She’s just an innocent little girl. She doesn’t need to know how fucked up the word is.
And I’ll take anything to keep her safe. Anything.
Chapter 16
Emma
I’m giving Jenny another once over with the brush when my phone begins to ring. I take it out of my pocket and frown at it. I know what number. My lips twist as I consider whether or not to answer.
I step out of the stall and smile at Jenny and her little colt as I lock them in. With a quick touch of my thumb, I answer the phone, ready to deal with whatever is eating at Knight now.
“Emma?” It’s Olivia, and it sounds like she’s been crying.
“Hey, what’s up, girlie?” I ask, keeping my tone soothing and gentle as I talk to her. With slow steps, I begin to walk toward the house.
She makes a sound that I can only assume is a sob mixed with a cough and perhaps a hiccup that tells me she’s been crying her eyes out for a while. That’s the kind of stuffed up, icky feeling that comes with hours of uncontrollable crying. “Can I come live with you?” She asks, followed by the muffled sound of blowing her nose.
Oh, the poor thing. She sounds like she’s a mess, and I feel terribly for her. Whatever I have against her father, I can’t help but I do wish I could help his daughter. She’s young, and she needs positive influences in her life. And it looks like she’s turning to me to find one.
“Why would you want to live with me?” I ask kindly, wanting to really understand where this train of thought is coming from. I can’t help her if I don’t understand.
“Because dad hates me, and I hate him!” She sounds furious, and I puzzle over what could have happened.
I’d told dad I hated him at one point. Hell, I’d been about her age. He’d refused to let me go out with my friends to see some new movie I can’t even remember the title of now. It seems like a lifetime ago, and I’d give anything to go back to that night again to fix it. To see him again. To hear him parent me. He loved me. He cared. Even when it didn’t seem like it.
But now isn’t the time to try to explain that to this girl.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I tell her, thinking fast. “If you get permission from your dad, you can stay the night.” I hear her gasp in joy and quickly add the caveat. “But I’m going to make you work, hard. You’ll work like you would if you were my daughter. It’s not fun. It’s dirty, difficult, and you’ll be really sore.” Inside the house, I click on the kitchen light.
“Really?” she asks, and I’d swear she’s holding her breath on the other end of the phone.
“Yes,” I say, knowing I’ve got her attention. “Having a farm and horses isn’t easy. It’s a lot of work. It makes you sore and tired. There’s very little time for fun.”
“It seems like fun,” she says, sounding more than a little unsure of her choice now. “I have fun when I’m there.”
“And I have fun when you’re here, but there’s a lot more mucking stalls and cleaning hooves than riding horses,” I tell her, hoping the fresh memory of the work she’s been doing is enough to give her further pause.
“Okay,” she sounds doubtful.
“But,” I say, needing to give her a silver lining. “When you grow up, you can own your own farm. You could hire people to do the work you don’t like, and you could do the fun parts.” It’s a pipe dream, but hell, she’s a smart cookie. I don’t doubt she could find a way.
“Why don’t you do that?” she asks, and I stop, startled by her candor.
Unable to come up with a good reason, I answer honestly. “I’m not sure. Maybe I like working hard. It keeps me from getting bored.”
“Hmmm,” She says, clearly not buying it. So I quickly steer the conversation back to her.
“So are you coming out to stay the night?” I ask, praying I’ve talked her down as I walk up the stairs toward my room.
“I don’t think so,” She says, her voice lower. She sounds tired, and I feel bad for her.
“Why don’t you go get some rest,” I tell her, “I’ll do the same, then we’ll see each other tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” She sounds happier, and I feel an unexpected warmth rising up within me. We say our goodnights and hang up.
Is that what it would feel like to be a mom? Sure, it was a hurdle, but it wasn’t a bad one. Part of me wonders if I should call Knight and tell him what happened. But I also worry about getting her in trouble. No harm came of this, so there’s no reason to tell him, right? It’s not like she’s really running away.
