She knew every time he detonated, she could feel the liquid heat of him shoot to all parts of her body, and like her, he kept coming and coming. And when he leaned down and captured a nipple into his mouth and began a sucking motion that she felt all the way to her womb, she let out more screams.
He gabbed her hips each time he rocked against her so not to bruise her back and although she may not be able to walk tomorrow, today she didn’t care. And when he threw his head back and roared, she came again just from the mere sound of it.
Afterward she sagged against his chest as he kissed her, placing what she knew was a hickey on her neck; branding her. Although she knew it took effort since he had to be weak himself, he managed to pick her up in his arms and carry her over to the bed. He placed her on it then fell down beside her, cradling her in his arms. “We’ll take a short nap and then I’m taking you in this bed.”
Casey closed her eyes. She had no reason not to believe him.
* * *
“How are things going with you and your dad?”
Casey cuddled closer to McKinnon in the bed. She glanced toward the cave’s opening to see it was getting dark but neither of them had made a move to get up and start getting dressed. Good to his word, he had taken her all over the place and she wondered if any part of her body would ever be the same again.
“Fine,” she said, finally answering his question. “I’m discovering just what a thoughtful, kind and considerate person he is. And he’s understanding to my feelings and I appreciate that. But…”
“But what?”
“It hasn’t been as easy for me as it is for Cole and Clint to establish close relationship with Corey, but I’m trying. There’re just some things I still need to put behind me.”
“I understand. I know how I felt when I found out Martin wasn’t my natural father.”
She turned to him. “When did you find out?”
“At sixteen. At first I felt like I’d been betrayed.”
Casey knew the feeling. “So what did you do?”
“After hearing my mom’s reason for not telling me, I slowly began to accept things since what she’d done was her way of trying to protect me. My paternal grandparents had never approved of her marriage to their son, and when Martin adopted me at birth, she felt it was best to move on so I wouldn’t be hurt by their rejection.”
He didn’t say anything for a few moments but then added, “She did feel I should have something from my natural father, which is why she named me McKinnon, which was his last name. So in a way I have the best of both worlds as a McKinnon and as a Quinn. Each time that I see my name I’m reminded of the two men I’m honoring.”
“Did you ever get the chance to meet your grandparents?”
“Yes, I met my grandmother when I was eighteen. My grandfather had passed on years earlier so I never got the chance to meet him, though. My father had been their only child and my grandmother wanted me to know what would be mine upon her death, like that was the only thing that mattered. It saddens me when I think of all those years I could have gotten to know them, developed a relationship with them, but they didn’t want that because of my mixed heritage. They’d been a part of New Orleans’ elite wealthy society, and my mother had not been the woman they wanted for their son. What they never accepted was that they really didn’t have a say in the matter. That he was old enough to make his own decisions.”
Casey nodded. “You and Mr. Quinn are so close that I can’t imagine him not being your natural father. I was surprised when I heard that he wasn’t.”
“He’s the only father I know. My mother says that John McKinnon was a good man and they had a good marriage. Short but good. They had met at one of those cultural day events at the Nation’s Capital. She was there as a representative of the Blackfoot Nations and he was there representing the Creoles of Color from Louisiana.”
McKinnon pulled her tighter to him. “I gather you never had a stepfather.”
She shook her head. “No. Mom never dated, although I know there were men interested in her. Her heart belonged to my father until the day she died.”
McKinnon shook his head, thinking what a waste. But then wasn’t he doing the same thing? Hadn’t he decided to sacrifice sharing a real relationship with a woman for a reason he felt was important to him? Although he no longer loved Lynette, because of her he had turned his back on ever loving anyone again. “Ready to head back?” he asked moments later.
“Yes.” She smiled up at him as she flipped on her back. “Thanks for bringing me here, McKinnon. It was special.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “No, you’re special.” Then he went for her lips. Casey sighed in pleasure the moment their mouths touched. They needed to head back and the last thing she needed from him was a long, drugging kiss, but she had a feeling that was what he was about to give her. And of course there was no way she was going to deny him.
* * *
A couple of days later, Casey got a surprise visit from her father. She had heard a knock at the door and opened it to find him standing there. “Corey? This is a pleasant surprise.”
He nodded, smiling. “I dropped by to see how Spitfire and her colt were doing and wanted to check to see how things are going with you, as well.”
“I’m fine. Would you like to come in?”
“Thanks.”
Casey stood back and watched as he entered, not bothered that he had found her at McKinnon’s home and not the guesthouse. “I was just about to sit down and eat lunch. Would you like to join me?”
He glanced around. “Where’s Henrietta?”
Casey smiled. “She and her husband went to Helena for the day. She’ll be back tomorrow. McKinnon and I usually eat lunch together but he met his brothers in town to help them with supplies, so I’d love the company.”
“Thanks. I’d love to join you.”
“Wonderful. Just make yourself at home while I get everything ready.”
