Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) (22 page)

“All you Cassavechia women are tough to crack. Please pour generously. It’s a warm night.”

She poured a liberal glass for each of them.

“To the only woman who ever told my mother she might get me pregnant,” Jake said, and Sugar shook her head.

“I’m not drinking to Vivian. I’ll drink to Pecan Creek.” She drank and he did too, and Sugar saw a flash of fire in Jake’s eyes that made her nervous. She walked out on his back patio to stare at the pool and catch her breath. Jake joined her and put his arms around her, and Sugar felt herself sliding toward surrender.

“Sugar,” he said, “I’ve wanted you since the first time you sassed me.”

“I wanted to punch you in the nose.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead. “My advertising skills left something to be desired.”

“You rooked three unsuspecting women.”

“I know.” He kissed her lips, taking his time. “I’m offering you a chance for payback.”

“And that payback is sex?” He smelled awesome, like a hot, sexy man who’d been in a kitchen trying to please her. Or maybe please himself. With Jake, you never knew.

He pulled her tighter against him, kissing her slowly, thoroughly. “I’d do my damnedest to make you a happy woman the second time I sold you something.”

Sugar looked into Jake’s eyes. He was too hot, too sexy, almost taking her breath away. “I think your gravy’s burning.”

“Nice try. I turned it off.” He tugged her hips against him, kissing her as if he’d never tasted anything as good as her mouth. Sugar moaned and let Jake hike her up on his waist. “If I’m moving too fast, say so. I’ll back off and feed you the best shrimp and steak dinner you’ve ever had. Just good friends breaking bread together.”

Sugar gasped as Jake sank his teeth gently into her lower lip. Heat and warmth filled her, stealing her desire to tell him no about anything. “I’m not really that hungry.”

His smile turned dangerous. “I am.”

“I believe you’re hungry all the time. Probably any skirt brings on a case of the munchies for you.”

“Cynical.” He kissed down her neck and Sugar tightened up on him, wondering if she was doing the right thing, wondering if guilt was on the other side.

“We have a good thing going here,” Sugar said, and Jake said, “Sometimes. Sometimes not. You swing hot and cold, and I like that about you. Keeps me from being bored.” He carried her inside and set her on the counter, picked up one of the strawberries she’d brought, stroked it against her lips. “I always wanted to feed a woman strawberries in my kitchen.”

“You have a thing for Julia Child?”

“No.” He laughed and dropped the strawberry in his sangria. “I have a Sugar thing.” He kissed down her neck and reached over to stir the gravy. “Just so you know, since we’ve agreed to be up front with each other.”

Jake put the lids on the pots and pulled off his French-Kiss the Cook apron. She looked at him, wanting him in a way she hadn’t wanted a man before. “I just want to find out if you’re over-advertising again.”

He laughed. “Let’s find out.”

He shoved up her skirt and kissed the inside of her thighs. Sugar grabbed on to the counter when he said, “Nice bikini, dig the hearts,” deftly moving her panties aside.

Cold air hit her and then Jake’s tongue, still cool from the sangria, found her sweet spot, filling her so that she gripped the counter harder, gasping, “Oh, don’t
stop
.”

He tickled her with his tongue, then sucked lightly, and Sugar tried not to scream, tried not to worry about the open back door and the wide glass windows and the fact that his friends always seemed to appear at the wrong times and he had his tongue inside her in his kitchen where even Vivian might walk in. But then Jake pulled her hips up off the counter, his tongue moving skillfully inside her as he slipped two fingers inside her, and Sugar shrieked with an orgasm she thought could be heard at the Bait and Burgers.

Jake grinned as he looked at her. “Over-advertised?”

“God, no.” Sugar tried to catch her breath as she came back to earth. Jake fixed her panties and her skirt, putting her back on the counter like she was just another pan. “Excuse me?” Sugar said. “That was the sizzle. Where’s the steak?”

Jake laughed. “I never said I was going to sleep with you, Sugar Cassavechia.”

She wanted to slap the smirk off his face. He wanted it; he knew she wanted it desperately. “So that’s it? I’m the hors d’oeuvre?”

