by K. C. Lynn
I swallow her gasp of surprise and groan at the sweet taste that floods my mouth. She threads her fingers in my hair and grips tightly, while her tongue matches my every desperate stroke. My cock pulses painfully, screaming to be inside of her, and when she grinds herself against it, I whimper like a fucking pussy.
Knowing I’m about to lose all self-control, I wrap my arm tighter around her waist and hold her against me until I get the door open. I don’t give her a chance to dispute what’s happening before tossing her in and slamming the door. I walk around the truck and hope like hell I can keep my dick in my pants long enough to get out what I need to.
*
Faith
After the door slams I sit stunned, and try to figure out what just happened. One minute I’m kissing the man I’ve been desperately aching for, then the next minute I’m tossed in his truck and have the door slammed in my face.
I’m still in shock that he’s finally back, and even more so that he was just in a church. I have been praying for this moment for the last two weeks. There is so much I want to say and so much I want to ask him, but right now none of it seems to matter. All that matters is feeling him and knowing that he’s really here, which is why, as soon as he opens the door and gets in, I launch myself at him. My knees straddle either side of his hips and I kiss him with desperation, showing him just how much I’ve missed him.
His deep growl resonates against my lips and everything falls away like it always does, leaving us to feel like we’re the only ones in the world. I grind down on his erection, his rough jeans sliding against the center of my wet panties, which has the dull ache between my legs reaching full intensity.
His hands grips my hips tightly, and halts my rhythm. “Fuck me, Red. You’ve got to stop, baby, before I end up ripping your panties off and fucking you right here.”
“Yes, do it,” I plead breathlessly. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
“Not here, baby.”
“Yes! Here and now.”
He groans in frustration then weaves his fingers in my hair, gripping the strands firmly, and forces my mouth away. I whimper in protest and try to fight against it.
“Goddamn it, Red, I need you to stop. I want to fuck you more than anything right now, but a bunch of people are about to come out of that church and your papa already wants to fucking shoot me as it is. And I’m pretty sure he will do it if he walks out to see me fucking your brains out.”
His words finally break through my sexual fog and I sigh in defeat. “All right, I guess my papa does kind of want to shoot you. He’s a little mad at you.”
He grunts. “Not a little mad, he is pissed, and I wouldn’t put it past him to pull his gun. So please don’t add to the list of things he already wants to shoot me for.”
I bite back a smile. “Don’t worry, Walker. He’s a God-fearing man, and he cares too much about securing a spot with the big guy up stairs.” I lean in and give him a gentle kiss. “Besides, I wouldn’t let him shoot you anyway… Well, maybe in the foot, but nowhere else.”
I giggle when he gives me his usual hard stare then press one more quick kiss to his lips before moving back over to my spot. I make sure to crawl across slowly and give him a show. I hear his growl before feeling the sharp sting of his hand on my ass. I bite my lip to stop from moaning, but it slips past anyway.
“Hurry up and put your fucking seatbelt on, Red,” he orders roughly, his voice sounding like sandpaper.
Just as I get in my seat and grab my seatbelt, he hits the gas. I rest my head back against the headrest and study his profile as he drives, scared to take my eyes off him for fear he’ll disappear and this won’t be real. Silence fills the truck for the first few minutes and I become plagued with so many questions, but I don’t know what to ask first. When we start to head out of town I decide to start with an easy one. “Where are we going?”
I try to keep my tone easy, but don’t succeed. He glances over at me and reaches for my hand before engulfing it in his own. “You’ll see soon, baby. We’re almost there.”
My curiosity piques, but it isn’t long before my question is answered and we pull up to an older Victorian-styled house just down the gravel road from Jaxson and Julia’s. It’s white with burgundy trim, and large, white pillars with a massive wrap-around porch that steals my breath. But what has my heart pounding in my chest is the big SOLD sign that’s staked in the front lawn.
I look back at Cade to see him looking nervous and unsure. “Cade, where are we?” I’m pretty sure I know the answer but I don’t want to get my hopes up and be wrong.
Instead of answering, he gets out of the truck and walks around to help me down. After slamming the door, he turns to me with his expression somber, and offers me his hand. “Walk with me, Red.”
I feel nervous as I place my hand in his and wonder what’s going on as he starts walking us across the large property toward a big, white and burgundy barn in the distance.
“I flew to Colorado and visited my sister’s grave for the first time.”
My gaze snaps to his and my heart twists at the pain in his expression. “I wish you would have told me. I could have come with you.”
He shakes his head. “It’s something I had to do myself, Red.”
I nod, because even though I wish I could have been there for him, I understand that he needed to do it alone. “And how did it go?” I ask softly, scared to hear his answer.
“It hurt like a motherfucker; it still does.”
His gruff voice has tears stinging my eyes and I wish more than anything I could take his pain away. “I’m so sorry,” I choke out lamely, knowing it means nothing.
When we reach the barn, he releases my hand and leans back against it. He shoves his hands in his pockets, and looks at the ground as he kicks the dirt. He looks like a vulnerable boy rather than the strong man I know he is.
