“It’s not your fault Calvin’s parents are jerks.” He picked up her hand and kissed the knuckles. “You finished with your food?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s get out of here.”
“Ninety days.” Melissa rubbed her temple, wishing she could get her mind off the looming deadline. She was at Cary’s house. His mother was visiting her sister-in-law on the coast. They were actually alone, and Melissa had a bag in the car if she wanted to stay the night. She could do sexy, illicit things to the man she’d been dreaming about for four years!
Ninety days was three months. Right around the end of the year. After Christmas but not after New Year’s.
“I could sell cows,” she said.
“Didn’t you tell me prices were crap right now? That’s why you’re waiting to cull?”
“Yeah.” She was sitting at the small table in Cary’s room, and he was opening a bottle of wine for them. “But I could sell some, even if I took a hit.”
“Which would screw up both your herd and possibly your income for the rest of the year, right?”
She shrugged. “Ninety days, Cary.”
He handed her a glass. “No problem.”
She smiled. “Do you have a magic money tree I don’t know about? I thought we were friends who kiss. You holding out on me?”
He sat across from her. “I already talked to my banker, okay? Give me the word and I’ll have one hundred grand in your account in four weeks.”
Melissa froze. “Cary, you can’t just give me one hundred grand.”
“I’m not giving it to you. It’s a loan. Not a gift. You’re gonna pay me back, just like you were gonna pay Greg and Beverly back. I’m just not gonna be an asshole about it.”
She shook her head. “I can’t take money from you.”
“The terms of this loan would be ten years. And you’d pay me back in two, right?”
She kept her face blank. “The harvest next year should be enough. But should is not definitely, Cary. I can’t guarantee—”
“No one can guarantee anything in farming, okay? I get that. That’s why I got approved for a ten-year note. You’d have to pay the interest, but you’d have ten years.”
“I can’t take your money.”
“Why?” He leaned forward. “Why not? I have a hell of a lot more confidence in you than I do in anyone else I work with because I know you take care of your shit.”
“But I haven’t taken care of this, have I?” She shook her head. “This is my fault. I should have read that note before—”
“No, fuck that!” He lowered his voice and reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, but fuck that, Missy. Calvin should have told you what the terms were. He should have told you, and he shouldn’t have waited three years to do it. If you were my wife, I wouldn’t borrow a hundred grand from Mother Teresa without telling you.”
She squeezed his hand. “She was a nun. I’m pretty sure she didn’t have that kind of cash to loan out.”
“Missy—”
“My mom is threatening to cash in her retirement account.”
“And she will take a huge financial hit if she does that. Let me help you.”
She put a hand on her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. “Why are you doing this, Cary?”
He stood, took her wineglass, set it down, and drew her to her feet. Then he put his arms around her and held her close. “I’m doing this for all the reasons I said. I’m doing it because I’m your friend. Because you’re a good businesswoman and I trust you. And I want to help.”
She slid her arms around his waist and pressed herself into his body.
He kissed the top of her head. “And I’m also doing this because I love you, Miss Melissa Oxford. I want to make your life a little bit easier.”
She froze, but Cary kept swaying back and forth.
“You’re probably going to freak out that I said that, but let’s be honest, you already knew. I’ve loved you for years. I’ve wanted you for years.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Cary—”
“I don’t want you to say it back to me right now, because I’m a suspicious bastard and I’d probably think you were saying it to be nice, but I think you love me too.” He bent down and kissed her long and hard. “I think you love me, and I know I love you.”
She put her arm around his neck and drew his mouth to hers. Melissa kissed him long and slowly.
I love you, Miss Melissa Oxford.
I think you love me too.
Of course she did. That’s why everything was so scary. She drank from his mouth in long, slow sips as he spun her around and backed her to the bed.
“Were you finished with your wine?”
“Yes.” She unbuttoned his shirt at the neck. “You still need to tell me.”
“I love you.”
She couldn’t stop a smile from flashing across her face. “Not that.”
He frowned. “What?”
“You told me.” She kissed his chin. “Last week you said you knew what I needed.”
“Oh.” He pushed her back until her knees buckled and she sat on the bed. “Yes. I know what you need.”
“Which is?”
He hitched her up the bed, sliding her from the base all the way up to the pillows.
She gasped a little. “Damn, you’re strong.”
“I lift.”
She ran a hand over his shoulder, all the way down his arm. “Did you always?”
“No.” He lay next to her and cradled her face, taking her mouth before he reached for her thigh and drew it over his hip. “I started lifting when I started climbing. I needed to be stronger.”
“It worked.”
“Glad you like it.” He bit her bottom lip. “Now take off your shirt.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Melissa’s cheeks flushed and her fingers returned to the buttons on his shirt. “I thought I was taking yours off.”
“Leave it.” Cary shrugged her hands away and bent to her ear to whisper, “Didn’t I tell you that I know what you need?”
He could feel her confusion, along with more than a hint of anxiety, but he was hoping to wipe it all away. Wipe away the tension, the worry, the constant, constant pressure.
