Текст книги "Scorched"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 4

Andrea

Well, this trip was starting off super-awkward.

Sitting in Kyler’s Durango, I was seated right next to Tanner and I felt like we were the two annoying kids stuck in the backseat on a long trip. Which would make Kyler and Syd our parents. Weird.

An hour and a half into the drive, Syd’s nose was deep in her eReader, Kyler’s thumbs were thrumming along the steering wheel as he hummed to whatever song was playing, and I was doing my best not to think about the fact I’d drunkenly kissed Tanner. Biting down on my lip, I glanced at him.

Blue eyes fixed on mine.

Oh crap, he wasn’t asleep anymore. I quickly focused on the window and stared at…rolling green hills everywhere.

Another thing I couldn’t stop thinking about was his visit last night—the way he had looked at me when I’d opened the door, like he’d really liked what he’d seen. And what he’d said to me before he’d gone into the bathroom, and I’d embarrassingly fallen asleep in that short burst of time. He’d carried me to my bed—carried me. Good lord, I was not a small girl. So that was impressive…and hot.

Watching a Mack truck loaded up with logs zoom past our SUV, I tried not to think about one of those Final Destination movies. But that would probably be better than what was consuming my thoughts. I was unnerved by how much I was thinking about this. I shouldn’t care. It was Tanner, and he and I could barely call each other friends. He’d also had his chance with me before and had blown it.

Not that he seemed to remember any of that, or that I’d really given him a chance back then. Wasn’t like I’d talked to him or expressed any inclination that I wanted to practice making babies with him, so…

Tanner tapped my knee, drawing my attention. My eyes met his. “What?”

Lifting his hand, he curled a long finger. “Come here.”

My stomach dropped at the sound of his low, husky voice. Having no idea what he was up to, I leaned across the space between us, turning my head to the side.

“I haven’t been sleeping for a while,” he said, his breath dancing along my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. “So…”

“So what?” I had no idea why he felt the need to share that with me.

“You’ve been staring at me,” he whispered, and I started to draw back, denials forming on my tongue, but his arm suddenly moved. His hand curled around the back of my neck, holding me in place. “I don’t mind it.”

My heart stuttered and then skipped a beat. What the…? I swallowed hard, my normal, what-I-liked-to-consider witty rapport was nowhere to be found. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a whispered, “You don’t?”

“Yeah.” His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging the curls in a delicious way that sent fiery awareness across my skin. “I just decided that I don’t.”

“Right now?” I breathed.

Tanner shifted his head slightly and when he spoke again, his breath caressed my lips. Muscles low in my belly tightened. “Yep. About two minutes ago, actually.”

A soft, surprised laugh came out of me. “Really. Two whole minutes ago.”

“Maybe five,” he teased, and my stomach twisted pleasantly. “Ten minutes might be pushing it, though.”

I almost laughed again, but his mouth was so close to mine that if I shifted a fraction of an inch, our lips would meet, and I really wanted to remember my drunken kiss. His fingers found their way through the tangle of curls. I had no idea what was happening. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t speak.

“No sex in the backseat,” Kyler announced. “I just cleaned this thing out.”

Snapping out of our own little world, I jerked free, wincing when my hair caught in his hand. Cheeks burning, I glanced forward as he eased his fingers out of my curls.

In the rearview mirror, Kyler grinned at me.

I flipped him off.

Heart thumping unsteadily, I glanced at Tanner. Our gazes met again, and a slow smile pulled at his lips. Leaning back against the door, he tossed his arm over the back of our seat. The stare was intense, piercing, like he wasn’t seeing me, but was seeing inside me, scoping out all my secrets. Flushed, I was the first to look away.

Syd had twisted around, peering into the back seat. Her gaze flitted from me to Tanner and then back. Her lips pursed. “Alrighty then.”

I had absolutely nothing to say as she flipped back around, tapping the screen on her eReader. Nope. I wasn’t even thinking anything. I stared at the back of Kyler’s head, totally bewildered by—by everything. As my heart started to pound even harder, I did know one thing. This week was going to be really interesting.

After what felt like forever, the Durango’s tires crunched over gravel and as soon as it rolled to a stop, I all but threw open the door and hopped out. Okay. All ignorant jokes about West Virginia aside, this little piece of the world was stunning and breathtaking.

