Call Me Wild Read online

  “I’m just wondering about the rules.”

  He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “What exactly are we talking about?”

  She pulled open the first drawer, searching for spoons. “I told you I don’t date.”

  “Here.” He grabbed spoons out of the drawer right beside him and started dishing out the ice cream. “So now that we’re dating, you want to know the ground rules?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Dating rules? Sex rules? Relationship rules?”

  “Sex rules, mostly.” But now that he mentioned it, dating rules and relationship rules kind of wigged her out too. “You know, maybe this whole research thing was a big mistake.”

  “The only rules of sex are that while we’re together, we have it. Often.”

  “And when we’re not together?”

  “Oh, so that’s what this is all about. Are you doing research with anyone else?”

  “No.”

  He handed her the cobbler and stuck a spoonful in her mouth. “I’d prefer it if you kept it that way.”

  She yanked the spoon out and pointed it at him. “I’m not the one with women falling all over me.”

  A dark brow rose, and the left side of his mouth tilted up, showing off a perfect dimple. “You have nothing to worry about. I don’t have the time, energy, or interest to juggle women. Besides, you’re the only one I want to make love to.”

  “It’s research, Fisher. And dating, I guess. Not love.”

  “It’s romance. Just in case you’re not sure of what that involves, I’ll spell it out for you. Romance involves getting naked, making love, playing, and eating. It means talking on the phone and checking in with each other and holding hands under the table. It’s spending time together, and laughing, and crying. It’s fighting about what movie to see, and what games to play. It’s putting up with bad habits and each other’s families. It’s what couples do.”

  “But that’s just it. We’re not a couple. We’re… research partners.”

  “Darlin’, while you and I are together, we’re a couple. Research partners don’t sleep together, and they don’t do half the things with ice cream that I’m contemplating right about now. So it looks like you have a decision to make.” He sipped his coffee and stared at her over the rim.

  “I have things to do. I really don’t have time to date.”

  “Do the things you have to do preclude you from being with me?”

  “Well, no. Not all the time.”

  “Okay, so you work. What’s the big deal? Most couples work. I don’t expect you to drop everything to cavort with me. Besides, my schedule’s flexible. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. So, is it a deal?” He scooped up the last of his cobbler and stuck the spoon in his mouth as he turned to rinse the bowl.

  “I guess.”

  “You better be careful, Jessica. If you keep up this level of excitement, it’s going to go to my head.”

  “What do you want me to say?” She stabbed her spoon back into the cobbler. “This whole arrangement makes me uncomfortable, which is probably why I’ve never really done the whole dating thing before.”

  He dried his hands and stepped toward her, all bare-chested, barefooted, and barely dressed. “Change is scary, and you’ve scared the hell out of me since I met you. I think I’m a glutton for punishment.” He motioned to her half-eaten cobbler.

  It had tasted great, until they started with the rules discussion.

  “Are you going to finish that?”

  She shook her head and handed it over. “Go ahead. I can’t finish it. It’s great, but I’m stuffed.” She shimmied up to sit on the granite counter. Shoot, she forgot she wasn’t wearing underwear.

  “Thanks.” He stepped between her legs and shot her a sexy smile and scooped up a big spoonful. “This is just one more perk of coupledom,” he said around a mouthful of cobbler. “I get to eat whatever you can’t. Hunter has gained at least ten pounds since he married Toni—and believe me, it’s not because she’s a good cook.”

  “Hunter is your twin, right?”

  “Yeah. Trapper is the oldest, and Karma’s the baby.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Hunter, Trapper, Fisher, and Karma. There’s a story there somewhere.”

  “My mom said Dad was trapping when Trapper was born, hunting and fishing when we were born, and going through a divorce when Karma was born. Needless to say, Mom named us.”

  He finished her cobbler and slid his arm around her. She jumped off the counter and instinctively reached for him, her arms wrapped around his waist, and the momentum brought them together. He fit her so well that it stole her breath. He looked down at her and had a little ice cream on his mouth. Jessie stood on her toes and ran the tip of her tongue over his upper lip. The flavor of vanilla and peaches vied for dominance, but the taste of Fisher, subtle and hot, overwhelmed them the same way he overwhelmed her senses. One kiss had her heart warring with her breastbone and the bulge in his pants pressing against her stomach.

  Fisher ended the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. “Let’s go to bed. I’ll take care of the dishes in the morning.” He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen, turning off lights and locking doors on their way, and then as soon as they hit the bedroom, he pulled her shirt right over her head. “I think you wore me out today.”

  “You can’t blame your exhaustion on me. You’ve been complaining about being tired since I found you.”

  “You didn’t find me. I rescued you, remember?” She was still sputtering with indignation when he righted the lamp he’d knocked over earlier.

  He switched on the light. It was a good thing the lamp proved to be indestructible. Fisher straightened the shade, tossed a few condoms on the table beside it, and tugged off his jeans. “Which side do you want?”

  “You did not rescue me.”

