Love Beyond the Curve (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (3 page)

“Pull it on over, and I will. I may as well. I’ve got all the stuff right here. I’m serious, Reed,” she said, looking up from the last tire she was cleaning.

“Then I’ll be starting a tab with all my debts I owe. The jump-off and now a car wash? You’ll have me over a barrel before you know it!” He laughed as he walked on over to where she was working.

“I promise to go easy on you, Mr. Jackson. I really am not a scorekeeper anyway. Bring the truck and Range Rover over here and you can help. How about that?” She sauntered on over to him with her hands on her hips. She was breathing deeply from the activity. Her breasts rose with each breath, screaming out to Reed to look at them.

“Okay, I’ll go get the keys.”

Charlotte moved her car back to its parking space and went to mix together some fresh car-wash solution. Reed came back out, and they began to wash the cars together. It didn’t take long to finish washing the work truck, so Charlotte jumped in and moved it back to its place under the carport. She began soaping down the Range Rover as Reed wet it with the hose. They had almost finished the tires when Charlotte stood up and said, “It’s hotter than an oven out here today.”

Suddenly, Reed, who was standing on the other side of the SUV, hit her in the back with a stream of cool water from the hose he was holding in his hand.

“Did that help?” he asked innocently, beginning to try to walk away from her as she rounded the car to his side.

“Give that to me! Payback is hell, Jackson!” She growled at him through clenched teeth. She tried to reach for the hose, but he kept spraying her with it, soaking her more and more in the process.

“Okay, you win this time, but I will get you when you least expect it!” She pointed a finger at him and glared at him through narrowed eyes. She walked away and resumed the work on the tires.

“I’m shaking in my boots, Hamilton,” he said as he walked over and turned off the water at the faucet. When he stood up, Charlotte was running up to him with the bucket of soapy water, about to throw it on him.

“Oh, no you don’t!” he yelled as he ran around the truck, catching up with her and grabbing her around the waist so she couldn’t turn around to throw it on him.

“I am not one of those fussy little women you may be used to, Jackson. I’ve never been afraid to get a little dirty!” she said as she lifted the bucket and dumped the water over
both
of their heads, soaking them to the skin.

“Shit, girl!” he yelped, wiping his face with his hand, then pulling his drenched shirt over his head and throwing it down as he glared at Charlotte, who was standing there equally drenched, her breasts completely visible through the wet tank top.

Charlotte was momentarily dazed by the view now presented by a shirtless Reed. His shoulders were broad and thickly muscled, with biceps that flexed as he shook the excess water from his arms. Water trickled down the ripped muscles of his torso, over a tight six-pack. His faded jeans hung low at his waist. Dark hair covered his wide chest and made Charlotte want to run her fingers through it, traveling right down the trail that disappeared below the waistband of his jeans. She became distinctly aware of a throbbing sensation between her legs, compliments of her visceral reaction to Reed’s body.

“That’s
Miss
Shit Girl to you!” She recovered her senses and dropped the bucket to run from him. She headed toward the stairs to her place and had almost reached them when she was grabbed around the waist and swung around by two very strong hands. Reed had her by the back belt loop of her cutoffs and was dragging her backward as he marched determinedly toward the clean car.

“All right, Miss Shit Girl, let’s see how you like the way
this
feels. After all, what was that you said a few moments ago about payback?” He was practically snarling as he began to turn on the faucet again.

“What are you doing, Reed? At least let me see your method of payback before it hits me.” Charlotte tried to seem nonchalant, trying to make him see how much he didn’t bother her.

“Okay, Sassy, as you wish.” He turned her around and promptly stuffed the hose down the front of her cutoffs, with the water running full force.

She gasped at the shock of the cold water hitting her hot skin without warning. Both of them looked down to watch the front of her shorts darken as the water soaked them and poured down her long, tanned legs.

“Well, now, what do you have to say about that?” Reed stepped back, putting his hands on his hips with a look of triumph on his face.

