Chasing Trouble (In Ashwood Book 3)

by Kinney Scott

  Turning in his arms, she looped her hands around his neck, and said, “Wow, impressive.”

  He looked confused until she added, “The waffle irons, I’m impressed.”

  He gave her butt a sound slap that sent her squealing in pleasure as she playfully climbed his torso, “I need to feed you, but Linnea; we will explore that reaction later.”

  She really didn’t want to wait, the sting tingled pleasantly across her butt. For now, she stepped away. Rick seemed determined to make waffles.

  “Let’s go for the round standard iron. I’ll impress you with by Belgian Waffle skills another time,” he said pulling out ingredients for batter.

  He spread the ingredients in order across the counter to complete the steps of cooking waffles with practiced ease. She watched, absorbing the simple beauty of this self-contained man. Deep satisfaction seeped in, as she realized how few Rick allowed past the surface of his life. Linnea was now one of that few.

  Their conversation drifted to hikes he planned to share with her before the snows set in. When she admitted she’d always wanted to try snowshoeing, he added that gear to the possible gifts he could give to her this Christmas.

  Rick’s waffles were better than any she’d tasted. She found he was, in fact, a bacon-loving man when he decided to add bacon directly to the batter. An amazing pairing with the maple syrup, her hot coffee and apples she sliced for the meal.

  Leaning against the island, Linnea watched him set his kitchen in order as he stowed the waffle iron back in place. Surrounded by everything that made Rick unique, his cabin, his books, and even his waffle irons, Linnea ached with a confusing sensation that threatened tears. She succumbed to the raw emotion of it and the painful feeling eased - when she admitted to herself that she loved him.

  Unaware of her silent crisis, Rick rambled on about a new tiny home he was building at Whitewater. Linnea had nearly steadied herself when he turned and met her gaze.

  “Are you okay,” he asked.

  She couldn’t speak but nodded past the tightness in her throat.

  Rick’s body took over. Her expression drew him, and he claimed her lips. Linnea ignited from within. Desperate to feel more, he lifted the t-shirt away, revealing her creamy white skin.

  “My God, Linnea, you take my breath away,” Rick whispered, absorbing the rich details of her rounded form.

  “You make me feel beautiful, Rick. Thank you.”

  “Never doubt how stunning you are. I can’t believe you’re mine.”

  She felt loved, “I am yours, only yours.”

  Taking his face in her soft palms, she drew his lips in kissing him with tender strokes. His hands slid lower, taking hold of her hips, easing her close.

  “Mine,” he repeated. She gasped as his hard arousal pressed.

  “Yours,” Linnea whispered against his lips at the intimate contact.

  Rick carried her to the bedroom laying her down to give him full access. Kneeling between her thighs, he bent covering her heat with his mouth, delving greedily into her folds. Fisting her hands in the sheets, she attempted in vain to steady her body as she writhed beneath the onslaught of overwhelming sensation.

  He brought her to the edge, Linnea’s breath caught, “Please, Rick can I have you inside me?”

  “Are you sure, you’re so close,” he spoke near her center.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Rick took his time as he eased carefully into the tights space, wet from his tongue, and swollen from the previous nights repeated invasions.

  “Mine,” he growled again from deep in his chest, pushing deep. Linnea’s body responded immediately tightening around his cock as he pulled out and plunged again. With each rhythmic stroke her clit grated against the hard plane of his groin, she loved the sensation, trapped in place by his powerful strokes.

  With her body already poised for release, her cries soon filled his cabin. She began her descent as Rick pinned her wrists in place above her head, stretching her taut. Chiseled hips met hers in a release that sapped the remaining energy from Rick’s body.

  He collapsed forward, “Linnea, thank God you are mine,” he whispered against her neck. His tongue danced tasting her delicious salty skin.

  Stroking his back in that dreamy post-orgasm state, her body and mind willingly bent to his. Still linked, Rick planted a worded kiss at her temple. “Mine.”

  FOUR

  Hiding out in Rick’s cabin all day tempted the pair, but the remaining taproom clean up waited. As they approached Mosquito Creek Brewing, Linn wondered aloud, “Why are there so many cars parked out front?”