  “You can have the one closest to the bathroom. I brought your bags in from Karma’s room.” He pointed out her duffel sitting neatly on the chair. Everything was neat. He’d even straightened the bed. “I’m going to brush my teeth. You can join me if you want.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll just wait until you’re done.” She’d never shared a bathroom in her life. Not even in college. She’d gotten her own apartment because she couldn’t imagine living with a bunch of girls. The prospect of sharing a bathroom with Fisher wasn’t much better.

  “Okay.” He kissed her before turning and walking out of the room.

  Why’d he do that? Maybe he just liked messing with her head. If that was his intention, he was doing a great job.

  She grabbed her ditty bag and was more than half tempted to drag her stuff back into Karma’s room. She’d never slept with the guys she had sex with—not even the guys she thought of as friends, and she definitely didn’t think of Fisher as a friend. He was too good-looking, too good at everything. The worst part about it was the way he looked at her—like she was a woman he wanted.

  When it came to being just a woman, she didn’t know how. Since she was old enough to ride a bike, throw a baseball, and sink a free throw with nothing but net, she’d always been in competition with guys. She’d fought to get to the top of her class, to be the best batter on the team, any team—it didn’t matter if it was the boy’s baseball team or the office softball team, she was the best. She didn’t know how to live any other way.

  She was competitive to a fault. People like her weren’t good at sitting on the sidelines, and from what she saw of relationships, that’s exactly what Fisher would expect her to do even though their relationship wasn’t real, and definitely not long-term. Hell, when it came right down to it, the whole research thing was a convenient excuse to scratch one heck of an itch and maybe get a few ideas for her book. Still, by agreeing to date anyone, even temporarily, she put herself in a very untenable position. She’d have to turn into the one thing she never wanted to be—the supportive little woman.

  “Bathroom’s yours.”

&
nbsp; She’d been so lost in thought he startled her. She looked like an idiot standing naked, hugging her toiletries to her chest. She should have bolted when she’d had the chance. “Thanks.” She hoped it didn’t sound as sarcastic as it felt. “I… um… I’ll just be a minute.”

  “I’ll wait here.” He slid under the covers and rolled onto his side to watch her.

  Jessie closed the door with a click and leaned back against it, trying to quiet her racing heart. She’d had quite a workout for one day. Between her car breaking down, and then discovering Fisher, finding out she’d been tricked, and then falling into bed with him, she figured it would take hours to settle down. She caught her reflection in the mirror and gasped. God, she looked like a stranger. Her hair was a tousled mess, which meant it was going to take her an hour to comb it out in the morning, her lips were red and swollen, and her skin actually glowed. She couldn’t believe her eyes. For the first time in her life, she had that just-got-fucked look.

  She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. All her previous dalliances were so… civilized that afterward, most times she didn’t even have to tighten her ponytail. They were perfunctory at best, but not with Fisher. No, she wasn’t sure which one brought the wild out in the other, but damn, she wondered if she’d ever be able to settle for perfunctory sex again.

  She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and tried getting a comb through her hair, but it was useless. The way Fisher ran his hands through it and tugged on it, forcing her to expose her neck to his assault, made the thought of detangling it before jumping back in bed with him seem pointless. Just the thought he might want a replay made it impossible to regret the rat’s nest it had turned into. Hell, he could muss up her hair anytime.

  She turned off the light and headed back to bed. Fisher lifted the covers for her as she slid in. He covered her up, threw his arm around her waist, and pulled her from the edge of the bed into the middle and right up against him. “There, that’s better.”

  He spooned her and rested his hand on her stomach. She wasn’t into cuddling, but unfortunately, it seemed Fisher was. He was also the world’s fastest sleeper. She doubted it had been more than thirty seconds between the time he pulled her against him, and his light snore and steady breathing told her he was sound asleep. How did he do that?

  She should have known it was too good to be true. All that talk about him making love to her again and again and again when he’d given her that adorable blanket apology had her looking forward to going to bed and not getting much sleep. Unfortunately, he was not going to deliver, at least not tonight. She might as well have brushed out her hair.

  She glanced at him over her shoulder; he really did look as if he needed sleep. Lord only knew what he had done that had exhausted him so. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to know. They had a deal, and the deal was, for as long as they were together, they’d only have sex with each other. As far as she was concerned, that was all that mattered.

  Okay, so that was all that should matter. So, she’d have to work on it. She was only human, and Fisher was by far, the best lover she’d ever had. She just didn’t know what would happen after the relationship thing was over. The thought of going back to her perfunctory sex life was not of interest.

  ***

  Jessie fell asleep in Fisher’s arms, his soft snore in her ear, his legs tangled with hers, and his hand holding her breast. She awoke to the scent of coffee—always a good thing.

  She pried her eyes open to find Fisher sitting against the headboard, sipping a cup, and watching her. Scraping the hair away from her eyes, she did a double take. “God, it wasn’t just another hot dream, was it?”

  The corner of his lip curled, and his eyes sparkled. “You’ve had hot dreams about me?”

  “No talking until after I’ve had coffee. I can’t be held responsible for anything I say or do pre-caffeine.”

  That was all it took before he slid down in bed, reached across her, touching her in all the right places, and handed her a cup that had been sitting on the bedside table. He nuzzled her neck. “We don’t have to talk at all. There are more interesting forms of communication.”

