Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas) (12 page)

He leaned in close to her ear and breathed against it, “Tempting you.”

She shivered and turned her mouth to meet his. After a long, slow kiss he pulled back and took her hand. “We’re leaving.”

She didn’t even argue as he led her out to the truck and opened her door. She jumped in and unlocked his door as he hopped into his seat and started the truck. He backed up and tore out of the parking lot, making her laugh nervously.

“What’s so funny,” he asked.

 
“Just thinking how crazy this all is,” she said, smiling as she scooted over next to him.

He slid his hand over to take hers and brought it up to his mouth. “Crazy bad?”

She shook her head and a wicked idea popped into her head. Curling into his side, she kissed the spot where his neck met his shoulder, her hand sneaking between his legs.

“Oh God, Rand…” He groaned.

“Eyes on the road, cowboy. I don’t want to end up in a ditch,” she said, massaging him through his jeans as she kissed and nibbled his skin.

She listened to his breathing grow harsher and it was a powerfully heady feeling, to know how bad she was making him want her. Her fingers went to the button of his jeans and as she unsnapped them, his breath hissed out, the sound matching the rasp of his zipper. When she slipped her hand inside, going through the band of his underwear to wrap her hand around his cock, she felt his hips lift. Releasing it, she pushed his jeans down and got a better grip on him. She pumped him in her hand, using her other to tickle the back of his neck as she took his earlobe into his mouth and teased it with her teeth.

A flash of red and blue filled the cab and Rand looked behind at the police cruiser.

“Shit.” Jake flipped on the blinker and added, “Help me get my pants up.”

Rand’s heart was pounding as she did as he asked, hysterical laughter bubbling up in her throat. She managed to get his jeans snapped before the officer got out of his patrol car and ambled his way up to the window.

He tapped the glass and Jake rolled it down. “Evening sir.”

“License, registration, and insurance,” the officer said, looking from Jake to Rand with a sour frown.

Jake reached across Rand to open the glove box and handed him the little cards and paper.

“You know why I pulled you over,” the officer asked as he looked at his license.

“No sir,” Jake said, and Rand turned away to cover her mouth, a nervous snort escaping.

“You were all over the road, weaving in and out of the lines. You been drinking, son,” he asked.

“I had a beer at dinner sir, but no, I’m not drunk,” Jake said, squeezing her leg.

“Well why don’t you step on out of the car, and we’ll do a little breathalyzer,” he suggested.

After the officer gave him the breathalyzer and ran his information, he handed Jake back his documents with a warning. “No ticket tonight but do us all a favor. Keep it zipped until you get home. Or park somewhere.”

Rand ducked down low in embarrassment, and Jake climbed in, slamming the door with a curse. “You…” grabbing her face between his hands, he kissed her hard and fast, pulling back enough to say, “make me crazy.”

Releasing her, he started the truck and put it in gear.

When they made it back to the Double C, he ran to her side and opened her door, but instead of letting her walk, he scooped her up and carried her across the drive, up the stairs and into the house. He was surprised she didn’t protest, but it was just a passing thought.

Scout howled around his feet as he sidestepped down the hallway to her room, shutting the door on the irritated feline.

Laying her down on the bed, he flipped on the light, and smiled as he looked down at her, unbuttoning his shirt slowly. He slipped the shirt off and started working on his boots, hopping from one foot to the other. “You’re going to pay for your teasing.”

He jumped onto the bed before she could respond, slipping his hand behind her neck and running his tongue over her lips. When they parted softly he whispered, “And you’re going to like you’re punishment. A lot.”

He didn’t waste any time slipping his hands down, grasping the bottom of her shirt and lifting it off. He stared down at her in her simple white bra, reached out and cupped her breasts reverently. He molded them with his hands and felt her body shake in response.

He kissed her mouth, her cheek, her neck. “You are so perfect.”

He slipped his hands around to the clasp at her back and released it deftly. Her hands flew up to hold the bra against her chest and pleaded shyly, “Can we turn the light off, please.”

He didn’t argue, just flipped it off and kneeled in front of her. He moved her hands and pulled the bra straps down her arms gently. He rested his hands on her waist and kissed her, bringing his chest against hers and rubbing. He felt her nipples tighten, and ran his hands back up to stroke them. She made a little breathy sound against his mouth and he deepened the kiss as he manipulated the little buds with his thumb and forefinger. He moved his mouth away from hers, dipped his head and took first one nipple, then the other, into his mouth and swirled it with his tongue. He sucked gently, teased the flesh until he felt her fingers gripping his head and her body arching.

