Drive Me Crazy (25 page)

“
Where’s your manners, Miss Priss?”

“
That’s my girl,” Melanie said, then smacked Carter on the ass. He followed her to the kitchen. “Today, I’m taking SmithAnn with me to Kerry’s house to shoot her daughter’s birthday party, then we’re supposed to have dinner at your momma’s house. Card games to follow.”

He snagged his cooler. “Sounds great.”

“
You are a really bad liar, Carter. Only Zoe’s worse than you, which might be why she always loses at Bullshit.” She brushed up against him. “Plus, your momma and Evangeline said they would babysit SmithAnn for the entire weekend.”

“
What about feeding her?”

“
All taken care of.” She held up a clear tube. “Breast pump to the rescue of parents needing a night or two off.”

Oh yeah, he liked how she thought. “Do we have to stay for cards?” He pressed her against the island and set his cooler on the granite countertop.

She made little circles on his chest with her finger, peering at him through her lashes. “Not if you don’t want to.”

He lifted her easily and set her down beside his cooler, bracing his hands on either side of her. Her breasts rose and fell as her breath quickened. “I want to have lots”—He nuzzled her shirt to one side and kissed a heavy breast—“and lots of alone time.”

“
Sometimes SmithAnn’s naps can last a really long time.” Melanie unbuttoned her shirt, her lacy bra doing things for his dick that he greatly appreciated.

Just as he unfastened her bra, SmithAnn began to cry. He let his head fall to Melanie’s chest. Breathing in her coconut scent didn’t help things.

“
I’ll get her,” Melanie said on a sigh. “She probably did a lot more than grunt and burp.”

“
Nah, she’s just determined to drive me crazy like her momma does.” He helped his wife down from the island. “How about I get this one?”

Biting the side of her lip, she shook her head. “I am one lucky woman.”

“
You sure are.” Smiling, he kissed her.

Teaser from
Drove All Night
(Going the Distance Series ~ Book 2)

There was no one on earth that could make him grind his teeth together like Allie-May Rogers.

Jake Henley stretched his legs, propping his boots on the porch railing and watching as Allie- May’s familiar faded blue truck hit another rut in the dirt path his grandfather had liked to call the driveway.

It wasn’t that the woman was evil or unkind. Well, she was nice and sweet to everyone who wasn’t him. And he wasn’t exactly evil or unkind to her.

Except if you counted that time when he was thirteen and he’d told the judges she’d cheated at the local horseshow to win first place. She had ratted him out to his dad, who had blistered Jake’s behind
and
made him give back the second place trophy he’d won.

Or her senior year of high school (and his sophomore year) when he’d sweet-talked one of her friends into taking him to prom instead of co-chairing the anti-prom dance Allie-May had organized.

Which he didn’t count, since she’d ratted him out to the assistant principal for spiking the punch bowl. His dad had taken away his truck for six months for pulling that stunt.

Besides, that was almost ten years ago. Too long for anyone to hold a grudge.

Except that two years later, when he was a freshman in college, she’d told his new girlfriend that he had crabs. So, he’d found out who Allie-May was dating and proceeded to congratulate him on the engagement
and
baby on the way. Sure, the jerk had broken up with her, but from Jake’s point of view, he’d done Allie-May a favor.

On and on they’d aggravated each other over the years, until there was no telling what the other was going to do next.

Last June, while at mutual school friend’s wedding, she’d announced at the reception that Jake was the newest spokesman for an experimental impotency drug. So one year was fully in the realm of limitations for holding a grudge.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t paid her back for that one. Yet.

“
Ouch, not another one,” Jake said with a pleased smile. Maybe Allie-May would get tired of smacking her truck out of alignment and go home.

Of course she didn’t and his smile faded as she got closer. She parked the truck by his and climbed out, marching to him. Her red hair shone in the sun, ponytail bouncing from side to side as she walked.

“
We need to talk,” she said in that usual get to the point way of hers.

He stood and tipped an imaginary hat. “I’m doing good, Allie-May. So nice of you to inquire.”

Her lips thinned and he had to contain the grin that threatened to kick up his. “I didn’t come over here to discuss your health issues, unless you feel a need to tell me all about how that impotency drug’s been working for you. Heard the side effect is shrinkage,” she said sweetly, flicking her gaze to his crotch and tsking. “Bless your heart.”

Didn’t she mean ‘bless his dick’? Not that he’d be saying that, because, even at twenty-six, he didn’t relish having a come-to-Jesus meeting with his dad or her grandparents. But he couldn’t resist saying, “Now that you’ve aired your concern about the size of my penis, why don’t you tell me what you want.”

His little dig didn’t ruffle her composure, not one bit, but Allie-May had always been unshakeable. Unwavering and goal-oriented. If she’d been anyone but her and they had a different kind of past history, he would have liked and admired the hell out of her.

But she wasn’t, they didn’t and instead, he settled for annoying the hell out of her.

“
Oh,
Jakey
, the size of your penis is such a small matter to me. Very small,” she said with a little twist to her lips and he rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I’m here about the power lines that CoPat wants to install across our land.”

He groaned. “Not this again.” Turning to go in the house and leave her outside, he opened the screen door. She smacked his hand out the way and raced around him, blocking his way.

“
This is important. Those things will negatively effect our water, our livestock and—”

“
I’ll cry myself to sleep
after
I cash the check with all the zeroes CoPat’s offered me,” he said, picking her up. Her arms were firm under his palms, perfectly contoured from years of handling horses.

“
Put me down.” She struggled against him as he walked, her cowgirl boots making contact with his shins and making him grind his teeth together at the sharp pain.

Dropping her on the other side of the porch, he said, “Carry your skinny tail home, Allie-Cat.”

Big blues eyes narrowed. “This ain’t over,
Jakey
.” Then she flounced away and he blinked in disbelief. Allie-May Rogers just flounced off his porch, her hips swinging like a burlesque dancer.

It struck him then that the little comparison he had made in his mind was not something a man noticed about the biggest thorn in his side. “Well, isn’t that something?” he muttered under his breath.

Other Books by Marquita Valentine

Holland Springs Series

Seduction of the Billionaire Playboy Actor

Twice Tempted

Third Time’s a Charm

His Christmas Wish

Just Desserts ~ coming 2013

Once a June Bride ~ coming 2013

Going the Distance Series

Drive Me Crazy

Drove All Night ~ coming 2013

Drive By Love ~coming 2013

Acknowledgements

Once again, I have to thank my crit partners and beta readers: Andris Bear, Katharine Ashe, Kristin Anders and Olivia Kelly. This book couldn’t have been written without the support of my husband, who cooked and entertained our kids when I couldn’t.

I’d also like to give major props to Kelly W. Williams, goddess editor.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my readers for their support. You guys make me want to write all the words.

About the Author

Nationally Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine,
writes small town romances that are anything but small. She met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man -- and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tater tots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.