Morning Light: A Day of Pleasure, Book 1 (2 page)

Instead, she was stuck driving around the block in her sedate Toyota for the third time. Deciding it was a lost cause, she dialed his number on her cell.

As soon as the line engaged she skipped the formalities and said, “I give up! Meet me on the street corner for our hot date. There is zero parking in this neighborhood.”

“Who is this?” offered the decidedly feminine voice on the other end of the line.

Damn it. Chris dated the most annoying women. And every one of them was always wicked jealous of Tenn.

“Hi, Lexie. This is Tennyson. Is Chris available?”

“He’s in the shower. It might take him a while. I was about to join him.”

Ewwwwwwwwwww. Definitely too much information. Jesus, where did he get this woman?

The bitchy part of Tenn was more than happy to point out, “I found a parking spot. Could you let him know I’ll be up in a few minutes? We have plans to meet his brother at the pub tonight.” And without waiting she added, “Thanks. See you in a minute.”

By the time she knocked on the door, Lexie was on her way out of it. With a venomous look on her pretty face, Lexie swung the door wide. Without a word the women brushed past each other and Tenn shut the door behind herself.

“Christian Ashley Harper!”

Chris popped his head out from behind the bathroom door. “Is she gone?”

“Yes, you jerk. If you ever sic that psychopath on me again in the hopes I’ll get rid of her for you, I will totally leave your sorry ass without a date.”

He gave her his best puppy-dog face. It had no effect on Tenn.

“Get dressed. We’re going to be late.”

Chris disappeared behind the bathroom door as Tenn flopped down on the couch and kicked her shoes off. Getting dressed up for a night on the town was a little out of her comfort zone. Her feet hurt already and the night hadn’t even started. It was obviously a man who’d invented high heels and thongs, both of which she was wearing tonight.

She smoothed her wrap dress down her thighs and decided if Noah noticed, it would all be worth it. It was a pathetic thought, but she couldn’t help herself. She felt sexy tonight and wanted him to see her that way. For one moment she wanted to be more than the platonic friend. She wanted to be the hot chick he watched walking through the door at the pub.

Chris emerged from the bathroom fully clothed and gave her a once-over. “Damn, Tenn. You’re looking hot tonight. Trying to impress me for once?”

She offered him a scathing look, one perfected by the time they’d turned fourteen. He might have been a clone of his brother, with the same baby blues and nearly black hair, but it had never been Chris tying her up in knots. “Sorry, bud. Lexie has dibs on your naked ass. I could never stand in her way. She’d probably cut me.”

“Oh, aren’t you the funny one tonight?”

“Seriously, Chris, why do you date that girl? You know one of these days she’s going to make your life miserable.”

“When did a couple of dinner dates mean we are dating?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably about the same time you started sleeping with her. She assumes you guys are an item.”

“Come on, Tenn. You know me better than that. We’ve never done the deed.”

Obviously he wouldn’t lie to her, but it was still surprising. “She implied she was here to jump your bones while you were in the shower!”

“Well, I’m sure that was her plan when she got here. But I locked the bathroom door. I think she was waiting for me to make a break from the bathroom.”

She shot him a sly look. “Are you afraid of the crazy chick?”

Chris looked slightly chagrined. “I’m not afraid of her.”

“You wait until I tell Noah. You will never hear the end of this!”

“Get your sexy ass off my couch and back into those killer shoes. Noah’s going to be pissed if we’re late.”

“And I’ll totally explain to him you have the worst taste in women and you were too busy hiding in the bathroom to get dressed before I got here.” Slipping her shoes back on with a slight wince, she added, “Are you driving? I think we should arrive in style.”

“Only if you keep your lips zipped about Lexie. I’ll even let you drive the Camaro.” He tossed the keys to the ’69 Chevy Camaro her way. A car he’d spent nearly the past ten years rebuilding with his dad in the old man’s garage. It had only recently come from the body shop with a fresh coat of perfect black paint. Tenn had never been in the driver’s seat.

It was exactly the right bribe to keep her mouth shut about the Chris and Lexie situation.

“Deal.” The pain of her sexy shoes completely forgotten, she practically skipped down the hall and out the door to the garages in the back of the complex.

Chris watched her disappear from his sight. Following in her wake, he could practically feel her glee at finally getting her hands on his baby. It was his weekends-only car and his pride and joy. He was always going to let her drive it once it was finished, but he wasn’t above letting her think he had caved. She was the only woman he knew who had a deep and abiding respect for a classic American muscle car.

Not to mention she was a damn fine driver. Her dad had raced on the local circuit back in the day, and Tenn had spent a great deal of her childhood weekends hanging out at the track. Her mom had bailed before Tenn was five, and she’d been raised by her doting father and grandfather.

Being raised by two men had given her a unique perspective on life. At the age of nine she’d punched the school bully in the nose for picking on one of the kids in their class. It had never occurred to her she was the smallest kid in their class. When the bully reached out to smack her back, Chris had stepped in. At nine, he hadn’t been a very good brawler and had ended up with a nice shiner, but at least Tenn hadn’t taken a fist to the face. They’d bonded over the lengthy wait for their parents to come collect them from the principal’s office and had been as thick as thieves ever since.

Chris caught up with Tenn as she eased the Camaro out of the garage space assigned to his apartment. She pulled up to where he was standing in the lot and lightly revved the engine.

“Your chariot awaits, Mr. Harper.” She patted the empty passenger seat in invitation.

He climbed in and noticed she’d kicked off her heels and was driving barefoot. The girl could get all dressed up, but she would always be a tomboy at heart. Any other woman would have left her heels on, knowing the effect it had on a man, but seduction was never on her mind in his presence.