He kissed her. “Don’t be greedy.”

Sugar glared. “You just made me scream loud enough to drive owls from your backyard.”

“Oh, that?” He smiled, the devil himself. He drank more sangria and fished the strawberry from his drink. “I couldn’t bear to disappoint you, Sugar Cassavechia.”

“Well, I’m disappointed now,” Sugar said, “and it kind of sucks.”

He fed her the sangria-soaked strawberry, and she bit off half. He ate the other half. “Sweet, but not as sweet as you.”

“Look, Jake. I did battle with your mother today. I’ve put up with you making me crazy for weeks. To be honest, in the beginning I was pretty certain you were a schmuck. I want the full meal deal, everything you offered. So pay up.”

Jake laughed, low in his throat. “No pressure or anything. Lucky for you, this is Pecan Creek. We grow up on pressure.”

He swept her off the counter and took her outside, dumping her into the pool.

“Ooph,” Sugar said, coming up for air. “That’s no way to get me hot.”

“Maybe not,” Jake said, “let me fix that.” He pulled off his clothes and jumped in naked beside her. Sugar caught a glimpse of him, taking her breath away. She waited for him to come up for air and said, “I’m not easy to warm up,” so he slipped off her blouse and unhooked her bra, stopping to look at what he’d revealed. “God, they are just as fabulous as Kel said,” he said, capturing a nipple in his mouth.

“Can’t someone see us through the fence?”

“Yes,” Jake said, moving to the other nipple. “It’ll give them a heart attack, and that will be your fault.”

“My fault?” Sugar tried to swim away from him, and he pulled her back, stripping off the skirt and panties.

“Your fault, because you’re so hot I lose my mind looking at you. You nearly killed Kel.” He pulled her up against him, sighing when she wrapped her legs around his waist. “My God, you feel good. You’re hot, and I can feel your wetness, and I left the condoms in my bedroom.”

Sugar laughed and kissed the side of his neck, landing her own bite on his shoulder. “You’re in a helluva pickle, soldier. If you go get one, I’ll get away. If you don’t, you don’t get any. Hoist, as they say, on your own petard.”

“Really.” Jake lifted her from the water, laying her on a raft floating in the center of the pool. “I’ll just tie you to the diving board and have my way with you when I get back. And you’ll like it. I can tell you’re one of those girls who wants to walk on the wild side.”

Sugar straddled the raft and paddled away. “Not as wild as you think.”

“We’ll see.” Jake scooped up her clothes, turned to face her. Her gaze slid down his body and flew back up to his shit-eating grin. “Don’t go anywhere, soldier.”

He left the pool area, giving her an astonishing view of tight, muscular buttocks. She wasn’t about to leave the pool, and he’d made damn sure she seen why she wouldn’t move from the water—not to mention taking her clothes.

Her clothes had nothing to do with why she wasn’t getting out of the water.

“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” she called after him. He sauntered back outside, loose-hipped and muscular, a confident god.

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” He got in the water, grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her off the raft. She came up sputtering, but he wiped away her annoyance by taking a nipple in his mouth. Sugar slid the condom on him, caught in the feeling of Jake and the romance and even the stars overhead, but then he lifted her onto him, and she gasped, fully engaged in the moment.

She stared into his eyes before collapsing against his shoulder with a groan. He moved her back and forth, making the water lap against them, and Sugar held on tight, amazed that sex felt so good with him.

“You’re going to kill me,” Jake said, and Sugar squeezed him tight. “Yes, I’m dying from pleasure.”

“Take your time,” she said. “I’ve fantasized about killing you. In theory.”

“I know.” He moved onto a pool step and relaxed against the concrete, holding her against him. “I have that effect on women.”

“You need to work on that.”

He kissed her breasts and licked her nipples, and Sugar felt fire building inside her.

“Don’t stop,” she said, and he said, “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t stop if my mother showed up,” and Sugar groaned and said, “God, don’t bring her up,” and he moved faster until she didn’t care, and the feelings built, and suddenly she let out another scream, just like she had in the kitchen, collapsing against Jake.

