Chapter 1
“Come on beautiful,” he pleaded. The smell of his breath was overwhelming. “Just gi’me a lil’ kiss. You know yall wanna.”
She broke away from his grasp. She sensed that had he not been drunk, it would have been impossible. His drunken state and the burning rage that had her close to the edge of murder. She had had enough of drunks and assholes and in front of her was the two things wrapped together in one big, loud package. It was impossible to get away from them.
“Aaaaawwwhhh, come on,” he drawled. “Yall don’t have to be that way. I’ll take good care o’ ya.” He staggered across the room in pursuit, but he teetered as he walked and she slipped away from him with ease and kept her distance. She certainly didn’t want to be in his iron grip again.
She circled the furniture and fumbled with her phone, but kept her eyes focused on him. He was crouched like a tiger, but he showed his teeth in a playful grin. His eyes twinkled with a brilliant shade of blue through the haze of his drunken state and they might have been attractive if she wasn’t fighting to stay away from him. Actually, everything about him was extremely attractive, physically; it was the other qualities that were making her stomach lurch. The call finally connected on her cell phone.
“Amy,” she said the moment she heard her voice. “One of your drunken ranch hands is in my house. You better come get him before I shoot him.”
“We don’t have any ranch hands,” Amy replied confused.
“Then you better come get whoever this is,” she replied, dodging one more time.
“I’m kind of far away,” she said. “I’m in town with some friends. We’re celebrating my brother Matt’s birthday. Hold on a sec…”
Reenie could hear the muffled conversation that was going on at the other end.
“What do you mean he’s gone?” she heard the muffled voice say. “His truck is gone? Where the hell did he go?” Amy came back on the line. “I’m sorry. Matt wandered off from the party. He was drunk as hell and his truck is gone. We have to find him.”
“Describe your brother to me,” she said. The description perfectly matched the drunk that was circling around the couch and leering at her. “I think I found him.”
“What? Where?”
“He’s the drunk asshole in my living room.”
“Oh shit,” Amy replied. “I’m sorry. I’ll be there as quick as I can. Shit!”
The phone disconnected and she had to do some fast thinking. This little game couldn’t continue forever. She needed her wits. She had dealt with more than one drunk before. All that she had to do was to distract him; get him focused on something else. A shower, maybe she could convince him to take a shower.
“You know what,” she said, changing her sharp glare to a bright smile. “You are kind of cute. I wouldn’t mind a little kiss, but you have to take a shower first.”
“Wall now, thatz more like it,” he slurred. “I knew you’d warm up to me.” He straightened up and moved to go down the hall to the shower. Drunks were so easy to manipulate sometimes. Whether he would follow through was another story. Just when she thought she had won, he turned back toward her. Before she knew it, he had her wrapped in his arms and his lips were fighting to find her soft skin to kiss.
Tossing her head from side to side in order to fend off his lips, she was mostly successful, though she felt a few of his kisses touch skin. She tried to break free from him, but his arms were like iron. She had never felt that sort of strength in any man before. She suddenly realized that she would have to fight him with her mind. She had to regain control of her senses. His breath smelled and the sweat that came from his drinking and his drunken state was a sharp, foul odor that made her gag.
“I said, that you have to take a shower first,” she said.
“A shower?” he asked. “I had a shower before I went to town. I want a kiss.”
“Well,”