Page 71 of Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas 2)

She went to turn off the soup and replied, “Your presence is distracting.”

“Is it?” He moved across the floor until he was standing in front of her and kissed her cheeks, whispering, “Scale of one to ten, how distracting is this?”

He felt her body relax as he kissed his way down her neck and took her earlobe into his mouth, biting it gently. Her body quaked and she said in a hushed tone, “Twenty five.”

He smiled as he moved back to her lips. “I said one to ten.”

Her eyes were closed as she responded, “Not high enough.”

He chuckled and kissed her mouth, delving his tongue between her silky lips. If he had his way, he’d raise that distraction level to a fifty.

Chapter Seventeen

Jake finished signing the papers to take over the Feed Store the next Monday and called Red on his way home to the Double C to tell him the good news. Red had been happy for him, but he’d caught a note of envy in his voice.

“That’s great man. I’m really happy for you.”

Jake felt a little awkward at his best friend’s obvious unhappiness. “Hey man I’m sorry, I just…”

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me. My time will come.” Red’s voice picked up on the last and Jake felt a little better.

“Well hey, thanks for listening, but I just got home.” Jake pulled his keys out of the ignition and hopped out.

“Ohhh home huh? Look at you, all moved in and getting comfortable. I thought this was a temporary thing.” Red’s voice had an edge to it and Jake tensed.

“What’s your problem, Red?”

The line was quiet for a minute before Red snapped, “I don’t like you stringing Rand along. You helped her keep the ranch, and that was good of you, but I’ve caught her watching you. She looks at you like she’s in love with you and I don’t want you taking advantage of her.”

Jake was thrown by Red’s observation, but his voice didn’t show it as he said coldly, “What I do with my wife is none of your business.”

“If you play with Rand and hurt her it will be.” Red’s voice sounded just as murderous.

Jake growled, “I’m not going to hurt her.”

“Good, then we won’t have a problem.”

“Night Red.”

“I’m just thinking about her, Jake. She’s been through enough.”

Jake stopped on the porch and said, “Stop thinking about her and leave Rand’s feelings to me.”

He hung up the phone and walked inside yelling, “Hey, Rand, I’ve got something to tell you!”

Walking through the living room to the kitchen he saw the table set with flowers in the middle and candles on either side of the vase. Two place settings on a crocheted table cloth had a baked potato, steak and broccoli. And Rand stood on the other side of the beautiful setting, in a slinky black dress with ripples of brown hair falling over her bare shoulders.

“Gah….”was all that came out of his mouth as she smiled in the dim lighting and asked, “How was your day?”

He couldn’t stop staring at her in the scrap of fabric that barely reached mid-thigh and the dipping neckline. Her nervous laugh brought his eyes back up to hers and she joked, “Just blink once for good, twice for bad.”

He blinked once slowly. He hadn’t moved from the spot and she asked, “Are you hungry?

”

For steak and potatoes? No. Not with you in that dress.

He shook his head and she gave him a smile bordering on seductive. “Good.” She slipped the dress straps off her shoulders and the scrap of fabric slid down with the help of her hands until it pooled around her ankles. “Me neither.”

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