Storming the Castle (Dale Series)
Page 18
A dog barked from the other side of the fence, and he jumped. “Does everyone here have a dog?”
“Not everyone, but most folks. Bill has been training Sydney as a search and rescue dog. She and Sadie are buds. She’s going to be mad I didn’t bring her with me.”
Faith let herself through the gate and held it for Sam, who was still carrying the plate of cookies. Bill had already gotten the fire started, and there were camp chairs set up around the blazing pit. Tiki torches burning Citronella had been placed around the yard, and a portable speaker played country music softly. One of the fruit trees was strung with white lights, and more mason jars with candles were scattered throughout the area.
“Oh, it looks lovely,” Faith said as Mary Ellen came out of the house carrying a tray. “Here, let me help you with that.”
“I’ve got it. Sydney, stop that racket, you’ll wake the kids, then I’ll have to shoot you.” Mary Ellen placed the tray on a table and came over to where Sam and Faith stood by the gate.
“I would never shoot her, and the darn dog knows it, too.”
“She’s mad I didn’t bring Sadie over,” Faith said as she bent to pet the Lab’s head. “Next time, Syd, I promise.”
“Maybe you can bring Piper and Sadie over for a duel play date when Piper gets back from your parents’ house. When is she coming home again, anyway? Emily is pining.”
“Next week. I miss her, too. The house is so quiet without her. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when she goes to kindergarten next month.”
“Next month? No. Already?” Mary Ellen looked crestfallen.
“It’s July, they start school in August.”
“My last baby is starting school next month. Dear God, now I really need a drink. Come on, I’ll pour you a glass of wine. I hate to drink alone.”
“That’s how you got me to drink a scorpion bowl the other night.”
“Drink? Please. You sipped at it. I drank the majority of it. And let me tell you, I felt every sip the next morning. I can’t drink like I could in my twenties. How about you Sam?”
“I’m still in my twenties for another year, so I’m pretty sure I can still drink like it.”
“Oh, hush up, I don’t want to hear about how young you are. Can I get you a beer or something?”
He hesitated for a second before answering. “I think I’ll stick to iced tea tonight so Faith can drink. She got cheated on your girls’ night out.”
“In that case, come on, Faith, the wine’s in the kitchen. I’ll open up a bottle, and you can help me bring the rest of the snacks out. Leave the boys to get acquainted.”
Chapter Twelve
Sam watched as Faith followed Mary Ellen into the house. He was still standing there holding the plate of cookies like a chooch. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
“Howdy, I’m Bill. You must be Faith’s renter.”
“Yeah, Sam, Sam Castleton.” He shifted the plate to his other hand so he could shake Bill’s. “You ever find yourself wondering how you ended up doing something you had no plans of doing, but somehow you’re doing it?” That made absolutely no sense.
“All the time. After ten years of marriage, I’ve kind of gotten used to it. Come on over and grab a seat by the fire. They’ll be out once Mary Ellen finishes grilling Faith on whatever it is that has her burning up with curiosity.”
Bill Michaels was not what he’d pictured Mary Ellen’s husband to look like. He was skinny as a beanpole and had a stillness about him that was as soothing as Mary Ellen’s constant energy was stimulating. Faith was right, they were complete opposites.
“So Faith tells me you’re a forester?”
“Yup.”
“That must be interesting.”
“Not if I’m doing my job. It only gets interesting if something goes bad.”
He couldn’t think of what could go bad with trees, but he wasn’t exactly Mr. Outdoors. He racked his mind for another conversational gambit. Faith hadn’t lied when she said Bill didn’t talk much.
Just when he thought he’d have to resort to talking about the weather, the dog let out another bark. He’d never been so thankful to see another person as he was to see the gigantic police officer and a tall brunette come through the gate.
“Bill, it looks great back here. I love the fairy lights in the trees. You must be Sam,” the brunette said practically all in one breath. “I’m Ellie, and I think you met my husband, Grant, the other night.”
“Yeah. It’s nice to see you under better circumstances.” He held his hand out to shake Grant’s.
“I always prefer to meet people when I’m not working. What are you drinking?”
He held up the can of soda he’d grabbed from the bucket of drinks on the patio. “I’m designated driver tonight. I’d hate to get busted for a DWI.”
“Considering two thirds of the police force will be here, I think you’d be relatively safe,” Ellie said. “Where are Faith and Mary Ellen?”
“In the kitchen. Why don’t you go rescue Faith from whatever grilling Mary Ellen is giving her,” Bill said. “Can I get you a beer, Grant?”
“I’ll stick with soda, too. Peters took my shift tonight, but I’m on call if something comes up.”
“You really only have three police officers for the whole town?” Sam asked, resuming his seat by the fire.
“Dale only has about five hundred people living in it, it’s not like we need a big force.”
“I guess you’re right.” He tried to wrap his head around the reality of small-town life. His security detail alone had five guys on rotating shifts, and that didn’t count what venues provided for shows.