He was taken by surprise by a violent cramp in his stomach. He pulled away from her with a gasp and her voice came out dazed and worried, “What’s wrong?”

A wave of nausea hit him like a freight train and he pulled away with a curse as he stumbled to the bathroom and proceeded to vomit the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He heard Rand scuffling around in the bedroom and the light flipped on. The light and the next cramp sent him back to having his face in the toilet.

He groaned as he hung his head and said hoarsely, “Get out of here, Rand.”

She snorted and he heard the water turn on. A cool cloth pressed against the back of his neck and it felt wonderful, but the last thing he wanted was her to think about him puking every time he went to touch her. Somebody upstairs had a sick sense of humor. Right when he was about to…

Another round of retching and she rubbed his back the whole time. “It’s not like you’ve never done this for me.”

He started to laugh, but it ended in a groan of pain. “This is different.”

 
“True. Now you’re not just my best friend, you’re about to be my husband. It’s my job to care for you.”

He turned his head slightly to catch her eye and said wryly, “This wasn’t exactly how I wanted you to ‘take care’ of me.”

 “Me neither, but it’s okay. We’ll have other chances.”

He hoped so, because at the moment, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t about to die, the pain was so excruciating. As he cursed and shook with waves of hot and cold, he was comforted by her soft voice and stroking hands. When the first waves of illness finally subsided, she helped him back into the bed and pulled the sheet over him. She climbed in behind him and spooned him, trailing her fingers over his temple.

He tried to keep his eyes open, but he was so exhausted that he only managed, “Thank you.” Before his eyes slid closed and oblivion took over.

He felt her breath on his shoulder blade, like she’d whispered something, but that was it. He drifted off before he could ask her what she said.

Chapter Twelve

Rand ran a hand over Jake’s forehead on Sunday morning and was relieved to see he finally had a bit of color back in his cheeks. He hadn’t mentioned hearing what she’d said to him the night before and she’d just assumed he must have already fallen asleep.

Or he didn’t want to embarrass you.

She hadn’t meant to tell him she loved him, it had just slipped out. She’d tried to tell herself it was a fluke, brought on by heightened emotions and hormones. It was like how she felt when she had to care for a motherless calf. They needed her and she grew attached. Jake was her best friend and he’d needed her. Of course she loved him.

But not like she wanted to give her heart and soul to him. He would never hurt her; she knew that, at least not on purpose.

But it didn’t mean he’d stick around once his obligation was met.

And once he was gone, she would have to learn to live without him. It would be hard enough without bringing love into the mix.

No, she couldn’t afford to fall in love with him.

 She went out to feed and cleaned up the house while he slept, before she made some chicken noodle soup for his breakfast. She snuck back in to peek at him and he was still snoozing. He looked so peaceful she hated to wake him, but she wanted to make sure he ate something before she left for Earls. She had skipped church this morning because she hadn’t wanted to be away from him all day, but a couple of hours wouldn’t be a problem. At least she hoped not.

When Red came by to find out why they’d missed church, she told him Jake was sick, and Red went back to visit for a bit. After a few minutes, she
 walked down the hallway and stood in the doorway, listening as Red teased Jake.  .

“So, Rand’s trying to get rid of you already, huh? What kind of poison do you think she used?”

Jake gave a little laugh and grimaced. “Actually, it was the waitress that kept flirting with her. Guess she figured with me out of the way, Rand would be hers.”

Red laughed and Rand blushed. When she caught Jake’s eye, he said,
  “Rand’s been taking really good care of me. I couldn’t ask for a better woman.”

She murmured an excuse and left the house to check on the horses. She needed some time to think about what she was doing with him. Maybe she should tell him no, they couldn’t get married. Give him any kind of excuse she could think of; that she’d found someone else to take the bullet.

But when she tried to picture herself letting him go, a lump rose up in her throat, making it hard to breathe.

She made her way back to the house and saw that Red’s truck was still there. Climbing the steps to the porch, she went inside and found them in the same position, although Jake’s eyes were barely open.