Tall pine and elm scented the air, and although the August sun was oppressively strong, the trees blocked the harsh rays, providing much welcome shade. Above the leafy branches and green needles, I could see a giant sandstone structure bursting into the blue, cloudless sky. The mountain glimmered faintly, and each jagged point reminded me of a massive hand trying to grasp at the clouds.

Syd joined me, smiling as she followed my gaze. “Those are the Seneca Rocks. I think Kyler wants to check them out either Wednesday or Thursday. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

I laughed as I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m more of a lie-by-the-pool kind of girl versus getting all up into wildlife.”

Syd nudged me with her hip as she glanced over her shoulder, to where the guys were grabbing the suitcases out of the back of the SUV. “Or maybe a check-out-what’sgoing-on-with-Tanner kind of girl?”

I smacked her arm. “I’m not that either, and you know that.”

“Uh-huh.” She bit down on her lower lip as she turned her gaze to mine. “You know, I’ve always thought he liked you.”

“Stop,” I sighed. Syd was forever playing the matchmaker since she’d settled down with Kyler. The night I’d left her place feeling all kinds of butt sore over what Tanner had said to me, she’d started in on how she truly believed we were secretly in love with one another.

“What?” she challenged. “It’s like a typical playground love affair. Instead of you two pulling each other’s hair and pushing each other down, you get on each other’s nerves on purpose.”

“I’d like to think I’m a bit more mature than that.”

She arched a dark eyebrow.

I giggled. “Okay. Maybe not.”

“Yeah,” she dragged the word out. “You guys have hooked up before, right?”

Shooting her a look, I shook my head. “Um, no.”

A look of doubt crossed her face. “You’ve made out, then—”

“No. No, we haven’t.” I laughed under my breath, because I was so not counting that kiss. “Why do you think that? He and I have never done anything. I would’ve told you.”

The disbelief didn’t fade from her face, and I wondered why in the world she’d still think that after all this time. Pushing the conversation out of my head, I dragged in a deep breath and smiled. I realized there wasn’t a hint of fumes or body odor or any other nasty street smell that clung to the city, a kind of smell you got used to until you were out in a place like this. Clean air. Lord, I’d forgotten how nice that was to breathe.

“Let’s go help them.” Looping her arm through mine, she slipped her sunglasses down and then led me to the back of the SUV.

Tanner had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and it boggled my mind how guys could pack for a week in a bag I could easily double as a purse. In his other hand was my pink and purple polka-dotted suitcase.

Slipping free from Syd, I went to his side. “You don’t have to carry that.” I reached for my suitcase.

“I got it.” Facing me, I could clearly see myself reflected in the silver aviator-style sunglasses he’d slipped on. Damn, he looked good in them. Air Force pilot hot.

“I can carry it,” I insisted while Kyler headed around the SUV. Syd was behind him, carrying an armful of plastic bags.

Tanner grinned as he stepped back, holding the stuffed piece of luggage out of my grasp. “Grab the leftover bags. I’ll carry this.” He pivoted around.

We’d stopped at the grocery store in town and there was a load of groceries in the back, enough to feed an army. Grabbing two paper bags, I lifted them out, eyeing him warily. “Are you trying to get laid or something? Because I know going a whole week must be hard for you and all.”

Tanner stopped and then turned back to me. One brow rose above the rim of his sunglasses. “Now, come on, Andy. There’s no such thing as trying when it comes to this.”

My eyes narrowed as I walked to where he stood. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He lowered his head so that we were almost eye level. His lips tipped up at the corners and he spoke in a voice only I could hear. “If I wanted you, I’d have you.”

What in the holy hell hotcakes? My jaw hit the gravel as I barked out a short laugh. “Oh, wow. That’s cocky.”

One shoulder rose. “Nah, just confident.”

I snorted. “Or really optimistic in a special kind of dumb way.”

He laughed under his breath as I shifted the bags in my arms. “Let’s make a bet, Andy.”

“Stop calling me that,” I ordered, but hated—absolutely loathed—the breathlessness of my voice. I wanted to punch it out of my chest. Or him. Yeah, punching him would be better. “And I’m not making any bets with you.”

I walked around him, stomping on the gravel with my sandaled feet. I’d taken a few steps when he said, “That’s because you know you’ll lose.”

Halting suddenly, I almost tripped over my own feet. I whipped around, facing him once more. He did not just say that. No way. “Excuse me?”

Tanner’s grin and walk were full of swagger as he strolled on past me. “Yeah, it is. You know you’ll be under me by the time we leave this cabin.”

