Jerk: A Bad Boy Romance (18 page)

“Will do. I was hoping to be home by the time you woke. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“No, you’re not. Be there soon.”

“Bye.” I disconnected the call just as Harper’s head popped up.

“Caffeine?” she grumbled.

“Coming up... if I can find the coffee maker.” I started my search at one end of the kitchen. After Harper made a trip to the bathroom, she helped me. We searched every cabinet in the place and totally struck out.

“No coffee?” Harper whimpered.

“I’ll call Clay. He can bring some.”

“That’s okay.” Harper stumbled back to the couch and stooped down. “I’ll call Mike.”

Crap. I really wasn’t in the mood to tackle the Mike thing, but I didn’t want to wait either. It was easy to see how fast Harper was falling for him.

I plopped down on the couch and placed a hand over Harper’s, stopping her from dialing the phone. “Hang on. There’s something I need to tell you about Mike.”

Harper’s brows lifted. “Like what? That he’s an ex-con?”

She knew?

Harper nodded as if she could read my mind. In reality she was probably reading my gape-jawed stare of disbelief. “He told me the first night we went out.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

She shrugged. “He explained everything that happened and, long story short, yes. I’m okay with it. He went to prison to protect his younger brother. The whole thing was a huge mess, but it’s done. He did his time and now he’s focused on getting his life back on target.”

“Are you sure—“

“He isn’t lying?” she finished for me. “Yes. Absolutely.” She gently pulled her hand out from under mine. “Thanks for being worried, but it’s okay. He’s a great guy and I really like him, but it’s nothing serious.”

I knew that look, and I knew that tone. This discussion was over. Whether I agreed with her or not, Harper wasn’t interested in what I had to say at this point. So I was left with one option: to trust that she knew what she was doing. And at her age, why shouldn’t I? “Okay.”

She gave a quick nod then went back to poking at her phone’s screen. Me, I returned to the kitchen to search for alternative forms of caffeine. Cola, tea, anything that would take the heaviness out of my eyes. But after a few minutes, I asked Harper if Mike would bring two coffees. Of course he would. So off we scampered, in search of separate showers so we could clean up.

A half hour later Mike was at the front door, a cup holder with not two but four coffees in his hands. “Someone order coffee?” he asked as he strolled in.

“You are a lifesaver!” Harper exclaimed as she took the carryout tray from him and set it on the kitchen island.

“No ma’am,” he said, wrapping his arms around Harper’s waist, “I’m just a mechanic.”

“I could kiss you right now,” she announced, flopping her arms over his shoulders.

“So what’s stoppin’ you?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Instead, he pulled her against him and planted his lips on hers.

Feeling very much like the proverbial third wheel, I grabbed one of the cups of steaming heaven and headed out the back door.

It was a blessedly cool morning, the air fresh. Birds twittered cheerfully, flitting between the trees shading the deck. I sipped and stared, my mind abuzz. So much to think about. So much to figure out.

I hoped the police would help me find the bastard who set my ranch on fire, but I had a feeling it would be close to impossible. Whoever it was, he wanted something. He was profiting in some way. Again, I had to wonder if he was the beneficiary of an insurance policy. I needed to learn more.

I went to my bedroom to grab my phone and give Clay a call. But as the line rang, I heard a sound outside.

A ringtone.

I swiveled around.

Clay smiled, his phone in his hand. “Babe?” He extended his arms and I hurried into them. It felt so right, snuggling up to his warm, hard body, his strong arms holding me close. His heartbeat thumped in my ear as I pressed my head against his chest and closed my eyes. “You called?”

“I was hoping you had a copy of my aunt’s will somewhere.”

“I do. Why?”

“Because I want to find out who torched my house.”

“The police will figure that out. At least there’s a bright side.” He started walking toward the bed, tugging me along with him.

“Bright side? Do I want to ask what that might be?”

“I gain a new roommate.” He flopped onto the bed, and I tumbled on top of him, making a little squeak noise as I fell.

“Ah ha! Now that’s a rock-solid motivation for burning down my house.” I landed with my arms extended, my upper body braced above his. “Maybe
you
started the fire.”

He grimaced. “You would say that.”

“I was only kidding.”

