Promise Me Once

  ~~~~

  I smoothed my dress down as I walked through the restaurant. I didn’t blush when people stared at me. I didn’t worry if they saw the wrinkles in my dress or guessed what I had been doing in the bathroom with a boy I had just met and sure as hell didn’t love. I didn’t care.

  I stiffened my spine and became the girl I was again. Cold, brash, and damaged. It was how I faced the world when people were watching me.

  I ignored the quiet chatter in the restaurant and headed for the table. My heart beat quicker when I saw Cash. He was reclining in the seat, one of his long legs stretched out under the table. The tip of his boot was exposed from underneath the expensive tablecloth, a kind of in-your-face to the snobby wealthy patrons that looked down their nose at him.

  His gaze ran down my body as I approached. My skin heated, imagining he could see how wet I still was and how tender the area between my legs remained.

  When I arrived at the table, he rose to his feet and moved aside so I could sit down. His hand touched my hip, curving around to the small of my back, as I moved past him.

  When I sat down, he was there immediately, next to me. The smell of his aftershave seemed to invade my senses. Plunge me into chaos once again. He kept his eyes on me but hid his emotions. In the small amount of time I had been around him, I learned that he was good at doing that when he wanted to be.

  I crossed my legs under the table carefully, super aware of the ultra sensitive spot his cock had just been in minutes ago. My legs caught his attention and a spark lit his eyes. It made a tingle run through me. I reached for my glass of water, needing to do something with my hands, but Cash’s voice stopped me.

  “Talk to me, Beauty Queen,” he demanded hoarsely.

  I drew my brows together and took a sip of water. I was unsure if I should be offended by his nickname for me or proud of it.

  The water helped calm me. I put my glass down and picked up my fork.

  “What do you want to talk about?” I asked, stabbing a bite of veal but wishing I could stab some sense into me.

  Cash cleared his throat. “How about we talk about what we did in the bathroom.”

  I stuck the cold veal in my mouth and chewed slowly, afraid of facing the truth. The best way to deal with that was to lie.

  “How about we don’t because it was nothing,” I whipped back, staring at him and covering up my fear with attitude.

  His eyes flared. I saw that muscle tick in his jaw again and knew I hit a nerve. Good.

  I stabbed another piece of veal and smiled around the bite. But once again Cash was full of surprises.

  He turned cold gray eyes on me, the muscle in his jaw clenching harder.

  “You’re right,” he said, his voice hard and menacing. “It was nothing.”

  Shock vibrated through my body. Yeah, I had no right to be surprised – I did say it first - but I was the one that was supposed to be aloof and caustic. Not him. I lured men. I used them. Not the other way around.

  Cash met my eyes, the coldness in his challenging. His body was coiled tight. I watched as he angrily grabbed his glass of water and took a long drink, looking like he was trying to calm himself down. When he swallowed, it caused the tendons in his strong throat to flex. It was hot as fuck, but not as hot as what he did next.

  Composed, he set his glass down and looked at me. I fidgeted in my seat, refusing to meet his eyes, but he grasped my chin, forcing me to look at him.

  His eyes dropped down to my mouth and he whispered words that would stay with me forever.

  “It was the best nothing I’ve ever had, Catarina.”

  Then he kissed me again.

  Chapter Ten

  Cash

  I was madder than hell but satisfied like never before. We had fucked. Screwed. Damn, it had been amazing. The best moments of my life.

  Cat’s mouth had sent me over the edge. She had smarted off, telling me I didn’t belong at that snotty restaurant or with her. I had lost my freaking hold on sanity when I saw her get up and leave. I was always so calm but tangling with Cat had left me with some claw marks.

  I had followed her to the bathroom like a mad man. I stood between her legs like a crazy person, getting what I wanted. The sex was dirty, no-holds-barred. I had fucked her right there. If we were kicked out of the place, so what? I damn well had to have her.

  We finished the rest of our meal in silence. I tried to make small talk. Ease some of the tension. I told her about my sister, Keely, who was going to the same college as she was. For the most part, the conversation stayed neutral, carefully staying clear of anything too personal. We were both skirting around the inevitable, the reality of what we had done.

  When the waiter delivered the bill, I didn’t even flinch when I saw it. I pulled out a credit card and slid it onto the little silver plate. I would make payments on it later.

  Cat opened her mouth to argue but I glared at her. Pissed at myself for fucking her on a first date. Angry that I wanted to do it again. And insulted that she thought I would let a lady pay.

  “Don’t even try, Cat,” I said, scowling when she attempted to grab my credit card.

  She frowned. God, she was stunning even with her full lips turned down.

  “But it’s a lot, Cash, and I know you—”

  I cut her off. “I pay. Period.”

  She relented and I felt a surge of satisfaction. I had a feeling she didn’t let many men call the shots so easily. I wasn’t one to boss women around but something about her submitting to me caused my dick to jump to attention.

  Outside the restaurant, the air was heavy and humid. We waited silently as the valet brought my truck around. Cat stood close by me, making it real hard not to touch her. I grew antsy. I was ready to get out of there. Expensive dinners that looked like damn art and uppity people who stared at me too much weren’t my thing.

  Being alone with Cat suddenly was.

  In minutes we were in the truck and back on the freeway, heading home. Again we didn’t talk. What was there to say? Oh, thanks for letting me fuck you back there. I really enjoyed it. Wanna do it again?

  I tightened my hands around the steering wheel, growing irritable. Since when did I lock girls in restrooms and have sex with them? Demand that I belonged between their legs? Had I lost my mind?

  I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. I was screwed beyond hope. Resisting Cat was impossible, but I wasn’t sure what I was doing with her. She was spoiled, wild, and a little too self-absorbed for my taste. In the short amount of time I had known her, she had irritated the hell out of me and drove me to do things I wouldn’t normally say or do. I wanted to strangle her one moment and find out what made her tick the next. It was a problem but I damn sure wasn’t looking for a solution.

  I glanced over at her, just needing to look my fill again. The lights from oncoming traffic played across her face. She looked like an angel but I wanted to love her like the devil even if it meant damning my own soul.

  “Let’s go somewhere else,” I said suddenly, breaking the silence. Where the hell that had come from, I didn’t know. I just wasn’t ready to take her home yet. Something was telling me when I finally did, it would be the last I would see of her. I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “Where do you want to go?” she asked, her full lips lifting in a sensual smile that made my dick ache to slide along them.

  “Well, you took me to your neck of the woods, let me take you to mine.”

