backyard, I knew she was there before she spoke. I always knew when she was close. It seemed I’d developed a sixth sense when it came to Hadley Walker.
Which was unfortunate.
Seriously unfortunate, when I needed to keep my distance.
Jasper called her Hurricane Hadley. He was not wrong. The woman blew in, and without warning, caused maximum damage. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. Just the opposite—I adored her. What I didn’t like was her constant bombarding. She was nosy as hell and picked and picked and fucking picked more until I caved and told her what she wanted to know.
That shit had to end.
“What are you, ten?” I snapped as she sat at the picnic table.
This was my new strategy and it fucked me that, at thirty-one years old—seven years older than her—I’d stooped to this level. It was an all-time low for me. I was being an asshole and I was doing it on purpose. But nothing else worked and Hadley had gotten too close.
“What are you, a hundred-and-ten with a stick up your ass that prevents you from having fun?” she shot back.
There it was—all that sass and attitude that turned me right the hell on. Some men liked soft and easy, I liked attitude and sass. Both of which Hadley had in abundance. I didn’t have to look over at her to know her jade eyes were dancing.
“Like a big ol’ butt plug.” She laughed. “A fun stopper. A joy killer. An entertainment obstruction. There might be a colon cleanse for that.”
“Christ. You are ten.”
“And you’re a stick in the mud. Lighten up. Life’s too damn short to always be so unhappy.”
And with that, she slid off the picnic table. My jaw clenched and sour hit my gut.
Good Goddamn, this woman.
“What’s your dare?” I sighed and finally craned my neck to look at her.
Mistake.
I should’ve kept my eyes glued to the birthday festivities playing out in Carter and Delaney’s backyard. Watching Hudson chase Emma around was safer than looking at Hadley. Hell, a low-altitude jump with a faulty chute was safer than being in close proximity to her.
Then Hadley smiled. Not her usual beautiful, carefree grin that never failed to make my body tight, but a wicked, playful smile that turned my mistake into a major fuck-up. Her father would kick my ass if he knew the dirty thoughts I had running through my head.
We were at her niece Emma’s birthday party. There were kids all around, Hadley’s whole family in attendance, and all I could think about was stripping her out of her sundress, laying her out on the picnic table, and finally taking what I wanted. What she’d been offering for months. What I knew I could never have.
Goddamn, the woman was hell on a man’s control. Hence the reason why I avoided her until I needed a fix, then gave in. I seemed to give in a lot. Though I’d never touched her like that. No, I preferred to torture myself—and being in Hadley’s company, knowing I’d never have her, was pure anguish.
A small pail hit the bench next to me and I glanced down at it, then my gaze went back to her.
“Water balloons?”
“Oh, yeah. How good is your aim, soldier boy?”
My aim? It’s legendary—the best that the Army ever trained.
“It’s all right,” I answered.
Hadley rolled her eyes. My answer was stupid but so was her question, considering I’d taken her to the range many times. This was done at her request under the guise that she wanted to learn to shoot. She didn’t need to learn, her father had taught all his children at a young age about gun safety, which included taking them to the range. But because I was a junkie jonesing for my fix, I agreed every time Hadley asked me to take her out.
I was playing a dangerous game. One that could leave me jobless at best, my ass kicked more than likely, and depending on Jasper’s mood, full of bullet holes. Yet, I kept going back for more. Hadley was like a breath of fresh air and I couldn’t get enough. I had enough problems without adding her to the very long list.
“What’s your plan?” I asked, resigning myself to playing along.
Hadley glanced around the backyard. Her eyes squinted and her brows pinched as she plotted her water balloon assault.
Christ, when was the last time I’d done something as silly as throw water balloons at my friends? I couldn’t even cast my mind that far back.