The ladies came out of the house in a burst of laughter just as Ellie got to the door.
The flickering fire light gave Faith’s skin a golden sheen, and her lips were red and moist from the wine she was drinking. As she crossed the yard and joined him, an invisible fist tightened around his heart. She was so damn beautiful it almost hurt. She made him feel so damn much it scared him.
“I’m sorry we’re late. It’s all my fault.” Nadya burst through the gate. “I forgot the deviled eggs, and we had to turn around and go back.”
The beautiful lawyer put a foil wrapped plate on the table and gave hugs to everyone, including Sam, much to his surprise.
“You’re not that late. Grant and I just got here,” Ellie said.
“I know it’s no big deal, I just feel like an idiot. I worked so hard on those stupid eggs and then I almost forgot them. I don’t know where my mind is anymore. Just yesterday, I spent fifteen minutes looking for my purse only to find it in the refrigerator.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, you have pregnant brain,” Mary Ellen said, handing her a can of seltzer water.
“Pregnant brain?” Nadya asked, sitting on a chair next to J.T. “I’ve read every book I can get my hands on about pregnancy, and I don’t recall reading about pregnant brain.”
“It’s real, trust me,” Faith added. “When I was pregnant with Piper, I spent a good half hour of every day looking for things that I’d misplaced. Once, I spent five minutes looking for my cell phone, only to realize I was talking to my mother on it the whole time.”
“That makes me feel better, thanks.” Nadya laughed. “I don’t understand how something that is the size of an almond can have such a huge effect on my mind.”
“Because it’s taking your brain cells as starter cells,” Mary Ellen said like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.
“Excuse me?”
“Think about it. That little fetus is growing and developing its very own brain, but it has to start somewhere, so it takes a few of your brain cells to copy so it can grow its own. That’s why it feels like you’re losing your mind, because you are. With each pregnancy, you lose a few more brain cells. Which explains why I’m the way I am. Think about poor Mrs. Peters and her six kids. By God, it’s a wonder that woman even knows how to tie her shoes anymore.”
Ellie finally broke the tableau. “That theory has absolutely no scientific validity, and yet it makes so much sense. I don’t know whether to be scared or in awe of the way you think.”
“Be afraid, be very afraid. If she set her mind to rule the world, it would be only a matter of time before she did it,” Bill said, leaning over to plant a kiss on his wife’s smirking mouth.
“I’m just glad she uses her powers for good,” J.T. said in a stage whisper. “I don’t know if I could arrest my best friend’s wife.”
“And your wife’s best friend, just keep that in mind J.T. McBride. Stay on my good side, or I can make your life a living hell.”
“Truer words have never been spoken,” Bill said solemnly.
…
Sam was quiet the rest of the ride back to the house, and Faith wondered what he was thinking about. As she pulled into the drive, she debated asking him inside. It was much less awkward when he was chasing her. Being the one to initiate intimacy wasn’t something she was used to.
She hated feeling uncertain. It had been such a fun night. Sam had fit right in with her friends, surprisingly enough. He didn’t talk much, but neither did Bill, and he was able to joke around with Grant and J.T. about military stuff none of the rest of them understood. He’d seemed comfortable and relaxed, but now the silence felt a little awkward.
“Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet,” she asked as the truck rumbled to a stop.
“What? No, I’m good. I was just thinking. I have another song brewing, and it distracted me. I don’t know what’s in the water here, but it has my creative juices flowing.”
“That’s good. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to come up with a song. I think it’s amazing you can do it over and over again and always come up with something new.”
“When my muse is happy with me, it’s almost no work at all. When she’s feeling pissy, it’s harder than digging ditches. It’s kind of like how you come up with new recipes.”
“That’s just cooking, mostly trial and error. After a while you get a feel for what will go well together and what won’t.”
She climbed out of the truck and headed to the house. He’d either follow or not, it was up to him.
“Same with song writing. You play around with chords and see what blends and what clashes.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“You flow through the kitchen like a dancer on a stage.”
“Oh, stop.”
“Seriously. The first morning I had breakfast here, after Piper scared the snot out of me, I remember watching you move and getting more turned on than I’d been at a strip club.”
“I’m not sure I should be flattered by that.”
“You should be. I had visions of doing some dirty things in your ever so tidy kitchen.”
Faith felt a rush of heat settle low in her belly. The heat intensified when he pressed her against the breakfast bar. “Why do I get the feeling you are thinking about those things again?”
“Because you are very astute. And very overdressed.”
Before she could do more than squeak, he had her shorts off and her shirt over her head.
“That’s more like it.” He traced his fingers over the swell of her breasts, slipping one digit under the cup of her bra to tease her nipple free. “What do we have here?” he asked, bending to take the peak into his mouth.
With each tug of his lips on her sensitive breast, pleasure rushed through her, arrowing between her legs. Her panties grew damp in no time, and she wanted to rub her aching center against the erection she could feel pressing along her hip.