  ~~~~

  The trees were just blurs as we flew down the road. We were back where no traffic jams occurred (unless you count the local church letting out on Sunday) and the most exciting thing that happened was the high school winning a football game every now and then. There were no waiters in tuxedos and the only fancy meal you could get was a fried chicken basket from the local diner.

  It wasn’t the big city but it was home.

  The wind whipped through the open window, hitting me like a tornado as shadows zipped by on both sides of the t
ruck. Empty pastures and barbed wire fences were nothing but streaks as we flew down the dirt road. You could take your fancy restaurant and shove it. There wasn’t anything quite like driving down an old dusty road with a drop-dead gorgeous girl beside me.

  In minutes a large lake appeared in front of us. It was Turner’s Lake. Local swimming hole in the summer and the perfect fishing spot year round. It was also a secret place for kids to party, despite the county’s best intentions to keep them out.

  Tonight the lake water sparkled under the moonlight. The place was packed. Parked cars and trucks were strewn all over the open field. The tall grass had been crushed by feet and tires. Someone had started a bonfire near the lake’s edge and a large group had gathered around it, most of them holding beer bottles and red plastic cups. Loud music played from somewhere, sounding suspiciously like country music.

  I slowed the truck down, passing cars and jacked-up pickup trucks. Finally I found a place to park and eased into the spot.