If I actually thought there was a chance she still would, I’d tell him.
But there’s not.
Still, what would it be like to be a mom? Are there fires like that every day? I doubt it. Olivia seems very well mannered. She’s such a quick study and good girl, I find it hard to believe she’d be any kind of trouble. Something very bad must have happened to set her off tonight. Some silly fight between her and her father, no doubt. These things happen.
Knight seems like the kind of guy who’s quick to temper, anyway. He’s easy to fight with. I wonder if he’s that hot-headed in bed. What would it be like to be his wife? Would he be demanding?
I imagine he’s just a ruthless in bed as he is out. Someone that demanding in every facet of life has to be worse between the sheets. I wonder how he’d touch me. Judging by the glances he’s been throwing my way, the way he stares at me, he’s thought about it. Would he push me against something and just take me? Would he be forceful?
Excitement begins to bubble up within me and I run my hand down my chest. Under the thin shirt and confines of my sports bra, my nipple hardens and I let out a sigh and sink into my bed. With a little smile, I pull my shirt off and peel the bra off.
The warm summer air kisses my skin and I glance down at the delicate pink tips of my nipples. They’re quickly hardening to tight little pebbles. It’s such a sexy feeling to be sitting here, topless and brazen. My curtains are open. If we had any ranch hands, they’d surely be getting an eyeful now.
But I’m here, alone, with the thought of Kieran Knight’s icy blue eyes on me. If he were standing in the doorway right now, what would he do?
My imagination takes over as I swear I see him standing there.
“Take them off,” he’d whisper growl my direction, his blue eyes on my pants. Tucking my thumbs into the hips of my pants, I give into the fantasy. Whisking them down with little ceremony, I drop them beside the bed.
Giving a little spin, I catch sight of myself in my mirror. My cheeks are glowing pink and the tingle of excitement at my nudity rushes through me. Warmth tickles along my skin and I squeeze my eyes closed as a breeze kicks back the curtains and crashes over me. The sensation is almost too much and I drop back on my bed.
My fingers caress the gentle swell of my breasts, and I moan at the sheer pleasure. They feel warm and heavy in my hands, and tight from all the hours bound up in that damned sports bra. My whole body feels like it’s humming - glowing, even - and I enjoy the thought of him walking over to my bedside as he orders me to touch myself.
My fingers obligingly part the soft flesh of my pussy. The gentle graze of my fingertips on my clit brings a sharp moan to my lips. Still, I part the folds to really focus on that button of pleasure. I’m not in the mood to take my time.
I want this.
I need this.
Knight has been dominating my thoughts since he walked into my damn life. Might as well let him dominate this orgasm.
The thought brings every point of pleasure to life in me as I tease my clit. My free hand finds my nipple and I gently pull it, sparking a white-hot beam of pleasure straight to the heart of me. Fuck, this is amazing.
I imagine him parting my legs with his. He’s a powerful guy, I bet he’s fucking gorgeous under those clothes. Imagining him naked sends heat racing through every last inch of me. My heart slams so hard I feel faint as I imagine him covering me, lowering on my body like he fucking owns me. Because that’s the kind
of guy he is; the kind who owns his women.
My breaths come quicker as my fingers work my clit harder. There’s no mercy with him. He’d lower his head to sink his teeth into my neck. There’d be pain, but there’d be pleasure. I cry out, the sound hoarse as my hips begin to buck into my hand.
I bet he’d be quick to enter me, too. No slow, gentle, stare into my eyes all loving like bullshit. He’d push home, fill me completely, as if I’m not whole without him, like he’s doing me more of a favor than I’m doing for him.
The thought brings a yelp to my lips and pleasure pushes me forward to that peak I know is coming. It’s too fast. I never come fast. This is a half-hour process on the best of days.
But the thought of him over me, his blue eyes narrowed as he tells me to come all over his cock, brings me to the brink and I hover there, certain I’m facing total destruction.