“You’d better be. Or I’m going to have to kick your pretty little ass.” He cupped said ass and gave it a squeeze.

“I’d like to see you try.”

Moving lightning-fast, he flipped us over. Suddenly I was on the bottom, my body pinned under his. And my heart was slamming against my breastbone. Just looking into his eyes made my bones melt and my blood simmer. He was such a gorgeous man.

An image of his face four years ago flashed through my memory.

He’d been just as good-looking then, but in a different way. He’d still looked like a boy, his jaw not so stubbled and his cheekbones not so angular. Now he was all man. Stronger. Bigger. And more confident.

And I adored him with all my heart.

I moaned as he rocked his hips, rubbing his erection against me. A thrumming need was already pulsing between my legs. From experience, I knew it would only get worse.

“I haven’t been to bed yet,” he murmured as he dipped his head to taste me.

“I just woke up.”

“That’s okay. I wasn’t thinking about sleep... yet.” He nibbled on my earlobe and I shivered. Goose bumps turned the skin on my shoulders and back into prickly sandpaper. Meanwhile my insides flared into an inferno. “And you got one thing right. There is a part of me that is
rock solid
.” Clay nipped my neck.

Did I really need to sit around the whole day mourning the loss of my aunt’s house?

“You feel so fucking good.” Clay’s hand slipped under my top and skimmed up my side.

Not really.

Was there anything I could or should be doing now?

His tongue flicked over my collarbone. “And you taste good too.”

Not that I could think of.

Oh hell! It could all wait.

I pulled on his shirt, dragging it up his scrumptious body.

He made a little growly sound and did the same to me. And suddenly we were tugging, yanking, pulling, and even ripping each other’s clothes off. Naked, at last, Clay enveloped me in his arms, crushing me into the bed. His hips wedged between my legs. “This is exactly where you belong.”

I gave him a challenging squint. “What do you mean by that?”

“In my bed. With me. Under me.”

I snorted. “
Under
you? Sexist much?”

“Not at all. If you’d rather be on top, I’m good with that too,” he said as he slid his thick length into my channel.

We moaned in unison.

To hell with arguing. I didn’t care who was on top.

I wrapped my legs around his waist to take him as deep as I could while he pumped in and out of me in an agonizingly slow tempo. I felt every inch of him as he retreated and then surged back inside me. The tip of his cock grazed my cervix with every deep thrust, the flared ridge gently caressing every sensitive inch of my channel as it moved within me.

Our eyes met, and he grabbed my hands, fingers twining between mine, pinning them backs-down to the bed. “You are so fucking tight.”

He was so fucking big. And so fucking strong. And so fucking perfect. And fucking me perfectly too.

I licked my lips and tilted my hips up to meet every thrust.

He angled his head down to kiss me. His mouth was soft and gentle one second then it was as if a dam had broken loose and all the gentleness was gone. His tongue pushed between my lips, hungrily invading my mouth, taking, possessing, claiming. His body did the same. Hands grasped, clawed, marked. His cock slammed in and out. He fucked me with abandon, as if he couldn’t get enough.

Breaking the kiss, he murmured in my ear, “You are so tight, so wet for me, babe. Only me.”

Only Clay. Yes. Only him. Always him.

His words, coupled with the rough way he touched me and the steady thrusts of his cock, ignited a blazing firestorm in my body. I was so hot. So tight. All over. More. I was greedy for more. More kisses. More touches. More.

I hooked my hand around the back of his head and pulled it down again. Our mouths mated, tongues lashing at each other like blades in a sword duel. Our bodies writhed, male, female, working as one, bringing each other to the edge of ecstasy. Heat rushed through my body, a wild torrent.

Waves building. Crests rising.

My breathing quickened.

When I whimpered, he leaned back, his cock balls-deep inside me. My inner walls twitched.

“Babe,” he whispered. “Am I hurting you? I tried to hold back. But damn, you’re so tight. So hot.” His hand cupped my breast, thumb flicking across my nipple.

I arched my spine. It was like he’d found a live electrical wire. And it was sending currents of crackling static through my body, to my center. “Oh God!” I gasped. “No. Doesn’t hurt. Feels... so good.” I rocked my head, opening my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them.