  Rick expected to face Wade, knowing Linnea’s brother might have words for him. He didn’t expect to add Seth and Bill to the list. Shit. Rick steeled his resolve, if he had to deal with one Michaels’ man, he might as well deal with them all.

  “Who slept here last night?” he asked Linnea before they left the privacy of his truck.

  “Should have been Amanda, Molly, and Mandy. We kept it to family, I’m surprised to see Seth and Uncle Bill’s trucks here. I know Amanda wanted a night away from her parents.”

  He nodded, “might as well go in,” and get it over with, he thought.

  Walking inside with their fingers laced together, Linnea sensed trouble immediately. Wade’s scowl didn’t seem to be directed her way, or thankfully at Rick. Grateful for small blessings, she walked up to her brother to catch the current news.

  Directed to the privacy of the office with a tip of his head, Wade closed the door behind them and asked, “Have you talked to anyone this morning?”

  “No. I left last night after cleaning up. The band had already gone. Amanda and the twins were staying in the tiny home, but you knew that.”

  Wade stopped pacing to face her, “from what I can piece together, the girls invited Kent and Justin to hang out.”

  Linnea just nodded, that combination wasn’t uncommon, especially when the twins visited on a break from classes in Seattle. Her brother continued, “Amanda called Seth around three in the morning, wanting to talk to Natalie. She was drunk.”

  Linnea shook her head and sighed. Amanda knew drinking at the taproom could put Wade in a bad spot. In the past, she’d always respected that.

  “Did something happen, is someone hurt?” Linnea worried.

  “No. Amanda was crying when she called.” He shook his head and evaded, “I’m sure this will blow over soon. If everyone involved would just take a step back.”

  “What! Wade just spit it out,” Linnea said growing weary of her brother's annoying hesitation.

  Wade hissed in a breath, “Fine - Amanda caught Kent and Molly together. In the trailer, up in the loft.

  Rick groaned, rubbing his hand over his trim dark hair. “Is Kent still here?” he asked.

  Linnea’s brother shook his head, “Looks like he took Molly back to his house. Which is why Bill is here, her parents don’t know anything, yet. The twins are adults and Bill doesn’t know if he should say anything to his sister.”

  Empathetic concern washed over Linn, “I need to talk to Amanda, is she here?”

  Wade nodded, “In the Whitewater office.”

  She stood moving toward the door. Looking back at Rick they shared smiles of encouragement, both wishing they had stayed at his cabin a little longer. Rick remained seated on the couch, wondering how Kent could have made such a foolish decision.

  With Linnea gone, Wade stated the obvious. “I take it Linn was at your place last night.”

  Rick nodded, “We’ve been seeing each other for months. Linnea means everything to me,” he added in his defense.

  Their gazes locked, “You hurt her…and I’ll come after you,” Wade threatened, and then grinned adding, “you made her wait long enough.”

  Rick’s mouth dropped open, unable to think of anything worth saying.

  “Ravenna and Linnea talk,” Wade shrugged.

  Wanting to return to a safer subject Rick asked, “Do you want me to go over to Ken
t’s place? I don’t know what I can do. Kent and Molly have known each other for years. There’s history between them.”

  Wade shook his head, “No, there’s nothing to be done. Only time will fix this shit. Maybe we can try to talk some sense into Seth and Bill. Amanda needs to cool off. She didn’t have a claim on Kent. I’m surprised the guy was able to keep a lid on his private life this long.”

  Rick realized he wasn’t the only person aware of the ticking time-bomb that finally detonated between Kent and Amanda.

  ***

  Inside Whitewater, Linnea found Amanda surrounded. Sitting beside her, Annie held a box of tissues waiting for the next bout of tears. Exhausted, Natalie and Ravenna locked eyes with Linnea praying words from family could help. Nate rose from her spot on the couch, making room. Mandy was missing from the group. This fact didn’t shock Linnea, the twins’ loyalty to each other was an unbreakable bond.