Chapter 5

Tanner

Andrea’s cheeks matched her hair, and that was…it was cute. I didn’t do cute. Or at least I didn’t until now. Now I was all about the cute—the Andrea kind of cute.

I knew I should’ve felt like an ass for saying what I did, but I didn’t. No regrets. None whatsoever. Heading up the porch steps, I realized I had no idea what that said about me.

And I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t know what I was starting, because I did. I fucking knew exactly what I was provoking, but I had no game plan when it came to how this was going to end—no clue. And I always had a game plan.

Or, in other words, an exit strategy.

I’d always been a “no relationship” kind of guy. Everyone knew that. It wasn’t that I ruled them out completely, but I didn’t go there unless I really wanted to go there. Something fucking bizarre had happened between Friday night and this morning, because I knew I wanted to go there with Andrea. I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly had happened to cause that and I wasn’t sure why it was even Andrea. Why not Brooke or Mandie? Or Lea? Never once had they made me want to slam my face into a wall, and Andrea had brought me to the edge of crazy many times over.

Shit. I knew enough, to be honest. Andrea gave as good as she got. She was smart, and when she wasn’t pissing me off, she was funny. And there were moments she could be the sweetest thing, and not just when she was falling asleep. None of that was news, but why now?

I honestly didn’t have an answer for that.

“Holy crap,” Andrea breathed, staring up at the cabin as she walked up the steps to the wrap-around porch. “How did you guys end up with this place?”

I stepped aside as she stopped beside me. Looking at the wide wrought-iron entry door and the floor-to-ceiling window across the front, the cedar log cabin was a McMansion. Big enough for more than just the four of us, an entire soccer team could be housed comfortably in this place, but I was glad I wasn’t going to have to fight a shit-ton of guys for Andrea’s attention this week.

“My mom knows the owner,” Kyler answered, shoving the key in the door. His mom ran a hugely successful bar restoration company, which afforded some hellish contacts. “So, we lucked out with this.”

“I’ll say.” Andrea grinned as she glanced at me. I expected to be on the receiving end of one of her death glares, but the grin had reached her eyes, warming them. “I cannot wait to see what the inside looks like.”

Kyler pushed open the doors and a rush of cold air greeted us. Letting Andrea head in before me earned me an arched look, which I returned with a grin. She shook her head as she crossed the threshold.

She came to a complete stop, and I nearly plowed into her back—definitely not in the fun way either.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping to the right. An awed look crossed her pretty face as she took in the high ceilings and the exposed rafters, the huge fans and skylights above the sitting room. I couldn’t believe, with the kind of money she came from, that this was the first extremely nice home she’d seen.

I’d have bet she grew up in something like this.

“It’s beautiful.” She turned that grin to Sydney. “Wow.”

“And you haven’t seen the rest. Kyler’s mom sent us pictures of it. There’s a living room on the other side of the kitchen, then a sunroom. Five bedrooms upstairs—three of them have their own bathrooms.”

“And there’s a media room in the basement, fully loaded,” Kyler added.

That caught my attention.

We crossed into a room I wasn’t sure had a purpose other than to look nice. With its white wicker furniture and thick cushions in pristine condition, I would bet money no one had ever used it. The stairs leading up were to the left, just outside the kitchen, and Jesus, the kitchen was bigger than my mom’s kitchen and living room back at home.

Andrea stared at the stainless-steel vent hanging from the ceiling above the gas grilltop stove. “I’m going to make this kitchen my bitch.”

Sitting the luggage down, I pushed my sunglasses up. “You can cook?”

She shot me a long look. “Yes. I can do things other than drinking my weight in liquor.”

Normally I would’ve fired back with something equally biting, but I managed not to. I deserved an award. “So what are you going to make me for dinner, then?”

“Ha!” she laughed, sitting the groceries on the counter. “Keep wishing for that. Never going to happen.”

Sydney grinned as she joined Andrea, helping her unload the groceries. “That sucks for you, Tanner, because Andrea can really cook.”

“Yep.” She shoved a large pack of ground beef in the fridge. “Yep. I can.”

Leaning against the counter, near the sink, Kyler grabbed a water bottle from the stash his girl was trying to put in the fridge. “Her lasagna is banging.”

I frowned. “You’ve eaten her lasagna?”

Kyler flipped the water bottle in his hand. “Yes, sir.”

“That’s fucked up,” I muttered, oddly…jealous.

