“Your patient needs you. So do I,” I roll my head from side to side, “But, I understand. You should go. We’ll catch up later.”
“God, you’re amazing.” She smirks and kisses me sweetly. “I have no idea how long I’ll be. You can make yourself at home, though. Shower—hang out all day, if you’d like.”
It’s a sweet gesture, but it feels weird to hang out at her place without her at this stage of our burgeoning relationship.
“I’ve got some stuff I can do. I’ll head home. Call me later, though?”
She agrees and heads out.
.-- --- -. -.. . .-.
After I shower, I decide I’m in too good a mood to waste on work. It’s a sunny and warm on this particular spring day, so I pull the roadster out from the garage. The car was a gift I bought myself when AE filed its hundredth patent last year.
I settle into the tan leather of the driver’s seat and flip a coin to determine if I should drive east or west.
Tails. East it is.
I press the button to put back the leather top that matches the interior, crank up a rock station, slide on my shades, and head east.
About half an hour into my drive, my phone rings. Expecting Tabitha, instead I hear Clair over the Bluetooth sound system when I answer. The panic in her voice is evident, so I immediately pull over in the parking lot of a small, run-down gas station on the side of the road.
“So, random question for you.” The nerves in her voice are clear through the speakers as I pull into a parking lot and cut the engine.
“Shoot.”
“Any ideas on how to recover a lost llama?”
“We must have a bad connection. Can you repeat the question?” I’m sure I’ve mis-heard her.
“Larry is missing. I can’t find him anywhere. My Mom will kill me if I lost her favorite llama.” It sounds like she’s outside, walking.
“I’d ask Tabitha, but she had an emergency with one of her patients.” I grab my phone and do a quick web search. “I tell you what, I think I’m only about fifteen minutes away. I’ll come out and help you look.”
“What are you doing out this way?”
“Just enjoying the nice weather. Decided to take the roadster out for a drive this morning. I’ll be at the ranch soon. See you in a few.” I hang up and head down the highway toward Clair’s parents’ place.
CHAPTER 20
Sinclair
AS MUCH AS IT sucks that I didn’t get to see Cole this weekend, it’s probably a good thing. When I went by my parents’ place to check on things, the musketeers were so happy to see me, I decided to spend the night to keep them company.
This morning, we ate breakfast, and by we, I mean the dogs went batshit crazy when I started frying up bacon on the six-burner stove in my parents’ massive kitchen, so I had to make them some too. When I went out to check on the herd, though, Larry, the youngest llama in the pack, was nowhere to be found.
Llamas act as protectors for smaller livestock, sounding an alarm if predators are near. With them around, Mom and Dad rarely see mountain lions, foxes, or anything else that could be a danger. Larry is far too big for small predators to mess with. It’s much more likely that he’s off on an adventure somewhere.
Still, I need to find him before my parents get home. There’s only one person I can think of to call who might know what to do. Dex said he’d be here in less than half an hour, so I start walking back up toward the house.
When his sapphire blue BMW pulls in next to my Jetta, I feel instantly relieved.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” I say, throwing my arms around his neck.
“Of course. What are friends for if not to wrangle errant llamas?”
I take him out back and show him the barn and the pens.
“Let’s walk the grounds a bit…see if we can pick up any sign of him,” Dex suggests and we head out across the pasture, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis in tow.
“So I really didn’t interrupt your plans, did I?” I ask again, feeling guilty for bringing Dex all the way out to the ranch to help me.
“No, not at all. Tabitha got a call from a client early this morning—problems with a pregnant show dog—so she had to run out to tend to her.” He shrugs.
I feel a knot in the pit of my stomach as realization sets in.
Early this morning.
He spent the night with her. I freeze in my tracks, and he stops and turns back to look at me.
“What’s the matter?”
I try to play it off, smiling coyly. “So, you and Tabitha the cute vet, huh?”