“I’m not sure what hurt more—finally dealing with the fact that she’s dead and never coming back, or that I never went to see her before because it hurt too fucking much.”
Needing to touch him and offer some comfort, I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his waist. “She knows you love her, Cade.”
He expels a disbelieving breath and shakes his head. “How, Red? How would she know that? I never even let myself fucking think about her. I pretended she didn’t even fucking exist because it hurt too goddamn bad, it still fucking does, and I’m starting to fucking think it’s never going to go away.” He looks away from me when his voice cracks and his eyes brim with unshed tears.
My throat burns as I try to swallow back my own emotion so I can speak. “It’s going to hurt a lot right now because, even though she’s been gone a long time, you’re just starting to accept it.”
I watch his jaw clench as he struggles to hold in his pain, but no matter how hard he tries, a single tear slips past the corner of his eye. Despite my efforts to hold my tears at bay, his release causes my own spill down my cheeks.
I frame his face between my hands and force him to look at me. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting right now, but I promise, Cade, as time goes on it will get a little better. You’re always going to miss her and I’m sure it will always hurt, but not this much. It still hurts me to think about Aadil, but ever since you and the kids, it’s been getting better. You all have healed my heart in so many ways; let us do the same for you.”
He drops his forehead on mine. “That’s why I went. I knew I had to deal with her death, and I’m trying, but…” he pauses as he struggles through his emotion.
“What?” I ask softly.
“It’s the fucking guilt, Red. It’s been eating at me for twelve fucking years, and that’s the hardest part—trying to forgive myself.”
“Forgive yourself for what?” I ask confused, wondering what on earth he’s talking about.
“For not stopping it. For not making it in time. For…”
“Cade, no!” I interrupt, not being able to bear hearing him blame himself. “Non
e of what happened was your fault, you were just a child.”
“I was fucking fifteen.”
“Exactly! Look at Christopher, would you blame him?”
He grinds his teeth and my heart shatters at the agony etched on his face. “I fucking knew what kind of person my mother was, knew the guy was a fucking nut job, but I didn’t know he was ever alone with her, that he had been fucking with her.”
“Of course you didn’t know, because if you did you would have stopped it. What happened to her was your mother’s fault and his, not yours.” He shakes his head but I don’t let him protest. “Yes, Cade, listen to me. Your sister knows you love her, and she wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for any of this. I know we don’t view things in life the same but I really do believe she’s okay, and that she’s at peace.”
Something passes over his expression, something I can’t decipher. “Well, funny you should say that…”
“What?” I ask when he trails off. He steps back then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a long, wide, white ribbon. He passes it to me and I take it in confusion. “What is it?”
“It was my sister’s. At least I think it was…” He shakes his head. “Jesus. I don’t fucking know what to think, Faith.” I continue to stare at him, bewildered. “I was sitting at her grave for fucking hours, just sitting there while memories of her ran through my head; they were so clear I swear I could hear her fucking voice, as if she was right beside me. And then, all of a sudden, this thing came out of nowhere and landed right in my fucking hand.”
My eyes widen in shock and I feel a huge smile transform my face. “Oh my god, Cade, are you serious? That is amazing.”
“Amazing?” he repeats, as if I’m crazy. “Red, I just fucking told you my sister’s ribbon, that she used to wear in her hair, flew out of thin fucking air then landed in my hand, and you tell me this is fucking amazing?”
His brash tone does nothing to wipe the smile off my face. “Don’t you see? It was her telling you she sees you and that she’s at peace. Do you have any idea how many people would love to have someone, who they miss dearly, send them something as precious as this?”
He continues to stare at me like I’m crazy, but I also see the hope in his eyes. I know he wants to believe it, but instead he responds with a grunt. “You sound like your father.”
My smile dies and I immediately stiffen, wondering what that means. “My father?”
“Yeah, he said the same thing to me.”
Shock quickly replaces the anger I was just feeling. “You spoke to my father?”
He nods and I watch guilt pass over his expression. “I know I fucked up at Christopher’s birthday, Red, and he deserved an apology. I didn’t mean for our meeting to be like that, I just…I couldn’t seem to help it. All I could picture was that bastard hurting my sister, her bleeding and crying…” he trails off and clenches his jaw.
“My father is nothing like that horrible man, Cade,” I say sadly, hating that he could think that.
He steps closer and frames my face between his hands. “I know, baby. Some part of me even knew it at the time, but like I said, I couldn’t stop it from fucking with my head. And knowing that I almost lost you and Christopher because of it…” He shakes his head. “It’s why I went to her grave. I knew I had to deal with it if I wanted to keep you and the kids.”
I swallow thickly and try to focus on him through my blurry vision. “And is that what you want? Me and the kids?”
He cups the back of my neck and rests his forehead against mine. “I don’t just want you, Red, I fucking need you, more than my next fucking breath.” A small sob of relief escapes me, his words meaning so much to my broken heart. He kisses my tears and runs his lips across my wet cheek until his mouth reaches my ear. “Marry me.”
My heart completely stops and I back up to look at him. “Wha- what?”
