Down to You (The Bad Boys 1)

I don’t wait for him to come to the door. Rather, I go out to meet him, carefully locking the door behind me.

Cash is straddling his glossy black-and-chrome bike. His jeans—blue for a change—are stretched tight across his thighs and his plain white tee is snug over his chest. His dark blond hair is disheveled, as always, making my fingers itch to run through it. But it’s his face that makes me catch my breath. More handsome than any guy I’ve ever seen in real life, there’s something about his eyes and his smile today that seem to sear the air between us, setting it on fire.

And even though I know the risk, I want to jump head first into the flames.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - Cash

Something about the look on her face makes me feel like a meal. And if I were, I’d be a happy meal, for sure. Although I’m still impatient, I’m relieved. I figured she’d come around eventually. I knew she wouldn’t be able to fight what’s between us for too long. It’s too strong.

And tempting.

“You keep looking at me like that and you’re gonna have a big surprise to deal with when you get on this bike,” I tell her.

“A big surprise?” she asks, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Nah, don’t you mean something more like a Tic Tac?”

I love her sense of humor. It’s a little shy, just like her, and it pokes it head out at the most unusual times.

I smile and hold out my hand to her. “Then come here and let me freshen your breath.”

She laughs. And, as always, I want to do something immediately to make her do it again. She thinks too much, worries too much. I don’t know about what, but I can see it nonetheless. It makes me want to brighten her mood and give her as many carefree minutes as I can.

Carefree and pleasurable.

I stifle a groan.

She puts her hand in mine and holds on to it as she straddles the seat behind me. Without turning around, I pass her the helmet. In the side view mirror, I watch her slip it onto her head. There’s something so sexy about seeing her in a helmet. Probably something about the way it makes me picture her in black, skin-tight leather, leaning forward on my bike with me behind her, my hands on her hips...

I grit my teeth. Damn her and that lush body of hers!

I reach back and curl my fingers behind each of her knees and pull her forward. I feel more than hear her gasp as her crotch snugs up against my h*ps and her chest flattens against my back.

I feel satisfied that now she’s probably as highly attuned to me as I am to her, but then she ups the ante. She winds her arms around my waist and lets her hands ride dangerously low on my stomach. They’re resting right above my buckle. Right above where she’ll soon feel my hard-on if she’s not careful. I take a deep breath before I put the bike into gear and accelerate away from the curb.

I can’t get her to school fast enough.

As we get close to campus, she points ahead to which roads and turns to take to get her near where she needs to be. When we arrive, I pull along the curb and stop, dropping my feet to the ground to stabilize the bike while she dismounts. She stands facing me to take off the helmet. When she does, she shakes her dark hair free. It looks like something a girl in a shampoo commercial might do. I have no doubt she doesn’t have a clue how sexy she is. But she is. Holy hell, is she ever!

She holds out the helmet to me, her eyes on mine. When I don’t take it, she glances down at it and back up to me in question. I stand, still straddling the bike, and brush the helmet away, instead running my hands through her long hair and pulling her mouth to mine.

Although she’s obviously surprised, she doesn’t hold back. She kisses me like she means it. Like she wants more. All she’d have to do is say the word and I’d drive her straight back home and we’d spend the day in bed. But when I pull away and look into her wide eyes, I know it’s still a little too soon for that. She’s close, but she’s not quite ready.

But I can wait. I’ll have to.

“When are you gonna say ‘yes’?”

She says nothing as she watches me with her deep emerald eyes. Her lips are red and puffy, and slightly parted as she breathes shallowly.

I smile. Oh yeah, it won’t be long.

“Call me when you’re ready for me to come get you,” I say, giving her a quick peck on the lips before I put on the helmet. She looks dazed, which makes me want to smile. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to say yes today. I’ll wait. You’ll be worth it.” Before I lower the shield over my face, I grin and wink at her. “And so will I.”

I pull off down the street. When I look into the side view mirror, I see that she’s still standing exactly where I left her, staring after me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Olivia

It’s official. Cash is in my head. I may be present physically for all my classes, but it doesn’t do me one bit of good. The only thing I learn is that he kisses like a tornado that’s hell bent on ruining my life.

I still don’t know who was in my room last night, but I’m starting to genuinely hope it was Cash and not Nash. Yes, Nash is everything I should want in a man, everything my mother tried to drum into my head. Not to mention that he’s hotter than seven shades of hell and could probably make me forget my convictions when he kisses me.

But beside Cash…he’s beginning to pale in comparison.

I don’t know if it’s my inherent love of the sexy bad boy or if it’s that Cash is turning out to be more than what I initially thought. Either way, he’s in my head. Under my skin. And I doubt I’ll be able to resist him much longer.

Don’t get me wrong. He’s still dangerous and will probably break my heart. And I’ll try to hold out as long as I can. But in my heart, in my gut, I know there’s something between us that won’t go away until we sweat it out of each other.

The fun way.

But the way that will end with me in tears, watching him leave.

At least this time, it’s a choice, though. It’s my choice. I’m going into it knowing full well that might happen. I might not be able to keep from getting hurt, but I’m in control enough to make the choice for myself.

And, in the end, I’ll choose Cash. Try as I might to fight it, it’s inevitable. If only he could only be a little, teeny, tiny bit like Nash…

My phone jars me from my thoughts. I forgot to turn the ringer off. I jump, scrambling to dig it out of my bag and answer it before I get crucified by my professor.

