“It could just be lust,” Crew said, clinging to some semblance of sanity. Besides that, he could be taking on a daughter soon. He wouldn’t have time for anything serious.

  “Or it could be love and lust mixed together. What’s better than that?” Hudson asked.

  Crew didn’t answer. They pulled into the parking lot by the restaurant, stepped from the vehicle, and walked around to the outside patio. Crew heard Darla’s laughter ringing out across the river, and he felt the twist in his gut and the stirring in his blood he always felt at the sight and sound of her.

  “Yep, you have it bad. Just accept it and deal with it as best you can. I’m not going to push you because I didn’t want to be pushed. I’m just going to tell you that it’ll all work out in the end. Be patient and hope for the best while she puts you through hell,” Hudson told him while laughing.

  Crew followed his brother onto the back patio. Daisy jumped up at the sight of them and slid into Hudson’s arms. “Mmm, you smell amazing,” she said as she kissed his neck.

  “You’re my dream woman,” he replied. He kissed her a little longer than comfortable for the people around them. Then he pulled back and the two of them grinned at each other like lovestruck teenagers.

  Darla stood, her eyes slightly glassy, her lips turned up in a smile. “Hello, cowboy. Are you here to give me a ride?”

  And just like that Crew was rock solid and ready to haul her over his shoulder, take her to any secluded place he could find, and give her the ride she’d been taunting him with for weeks.

  “I sure am,” he said, looking deep in her incredible green eyes. She was obviously buzzed, but there was no doubt in his mind she was reading his message loud and clear. He wanted to give her a ride for sure, and it had nothing to do with her car.

  For the first time since he’d known her she seemed speechless. He sort of liked that. He liked taking her breath away. He pulled out his wallet and threw a few hundred dollar bills down on the table, figuring that would cover their check, then held out his arm. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “Mmm, okay,” she said, accepting his arm. A tingle of electricity surged between them.

  “You got Darla and her car?” Hudson asked as they walked from the patio.

  “Yep, you worry about getting your fiancée home,” Crew said as he kept Darla close to his side.

  “I’ll get right on that,” Hudson said. Both Darla and Daisy giggled as they made their way toward the parking lot.

  Crew was tense as Darla clung to his side and the two of them approached her car. His hand fluttered over her back as he opened the passenger door and helped her inside. She looked up, grinning, as if she was quite pleased with where she was.

  “Where’s the horse?” she asked. He stood there confused.

  “At home,” he told her.

  She giggled. “When you rescue a woman, you’re supposed to come riding up on a white horse with your shield and sword,” she told him.

  Crew couldn’t help himself, he laughed. Sober Darla was like a burst of sunshine on a rainy day. Drunk Darla was even more infectious.

  “I’ll remember that the next time,” Crew assured her. Then he carefully closed her door, making sure all of her limbs were safely inside the vehicle.

  He came around to the driver’s side and slipped into the too-small vehicle. After making some adjustments, he started it and began driving. He nearly jumped out of the seat when Darla reached over and ran her painted nails along his thigh.

  “Are you trying to get us in an accident?” he asked, his voice tight. Her fingers were moving dangerously close to the bulge in his pants.

  “I’m just fascinated by the sparks that fly off of you,” she told him. She was looking over at his leg, her face curious as she made a pattern on his thigh.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty damn curious about that myself,” he said, his voice a low growl he didn’t recognize.

  “It’s fascinating. I’ve felt attraction before, but with you, it’s as if I’m getting hit by lightning over and over again whenever we’re in touching distance.” She was saying the words like she was a scientist trying to figure out a complicated formula.

  “Do you have any theories on that?” he asked. Those slim fingers moved an inch from his throbbing arousal and he had to be very careful not to slam his foot down on the gas pedal as his leg twitched. He should move her hand away before they had an accident, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Instead, he reached down and took her fingers in his, entwining their hands and resting them on his leg. She didn’t fight him.

  “No. I was talking to Daisy about it, and she thinks we should just get naked and sweaty,” Darla said so matter-of-factly, he jerked a bit. He quickly gained control of the vehicle while letting out a little swear word.

  “I’m thinking that wouldn’t be such a bad idea,” he told her.

  “I’m afraid the second clothes come off though, whatever this is will simply fizzle and die,” she told him.

  “I don’t see that happening,” Crew said, very sure the sparks they set off would increase not diminish when they were together as one.

  “I’ve felt attraction before. I’ve even felt sparks while I’m kissing a man, but when it gets a little hot and heavy it suddenly fizzles and dies,” she told him.

  The thought of her being naked with another man made him want to put his fist through a wall. What in the hell was wrong with him? “I think I’m broken,” she quietly added. Those words stopped what he’d been about to say.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked as he squeezed her hand.

  “I think I’m broken,” she repeated. “I can’t . . . um . . . well, this kind of sucks to admit, but I can’t really achieve orgasms.” She finished the words while looking down at her lap.

  This confident, self-assured woman who swept the rug out from beneath him on a continuing basis was insecure in the bedroom? It didn’t make sense to him.

  “Did some asshole tell you you’re broken?” he gasped after several seconds of stunned silence.