  Ravenna felt a little out of place, still overcoming past awkward tension with Annie and Amanda. “Why don’t I bring us some lunch or chocolate?” she asked trying to find an escape.

  “That’s okay, Ravenna,” Amanda sniffed. “Thanks for coming over in the middle of the night. I feel like a fool for causing such a scene. I just need to go home and get some sleep. Will you apologize to Wade for me?”

  Ravenna nodded, “everything will be fine.” She gave Amanda a quick hug and left to find Wade.

  Recalling that her car was parked outside, Linnea offered to drive Amanda home.

  “Thanks, Linnea, yes I’d like that. Can you grab my stuff from the little house? I’ll let Dad and Seth know we’re going home,” Amanda added as she shuffled out of the Whitewater office. She looked childlike and fragile still dressed for the sleepover in oversized sweats and green puffy slippers.

  Rick caught up with Linn on the stairs of the tiny home, a duffle looped on each arm.

  “Let me carry those for you,” he offered.

  Linnea set the load on the bottom step and sank into Rick’s embrace, craving him for so many reasons. After their night, her body hummed with an extra chord of need, and she ached physically for his touch.

  “Hey babe, let me hold you,” his solid arms wrapped her in addictive bands.

  “This isn’t how today was supposed to go,” she whispered.

  The exposed suffering in Amanda’s eyes gave fear access. Linnea longed for reassurance. Too much of her soul belonged to Rick. He owned the keys to her heart and had the power to bring her infinite joy or acute pain.

  ***

  “Are you working from home again today?” Linnea asked Amanda when she spotted her at the breakfast table in ragged sweats and a threadbare t-shirt. Bill and Sandy exchanged a look with Linnea, silently begging for help.

  Linnea attempted to take a firmer approach, “We talked about this last night. You decided going in to work and facing Kent would be the best choice. You know, rip the Band-Aid off, and get it over with.”

  “I changed my mind. I’ve decided to head out and shoot fall color shots for the website,” Amanda said with a thread of irritation.

  Sandy didn’t want to start the morning out badly and cheerfully chimed, “That’s great, dear. Let dad know where you plan to go. You know the drill.”

  Bill, the District Ranger in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, insisted his kids leave detailed plans when they left to explore the remote wilderness near Ashwood.

  “I already sent Dad a text, and Neil is coming with me,” she said scooping up a spoonful of cereal, killing their conversation with a mouthful of crunchy flakes.

  “Neil plans to come home today?” Bill asked, confused. His third son kept to himself. He maintained a solid connection with his sister; their attachment since early childhood had always run deep.

  She just nodded, chewing. Rather than asking more questions Linnea, Bill, and Sandy took this as a positive sign. Amanda continued to eat and watched them warily as they gathered phones, lunches, and bags to head out the door.

  Avoiding Kent had stymied her life. They weren’t an official couple and never had been. But that didn’t mean she wanted to face him at work every day. For months, his endless flirtation had led her to hope - A hope based on nothing.

  Last evening Neil texted, begging his sister to consider moving to Hood River. She could find a job there, even part-time and sign up for classes beginning in January. With his connections in town, he’d already found her a few different options for seasonal work. When she agreed, Neil immediately offered to come to Ashwood right away and help her face Mom and Dad with the unexpected news.

  Amanda watched as Linnea’s car pulled away, happy to have eight hours to organize her departure. Tossing in a load of laundry, and sorting through winter clothes, she hummed a tune to herself. New buoyancy entered her mood. She realized happily, that Hood River wasn’t far but it was far enough.

  FIVE

  “Amanda’s gone,” Rick shared over a beer at Northside Grill.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Kent grumbled. He was sick of the grilling and cold stares. He envied Molly. After spending the night at his place, she escaped to school in Seattle, leaving the gossip in Ashwood far behind.

  Sure, she would pay dearly for their hook-up at the next Michaels’ family gathering, but Kent endured unending hard-edged looks from half the town. At work, Seth hadn’t spoken a word to him in days, using Carlos to filter all communication.

  “She moved to Hood River with her brother,” Rick said with a scowl.

