Breaking the Bad Boy Read online

  “I noticed,” she said cutting him off.

  “You’ll be fine, Duchess.” They stared at each other across the small table in complete silence until a child roughly the age of ten came out with their drinks.

  “Of course, I will,” she said.

  The cold drink came in a tall glass and was dark brown on the bottom with an inch or so of white on the top, the contrasting colors swirling around each other slightly, and she was momentarily mesmerized. Buck handed her one of the straws and then stirred his drink blending the light with the dark.

  It was strong and sweet and cold and she drank deeply, feeling the much needed rush of the caffeine. She looked at him, over her drink and he smiled at her reaction to it. Her glass was almost empty, it was refreshing and delicious.

  “Oh God, that was good,” she said in a throaty voice when she finished it. Buck sat back in his folding chair still watching her, and then he turned and caught the eye of the ten year old boy and pointed at the drinks and put up two fingers. The ten year old went into the back briefly and came out again with two more Thai iced teas and set them down in front of them.

  Seeing Buck lean forward in his chair made Joss look up from her drink and lock eyes with him. His intensity disturbed her.

  “The first time you have a taste of this tea; it can sometimes be a little rushed in the excitement, the taste, the thrill and the novelty. And poof, it’s finished before you really want it to be, and there’s a certain sadness to it. But it’s the second one that you want to take your time with and savor,” he said looking at her closely.

  His voice was deep and sexy, and enticing. Her eyes went to the full drink in front of her and came up again from it and leveled on his. This was a dangerous man, she thought. He was taunting her, playing with her as if she were at the end of a fishing line. He was dangerous because she was intrigued. “That’s when you are more in control of yourself and you can contain the animal need long enough to take pleasure in the act itself.” Joss looked back at her drink and bit her lip, trying not to smile.

  “Are we still talking about the tea?”

  “What else could we possibly be talking about, Duchess?”

  “I just wondered why you were already making disclaimers,” she said, and he laughed heartily.

  “You’re the one who finished the tea… prematurely.” She did smile then. “So, you slept with her boyfriend,” he said still grinning at her.

  “Really? You’re back to that? Well, there wasn’t much sleeping, per se,” she said. “He lied to me, he told me he was single, and he was artful and persuasive and I slept with him. I was grounded six times in the three months we… let’s call it dated, for lack of a better word I could use in polite company. Half the senior class, the female half, sent me death threats because supposedly Leanne was there first. I think they probably still carry a grudge, Leanne was very popular; I, on the other hand, was not. Are you satisfied?” She asked and he chuckled.

  “Were you?” She couldn’t believe she was telling him about this. She considered his question and remembered that first night they slept together. Leather jacket wearing, tattooed, and pierced; blue eyed Billy Tomlinson was irresistible. He had a mattress fitted into the bed of his pickup, which should have been a big hint as to what he expected from her. It didn’t take a rocket scientist, she knew exactly what he expected, because it’s what they all expected, or at least hoped for. The only difference was that Billy actually got it.

  She gave Billy her virginity one of those nights, and she was eternally grateful that he knew what he was doing. He was gentle and knowing, and had a sense of responsibility for her needs. The overt hatred from her schoolmates was a fair price to pay for her subsequent long summer nights under the stars with him. She learned so much about herself from Billy, and she was indebted to him for his conscientious tutelage. Don’t be shy, sugar, we’ll both get more out of this if we tell each other what we like, he had said to her that first night, and she wasn’t shy.

  His hands, she remembered, were long fingered and deft, and he had her body shuddering long before he found his own fulfillment, every time. Later she realized that was a rare thing for an adult, never mind a high school senior. Joss looked at Buck’s hands and imagined them being equally generous and capable.

  She looked up from his hands at his face and smiled. “Completely.”

  His hazel eyes went dark and he swallowed audibly. “Damn,” he said hoarsely and the food arrived. “You were just reminiscing. Tell me everything.”

