by Ally Prince
I took a moment to compose myself before I pulled open the door and stepped in. The hall was short, two doors on the left side before the hall turned a corner ending my view. I turned to the left about to knock when the door flew open.
All six foot plus of Nick filled the space. His beard looking paler in the light and his green eyes really shined. He was a fine man.
“Kitten,” he greeted me a small smirk tugging on his lips. Lips I had tasted and wanted to taste again.
But that was not the only reason I was there.
With his hands braced on either side of the doorway he looked huge, his blue shirt pulled tight across the chest.
“Want to come inside?” The way he softly spoke had a shiver running down my spine. I was about to enter the lion’s den and who knew if I would ever be the same again. He moved back and let me enter the office. It was large and rather messy, but it obviously served its purpose.
The door shut behind me and the clink of the lock filled my stomach with butterflies.
“What can I do ya for?” Large hands slipped around my waist and tugged me back against a solid wall of warm chest. I inhaled, soaking in his aftershave and whatever else he was putting out that was intoxicating. I closed my eyes as his large hands slowly drifted up. I had a moment in time where I could have fled but I stood there and let him touch me. His hands engulfed my breasts and kept on their way up crossing over and pulling my shoulders back against him. He dropped his head to my shoulder, his beard on the side of my face.
“I found you.” That was not what I wanted to say. I had something to tell him and it wasn’t that I came here for sex.
“I see that. Want to find out what it’s like to be with a real man?”
Yes, I did. I nodded and let my head fall to the side a little. He rubbed his beard some more and a small moan escaped me.
“You’re pretty darn sensitive, Kitten. I’m going to drive you wild.” He nipped at my ear before turning his mouth to my neck and holy fudge. My body hummed from head to toe. Gooseflesh took over, and I had to rub my thighs together. His lips and tongue laved at my neck—I’d never experienced anything like it. He moved his arms behind me, his hands scooped up my hair and he held it while his mouth did wicked, wicked things to my neck. I was a puddle of goo. The contrast of his rough beard and the tenderness of his lips was nearly overwhelming. My body began to climb, and he hadn’t even touched a good part yet. The man had skills.
He ground his hard length against my behind and a shiver overtook my body. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anyone. He would ruin me for all others and right now that was a risk I was willing to take.
A loud knock on the door had both of us freezing. His warm breath huffed against the damp skin of my neck. Another knock.
“Fuck it,” he whispered out before dropping my hair and stepping back from me. “Sorry, Kitten.”
“That’s okay. I came here to tell you something, anyway.” I gathered myself, straightening my clothes and hair before turning to face him. Man, he was fine. My eyes quickly raked over him and I shot the door a glare, he chuckled.
“I’m feelin’ ya, Kitten. Give me your cell.” I handed it over without a thought.
“Thomas Sanderson?” I swallowed as I took my cell from him and stuffed it back in my pocket. Nick’s thick brows scrunched a little, someone knocked again. Nick took a few paces to the door opened and told them, “A minute,” before slamming it in their face.
“How do you know him?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his stance defensive.
“I don’t, but my father does.”
“Thanks, Kitten. I gotta go.” He thumbed over his shoulder and gave his groin a hard rub. “I’ll call you later and we can pick this back up.”
I managed a nod, he offered a wink before he was out the door leaving me in his office.
Nick
I could not tell you the last time I wanted to call a girl. Most of the time I kept myself busy on the ranch. I liked what I did, so work was never really something I dreaded, which according to my parents was a bad thing because I was going to pass on by the best thing that ever happened to me. My last two girlfriends were not the best, Mom just wanted grandies one day soon. And maybe because Annabelle, my sister, came home last summer with a girlfriend, I might be her only option for a while. Kids had never been up there on my list of things to do, though. I still had a few years before I worried about being too old. I’d say for me forty would be the cutoff point, so I had five years. A lot could happen in five years.
I wanted to stay here on the ranch, and the women I’d marry would need to want this too. Straight out of high school I started work on this ranch. It belonged to my mom’s parents at the time. Mom had married an estate agent and liked the town. When Pa got sick at the ripe old age of seventy-five, he offered Red Oak Ranch to me for half of what it was worth. I might have been just twenty-two and some considered me ripe, but I took that opportunity and I’d nearly finished paying for the place. Come next summer I’d proudly say I was a ranch owner.
I remember my friends at the time thinking I was mad. They didn’t understand why I would tie myself to a place when I was so young. Half of them left for college only to come back, the rest were struggling in the real world. I think I had it pretty easy here.
I hadn’t thought I was lonely until tonight.
The house felt a little colder than normal and I wanted some bright blue eyes to look into. That had me picking up my cell and dialing the number I’d put in there earlier today. I wasn’t sure what my intentions were, I liked the sound of her voice and hearing it about now would be nice.
Men didn’t use a word like nice, yet here I was. Go figure.
“Hey, handsome,” she answered, humor clear in her voice.
“Hey, Kitten.” Okay, I may have added my name as handsome, but it was worth it. “What are you doing on this cold ass night?” I finished turning off all the lights and was making my way to my bedroom.