“Cary, I don’t understand what—”
“Do you trust me?”
She frowned. “Always.”
“Good.” He took her mouth in a hard kiss and unbuttoned her jeans. His hand spread wide and slid up her belly. He could feel the goose bumps on her skin. Her energy felt like a rubber band about to snap.
He released her mouth. “You are in charge of everything on your ranch, all the time, all year round. Am I right?”
“Yes.” Her voice was small.
“Then what I want you to do is take off your shirt. Do what I say. Don’t argue. Don’t think. Just take it off.”
Without another word, she rolled away from him and pulled it up and over her head.
Thank fuck.
“Toss it on the ground. Leave your bra on.”
She tossed it.
“Now your pants.”
She unzipped her pants and shimmied them down her legs with Cary’s help. He took his time after he’d thrown her clothes on the ground, stroking slow hands over her bare legs, teasing the sensitive skin around her thighs and the curve of her ass.
“I’m going to take your panties off.”
Goose bumps rose all over her body, and she released a deep breath. He could see her shoulders relax. Her abdomen went soft. The lines on her forehead smoothed out as she stopped thinking about what she was supposed to do and simply did what he asked.
Cary slid her panties down her legs and smoothed his hand up the inside of her thigh, spreading her legs as he lifted one so he could roll between them.
He kissed up her legs, going higher and higher. He slid his arms under her knees and pushed them up, opening her body to his gaze.
“You are so beautiful,” he said.
; “You too.” She breathed out. “Sorry. Little bit nervous. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, me too.” He kissed her once. Twice. “Let’s see if we can figure out what goes where, huh?”
Her nervous laugh turned into a moan. Then she was panting, gripping his hair as he went down on her. He hummed in satisfaction, which just made her grip harder.
“Cary, Cary, Cary…”
She didn’t say anything intelligible, just his name, and when she came, she didn’t say anything at all.
He stood while she was still breathing hard. A light sheen of sweat covered her skin, making her glow in the low light from the bedside table. She watched him silently as he took off his shirt. His pants. He stripped down to his skin before he joined her back in bed, lying next to her, skin to skin.
“Hey.” He traced a finger around her lips.
“Hey.” She slid her fingers into his hair. “Have I mentioned I love your hair?”
“Yes.” He spread hers across the pillow, a golden-brown waterfall on his ice-white sheets. “I love yours too. You never wear it down.”
“It’s long. Usually a braid is easier when I’m working.”
“Keep it down when we’re in bed.”
“Okay.” Her cheeks turned pink again. So did her breasts. Cary put his head down and tasted each one.
“Cary.” She was squirming underneath him.
“Stay still.”
Melissa fell motionless, and he felt the tension drain out of her again. He lifted her upper body to his mouth and tasted every inch of it. Her neck. Her breasts. Her belly. He was hard as a rock, but he didn’t want to miss an inch.
“Do you have condoms?” she whispered.
He came up to kiss her mouth and laid her back on the pillows. “Yes.”
She smiled. “Good.”
Cary reached for the drawer in his bedside table, opened it, and grabbed one. Then he ripped it open with his teeth and rolled the condom on, all while teasing her breasts with his other hand.
“I love the size of them,” he muttered.
“They’re small.”
“They’re perfect.” He tasted them again. “And they’re so sensitive.”
She was twisting beneath him, but it wasn’t nerves. It was need. Cary knelt between her legs and lowered his body, pressing his chest to her breasts. Her fingers ran over his shoulders and down his arms.
“So strong.”
“Mm-hmm.” He nudged her legs open. “Melissa.”
She looked into his eyes. “Yes.”
“Keep looking at me.”
She nodded and Cary slowly slid inside, keeping their eyes locked together.
He let out a guttural breath.
Yes.
Finally.
Tears came to her eyes, and a soft smile spread over her face. “I really love you, Cary.”
He felt like his heart would burst out of his chest. “Love you, Missy.”
He saw it in her eyes. He saw everything. He lay completely still within her, letting her get used to the feel of him. He stroked her cheek, kissed her mouth.
When he felt her start to move, he reached down and gripped her leg. “Put your legs around me.”
She wrapped her legs around his hips, changing the angle and letting him go deeper. They groaned in unison as he began to move.
“Wrap those legs tight.” He bit his lip and thrust. “You are so fucking sexy.”
“Oh… Cary.” Her voice was high and needy.
“Are you going to come?”
“I already did but…”
The wave of climax was going to hit him faster than he wanted, but there was no stopping it. A few more minutes. A few more rough commands, and he was there.
Cary came in a heady rush of pleasure, clasped between Melissa’s legs, her name on his lips. Before she could catch her breath, he slid down. “Lift your hips.”
She arched up, he hooked her legs over his shoulders, and he put his mouth on her again, flipping her into a second climax within minutes.
He held her quaking body, enjoying the way her muscles tensed and relaxed. The look of euphoria on her face.
“Come here.” Her eyes were closed, but she was reaching for him.