  “I think not, one heart attack is quite enough for today,” she said.

  “Damn, Duchess, you’re a pleasant surprise,” he said with a playful smile and reached for his fork.

  Joss’ phone made a noise. She and Buck looked at each other.

  “Feel free,” he said. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the display. She didn’t recognize the number, but read the text.

  *I really hope your dad is okay, Joss. I’m eager to reschedule so that it’s you giving me the tour and none other. Being the gov has to have some perks. I did swing by the museum tonight in case there were some people who were expecting to see me. Sandy cleared it with Jeremy, so don’t worry, it went flawlessly. This way they get their money’s worth and I might get a vote or two. Call me, for anything, at any time, even if it’s just to shoot the breeze, or if you need a shoulder to cry on. I’d very much like to be there for you, Joss. And when you get back, dinner’s on me. We could go out or we could put our feet up at the governor’s mansion with gourmet popcorn and Netflix. Keep in touch. This is my private number. Peter.*

  Joss considered the text while biting her lower lip. This was the longest text she had ever gotten, and there was a lot of sub text in the text. Buck watched her like a hawk as she carefully texted Peter back.

  *You have my vote, too. You’re very kind, Peter, my dad is holding his own. I’ll call when I get back to reschedule your tour, as cell service is questionable at best up here. And thanks.* She put her phone back in her pocket and looked up at Buck.

  “I’m sorry, that wasn’t very polite,” she said looking at him guiltily. “It was work related.”

  “You looked like it was a hard text to answer, was it your boyfriend?” He asked. She thought about Peter for a second and sighed.

  “No,” she said.

  “But you want him to be?” Buck said watching her closely.

  She was surprised at the question. “No, but I think he just fired a warning shot over my bow,” she could feel the heat move up her throat and to her face. “I wanted to respond tactfully.”

  “He asked you to step it up in a text?” He chuckled. “I’m more of a hands-on kind of guy, myself.”

  “I’m sure you are,” she said looking him over. “But I did just unexpectedly leave town, canceling something we had planned tonight.”

  “In that dress? Poor bastard. I hope you just shot him down, Duchess,” he said and she looked up and saw his eye color change. Hazel eyes did that, but she’d never seen it so glaringly before. His eyes went from golden brown to green in a heartbeat. As though the green flecks got bigger and moved the other colors out of the way. Was he jealous?

  She hadn’t shot Peter down, but she hadn’t encouraged him, either, and she wondered why. They had met a few times, and he had always been charming and funny, and nearly as tall as long shanks sitting across from her, but she hadn’t considered him as a potential lover. In truth, she hadn’t considered many men as potential lovers; she hadn’t felt the heat in a long time.

  “Now why would you hope that?” She asked him, tilting her head to the side slightly and he sat back away from her.

  “Because you’re worth more trouble than a text, don’t you agree?” He pointed to her phone.

  “He’s a busy man,” she said. “But, truth be told, not really my type.”

  “Not enough money?” Joss laughed.

  “No, I’m guessing he’s got lots of money, that’s not really a t
hing for me,” she said.

  “What is your type, Duchess?” He asked and she looked at him for too long. You. She finally gathered herself and looked hungrily at the food in front of them and changing the subject.

  “What have we got?” She didn’t want to discuss her text any further.

  There was one giant plate of rice to share, and they each got a plate of curry, one yellow and one red. Joss waited for Buck to start, but he deferred to her.

  “If you want to change the subject, I won’t stand in your way,” he grinned at her. “I expect we’ll work our way back around to it,” he winked at her. “This one will be very spicy,” he pointed to the red curry with his fork. “This one not so much,” he pointed to the golden one.

  Joss took a little rice and ladled the red curry over it. His eyebrows went up and he grinned, waiting for her to try it. He thought she had never had spicy food before, but she’d show him. She took a forkful and tasted it. It was delicious. It was also the hottest food she had ever eaten in her life, but she’d be damned if she was going to let him see her sweat. Joss was delighted with the food, but the tea drink should have tipped her off that she was in for a treat. The spicy red curry was so delicious she nearly wept.

