One Lucky Hero (4 page)

He leaned back but still didn't let her escape. “Big wimpy asshat, huh?”

Lifting her chin up, she didn't back down. “Yeah, that's right.”

For several moments, he did nothing but stare at her, and the intensity in his eyes made her twitch. Finally, he nodded, as if coming to terms with his new title. “Fine, I made an assumption. I'm an asshat.”

“Happy we agree on something,” she said.

“But I didn't come here today looking to hook up. I planned to drink some beer, chill with my friend, and eventually head home to bed—alone.”

Violet flushed. “Well, it's not like I was trolling for just anybody. If that were the case, I would be dragging Robert off to have my way with him in the parking lot.”

“Are you saying I'm special?” he asked.

It was a loaded question, and her answer could be taken a hundred wrong ways. Why was it that the first guy she'd actually actively pursued had to be so complicated?

“Nope, you're absolutely right. Nothing special about you. There are still a few hours left for me to meet someone who doesn't make snap judgments and would love to make out with an attractive single woman who hasn't been kissed in six months, so if you'll—”

Dean's mouth closed over hers, stopping her tirade with the sheer heat of his soft, deep kiss. Violet melted on impact, her eyes rolling back as her lids closed. She opened her lips to the thrust of his tongue and felt a pool of joy bubbling up in her lower abdomen.

Holy shit. And you thought the sunshine was hot.

Violet could blame her weakness on the multiple glasses of wine, but it wasn't just that. It was about wanting something in the deep, visceral sense, regardless of the fact that she barely liked him. In fact, it was better this way.

If there was no attachment, then she couldn't get hurt.

For the last ten years, she'd played it safe. After her mother's suicide and the night her father, Jack, had left, she'd been sure she was numb to any more pain, but why risk it? It was partly why she put all of her energy into Casey and Daisy; she was prepared for them to leave, to not need her anymore, and she was okay with that. They would still be hers. It was them against the world.

Letting someone new into that dynamic could ruin everything and cause a disturbance that might cost her the only constants she'd ever had. Trust and loyalty took years to build, and even if she did eventually meet someone, she could never be sure. It was better to never know than to let someone in and have him destroy her.

But that didn't mean she couldn't participate in a little casual recreational fun every now and then.

Dean pulled away, breathing hard. As she opened her eyes, she found his own to be burning.

“I hope you'll take that as an apology.”

“Sure.” Reaching up behind his head, she pulled him to her once more. “How about you apologize again?”

H
OW THE HELL
did you get here?

Dean wasn't sure. He'd had every intention of letting her go, but then he was kissing her again, tasting the sweet, minty interior of her mouth, and it had been one hell of a fight to stop the first time.

But as she pulled him closer, he groaned in surrender. He threaded his fingers through her thick hair and cradled her head, angling it to give his tongue better access. He loved the fact that she was tall, that he didn't need to break his neck to kiss her, and as he pressed his leg harder between hers, he felt her moan in his mouth.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd just kissed a woman, gotten caught up in the scent of her skin or the tight nubs of her nipples pressing against his chest through their clothes. The way she arched her back and thrust her hips against him as her hands slid into his back pockets. She actually squeezed his ass through the rough denim, and his cock twitched against her, aching to be touched, caressed by her silky hands.

Several high-pitched giggles close by pulled Dean up short, and he caught sight of a couple of teenagers watching them, one with a cell phone pointed their way.

Dean moved fast. He blocked Violet as he crossed the grass and yanked the phone away from the boy, who paled even as he protested.

“Hey, asshole, that's mine!”

Dean scrolled until he found the video gallery, ignoring the guy's attempt to be tough. Dean deleted the video and tossed the cell back to the kid.

“You're lucky you aren't getting it back in pieces. You better hope the next person you pull that on is as nice as me.”

“Dude, you were doing it in public. You were asking for it,” his friend said.

Dean didn't bother arguing. He should have known better; he worked with teen boys for God's sake, and in this day and age, everything was fodder for the Internet trolls. He hadn't been thinking straight, though. All he'd been thinking about for the last few hours was Violet.

