“But you’re not going to let me lose Homeland, so it’s not a threat that’s likely to make me hold you to your word. You can make pretty promises when you know you won’t have to come through,” Amelia said with a sad sigh.
“It’s still a promise I would keep for you,” I turned her to face me.
“Yeah. Because you want to be with me? The me that is Amelia the cowgirl, or Amelia the old lady? You’re willing to try and make it work if I leave the ranch but not if I stay!”
“Darlin’, let’s not do this now.”
“So, if you have it your way we won’t have to do it? God willing tomorrow’s the day we catch the rustlers and then what? You pack up and sneak off in the middle of the night without a goodbye? Avoid the whole damn conversation!”
I grabbed her and kissed her. Fuck my promise. Fuck the promise I made her make. Fuck tomorrow and the day after that. Fuck goodbyes. I needed her and needed her now.
She went to shove at my chest, but it didn’t last. In a second, she was melting into me, I grabbed her by the ass and picked her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist and I pushed her against the barn beam.
“Houston,” she moaned as I buried my face in the canyon on her chest, kissing, licking and sucking. “Clothes. Make them disappear.”
I put her down and she reached for my belt buckle and I started to tug at the hem of her shirt. “No time,” she pushed my hands away and I headed for her belt instead.
She kicked off her boots and stepped out of her jeans as she pulled my belt open and popped the button on the jeans. I kissed her again and slid a hand between her legs. We had been working outside all day and I tasted the sweat on her neck as I licked and nipped at her, the salty taste was amazing, because it was all her.
She shivered and moaned as I plunged my fingers inside her. “Callaghan,” she gasped hooking her arms up and around my shoulders. “No time for this.”
She tugged away from me and I let her go and she tried to drop to her knees in front of me. As good as that sounded, it just wouldn’t be enough. Inside her. Now.
“No way Half-Pint,” I pulled her to her feet, picked her up, backed her against the beam again and slid inside her. We had the protection talk the night of the wedding after we had already fucked up. Amelia had trusted birth control and we were both clean. I knew I was clean because I had never slid inside a girl bare until her. I wasn’t stupid, but Amelia made me a fuckin’ idiot.
She tightened her legs around me as I rocked into her and I found her mouth again as she suckled at my tongue. “Amelia, Amelia… I … I …” Fuck. I couldn’t do that to her. To us.
I had to look away from her, from her eyes, I buried my face into her neck. I was so close. She was so close, I could feel it. The way her body responded to me, I loved learning the responses her body made, and I did all I could to memorize them.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing!”
I froze and looked up.
“Oh my god,” Amelia whispered as she unhooked her legs and slid her feet on the ground.
“Get away from my sister!” Tate stood at the doorway of the barn and charged towards us.
I grabbed for my pants, Amelia already had hers up but I turned around to keep Amelia in between me and the beam and out of Tate’s line of fire. I didn’t have the button on my jeans snapped yet when Tate clocked me hard on the jaw.
I threw my weight into my VP and we crashed into the ground and I tried to volley for the top of the heap. I hadn’t fought Tate before in a real attempt to do serious, kill-you-for-fucking-my-sister way, and the shithead was stronger than I had counted on.
Amelia was screaming for us to knock it off, but it was doing no good.
“Dammit Tate!” I said driving my fist into Tate’s flesh.
“You’re fucking my sister!”
Suddenly there was water tossed on us and we both struggled for our bearings.
“Enough!” Susanne Lorbosh’s voice cut through the haze of anger that had wrapped around us.
I rolled off Tate and lie on my back with a groan. Tate struggled to his feet and gave me one final kick in the ribs. Fuck.
“Dammit it Tate!” Amelia shoved her brother back and I struggled to my feet.
Tate stepped away from his sister and stood next to his mother. “House! Now!” Susanne ordered her son she turned to follow him and tossed one look back over her shoulder at me and Amelia.