“I’ve got you,” he said, and she whimpered, but then he grabbed her tight, crushing her butt against him. Everything inside Sugar ran hot and wetter than she’d ever been, and she wanted to stay in his arms forever. When he shuddered, she cradled him to her, kissing his face.

“Dear God,” Jake said, “thank you.” He held her tight, resting his forehead against her chest. “I don’t know if I have the strength to grill.”

Sugar laughed. “Come on, Chef Tell. Let’s get you back to your post. The military doesn’t turn out wienies.”

“They don’t,” Jake said, following her from the pool, “but they don’t prepare a man for anything like you, either, Sugar Cassavechia.”

Jake wasn’t sure what he was going to do about Sugar. He’d gone over to the dark side. She made him nuts. He was completely addicted to her, a slobbering idiot like Kel. “You’re going to like my cooking as much as you like my—”

“Don’t oversell,” Sugar said, setting their sangria glasses on the patio table overlooking the pool.

“I thought we settled that.” Jake brought two perfectly grilled steaks over to the table. “Do I have to convince you on the kitchen table?”

“No.” Sugar laughed.

He wasn’t going to tell her that she was sexier with her hair wet and no makeup on than he’d ever known a woman to be in like condition.
Raul or whatever the hell his name is a fool for letting her get away. Poor dumb bastard.
“There’s a drink called Sex on the Beach. I’m going to order one of those one day with you.”

She looked at him. “Maybe we should call it Sex on the Creek?”

“Good idea. I like your style.” Jake scooted her chair out for her and caught a glimpse of bare peaked nipples under a white muscle T-shirt she’d borrowed from him as she sat down. She’d tossed her wet bra onto the diving board to dry, so her breasts danced a little as she moved, and Jake thought this was going to be the toughest meal he’d ever eaten sitting across from glory like Sugar’s. She’d eschewed her wet panties and skirt, instead wrapping a towel around her waist.

She had a lot of style. And he was going to sleep with that towel like a teenage girl with a rock-star T-shirt.

“Why’d your mom name you Sugar?” he asked, sitting down to try to eat and mostly drool over her.

“She didn’t. Dad did.” Sugar smiled at him over the candlelight. “He said I was sweet.”

Jake’s mouth dried out. He served the green beans and the potatoes au gratin without comment.

“This is delicious,” Sugar said a moment later when they’d cut into the steak and eaten some of the meal he’d put a lot of thought into planning, trying to impress her.

“Thanks,” he said, still focused on her breasts and everything else about her.

“This is very romantic,” she said. “I never envisioned you as a romantic kind of guy.”

“Full of surprises, that’s me.” Jake couldn’t remember what he’d taken the last bite of—it all tasted the same. “Just so you know, I’m going to make you forget Raoul.”

She looked at him. “Ramon.”

“Whatever.” He put his fork down and looked at her across the table. “You’re a keeper, Sugar.”

Her eyes went wide, which he thought was cute. She always did that when she was startled.

“I don’t think either of us is looking for keepers, Jake.”

“Probably not. Funny how it hits you in the face when you’re not looking for it, though.”

She nodded. “Maybe. Sometimes.”

He thought he’d come on too strong, scared her. But then she looked at him and smiled, stood up and pulled off her top, making him go straight up.

“You said something about dessert?” Sugar asked.

Heat hit Jake, an inferno he’d never felt, different from the mortar he’d picked up, emotionally intense. Searing. Hot.
Yes, she is going to kill me, and I’m gonna die so good.

Jake followed Sugar into the kitchen, and when she dropped the towel sarong to the floor, Jake thanked his lucky stars the Hot Nuts had come to town, even if they’d basically turned the entire town inside out, including him.

Happiness was a hot, naked redhead who wasn’t afraid of kitchen fantasies.

Chapter Sixteen

Jake wanted to head to the pit and do nothing but shoot pool and fantasize about Sugar, but life that was Pecan Creek called. Sugar had departed before he’d awakened that morning, but she’d left a note that read,
Paybacks are usually hell, but I underestimated you
, so he was feeling pretty proud of himself.