Back in the kitchen, Casey thought her dad’s visit was perfect timing. It was time they had a talk to bury the past, something she hadn’t been able to fully let go of until now. Her talks with McKinnon had helped, so had Corey’s always made her feel special around him.
A few moments later she returned to the living room to find him standing at the window, looking out at the mountains. “Lunch is ready, Dad.”
He quickly turned and met her gaze and she understood why. This was the first time she had ever called him “Dad.” “Okay, let me wash up. I’ll be right back.”
She inhaled deeply when he walked toward the back room. She had a feeling that going into the back had more to do with emotions then him needing to wash his hands. She hadn’t realized until that moment how calling him Corey instead of Dad had probably bothered him, although he had never mentioned it to her.” He had respected her feelings and had given her time to come around on her own time and her own terms, and she appreciated him for doing that.
“So what are we having?”
She turned when he entered the kitchen. “Nothing special, just chicken salad sandwiches and lemonade,” she said, sitting down at the table.
“But it’s special to me, Casey,” he said in an earnest tone. “It’s not everyday a man gets to have lunch with his beautiful daughter.”
“Especially a daughter he didn’t know he had until a few years ago,” she said, watching him take the seat across from her.
“It doesn’t matter. The moment I found out about you, Clint and Cole, I fell in love immediately. Just knowing the three of you were mine meant the world to me and my love was absolute and unwavering.”
She nodded, believing that. “It took me time to come around,” she softly admitted. “Mom and I were close and she told me these stories and I believed them. I had a vision of the two of you loving each other and it hurt to know everything she’d said had been lies and you really hadn’t loved her at all.”
Corey reached out and captured her hand in his. “I did love your mothe
r but in another way. Carolyn was special to me, Casey, don’t ever think that she wasn’t. She came into my life when I was at my lowest and we had some good times together. And because she was a good woman I knew I had to be truthful with her from the start. That’s the reason I told her that I could never love her completely—the way a man is supposed to love a woman—because my heart belonged to another.”
Casey nodded. “And I’m sure Mom appreciated you being honest with her. Some men wouldn’t have and that’s probably why whenever she mentioned your name, she could do it in a loving way.”
Casey didn’t say anything for a long moment and then she said truthfully, “I was prepared not to like Abby, especially when I found out she was the woman you had always loved instead of Mom. But Abby is someone who’s hard not to like. She’s a special lady, Dad, and you’re lucky to have her, and even luckier that she came back into your life after all these years. It’s as if the two of you are truly soul mates. You and Abby finally being together is a love story with a happy ending if ever there was one. I can see that now. I can also feel the love each and every time you look at her and she looks at you, and I truly believe that Mom never resented you loving someone else because you gave her something special. You gave her a part of yourself, even if it wasn’t your heart.”
Casey smiled and tightened her hold on the hand that held hers. She gazed into misty eyes and the thought that what she’d said had touched him truly meant a lot. “You are my father and I love you and I’m proud that I’m your daughter. I find joy being a part of your life like you’re a part of mine.”
She stood and moved around the table and when he also stood, she went into his outstretched arms thinking it felt good to finally let go of the anger and pain she’d held within her for so long.
She felt her heart thud against her rib cage thinking there was pain still harboring there. But it was pain of the self-inflicted kind. She was in love with McKinnon and was smart enough to know that things couldn’t continue between them as they were. In less than a month’s time Prince Charming would be fully trained and there would be no reason for her to remain on the ranch. She had gotten lax in looking for a place in town, but she knew she needed to start again. The thought had her heart breaking but deep down she knew it was something she had to do.
She forced the painful thought from her mind that, like her mother, she would live the rest of her life loving only one man and only have the memories of their love affair to sustain her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
McKinnon picked up the phone the moment he walked out of the bedroom. He was on his way to town for a business meeting and Henrietta had left to do her weekly grocery shopping. “Hello?”
“Yes, this is Joanne Mills and I’m trying to reach Casey Westmoreland.”
McKinnon lifted a brow. He remembered Ms. Mills as the real estate agent who had shown Casey a couple of places in town. “Ms. Mills, this is McKinnon Quinn. Casey is out in the barn taking care of one of the horses. Is there something I can do for you?”
“Oh, hello Mr. Quinn. Yes, there’s something you can do. You can tell Ms. Westmoreland that after talking with her last week, something has come up on our listing that she might be interested in. The seller is willing to work out a good deal since he wants a quick sale.”
McKinnon leaned back against the table. Casey was considering moving off his ranch? Emotions clogged his throat, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
“Mr. Quinn, are you still there?”
McKinnon forced himself to speak. “Yes, I’m still here and I’ll give her the message.”
“Thank you.”
McKinnon hung up the phone as a cold chill settled in his gut. He was being forced to admit something he thought could never happen to him again. He had fallen head over heels in love.
“Damn.”
He inhaled deeply knowing he had no right to even think about loving Casey. Yet he did. She was everything he could possibly want in a woman or a wife, but he couldn’t have her. So maybe it was for the best if she did decide to move on. Things had to eventually end between them anyway.