“That could have gone better,” Amelia said softly looking back at me.
“Amelia,” I said reaching for her.
“I got to go,” she turned away from me and followed behind her mother and brother.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Amelia
“What were you thinking going to Amarillo to begin with? Then I hear you went to Double D’s wedding? I should have known you were fuckin’ him! Are you out of your mind!” Tate shouted at me as the three of us flooded into the back porch.
“I came looking for you in Amarillo! And as usual you couldn’t be found! I didn’t ask Houston to come down here!”
“But you let him stay! Do you even know what you’re getting into when you get in business with a Bastard? A Callaghan Bastard to start with!”
“Last time I checked, you wear the same cut and your tag says VP!”
“Then I should know what I’m talking about. I knew you were naïve, but I didn’t expect you to be so stupid as to fall for Houston’s bullshit lines!”
“You don’t know what went down with us, you have no idea what’s between Houston and me, and guess what, I know what I am getting into!”
“Quiet!” this time it was Grams voice that rang out as she and Gramps came into the kitchen with us
“Tate,” Gramps stared at his oldest grandson.
“George.”
I turned and stormed out of the house. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I looked at the message. “We’ll be there, first thing in the morning.”
I had felt desperate when I called Sweetwater when after leaving Houston looking at the sport quad tracks. I needed to rant and get some advice. Houston was holding back on me and keeping secrets. Which was nothing new, but these secrets were about the rustling. Houston knew something I didn’t, and it was pissing me off.
I thought if I could get a second to bitch at someone who understood Houston and the difficulties that came with him, then I would feel better. Destiny had promised me she would take care of it. But she and Fabio were supposed to be headed for Cancun day after tomorrow. Apparently, there had been a change of plans and somehow, I figured it was because my new friend had figured out what was going on around here.
I wasn’t sure who was involved in the “we’ll” and I didn’t ask. I stared across the barnyard at the open shed door where Houston had been finishing up the work on my stupid brother’s stupid bike. I debated heading over to tell him his sister was coming into town. But where was the fun in that?
I saw Houston’s shadow in the doorway, looking back at me and I headed to him.
“Probably shouldn’t be here,” he said when I came into the room.
“Oh, you scared of Tate? I mean I know he got you good, jaw looks a little rough,” I said touching the quickly bruising jaw.
“Hush,” he said leaning down and kissing me gently.
“I think we had more privacy in Sweetwater,” I purred against his lips.
“I do have an empty bunkhouse,” he ground his hips into mine.
“How did that happen?”
Houston didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Just did.”
“Okay.”
I followed him back into the bunkhouse, hand in hand like school kids. We kissed in the small half kitchen half living room and he pulled me down onto the couch.
“What’s wrong with your bed?” I giggled.
“As much as I would love to get you naked and hear you scream my name, I prefer to have my pants on when your brother comes out and shoots me,” Houston laughed, and I rea
ched into his cut and pulled out one of his Glocks.
“Let me stay armed and it will be fine.”
Houston gently took his gun from me. “You and guns. Women and guns are a scary concept. Both my aunts pack, Destiny too, it’s terrifying.”
“Because we are better than you with them?”
“Because women shoot with emotions half the time.”
“And men shoot with the purpose of showing their dick sizes half the time. Like that fight in the barn.”
“That wasn’t about dick size and to be fair, I didn’t start it,” Houston said sitting the gun on the small end table.
“And you didn’t finish it, Mom did. But it was dick size, Tate doesn’t give a shit what I do. He would care more about what you do. You’re the high priority to my brother,” I sighed and snuggled into him.
Houston wrapped me in his arms and played with my hair as I lay my head on his chest. I hated this. Hated this wonderful feeling of peacefulness and happiness I felt in his arms. Like for the first time I was whole, and I hadn’t known anything was missing before Amarillo.
“So much for that promise,” I grumbled.
“Yeah, I’m not exactly an expert and keeping my hands to myself when you’re around.”
