Homewrecker (Into the Flames #1) (15 page)

“I’ll have the chef salad,” Ava says, “No meat, no eggs, no cheese, no tomatoes, no croutons. Just fat free ranch dressing, on the side.”

“So just a bowl of lettuce?” the waiter deadpans, causing me to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Seriously, who wants to eat like that all the time to keep the body of a twelve-year-old boy only to install life vests to her chest? My ass is real, my tits are real, and I won’t eat like a rabbit when I love my curves and real food.

Gunnar and Dixon both order steaks as well then begin chatting about the upcoming game and the lineup change while I listen to Ava talk about her new job as head shampoo girl at the new spa downtown.

“Weren’t y’all just talkin’ about going to the spa, babe?” Gunnar asks, wrapping an arm behind me.

“Yeah, I’m sure your ass could use some pamperin’, huh, Kennedy?” Dixon says, not looking at me, but I feel his fingers trace up the outside of my thigh. Memories of earlier flash in my mind, making me press my thighs together beneath the table.

Dixon takes notice and repeats his movement again. Crossing my legs, I turn them toward Gunnar, feeling the frustration roll off Dixon at my refusal. I don’t care though, tonight is about Gunnar and it was supposed to be just us, not us with Dixon and his flavor of the week.

Turning to Ava, I nod my head. “Actually, my friends and I were talking about a spa day. We are overdue for some relaxation and some fun.”

“Exhale is the best,” she says excitedly, twirling a piece of her bottle blonde hair between her fingers. “You’ll leave feeling like a new woman and looking great. Be sure that you ask about the new Infrared Heat Wrap. You’ll lose all those unwanted inches you’re carrying around.”

Gunnar chokes on his beer, and Dixon’s eyes widen in shock at the very snide comment. Lifting my straw to my lips, I sip my lemonade and smile. “A woman’s body is like a like a long stretch of highway; all the best ones have curves.” Setting down my glass, I wink at her. “I’m not gettin’ any complaints about what I’m workin’ with.”

“Hell no you’re not, baby,” Gunnar says with a laugh. Dixon chuckles, but his eyes heat as they rake over me while he downs the rest of his beer.

I don’t understand it though, because the differences between Ava and I are staggering. There is not one thing I have in common with this chick other than the fact that Dixon plans to tear into her like he has me.

“See, that’s why I won’t get married,” Ava says, spinning the straw in her cocktail. Leaning over, she smiles at Dixon. “Men are visual, so it’s all about maintaining the perfect package. Once you settle down, and become that boring housewife, it’s too easy to just let yourself go,” she whispers the last bit, but we all hear it.

This bitch is pushing my last fucking button
.

“I need the bathroom, Gunnar,” I say, nudging his arm so he will let me out. I need distance from the table before I ruin the good mood Gunnar seems to have found by beating a bitch with my shoe.

Like the gentleman he is, Gunnar takes my hand once he is on his feet, helping me from the booth. Straightening the hem of my dress, I grab my black clutch from the table and head straight for the ladies’ room.

Walking over to the sink, I set my clutch down and turn on the faucet to wash my hands. I let her get to me when I shouldn’t have and it pisses me off. Of course the bitch was simply pointing out what she sees as imperfections to drum up some extra commission for herself. Looking up into the mirror, I roll my eyes. “Perfect package, my happy fuckin’ ass,” I mutter, shutting off the water. Digging in my clutch, I pull out my lipstick. “I’d let the bitch go, all right. Right out the back of the truck and into rush hour traffic.”

“You let her get to you.”

The unmistakable gravel drawl of Dixon’s voice makes me jump, my lipstick falls from my fingers and into the sink. Spinning around, I press back into the counter. “What the hell are you doing in here, Dixon?” I ask angrily. “Better yet, why the fuck are you even here at all? You can’t… you… you… ugh!” I shout, flinging my hands up in frustration.