“I just wanted to tell you I’m going to go visit Earl for a few hours and that I left some soup in the microwave for you.” Both pairs of male eyes stared at her, and she shifted her feet.

His lips tilted up into a little smile. “Thanks, honey. Isn’t she sweet?”

Flutters of happiness spread from her chest out. No one called her sweet, least of all Jake.

Red raised his eyebrows and gave her a thoughtful look. “Not usually.”

 Tossing him a glare, she was secretly glad Red wasn’t holding any hard feelings. Focusing on Jake’s pale face, she said, “Call me if you need me okay?”

He nodded and with a good-bye to Red,
 backed quietly from the room before she did something stupid like stay. He was a grown man who had been living on his own for years. He could take care of himself.

 
“So Jake offered to marry me. Just so I can keep the ranch, of course,” she said the last quickly, not wanting Earl to get the wrong impression.

 
Rand sat at Earl’s dining room table, eyeballing her old friend and waiting for him to say something. He was surprisingly quiet which was never a good sign for him.

“Did he now? And what did you say?” He took a bite of his pie and chewed slowly.

She cleared her throat. “I said yes. Coming down to the wire and don’t really have a lot of options left.”

“No, I don’t suppose you do.” He still seemed more interested in his pie than her news and it started to rankle her.

 “I was hoping you’d come and walk me down the aisle. You know, when we set a date or whatever. I just…I don’t have anyone, and you’ve always been like a father to me…forget it, it’s stupid, unless…you want to, I mean-” She shut her mouth to stop the incessant nervous babbling.

Her request had stopped the pie shoveling for a half of a second and he set his fork down with a nod. “Be happy to walk you down the aisle.”

Rand, in a moment of insanity, stood up and threw her arms around Earl, with a happy cry. She had no idea who was more surprised, Earl or her.

Quickly she released him, embarrassed by her exuberance. Thankfully, he just cleared his throat and grumbled. “No need to make a big deal out of it. Been looking for an excuse to pull out my dress blues.”

Rand sat down and took a bite of her pie, hiding her smile. “Well, thank you, just the same.”

“So, is this purely a business arrangement or is there something going on with you two?” Earl’s bushy brows were raised expectantly.

Rand pushed her braid back over her shoulder and shook her head. “There’s nothing going on with Jake and me.”

Earl grunted and resumed eating. Between bites, he said, “Whether you’re lying to me or yourself, I don’t know, but if that boy hurts you, he’s gonna be dealing with the bad side of my temper.”

Rand stared at the top of Earl’s head and her mouth twitched with humor. “Is there a good side to your temper?”

“Sassy mouth,” Earl grumbled.

After Red left Jake took a nap, and when he woke up again, a purring Scout was sleeping on his chest. He looked up into yellow eyes nearly closed but for thin slits, and muttered, “Who said you could lay on me, cat?”

The cat’s eyes opened a little wider as she rolled over and looked at him upside down, her white belly exposed.

He reached up and stroked the soft fur and grumbled, “You’re a manipulative little thing, aren’t you?”

Her purr got louder as he spoke to her and he noticed he felt a little better. He was still tired and weak but at least the god awful pain had left his stomach.

He heard the front door slam and footsteps coming down the hallway. He looked over to see Rand peak around the corner and smile. “Well, look at you two making friends.”

He snorted. “I’m just too weak to shove her off.”

Rand climbed onto the bed and ran her hand over her cat, her hand brushing his. “She has a way of getting round all your protests and making you just want to snuggle her.”

“The only thing I want to snuggle is you.”

He caught her eyes shifting toward him, before kicking off her boots and crawling under the covers to cuddle against his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and rested her hand around his waist. “Is this better?”

If he had been at full strength he would have turned over and shown her how much he liked the feel of her snuggling next to him. Instead, he just stopped petting the cat and slipped his hand under the blanket to tangle his fingers with hers. He curled his arm around her back and kissed her hair. “Much better.”

They laid there for a few minutes in silence, the only sound in the room their breathing and the soft purrs emitting from Scout’s chest. Finally his stomach rumbled under their hands and she sat up with a smile. “That’s my cue to go make you something. Want more soup or do you feel up to trying some white rice?”

His hunger protested his choices, but his brain understood the reasoning behind it. His mother had always starved him for twenty four hours after throwing up and then it was always broth, rice, and bananas. The last thing he needed was to eat something too rich and start retching again. “Rice please.”