  She moaned and closed her eyes before they watered all over her plate. Buck dropped his fork on his plate making a loud clattering sound. She opened her eyes to catch him staring at her. She pointed to her plate with her fork.

  “This is very good,” she said after she swallowed and took more. He hadn’t yet served himself any rice; he was too busy watching her. He snapped out of his reverie and spooned rice on his plate, and then followed it with some of each of the curries.

  “It’s hotter than I remembered,” he said looking up at her in surprise. “This isn’t too hot for you?”

  She met his eyes over the small table and smiled at him. This was the first full on, genuine smile he got from her and he felt like he’d been splashed in the face with water. “It’s excruciating,” she said, and they both laughed. His eyes were almost almond shaped, and under the glare of the overhead florescent lamps she saw there were different color flecks in them than just the gold and green, he had blues and browns, too. They were simply beautiful. She’d have to get a closer look in the daylight when he didn’t have his shades on.

  “So Buck, are you going to tell me about yourself?”

  “Nope, not much to tell,” he said.

  “How long have you lived in Montana?”

  “’Bout eight months,” he said.

  “Where did you live before then?”

  “Here and there,” he grinned, knowing she was getting nothing.

  “What brought you to Montana?”

  “Well, if I had known you were in Denver I’d have gone straight there, but I didn’t get the memo. How ‘bout you, Duchess? What’s your type?” She shook her head. “You like bad boys, I’m guessing, not affection texters.” Joss laughed at that.

  “I can’t seem to get a handle on you, Buck. Why so reticent?”

  “I’m not reticent, you just need to try harder,” he put his arms out to the side. “As for getting a handle on me, grab hold of anything that sticks out, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  “You are a bad boy,” she said and his smile was so huge she thought she might be blinded by it. “How did you know I was from Denver?” His grin wavered a little bit, but he seemed unwilling to answer.

  Joss finished all she could she sat back in her seat with a gratified smile and put her hands on her belly.

  “Oh God, that was the best food I’ve had in some time, thank you for bringing me here,” her eyes danced in front of him.

  Buck watched her from behind his almost effeminate eyelashes. She pushed her plate away and he pulled it toward himself. “You are very welcome. It’s refreshing to see a woman eat hot food. May I?” Joss nodded and watched as he finished her plate, too. It seemed like an intimate thing to do after having only known him for a few hours.

  “Why?” She asked.

  “I’ve been dating the wrong women, I guess. Maybe I said that wrong, it was very nice to watch you enjoy your food even though it was blowing your face off. You’re flushed from it and it’s very becoming.”

  “It was blowing your face off, too,” she said waiting for the sexist comment she was sure was coming.

  “It was, but my face rarely flushes, it’s the wrong color,” he grinned at her.

  “Where were you stationed?” She asked trying to throw him off his ubercoolness. His eyes opened wide for a split second. Got ya.

  “I’ve never served in the military if that’s what you’re asking,” he said eyeing her.

  “Were you ever a cop?”

  “Why do you ask, Duchess? You got a thing for cops? I could probably scare up some handcuffs if you’re interested. Hell, that sounds like fun,” he said.

  “Forget I asked,” she said. They looked at each other for a long moment.

  He had taken off his hat in the hospital, and hadn’t put it back on and she didn’t notice until now that he had very dark brown hair that was graying just slightly at the temples. He wasn’t old, though; she thought he was probably early thirties, a bit older than she was. His cheekbones were high and pronounced, and he had a small scar on his left cheek just under his eye. Someone wearing a ring hit him, she was sure of it, and she thought he had probably deserved it.

