Wasted Read online

  “Seren McCormick?”

  “Yeah. Do you know her?”

  “I went to high school with her. She was two years behind me. She’s been in the bar a few times, but I haven’t seen her lately.”

  “I’m sure you’ll see her soon. She promised that she’d come in for a drink the minute she hit town.”

  “You’ll have to whip her up something good then. Maybe a Long Island Iced Tea or a Pear Martini.”

  “A Pear Martini sounds good.”

  “Women love them.” I finished off my whiskey and poured another shot. “Sure you don’t want any?”

  “I’ll try some of yours.”

  I grinned and set the glass down in front of her. Pulling another glass out of the cabinet, I filled it with water, walked around the bar, and set that glass down in front of her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  She picked up the glass and took a swig. Her eyes bulged, and she started coughing.

  Smiling, I took the glass away from her.

  “What is that?” she asked between coughs.

  I pushed the glass of water towards her. “Drink some water.” She immediately began drinking it. “That was straight whiskey.”

  “It’s like drinking liquid fire,” she said in a raspy voice.

  “Yeah. It is a bit of an acquired taste.”

  She patted her chest with the flat of her hand.

  Amused, I took another sip. “It’s a good burn.”

  Emptying the glass of water, she stood up. “Well, I’m going to leave you with it.” She stretched. “I’m tired. I’m going to take a hot bath and go to bed.”

  “Good night.” I sat down at the bar to finish my drink.

  “Good night, Mason.”

  I watched her as she walked away. “Hiking tomorrow?”

  She stopped as she reached the hallway and turned back to look at me, only remnants of her curls remaining as she swept her hair over her shoulder. “Hiking tomorrow.” Her mouth tilted upward into a slow smile as she studied me. “I’m looking forward to it.” Then, she turned and disappeared down the hall.

  ***

  I woke up to the smell of bacon, and I pushed the covers off me and stepped into last night’s blue jeans, pulling them up and fastening the button. Barefooted, I exited my room in search of the source.

  Lexi was in the kitchen frying eggs.

  “You’re up early,” I said as I leaned against the fridge and watched her. She was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug-fitting tee shirt. Her hair had been pulled into a sleek ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing a bit of makeup. She looked damn cute.

  “I thought I’d fix us some breakfast before we go hiking. I imagine we’ll burn up quite a bit of energy.” She slid the eggs onto a plate and cracked a couple of more into the skillet.

  “Smells good.” It’d been a long time since I’d lived with a female, and I’d forgotten some of the little touches that a man like me could appreciate.

  With the skillet and a spatula in her hands, she turned and looked at me. “Have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.”

  I sat down at the bar, and she placed a plate in front of me with bacon, eggs, and two pieces of toast. The toast had been buttered and cut diagonally into halves.

  “You want jelly?”

  “We have jelly?” I asked, surprised.

  She smiled. “Strawberry or grape? I didn’t know what kind you liked, but I thought one of those should cover it.”

  That warm feeling hit my chest again. She’d actually thought about me while standing in the jelly aisle, contemplating flavors? “Strawberry.”

  She opened the fridge and grabbed the jelly. Then, she pulled a spoon out of the silverware drawer and pushed it closed with her hip. Taking a few steps toward me, she set the spoon on the counter and tried to open the jelly. “Dang,” she mumbled as she took a breath and tried to open it again.

  “Here.” I held my hand out, and she handed me the jelly jar. With one turn, it popped open, and I handed the jar back to her and set the lid on the counter.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  She spread jelly on my toast as she chatted about the weather for the day.

  Unable to concentrate on her words, I watched her movements as she worked. Her slender hands, so small compared to my own, intrigued me. I’d been with lots of women, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember noticing a woman’s hands before. I’d noticed what their hands were doing plenty of times but never had I been captivated by watching them doing something so mundane.

  I rubbed a palm across my face. Maybe I needed a drink.

  When she finished with the jelly, she pushed her plate across the bar toward the seat next to me and poured us each a glass of orange juice.

  Tearing my eyes away from her, I concentrated on my toast as she sat beside me. The subtle fragrance of her perfume wafted through the air behind her. Damn, she smelled good.

  “So where are we hiking to?”

  “There’s a park not far from here with lots of trails.”

  “There aren’t any bears, are there?”

  Amused, I laughed at her question. “No bears. Maybe a bobcat or a coyote, but definitely no bears.”

  “I’m not sure a bobcat or a coyote sounds any better.”

  “Most likely, deer are the only thing you’ll see larger than a squirrel, and if they see you, they’ll run the other way.”

  After we finished eating, I grabbed a quick shower and packed a backpack with bottled waters and snacks. We loaded into my truck and took the half-hour drive to the park.

  I pulled into a small, empty parking lot on the north end. We got out, and I shrugged into the backpack.

  “So where will this take us?” she asked as we entered a narrow trail framed by a canopy of leaves.

  “It’s about a three-mile hike. There’s a pond along the way and a small cave.”

  “A cave?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not very deep. I still like to go in it every once and a while just for the hell of it.”

  “I’ve never been in a cave.”