She let go of his hand and crawled off the bed. “I’ll be back then.”

He watched her leave the room and cursed his weakened state. Since this whole thing started he’d been in a fight twice, and sicker than a dog. What else could go wrong?

Scout suddenly shifted on his chest and a deep, terrible sound started to make the small body convulse. Before he could throw the cat off, the evil little vermin retched a hairball inches from his nose.

He cursed and threw the blanket to the floor, the cat hitching a ride. When the little shit landed on it’s feet and gave him a smug twitch of her tail, he started to sit up to go after her. He felt the room spin with the fast movement and growled, “You’re going to be coyote bait, cat.”

The fluffy short tail jerked back and forth at him before she trotted out the door, whining down the hall. He heard Rand’s voice as she scolded, “Your dish is full, you crazy cat!”

He smiled at her tone and heard her pad into the room behind him. “Alright, got your rice with a little butter.” She sat next to him and handed him the lap tray with a Gatorade and a bowl of rice. “Eat up.”

“Your cat hacked a hairball on me.” He stirred the rice and took a small bite, sighing at the warm, buttery taste.

She looked down at the blanket and grimaced. “I’ll go wash it. She’s done that to me before. It’s a paralyzing sound.”

He laughed and took another bite. “Pretty much.”

She patted his knee before getting up and bending over to pick up the discarded blanket.

And the sight of Rand’s beautiful rear end pointed at him let his body know two things.

One, he was on the mend.

Two, he couldn’t wait to get her naked again.

Rand tiptoed into her room, trying not to make a sound as she changed into her pajamas. Jake had been sleeping soundly for several hours while she had cleaned up and done her chores. It was so strange how comfortable she felt having him there, in her bed. Maybe it was just because he had been her best friend for so long, but she didn’t think so.

She brushed her teeth and made her way to the other side of the bed. In the dim light, she could see Jake was sprawled out on his back, taking up a lot of room and she almost laughed. When they’d been kids and she would crawl in through his window, she would often find him sleeping like that. Funny how some things never changed.

Lifting the quilt, she crawled beneath, pushing his limbs over gently. He grumbled and rolled, giving her plenty of room to curl up on her side with her back to him.

She closed her eyes, trying to count sheep but it was nearly impossible to think of anything but Jake. As if he sensed her restlessness, his warmth was suddenly surrounding her, his hard arm wrapped around her waist.

“Hey, you okay,” he murmured against her hair sleepily.

At once, her body relaxed into him. “Yeah, I was just thinking.”

“Bout what,” he asked.

“Stuff.”

His hand drifted over her stomach, caressing it lightly. “Like wedding stuff?”

“No, just things. Why, do you want to back out? Because if you do-”

“I don’t want to back out.” He sounded gruff and irritated.

“Okay.”

“In fact, when do you want to do it? I guarantee you we’re not getting into this thing with just a trip to the courthouse, not if my mother has anything to say about it,” he teased.

“I don’t want a lot of pomp and fuss.” The last thing she needed was to have the whole town showing up to goggle at her.

“Fine. What if we did a small ceremony at the church and held the reception here,” he asked.

Covering his hand with hers, she smiled. “That’s great.”

“Do you want to do it this weekend?”

She caught her breath as her heart skipped and stumbled. “So fast?”

A deep chuckle ruffled her hair. “Were you wanting to hold out for a better offer?”

“No.” She whispered softly. “There’s nobody better than you.”

Silence stretched between them and she felt his lips brush against the back of her neck. “Miranda Coleman, that was downright romantic.”

Normally, she would have told him to shut up, but for the first time in her life, her trademark waspishness failed her. “I was just stating the facts.”

Jake stroked Rand’s side, listening to the soft snores emitting from her lips and trying to fight the warm glow her words had caused.

There’s nobody better than you.

Rand had always had his back, but she was never the type to be overly affectionate, yet in the last few weeks, he’d watched her soften. She’d really started to open up and blossom and though he was happy to be a part of it, it also sent a part of him into panic mode. The last thing he wanted to do was let Rand down.

Jake woke up Monday morning and checked his phone. His mother had called a couple times and if he knew her, she was ready to call the police.

Heading into the bathroom, he called his assistant manager, and asked her to open for him before he called his mom. He definitely felt better, but he wasn’t quite ready to work a ten hour day.