Andrea giggled as she looked at me over her shoulder. “Maybe you should’ve been nicer to me, huh?” She turned back, picking up the case of beer and shoving it onto the bottom shelf of the fridge. “Then you’d be all up and familiar with my lasagna.”

“That’s not what I want to be all up in,” I said under my breath.

She stiffened. “What?”

“Nothing. Just clearing my throat.” I ignored Kyler’s wide-eyed gaze as I picked up the luggage. “But guess what? I have your stuff and I’m going to pick your room for you.”

She whipped around, arms at her side. “You are not picking my room.”

“Oh, yes I am.” I took a step back and waited as Sydney and Kyler exchanged looks.

Andrea’s eyes narrowed.

Our gazes locked, and then I wheeled around, heading for the stairs, not even attempting to keep the grin off my face when I heard her curse. I was acting like a fourteenyear-old boy desperate for attention. And I was—desperate for her attention, that is. Like a kid with a new toy, I didn’t want to share her with Kyler and Sydney. A second later, she was right behind me. “I’m picking my room,” she insisted.

“So, you say.” I climbed the steep stairs at a rapid clip.

She groaned. “You’re a tool. And your legs are too long. And you walk too fast.”

I laughed as I reached the landing. When I glanced down, Andrea was still several steps below me. “It’s not my fault your legs are short.”

“My legs are not short.” She finally joined me at the top, her cheeks flushed pink. “Your legs are just abnormally long. You have freak legs.”

“You know what they say about long legs…”

Her eyes rolled. “They do not say that about long legs.”

“They do in my world.” I stopped at the first door and elbowed it open, revealing a massive room with a bed big enough for the four of us to sleep comfortably in. Across from the bed, a huge-ass TV hung from the ceiling. “I think this must be the master.”

“Let’s leave that for Syd and Kyler.” Andrea closed the door, and then strutted forward, opening the next door. I didn’t see it, but she huffed and then closed the door. The same with the next, and I guessed the third time was a charm, because she squealed as she pushed the door open. “This is mine.”

My brows rose as I followed her, and I had to give it to her. She had good taste. The bed was large, not as big as the master, but nice. The room was rustic—exposed beams in the ceiling, the wood-paneled walls painted grey.

She skipped into the room, placing a purse the size of a baby on a chair situated in the corner. Then she headed straight for a large white door. Thrusting it open, she clapped her hands together. “Oh my God. This bathroom. I could live in it.”

Setting her suitcase on an old wooden trunk by the door, I dropped my duffel on the floor with a thunk and followed her over to the bathroom. “Damn.” I leaned against the doorframe. “You could sleep in that tub.”

“I could! I just might.” She turned and looked up at me, smiling widely.

Something tugged in my chest, causing me to straighten as she whirled back around to the bathroom. “It’s a claw-foot tub. I’ve never actually used one of them before or seen one this big. It’s kind of…romantic,” she said wistfully.

I said nothing as she opened another door. “Oh, this bathroom must share with these two bedrooms.” Closing the door, she brushed past me, back into the bedroom. The peachy scent trailed after her, like a lure. “This place is really nice. Kyler’s mom has good taste.”

“Yeah.” I watched her walk over to a standing mirror, and of course, that meant I watched the way the snug jeans hugged her shapely ass. Andrea definitely was not lacking in that department either.

Shaking my head, I turned and walked around the bench placed in front of the bed. I glanced at her. She raised her brows. I power-bombed the bed and stretched out across the center. I only had to wait maybe three seconds before Andrea responded.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting comfy.” I folded my arms under my head as she froze in front of a dresser. “This bed is nice.”

“And it’s my bed.”

“No, it’s not. It belongs to whoever owns the house,” I pointed out gamely.

“No shit, Sherlock, thanks for clarifying.” She glanced at the open door and then whiskey-colored eyes met mine. “Thanks for carrying my luggage up.”

I winked. “You’re welcome.”

Interestingly, she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth for a moment. “That was kind of me saying nicely it’s time for you to get the hell out of my room.”

“I know.”

Both brows flew up. “And you’re still here.”

“I am.”

She took a step forward and then stopped. “Don’t you have anything to do? Like go explore the rest of the house? Snapchat pictures of your dick to random chicks? Annoy someone else?”

“Not really.” I paused. Needless to say, I’d never sent anyone pictures of my cock, but now I kind of wanted to send one to her. “Guess what?”

She eyed me as she shuffled closer to the bed. “You’re a total chicken butt.”