“Let me…” He set her down, turned, got rid of the condom before he lifted the sheets on the bed and slid next to her. “Missy.”
“Hmm?”
He smiled at how exhausted she was. “Slide under the covers before you fall asleep.”
“Oh. Right.” She scooted over, and Cary lifted the covers up. She moved back and he pulled the sheet over them as she nestled herself in his arms.
Cary kissed her temple, enjoying the heat of her skin against his. His whole body felt lit up. The only other time he’d ever felt this good was climbing a new mountain. His heart was racing; he felt light-headed with pleasure.
Melissa murmured. “Are you going to try ordering me around when we’re not in bed?”
His eyes were drooping. “Pretty sure doing that when you’re not naked will just result in more arguments than I want to deal with.”
“Yeah, probably.” She sighed. “I feel so relaxed. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.”
The low laugh rumbled in his chest. “I told you I knew what you needed.”
She looked up, her eyes narrowed. “Oh hey. This is the most relaxed I’ve seen you.”
Cary reached down and pinched her bottom. “Go to sleep. I want to do this again in the morning.”
They did do it again in the morning. By the time Cary was done with her, Melissa had come so many times he’d stopped counting.
Not really. It was seven. She came seven times. Mission accomplished. She was looser than he’d ever seen her.
He made her breakfast after they got up. He didn’t have a ton of food, but he could do eggs and toast. She managed to put away four eggs; clearly she was starving.
“I forgot to eat yesterday,” she said between bites.
“Did you eat lunch at all?” He dipped his toast in the egg yolk. “I know you didn’t eat much dinner.”
“I didn’t have time for lunch.”
He shook his head. “You need to not do that shit, Missy. You know it’s not good for you.”
“I had a granola bar.”
He reached for her purse and peeked inside. “Are there any left? You might eat all my food. I better take a couple.”
“Hey!” She grabbed her purse, laughing as she tugged it away. “You can’t just look through my purse.”
“I’m your boyfriend now. I can’t look through your purse?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “You’re my boyfriend?”
“You told me you love me. I better be your boyfriend.”
She wrinkled her nose, but she looked pleased. “Can we be boyfriend and girlfriend at our age? Aren’t we too old?”
“I don’t give a shit.” He gulped some coffee. He was out of milk, but luckily Melissa didn’t mind it black. “I’m not gonna call you my significant other. What does that even mean?”
“That you’re significant. And… other?”
“Exactly.” He took another bite of eggs. “I’m fine with being a boyfriend as long as I’m yours.”
She set her fork down. “Okay, seriously?”
He frowned. “What?”
“How are you so unintentionally romantic?”
“Am I?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “Cool.”
“Ox and Emmie are coming for dinner tonight. You should come.”
“Can I kiss you in front of your mom?”
She shook her head, but she was smiling. “Yes, you can kiss me in front of my mom. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
“Good.”
“I can’t wait for you to see the bunkhouse.”
He smiled. “Yeah, Brian said it turned out really well.”
“Did you call him and tell him to make time for me?”
�
��Yep.” He took a bite of toast and locked gazes with her. “You gonna argue with me about it?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Since he was booked through the fall, no.”
Cary grinned. “So, dinner tonight. What time and what can I bring?”
“Six o’clock and bring your muscles.” She grinned. “We’re scavenging in the barn.”
Oh joy.
Cary stood next to Ox, staring at the solid block of tangled furniture pushed into the storage closet of the barn.
“Good Lord,” Ox said.
“She said she wanted a dining set out of here and a bed for the bunkhouse. And there’s a coffee table too, but she wasn’t sure if it was here or in the attic.”
“I can’t see anything other than cobwebs.”
“You scared of spiders, Ox?”
“No, but I hate dust.”
Emmie and Melissa walked into the barn and Emmie’s eyes lit up. “Oooh! It’s like a treasure trove back here!”
“Right? Anytime we get new furniture for the house, we just put the old stuff out here. We never throw anything away.”
Ox said, “Why are you saying that like it’s a good thing?”
“Because there’s so much good stuff in there.”
Cary took a deep breath and elbowed Ox. “Okay. We’re doing this.”
Ox pulled a bandana from his back pocket and tied it over his mouth as Emmie and Melissa picked through the other storage areas in the barn.
“Man,” Ox said, “you are so whipped.”
“Yes, and?” Cary glanced at Emmie. “Aren’t you leading a middle school book club now?”
Ox’s face lit up. “Those kids crack me up.”
“Just… move your ass.” Cary started lifting pieces from the closet and setting them on the empty floor of the barn. All the while, Emmie and Melissa were talking a mile a minute about Ox and Emmie’s engagement—no surprise there—and plans to expand the second-floor apartment above the shop.
“I own the whole building, and right now Ethan and his dad are just using their second floor for storage. So I think if we lowered their rent a little, they’d let us use the space. We could just knock down the second-floor wall to expand the apartment.” Emmie’s smile was shy. “I mean, we love living over the shop, but…”
Grit: A Love Story on 7th and Main Page 20