Flipping the lock on the door, Dixon closes the distance between us, effectively pinning me between him and the counter. His blue eyes bore into mine so intensely that my stomach flips. “I can’t what, Sunshine?” he asks, running his hand up my bare arm. “Can’t touch you?” he asks, leaning into my ear. “Because I can. What’s worse, is that I’m findin’ that I have to. I can’t be in the room with you and not wanna feel you. I’ll touch you as much as I can, however I can. Plain and simple. So, this is how it’s gonna be.” His hand runs down my back, slipping between the counter and my body to cup my ass through my dress, his other hand cups the back of my neck, flexing his fingers as he applies pressure. “I want you here, now, on this fuckin’ counter screamin’ my name, but that can’t happen. My best friend had a bad day and needs the night his wife planned for him.”

“Then why…”

His fingers tighten on the back of my neck, my thought process stops completely and I am helpless to just feel as he slams his lips to mine. His tongue thrusts into my mouth, hard, hot, and brutal. My moan is met with a growl as he rips his lips from mine just as quickly. “I’m gonna go call in to the station like I’m supposed to be doing, while you go back to the table. While we eat, we’ll laugh and talk shit. It’s what we do, Kennedy, that’s not changin’.” Rolling his hips into me, he meets my eyes, a wicked grin playing across his face. “And if I feel like touchin’ you, and that perfect fuckin’ body of yours, I will.”

Releasing his hold on me, Dixon turns and leaves the bathroom. I stand frozen, touching my fingers to my lips, trying to sort through what the fuck just happened before fixing my makeup and heading back to the table.

The rest of the evening goes off without a hitch. Ava doesn’t make any more comments and Dixon doesn’t make any move to touch me again while we eat. By the time the check comes, Gunnar is laughing and making plans with Dixon to go fishing.

We part ways with Dixon and Ava at the door. While they head off to the parking lot, Gunnar leads me down the walkway to the river. The sun is nearly set now, but the lamps along the path light our way as we walk hand in hand.

Stopping, he sits on a bench, motioning for me to join him. “Thank you for tonight, baby.” Wrapping his arm around me, he pulls me into his lap, settling me across his thighs.

Smiling down at him, I run my fingers along his jaw. His eyes close and he blows out a breath. “Today was probably the worst day of my life. It felt like my entire career as a coach and teacher was bein’ questioned. I feel so helpless in all of this, but you knew exactly what I needed to get my mind off of it all for a while. I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, Kennedy.”

“I love you too, babe.” Leaning down, I kiss the corner of his mouth. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for this smile.”

His arms tighten around me when he buries his face in my hair, his lips brushing the sensitive skin behind my ear as he breathes. I can feel the emotion and relief coming off my over-stressed husband. Running my hands along his back soothingly, I sit with Gunnar and be the rock that he needs.

Climbing into the bed of Gunnar’s truck, I drop down and settle onto the wheel well. The bus should be pulling into the school anytime, but I know we still have some time to kill before we can leave so I make myself comfortable. The excitement of knowing the kids won their first away game of the season is buzzing through the parking lot as the parents begin to pull in. Especially after the week that Gunnar has had trying to fill the empty spots and prepare second string players for Central’s tough ass defense. The lot is filled with chanting parents all excited to celebrate the win with the team and coaches. Some came with us to watch, while others weren’t able to make it to the game, but either way they’re just as excited for their kid. Football is a really big deal here, and tonight our boys are heroes.

Lynsey sprawls out in the center of the bed, Mark slides back onto the tailgate by her feet and Dixon… well, Dixon takes up residence on the other side of the bed so he can stare at me without it being completely obvious to anyone except me. It’s what he has been doing all night. Situating himself just right so no one asks questions. It has me on edge and I feel like I’m waiting for him to attack or something. After pushing away his attempt the other night, I’ve been waiting for it, but all he’s done is watch me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to touch me, but I was trying to make Gunnar feel better and I doubt having his best friends hand between my legs would have helped his mood any. That, and that Ava bitch had me feeling all kinds of violent. I had hoped our chat in the bathroom at the restaurant had helped explain why I pushed him away. Instead I got nothing but blue eyes burning into me all night long as he eye fucked me into next week.