Chuckling, I rolled onto my side, facing her. “That was pretty lame.”

“It was.” She shrugged, moving closer. “I’m not ashamed. I excel at being lame.”

“Nah, that’s not what you excel at.”

A frown creased her face. “If you say drinking is what I excel at, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“You excel at distracting me and driving me crazy. Not necessarily in a bad way. Sometimes, but not always,” I admitted. Her eyes widened, and nothing that I was saying was a lie. “You also excel at being beautiful.”

Her lips parted. “You…” She shook her head. “…are still not getting laid.”

I laughed, but then my gaze dipped over the pale blue tank top she wore. The way her full breasts stretched the material snagged my attention. With great effort, I lifted my gaze. “I’m picking the room next door.”

Color pinked her cheeks. “Of course you are.”

“I think it’s awesome we’ll be sharing a bathroom. We can bond.” I smiled at her, the kind of smile that drew girls from across the bar like bears to honey. “I think we need to bond.”

“I…I don’t agree,” she quipped, and I realized my smile wasn’t working on her. Figured.

“Yes, you do.”

She folded her arms, and the swell above her top increased. Shit. I needed to stop staring at her breasts. “There are other bedrooms with their own bathrooms.”

“I like that one.”

“You haven’t even seen the other bedroom, Tanner.”

I grinned. “I know I’ll like it.”

Clearly exasperated, she stared at me and gave a quick shake of her head. Curls bounced everywhere. A moment passed. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing.” I patted the spot next to me. “Come here.”

One dark auburn brow rose. “Why?”

“Because I want to ask you something.”

“And you can’t ask me while I’m standing here?” She shifted her weight.

Sticking out my lower lip, I patted the bed again. “I can’t. I need you here, close to me. It’s the only way that it can be.”

“You are ridiculous.” Her voice was soft.

“Maybe.”

A long moment stretched out between us and then with a heavy, obviously annoyed sigh, she walked to the bed and sat by my legs. “Happy now?”

“Nope.” Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and tugged her down beside me before she could do anything. “Now I’m happy.”

Part of me expected Andrea to pull away and bounce off the bed, but she did neither, and I took that as a positive sign. When her pink lips parted on a soft inhale, the need to taste those lips punched through me hard—a real kiss, not one she’d forget. It shocked me, the power behind that desire. I didn’t get it, but I didn’t want to question it in that moment. She was close. She smelled damn good. And we weren’t at each other’s throats.

“What did you want to tell me?” she asked.

My gaze followed the shape of her lips. “I didn’t want to tell you anything. I wanted to ask you something.”

The corners of her lips twitched as if she were fighting a smile. “What did you want to ask me?”

Our faces were inches apart when I looked up. “What are you making me for dinner?”

Andrea blinked and then she laughed—loudly and deeply, an infectious and rich laugh that warmed my skin. “I’m going to make these hamburgers I saw on Kitchen Nightmares. They used minced onions, breadcrumbs, and more. They’re really good.”

Ah, fuck me, another thing that was cute. She got recipes off of a reality TV show. “I’ll grill them.”

“You might have to fight Kyler for control of the grill.”

“I can take him.” Her top slipped down her arm, revealing the pale blue strap of her bra. I reached between us, slipping my finger under the edge of her tank top. As I drew it back up her shoulder, the backs of my fingers glided over her skin, causing her chest to rise with a deep breath.

Her eyes widened, and I swallowed a groan when the tip of her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip. Neither of us spoke as I straightened her top. Emboldened by the lack of protest, I trailed my hand down her arm, reveling in the feel of her skin. I stopped where her hand rested on her hip.

“What…what are you doing, Tanner?” she asked again.

Such an important question, but truth was, I really didn’t know, because it wasn’t about what I was doing right that second. It was more than that, and as I’d realized earlier, something had shifted between Friday and today, and I really wasn’t sure what the fuck that meant or why or any of that.

So I smacked her ass.

Seemed legit.

A shriek squeaked out of her as she jerked into a sitting position. The cutest damn glare fixed over her features. There it was again, the word cute. “You mother—”

“No, Andy, I’ll be a father one day. I’m a boy. You’re a girl.” Rolling off the bed, I hopped to my feet and cast a grin in her direction. “But right now, I’m going to go check out this pool I haven’t seen yet.”

For a moment she didn’t move or speak, and I wasn’t sure she was even breathing, but then she flopped onto her back. Raising one arm, she extended her middle finger.

I laughed.