Bad Reputation Read online

  She didn’t answer me, so I followed her around. She was already getting back into to driver’s seat. I snaked my hand up to the door, holding it open as she tried to shut it.

  “What if I said I’d rather be here?” I asked.

  She met my eyes. “Then I’d say I’d hope you were lying.”

  I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s about trust again, Joey.”

  She yanked on the door, hard.

  “Hey!” I shouted.

  I pulled my fingers away just in time to stop them from getting crushed. Tucker didn’t turn my way again as she turned the key and pulled away. I stared after her incredulously.

  “Dammit,” I said out loud. “What the hell just happened?”

  My phone rang again, and I shoved it to my ear and waited.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Amber,” I said lightly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because you’re standing in the middle of a hospital parking lot, staring at Chipper’s eco-mobile and talking to yourself.”

  I spun around and I spotted Amber’s familiar car sitting fifty feet away. She hung up and shot me a wave as she walked towards me. I wanted to wave back, but the sight of her froze me to the spot. What had she seen? Why did I care? And why did I feel like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing?

  It wasn’t as though Amber hadn’t ever seen me with another girl before. I’d paraded dozens of them through my life over the past few years. Yet I felt almost embarrassed at the thought that she’d seen me caressing Tucker’s cheek.

  Maybe it was something about the caress itself.

  “Are you going into the hospital?” Amber asked, jerking me back to attention before I could dwell on the feeling any further.

  “Her name’s Tucker,” I growled in reply, shoving my phone in my pocket.

  “What?”

  “It’s not Chipper. It’s Tucker.”

  “So?”

  “So, she deserves a little respect, and— Never mind,” I grumbled, not sure why it was bothering me so much. “What’re you doing in the hospital parking lot?”

  “My dad’s a surgeon here,” she reminded me. “He likes everyone in the family to make a volunteer appearance a few times a year. I’m just on my way out. What’s your excuse?”

  “I banged my head,” I told her.

  Amber laughed. “Well, you better go in then. I can come with you if you want.”

  But I suddenly didn’t want to. I didn’t want Amber to place her cool hand on my forehead, or offer her help, or ask me questions about Tucker.

  “I think I’ll just call a cab and go home,” I stated.

  Amber paused, then said, “I hope you haven’t forgotten about our dinner plans on Tuesday.”

  “I didn’t forget,” I replied. “But I don’t remember actually agreeing to dinner,” I told her impatiently.

  “Oh, my God. You do like her, don’t you?” Amber’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Why wouldn’t I like her? She’s nice.”

  “You know what I mean, Joey.”

  “Why are you pushing this?”

  “I’m not pushing this. I’m pushing you.”

  “You claim to know more about me than most people do. And you’re acquainted with my reputation.”

  “I do. And I am,” she replied matter-of-factly.

  “So you know I don’t like nice girls in the way that you mean.”

  “Quite honestly, I think you’re faking a lot of it.”

  “Faking a lot of what?”

  “Your commitment issues. Your cocky attitude. Your interests in these one-dimensional girls.”

  “Why would I do that?” I asked.

  “To avoid getting involved and getting hurt.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “No,” Amber said slowly. “Ridiculous is you standing out there, refusing to get medical treatment because you’re too scared to face your past. I remember what you were like before Beth. And I remember what you were like for all those years after. Do you want to go through that again?”

  “What I want is—”

  She interrupted me. “At some point, you will have to deal with this. I’m willing to help you. I’m willing to be there for you, just like always, but getting involved with Chipper is a mistake. If Beth was still around, she’d tell you that herself.”

  “Tucker,” I corrected softly.

  “Have you even told her why you’re really interested in her?”

  I paused. What did Amber know? Did my father say something to hers?

  “I wasn’t aware that I had an ulterior motive,” I lied stiffly.

  “You have to let go of this hero-or-die thing. You can’t save her.”

  For a second, I relaxed. She clearly wasn’t aware of the depth of my dad’s involvement in the situation.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stated coolly.

  “You do so. You think if you protect her, you can somehow make amends for what happened to Beth.”

  Immediately, the anger came back. I balled my hands into fists to keep from lashing out on some unsuspecting inanimate object.

  “That’s enough.”

  “I think you need to remember how word gets around, Joey.”

  “Why? What are you going to do, Amber?”

  “Nothing. But if you don’t tell her about your problems…someone will. Probably soon.”

  I clenched my teeth and stomped off toward the hospital.

  * * *

  Neither my charm, nor dropping my well-known last name moved me through the ER any quicker. By the time a doctor pronounced me healthy, pumped me full of ibuprofen and sent me on my way, three hours had passed.

  When the cab finally dropped me off in front of my parents’ place, the gates were closed and I realized that I’d left my opener on the kitchen counter. It took six tries before the house manager finally unlocked remotely. I had to hike up the driveway, putting me in such a foul mood that I didn’t even notice Tucker until I was only three feet away. Her hair was tied back into one of those severe-looking buns again, and she was dressed in what appeared to be oversized workout gear.

  What the hell is she wearing? I wondered.