  Her comment made me smile, and I had to admit that I was glad that I was exposing her to something that she’d never experienced.

  “I’ve been in some a lot larger than this one, but it’s still neat.”

  As we hiked along the trail, birds chirped in the boughs above us, and an occasional squirrel scampered as we approached. A slight breeze rustled the leaves and carried the sweet smell of honeysuckle.

  “It’s so peaceful out here.” Lexi’s comment was a breathy sigh, and I could tell she appreciated nature.

  “Come on.” I grabbed her hand and began jogging, pulling her along behind me. “The pond is just right up here.”

  As we cleared the curve of the path, the trees opened into a grassy field. A small worn trail led through the waist-high grass, and I ushered her to go in front of me. “You’re almost there.”

  Approaching the pond, we climbed onto a large flat rock formation that jutted out over the water. I let the backpack slide down my arms and tossed it on the rock with a thud. Lexi and I sat down, our legs dangling over the edge as we scanned the water’s glittering surface.

  “Look!” She pointed. “Fish!”

  Right below us, a couple of large fish weaved their way through the green haze.

  “If we had a fishing pole, you could catch our supper,” I teased.

  “And you could build a fire and cook it.” She laughed. “Oh, wait. No, you couldn’t. Hawk isn’t here to put out the fire.”

  “Not to mention that I have no idea how to scale and gut it,” I added. “Do you know how to do that?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “No, and I don’t want to know. I think I’ll opt for picking berries, instead.”

  “Do you know how to tell whether they’re poisonous?”

  “Oh.” She furrowed her brow. “Good point. I guess we’re not much in the way of survi
valists. Maybe we’d better stick to the grocery store.”

  “That or a good restaurant.” I grabbed the backpack and unzipped it. “But for now, I did bring us some nice, safe snacks and bottled water.”

  After taking a break, we stuffed our trash in the backpack and continued along the trail until we reached the cave. The cave was a small hole directly off the path with an entrance of approximately four feet high by three feet wide.

  I stooped down and entered first with Lexi right behind me. After the initial opening, the cavern opened up above our heads, and we were able to stand upright.

  “It’s a lot cooler in here,” she said softly as if she were afraid to speak normally.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?” The light that spilled into the cavern illuminated another opening on the far side of the cave.

  Lexi scanned her surroundings. “I guess if we were alive in the prehistoric days, this might’ve made a good house.”

  I grinned at the thought. “Yeah, and I might’ve picked you up, thrown you over my shoulder, and forced you to cook my fish.”

  Her lips twitched. “I hope you like scales and guts.”

  I nodded. “I do. I like poisonous berries, too.”

  Her laughter echoed in the cave. “Good, because that’s what I was going to fix you for dessert.”

  I pointed at her and beat my chest with my fist. “My woman. Cook fish. Pick berries.”

  Mimicking me, she beat her chest, a wide smile planted on her face. “My man. Kill bear.”

  I delivered my best caveman grunt. Hunching down, I walked around like I was half gorilla, my arms swinging around as they reached down to my knees. A peal of laughter erupted from her as I snatched her up, my arms encircling her legs just below the sweet curve of her ass, bringing her face just above my own. “Me no kill bear. Me kiss woman.”

  The smile fell from her face as the meaning of my words dawned on her. I could tell that she wasn’t sure what they meant, and honestly, I didn’t know, either. I hadn’t planned on kissing her. I’d just known that she didn’t have many friends in Creekview yet, and I’d wanted to take her out to do something, to get to know her as a friend.

  But I’d been captivated by her all day. She was witty and kind, and even though her hair was pulled up and she wore no makeup, I found her extremely sexy. Still firmly in my grip, her body pressed against mine as her face hovered just above my own. My eyes were drawn to her plump bottom lip, and I had the overwhelming urge to run my tongue across it and suck on it.

  Slowly, I released my hold, letting her slide down my length until her feet were firmly on the ground. She stared at me like frightened prey, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should stay in my presence or turn and scurry away.

  I knew she’d be better off running.

  I leaned in toward her, and her lips parted softly as if she were waiting on me to make the move. Her chest heaved and the artery in her throat pulsed.

  Damn, I wanted to.

  I wanted to know how she tasted. I wanted to know how her lips felt against mine.

  But she wasn’t some girl I could get up and leave when the sun rose. She was my roommate, and if I crossed the line now, things could get awkward quickly.

  I liked Lexi. I didn’t want things to be weird between us.

  I recognized all the signs. She wanted it, too.

  She lowered her eyes, her lashes fanning across her cheeks. Her lips closed, and she turned away. “I guess we better hit the trail,” she said softly.

  And just like that, the moment was over.

  Chapter 6

  Kamikaze

  Lexi

  A week had passed, and neither of us mentioned our almost-kiss. But even though we hadn’t talked about it, I could tell our relationship had changed. It was a subtle shift but detectable just the same.

  Since the naked lady, Mason hadn’t brought any more women into our apartment, and oddly enough, he hadn’t spent any nights away from our apartment, either. We’d been spending our evenings after work watching television and talking. No serious conversations, just easy talk among friends.

  I now knew that he hated bowling and olives, and he loved watching sports, even though he had never played them himself.