  The sounds of laughter and music drifted inside the truck. I shut off the engine and glanced at Cat. She was staring at me, a closed off look in her eyes. I wanted to reach across and touch her, run my thumb over her lower lip. Instead I stayed in my seat and put my cowboy hat on my head.

  “This okay?” I asked, nodding at the bonfire.

  Her gaze darted to it then back at me. “Yeah. Your neck of the woods isn’t too bad.”

  I gave her a lopsided grin. “Well, sweetheart, I don’t really care where we’re at. A fancy restaurant or the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re with me.”

  Before she could respond, I opened the door and got out.

  I had done some crazy, insane things in my life – riding bulls, going toe to toe with rattlesnakes – but admitting that to Cat might just be the craziest one.

  ~~~~

  Tall weeds whacked at my jeans as I followed her across the field. The moon was full, like a giant bulb in the sky. It gave me just enough light to see the crowd milling around. They were doing what twentysomethings did in the country – hang out and drink.

  A few of them glanced at Cat and me, checking out the newcomers. I didn’t give them much thought as we headed to the bonfire, the large flames drawing us like moths.

  “Cat!” some girl screeched when she saw us. She started running toward us, her perfect blonde hair flying behind her. I recognized her as soon as she got closer. It was the girl from the bar. Cat’s friend.

  As soon as she reached Cat, she threw her arms around her neck and squealed with delight.

  “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming! Junior is here so hush-hush about the other night. Come on, you have to meet someone,” the girl said, talking a hundred miles a minute.

  Cat gave me a quick look over her shoulder as the girl pulled her away. The little dress she wore swooshed from side to side, tempting every man present. I saw a few of them watch her, eyeing her ass. If she noticed, she didn’t show it. She followed her friend to a truck parked a few yards away, those legs of hers taking away what I had experienced and craved again.

  I wanted to run after her like a dog with his tongue hanging out, desperate to be petted. Instead I joined the other guys around the bonfire, silently cussing the heat, the humidity, and damned near everything else in frustration. I couldn’t keep my hands off Cat. I didn’t see her as long term but right now short term was looking better and better.

  Some of the guys I knew from high school were standing around the fire, drinking beer. One of them handed me a longneck, lukewarm but wet. I popped the top and took a long sip, needing it after the night I had.

  “I tell you if they go to war, I’m signing up,” some good-ol’-boy said on my right, spitting a wad of tobacco into the fire.

  I listened to their conversation with vague interest and watched as the flames spit and sputtered, reaching high into the sky. There was still talk on the news that things were tense in the world. Military was on standby. There had been some small skirmishes involving U.S. soldiers around the world. Relations with other countries were strained. Things did not look good. But when had they ever?

  “They got to draft my ass,” some guy said on my left. “I ain’t dying for nobody.”

  “You’d die to get your dick in Tessa’s twat,” some other fella teased, howling with laugher at his own joke.

  “True dat,” the first guy said, lifting his beer in a silent toast before taking a drink.

  I half listened to them, taking another pull on my drink and waving off a mosquito buzzing around. A few yards away a bunch of girls laughed, Cat being one of them.

  “What about you?” someone asked me from across the fire, jerking his chin my direction and swaying slightly on his feet. “You ready to fight?”

  I lowered the longneck and held it between my finger and thumb, tapping it against my leg as I watched him warily. I had noticed him when I first walked up. He was drunk and mean looking. About my age but twice my size. That was saying a lot since I was tall and lean, all muscle and no fat, thanks to hours working outside with my bare hands.

  “Well, I reckon if I’ve got to fight, I’ll fight,” I replied, a simple answer to a simple question. My dad had taught me to be afraid of nothing, including guys like this one. He also taught me to survive, to do what had to be done in order to keep those I loved safe. If that meant going to war, I would go to war. Gun in my hand. Pride on my shoulders. No fear in my heart.

  The drunk guy across the fire squinted at me. “You come here with Cat?” he asked, belching halfway through the question.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up, protectiveness rising in me. “Yep,” I answered, watching him carefully across the bonfire.