  “Yeah, I’ve been told I’m all talk and no action,” Darla said with a shrug. “In a couple cases, I can’t really blame them. I do come across pretty wrecking-ball style, but then I get all of these thoughts in my head and pull from the moment, and well, then I lose interest in what we’re doing.”

  Crew laughed. The sound seemed to shock her. She looked up at him, her beautiful face turned, her eyes curious.

  “What?” she asked.

  “If you check out during sex it’s because your partner’s doing a piss-poor job,” Crew said.

  She grinned at him, that sparkle he’d come to know and admire back in her eyes. “Are you saying I wouldn’t check out with you?” she challenged.

  “Baby, I guarantee you that not only will you not check out, but you’ll have multiple orgasms,” he promised her. “I’ve never been a slacker. I believe in hard work, and in lots of pleasure, so my skills in the bedroom will exceed your expectations.” His arousal was now pulsing as he pressed down on the accelerator, wanting to get her home.

  She seemed to consider his words as if they were in the middle of a business deal. Crew wasn’t exactly a stranger to drawing clear lines before jumping into bed with a woman, but this felt odd with Darla. He didn’t want to plan something out with her, he wanted to push her up against a wall and make her scream over and over again.

  “I don’t know. You’re pretty clinical,” she said after a moment. “And you don’t even like to mess up your hair.”

  He pulled up to a light then turned and gave her a glare. “I can mess up my hair,” he insisted.

  “Hmm, there’s not a strand out of place right now,” she pointed out.

  “There’s nothing wrong with caring about your appearance,” he said.

  “I care about my appearance too, but I like to get messy,” she countered.

  “I’ll take great pleasure in messing you up,” he growled. The light changed and they surged forward. Darla laughed again.

  “Am I getting under your skin, Crew Anderson?” she asked.

  It was his turn to laugh. “Darla, you’ve been under my skin from the first moment we met,” he said honestly.

  “Maybe it’s time you get into my skin then,” she said with a wink.

  Hudson slammed his foot down on the accelerator. They were close to home, and he was more than ready to show this woman what all of her bold talk had been doing to him.

  Darla chatted about her and Daisy’s lunch for the last ten minutes of their drive, and she didn’t blink when he pulled up to his house. She simply climbed from the car and wobbled a bit on her feet.

  “Coffee,” he said as he took her arm and pulled her toward his front door.

  “I was thinking another Bloody Mary would be nice,” she said with a giggle.

  “Nope. I want you right there with me when I take you to my bed,” he insisted. “And I am taking you to my bed. This teasing has reached its crescendo.”

  “Oh, really. What if the coffee changes my mind?” she challenged as they stepped into his kitchen. He started the coffee, then grabbed her, pulling her tight.

  “Trust me, nothing’s going to change your mind. What’s going to happen is a lot of screaming and pleasure,” he assured her.

  Her eyes flared at his words, and Crew decided he’d talked long enough. He needed a taste of her while her coffee brewed — just one little taste.

  He leaned down and took her lips, the sparks between them zapping all over his body as he traced his tongue along her bottom lip. She groaned against his mouth as she stretched her body out and lifted her arms, her fingers tangling in his hair.

  He deepened the kiss, his tongue caressing her mouth as his hands ran up and down her back before settling on the sweet curve of her ass. He tugged her closer, pressing his pulsing arousal against her sweet core while he lifted a leg up and pushed her back against the counter. He was going to taste every sweet inch of her body.

  He was rethinking taking the time to sit and drink coffee.

  Suddenly, though, Darla pulled back from him, her eyes going wide, her skin turning a little green.

  “Uh-oh,” she said as her body twitched.

  “What’s wrong?” he panted.

  “I’m going to be sick,” she told him.

  His desire instantly deflated as concern washed over him. He went right into action and lifted her in his arms as he rushed to his bathroom. They barely made it in time before Darla bent over the toilet and made some very unladylike sounds.

  Crew stepped from the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth from his linen closet, then came back inside as Darla leaned against the rim of the toilet and groaned — and not in pleasure.

  He wet the washcloth with cool water, then sat on the floor next to her and brushed it against her heated face.

  “I’m so mortified,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Well, Darla, nothing’s been normal since the two of us met, so this shouldn’t be any different,” he told her. He was shocked at how calm he was. He liked being with this woman; he liked taking care of her.

  The cloth grew warm and he stood and rinsed it off just as she turned and let go of more of her stomach contents. He decided it was far wiser for him not to see what was coming out of her so he focused on washing her face between bouts of throwing up.

  When she seemed stable, he helped her rinse her mouth out and brush her teeth, then he lifted her and carried her through his house, straight to his room. He set her on his bed and removed her shoes.

  “This wasn’t how I envisioned you coming to my bed, but at least I got you here,” he said as he rubbed her face again.

  “My stomach feels as if a nest of rats moved inside and have set up a fight ring,” she said with a groan as she tossed on his bed.

  “You’ll feel better soon. I’ll get you some Sprite and crackers.”

  “I’m sorry, Hudson. You’re stuck with me right now because there’s no way I can drive,” she told him.

