Page 19 of Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas 2)

Why did he sound so irritated? She was just playing with him. “I don’t want him wrapped around my finger. I just want to find someone that I won’t absolutely hate being married to.”

“Well I’d offer myself up, but I couldn’t do the name only thing.” He said it so casually her mouth dropped and she could do nothing but blink at him, her heart beating wildly

Had Jake considered marrying her?

By the look of pure terror on his face now, she doubted it and had a feeling he was afraid she would take him seriously.

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t deal with your constant narcissism, so it’s a good thing that’s decided,” she said, trying to lighten the mood and calm her happy heart palpations.

He lost the deer in the headlights expression and flashed a sheepish grin. “I’m not narcissistic; I’m just self-aware.”

“You would think women would find you arrogant, but they just seem to keep flocking to you,” she said, making a face at him.

He waggled his eyebrows and crooned, “The ladies love my eyes and amicable charm.”

She snorted and went to put her dish on the counter. “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but you have as much charm as an armadillo’s backside.”

Suddenly, his hands were on her shoulders, and spinning her around. He slipped his hands down to lay flat on the counter, leaning over her until their noses were almost touching. “Now that isn’t very nice darlin’, especially when it’s coming from the prettiest mouth I’ve seen west of the Mississippi.”

She blinked at him, and his tone turned caressing, his eyes hot. “In fact, I’ve been thinking; lips like that have got to be soft as a rose petal. You wouldn’t mind if I tested them out, would ya, sweetheart?”

Her heart did a double dip back flip and her lips parted as he leaned closer. Her eyelids dropped down and at the first brush of his mouth, tingles tickled their way down her body until she was squirming closer. Her hand slid up to cup the back of his neck and she slipped her fingers into the short strands as she leaned into his kiss.

He made a noise that was a cross between a moan and a growl before she felt him lift her onto the kitchen counter. His hands slid up her thighs, his thumbs rubbing through her jeans and a throbbing tempo started between her legs. She gasped against his mouth as he cupped her through her jeans and he pulled away, his breathing harsh.

“Shit. This is crazy. You are making me crazy,” he said, still hovering above her.

It took a second for her to understand that he wasn’t going to come back to her.

Dropping her hand from the back of his neck, she whispered, “What is going on with us?”

Jake backed away from her and cursed again. “I’m sorry. Fuck! I need to go.”

“Jake…” she called out, but he was already slamming through the front door like she was going to chase him down and hog tie him.

This was the second time in a week Jake had kissed her and run out without explaining. At this point, she wasn’t sure who the crazier one was: him for kissing her or her for forgetting why she shouldn’t enjoy it.

Jake cursed as he shifted his truck into gear. They were friends, and he knew enough to know he was no good to any woman for more than a few days. If he kept kissing her, he was just going to end up hurting her. He wasn’t ready for anything serious; he was just upset that the bank had turned down his loan application and wanted to feel better. And kissing Rand had made him feel fucking fantastic.

He needed to apologize, to explain that it wasn’t her fault and it would never happen again. Right now though, he couldn’t get the taste and feel of her out of his mind, and until he did, he shouldn’t get within ten feet of Rand.

Chapter Five

Things would never be the same.

That thought had been popping up all week, ever since Jake had walked out on her again. She’d avoided church last Sunday, getting her chores done and heading over to Earl’s instead. Although, that hadn’t exactly been a relaxing visit either. The old badger had known something was up and kept pestering her unt

il she’d threatened to poison his pie. He’d let up with a grumble, but still, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the kiss.

Monday, she’d sent one of the guys into town for supplies, too nervous to face Jake and demand an explanation. Tuesday, she’d headed over to the veterinary clinic with a check for the fundraiser, but Jay hadn’t been in the office. It had been disappointing, but nothing that kept her up at night. Not like the mystery reasons behind Jake’s sudden kiss and run habit.

Last night she’d gone to The Hole and had a few beers with Red, but Jake hadn’t shown. When she’d asked Red about him, Red had mentioned he had a hot date and that had pissed her off. Bad.

He had kissed her, ditched her, ignored her all week, and then had the balls to book a date for Friday night? Not that she cared about the date cause lord knows, she didn’t really want Jake, but did guys just do that? Did they just go around kissing unsuspecting women for no reason? No explanation? She’d almost asked Red about it, but he would have asked questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. For a sometimes male chauvinist, Red could be curious as a cat and as tenacious as a pit bull.

Rand looked up at the sky when she felt the first drop of rain and wanted to scream in frustration. The cows had downed a section of fencing on the road side, and the last thing she needed was to lose any. She had to get it repaired now, and stop obsessing over Jake and his wandering lips before the storm rolled in.

Hammering a nail into the post, she ignored the splatter of the falling rain on her ball cap, her face dry and her eyes clear as she focused on the repair.

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