After the Rain (The Callahans)

by Jennifer Hayden

  She peeled back the top of his boxers, exposing him fully to her view. She’d never really looked at a man before. The idea had been too terrifying until now. “What do you want me to do?” She looked at him with question in her eyes.

  He reached for the hem of her pajama shorts and slowly slid them down her legs. Without giving herself time to think, she lowered herself over him. The thickness probed at her and she tensed, uncomfortably.

  “You’re going to have to relax, baby. This won’t work unless you do.” He pulled her close to him and whispered the words against her ear. Then his tongue moved over her skin again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank deeper onto him. He was inside her now, almost all the way. He breathed deeply against her skin and she let out a small moan. She’d never imagined anything feeling this good. The overwhelming tension she’d had at first, quickly disappeared and instinctively she began to move over him.

  “That’s right, baby. You’re doing good.” He grasped her hips with his hands, helping her with the up and down motion. “You feel so good.”

  She leaned down and let her forehead rest against his, her breath coming in pants. “I think I might be ready to…..”

  “Go ahead. I’m with you.”

  She shut her eyes and let the sensations take over her body. It took only seconds for her to fly over the edge. His mouth smothered her moans at the last minute as his own release quickly followed.

  She stopped moving, her body limp. She avoided his gaze, unsure what to do now. Should she get off of him and move away?

  “Don’t tense up on me now.”

  She lifted her head from his neck. He was smiling and his smile was contagious. She felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

  “We might have woken someone.” He reached forward and ran a hand through her now sweaty hair.

  She had thought she’d been quiet enough. But in the end, she’d lost all sense of reality.

  “Hey.” He leaned forward and snagged her wrist before she could climb off of him. “Don’t worry about them. They’re all sound sleepers. I was just kidding. Trust me, no one heard a thing.”

  They shouldn’t have done this here in the house. And they wouldn’t have, had his ex-wife not been staying in his house. “What about Shayna?” she finally forced herself to ask.

  “I told you last night, she’s leaving today.”

  “Trey, she called you for a reason.”

  His expression darkened. “Like I said, there’s no chance for Shayna and me. It’s been over for six years. Longer even.” He let go of her wrist and allowed her to slide off him before he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his jeans.

  “I’m not trying to make you mad.” She watched him yank up his jeans, not bothering to button them.

  “You’re not making me mad,” he said, sighing. “I don’t want her here any more than you do. Trust me on that. I couldn’t turn my back on her. This guy she married is violent. Even if I wanted to, my badge keeps me from turning away from a situation like that. She’s got kids.”

  “I know, you told me.” Kylie watched him disappear into the bathroom. While he was gone, she got up and straightened the bed up. By the time the bed was made, he was back in the room, reaching for his boots. He sat down and shoved his foot into one.

  “I do trust you,” she finally said, walking over and standing in front of him. She didn’t know why she was being so shy around him after the intimacy they had just shared.

  He was quiet a moment, then he let his booted foot drop to the ground and looked up at her. “I’m sorry she showed up to complicate things right now, Kylie. I like you…a lot.” He reached for her hand and tugged her toward him. She let herself slide easily into his lap.

  “We’ve moved a little fast here and that’s making this more complicated. Not because of Shayna, but because you don’t even know how long you’re staying here.”

  He had a point. “Obviously, I don’t take things like this lightly,” was all she could say.

  “Neither do I,” he replied, squeezing her hands. “I can’t make any promises just yet and neither can you. But I can tell you I’m interested in seeing where we go here. What about you?”

  “I haven’t been able to do this with anyone else, Trey.” She figured those words spoke volumes.

  He was quiet a long moment, his eyes studying hers carefully. “I get that. But you’re not staying here permanently, are you? You’re going back to Montana.”

  She didn’t know what she wanted to do anymore. She knew she was happy here. She knew she hadn’t been this happy in a long time. But she wasn’t sure she could walk away from her life in Montana either. She had a job she loved there. Friends. Family.

  “We don’t need to make life changing decisions right now, Kyle. Let’s just have a little fun here and see where it goes, okay? I’m willing to overlook the fact that you might be leaving in a few weeks, if you are. We deal with that when the time comes.”

  She figured that was fair enough. “Okay. Like a vacation romance.” She grinned halfway. “I never thought I would have one of those.”

  “There’s a first time for everything.” He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth, and then pushed her gently over onto the bed so he could grab his boot and finish dressing. “I need to get going. I have to get to work.”

  “Will I see you later?” She tried not to sound needy but she figured she failed.

  “I’m not sure of my schedule today. Depends on what unfolds.” He stood. “I’ll call you later.”

  She nodded and watched him go. When the door shut behind him, she leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, unable to stop the smile from appearing on her face.

  15

  By the time Kylie made her way downstairs, it was after nine. The entire family was bustling around the kitchen, preparing to leave for their workday. Kylie grabbed herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter watching them. Dusty and Faye were talking back and forth about some wedding issue or another. Joey was wolfing down a pile of pancakes and eggs as if there was no tomorrow. No one stopped what they were doing to acknowledge her. This was weird. Maybe they were all sound sleepers and hadn’t even known she and Trey had spent the night together.