He watches me earnestly, “I said, marry me. I know I don’t deserve you, baby, especially after what an asshole I was, but I fucking need you, Red, all three of you. And I promise I will love you the way you deserve, and spend every day trying to be worthy of you.”
I stare at him in utter shock, swearing this can’t be real right now. “I thought you didn’t believe in love?”
His sincere gaze never wavers from mine. “Yeah, well some redheaded country girl may have changed my mind.”
“May have?” I ask with a smile as I swipe at my wet cheeks.
He grabs my hips and pulls me against him. “You did change my mind. You made me realize I’m not so broken after all.”
My breath hitches with emotion. “You’re not broken, you’re perfect.”
“I’m nothing without you. Say yes, Red.”
“Yes Red.” I giggle when he glares at me in frustration, then fling myself at him and kiss the ever livin’ crap out of him.
He growls then wraps his arms tight around my waist and lifts me. “Is this a yes, baby?” he mumbles against my mouth.
“Mmmm. I’m still thinking about it,” I tease.
He grunts and drops me back to my feet. I’m just about to tell him I was kidding when he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. “Will this help you make up your mind?”
He opens the box and I gasp at the beautiful, red, pear-shaped diamond that sits on a platinum band with smaller white diamonds on either side of it. “Oh my god, you bought me a red diamond?” I didn’t even know such a thing existed. It must have cost him a fortune.
“Don’t get too excited, Red, I had them dye it this color. The real ones are rare and way out of price range, especially after the money I put down on this house.”
“So you did buy the house?” I ask, even though I guessed as much.
He nods. “I thought it could be a place for all of us to start new, together. It’s a big house with a lot of bedrooms; we can even make one into a music room for you and Christopher.”
“That’s a big purchase, Walker. What if I say no?” I ask, trying to keep a straight face.
“You won’t.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I won’t let you.”
I smile then step closer and grab the ring out of the box before putting it on my finger. “You’re right. I won’t say no, but not because you won’t let me, but because I love you with all of my heart.” Standing on my tiptoes, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Now kiss me, Walker, and don’t stop.”
“My fucking pleasure,” he growls seconds before lifting me off my feet again and slamming me against the barn. He takes my mouth in a powerful, searing kiss, one I will thankfully never have to live without again. I moan into his mouth and match him stroke for stroke. Before things can get too heated a noise sounds from inside the barn, one I can’t decipher.
I pause and look at him in bewilderment. “What the heck was that?”
“Nothing.”
As soon as the word leaves his mouth the sound happens again. I quirk a brow at him. “That is definitely something.”
He clears his throat, seeming nervous for some reason now. “I bought you something but I don’t want to give it to you anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s stupid.”
I smirk softly. “I’m sure it’s not. I have loved everything you’ve given me, so far.”
“No believe me, Red, this is dumb.”
Intrigued now, I push away from him and walk to the big, wooden doors. I glance back at him to see him looking more apprehensive. When the sound penetrates the hot, humid air again I open the barn doors, and gasp at the adorable brown calf that’s behind a wooden, gated stable. He’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. He has light brown hair, big brown eyes and even bigger ears. He tilts his head to one side and stares back at me, clearly wondering who I am.
Walking over, I kneel in front of him and run my hand through his soft, fine coat. “Well, hi there, aren’t you just the most precious thing ever.”
He releases another noise that
I wouldn’t quite call a moo, and rubs against my touch. My hand strokes down his neck, and hits the big brass bell around his neck. I lean in and see the word ‘Hank’ engraved on it.
I bust out laughing and turn back to see Cade standing at the door watching me carefully. “Are you serious, you bought me a cow named Hank?” I ask, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
“I told you it was stupid,” he mumbles, looking unsure of himself.
I shake my head, not believing the things this man has done for me. I’m surprised he remembered something so minor that I had shared with him over two years ago. I give Hank a kiss on the head before I stand up and make my way back toward Cade.
His gaze heats and roams down my body, spurring me to pick up speed and launch myself at him. He catches me with a grunt and I give him a big smooch on the cheek. “It’s not stupid. I love him and I love you with my whole heart.”
“I love you too, Red.”
I smile and know I will never tire of hearing him say that. Bringing my lips to his again, I kiss him slowly and thoroughly. “Make love to me, Walker,” I whisper against his lips.
“I fucking plan to, baby.”
He walks us over to the far corner of the barn where a bunch of hay bales are, and lays me down gently on the spread out hay. He comes down on top of me and trails his smooth, firm lips down the column of my throat while his hands waste no time slipping my thin straps down my shoulders. Sitting up on his knees, he tugs my dress down and all the way off, leaving me completely bare except for my white, lace panties and my cowgirl boots.
My nipples strain and beg for his touch, and the way his heated gaze roams over my body, I’d swear it was his hands. “Jesus, Red, you are fucking beautiful. Every perfect inch of you.”
His sweet and sincere words bring a soft smile to my lips. I’m just about to tell him how perfect I think he is too but trail off when he leans down and takes one of my tight, aching nipples into his mouth. Heat explodes through my body like a wild fire. “Oh god, Cade, that feels so good,” I moan and thread my fingers into his hair to bring him closer.