“I’m not sure we’re up for this conversation yet.” What was that in her voice? It piqued my interest straight away.
“Oh, now you have to tell me.”
“Uh-uh.”
“My mind is going wild with mostly dirty thoughts of you, Kitten. If you want to talk me down, now’s the chance.” She exhaled loudly down the line, a rustling sound landed in my ears and then I heard it.
Water.
“Kitten,” I kind of growled because, fuck.
“Yeah…” Her answer was low and breathy.
“Are you by any chance… naked?”
She made a non-committal sound and in two seconds I had a raging hard-on begging for attention. This conversation was about to take a turn, and I needed to see if my Kitten was on the same page.
“What if I told you I was naked as well?” She made a small splash, but it didn’t cover her groan.
“Nick?” Her voice now husky in my ear, and it delivered a sensational shiver down my spine. I rid myself of my clothes as quick as I could.
“It’s just between me and you, Kitten. Whatever you want.” I needed her to feel safe, and I wanted her to trust in me to get her off, but mostly I think she required reassurance. “Would you like me to touch you? Like my lips to suck on those wet nipples? Run my beard between your thighs?” I gripped my dick tightly and held it. I needed her for this, I wasn’t going to be jackin’ alone, not this time.
“Yes,” she sighed out.
“What else, Kitten?”
“Will you touch me… down there?” I smiled to myself, I bet she was blushing.
“Want me to tell you what I’ll do? But I need you to do it for me until I can get my hands on that sweet body.” Her groan was long and low, and my dick jerked in my hand. “Slide your hands over your tits for me. Get those nipples nice and hard. Tug on them.”
I had to put my cell on speaker and rested it on my chest. Spreading my legs a little I got comfy, but I needed to go slow because I was all kinds of worked up at the
moment. The thought of her naked was nearly enough to make me blow.
“Are they hard for me?”
“So hard.” Kayla should think about being a phone sex operator if those were still a thing, that voice was velvety soft and washed over me. Nope, that voice was only for my ears.
“Now spread your legs a little. I want you to tell me what your pussy looks like.” I jerked hard on my dick, fluid glistening at the tip already.
“It’s trimmed, warm and now wet… not from the bath.” That was my girl.
“You wet for me, Kitten?”
“Mmm...” I pictured her fingers sliding through her folds, so I told her to do so and she moaned. “How can it feel this good when you aren’t even here?”
“I have talents, baby. Slip a finger inside and with the other hand rub at your clit for me. I want you coming in my ear, Kitten. I want to hear what I do to you.” My hand moved faster, and that tingling sensation began to build at the base of my spine. My toes curled, and she moaned.
“I want you inside me, doing this to me. I think I’m going to come.” She was panting now, I could hear the water lapping at the edges of the tub, good to know she wasn’t faking it.
“That’s it, Kitten. Let go with me.” My voice was strained, but I managed to get the words out.
“Nick. Oh God, oh God, oh God…” Then her words became a jumble, and I was coming all over myself. Thick jets landing on my stomach, I struggled for breath before relaxing as the euphoria settled over my tired body.
“You still there?” I made a small noise, she groaned. “It’s not going to be awkward now is it?”
“Kitten, the only thing that will be awkward, will be you getting your shoes off before I have your pants around your ankles. We are going to explore this, mark my words and I look forward to it.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too, baby. Me, too.”
We said our good nights, I cleaned up and for the first time in a while, I went to sleep with a bit more excitement as to what tomorrow might hold. I knew it would have Kayla in it somehow, I wasn’t sure where we were at yet, but this looked promising and I liked that thought a lot.
Chapter 4
Kayla
My foot had hit the top step of the office after locking the door when my father’s car pulled into the gravel lot. I sagged a little but hustled faster. If I could get to my car before he pulled up I’d fly out of here and in my mind, I would flip him the bird and spray him with gravel.
But the odds were not with me today. One foot hit the gravel when his voice boomed across the lot in my direction. I didn’t stop walking, I had my eyes locked onto my car. No, it wasn’t my car it was his, and I would be giving it back very shortly. I would drive a hundred-dollar junker if it meant not having another thing from him.
“I said, stop.” His voice was not to be messed with, but today I didn’t really care. Maybe it was the orgasm I’d had last night. I didn’t want to think about that around my father, I didn’t want him tainting what had happened. “Kayla, will you fucking listen to me?”
No. No, I wouldn’t. It might be because I had ignored his calls last night and this morning, or it might be because the guy was a complete and utter asshole. Probably the later.
Unexpectedly a hand gripped my sweater from behind and pulled hard. The collar cut into my neck and I gasped from the force. My hand lifted to my collar to ease the tension. I had to stop walking, what choice did I have?
“What the fuck are you hiding?” he growled in my ear before letting go of my sweater and giving me a little shove forward. My heels skidded on the gravel and I staggered before righting myself. “I tried to call you last night. I have to talk to you, it’s important.” The thing was, it was always important when he wanted to talk, and it usually meant he was setting me up with some dead-beat asshole whose father had a million dollars to spare. “It’s about your mother.”
That had my attention.