“Got to make hay while the sun still shines.”
Houston kissed me again. Long, deep and excruciating slow kisses that made my toes curl in my boots. I clambered onto of him, sliding my legs outside of his and tried to will the layers between us away. His hands traveled over my back and to my lower waist.
“Making out like teenagers,” I muttered, pressing my lips back to his.
“I haven’t just made out fully clothed in at least ten years,” I felt his laugh rumble in his chest and throat.
The back door slammed loudly, and I looked up. Tate.
“Get your dick out of my sister for five minutes Callaghan.” I couldn’t remember hearing Tate pissed-off before. It was about as fun as Houston’s temper tantrums.
I climbed off Houston’s lap, “We’re fully dressed big brother. You ruined that fun earlier.”
Tate ignored my snarky comment. “Who’s filling me in?”
“Speedy and Josẽ are in town keeping an eye on some things. Sticky and Tommy are making rounds.”
“What things?” I turned on Houston.
“Oh, so your boyfriend didn’t bother to fill you in?” Tate crossed his arms with a grin. Shit stirrer.
“Houston?” I asked, I started to cross my arms but then realized my stance would be too much like my brother’s, so I put her hands on my hips instead.
“The Pres started digging and turning up enough mis-matching ends that point nearly directly to Brad doing this. Overspending without the lack of cash flow, mysterious meetups and the like. Not to mention Brad’s strong desire to help Gramps sell off the acreage, but you knew that part Amelia.”
“You knew Brad was doing this?” I questioned Houston.
“I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to go to you and turn you against your family without proof,” he told me. “Amelia, I swear.”
“You know, I knew you were holding out on me. How long?” Houston didn’t answer. “How long! Since last night when I showed you the brochure? Houston how long!”
“Since the night Tommy got hurt. I thought I recognized the truck. It was his Amelia.”
“And so, you started digging then. That’s was a week ago! That’s why you invited me to Sweetwater! I knew you wanted to just get me off the ranch, so Tate’s right I fell for the bullshit about us this weekend. You just didn’t want me here, fighting with Brad while you were gone.”
“I wanted to keep you safe! I didn’t see the point in causing a riff in your family, a riff between us by accusing Brad without facts! What is wrong with wanting to keep you safe? Dammit it Amelia!”
He grabbed my arms, but I ripped my right arm free and slapped him firmly across the face and headed for the door. “Good news. You’re not the only one who can confide in the other one’s siblings. Sweetwater president is rolling in first thing tomorrow morning.”
***
Damn me and falling for all of Houston’s lines. They were just stupid lines, stupid hopes and stupid wants. I never stopped thinking for a second that it was close to over, but for a second there losing the ranch wasn’t so terrifying when I thought I could ride off in the sunset with him.
But it wasn’t real. He hadn’t wanted to take me to Sweetwater, he just wanted me safe, safe because I was Tate’s kid sister. He only took me because I offered myself up so willingly and constantly. Somehow, I got caught up in the wedding enough to believe him when he said we were real.
I was a fool, but I wouldn’t let it show. Not to my family, not to the Callaghan clan, the rest of the bikers and sure as hell not to Houston.
I marched my ass right into the house, up the stairs and to my bedroom. I screamed into a pillow, feeling like a teenager and then kicked my boots off and flopped down face first onto my bed.
A knock came on the door and it opened and closed. “Go away Mom.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“How about we talk about how I’m moving out no matter what? I’m twenty-three and living with all the adults in my family still.”
“Where will you move to?”
“Rent a place in town. Anywhere that’s not here.”
“Any place where your family won’t walk in on you… doing that?”
“Oh, good Lord. But yes, that’s one of the many reasons,” I flipped around on my back and Mom came to sit on the edge of the bed.
“What’s going on with you and the biker prince?”
“President of the Nomad Chapter… oh never mind,” I got up and opened my closet door, rustled around the bottom and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.