His cheeks flush red and he immediately casts his eyes toward the ground. “Oh.” He pauses for a long moment. “Yeah. I mean…,” He grins and continues. “We are definitely getting closer.” He clears his throat and resumes walking.
“Congratulations. So, it was…everything’s good with you two?”
I realize, as we walk, I’m nibbling on my thumbnail—a habit I thought I’d outgrown years ago.
“It’s great. She’s exactly the kind of girl I should be dating. She’s smart and fun…she has a good head on her shoulders.” He smiles.
“That sounds like you’re talking about your insurance agent, Dex. This is your,” I pause as the word catches on my lips before tumbling out. “Girlfriend we’re talking about here.”
“Well, I mean,” he stops and looks around for a second, then turns back to me. “I suppose she is. She’s great, though, Clair. I really like her.”
“I’m glad. I’m really happy for you.” I lie. “Now, I’d be happy for me if we could find Larry.”
We walk for a while, calling for the animal, and see no sign of him.
It’s getting hot, and I’m exhausted from looking, so we start back toward the house. Before we go inside to cool off, Dex suggests we check the big barn one more time, so we do.
He grabs a pitchfork and turns it around, poking the blunt, handled end into piles of hay. We get to one large hay pile in the center, below the loft, and he again inserts the handle, hoping to startle the hiding or sleeping creature into revealing himself, but no such luck.
Frustrated, I let out a groan. “Larry! You big goofball! Where are you?!”
Suddenly, little bits of hay fall down on us, and we look up.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Larry! If you are up there, I’m going to kill you!” I yell.
A moment later, I hear a bleat and a pair of ears and big eyes peek over the edge of the loft.
“Are you kidding me right now? Larry! Get down here this instant!” I plant my hands firmly on my hips.
Dex tries unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh as he hangs the pitchfork back on its’ hook and stands beside me to look up into the loft.
Larry bleats again.
“You’re going to have to flush him out, I’m afraid.” He nods toward the stairs.
“Fine. Just…wait right here in case he jumps or something. Be ready, just in case.”
I ascend the precarious structure cautiously. The ladder is at an incline against the wall, and has a piece of wood behind it, making it more of a shallow staircase than an actual ladder. When I get to the loft, Larry is laying down, chewing on some hay. Annoyingly, he looks completely chill. He’s just hanging out as if it’s the most normal thing in the world for a llama to be hanging out in a hay loft.
“Come on, Larry, over here buddy.” I call to him, bending over to get lower as I cautiously step forward.
When I lunge to grab his harness, he bolts to the back of the loft. I just catch myself on the edge, grabbing one of the overhead beams for balance. Larry looks at me and bleats defiantly.
“I’m going to get you!” I wag a finger at him.
When I go to step forward, I lose my balance. I can’t catch the beam in time, and I tumble backward over the edge.
I hear Dex call out, but he can’t even finish my name before I’m airborne. He doesn’t so much catch me as he grabs me and redirects my trajectory. When it’s all
over, I’m on top of him in the pile of hay. The fall is probably less than ten feet, but the wind is completely knocked out of me from the shock.
“Clair! Are you okay?” His voice is tinged with panic as he grabs my face firmly in his palms and scans it, seemingly searching for signs of damage.
“I think I am.” I look around in a bit of a daze. “Are you? Did I land on you?”
His eyes are saucers as he continues to clutch my face in his hands. “You scared me to death Clair. If anything happened to you…,” he trails off as he winces, and I see moisture fill his eyes.
He wraps his arms around me and clutches me to him, burying his face in the top of my hair. “If something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
He holds me so tightly that I feel a strange, powerful wave of emotion of my own rise to the surface. I slide my arms around him. My heart is pounding out of my chest as we lay there for a moment, clutching onto one another.
His grip on me begins to soften, and I move my hands to his chest. I’m acutely aware of his body. He moves his hands gingerly up and down my back, and I feel my breathing shallow—my pulse quicken. I nuzzle my face into his neck and breathe in the scent of his skin.