There he was. Above me. Looking so strong and hungry. Thick arm muscles flexing. Abs rippling.

I raked my fingers down his arms. “Clay. Please.”

“Oh baby.” His hips jerked forward, driving his cock even deeper. Sitting upright on his knees, he stroked my thighs. He pushed them wide apart and stared at our juncture. “Look at us. Look!”

I glanced down to where his thick length slid in and out of me. I’d never watched myself being fucked like this before. It was so incredibly sexy. My gaze meandered up his flexing abs to his taut chest, higher to his contracting jaw. My insides fluttered.

He was going to come.

And so was I.

Burning. I was burning all over. My brain was melting. My bones turning to putty. He scooped his hands under my ass and lifted me, pounding deeper, harder, faster. I gripped the sheets in my sweaty, trembling hands and rode the waves of decadent pleasure, one after another. Higher. I was soaring higher.

And then, as he bent over and bit my shoulder, I exploded into a million tiny pieces. A scream echoed through the air. My scream? I didn’t know. I was outside of my body, whirling through space on a river of absolute bliss.

Bending over, he whispered, “Mine,” and sealed his claim with a kiss.

Yes, I was his.

I’d belonged to him since the first time we’d met. No. Since the first time I saw him. 

I
dreamed about Clay, but I woke up thinking about the ranch.

My ranch. My burned-down ranch.

I needed to find out who started that fire!

Moving slowly, I rolled away from Clay’s relaxed body, listening to his slow and even breathing. He’d been up all night. At my ranch. He deserved to rest. Hell, after everything he’d done for me and Harper, he deserved a lot more than that. But I was in no position to pay him back. I had nothing to give him, nothing to offer.

Except myself.

Aware of the dampness between my legs and the slight burn from the friction of our love-making, I went to the bathroom first. Then I dug around, finding a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. They were Clay’s. They smelled like him. It felt like he was holding me, his scent cocooning me.

Harper was in the living room. Alone. Lounging on the couch, watching something on TV. “Hey! There you are. I was beginning to think you were going to spend the whole day in bed.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Not that I’d blame you. I’d spend the whole day in bed if I had someone like Clay in there with me too.”

“No, I can’t sleep. Not without knowing what happened to my ranch.”

“I get that.” She jerked her head toward the kitchen. “I stuck your coffee in the fridge, thinking you might want it later. Along with the food your man brought.”

“Thanks.” My stomach gurgled, and I clapped my hand over it. “I’d forgotten I haven’t eaten today.”

“The burger was delish. Your salad looked good too.” Harper followed me, plopping onto a stool at the breakfast bar.

I put the coffee into the microwave to warm it up then dug out the white foam container. “Where’s Mike?” I flipped it open and grabbed a slice of cucumber, crunching into it. Fresh and buttery. Delicious.

“Work. He’s done at four.” Harper snatched a baby carrot from my carton and nibbled. “So I have a few hours to kill. What do you want to do?”

“I need to find out if my aunt had insurance on the ranch first.” I grabbed a fork from the drawer.

“How’re you going to do that?”

I shrugged and stabbed at the crisp lettuce in the carton. “Call her attorney? I’m hoping he’ll have a record of any policies she might have had.” I filled my mouth with the crunchy salad. So yummy.

“Okay. Then what?”

I chewed and swallowed before answering. “Then I need to go to the ranch.”

“You can’t. The detective told Mike and me that nobody will be allowed near the property for at least a week while they do their investigation.”

“A week?” I poked at the salad again. “Crap. What am I supposed to do until then? And what about the animals?”

“Mike told me that Clay took care of the animals, moved them to the neighbor’s ranch for the time being. So no worries there. Maybe you should take this time to rest. You’ve been working your ass off since I got here. You could probably use a little downtime.”

“I can’t relax. Not until I know who torched my ranch and why.”

“Well, you’re not exactly a detective. Maybe you should give the pros a chance?”

“I know. But I feel so useless just sitting around.” I flipped the lid over the salad. My appetite was not what it usually was. I stuffed the salad in the refrigerator and slumped onto the stool next to Harper, the coffee in my hand. “Tell me what you told the police. Tell me everything.”