Not one to be outdone, Charlotte pulled the hose out of her pants and tossed it aside on the ground. She put a sultry smile on her face and walked up to Reed, who was still smirking at her, loving every minute of her discomfort. He was shocked when she placed a single fingertip on his bare chest and slid it down to the waistband of his jeans. She proceeded to slide all four fingers inside the waistband and grasp it, jerking him up against her, saying, “I’d say you have succeeded in making me thoroughly wet, Reed Jackson.”

She let go of his waistband, causing him to have to take a step backward to keep his balance, and walked away to the stairs, looking back over her shoulder at a slack-jawed Reed.

Chapter Seven

Reed was watching ESPN when the doorbell rang. He got up to answer it, only to find Charlotte standing there holding a foil-covered plate and bowl.

“Peace offering. Am I forgiven?” Charlotte held out the dishes to him.

A mouthwatering aroma filled the air and made Reed realize he was starving. “That depends on whatever is underneath this foil. Come on in.” He took the food from her and opened the door wider for her to come into the house. Reed led the way to the farmhouse-styled kitchen, complete with all the latest appliances and fixtures. He set the peace offering on the table and went to pour himself a glass of tea, along with one for Charlotte. He grabbed a fork and went to the table to see what delicious-smelling entrees awaited his taste buds.

“It’s homemade lasagna and made-from-scratch lemon meringue pie. I hope you like it. I had plenty of leftovers from last night and thought you might be hungry after all the hard work and play this morning.” She settled back comfortably in her chair, sipping the tea he had set before her.

Reed sunk his fork into the pie first and closed his eyes as he savored the tart confection. “You are so forgiven, but I demand a rematch next week. I will get you back you, know. It’s the Jackson way.”

“Okay, I can handle it. Bring it on! But don’t bite off more than you can chew, because payback always has to be bigger and better than what you are paying back. That’s the Hamilton way.” She winked at him as he began eating the lasagna. She was now wearing a turquoise sundress with matching low-heeled sandals. Her hair was brushed out and flowing in what appeared to be natural waves over her shoulders.

“This is fabulous! Thank you for sharing your leftovers. Feel free to do it anytime if it all tastes like this.” Reed took another bite of the Italian dish. While he ate, he thought about how fresh and beautiful Charlotte now looked. She was a natural beauty. He was going to enjoy having her as a neighbor. He was sure of it.

“I don’t know if you’ll like it all, but you can dump it if you don’t. I’ll never know. Well, I guess I better head back. I’ve got some things I want to finish before this day is over. With my schedule, I have to make the most of daylight hours when I can! I’ll see you around. Thanks for the tea.”

She smiled and stood to leave as Reed’s cell phone rang. He held up a finger signaling for her to wait a minute while he took the call. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, taking in the features of the house while he spoke to the caller.

“Wait a second.” Reed covered the phone and asked Charlotte, “You wouldn’t by chance know how to play poker? One of our regulars just called to cancel.”

She shrugged and said, “I can play a little, I guess. How badly do you need a fill-in?”

“You’re in. Sam, I have someone to cover Ben’s spot, so the game is on. See you at seven o’clock.” He flipped the phone closed and walked over to the door, where Charlotte stood waiting for a bit more information.

“Don’t worry if you aren’t that great a player. Thanks for filling in. We get together once a month to play. It will be at seven o’clock, here at the house. Bring whatever you like to drink. I’ll have something to snack on.”

“Okay, but I will try to bring something for refreshments as well. I guess I better go see if I can grab a nap before tonight. Call me if I haven’t shown up by seven.” She smiled as she opened the door and walked out onto the porch.

“I will. We usually play until midnight or one. A nap might not be a bad idea with your schedule. Thanks again for lunch. Until seven.” Reed walked as far as the edge of the porch with her.

“See you then.” She stepped out into the warm sunshine, which made her already glossy hair shimmer with red highlights.

