by Vivian Wood
“All right,” the Colonel said, whistling. “All right! Everybody disperse back to where the came from!”
Jared Chalke came sidling up to Colt.
“Interesting that you found the boy,” he said, eyeing Colt. Colt knew he was up to no good, but he took the bait anyway.
“Interesting? Don’t you mean fortunate?” he asked, canting his head.
“Where’d you find him? Wouldn’t have been on your own land now, would it?”
Colt narrowed his eyes. He could sense that Jared was trying to lay a trap, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why.
“What does it matter where I found him?” he challenged.
Jared shrugged. “It doesn’t. I was just trying to figure out where you were. See, you were with someone whose well being I care about very deeply. I’m just making sure you weren’t taking advantage of her.”
He motioned to Rose with his eyes. A warning bell went off deep in Colt’s psyche, but he couldn’t stop himself. He grabbed Jared and slammed his back against the truck.
“What the fuck do you have to say about it? Huh?” Colt menaced, thumping Jared against the truck again.
“Whoa now,” Jared said, raising his hands. “I’m just inquiring after her well being. Making sure she’s undamaged, because I plan to have her again.”
“Fuck you,” Colt said, putting a forearm against Jared’s windpipe and leaning into his body.
Jared sputtered, but Colt’s father pulled him off.
“What’s going on?” the Colonel demanded to know.
“Your son seems to have some issue with me,” Jared said, touching his neck.
The Colonel gave them both a disgusted look. “I suggest you both go home.”
Jared smiled. “Of course. I’m not the one who attacked anybody.”
Colt stalked off to the driver’s side of his truck. He was more than glad to head back to town, away from Jared and his father.
When he headed to climb in his truck, though, it was Karen and Jack that got in the passenger seat.
“Take me home,” Karen said, zombie eyed.
“I brought Rose out here,” he said, uncertain of Karen’s motivations. “I need to make sure she gets home alright.”
He looked at her and sighed. He rolled down the window of his truck, calling to Rose.
“Can you ride with Shelby?” he asked. “I’ve got Karen and Jack.”
“Of course,” Rose said, although there might have been a flash of jealousy there. Maybe not…
“All right,” he said. “See you back in town.”
He pulled out onto the country roads, driving the way back silence. Jack was quiet in his mother’s arms, and she was slumped against the glass of the passenger’s side window.
When they got back to her house, Karen was slow to get out of the truck. He went around, reaching over Karen to get Jack.
He set the boy down, patting his back. “Go ahead inside, will you?”
Jack hugged his damaged leg, which made him feel strangely light. Jack ran off to the house, his blonde hair messy.
Colt turned to Karen, who was looking at him strangely.
“Karen… I think it’s time we talk about your situation,” he sighed.
“I like watching you with Jack.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He was not about to lose his temper on her, but a part of him wanted to. She was partially to blame for this situation, and now she was being purposefully oblique.
“Karen, we can find you somewhere to stay, or at least some babysitters, while you figure this thing with Jonas out,” he said, clenching his jaw.
Karen slid down from his truck, closer than what he’d expected. “You’d make a good replacement daddy, you know that?”
He stepped back, opened his mouth to disagree, but Karen was on him like a fly on honey. She clamped her mouth over his, her arms going around him as if they were locked in a passionate embrace. It took Colt a minute to break free without hurting her.
“Get off!” he said. “Seriously, Karen. What the fuck?”
She pulled a face, flipped him off, and strutted back to her house.
“Good riddance,” he muttered.
He turned, and caught sight of Rose fleeing through her gate. It took him a second to put it together.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered, following her. “Rose? Rose?”
But when he got to her yard, she was shutting the door.
“Rose! I didn’t ask for that!” he tried, knocking on her door. “Rose?”
The dogs were going nuts inside, but no amount of knocking would bring Rose to the door. He went back to his classic pickup and got in.
Great, he thought. It’s all fucked up now, and I didn’t even do anything.
After a half a minute of beating his steering wheel with his fists, he pulled the truck out and headed to Sawyer’s.
20
Rose finished putting office supplies in the closet at the clinic, then shut the door harder than was needed. She dusted off her lilac-print dress, wondering how she’d gotten so damned dusty.
She sighed.
It had been two days since she’d seen Colt and Karen together. She’d retreated to her quiet place, emotionally.
And truly, she had no idea how to come back. The trust she’d begun to find with Colt…
How was she supposed to be sure that he wouldn’t hurt her? Even if she didn’t think that he had done something with Karen… If she gave him any more, how the hell could she protect herself?
So she was at the clinic working out her anger and her helplessness by making sure everything was perfect. She was really, truly about to throw open the doors to the clinic tomorrow, hell or high water.
A knock sounded on the clinic’s open door.
Hell no, she thought, turning toward the door.
Colt, as if summoned by her internal dilemma, stepped inside, looking serious. His dark button up and jeans were crisp and clean; she thought that he’d dressed and showered just before he came.