  Then I clued in.

  The loose T-shirt, tied in a knot at her waist, and the baggy pants, hanging enticingly off her hips—were mine. My mouth went uncharacteristically dry. Just the thought of her skin on the inside of my clothes was enough to drive away my headache.

  I watched her as she struggled to hoist a heavy bag over the back of her van. The bag landed with a thud, the back end hanging from something I couldn’t see. Tucker leaned forward to shove it further in, and the T-shirt slid up, exposing the smoothness of her back. She made a frustrated noise and tried again. The bag was clearly just out of her grip.

  I should’ve been helping her.

  But damn.

  I’d never been so turned on by so little skin before.

  Tucker stood on her tiptoes and strained against the back of the van. Her pants slipped down, revealing an inch of hip. She still couldn’t get the bag to budge. Even though her face was red from the day’s work, and even though there was a bit of sweat on her forehead, she kept trying. I liked her determination.

  I needed to make the space between us smaller. As small as possible, in fact.

  I stepped up behind her, and murmured, “Looks like you could use hand.”

  She jumped back with a startled yelp. I steadied her by placing one hand on that exposed spot on her back that I’d been admiring. It was as soft as I hoped.

  “Easy there,” I said. “Wouldn’t want you to fall and rip my favorite clothes.”

  I reached easily over her shoulder, and gave the bag a solid tap with my palm. It slid into the van with a thump.

  With a red face, Tucker pulled away from me and straightened my T-shirt over her stomach.

  “These are your favorite clothes?”


  “Well,” I teased. “They are now.”

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” she told me.

  I raised an eyebrow. “So you thought you’d just help yourself to an outfit? Should I check your purse for silverware, too?”

  “I didn’t steal them!” she protested. “Your house manager gave them to me.”

  I tapped my chin with mock thoughtfulness. “So you weren’t rifling through my underwear drawer?”

  I didn’t think her face could get any redder, but somehow it did.

  “Of course not. And I have to go,” she said stiffly. “I left the bill with your house manager.”

  She dug her keys from her purse and took a step toward the driver’s side door.

  “Tucker, can I ask you one thing before you leave?”

  She paused. “What?”

  I grinned. “Did you subtract the cost of my clothes from your bill?”

  “Right after I tacked on the cost of driving you to the hospital,” she retorted. “Speaking of which…shouldn’t you be off somewhere with Amber?”

  I frowned. “With Amber? Why would I be somewhere with Amber?”

  “Because she’s your girlfriend. Or one of them, anyway. And she did call you. I just figured she’d pick you up.”

  “I didn’t want her to pick me up, and she’s not my—” I cut myself off as I connected the dots. “Oh. You’re jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous!”

  She tried to sneak by me, and I put a casual hand against her van, blocking her path. She tried to go around, but I brought the other arm up, too, so that Tucker was between them. She could’ve ducked down and gone under. She could’ve shoved me away and I would’ve yielded. Instead, she brought those brown eyes up to meet my gaze.

  “I want you to get it into your head that I’m not going to wind up as one of your trophies,” Tucker stated.

  “People like trophies,” I pointed out in a low voice.

  “Maybe. But there’s a difference between liking one and being one.”

  The tilt of her head brought her lips almost close enough to kiss. I bent my elbows, inching closer. She didn’t shy away.

  “Remind me…why are we in a fight?” I asked.

  “We’re not in a fight.”

  “Seems like we are.”

  “We have nothing to fight about. We don’t know each other well enough to fight.”

  “Then why do I feel like you’re punishing me for something?”

  “What would I be punishing you for?”

  In reply, I leaned forward and dragged my mouth across hers slowly. I teased her lips open with my teeth and darted my tongue across her teeth. Her back arched in response, bringing her body flush against mine. Through the fabric of her shirt, I could feel the hardness of her nipples and the increase in her breathing.

  Her hands found their way to my waist, and she held on tightly as I dug my fingers into her hair and tugged it free. The tumble of red across her shoulders, soft, shiny and lightly scented, drove a wave of heat straight to my groin.

  I grabbed a hold of her knee with one hand and her rear end with the other, and lifted her from the ground. My lips sought her throat, then her chin, and at last her lips again. I kissed her hard enough to make her moan, reveling in the desperate way she clung to my shoulders.

  Instinctively I knew that if I didn’t stop right that second, I wouldn’t be able to.

  And we’re not ready.

  It was that thought, which came tumbling—quick and startling—to the front of my mind, that made me pull away. It had been five long years since I thought of any girl in terms of what came next. Or in terms of we. It scared the crap out of me. I had to let her go, just to give myself some space inside my own head.

  I let myself stare into her eyes for another moment before tossing her a crooked smile.

  “You know what I think, Tucker?” I asked in a deliberately casual tone. “I know what you’re punishing me for.”

  “What?”

  “For kissing you like that before.”

  She opened her mouth in a silent oh, then closed it again.

  “And more important,” I continued. “I think you’re punishing me for making you enjoy it, and for making you want me to do it again.”