Which was obviously a very, very bad sign.

Dean walked back to Violet, whose expression wavered somewhere between horrified and amused.

“I would have kicked the little shithead's ass,” she said.

“I don't really want to be arrested tonight, if it's all the same to you.”

“Yeah, I can understand why that would be a drag.”

Her quiet laughter was hard to resist, and he found himself grinning down at her. “You think you're pretty funny, huh?”

“Considering how crazy my life is, it's better for me to laugh at everything than to cry,” she said.

Although her tone was light, Dean caught the serious glimpse in her eyes. He wanted to ask her about the shadows in their depths, but once he did, they'd start sharing details about their lives. Get to know each other on a deeper level.

He needed to put some distance between them. “Why don't I walk you back to your friend? Maybe I can drag mine away so the two of you can dance and do whatever it is girls enjoy.”

“That's a sweet offer.”

“Well, I'm a sweet guy,” he said.

She snorted, but he let it go as they headed back to the stage area. Their hands brushed several times, and he glanced over to see if she was doing it on purpose, hoping to get him to hold her hand, but then she stuffed them in the pockets of her shorts. Maybe she'd been telling the truth about wanting nothing more than a night of fun.

One night was something he could do.

They pushed through the crowd until they found Best and Tracy. Dean tapped Best on the shoulder, causing Best to pull away from Tracy's lips and flash him a disgruntled look. “What?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?” He was hoping Best would just go along with him, but that was too much to ask for.

“Worst wingman ever,” Best muttered loud enough for him to hear.

Violet decided to help out by grabbing Tracy and squealing, “Meghan Trainor is next.”

“Woo-hoo!” Tracy hollered.

Now that Best's toy was distracted, Dean led Best a few feet away from the girls. “What the hell, man? Why did you cock block me?”

Dean glanced over at Violet and Tracy, who seemed to be deep in conversation. “Because Violet wanted to dance with her friend and you've been monopolizing her.”

“Since when do you care what Violet wants? I thought you were staying as far away as possible?”

That had been the plan, until you kissed her. Now, she's like an itch under your skin you want desperately to scratch.

That little bit of info was best kept to himself, though. “Well, since our rides seem to be pretty absorbed in each other, we figured that we better stick together in case you ditch us,” Dean said.

“Uh-huh. I smell bullshit.”

“Shut the fuck up and come on.” Dean dragged him back over to Tracy and Violet. “You ladies want another drink?”

“Hell, yeah,” Tracy said.

“She means thank you,” Violet said.

“No problem. We'll be right back.” Dean put his arm around Best's shoulders and used his thumb and forefinger to put the right amount of pressure on his clavicle, too subtle for anyone to notice. Best, to his credit, didn't flinch or put up a fight but walked along with Dean until they reached the corn dog vendor.

Shrugging him off, Best rubbed where Dean had hurt him. “I am trying to decide whether or not to kick your ass right now. Do you know how long it's been since I got laid?”

“Last weekend? Besides, what were you going to do, screw her on the grass? That's how you end up on YouTube, my friend.”

“No, but we were headed for an early exit.”

“I thought you wanted to see Jimmy Eat World?” Dean asked.

“Let's see . . . Have sex or watch a band?” Best actually held his hands up, pretending to weigh his options. “Yeah, I've got their album, I'm good.”

Dean shook his head with a chuckle. “You are a sick, sick man.”

They entered the beer garden and got in line. When the bartender waved them up, Dean said, “I'll take a glass of whatever wine you have.”

“Red or white?”

Dean stared blankly. Now he looked like a damn idiot, but he had no idea; he hadn't really been focused on Violet's drink.

Her mouth, now that was another thing entirely.

“Which one tastes better?” he asked.

The bartender released a sigh louder than the crowd around him, and Dean bristled. “Are you seriously giving me attitude because I asked a question?”

“Whoa, easy buddy, I got this.” Best stepped in, shooting the bartender his trademark easy smile. “He'll have Merlot, if you got it.”

Dean wasn't sure what Merlot was, but as long as Violet liked it . . .