“Do you ever miss this?” I ask, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

Mark is the first to speak up but he doesn’t turn around to look at me. “Miss what?”

“This. High school. Being part of the madness instead of one of the people in the stands cheering it on.” Pausing, I look up at Dixon who is studying me carefully. “Not having to worry about where life is going or how it’s going to end up. Everything seemed so much easier back then.”

“I, for one, wouldn’t go back if you paid me.” Lynsey laughs, folding her arms under her head.

“Yeah,” Mark agrees. “Me either.”

Thinking for a second Dixon shakes his head and looks away. “If I had the chance I’d change a few things, but I wouldn’t want to go back. All in all I like who I ended up becomin’.”

My eyebrows draw together. “What would you change?” The only thing I can think of has something to do with his parents, but I feel like that isn’t where this is going.

“Doesn’t matter,” he mutters without looking at me. “You can’t go back, you can’t change shit, so there’s no reason to even wonder what it would be like.”

I open my mouth to say something, but the truck shifts and a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders. Gunnar presses his lips to my bare neck and I can feel him smile, the energy from the win still rolling off him. Standing up, I turn and grab his shoulders and he steadies me as I jump to the ground, congratulating him with a quick kiss. I rest my chin against his shoulder as he leans back against the truck. For a brief second my eyes connect with Dixon’s across the truck and there is something painful in the way he’s looking at me but he quickly masks whatever it is.

Brushing us off, Dixon steps onto the side of the bed and jumps to the ground, saying something about being back in a little bit, and then he’s gone. Lynsey sits up and watches him walk away before turning back to me.

“What the hell crawled up his ass now?”

“Who knows,” I whisper, burying my face into Gunnar’s neck so she can’t see it anymore. Or maybe it’s so I don’t continue to watch Dixon walk away, because the disappointed feeling settling in my stomach isn’t something that should be there while Gunnar has his arms around me. Gunnar continues to talk and I swear I am trying to keep up, but at some point I tune him out and just randomly agree or nod when it seems appropriate.

Pulling back, he tilts my head up so he can see my face. “Baby, are you feelin’ OK?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine. Tired I guess.”

Gunnar presses his lips against my temple and steps away. “I’ll go see how many kids are left and then we’ll get goin’ so I can get you into bed.”

I do nothing but nod and watch him walk away. Turning around, I’m met with a knowing look from Lynsey but I don’t say anything. There really isn’t anything to say other than how much of a piece of shit I am, and I don’t want to admit that out loud just yet. It’s late and my mood brings me down and has me suddenly chilly so I grab one of the blankets from the back seat and wrap it around my shoulders before sliding back on the tailgate next to Mark. At some point Dixon shows back up, but I don’t take my eyes off my swinging feet until Gunnar gets back and tells us to load up.

“Shotgun!” Lynsey and Mark yell at the same time. I’ll have to remind myself to punch her in the twat later. Before I have a chance to say anything about sitting next to Gunnar they’re already climbing in, leaving me with no choice but to sit in the back with Dixon. His mood suddenly changes from how he was when he walked away to his usual cockiness and I’m positive he has something up his sleeve, and that makes me nervous.

The cooler takes up the space behind Gunnar’s seat and the blankets we brought to sit on are stuffed back here too. I know that if I hesitate Gunnar is going to start asking why. As I lean in to move things around on the seat so there is space to sit, I can feel Dixon at my back. He closes in on me, letting his hand settle on the hip we both know that Gunnar won’t be able to see if he happens to turn around. My breath catches, stalling out completely when his fingers slide under waistband of jeans. My eyes shoot to where Gunnar isn’t paying any attention and pray that he doesn’t turn around right this second.

“Gonna stand there all day, Sunshine?”

I twist my head around to look at him. “Got somewhere better to be, asshole?”