I didn’t live at home much to his disgust, I couldn’t handle seeing so much of him. Being witness to how cold he was with the woman he supposedly loved, that might have made me selfish for not sticking it out with her, but it hurt to watch, and it depressed me. I hate to think what it did to her. My garage apartment was perfect for now.
I slowly turned to face him, his smile growing as I did so. The asshole knew he had me. I would do anything for my mother.
“We really need to sit down and have a family meeting.” What was the point, though? He would yell, he wouldn’t listen to anything anyone else had to say and my mother would space out, perhaps because her orange juice contained vodka.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” My reply was cool and calm, but his face screwed up and he stepped in my direction.
“Since when do you get a say in this family?” he snarled, and I cocked a brow.
“My point exactly.”
“You are an ungrateful shit. I offer you the world and all you do is fuck it up.”
“The world?” I snarled, anger rising from deep within. “You offered me a guy who wants to beat the shit out of someone. You offered me a guy who was thirty years older than me. You offered to have my mother committed, so you don’t have to bother with her anymore. Where in all that is this world you speak of?” I panted a little, my heart racing so fast its drone filled my ears.
“Well, look what I have to work with. You’re as bad as your mother. I’ll be glad when I’m rid of both of you.”
That hurt my heart. Not for me but for my mother, I had no idea what she’d do or how she would take it.
“We don’t need you.” Those words were true, and I didn’t regret them one bit as they slipped out. I would take care of both of us, I could do that. I would open my shop and Mom would have a purpose too. I think she needed a purpose.
“Now, listen here…” He stepped closer, his face an angry shade of red. I had been face to face with him many times before, and I doubted that this would be my last. If I’d been paying attention and not focusing on watching his every move, I would have seen the dark truck pull into the lot. “Who’s going to pay for your classy clothes and maintain that fancy car of yours? Who is going to employ you in this town? No-one, once I tell people not to. It’s pretty simple, Kayla… I fucking own you.”
I was about to tell him that he hadn’t paid for my clothes in years, and his fancy car he could shove up his butt, but a deep voice that I’d grown fond of over the past few days joined in our lovely moment of family bonding.
“Well, if it isn’t our model citizen doing what he does best.” Nick’s deep voice sounded strained and tense. Turning in his direction, I took in the set of his shoulders and the hard lines of his face. The man was pissed. His eyes snapped to mine briefly as he quickly scanned me before turning them back on my father.
“I feel we’ve had this conversation before, Fairchild. Fuck off.” He had turned a little in Nick’s direction now, the rapid rise and fall of his chest visible. My father was an unfit man.
“I’m not here for you.” Oh, shit. I snapped my eyes back to Nick, I hoped he’d catch on to how wide and alarmed they were. Did he poke the sleeping bear? “I’m here for your daughter.” Yes, he fucking did.
“You leave my daughter alone.” Jonathan took a few steps in Nick’s direction before thinking better of it.
Even through his beard, I could see the wicked grin on Nick’s face, so I began to shake my head. He needed to stop.
“It’s a bit late for that.” What the hell did he think he was doing? I swallowed and decided I’d heard enough. I dug into my purse for my keys and took a few steps in the direction of my car.
“You’re fucking dead,” Dad hollered loudly, causing me to pause mid-step.
“No, you listen here Summer… I’m done with your shit. I am done with your scare tactics, and I’m done tiptoeing around you. From now on, if you bite, I bite back harder. Repercussions are coming your way, and I’m starting by taking the one thing you think
you can control. She is mine. You touch her, your shit touches her, and you will live to regret it.”
Moisture blurred my vision. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when anyone had stood up for me. Ever. And yet, at the same time, I wanted to throttle Nick. He had unknowingly made a bad situation worse, and I really hoped he was aware of what he’d gotten himself into because my father didn’t mess around. I shook myself out of my thoughts and headed for my car again.
“Kayla.” Nick’s voice reached me as my father bellowed at him not to talk to me.
“It’s okay. I’m going to go.” I pointed to my car.
Nick seemed to weigh it up, but he nodded. “Go to my place, or I will come looking for you.”
I closed my eyes briefly, Nick needed to zip it, pronto.
“If you do, it’s over, Kayla,” my father warned.
Fuck my life.
I mock saluted no-one in-particular and walked to my car. Later, I would decide whose balls needed frying, right now I just wanted a fucking coffee.
Nick
The drive from Summer Holdings to the ranch took about twenty minutes, give or take a few.
Yet, three hours later there was no fucking Kayla on my ranch.
I’d raced home expecting her at any moment, needing her to be here.
She had been treated like shit, and I could tell she was done, but I wanted her to be done here with me. That way she was within arm’s reach and I knew she was okay.
When my cell sprung to life, I answered it without even looking. If she had some lame excuse she was going to be in big trouble, and I was hunting her ass down.
“Where the hell are you?” I snapped down the line.
“Well, hello, sunshine… I don’t know why I bother anymore, no-one appreciates it when I call.” Harry Walker sounded mildly amused.
“Walker. Sorry.” I rubbed a hand over my short hair and looked down my drive yet again. Fuck.