Strong biceps press into my shoulders as my breasts crush against a wall of muscle. My belly is against his abs, and my body is responding to the intensity of the gorgeous man whose body is entwined with mine. I feel desire between my legs.
I’m not thinking about his girlfriend, or my boyfriend. All I can think of is how I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life, and if he makes the slightest movement of his hips, if his hands find my skin, I am done. I will not be able to stop anything that happens after, because in this moment I am desire incarnate.
I feel his jaw clench against the top of my forehead, and the vibration of his throat as he speaks, his voice deep and low.
“You have to get up.” His voice is a throaty whisper. “We have to get up, now.”
The words rip through me, and though my body and heart both want to cling to him, my head knows he’s right.
I clutch his shoulders with my palms, trying to ignore the ache in my belly and lean back, rising to my feet. Dex stands, covered head to toe in hay and dust just as I am.
Bleat!
I look over and Larry is standing beside me, looking over at us as if nothing had happened.
Nothing did happen, but a part of me wishes it had. I feel guilty, frustrated, angry, disappointed…but maybe most of all, I’m overwhelmed with sudden, seemingly unwarranted sadness.
I dust myself off, and when I glance up, Dex is shaking his head as he slowly leads the llama away.
CHAPTER 21
Sinclair
I’VE TALKED TO COLE every day since he’s been gone. I feel incredibly guilty for the…whatever that was…in the barn with Dex. Nothing happened, but it felt like it could’ve, at least from my perspective and I would’ve been powerless to stop it. I have to figure out how to manage being around Dex, and manage my feelings for him as what he is—my friend.
In the past few days, I’ve thought a lot about my relationship with Cole. He’s a good guy. He’s sweet and thoughtful and sexy as hell. I want to keep seeing him—for him to be my boyfriend. I’m ready to take the next step.
After work, I try to keep myself busy so I’m not checking my phone every few minutes. I expect him to call when he gets in, but instead, just after seven there’s a knock on my door.
When I open it, Cole is on the other side. He stands, brushing his bottom lip with his thumb. His eyes linger as he shifts his hungry gaze up and down my body. The thin tank top and shorts I’m wearing do little to hide my body’s reaction to the gorgeous man standing before me.
I watch his eyes trail across the stiff peaks at the center of each breast and lazily drink in the bare skin of my arms and legs. The fire in his gaze makes my skin tingle. Suddenly, without a word, he takes two quick strides, closing the distance between us. He slides his palms around to the back of my neck, tipping my face up, and captures my lips.
I slide my arms around him, clutching him close as his eager kiss consumes me. Soon, his hands are sliding down my body, strong palms lifting the soft fabric of my shorts and kneading my ass. I wrap my legs around his waist. He kicks the door shut behind him and walks me into the living room. As he carries me, he devours my skin with his lips. Everywhere his mouth touches is alive with desire.
In the living room, he lays me back on the sofa, climbing on top of me. He licks the seam of my lips and they part, letting his tongue explore. He slides one hand around to dip under the fabric of my short, clutching my bare ass cheek. The other works its way under my tank, kneading my breast as his fingers roll and pinch my nipple.
Finally, he pulls his lips from mine for a moment.
“So you did miss me.” His gaze is filthy and intense, his voice needy and gruff.
I trace his jaw with my fingertips and reply on a needy whisper. “I did.” I grin mischievously. “Maybe it’s about time I showed you just how much.”
His eyes are hooded as he gives me a smirk, then tugs his shirt off over his head. His body is every bit as gorgeous as I expected it to be. Defined shoulders, big, strong arms, rippled chest, and abs I want to explore with my tongue. My fingers instinctively go to his core, tracing the definition.
He reaches down at tugs at the hem of my tank. My smile is the agreement he’s seeking and he makes quick work of pulling my top over my head.
He lets out a small growl as he kneads both breasts, seeming transfixed by this first sight of me half-naked.
“So perfect…I fucking knew you’d be perfect.” His lips make their way down my neck, and his tongue traces the curve of my breast, circling the stiff peak at the center, which whips me into a frenzy. His lips trap my nipple and I rake my fingers through his hair.