  It was Monday night, and the bar was slow but steady. I watched him as he showed me how to make a Kamikaze.

  He turned and looked at me with his infectious grin. “If you want, I’ll make you one at home after work, so you know what it tastes like.”

  “Are you trying to get me drunk tonight?” I teased.

  He leaned in close to me. “That would be kind of impossible, wouldn’t it? I don’t think I’ve seen you drink more than one drink at any given time.”

  “And there’s no reason to think that tonight will be any different.”

  “I don’t, but it wouldn’t hurt you to get a little buzzed, would it?”

  “And what would you do if you got me drunk?” I didn’t know where those words had come from. They had surprised me, just as much as I could tell they had surprised him. Maybe I’d been thinking too much about our almost-kiss.

  “What would you want me to do?” His eyes were focused on mine, and for a moment, I couldn’t hear anything that was happening around us. The scant inches that separated us made my pulse race, and his intense gaze made my face burn red.

  “Mason.” The voice sounded like it was traveling through a tunnel of dense fog.

  Both of us ignored it as he continued to watch me intently, awaiting my answer.

  “Mason!”

  We both turned to the source of the irritating disturbance. Stormy, one of the servers who had been training to tend bar, twisted her hand, shaking a cordless phone at Mason. “Telephone. It’s your mother.”

  The expression on his face immediately transformed into something much more sinister. He reached out and took it from her. “Thanks.”

  He held the phone to his chest and turned back to me. “Can you cover the bar a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  I watched him as he stepped out from behind the bar and made his way through the swinging door that led to the kitchen. I assumed he was going to step out back.

  Taking a deep breath, I realized that I had just dodged an awkward moment. What did I want from Mason?

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I focused on the patrons at the bar. They were all engaged in conversation, and no one seemed to need anything at the moment. I concentrated on stocking garnishes, and when I finished, I noticed that Hawk was draining the last of his beer.

  “Want another one?” I rinsed my hands and dried them.

  “Yeah. I’ll take one more.”

  I glanced at Cade beside him. “You, too?”

  “Why not?”

  I opened two beers, placing one in front of each of them.

  “What happened to Mason?” Hawk asked. “Did he run out and leave you with it?”

  “He stepped out to take a call from his mom,” I explained.

  “That’s not good,” Cade mumbled.

  “Why?” I looked at him, shocked by his comment.

  Cade looked surprised. “Well, I just meant….”

  “Usually, his mother only calls when she wants something,” Hawk supplied. “You know how some people are.” His tone was friendly enough, but I got the distinct impression that he wanted to dismiss the subject.

  “Yeah.” I picked up the money they had laid on the bar and went to the cash register, my curiosity eating away at my insides. What was the deal with his mother?

  I delivered their change.

  “So how’s life living with Mason?” Cade asked. “Are you tired of cleaning up after him?”

  I leaned against the bar. “He’s actually not too bad. For a guy, he’s pretty clean.”

  “Ouch.” Hawk rubbed his jawline.

  His response amused me. “No offense. I guess the only real comparison I have, other than my dad, is the guys from college. And most of them were slobs.”

 
; “Okay,” Cade announced, “I admit it. I am a slob.”

  “You got that right.” Hawk nodded in agreement.

  “Whose side are you on?” Cade held his hands up in question.

  “Sorry, bro, but I can’t help you there. You are a slob.”

  “Who’s a slob? Cade?” Mason’s voice drifted over my shoulder. “Dude,” Mason addressed him, “I won’t call you a slob, but I will say that you are definitely not a neat freak.”

  “I do it intentionally.” Cade shifted in his seat. “I’m hoping some good-looking sex kitten will have mercy on me and clean my apartment while wearing a seductive French maid costume. Or maybe in the nude. That would work, too.”

  “Yeah,” Hawk drawled sarcastically, “let me know how that works out for you.”

  “You got a French maid costume, Lexi?” Cade asked.

  “Shitfire, Cade, don’t be asking her questions like that.” Mason cupped his warm palm around my arm and scooted me farther down the bar, away from Cade. He stepped up to the edge of the counter beside me.

  Cade laughed and took a swig of beer. He put the bottle back down on the coaster with a soft thud. “I’m not as bad as they’re trying to make me out to be, Lexi.”

  Hawk cocked his brows and shot Cade a sideways glare.

  “We’ve seen your apartment,” Mason countered.

  The corners of my mouth tilted upward as they continued to banter. Mason dropped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me to him. “I can’t let my girl Lexi get mixed up with the likes of y’all.”

  “Y’all?” Hawk looked surprised. “How the hell did I get mixed up in all of this?”

  “You’re guilty by association.” Mason nodded toward Cade.

  “Cade Mayfield. Still causing trouble, I see.”

  We all turned to see a strawberry-blonde slide into the empty barstool beside Cade.

  “Seren!” I screeched once the recognition hit me. Stepping around Mason, I positioned myself in front of her. She stood on the edge of the barstool and leaned over the counter giving me an awkward hug. “You look great!” I had always admired her elfish features, and she looked quite beautiful as she pushed a wave of red-gold hair over her shoulder.