  “Pete called,” Joey finally said, looking up from his breakfast. “He said the part he needs for your jeep should be in today.”

  “That’s good news.” She smiled. It would be nice to have her own transportation again.

  Suddenly the room grew quiet.

  “What?” she asked, looking from Joey to Faye, and then finally to Dusty.

  “You aren’t taking off, right?” Faye questioned, her brow furrowed. “Because you told me you would stick around for the wedding.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she said, suddenly feeling like she was missing something here.

  “I hope not. I need you. There are tons of details to go over. And we need to find you a dress. You are going to be my maid of honor aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am. What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m out,” Joey said, standing up and carrying his dishes to the sink, before heading for the back door. Dusty made his exit quickly as well.

  “Wow. I guess I’ve learned how to clear a room in an instant.” She took a large sip of coffee and waited for Faye to get out in the open, whatever was on her mind. She obviously had something to say.

  “Shayna was in the guesthouse. I saw her this morning. You know who she is, right?”

  So that was it. “Yes, I know who she is.”

  “You spent the night with him, didn’t you?”

  “I don’t think I want to talk about this right now.”

  “I don’t want to see either of you get hurt, Kylie. Don’t you think you’re rushing things a little?”

  Kylie frowned, now annoyed. “Rushing things? I am twenty-five years old, Faye. Twenty-five! This morning was the first time I’ve had consensual sex with a man. I d
on’t think that’s rushing things.”

  Faye swore. “You two hardly know each other.”

  “Excuse me? Not two days ago, you were trying to push us together. What happened to that?”

  Faye seemed to calm down a little, as though realizing Kylie was right. “Shayna wasn’t here then. And you weren’t sleeping with him.”

  “And you didn’t think I would, is that it? You figured he’d be just like Paul.”

  “I don’t know what I thought. I just know I’m worried about both of you.”

  “I’m a big girl, Faye. I can take care of myself.”

  “Can you?”

  Kylie frowned, setting her coffee cup down. “I’m not going to listen to any more of this. You sound like my mother, Faye. I came here to get away from that.”

  “She’s only concerned about you, Kylie. And so am I.”

  “I know, I know. You don’t want to see me get hurt. So why are you hurting me now?”

  “I’m not trying to. I know what you’ve been through and I want you to be happy.”

  “I am happy. I’m having fun, Faye. For the first time in my life, I am going to throw caution to the wind and just have a little fun. I’m sorry if you think I’m making a mistake.”

  Faye was quiet for a long time. “I don’t mean to baby you, Kylie. I just love you, that’s all. I’ve seen you hurt through your worst times. It’s hard for me to let that go.”

  “I love you too,” Kylie said, smiling halfway. “I’m a big girl now, Faye. I need to learn how to live life. That’s what you’re always telling me.”

  Faye smiled after a moment. “Trey is pretty hot.”

  Kylie couldn’t argue with that. “I like him…..A lot.”

  “I can see that. He obviously likes you too.”

  “You said Shayna was in the guesthouse. Have you seen her lately?”

  Faye frowned. “Not more than a glimpse. She and her kids piled into Trey’s rig and headed for the reservation.”

  So she was gone. That made Kylie feel better.

  “Her husband messed her up good.”

  “So Trey said.”

  “I’d like to mess her up good too.”

  “Do you really think he’s over her?” Kylie didn’t want to ask the question but she knew Faye knew Trey better than she did. This was something she needed to know.

  “I know he’s over her. I don’t think he was into her for the last year of their marriage. He’s honorable though, Kyle. He takes his badge and the law very seriously. He’d never turn someone down that needed help.”

  “I’m glad she’s gone,” was all Kylie could say.

  “Yeah, me too. I want you to come into town with me this morning. I have a surprise for you.”

  “What kind of surprise?” Kylie narrowed her gaze. “No more parties.”

  “Not a party. You’ll see.” Faye headed for the door, leaving Kylie no choice but to follow.

  Trey sat at his desk going through some paperwork. This was the first chance he’d had all day to get anything done. He’d ended up staying at the reservation with Shayna for a couple of hours that morning. As he had anticipated, her parents were less than thrilled to see her. But after a while, they had opened their arms and their home. She was now staying with them and he was off the hook. At least for now.

  He knew she was fighting for a way back into his life though. Shayna wore her emotions on her sleeve. It was plain as day that she wanted him back.

  What was also plain as day to him, was that he didn’t want her back. Seeing her in the pathetic shape she was in had only made him feel sorry for her. He would help her on a legal standpoint as much as he could, but that was it.

  Kylie was another story. From the moment he’d seen her, he’d been attracted to her. Then when they’d spent time together, he had grown to like her on another level—a dangerous level. Keeping it sex was fine. But they had started the other way. The talking and the listening had lured him in and now the sex was just another part of her he craved.

  Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t the marrying type. Not again. So what did he have to offer her? Not only that, she had a life in another state. There was no way he was moving—not even for her. So why had he suggested they just have fun and see where it was going to go? There was nowhere for it to go.