“Here or your room, sweetheart?” His voice is impatient.
“My room.” My reply is quick and breathless.
I lead him to the bedroom. As his hands explore my body, he’s rough, greedy, but I love every eager touch. He tugs off my shorts, his hand quickly finding the place at my center that’s begging for his touch.
“Sinclair.” He growls against my skin as his fingers press inside. “So wet… I need to fuck this tight little pussy.”
“Yes.” I barely get the word out as I ride his fingers, desperate for everything he’s giving me.
His fingers continue their relentless pursuit inside of me, as he moves so his face hovers over mine. He nips at my lips with his, then kisses my neck.
“Tell me you want me to fuck you.” He grasps my hands above my head with his free hand. “Tell me, and I’ll spend all night finding new ways to make you come.”
He’s hungry, eager, and I love his filthy mouth as his hands pull me closer to pleasure.
“I’m all yours, Cole…and I need you to fuck me.”
His fingers move harder, and I reach the crest, my body rippling with pleasure. When he pulls his hand away, the absence of him is excruciating. I watch as he stands, pulling down his jeans and shorts. My mouth waters at the sight of him as he grabs a condom from his pocket before rejoining me on the bed.
A moment later, he’s lying on top of me, pinning my arms up. I’ve never been into domination, but something about the way his muscular, athlete’s body owns mine with such ease is incredibly sexy.
“Spread your legs for me, baby.” I do and he pushes forward, sliding his tip up and down my seam. It makes me ache for him even more than I already do.
When he presses forward, he fills me in one long, hard stroke.
“You okay, sweetheart?” He pulls my legs further apart with his hip on one side, his free hand on the other.
“Yes.” I just manage to eke out. “God, yes.”
He grazes a soft kiss to my lips and begins to move, pulling almost all the way out before crashing deep inside me again. Everything about his body is athletic perfection.
I can’t think…can barely breathe as the pleasure washes over me. I drink it in, happy to drown in this bliss.
CHAPTER 22
Dexter
I DON’T CARE HOW much shit Cole gives me, calling Tabitha my girlfriend still feels strange. We’ve only been dating a few weeks. We are seeing each other exclusively, though. We’re also sleeping together. Does that make her my girlfriend?
I have no idea.
What I do know is that I like her. She makes me laugh, and is easy to talk to. She’s kind and she feels incredible in my arms. I like the way she makes me feel, so if she is my girlfriend? Yeah, I guess I’m pretty happy with that.
I pick up Tabitha and we head over to Clair’s place for the housewarming party. Tabitha insisted that we stop for some nice wine and a bouquet of flowers. I love her warmth and generosity. I’m saddled with a twinge of guilt too, though. If she knew some of the thoughts about Clair that have invaded my mind over the years—or worse, over the past few weeks—she might not embrace her so readily.
I knock on the door, and when it swings open, I expect Clair to be on the other side. Instead, I’m taken aback when Cole welcomes us in.
“Dude, finally! We were starting to worry you guys wouldn’t make it. Come on in.” He makes a sweeping gesture as he opens the door wide.
I’m holding the bottle of wine in one hand, and put my free one on Tabitha’s shoulder. I need her to ground me because seeing Cole here, occupying Clair’s space like it’s his own, makes me feel suddenly unsteady.
When we walk into the living room, Lily and Anna are there, along with Jorge, one of Cole’s teammates, and a guy I don’t know. Clair is standing at the far end of the sofa, laughing as they all talk. I’m not sure if it’s the flattering dress she has on, or the smile that tells me how happy she is, but she looks utterly radiant. When she sees us, she rushes over.
She gives Tabitha a big hug, and expresses appreciation for the flowers. I hand Cole the bottle of wine, and go to hug her, but she just flashes me a smile, saying she has to put the flowers in water. I introduce Tabitha to everyone, and follow Clair into the kitchen.
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