Authors: Avril Ashton
Indy was still around, he knew that.
She remained local, long after she’d fucked his head
and heart up, and kicked him out. It sucked that he couldn’t forget her. No
matter whom he kissed, no matter whom he took to bed, he couldn’t forget Indy
Steele.
If he knew her at all, and he liked to think he did,
she’d love that. Even though she’d broken them up and damn near demanded he
take the research position with one of his mentors in California, she’d love to
know the first girl he slept with after Indy had punched him in the nose
because he called her by another woman’s name. Indy would love to know he’d
allowed no one to touch him the way she had, that that part of him always
belonged to her.
As would his heart.
And his fucking mind.
He didn’t want to see her, but he would. He didn’t
want to still care, but he did. She’d probably long moved
on,
found someone else to take his place. Now, Reno had to prepare himself to not
break when they did meet up. Ridgefield was a small place. Everyone knew
everyone.
Hell, Indy likely already knew he was home.
“You okay, son?”
Reno jerked his gaze to his father where he sat on
the couch.
“Yeah.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m
good.” Feminine laughter rang out, and he looked back into the kitchen. Jenna
and his mother stood talking while cooking.
“I like her,” his dad said softly. “Nice gal.”
“Yes.” Reno nodded. “She’s great.” They’d had their
own thing going for a minute, he and Jenna, but that lasted only one night
before she met Steven and the two became a couple. Reno hadn’t minded one bit.
Jenna had known he was hung up on someone back home, so she’d expected nothing
but a good time. They were friends now, good friends, but for some reason, Reno
regretted bringing her home with him.
He wished Jenna wasn’t around.
He hadn’t seen Indy. He had no idea if she still
cared.
This
isn’t a relationship, Reno. We’re simply fucking around, having fun.
She’d said those words only minutes after fucking
him with that dark strap-on they both favored. He’d seen the look in her eyes,
the fear and something else, something like she was trying desperately to make
the words she spoke be true.
She’d kept him at a distance, throwing their age
difference in his face, using it like some sort of invisible barrier between
them. Only twelve years separated them, but she made it seem like decades. When
he’d knocked down that excuse she’d changed tactics, blaming their obvious different
races for her reticence.
Nobody but Indy cared about their age difference.
Nobody but Indy had a problem with their skin color. She’d been the one to
sabotage them before anything real ever happened. Before they could develop
what they had besides the explosive sex.
His sphincter clenched. She’d had him on his hands
and knees, and in the two years he’d lost count of how many times she’d made
him lose control and beg for more. She’d introduced him to
ass
play, and he’d quickly learned to love getting pegged, but once he left, he
couldn’t see himself giving up control to anybody else.
He was hers. No matter the time or distance, that
hadn’t changed. He didn’t see it ever changing. Now, all he had to do was
survive a week of being in the same town with her, of being close, but never
close enough.
“Dinner’s ready,” his mother called. “Boys, set the
table.”
Reno did as ordered alongside his dad, a very
familiar thing he hadn’t realized he’d missed until that moment. He and his dad
would set the table after his mother cooked, and then they’d gather ’round, say
grace, and dig in. He missed that.
He missed Ridgefield more than he realized, and it might
or might not be because of Indy Steele.
Chapter Two
“Everyone seems to know everyone,” Jenna whispered
in Reno’s ear. They’d just exited the movie theater and were walking along the
sidewalk. So far more than ten people had stopped Reno to welcome him home with
pats on the back and warm smiles.
“Yeah, typical small town.”
He’d
given her the tour of Ridgefield earlier that day, showed her all his favorite
haunts and memorable places. She had taken in everything with wide eyes,
incredulity on her face.
“Where to next?”
Jenna bumped his shoulder with hers, flashing him a coy smile. “Tell me our day
isn’t over yet.”
Reno held her hand as they cross the street to his
car. “Not if you don’t want to be.” He held the door open for her, and she
climbed in. “We could go to Kelly’s, that’s the bar. Sometimes there’s dancing.
It’s a Friday night, so it’s more than likely.”
“I’d love that.” Jenna clapped her hands with a
grin.
Getting in on the driver’s side, he started the car
and pulled out of the parking space. “Kelly’s it is.”
He made the short drive over to Kelly’s bar and
pulled into the small parking lot. The place was filled, and he had to drive
all over the parking lot before he found a spot to pull into. Once he parked he
helped Jenna out. She leaned into him as she straightened her top. They were
dressed simply for their night out, he in plaid button down and faded jeans,
Jenna in a yellow T-shirt and tight, dark jeans. She flipped her hair over her
shoulder and grasped his hand as they walked into the crowded bar.
“Wow.” Jenna gasped. “It’s packed.”
Reno had rarely ever seen Kelly’s filled to
capacity, but if he had to guess he’d say they were flirting with that
situation now. Music blared, voices were raised to combat the music, and a
crowd had gathered in the center of the room, dancing.
“Let’s go to the bar.” Reno tugged on Jenna’s hand,
pulling her behind him as he made his way through the throngs of sweaty people
to the bar. Upfront, there were no empty stools, so he held Jenna tightly next
to him and ordered drinks, a Coors for him and sparkling water for her. Once
they had their drinks, they remained at the bar, facing the crowd as they took
in the people on the dance floor.
One couple caught his eyes, the gorgeous,
dark-skinned woman first. He knew her. She was Arden Windham, the Mayor’s
daughter. Most importantly, she was Indy’s best friend. Reno took a deep swallow
of his cold beer. He didn’t want Arden to see him, but that was pure
selfishness on his part. Everyone knew he was back. It didn’t matter if Arden
saw him and then told her friend.
The man with Arden was Cam Mercer, the black sheep
of one of the local wealthy families. The two had been in a relationship before
Reno left. Reno’s chest hurt when he looked at them. The way Cam touched Arden
all possessive, yet sensual, and Arden moved with Cam like she anticipated his
every action.