  “I’m glad you’re here and not alone,” he insisted.

  She opened her glassy eyes and gazed at him, wonder in her expression. “Who are you?” she wondered aloud.

  “This is what anyone should do,” he said, brushing her words aside.

  “But not everyone would, especially when I did this to myself,” she told him.

  “We do all sorts of crappy things to ourselves. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have someone ready to help us pick up the pieces.”

  She leaned back and closed her eyes and Hudson left the room. He put Sprite and ice in his favorite Yeti cup so it would stay cold for hours, then grabbed crackers. By the time he made it back to his room, she was fast asleep on his bed.

  He gazed at her a while, wondering why he wasn’t upset, why he was so content to take care of her. Maybe because she’d been taking care of him for weeks as he tried to solve the puzzle of whether he had a child or not.

  He set her items on the nightstand next to her, then carefully pulled off her jeans, taking note of her silky red panties before covering her up. Now wasn’t the time to ogle the poor woman. Then he changed into sweats and an old college tee, grabbed his laptop, and climbed into the bed next to her so he could do some work while keeping his eye on her.

  That wasn’t how he’d planned to spend his afternoon, but he found he didn’t mind it at all. What in the heck was this woman doing to him? Was it too late to stop it? It most likely was. At this point, he might as well just enjoy the ride the two of them were on. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to get off anyway, not at this point — maybe not at any point.

  Chapter Six

  Crew shot awake, turned his head, and looked at the nightstand. The clock read 4:06 AM. He shook the cobwebs from his brain and was shocked when he realized he’d been asleep for at least ten hours.

  Unlike his brothers, Crew enjoyed a solid night’s rest. Letting his brain reset seven or eight hours made for a far more productive day. Too many people worried they were sleeping their lives away. The true tragedy was people who were only half awake. How productive could someone be if they were only half there mentally?

  Still, he never slept for ten hours.

  Crew was warm and comfortable other than his overly full bladder. Even though he’d fallen asleep at about six the night before, he didn’t want to move, not when he had Darla’s body wrapped around his.

  She shifted in her sleep, her leg rubbing along his, waking up the rest of his body. She murmured something in her sleep, then snuggled her face a bit more against his neck, her lips whispering on his skin.

  He froze.

  Was she awake?

  She murmured something else, shifted once more, and a tiny adorable snore escaped her mouth. Nope. She was definitely sleeping. He really liked that she wanted to be close to him in her most vulnerable moments. She might be a flirt, but she still had a bit of armor around her when she was with him or others — everyone except her best friend, Daisy.

  In her sleep she was all his. She couldn’t get close enough to him it seemed. He lay there for several more minutes enjoying the little sounds she emitted while she slept.

  He’d stayed over with women before, sleeping in the same bed. He didn’t go into relationships just for sex. He wanted them to have something in common, to be able to have a conversation at dinner, and be able to sleep in the same bed. He preferred to sleep alone, but he hadn’t minded sharing a bed.

  He’d never quite shared one like this before, though, and he realized he’d never had a woman stay at his house. When he’d stayed with women in the past, they’d each maintained their half of the bed, not crawled on top of each other. Once the sex was over, they’d each turn and go to sleep. The next morning, their days went on in their solo ways.

  He wasn’t sure what made Darla so different from other women in his life. He just knew he was drawn to her, and she seemed to be drawn to him as well.

  He finally had to rise. She grumbled in her sleep as he reluctantly walked away from the bed. He moved into his bathroom and took a long, hot shower, shaking the cobwebs from his brain. When he dressed and stepped back into his room he found Darla sitting up in the bed.

  He wasn’t sure what to expect from her as their gazes met.

  “Well, good morning, cowboy,” she said as she stretched out her arms. “I guess yesterday didn’t quite go as planned.” Her deep, throaty chuckle at the end of her words left him speechless. He wanted to strip off the clothes he’d just put on, climb back into his bed, and make both of them so sated they’d never want to leave the warmth of his blankets again.

  “What did you have planned?” he finally asked.

  “I don’t know if I had a clear plan, but I know it didn’t include drinking too much, then puking, then passing out,” she told him with a shrug. “I guess things happen.”

  Crew stared at her for a moment. He never knew what to expect from this woman. She was such a refreshing breath of fresh air in a world full of games and lies.

  “Yes, sometimes the real world has a way of kicking us in the ass,” he told her. He found he wouldn’t mind waking up next to this woman on a daily basis. That scared the crap out of him.

  “My mouth tastes as if a swarm of locusts dove in and died, and my body is all achy,” she told him with a frown. She quickly smiled again. “And I feel as if I could eat a gourmet meal I’m so dang hungry. I hope you’re planning to feed me.”

  Crew laughed — hard. She wasn’t in the least embarrassed about the situation. She also didn’t seem to be at all disturbed to find herself waking up in his bed. She was still dressed in her shirt and panties, and it was pretty obvious nothing had happened between them, but he’d still expected her to be at least a bit uncomfortable. But nope, not this woman.

  “I can make some food if you want to use my shower,” he told her. “I’ll drop off a toothbrush on the bed while you’re in there too.”