“No ice but,” I poured myself a bit in a shot glass from a small collection I had. The first several years after Tate left he sent them back to me as gifts of the places he went. I wondered casually how many times Houston had been with him in those travels.
I tossed back the shot and then poured another and handed it to Mom. “You’re going to want this, trust me.”
“Well at least I’m not worrying about you managing to get pregnant already,” Mom said and swallowed the whiskey.
“I’m not,” I stared off and out the window where I could see the bunkhouse lights below. “Yeah. I’m hooking up with Houston. Yes, I encouraged and initiated a good part of it. He wasn’t always so keen on the idea. I’m Tate’s sister and he knew he was leaving. He still is, as soon as he can. It was just a casual thing between friends that I can guarantee you is over.”
“Then why go to Sweetwater?”
I shrugged. “He wanted me out of town. Keep me safe, like I needed him, but maybe I do.”
“We don’t know what we have gotten ourselves into with the rustlers. It’s actually been comforting to know we had the patrols, especially after the accident.”
“Mom, we think Brad’s doing this.”
“Brad’s doing what?”
I quickly filled her in on what I knew, what little Houston had told me. “The Bastards know a lot more than I do on the subject and something tells me there is a stack of evidence piling up. Houston has men tailing Brad now.”
“Brad wouldn’t do that.”
“Wouldn’t he? Mom he has always been a cranky asshole, but he’s been a special kind of one since we came to live here. Since Tate left. Your brother dropped him off here when he was a kid and never once looked back. He always assumed that it would all be his one day. Then Daddy died, and we came to live here. And maybe Tate disappeared but I didn’t. I stayed on and I didn’t leave for Dallas when Andrew did.
“I don’t think it’s too big of a secret that Brad isn’t the world’s most content rancher. Brad likes dollar signs a hell of a whole lot more than a ranch and cattle kind of life. And if he can get the cattle payday to himself and convince Gramps to sell off even part of Homeland, l
eave a bigger inheritance check, you don’t think Brad would do that?”
“I just don’t think he will do it to your Gramps, not after everything. He could have just left like Tate did.”
“And what, leave it all to me? Gramps made it very clear the day Tate came home with that Harley, if he left he wasn’t getting a damn dime. Brad wouldn’t walk away from his inheritance.”
“Don’t go spreading rumors without facts Amelia!”
“I’m telling you Houston has facts!”
“Then he needs to take them to the authorities!”
“See, here’s the thing, they probably aren’t, legally obtained facts. Wouldn’t hold up in court. But you still need to talk to them about it Mom. Houston and Tate. I’m not speaking to them, so you might as well.”
“Maybe I just might,” Mom stood at looked down at her dirty scrubs. “I’m so over the drama of this ordeal. I want normal back.”
“It’s been entertaining at least,” I offered a small smile.
“Was it worth it? With Houston?”
I thought about it for a long moment. Was it worth it feeling like shit the way I did right now? Worse than when Andrew left? I thought about the night he first kissed me, riding the horses across the pasture, sharing coffee, skinny dipping at the lake, wrapping my arms around him and racing down the highway, his voice serenading me on the dance floor, rolling around in his childhood bedroom, him pushing me against the barns support beam. “Yeah. It was worth it.”
Mom opened the bedroom door. “One more thing Mom. There’s some Sweetwater patches rolling in tomorrow morning sometime.”
“Houston called more back up?”
“I did. I called his sister.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Houston
Tate was livid with me still, after all my VP caught me banging his sister. So, there was that. But Tate wasn’t liable to fight it out anymore, at least not until we figured out what was going on with Brad.
Amelia said she called Destiny, which wouldn’t have surprised me if she had done it after the fight in the bunkhouse, but she had done it before. Tate went back to the main house and I was waiting on the back porch with a bottle of bourbon and a glass of ice, pretending my ribs weren’t sore as shit.
Houston Callaghan: The Devil's Bastards MC Page 19