  “You dating her?” he asked. His voice had an edge to it that spelled trouble.

  I felt every muscle in my body tense, something akin to anger igniting in me. I pushed the brim of my cowboy hat back with the mouth of my longneck, keeping my face neutral.

  “Guess you could say that,” I drawled.

  The guy puffed up like a damned porcupine. “You know that’s my ex-girlfriend? The one you’re fucking.”

  I sighed. I wasn’t one for throwing punches but, hell, I felt one coming on.

  “Really? Sorry about that man,” I said, keeping my voice calm. Void of any possessiveness I felt. “No hard feelings.”

  The guy rolled his shoulders, almost crushing the red cup in his hand.

  “Yeah, no hard feelings.” He forced the words out between clamped teeth, making the veins stick out in his neck.

  I nodded and took another drink of my beer, watching him closely. He stared at me, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side. He looked like a big bull, full of meanness and waiting to attack. I had seen one go on a killing spree once, fire in its eyes and deadly precision in its horns. This guy was that bull, out for blood. I just happened to show up with something he still considered his.

  And like me, I had a feeling he would kill for it.

  No one spoke. The other guys watched us, waiting for something to happen. Someone tossed an empty beer can in the fire, grumbling about needing to take a leak. Another guy picked up a good-sized tree limb and threw it on the fire, sending sparks up into the sky.

  I just stood there, nursing my drink, trying not to think of Cat with the guy across from me. Outwardly I appeared calm. Cool. Inside I was on edge. Fuming. Ready to strike.

  And I didn’t have to wait long.

  I finished my drink and decided to head for where Cat had disappeared. That’s when it happened.

  I was only a few feet from the bonfire when the air seemed to change. A sense of warning crackled in it. I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. I started to turn, ready to go on the attack, but something solid slammed into my back. The force took me to the ground, knocking the air from my lungs and taking me down hard.

  Smack!

  My chin hit the dirt, scraping the skin raw. My cowboy hat went flying. Shouts broke
out around me, the only sounds I could hear.

  A punch landed in my back, right above my kidneys. Shiiit! I wanted to howl with pain. Instead I fought like a rabid dog cornered in a cage.

  I rolled over with my fists swinging. Each punch was calculated, precise. I buried my knuckles in the big guy’s gut and then in his chin as he kneeled above me. Cat’s ex grunted and swayed, but stayed locked in place.

  “Little shit, fucking with my girl,” he snarled with a drunken slur, raising his arm high. “I’m gonna leave you crying for your mama and take that sweet little ass of hers home with me.”

  He swung and caught me in the nose. My head snapped to the side, sending pain shooting through my neck and blood spurting from my nostrils, but it didn’t stop me. I got in a good punch to his throat. Damn, the guy’s neck was even solid muscle. He recovered quickly, drawing his arm back and swinging.

  I was faster this time. Getting to my feet, I clipped his chin, putting power behind it. My knuckles hurt like hell but the punch knocked the big guy’s head back and probably loosened some of his teeth.

  I wasn’t finished yet. I buried my other fist in the side of his jaw, snapping his head to the left. His eyes rolled back in his skull and he swayed a second but didn’t go anywhere. Shit, the guy was a tank.

  I swung again. Sure, I had a five-inch knife hidden in my boot, but I didn’t need it. All I needed was a little more power and some muscle. The alcohol the asshole had consumed would do the rest.

  This time my punch worked. The hit to his solar plexus was all it took to take him down. The guy fell to the ground with a grunt, flattening the weeds and grass beneath him. A few grasshoppers hopped out of the way, almost losing their lives under his big body.

  I was breathing hard and still itching to fight, but I forced myself to calm down. My hat was still on the ground a foot or so away. I bent over and grabbed it, noticing for the first time that we had an audience. The onlookers stood around, sipping their drinks and watching the show.

  I smacked my cowboy hat against my leg a few times to get the dirt off before sticking it on my head. Sweat dripped down my face along with some blood. I wiped both away. It wasn’t the first time I had bled at a party.