suggestively back up to the fingertip, lightly sucking as she went, the
whole time her eyes never leaving his. 

Feeling
pretty smug with herself for at least having the pleasure of watching his eyes
widen, she went to repeat the process, only to have him pull his hand away,
quickly replacing his finger with his mouth. He smiled against her lips. “I
have something else you’re welcome to suck on if you’re that interested in
sucking.”

Her
entire body stiffened. “You said…”

“I
said I’m not willing to take your virginity, but there’s still plenty of other
fun things I’d be willing to teach you.” His tongue slid into her mouth, a full
assault of her senses…and then he did the hottest, most erotic thing…he sucked
on her tongue nearly causing her to have an orgasm, right then and there
straddling his lap.  She whimpered, yes, actually whimpered, her body relaxing
into him. The smug asshole laughed into her mouth knowing he’d gotten the upper
hand. She broke the kiss gasping, her heart racing. “What’s your other
condition?”

“You
have to promise not to fall in love with me.”

She
burst out laughing, rolling her eyes. “Trust me, not a problem.”

He
cocked his head. “Are you sure?”

“ONE
HUNDRED PERCENT sure! I’m sorry, but you’re not my type.”

“Good,
because you’re not my type either.”

Well,
that kind of hurt her feelings. “Why am I not your type?”

“Because
even though you put up a good front with all your talk about how you can keep
emotion out of the bedroom… sex will never be casual to you.” He placed his
hand over her heart, his words vibrating over her lips, “Once you let a guy
inside he’ll stay there, permanently. You’re the kind of girl that only falls
in love once, peaches…and I don’t mean some silly little crush like you have on
Griff…” She went to dispute the remark about her feelings for Griffin, only to
be shh’ed. “I mean, the real thing. As confident as I am that Griffin isn’t
that guy, I’m even more confident I’m not that guy.”

Hell,
she felt like she was about to cry. No one had ever dissected her in such a
manner. She felt naked, and quite honestly, a little confused. “Then why help
me?”

He
grinned and leaned in brushing soft lips across hers. “Because I like kissing
you.” ♠

Twenty-three

Dr. Murphy shifted in his swivel chair, allowing his
large body to settle into the leather. Megan grew nervous on the other side of
the desk as he studied her through narrowed eyes. He was an attractive man,
although much older than she was. Age had been kind to him: the sprinkling of
gray in his jet-black hair making him appear distinguished. The wrinkles at the
corner of his light blue eyes making him appear as if he smiled often and who
wouldn’t with a smile like his? She was certain that smile had made many women
squirm in their seats. He had also been her primary doctor through the cancer,
the treatments, and the horror. He’d seen her naked and unconscious from
anesthesia. Bleeding. Cut open. You couldn’t get any more bare than that.