Reed found himself unable to walk away until she had disappeared inside her apartment. She was something else. He could hardly wait for the game to begin.

Chapter Eight

“I hate to take the money and run, but I can’t get too far off my schedule. Plus you guys need some time to rub it in to Reed that he got beat by a girl. Thank you for inviting me to sit in with you guys. It was a lot of fun.” Charlotte grinned and winked at Reed as she gathered her winnings from the center of the table. She stood up and stuffed the cash into the side pocket of her sundress. She walked to the kitchen counter to gather her dishes to take home.

“You can keep the rest of the pound cake as a consolation prize, Reed. I’ll get the plate later. Thanks for including me in the game. It was nice to do something other than sit at home on a Friday night.” She paused before walking out the door as Reed came up to her.

“I
will be
asking for a chance to win my money back, so don’t be surprised if you are called to sub again next time someone cancels on us. You played like a pro.” Reed reached out to shake her hand as a show of good sportsmanship.

Charlotte took his hand and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “Between you and me, I was the poker champion of my dorm in college. But it’s been a long time since I played. I’m surprised it all came back to me so fast. Well, I’ll see you around the ranch. Good night.”

Her warm breath on his skin had made Reed almost too distracted to register what she was saying to him. Then it clicked. “That makes me feel a little better to have been beaten by you. I thought you were having a tremendous case of beginner’s luck.”

Charlotte laughed and waved a backward wave as she began to walk along the path leading to her place.

Matt Sands, a business associate of Reed’s who was also subbing, rushed past him and up to Charlotte. “Let me take those dishes for you. I’ll walk you to your door. It’s really late for you to be out alone.”

“Thank you, Matt, but there is no reason for you to do that. I feel perfectly safe here on Reed’s property.” She glanced past his shoulder to Reed, who was still standing in the doorway listening.

Matt took the plates from her and put a hand at her back, practically steering her up to her apartment. “I insist.”

They walked across the yard to her place and up to her door. Charlotte unlocked it and turned to take the plates from Matt. Much to her dismay, he pushed past her and entered her home without an invitation. He took the plates to the kitchen and put them on the counter by the sink. Charlotte put her keys on the bar, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t want to offend a friend of Reed’s, but this was too much.

“Thank you for walking me home, Matt. It was nice to meet you. You played a great game tonight.” Hopefully, he would get the hint she wanted nothing to do with him and leave without a scene.

“Well, I play some
other
games even better. What do you say to us continuing the party over here?” He gave her a wolfish smile, moving behind her as he ran both hands from her shoulders down to her elbows, leaning down to graze her neck with his lips.

She could tell he was a bit more than a little tipsy. She had watched him down several glasses of vodka over the course of the night. She shook him off and stepped toward the door to ask him to leave, but he grabbed her roughly by the arm and spun her around. He was about six one and in good shape, so he had the advantage over her.

“Please leave, Matt. You are drunk, and you’ll regret this tomorrow. Just go, and we’ll pretend it didn’t happen.” She spoke firmly, trying to pull away from him as she talked calmly.

“I don’t think you really
want
me to leave, Miss Charlotte. I think a big girl like you is probably glad when a man wants to get some of that sweetness you’ve got here between these curvy thighs of yours.” He slid his hand down her stomach to cover her sex. He squeezed her intimate flesh through her dress, moaning in her ear.

Charlotte was outraged and thought, To hell with diplomacy! She slapped Matt as hard as she could across his face and yelled, “Get the hell out of my house, you bastard!”

“Oh, hell no, you
didn’t
just hit me, you fat-assed cow! I’ll leave when I’m ready!” he yelled back at her as he ripped open the front of her dress, sending buttons flying everywhere. He grabbed the middle of her sheer turquoise-colored bra and yanked it apart as well, exposing her breasts to him as he pushed her backward to the sofa, knocking her down when the backs of her legs were against it. She was trying to fight him off, but he had her wrists locked down over her head as he tried to suck greedily at one of her breasts.