  She flushed. “If I am punishing you, then it’s for trying to make me into something I’m not. I told you before. This…” She waved her hands across the miniscule space between us. “Is not the kind of person I am.”

  “What kind of person are you, then?”

  “The kind who does things because they’re meaningful. Not because of some spontaneous whim.”

  “Why can’t they be the same thing?”

  “Because…” She floundered. “Because they just can’t.”

  “But if you live your whole life like that, just meaningful thing after meaningful thing, then how do you ever have fun?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Tucker finally shoved me away and tossed my own words back at me. “Why can’t they be the same thing?”

  “Show me,” I said, forgetting my resolve to put some distance between us.

  “Show you how meaningful can be fun?”

  “Yes.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. But I have a condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “You have to keep your hands—and your lips—to yourself.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?” I meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding sincere.

  She shrugged. “Figure it out, and I’ll consider letting you come out with me on Tuesday.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “You have something else to do?”

  Very briefly, Amber and her insistent dinner plans crossed my mind.

  “No. No plans.”

  “Text me tomorrow, and I’ll tell you the when and the where.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “You can take me out for a wild and meaningful Tuesday night.”

  “Lucky me,” she muttered with an attractive blush.

  This time when she pushed past me, I let her go. I knew I’d be seeing her again in twenty-four hours.

  Tucker

  I lay in bed, obsessively mulling over my day. Now that I was actually able to relax…I couldn’t. My simmering anxiety over Joey kept me awake.

  I was furious at him for kissing me when he was—somehow, even if he denied it—involved with Amber. I was even more furious at myself for letting myself give in—repeatedly—to the superficial attraction I felt for him.

  I wasn’t that girl. I couldn’t be that girl. I was practical and smart, and had too much self-worth to be swept off my feet by a perfect pair of green eyes and washboard abs, and the world’s softest lips.

  Joey and his damned mouth.

  The kiss he’d given me by the pool—or taken from me, if I was being accurate—was admittedly one of the best I had ever had. I’d been caught off guard. And he’d just been knocked unconscious. I hadn’t been able to help but wonder what it would be like—what it would be like—to kiss him under normal circumstances.

  And then came the second kiss of the day. Achingly passionate. Ridiculously wanton. It had put the poolside kiss to shame. It had put any kiss to shame.

  I rubbed my fingers. I blamed their throb on him, too, for making me so frustrated that I’d slammed my hand into the dashboard of the work van and hurt myself. I was tempted to call him and let him know. But then he’d over to come over and help me.

  He’d take my throbbing hand, put it to his lips….

  I could practically feel his mouth closing on my knuckles, trailing down to the back of my hand and then up again.

  He’d put the tips of my fingers in between his lips, one at a time and suck. Softly at first, then with increasing intensity.

  I almost gasped out loud at the turn my imagination was taking, and I flushed.

  “I hate my brain,” I muttered. “And I hate Joey Fox.”

  And that was when Liandra walked in. I opened my eyes as she tossed
her keys onto the desk and her bag onto her bed.

  “You’re still talking about that guy?” she asked.

  “Only when I don’t realize anyone is listening.”

  “Hedge trimming went poorly?”

  “I’m not even going to try to explain my day to you. Let’s talk about something else,” I said. “How’s your nephew?”

  Liandra’s face lit up. “Great! He learned to ride a two-wheeler and lost his first tooth. They want me to come back again next week.”

  “You should go,” I replied.

  “You won’t be lonely without me?” she teased.

  “I’ll be fine,” I grumbled.

  She raised an eyebrow and I rolled over so I wouldn’t have to see the scrutiny on her face. After a few silent moments she sighed.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she announced. “And when I get back, you’d better be ready to explain. Pleasantly.”

  “I will,” I promised, but seconds after she was gone, I was already sound asleep.

  * * *

  I knew I was dreaming because I was wearing a black bathing suit covered in metallic studs. It was a two-piece. The bottoms were tied at the hips with string, and the top was cinched to a silvery ring between my breasts. My real-life swimsuit was a much more conservative number that adequately covered my finer—and not so much finer—assets far better than the flashy bikini did.

  Much better than three of these bikinis would.

  I leaned forward, and my elbows met a smoothly sanded surface. It was a sun-warmed deck railing, and when I stared out I could clearly see a sandy beach.

  “Hey.”

  I smiled at Joey’s familiar greeting, but I didn’t bother to turn around.

  “You really need to come up with a better catchphrase,” I murmured.

  “Do I now?”

  He positioned himself behind me, and bent over to trail his lips along my shoulder blades. I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy every kiss. Each one sent a pulse of pure pleasure down my back.

  Joey moved slightly, and his whole body pushed against the length of my own. His skin brought mine to life, and I tingled with anticipation. I could feel his excitement, too, pressing through both his thin shorts and my tiny bikini.

  I gasped as one of his hands slid to the ties that held the top of my swimsuit in place. In my whole life I had never felt such acute want. He tugged gently on the lower bow, then on the top, and turned me around slowly. My breasts brushed against his bare chest, and I couldn’t stand the wait anymore. I moved forward to close my lips on his.