Bastard, she thought, giving him the evil eye for being so damned attractive when she was upset with him.
“Thought I might find you here,” he drawled, his North Louisiana accent on full display.
“You found me,” she said flatly. “Now you can find your way out. If you don’t mind, I’m busy.”
“I do mind, as a matter of fact. You don’t have to do anything but stand there. Just let me talk. If you’re still angry when I’m done, I’ll leave,” he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest with a glare. If that’s what it would take to get him out of her hair, so be it.
“Fine. Two minutes,” she said, checking her watch.
He started to argue with her, then shook his head. He took a breath, then started.
“I like you,” he said. “I really like you. Okay?”
That was… unexpected. Rose shifted her feet.
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
“Karen kissed me. It took me a second to get her off. That’s all you saw. You can go and ask her, because I think she owes you that truth.”
She looked at the ground, thinking. Karen had been distraught the whole day together.
Colt had admitted to Rose that he’d dated Karen in high school. And Rose had run off before she saw… well, whatever.
Put two and two together…
The problem wasn’t Karen, exactly. The problem was trust. Her inability to trust any man was at fault here, and she knew it.
She bit her lip, tears welling up.
“Hey, hey,” he said, stepping closer. His hands were up, like he was going to fix what was wrong, somehow.
“Just— stop!” she cried, drawing her arms around herself. “It’s not you that’s the problem, okay? Even if what you say is true…”
“Rose,” Colt said, slowly reaching out until he lightly grasped her wrist. He was so gentle, so tender. She couldn’t claim to be startled by the fact that he pulled her close, i
nch by inch.
Tears threatened again.
“You don’t understand,” she said, weakly protesting. “You don’t get it.”
“Shh,” he said. “It’s okay. I promise.”
He brought her into the circle of his arms, and she let him. His embrace was wonderfully warm and so comfortable.
Which actually made her start to cry. She sobbed loudly as he held her, thinking how nice it was to feel something… new. Thinking how it was probably the first and the last time he held her, because look at how she was behaving.
She hated herself in that moment, something she had promised herself she wouldn’t feel after the rape. She hated that she was like this, that she was so scared, that she would push away a really nice guy because…
She stopped that thought in its tracks. The only thing keeping her from seeing Colt was herself. And she had control of that, didn’t she?
“I’m sorry,” she said, her sobs finally receding to hiccups. She was still nestled in his arms. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”
“It’s okay,” he said into her hair, almost absentmindedly.
She wiped at her cheeks, pulling back an inch. She gathered all her courage.
“I like you, too,” she said, wiping at her eyes.
“No kidding.”
“Ha ha,” she said. “You’re very funny.”
“Well, it’s either that or you’re crying in my arms because you’re genuinely terrified of me,” he said, raising his brows. “I choose not to believe that, though.”
Rose gave a watery laugh. “I guess not.”
“You’d better not be,” he threatened.
She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
“So what now?” she asked.
Colt’s eyes dropped to her lips. For a second, she thought that he was going to kiss her, but instead he released her.
“I don’t know what your issues are,” he said, holding up a hand when she would have interrupted. “And I don’t care. But I think we have something worth exploring, physically.”
She bit her lip again, hesitant. “I agree.”
“I also think you need to relax, and you need to be in control,” he said. “So… I’m thinking you and I take a drive.”
“A drive?” she said, exasperated.
“Yeah. Just… out to the wilderness. We get out, find a place to lay down a blanket…”
Her breath slowed as she waited for him to finish. When he didn’t, she could have hit him.
“And then what?” she said.
“Whatever you want. I’ll do anything you want, or… just, whatever.”
Rose looked up at him, at the intensity on his face. He wanted this, wanted to unlock her. She could see it written there, plain enough.
All she had to do was say yes.
She closed her eyes. “Okay.”
“Yes?”
The insistence in his voice made her open her eyes again. “Yes. Right now.”
A grin played across his lips. He brought her knuckles to his lips, brushing a kiss across them.
“As the lady wishes,” he said, bowing. “My truck is right outside.”
Just the mention of his truck ratcheted up her heartbeat, now that there was this new sexual element. She nodded.
“Let me lock up,” she said.
He stepped out of the doorway, and she locked the clinic doors. She noticed her hands faintly shaking as she took them off the handle, but she steeled herself.
There were a thousand things unsaid between her and Colt, but this… after all he’s done, she could show him a little trust, couldn’t she?
Rose turned and walked toward the truck. Colt was waiting for her, and opened her door. She smiled at that.
She thanked him and got in, and he closed the door behind her. He got in the driver’s side, then looked over at her.
“I want to go somewhere I’ve never been,” he said. “Somewhere we can both start fresh.”
She nodded slowly. “Good idea.”
“All right. Let’s follow the river, then. See where it takes us,” he said, starting the truck and backing it out.
He put the truck in drive, and headed out toward the river. She was quiet as they rode along, looking nervously out the window at the passing scenery.