“This is my pussy,” He’d growl, reminding me he owns me.
And I’d agree, for the moment. If he could finish me, I’d promise him anything. Anything.
“Mine,” he growl, before his teeth scratched my jaw, before they nipped at my lower lip, before he kissed my chin.
The world shatters as my body plunges over the brink. White dots dance behind my eyes as pleasure crashes over me. The pulsing of my body feels odd as the fantasy of him over me, filling me, fades away to the clarity that comes post orgasm.
I push it back, allowing myself the pleasure that continues to lap at me like waves on the beach. But the self-awareness pushes back.
I just brought myself to an all too quick orgasm thinking about Kieran Knight.
Chapter 17
Kieran
“Mr. Knight?”
I lift my head, staring at Nikki. “What?” I ask, wondering how long she’s been standing there, staring at me, talking to me while I zone out and try to bring myself out of this funk I’m feeling.
After the fight with Olivia yesterday and my continued failures with Emma, I’m feeling a bit beat. But instead of my usual push to destroy everything that pushes back against me, I just feel tired.
“The tenant is still there.” Nikki’s eyes are wide, and I sense she’s nervous. And she damn well should be. She’s delivering bad news. I fired the last woman who gave me bad news.
“Um, I’m wondering if Sally is really fired, or if...” she trails off, staring at me.
“She’s fired. Want to join her?” I snap. Instantly Nikki snaps to attention.
Her look changes, and I see it for what it is. “I’d do anything not to get fired,” she whispers, her tone silken. “Anything.” Her voice becomes almost a purr, and I look at her. Before I can do something I will regret, I order her out of my office.
I hate you! Olivia’s voice rings in my ears.
And my father speaks up. You’re just a shitty excuse for a man.
Angry, I get to my feet and grab the file on my desk. I’m a half a heartbeat from throwing it across the room when a sheet of paper with post it notes stuck to it flutters free and lands face down on my desk.
Startled out of my rage, I drop the file on my desk and pick up the sheet, feeling the will to live drain right out of me with every passing second.
Each post it note is marked with a single name.
Cami.
And a time.
8am. No message.
Cami 9:15am. No message.
Cami 10:10am. No message.
Cami 11am. No message.
Cami 12:35. No message.
Cami 1:42. No message.
Cami 2:08. No message
My heart sinks to my toes.
She knows where I am. She knows I’m here, that I’m getting this log. She knows what she’s doing.
My cell rings and I jolt. Hating myself for being so jumpy, I answer it.
“Mr. Knight?” The voice is vaguely familiar.
“Speaking.”
“Hello, this is Linda with the school. Olivia isn’t here and I was wondering if you kept her home for a sick day.” She sounds worried, but I’ve been having so many problems with the school, I’d rather not have more.
“Let me check with her nanny,” I say, keeping the panic I feel from my voice. “I’ll call you back.” As soon as my finger is on the end button, I’m out the door.
The drive home is a blur.
I pull up in front of the house and see Beau, the bodyguard, outside. He nods at me, a sign that all’s well, but I breeze past and into the house.
“Sandy!” I shout, “Olivia!”
“Kieran, what’s gotten into you?” Sandy asks, her face white as she appears from the kitchen.
“Where’s Olivia?” I ask, and she tries to quiet me down.
“She’s sleeping! She was up half the night crying!” Sandy follows me, fluttering her hands as I rush toward Olivia’s room. I burst in the door and see her peacefully in bed, headphones in her ears. The rise and fall of her chest tells me she’s sleeping and relief floods me.
With quick steps, I make my way to her side. Taking the place beside her, I curl up against her, smiling as her dark hair tickles my nose. The panicked fear of having possibly lost her sends my heart into a drumbeat of war, and I take deep breaths. She’s here. That’s all that matters. I haven’t lost her. She’s here.
Gathering her into my arms, I feel her sleeping body snuggle into me as I hold her. I can’t imagine losing her. It would destroy me.