But that made him think. Why was she all dressed up for a few beers at the pub?
It was a weekly ritual for the two of them to grab a bite to eat and a drink or two on Friday nights. Since Noah had arrived on the scene, they’d made a weekly visit to the pub instead of any of their other regular spots.

He glanced over to the driver’s seat and took in the scene before him. Tenn’s face was lit from within. She practically bounced in her seat as she stretched to reach the clutch and shift into third gear. The car offered a low rumble as she smoothly accelerated into a turn on the edge of town. Her face brightened even more and she offered him her lopsided smile as she settled into her seat.

She was beautiful. He’d always known it. She had that girl-next-door quality with a wide-open smile, rich brown hair falling to her shoulders in one straight wave, and direct golden-hazel eyes.

She wasn’t dressed to impress him. Once in college they’d both considered that avenue. Neither was willing to risk their friendship for a fling. They had been young and it certainly would have been easy to fall into bed together. Fortunately, they’d both known they weren’t ready for anything long term at that point and wisely opted to stay just friends.

He had never regretted it. She would always be his closest friend and he didn’t ever want to risk losing her in any way. Even if what it would have been like had crossed his mind a few times over the years.

Here she was, dressed to the nines to hang out with him and his brother.
His brother?

Damn. He hadn’t seen this one coming. Was Noah interested in Tenn as well? It gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was he jealous? Or worried?

They were pulling into the Drunken Duck’s parking lot before he realized Tenn was talking to him.

“What? I’m sorry, I was zoning.”

She offered him a sharp glare. “I was saying how convenient it is your girlfriend is already here.”

“You have
got
to be kidding me.”

“No, I’m not. She’s standing by the door waiting for you.” She casually pointed in the general direction of Lexie as she turned into an empty parking spot.

He turned in his seat and practically lunged at her. “You’ve got to save me tonight, Tenn.” He clasped her hands in his. “She will not take no for an answer. Pretend to be my date!”

Scowling, she tugged her hands out of his. “Are you crazy? She knows better than to think we’re on a date. We spend every Friday night together. How is tonight any different?”

“But you’re all dressed up. All you have to do is hang all over me and stake your claim.”

“No.”

“You’ve done it before. Why not now? You’re such an effective deterrent with the crazy chicks.”

He watched as she hesitated. She’d saved him before, but it was obvious tonight was different for her. He also knew she would never explain to him why. She would rather walk over hot coals before she admitted any such girly thing. She was on the make and would never tell him that out loud.

He pleaded with his eyes. Knowing her weaknesses, he mouthed, “Save me!”

“Fine. But after this, you have to tell this girl to take a hike.”

Handing her the pair of sexy red heels she’d tossed on his side of the car, he leaned in and offered her a quick kiss on the lips. “Done.”

“You’re the designated driver tonight. And you’re buying all my drinks.”

Whatever she wanted. “Done.”

“I have to be up at eight tomorrow, so not too late tonight. Bo’s coming by for our breakfast date and I cannot be late.”

Chris nodded sagely and asked, “Who the hell is Bo? And why do you have a date at eight in the morning?”

“You are such a terrible date.” She rolled her eyes in Chris’s general direction. “Bo is the stray dog I’ve been feeding. He comes by twice a day and I don’t want to disappoint him. Once he gets used to me, I want to adopt him.”

“Bo is a dog?” Looking incredulous, he said, “You have a breakfast date with a dog?”

“Yes. And he’s very handsome. I think he might be a Lab. One of these days I’m going to get him in the house and get him to Doc Mallory.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll even make sure you’re home tonight so you don’t miss your dog date in the morning.”

“Excellent.”

Grinning from her apparent triumph, Tenn exited the car. Chris caught her hand in a tight grip before she had fully rounded the rear of the car. She sighed, rolling her eyes again. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Chapter Three

There was an unrelenting pounding in her head, and something furry had died in her mouth. The sun streamed through her bedroom windows, splashing a ruthless beam of light across her eyes. It was like a laser beam melting her brain.

Groaning, she limply lifted her head from the bed and immediately fell back into place. Oh dear Lord, she was going to die.

Her second attempt was more successful and she reached an upright position and held it. On her nightstand stood a tall glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. “Thank you thank you thank you.”

She slipped two of the aspirin into her mouth and gulped down half the glass of water before taking a breath. Setting the glass back in place, she glanced down and realized she was in her pajamas. She had no recollection of getting into them the previous night. Not to put a fine point on it, but she didn’t remember much past her third shot of whiskey.

Well, at least Chris got her home and into bed before heading out himself. It was nearly eight. Bo was probably waiting for her on the back porch. Time to win over the pooch.

Shuffling through the house on tentative feet, she swayed at the bottom of the steps into the kitchen. “I’m going to kill Chris. Tomorrow. I’m going to kill that man.”

Noah watched Tenn shuffle through the kitchen, her eyes barely open. She reached for a ceramic bowl with little paw prints on it and dipped it into a bag of dog food sitting by the back door. Before she opened the back door and stepped into the morning light, she picked up her sunglasses from the counter and gingerly set them on her face. He had to grin. The girl had outdone herself last night at the pub.

Tenn walking through the pub door in her little black dress and a pair of red fuck-me pumps would be indelibly etched into his memory until the end of his days. She had scanned the room and offered him a quick wave and grin before heading over to her favorite table in the back. He’d tracked her progress through the room. It had been impossible to tear his gaze away until she was out of sight.

Now she stood in the doorway of her kitchen in a rumpled pair of hot-pink boxers and a matching tank top. She was even sexier this morning than she’d been the previous night.