  Tapping his fingers against the desk he thought about how he’d felt this morning when she’d told him she trusted him—that she hadn’t trusted another man as much ever. Those were strong words. They held pressure in them. He’d momentarily considered the idea that he had made a mistake taking things this far. He didn’t want to hurt her. She’d been to hell and back in her life already.

  But she was the one who would be leaving—going back to her life in Montana. It wasn’t as though he was the one who would be doing the walking away. If she was okay with no strings attached then why shouldn’t he be?

  Kylie took a long sip of iced tea and struggled to come to terms with the headache pounding inside her skull—the headache that had infested itself soon after she had walked into the restaurant and found her “surprise” as Faye called it. Her mother had been seated at a table waiting for her, lecture and all. And she hadn’t come alone. For the love of God, she’d brought Paul with her. The really funny part about it was that Faye had invited her.

  “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Felice Rhodes asked, her blue eyes perturbed as they stared at her daughter.

  “Because you’ve been talking the entire time,” Kylie answered, sitting up straight. She continued to avoid Paul’s intrusive stare. It had been bad enough when he’d hauled her up into his arms and planted a kiss on her mouth as though they were engaged to be married or something. She wasn’t about to engage him in any unnecessary conversation. She’d already told him it was over. Apparently, he wasn’t getting the message.

  “I don’t like your tone. We’ve flown a long way to be with you. The least you can do is show some respect.”

  “Mother, I am on vacation. There was no reason for you to fly down here.”

  “We were concerned,” Felice said, frowning. “And for good reason. You just disappeared.”

  “I didn’t disappear. I told you I was going.”

  “You didn’t tell me,” Paul said, motioning to Dusty for another beer. Dusty wasn’t smiling. Kylie couldn’t blame him. He obviously didn’t care for Paul any more than she did.

  “I didn’t need to tell you. You broke up with me. Or are you forgetting that?”

  “You’re being rude,” her mother told her. “Paul has flown a long way to take you back with him.”

  Kylie narrowed her eyes. “I’m not going back, Mother. Not until I’m ready to. And when I do go back it won’t be with him.”

  “We can work this out, Ky. I’ve thought things over and I realize you were right. I was being hasty when I broke things off.”

  Kylie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Now he thought he was being hasty. Never mind the fact that he’d slept with other women. Never mind the fact that he’d dumped her not a month earlier.

  “I think you are obligated to hear him out, young lady. You’ve had your vacation. Now it’s time to go back to real life.”

  “Mother—” Kylie began. Faye walked up to the table and cut her off.

  “Felice, when I talked to you, I didn’t realize you would react this way. I want Kylie to stay for my wedding.”

  “We can all fly back for that,” Felice said matter-of-factly. “Kylie’s father would love to be here too. I’ll make sure he clears his schedule.”

  “I’m not going home, Mother.”

  “I think you and I should talk,” Paul said, as though he hadn’t heard a word of the entire conversation.

  “I’m not interested in talking to you.” Kylie stood up, annoyed. “I want you both to get on a plane and go back home. I don’t want you here.”

  Felice’s normally iron clad composure seemed to falter suddenly. “You don’t mean that.”

>   “Yes, I do.” Kylie said quietly, but firmly. “I am staying until at least after the wedding.”

  “But that’s several weeks,” Felice argued.

  “I can’t stay here that long,” Paul said.

  “I don’t expect you to. In fact, I didn’t expect you to come here at all.”

  “I told you on the phone that I wanted to talk this out. You wouldn’t talk to me on the phone. I didn’t have a choice but to come here.”

  “You broke up with me!” she snapped, annoyed that he was being so dense about this whole situation. “You don’t love me. You never did.”

  “That’s not true!” he argued back.

  “You’re being rude,” Felice said again.

  Kylie glared at her. “I am not being rude. I want him to leave.”

  “He has a right to be here. You two have a future together.”

  Kylie shook her head as she looked at Faye for help.

  “Look, maybe you all should go check into your motel and freshen up. That will give everyone some time to calm down and think a little more clearly.”

  “I could use a little freshening up,” Felice relented.

  Kylie turned and walked up to the bar, ignoring Paul’s protests. “Hit me,” was all she said to Joey, who grinned. He poured her a shot of tequila and she downed it, grimacing at the burn as it went down.

  “I like your mother. She’s a fire cracker.”

  “I can’t believe you invited her here,” Kylie said to Faye, once she’d joined them at the bar. Felice and Paul had finally been lured away by Dusty, to check into their motel.

  “Kylie, I didn’t realize what she had in mind when she mentioned flying down. I had no idea she was going to bring Paul with her.” Faye frowned. “He’s an ass by the way. What the hell were you thinking with that?”

  “He is an ass,” Joey agreed and poured Kylie another shot.

  “We are broken up.”

  “I know, I heard you say that several times,” Joey said, grinning. “I don’t think lover boy got it though.”

  “I don’t know how much clearer I can get.” Kylie chugged the shot and sat down on a barstool. “I don’t know what would possess him to come here.”