He was silent too, she noticed, his thoughts focused inward as he drove. She turned on the radio, to ease the tension growing in the space between them.
Colt turned off the paved roads, onto a smaller gravel lane. “I’ve never been out here.”
“No?” she asked, her heart thumping.
“No. I know that the river feeds into a lake out here, though. I thought, you know… it might be good scenery.”
She looked at him with a smile.
“Good scenery?”
He didn’t take the bait, bringing his truck to a stop. She looked out the window to see that they were indeed by a lake. The truck sat on a sloping ridge, which gracefully angled down a quarter of a mile to meet the water.
It was beautiful, that was for sure. Pure Louisiana wilds, with the sun beaming gently down upon it. She saw the perfect spot to spread out a blanket, a flat grassy area that was relatively high and close to them.
She climbed out of the truck, feeling a prickle of self-consciousness. He was busy digging a backpack out of the truck, and several bottles of water.
Rose walked out to the point where the ground began to slope down. She heard his truck door slam, and seconds later she felt him just behind her.
She looked at him, anxious. He gave her a lopsided smile; she got the feeling he was nervous, too.
He reached out and took her hand, wrapping it in his larger one.
“Ready?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
She couldn’t speak, so she just squeezed back and nodded.
“Lead the way,” he suggested.
She walked down the gentle slope, to the place she’d spied that would be suitable.
“Here?” he asked when she stopped, releasing her hand and putting the backpack down.
She only nodded. She felt herself sweating, though it wasn’t hot. It must be nerves.
He unzipped the backpack, producing a big thick blanket. He spread in out on the ground, working quickly.
“Voila,” he said, holding out his hand. “And…” he dug in the backpack again. “Wine.”
“Really?”she said.
“Really. Now sit,” he instructed.
She sat, arranging her dress around herself. She slipped her shoes off, put them aside. He produced a bottle of red wine, and sat beside her. He was almost touching her, his knee a hair’s breadth from her own.
“No glasses. Sorry,” he said. “And it’s the kind of wine with a screw top.”
He unscrewed it, took a sip. “Actually pretty good. Would you like some?”
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the bottle and taking a tentative sip. It was good, the flavor of cherries and sweet berries heavy on her tongue. “Mmmm.”
His mouth kicked up into a smile. He leaned back, resting on his hands. “Yeah?”
She looked at him, his dark hair sexily mussed. She took in his muscular body, his dark shirt rolled up to show off his forearms. It made her blush, made her body tingle with awareness.
She was here with this gorgeous man, for the express purpose of finding her pleasure. It made her feel bold… and naughty.
“Whatever I want, right?” she said, trailing her hand down Colt’s forearm.
He bit his lip, the movement one of the sexiest things Rose had ever seen. He nodded silently, almost shy.
She leaned in close, cupping his jaw with a hand. She heard his sharp intake of breath; he wanted this as much as she did.
Rose kissed him, slow and deep. He tasted pleasantly of mint, teasing her tongue with his. She liked the way he kissed, warm and wet with just enough tongue.
She shivered as she imagined that tongue at work lower on her body, on her throbbing nipples and aching core.
She undid the buttons on his shirt slowly, pushing it off his shoulders. She ran her hands over the smooth mounds of muscle she uncovered, breaking the kiss to look at him.
He moved to finally touch her, brushing back the hair from her neck and planting teasing kisses there. She sighed at the feeling of it, her nipples hardening. She wanted him to touch her breast, but she knew he wouldn’t do it without her explicit instruction.
She grabbed his hand and moved it to her breast, groaning as he cupped it. He looked her in the eye as he gently pinched her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger.
She pulled her dress up around her hips and straddled him. He straightened his legs and his teeth worked at his bottom lip again, making a low noise when their hips met.
She felt powerful, like her touch was the thing turning him on, powering their attraction. She’d never felt that way before, not with anyone else.
“Can I take this off?” he husked, tugging at her dress.
She kissed him again, then nodded. He pulled the dress up over her head. She was left in a matching bra and panty set of light pink lace.
“God you’re beautiful,” he said, his eyes devouring her. “Jesus.”
He kissed every inch of skin he could reach, saving the breasts for last. He kissed the top of her breasts, then worshipped a stiff pink nipple with his tongue and teeth through the thin lace of her bra.
She moaned. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin. She felt like a live wire ran from her nipples straight to her core, threatening to burn her alive from the inside out.
Colt rocked her gently where she sat on top of him, and she picked up the motion with interest. She pressed herself down against him, gasping when she hit the right spot. Her clit throbbed as she rubbed her core back and forth.
He groaned, releasing her breast in favor of grabbing her hips. “Touch yourself,” he growled.
She blushed, but moved her hand down her abdomen, and underneath her panties.
“You’re so sexy, Rose,” he said, moving against her as she ground on him.
She slid two fingers against her clit, massaging gently. She was so slick with need, so wet. She closed her eyes, imagined his tongue moving against her, how it would make her toes curl.