I reach for the button on the side to mute it and am getting ready to slip it back into my bag when I see Ginger’s name on the screen. With a shrug, I pick up my book and my bag and head for the door. I’ve already disrupted class and I’m not learning a thing anyway. I might as well just go ahead and leave.

When I hit the talk button, I’m greeted by Ginger’s raised, irate voice and a long string of profanity. “Stay in your lane you limp-dick, candy-ass, crazy mother fu—”

“Ginger?” I interrupt.

She quiets immediately. “Oh, Liv. Hi, sweetie. I didn’t hear you answer.”

“I can’t imagine why,” I remark dryly. “What’s up?”

“Well, actually, I’m on my way to get you.”

“Me? Why?” The hair at my nape prickles with unease. If Ginger is on her way to get me, something’s wrong.

“Because your car is broken again, right?”

“Um, yes, but how did you know?”

“You had to have someone drive you all the way to Salt Springs for your last shift, remember?”

Nash. “Oh, right. But it’s been fixed since then.”

“Well hell,” she says in frustration. “But wait, you just said it’s broken.”

“I know. It is. It’s just a different break.”

“Liv, seriously, I fear for your life in that piece of shit. No car should tear up as frequently as yours does. Do you have Munchausen’s by proxy?”

“Munchausen’s by proxy?”

“Yeah, you know where people, like, poison their family members and stuff for attention.”

“I know what it is. I’m just a little surprised you do.”

I can hear the proud smile in her voice. “I saw a special on the Discovery Channel.”

“You were watching the Discovery Channel?”

“Yes.”

“Um, why?”

“I lost the remote.”

“You lost the remote?”

“Yes. Are you just gonna repeat everything I say?”

“If you keep saying ridiculously unbelievable things then yes, probably.”

“What have I said that’s ridiculous?”

“That I might have Munchausen’s by proxy. With my car. That you learned something on the Discovery Channel. That you even know what the Discovery Channel is. And that you sat in your living room watching a show about Munchausen’s Syndrome because you lost the remote control. How can you lose the remote control in a house that’s no bigger than yours?”

“It was in the freezer. Apparently when I took out the vodka, I set the remote control down.”

“That makes sense,” I say sarcastically.

“The batteries in that bitch’ll probably never die now,” she says with a bark of laughter.

“Ginger, can I ask you a question?” I ask gently.

“Sure, sweetie. What is it?”

“Why are you on your way to get me?”

Sometimes Ginger needs a little redirection to stay on point. Sometimes I need the same thing when I’m with Ginger.

“Oh, damn! It’s your dad. He fell and broke his leg. He made me promise not to tell you, but…well, you know. I’m gonna. Of course, I’m gonna.”

“He broke his leg? When?”

“Two days ago.”

“And I’m just now finding out about this?”

I have to concentrate on keeping my voice lowered. I’m intensely annoyed that I’m finding out so long after the fact.

“I wasn’t going to tell you at all. He made me promise, you know. Like I said. But then when Tad mentioned seeing him at the hospital and that he’s expecting some lambs, well, I knew you’d want to know. Someone who knows what the hell they’re doing will have to come take care of things for a day or two until you find the babies and whatever else you need to do.”

“So if there weren’t lambs on the way, no one would’ve told me?”

My anger is rising.

“Uh,” Ginger says quietly, knowing she’s on dangerous ground. “That fool father of yours made everyone promise. He doesn’t want you having to make the trip home or spend your time worrying about him.”

I pinch the skin between my eyes, wishing I could stop the dull throb that’s building across the front of my head. I bite back the dozen or so sharp comments that are trembling on the tip of my tongue.

“How far out are you?”

“About ten minutes.”

“I’m still at school. You’ll have to pick me up here.”

“That’s fine. Just give me directions.”

I sigh. Loudly. Trying to give Ginger directions and then expecting her to actually show up at the correct location is a lot like throwing a knife into the air. It’s dangerous, stupid and somebody could end up getting hurt. She has landed us in questionable parts of town more than once, places I would never dream of getting out of the car. Unless, of course, I was accompanied by two ninjas and a sumo wrestler.

But, in this case, what choice do I have? I wouldn’t feel comfortable imposing on either Cash or Nash. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if I could use Magic Va**na powers, but those only work on people a girl has slept with. And since I still have no clue which brother dove head first into my panties last night, there can be no wielding of the Magic Vagina.

I give Ginger directions to the student center. At least I can get something to drink while I wait for her.

After we hang up, I call Cash to tell him I won’t be able to work the weekend shift.

“I’m so sorry, but it’s a family emergency.”

“I understand. Do you want me to come get you now?”

“No, my friend Ginger is on her way.”

There’s a long pause. “I would’ve taken you wherever you needed to go.”

“I appreciate that, but she was already on her way when she called.”

“Hmmm,” is his only response.

“Well, thank you so much for… everything. I promise I’ll take care of stuff with my car when I get back. And I’ll pick up as many extra shifts as you need me to in order to make this up.”

I hate the thought of losing my new job and having to go crawling back to my old one, but it’s my dad…

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure something out. You’re not going to be out of a job when you get back, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I close my eyes in relief. The thought had very much crossed my mind.

“I really appreciate your understanding,” I say, injecting into my voice all the sincerity I can muster.

“I’m sure I can think of some way for you to pay me back.”

The comment is wildly inappropriate, of course, but I can hear the smile in Cash’s voice. He’s teasing me.

“I’m sure you can. The question is: can you think of something that does not involve me taking off my clothes?”

I’m playing with fire and I know it.

“Of course! Wear a skirt and only one item will need to come off. I’d just hate for you to miss out on…everything else.”