He quickly headed for the door, pausing briefly to snatch his hat off the rack. If Casey leaving was for the best, why was he feeling so damn bad about it?
* * *
Durango glanced across the table at McKinnon. The two of them had just ended their meeting with Mike Farmer, who had made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Not only did Mike want to buy every foal Courtship produced, he also wanted Crown Royal’s stud rights at more than half-a-million a coupling. The man was convinced the stallion’s offspring would one day become a Triple Crown winner.
“What’s wrong with you, McKinnon? Farmer just made us wealthy men and you’re sitting there like you’ve lost your one and only puppy. Forget about that beer you’re drinking, man. We should be calling that waiter over to our table with a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
McKinnon leaned back in his chair, remembering the phone call he’d taken right before leaving the ranch. “I don’t feel like celebrating, Rango.”
Durango sat up in his chair. A frown settled in. “Why not? Hey, what’s going on?”
McKinnon met Durango’s curious gaze. “That Realtor who’s helping Casey find a place in town called and left her a message that she might have found something. With Prince Charming almost trained, Casey really has no reason to stick around, which means she might move into town.”
Durango stared at him for a moment before asking brusquely, “And what do you plan to do about it? I won’t waste my time asking if you love her because your attitude today has given me my answer. Take my advice about something, McKinnon.”
“What?”
“Stop brooding and do what you’ve always done. Go after what you want.”
McKinnon clearly understood what Durango was saying and a hard line formed at his lips when he drew in a deep breath. “This is different. I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can.”
McKinnon’s anger flared and he refused to give in to the surge of emotions that was sweeping through him. “Dammit, Rango, I can’t do it because I love her. I can’t deny her the one thing she might eventually want one day.”
“But you don’t know for sure that’s what you’ll be doing. Casey deserves to know the truth, McKinnon, so tell her.”
McKinnon sighed deeply, remembering the night he’d asked her if she wanted children and what her response had been. “Why bother? Things can’t be that way between us, Rango. I can’t let it. She deserves more,” he said grimly.
“Well, I think,” Durango said softly, “that you’ll be doing the both of you a disservice if it you make a decision without giving her a say in the matter. If you want her, McKinnon, don’t let anything stand in your way. Tell her the truth and see how things work out. Take it from someone who knows. The love of a woman, a good woman, is the greatest gift a man could ever receive.”
Durango took a swallow of his beer before he went on. “If you’re so convinced she’s going to leave anyway, what do you have to lose?”
* * *
Casey glanced across the table at Henrietta as the older woman peeled a bunch of apples for the pie she intended on to bake later. There was something Casey wanted to know and was hoping Henrietta would have an answer for her. “Henrietta, who is Lynette?”
The woman stopped what she was doing and glanced over at Casey, her eyes sharp. “Who mentioned Lynette to you? I know it wasn’t McKinnon.”
Casey nodded. “No, it wasn’t McKinnon. Norris let her name slip one day saying that I was nothing like her and he was glad.”
Henrietta smiled. “No, you aren’t anything like her. And it’s not that Lynette was a totally bad person, it’s just that she didn’t stick by McKinnon when she should have, especially when she claimed she loved him. The woman hurt the boy something awful.”
Casey couldn’t help but wonder just what had Lynette done. It didn’t sound like she’d been unfai
thful to McKinnon. And how should she have stuck by him? Was this Lynette the reason he refused to open his heart to another woman? “Does she still live around these parts?” she asked.
Henrietta shook her head. “No, thank goodness. From what McKinnon told me, Lynette is married now with a child and living somewhere in Great Falls. The last thing McKinnon needs is to see Lynette and her baby.”
Casey tilted her head back. Now her mind was flooded with even more questions. Why would seeing Lynette with a baby bother McKinnon? Had he and Lynette lost a baby together or something? She couldn’t help but ponder Henrietta’s statement. “But why would that bother him?”
Henrietta glanced over at Casey as if she was about to say something, then changed her mind and shrugged wide shoulders. “It’s not my place to say, Casey. Maybe one day McKinnon will tell you all about her. About everything.”
Casey doubted it. In fact, since waking that morning she’d noticed a change in McKinnon. Usually they ate breakfast together but this morning he had already eaten and left before she’d awaken. He’d been acting strange ever since mentioning Joanne Mills’ call. Was he upset that she had resumed looking for a place to live? Did he think she was supposed to just continue to live here with him forever? She really didn’t know what to think but she hoped it was her imagination and that McKinnon wasn’t trying to put distance between them again.
“Thanks for at least letting me know who she is,” Casey finally said to Henrietta.
“No problem,” Henrietta said quietly. “Like I said, that woman hurt him but now you’ve made him happy.”
Casey smiled. “You think so?”
Henrietta chuckled. “I know so. He smiles now more and his disposition and moods aren’t like they used to be, and you’re the reason for it. And I know you love him, too. And I mean really love him.” The older woman was silent for a few moments and then she said. “Just promise me one thing.”
Ian's Ultimate Gamble ; Seduction, Westmoreland Style Page 27