They were in sync.
Reno rubbed the middle of his chest. He’d wanted
that with Indy. He’d wanted a partnership, but she didn’t see him as anything
more than someone to scratch her itch.
A disposable someone.
Damn, he wasn’t supposed to think about her tonight.
“Hey.” Jenna nudged him with her elbow. “You okay?”
she asked against his neck. “You got a little serious there for a sec.”
He nodded. “No. Yeah, I’m fine.” He brought his gaze
back to the dance floor and stared directly into Arden’s eyes. She didn’t
appear surprised to see him.
Damn
it.
He watched as Arden whispered something to Cam then
headed to Reno.
Shit.
Shit. Shit.
He took another swallow of his beer and seriously
contemplated running out the bar, dragging Jenna behind him. But he didn’t.
Instead he held his ground, meeting Arden’s gaze as she walked over to him in a
skin-tight white dress, showing off her amazing curves and smooth legs.
“Reno.” She raised her voice over the music. “Nice
to see you back.”
“Arden.” He nodded, and she grinned, looking at him
in that way he’d always considered judgmental.
“Introduce me to the woman on your arm, Reno.” Arden
flipped her hair out of her eyes then winked. “She’s not from around here, is
she?”
“Uh, Jenna, this is Arden. She’s the Mayor’s
daughter.” He motioned between them. “Arden, meet Jenna Montrose.”
The women shook hands, but something flashed in
Arden’s eyes as she regarded Jenna.
“How do you know each other?” Jenna asked.
Reno opened his mouth, but Arden beat him to the
punch. “It’s a pretty small town, but Reno used to date my best friend.”
He narrowed his gaze at that, but Arden flashed a
smile.
Date.
Was
that what they were calling it now? They hadn’t dated. In the two years he’d
been in Indy’s bed, she’d never once taken him up on any of his offers to go to
Kelly’s or to the movies. Hell, she didn’t even want to go to breakfast with
him after a night spent fucking their brains out.
“How are you, Arden?” He didn’t ask because he
wanted to know. He simply wanted to change the goddamn subject.
From Arden’s expression, she caught on to his
desperate tactic. “I’m golden, Reno.” Her expression sharpened. “When are you
going to lock down your woman?”
Fuck!
Jenna laughed. “Reno and I are in no hurry. We’re perfectly
fine with how things are between us.” She squeezed Reno’s arm.
He didn’t know what Jenna was playing at with those
words, but he nodded and went along with whatever she said.
Arden smiled beatifically.
“That
so?”
Why was she pushing him? Reno jerked his head in a
nod. “Jenna and I are fine.”
Arden’s expression mocked him, because clearly he
knew, like she knew, she hadn’t been referring to Jenna.
“Nice to meet you, Jenna.”
Arden shook Jenna’s hand again, and winked at Reno. “Reno, I’m positive we’ll
be seeing each other again soon.” She walked away before he could verbalize the
grunt in his throat. How dare Arden make it appear as if he’d been the one to
fuck up? Indy had made her choice, and he’d simply followed her play.
“Come, let’s dance.” He cupped Jenna’s elbow and
guided her to the small dancing area. He took her in his arms and swayed to the
music. Bending a little, he pressed a kiss to her hair. With Indy he’d never
had to bend.
Shit.
Cupping Jenna’s nape, Reno tilted her head back.
“What was that?” he asked. “You made it sound like you and I were together.”
Jenna grinned up at him. “What? At first I thought
she was the ex, but you just seemed annoyed by her.” She clutched at his sides,
nails biting into his skin through his clothes. “The tension was making me ill,
so I had to add my two cents.”
Reno snorted.
“Really?
By
making her think we’re a couple?”
“Who is she, really?”
“The best friend of the woman I told you about.”
“That’s great!”
Okay, maybe he was going blind because nowhere there
did he see anything great about the situation. “Huh?”
“She’ll tell her friend all about me, the new girl
you brought back from Cali.” Jenna blew him a kiss. “And if she even cares
about you one little bit, I bet good money your girl will come running. She’ll
be jealous.” Jenna winked. “You can thank me later.”
He didn’t quite buy her logic, but Reno simply
rolled his eyes and remained silent. The tempo of the music changed, and he
lifted his head, looking out into the crowd. When his vision focused he made
out Arden and her man, and the woman standing beside them.
Indy.
Reno’s breath caught. She wore some kind of halter,
short-shorts combo in a color that made her skin shine, gold or something. Her
thick curly hair was pinned up, though a few tendrils had escaped and now
brushed her forehead and ears. Her tattoos were on display, the stars on her
face and neck, the dark band around her neck like a collar, and her dead
sister’s name in script over her left breast.
She watched him as he watched her, expression blank.
He wanted to go to her, demand to know if she missed him like he’d missed her,
but he couldn’t, because suddenly he wasn’t so sure of Indy’s feelings anymore.
Did she still care?
Jenna shifted in his arms, and Reno slid his palm
down her back, to just over the swell of her ass. He hadn’t broken eye contact
with Indy, and he saw her eyes
flare then narrow
dangerously.
What did it mean?
“Reno, you okay?” Jenna pulled back and stared up at
him. “You went all stiff on me and not in the good way.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He cracked a smile at Jenna
then quickly looked up again, in time to watch Indy disappear in the direction
of the restrooms. “Listen, I need to go to the men’s room. You
gonna
be okay for a bit?”
Jenna nodded. “Sure, I’ll stand over by the bar.”
She kissed his cheek, and he waited, hands fisted as she walked over to the
bar. Only then did he move, hurrying to the restrooms in the back. He raced by
Arden and Cam, ignoring the smirk Arden threw his way.