by Tess Oliver
I handed him a plate. “Grilled cheese, my specialty, which isn’t saying much since all it takes is the ability to smear bread with butter and turn on a stove flame.”
He picked up half the sandwich and took a bite. “Hmm, but you smear well.”
I straddled the second lounge and sat down. “Is it just my imagination or is there a massive wall of fog out there on the horizon?”
“Cool, isn’t it? I keep expecting some ghost ship to pop through it. That explains why my leg feels as if an elephant is standing on it.”
The only real remnant of his broken femur was a thick scar on his thigh. I rarely saw him take a misstep or complain about pain. It seemed he’d been lucky.
“I never did hear many of the grisly details, which is probably for the best. Grady called me a few days after to let me know that you’d been hurt and that you were in the hospital. He was really worried about you.” I thought back to the conversation. Grady’s voice had been shaky as he told me that Caden might walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
My mention of Grady had quieted him. He gazed out at the ocean again. “I had a dream last night. I was in the desert, a few of my army buddies were there, and”—he shook his head— “we were playing some weird video game with tigers and sharks, only there was no television. They were all holograms, and I looked over and Grady was playing the game too, teasing me about be a fucking loser because my shark turned into a marshmallow. No fucking idea where the hell the dream came from, but Grady was alive and well and laughing. When I woke up, it took me a few seconds to remember that he was gone. I closed my eyes hoping I could get back there to the dream. It seemed so real. He seemed so real.”
“I imagine we’ll both have plenty of those dreams for a long time to come. Have you talked to your dad at all?”
“Yeah, he’s doing all right, considering. Sally’s a mess though, and my dad doesn’t function well on his own. Talked to my mom too. Walt’s son, Jack, is moving to Vermont with his wife, so Walt needs someone to help at his lumber yard. Of course, my mom is already devising a scheme to have me take over the business for Walt when he retires. Can’t you just see me running a damn lumber yard?”
I swallowed a bite of sandwich. “There are worse things to consider.”
Caden nodded but didn’t look too convinced. “Anyhow, my main reason for bringing it up is that my mom and Walt are going on a trip to Georgia to see Walt’s family next week. She asked me if I could housesit, feed the cat, water the plants and whatever else she puts on the list.” He looked over at me. “I was hoping you’d be sticking around Mayfair for awhile. Maybe we could use the time to sort stuff out, see where this is heading.”
“I know my mom could use the help. I have to get back to New York soon though.” I laughed. “Jeremy has probably already shoved all my stuff in the elevator and sent it to the parking level.” I leaned back against the lounge. “I’m going to have to find a place to live in New York, and that is no easy feat. School starts mid September.”
“So you’re going to finish law school?”
“I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it already. Not to mention the huge loans,” I said, abruptly mostly to convince myself that it was what I needed to do.
“Hey, not judging. You need to do what you think is right, Kenna. I know that’s how you roll.”
Without lifting my head from the lounge, I faced him with a scowl. “Yes, I know. I always choose the right thing to do, but not necessarily the thing that’s right for me. It seems like we’ve been down this road before. I can’t be like you, Caden, and just throw all reason to the wind to do what I feel like doing.”
He looked over at me. “I guess I should just take the job at the lumber yard because it’s the reasonable thing to do.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Not in so many words.”
I sat up with a laugh. I turned my legs around on the lounge to face him. “I just realized something. You know that sparkly, feel good time in the beginning of a new relationship where two people are just getting to know each other and everything is peachy, only the sex can be questionable because—well, because two people are just getting to know each other? I guess our long history has made it so that we skipped that sparkly period and went straight to the bickering like an old couple.”
Caden laughed. “Fuck, if that doesn’t take the fun out of it all. But the sex?” He lifted a brow at me.
“Oh, the sex is spot on, like we know each other so well, we skipped any awkwardness.”
“Except, up until this week, we’d never even kissed.”
“No, but good sex comes from in here.” I pressed my hand against my chest. “From the heart. We were already connected there.”
Caden smiled. “You will make a good lawyer, Trinket. Maybe the fact that we’re different in our approaches to life is just what we need. We can balance each other out.”
“Well said.” I pulled my sweatshirt closed. “That fog is cold. Let’s go inside and see if I can do something to make you forget that pain in your leg.”
He rubbed his thigh. “Yep, it’s hurting something fierce right now. I think I’ll definitely need some tender loving care.”
Chapter 19
Caden
Kenna and I carried the plates into the house. My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket. I smiled when I saw it was Tanner, the army buddy who’d gotten me into racing.
“Hey, Tanner, what’s up?”
“Stratton, dude, I heard about your brother. I just wanted to express my condolences.”
I sat on the stool at the kitchen counter. “Yeah man, thanks. Life can really kick you in the ass when you’re least expecting it.”
“How is your dad doing? I imagine this hit him hard. He’s a good guy, your dad.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s hanging in there. It takes time.”
“Yeah, so right. Well, let him know Tanner is thinking about him.”