  “Hood River isn’t even an hour away. She can move home anytime she likes. Amanda won’t leave for long,” Kent shrugged off the ache in his gut. Her absence left him irritable. He missed her playful glances from the Whitewater office and taking off together for lunch.

  Kent regretted the series of events that tumbled together at the party. Wearing his high school football jersey set him up for a night of reminiscent flirtation. He’d dated Molly his senior year, and that jersey brought back good memories for both.

  Finding himself locked between the twins on the dance floor, shit, nothing could have been hotter. At least nothing he could do in public. Still, at that point, his night was still under control.

  Once the taproom cleared, the small party moved next door to Whitewater’s office. Justin set up a poker table, and he popped champagne for the girls. Kent spent the next couple hours getting a little buzzed and a lot turned on. Amanda’s flirtations were playful, but Molly’s were pure sin.

  Molly secretly stroked his cock under the table. Later, she followed him when he wandered outside to grab another six-pack from his cab. Kent hadn’t planned on pushing Molly against his truck to take a taste of her sweet mouth. When she hitched her leg over his hip, his hand found her bare and wet under that short skirt. Kent couldn’t get her to the loft fast enough.

  With their history, an occasional weekend hook-up never caused a ruckus, no strings, no harm, no foul. An all-out riot would have caused less commotion than Amanda wandering in to change from her costume to her sweats.

  Molly’s thighs straddled him, as she hid, lying motionless across his chest when her cousin walked in. Amanda hummed while slipping out of her costume. He felt the movement of the tiny home as she playfully wiggled and undressed. Hyper-aware of the dancing naked goddess a few feet away, Kent couldn’t resist lifting his head slightly to take a peek. That indiscretion pissed Molly off, launching the woman off his cock with blinding speed and a simultaneous slap to his face.

  The slap turned Amanda’s attention to the words spilling from his mouth, “Fuck Molly. That hurt.” Amanda’s scream of surprise shifted to cries of hurt as everyone scrambled back into clothes.

  Attempts to apologize felt hollow and inadequate. Kent gave up the effort and crawled back to his truck to escape the unholy mess. Molly beat him there and was hiding from her cousin in the cab.

  “I’m still pissed, Kent - but get us out of here,” she hissed.

  He drove home sober. The second six-pack h
ad never been cracked. Molly endured the ride in silence, and when they arrived, he crashed on his couch, wishing the entire night could evaporate.

  A persistent vision burned like a steel brand in Kent’s memory, Amanda’s pale perfection. She was everything he’d imagined and knew he would never have.

  Kent barely listened, as Rick wouldn’t let the subject die. “Linnea doesn’t think Amanda’s coming back. She talked to her yesterday. Amanda signed up for classes at the community college.”

  That information got his attention, “No shit?”

  This was bad. Her chances of returning decreased with every root she sank into that vibrant community. He worried she was good as gone - not that he blamed her. He’d lost count of the friends who left Ashwood. In most cases, they never returned.

  Kent finally saw past his own grumblings and caught Rick’s dark mood. “Are you worried Linnea might follow?” he asked.

  “No, it’s not that. Linn and Amanda talked a while back to Kelsey about renting a room at her house.”

  Kent nodded, “Makes sense, Kels is gone half the time.”

  “Now that Amanda’s out of the mix, Linnea may abandon the plan. She doesn’t know Kelsey all that well.”

  A knowing nod passed between them. Rick craved more time with Linnea, but under her Aunt and Uncle’s roof that wasn’t going to happen, not easily. Yet, Rick didn’t know if he was ready to ask Linnea to move in with him.

  ***

  Sitting at the dinner table, Linnea endured another awkward conversation with her aunt and uncle. This repeated a pattern she escaped a few months ago when she moved away from Yakima. As her siblings left the farm, Wade to start his brewery, Brooke to marital bliss, and Sylvia to university, Linnea was left in farming purgatory with Mom and Dad.

  Noticing her niece picking slowly at her salad, Sandy offered a possible lifeline, “I’ve got a couple things in my schedule this week that you might like to join.”