When I’m finally calm, I leave her room. As I close the door I see her settle, her breathing deepening as sleep takes her under the level of dreams. I turn to Sandy, who’s still watching me, her face white as a sheet.
She thinks she’s about to get fired.
Good. She fucking should be.
I lean in, snarling as I speak. “If you ever pull her out of school without telling me again, you’ll be out on your ass, hear me?”
She nods so quickly she looks like a cartoon character. She hurries off and I pull the phone from my pocket. I call the school. “Yeah, the nanny kept her home. She wasn’t feeling well,” I tell them. I’m met with understanding and an apology for causing me concern.
I hang up and stand in the hallway, feeling so utterly alone and broken.
* * *
The ride to Emma’s ranch is quiet. Olivia ignores me, despite my attempts to get her to open up and talk to me. But she hasn’t forgiven me for last night’s fight. Which is fine. I get it. She’s pissed, still.
But when we pull up in front of the farm house, it’s a relief.
Olivia gets out and slams the truck door before I even shut off the engine.
I follow her out, and glance up at an open window on the second story of the house. Sheer curtains billow out of the window, and I catch sight of Emma closing the bedroom door. There’s a little curve to her lips and a pink tinge to her cheeks that’s enough to get me rock hard in an instant.
She opens the front door and asks me where Olivia is. “She headed to the barn,” I tell her, needing to let her know Olivia’s having a rough day. “Listen, she’s upset. Take it easy on her,” I say, and Emma halts, her gaze on mine.
“Why?” she asks, her stare serious.
“Because she’s upset.” I’m speaking fucking English, right?
A smile flashes across her face as she studies me. “All the more reason to go harder on her. Mr. Knight, life isn’t easy on us when we’re having a bad day. Hell,” she says, and I lift my eyebrows that she’s cursing in front of me, “Life likes to fuck us harder when we’re upset.” She turns and heads toward the barn, a sexy sway to her hips.
“Don’t talk like that around her,” I say, and Emma glances over her shoulder at me with a sultry stare that sends every thought attempting to process below the belt.
Fuck, she’s clearly had a change of heart.
That, or she’s thinking with something south of her heart. I’ll take it. I’ve been wanting to take her anyway. A rough tumble with a sexy woman, especially one who’s been so hell bent on fucking up eve
ry plan I put in place, would do wonders for my moral.
I’ve earned some god damned stress relief.
Chapter 18
Emma
Walking away from Kieran is an amazing feeling. Knowing he’s staring at my ass only intensifies my pleasure. Fuck, after last night’s incredible orgasm, all I can think about is how amazing the real thing would be.
And I can see it in his eyes; he’s thinking about it too.
But I’ve got a job to deal with. No naughtiness in front of Olivia.
I find her at the barn, watching Jenny and her colt. She ignores me for a moment, then speaks up. “I was going to start mucking out Dreamer’s stall but I wanted to make sure that’s what we’re doing today.”
“Yep!” I tell her, keeping my voice cheerful. She nods and get to it. I watch her, but I’m confident she knows what she’s doing.
And I realize it’s a good idea for her to know that too. “Hey,” I ask, and she stops and looks up at me. Those blue eyes of hers are as serious as her father’s and it breaks my heart. “Mind if I go put Jenny out to pasture while you work? I mean, you’ve got this.”
And I see it; the small start of a smile curving the corners of her lips. She dips her head in an obvious agreement and I snap a lead on Jenny. With light feet and a warm heart, I walk her out to the pasture, her little colt following. When she’s out to pasture, I walk back toward the house, wondering where I’d lost Kieran at. He hadn’t come out to the barn, and I know he’d followed me part way.
Around the side of the house, I feel a hand grab my arm and I’m pulled hard against his chest. His hands lock on my arms and he turns me and presses my back to the side of the house. His lips meet mine, demanding and savage, like a starving man.
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