Best was right; since when did he care what Violet wanted? He had been convinced that being within ten feet of Violet would be an extremely bad call not one hour ago, and yet, here he was fetching drinks. And all because one amazingly hot kiss had changed his perspective?

Fine, it wasn't just the kiss. It was her and the way she affected him. It was her witty banter and her snarky attitude. It was the fact that she didn't know anything about him and wasn't afraid to put him in his place.

His attraction alone should have been a red flag, but she had said it herself; she didn't want anything more than a momentary distraction. No complications.

Exactly what he'd been looking for. She wanted him. Even if she hadn't said as much, her kiss had made that pretty plain. So, why not go for it? It was better than going home alone.

Best got Tracy a cup of wine and a beer for himself. Once they paid, they grabbed their drinks and headed for the exit, but the short, rotund security guy stopped Best.

“Sorry, but if you're buying one of those for someone, we have to check ID.”

“You want to follow us back to where they are?” Best asked.

“Or they have to come here to collect their drinks.”

Irritated, Best chugged his beer. When it was empty, he tossed the cup into the nearest trash and faced the guard once more.

“These are both for me.”

“I see.” The guard seemed amused. “Enjoy the concert, guys.”

Dean exited first, while Best grumbled behind him about nosy assholes.

“He was just doing his job, man. Let it go,” Dean said.

“Well, his job blows. And this coming from the guy who almost took off the bitchy bartender's head?”

“He was being a prick.”

“How come you didn't get another one?” Best asked.

“Just not feeling it.” Plus, Dean hoped he'd be driving Violet home later if his friend succeeded in hooking up with Tracy.

Dean picked up the pace, wanting to get back to Violet and see her reaction to the wine. As they came down the grass, Dean saw that her pint-sized admirer was back, pushing his way between Tracy and Violet as they danced. When she caught sight of Dean, Violet appeared relieved, almost happy to see him. His reaction to that glow of joy was unsettling. It was as if her warm gaze was pulling him to her by an invisible rope and he was powerless to resist.

When he finally broke through the crowd, he held out the cup of wine to her. “Since you're not really a fan of beer.”

Her smile flashed so big and bright, it nearly blinded him. “That was very considerate of you.”

“I'm a considerate guy.”

She didn't comment as she took the wine; she just kept smiling.

The short dude glanced between them and held his hand out to Dean. “I'm Robert.”

“Dean.” The guy actually tried to squeeze Dean's hand harder than necessary, and Dean resisted the urge to crush the soft, dainty fingers in his.

“How do you know Violet?” Robert pulled his hand back and flexed it as if Dean had hurt him.

Little pussy.

Dean opened his mouth to answer, but Violet jumped in by taking his hand. “Dean and I have a friends-with-benefits thing going on.”

Dean's mouth hung open for half a second, then snapped shut as Robert's expression shuttered and his lips thinned.

“I see. You didn't mention you were seeing anyone before,” he said.

“Honestly, we don't really tell anyone. Like I said, we're casual. It works really well, since we're both so busy,” Violet lied smoothly, impressing Dean further. Of all the things she could have said to run Robert off, he'd have never suspected she'd be bold enough for this.

Then again, she had pointed out that he had judged her too quickly and had no idea what she was capable of.

“Well, I don't want to intrude, so I'll catch up to my group. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Dean said to Robert's back.

Tracy exploded into exaggerated giggles once Robert was gone. “Oh my God, I almost died! I can't believe you said that to him.”

“Neither can I.” Dean held up their entwined hands with a raised eyebrow. “Very convincing, but I don't think casual FWBs hold hands.”

Violet pulled her hand from his and took a sip of wine before responding. “Thank you for playing along.”

“Who says I'm playing?” He spoke quietly, hoping that Tracy and Best wouldn't hear.

“What do you mean?” Her brown eyes widened, and she nibbled on her lip, the sight of her worrying the soft pink flesh turning him on like crazy.

Dean glanced over at Tracy and Best, who were dancing closely and ignoring them, before leaning down. “Maybe I
am
interested in something casual . . . with you.”