“I will. So, what’s new? I’ve been following the team. That new rider, Benson, he looks strong out there.”
“Yeah, he’s showing a lot of promise. Not as much as our rookie of the year, Caden Stratton, but he’s good. He’s got some hard headedness to overcome. He can be kind of a dick sometimes. But, hey, you’re at Chantry’s Pointe, right?”
“Yep, kickin’ it at the beach and getting some surfing in . . . and stuff.” As I spoke, I looked up. Kenna was standing in the doorway of the hall. She’d pulled off her t-shirt and was teasing me by slowly lowering her bra straps.
Tanner’s laugh rumbled through the phone. “And stuff. I know damn well that you’ve got plenty of stuff going on. Never any shortage of stuff when it comes to Caden Stratton.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t beat the dead horse.” My last statement caused Kenna to stop lowering the straps. She creased her smooth brows in confusion.
I waved her on, motioning my hand toward her bra and nodding with enthusiasm.
“Anyhow, Stratton, I’m out here at Charter’s Speedway with Greg and Danny this week. We’re testing out a new bike. She’s a fucking tornado, a combination of titanium and carbon that’ll knock your fucking socks off. Thought since you were close by, you might want to come by and give her a whirl.”
Kenna had continued her side entertainment. She stood topless in the doorway with her arms stretched up high and a hand resting on each side of the doorjamb.
“Uh—shit—Tanner, sounds like fun, and you know I’m always down for fun.”
Kenna placed her hand coyly on her chest and mouthed the word fun to me. She smiled and winked and turned around. Her shorts dropped to the ground.
“Then come by tomorrow.” Tanner’s voice reminded me I was on the phone.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m down here with someone and—”
&nbs
p; Kenna dropped her panties and resumed her position in the doorway, a hand on each side, only this time she was facing away from me.
“Oh, right, forgot about the stuff,” Tanner said. “Well, I’ll let you go. Call me if you change your mind.”
“I will. Later.” I dropped the phone on the counter and lumbered toward Kenna. My heavy footsteps startled her. She spun around and squealed just as I reached her. I grabbed her to me, tossed her over my shoulder and gave her a nice spank as I carried her to the bedroom.
“This is totally—not what I—had in mind.” She could barely get the words out over her peals of laughter.
I lifted her off my shoulder and dropped her onto the bed. She could hardly catch her breath.
“I just realized there’s a very thin line between sexy and humiliating.” She took a deep breath to stop giggling. “I think I just straddled that line.”
“It must have been more on the sexy side because I’m fucking turned on.” I lunged for her. She laughed again and scooted out of my reach.
“That’s not saying much since I basically just have to look in the direction of your fly and you are standing at attention.”
“That’s your fault, Trinket. You have given me a permanent erection.”
I climbed onto the bed.
Kenna hopped up on her knees and faced me. “I believe after four hours you’re supposed to go to the emergency room.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, and my hands smoothed over her naked body, enjoying the silky smooth feel of her skin.
I shook my head. “Don’t need any fucking doctor.” I slid my hand down to her ass and reached between her legs. “Yep, all I need is right fucking here on this bed.”
She squirmed in my arms. “I seem to have started something with my striptease.”
“Wasn’t that your goal?”
“Possibly. At first I thought it might be the woman who sent you the picture, and I decided to divert your attention away from her and toward me.” Her long sable lashes fluttered down over her brown eyes, and she pressed her candy lips against mine.
I loved every damn thing about her, head to toe and everything in between. Her soft breath brushed over my mouth as she lifted her face and opened her eyes.
“Trinket, a flaming stick of dynamite sticking out of a roll of thousand dollar bills couldn’t pull my attention away from you.”
“So you’d let a big roll of money just be blown to sawdust if I was standing in the room naked.”
“Yes, yes I would.”
“That’s bullshit, of course, but I like that you were at least willing to pretend. Who was that on the phone?”
“My buddy, Tanner. We were stationed together in Afghanistan. His family owns a MotoGP race team. He’s the reason I got into racing. He’s over at Charter’s Speedway this week. He invited me to try out a new bike.”
“Fun. You’re going, aren’t you?”
I traced circles around her nipples, and she responded with a breathy sigh. “I figured we were busy hanging out here, making up for a lot of lost years.”
“If you say no to a ride because of me, I’m going to feel like a heel.” She pushed her breasts harder against my touch. “Besides, I could go and watch and get all hot and turned on watching you race around on a motorcycle.”
“Yeah?” I slid my hand down between her legs. Her lids grew heavier as she gazed back at me with parted lips and a pink blush. “Just how hot and turned on are we talking?” My fingers caressed the folds of her pussy. She was wet, and I was about to explode with wanting her.
“Very turned on.” She lowered her lips close to mine. “Go call your friend. I’ll be waiting right here. But hurry. No idle chitchat. I’m extremely horny right now.”
I hopped off the bed and pushed down my board shorts. “The fucking phone call can wait. Extremely horny takes full priority.” I hopped onto the bed, leaned back against the headboard and motioned toward my waiting cock.