  He leaned over her, resting on one arm. She had to admit he looked as good in the morning as he did any other time of the day or night. She, on the other hand, did not. “You’re going to have to move since I can’t drink lying down.”

  “Spoil sport.” He sat beside her, watching her every move, even though all she’d done since she awoke was breathe.

  “Thanks.” She pulled the sheet up to cover her chest, tucked it under her arms, and scooted up in bed as she took her first sip. Perfect. The coffee was still hot, but cool enough to gulp. Just how she liked it, strong and sweet—like her men. God, where had that thought come from?

  Fisher slid his arm around her and pulled her to his side before he nuzzled her ear again. “You’re welcome, beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard of night blindness, but never morning blindness. You might want to have your vision checked when we get back to town.”

  “Nope, it’s twenty-twenty. So, what do you want to do today? I can teach you how to fly-fish, or we can pack a picnic, take a boat across Red Fish Lake, and go for a hike. Or we can stay here so you can write. Maybe we should do all of the above.”

  Jessie sipped her coffee and tried to get her brain working. “We don’t have to stay. Don’t you want to go back to town?”

  “I’d rather be here with you.” He kissed her shoulder and nuzzled her ear. “I don’t have to be back in Boise until Tuesday morning. I thought you’d planned to hang here with Karma for the weekend.”

  “I did, but Karma’s not here.”

  She felt him smile against her neck. “And for that I’ll be forever grateful.”

  He took the empty coffee cup from her hand, set it on the table, and with absolutely no warning ravished her mouth. She didn’t even want to think about what she tasted like, but he tasted of coffee and toothpaste, not a combination she’d ever found appealing before, but with Fisher, it was incredible.

  Before her foggy mind cleared, she was straining against him, gasping for breath, and thinking he was a whole lot more potent than caffeine.

  “I like having you all to myself.”

  ***

  Jessica had that wild-eyed look he’d come to recognize, the same one he’d seen right before she ran out of his house after the hot tub incident. Not exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for after last night. He’d been looking forward to a repeat performance, and she was right there with him until he opened his mouth. “When I said I wanted to keep you all to myself, I didn’t mean that to sound creepy.”

  She pulled away and laughed it off. “It didn’t. I’m just not much of a morning person. I can’t do anything before I’ve had a quart of caffeine and a shower.”

  He’d never seen a woman so tense. He was relieved she was only escaping to the bathroom. “Okay.” He stood and pulled on his jeans. “I’ll bring you a refill and then get started on breakfast while you shower.”

  She stood, pulling the sheet off the bed and wrapping it around her like a very modest toga. “Fisher, you don’t have to serve me. I’m more than capable of fixing coffee. Not much else, but coffee, especially with those K-Cups, is pretty much a no-brainer. As for breakfast, don’t feel like you have to go to any trouble. A PowerBar is fine, and I brought some with me.”

  He’d really like to rip the damn sheet from her body. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t memorized every inch he’d touched last night, just like he’d memorized her taste and her scent. “I’m going to make myself breakfast, and it’s just as easy to cook for two. But if you’d rather have a PowerBar than steak and eggs with hash browns, that’s up to you.”

  “No, I didn’t mean… well, steak and eggs sound good if you’re cooking anyway.”

  “Okay then. I’ll just go refill your coffee and bring it in to you. And before you argue, it’s not a big deal.” He kissed her cheek and gave her a sho
ve toward the shower. “Go ahead, before I decide to join you.” That got her moving, which was a damn shame.

  Jessie wasted no time running into the bathroom. She caught her reflection in the mirror, cringed, and ran her hand through her hair in a vain attempt to tame it. It was worse than a rat’s nest. God, between the hair, the pillow marks on her cheek, and the white sheet, she looked like Medusa. White was so not her color. “But look on the bright side, Jess, it would be a great Halloween costume if you were out to scare men and young children.”

  A knock on the door made her jump. Okay, so she was a little bit freaked out and talking to herself. God, she hoped he hadn’t been eavesdropping.

  “Is it safe to come in?”

  Shit, she didn’t even have the shower running yet. She couldn’t very well hide, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t already seen her at her worst, several times in fact. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

  Fisher’s hair was wild, but not like hers. His was more windblown than bed-head. The sun streaming through the skylight caught the blond hair on his chest and accentuated his pecs and abs. Sometimes life was so unfair. He looked perfect in a dreamy, storybook way. She needed to stop staring.

  Fisher smiled slowly, as if he could read her mind. With every quirk of his perfect lips, she felt herself shifting farther and farther away from her safety net. It was as if she were fighting a battle against an invisible, unknown enemy and losing spectacularly. She had that whole fight or flight thing going, but she didn’t know why. She was so confused, she wasn’t sure she knew what she was fleeing. She needed to get a grip.

  “You okay?”

  Hell, no. But she couldn’t tell him that. There was only one person in the world she could tell, and her damn phone didn’t work. “I’m fine. I just need to call my best friend to check in, and I can’t get a signal on my phone. Is there a place nearby I can get cell coverage?”

  “No need. Just use my phone.” He set the coffee on the counter, grabbed his phone off the nightstand, and handed it to her. “Plug it back in when you’re done, okay?”