  His skin was smooth and tanned to a light shade of ocher; it was exotic and quite beautiful to her artist’s eye. She liked his hawk nose, it made him look dangerous, and she was under no illusions that he wasn’t. His mouth was wide, and straight across with thin but very sensual lips, she subconsciously licked her own while looking at them, and she saw the corners of his mouth turn up just a fraction. He noticed she was looking at his lips. His body was used to the hard work ranchers did, and his tanned arms and rough hands were indications of his labor intensive career choice.

  Not so, her museum developer’s job. She wasn’t out of shape; she just would never be hard. Joss had a definite softness to her. Her daily swims kept her toned and she actually used her club membership, making her arms and legs perfect, it was her ass that was the problem. Maybe not such a great problem she thought, imagining the next few weeks in a saddle. She had a little more than the standard cushion, and that was putting a positive spin on it.

  “You want to tell me the story about the bad boy you stole from the lovely Leanne?” He asked moving back to his favorite subject.

  “Not really, but I’m sure plenty of other people would love to tell you that, you don’t need to hear it from me,” she said.

  “But I want you hear it from you, Duchess, you’re so pretty when you blush,” he said.

  “Who hit you?” She asked pointing at the scar under his eye. He looked at her surprised; then he retreated back into his distant mode.

  “Who hasn’t?” He said shrugging his shoulders and she chuckled a little.

  “Well, I haven’t,” she said.

  “Not yet,” he said with another grin. “Give it time.”

  Joss pulled out her Visa card when the woman came out to clear their plates. The woman said something that sounded harsh, and Joss simply looked at her stupidly.

  “They don’t take Visa,” Buck said.

  “Oh.” Joss went for her wallet and came up with three dollars. She looked across the table and Buck was already pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’m sorry; I left in such a rush.”

  “You get a free pass, Duchess. I understand the Kennedys don’t carry cash either.” He said something to the woman in what must have been Thai, and she bowed her head at him and together they spoke more in a single minute than what she and Buck said to each other all evening. Buck responded to her in the same language and they both laughed heartily and looked at Joss assessing her for something, she quickly decided she didn’t want to know. The cowboy spoke Thai? He could be Asian, she thought. A blend of things more like, gah, st
op doing that, Joss. Buck stood up with a big smile on his handsome face. Joss stood up, too. There was no way she was going to ask what he said to the little woman, she had her pride.

  “Can we swing by an ATM? I’ll pay you back,” she said. He held the door open for her and she had to pass quite close to him. She smelled his scent and she felt the sudden jolt of sexual charge from his physical nearness that shot fire through her body which settled in between her legs. No, not this guy, she told her body, but her body never, ever listened.

  “Are you okay?” He asked as she faltered through the door.

  “I… I’m fine, why do you ask?”

  “Your body just did something funny,” he grinned. Damn him.

  “What are you talking about?” She said.

  “You tell me, Duchess, it’s your body.”

  “My body is fine, thank you for asking,” she said.

  “Yes, it is,” he said taking off his jacket. “Ask me.”

  “Ask you what?”

  “Ask me what she said.” He put his jacket over her shoulders. She wanted to shrug it off, but it was warm from his body and it smelled clean and… like him. She put her arms in the sleeves and pulled it close around her.

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  “Ask me,” he whispered close to her. She shivered again. He was enjoying himself far too much.

  “Tell me if you are so eager for me to know,” she said and he stopped in the street and she stopped and turned to see what was up. He was smiling wickedly.

  “No, Duchess, I want you to ask me what she said,” he said. Damn, he was sexy, when did that happen?

  “How do I know you even speak Thai? She could have said ‘Hey buddy, you didn’t give me much of a tip,’ for all I know.” He laughed.

  “It’s going to bother you if you don’t ask,” he said grinning.

  “I think it’s going to bother you if I don’t ask, so here I am, not asking,” she turned and walked to the truck. He remained in the street for a minute watching her walk away then jogged a little to catch up with her.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you if you want to know so much, but you have to kiss me,” he said still grinning. He unlocked her door and opened it for her. She climbed in and he shut the door. He was outrageous. And why was she grinning?