A smile curled up on her luscious lips as she held my shoulders and straddled over my lap. Her fingers combed through my hair, and she tilted my head back to gaze at my face as she lowered herself over me. As her naked body slid down alongside mine, I wondered how the fuck I could possibly have gone on so long without Kenna in my life.
Chapter 20
Kenna
I took a bite of the apple I’d brought along for the trip to the speedway. I offered Caden a bite, but he shook his head. “Are you nervous?”
“About what?”
I huffed. “About the future of the dodo bird. What do you think? You have to be a little nervous about climbing back on a high-powered motorcycle after your accident.”
“Isn’t the dodo bird extinct?”
“Yep, dead and gone. You’re changing the subject.”
“I wasn’t nervous until you started asking if I should be.”
I sat back with my apple. “Oops. Guess that was kind of silly of me.”
Caden reached over, plucked the apple from my hands, took a big bite and chewed. He handed it back to me. “Just kidding, Trinket. I’m looking forward to this, kind of like a kid waiting to get on an awesome roller coaster ride. Excited with just enough nerves to make it that much more exciting.”
“Back when we were young, you were always happiest when you were about to do something scary or dangerous. You always took a lot of chances. Grady used to say you were a crazy daredevil.” It was amazing how many conversations could bring me back to thinking about Grady. Grady had been the opposite of his brother. He liked adventure, but he hated taking chances. I stared out the window, deciding not to continue on the topic.
Caden was always in tune with my feelings. My sudden silence caught his attention.
He reached over and took hold of my hand. My thoughts seemed to flow right through my fingers and into Caden’s. “Guess we all take a chance when we get into a car. Even if it doesn’t seem crazy or wild, it’s still dangerous.”
I swallowed to relieve the ache in my throat and squeezed his hand.
Caden pulled the truck off the freeway. We traveled along a road that was covered with grit and potholes. Both sides of the narrow, straight road were lined with tumbleweeds and dead shrubs. Ahead was a round, open stadium with an impressive parking lot surrounding it.
“I’ve seen this place off the freeway a number of times, but I had no idea what it was used for.”
“It’s just a nice, flat track. Great for trying out a new bike, but they don’t run races here. The new owners lost their asses in some gambling scheme, and they didn’t have enough money to maintain it.”
A truck and trailer, the only vehicles in the lot were parked in front of the building. Caden drove closer to the entrance and parked.
“My mom called this morning. She has some big truffle order to fill for a wedding.” I hated the thought of ending our trip. It had been a few days out of the real world, just what I needed. Heading back to Mayfair sounded grim. It was too much of a reminder that there were a lot of loose ends in my life. “Can’t believe I’m asking this because I’m having so much fun, but do you think you could take me home tomorrow?”
“Not a problem. I should probably do some chores around my dad’s house anyhow. Then I’ve got to housesit for my mom. Shit, don’t I sound just like a badass daredevil—chores and housesitting for Mom.” He parked the truck. “Of course, if you’re around, that’ll make it much less boring. We could have some very raunchy sex in my mom’s house. Doesn’t that sound awesome?”
“Oh my gosh, never put raunchy sex in the same sentence with your mom. There’s just something inherently wrong with that. We’ll figure something out, but I don’t see us running around naked in your mom’s house.” I looked out the window at the stadium. “So, speed racer, are you ready to set the track ablaze?”
“Sure as hell am.”
Three men were standing at a corner of a large asphalt track. They’d popped open a yellow easy-up to shade themselves and a shiny blue and yellow motorcycle. One of the men, a short, muscular guy with dark sunglasses and a pleasing smile, walked toward us.
“Stratton, they’ve got this new invention. It’s called a fucking razor,” the man called as he reached up to his own clean-shaven jaw.
Caden hugged him, then the man lifted his sunglasses to meet me.
“Tanner, this is Kenna. We grew up together in Mayfair.”
Tanner had nice blue eyes to go with the smile. “Yeah? I grew up in the wrong place. We didn’t have girls like this in my hometown.” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kenna. Glad you came.”
We walked over to the shade of their tarp. Greg was an older man with a mass of gray hair and the weathered lines of having been in the sun too much. The third man, Danny, stood well over six feet tall and had a booming voice that nearly shook the ground beneath our feet.
The men gathered around the bike to talk motorcycles. I was given a comfortable chair and a cold bottle of water. I listened to them discuss things like carbon disk brakes and traction control. They might as well have been speaking Greek.
But my lack of comprehension didn’t matter because the one thing I understood well was that Caden was happy as hell to be standing around talking about motorcycles. This was his slice of utopia. You could see it in his expression. He really was that kid about to get on an amazing roller coaster ride.
Caden pulled on the colorful racing suit. He had tied back his long hair, and it stuck out the back of the helmet. He flashed me a smile before pulling down the tinted face shield. My heart raced ahead, both from nerves and from the way he looked in the gear. I’d teased him that it would turn me on to watch him ride. At the time, I had just been joking around, but it was actually making my pulse race.