He freed her other nipple and laved it slowly while his hand drifted lower. She let out a moan when he dipped under the waistband of her underwear to circle her clit.
“You are so hot, so wet for me. It makes me crazy.”
“You’re making me crazy. Kiss me.”
He captured her lips in a scorching kiss that rocked her to her very toes. His tongue tangled with hers, thrusting and retreating, mimicking the way their bodies would mate as soon as she could get his damn pants unbuttoned.
“Slow down,” he murmured against her neck, making her even more fumble-fingered.
“I don’t want to slow down, I want you inside me. Now.”
“There’s something to be said about speed, too.” He pulled a package out of his back pocket before ridding himself of his jeans and briefs.
As soon as he was covered, he yanked her underwear off and lifted her onto the breakfast bar. Faith leaned back on her elbows as he slid her ass to the edge of the counter and impaled her with one hot thrust.
“Holy Jesus,” he swore. His face held a look of ecstasy she was sure was mirrored on her own.
The feel of being pierced by him while the rest of her was splayed out like an offering to a pagan god was the hottest thing she’d ever experienced. The light from the moon coming through the window cast shadows along his face, making him look like the priest of the pagan god she was being sacrificed to.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous. I want to remember you like this forever.”
“Remember later, move now.” Her position left her no leverage to lift her hips, all she could do was wait on his pleasure.
“You mean, like this?” He slid out a bare inch before pushing back inside her. “Or like this?” His thumb stroked her clit as he slid out again.
“Yes!”
“It wasn’t a yes or no question. Which way do you want me to move?” He continued to tease her, feathering light brushes over her clit while stroking in and out of her.
“Either. Both. Oh God,” she whimpered as the fever grew and grew with every touch. She wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer. Her head whipped back and forth on the countertop, but the cool granite couldn’t douse the fire burning inside her.
“Fuck,” he snarled, grabbing her hips and slamming into her.
Faith gripped the edge of the counter and held on for dear life as her world spun out of control. Every thrust drove her closer to the point of no return, and she raced toward it with all the strength in her body.
He bent over her, capturing her nipple in his teeth, and that was the last push she needed to send her spiraling off the cliff. Her hips bucked as the breath lodged in her throat. She was still spasming when she felt Sam tighten with his own release.
Chapter Thirteen
Faith felt every cup of coffee she’d had this morning churn in her stomach as she parked her truck. The restaurant she had suggested to Lydia was almost empty at two in the afternoon. Hopefully, that meant there would be no one there to overhear their conversation, but Faith still felt nervous as all get out.
I am not cut out for a life of crime.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt before shouldering her pocketbook and heading into the restaurant. The sooner she got moving, the sooner she could be done with this and get back to Sam.
Thinking about him and how sexy he’d looked when she’d left settled her nerves a bit. He’d brought his guitar to the house and had been puttering around with it while she made breakfast. Sitting in her living room in nothing but a pair of faded jeans, his hair still mussed from her fingers, he darn near took her breath away. She’d snapped a quick picture of him with her phone while his head was bent over the strings. Something about his intense focus, the way he was totally engulfed in the music only he could hear was incredibly hot.
Great, now she was feeling fluttery for a completely different reason. She needed to get her head in the game, for heaven’s sake. The cool air from the restaurant eased her burning cheeks, and Faith took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior as the door closed behind her.
While she waited for a hostess to arrive, she scanned the dining room to see if Lydia was already there. It would be just like her to keep Faith waiting, but o
n the other hand, she might come early to establish her position. Lydia was nothing if not adept at mind games. Games Faith had never had the time or inclination to learn.
That’s why you need her.
“Good afternoon. Just one for lunch?” the hostess asked.
“No, I’m meeting a friend. I was just looking to see if she was already here.”
“I think you’re first. Do you want to wait in the bar or get a booth?”
“I’ll take a booth, thank you.”
Faith followed the hostess to a table in the corner. She took the side of the booth that put her back to the wall. It was only fitting, she felt like her back was against the wall when it came to fighting the Prentices.
She thumbed through the menu casually even though there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d be able to eat anything. Lydia clicked up to the table. It had been six years since Faith had seen her, but Lydia looked the same. Her makeup was flawless, the linen pantsuit draped perfectly over her svelte figure, and not a hair was out of place. Faith once again felt like the country bumpkin. A fat country bumpkin at that.
“Hello, Faith. I almost didn’t recognize you over here. You let your hair grow out,” Lydia said by way of a greeting. She sat across the booth from her without even a token air kiss.
“You look the same. Nice shoes.”
“Thank you. Now can we cut out the pleasantries and get down to business. I have a long drive home.”
“Okay then.” Faith took her phone out of her purse and cued up the recording she’d made of the video on Matthew’s phone, but she didn’t play it as the waitress was headed their way.
“Y’all ready to order?”
“I’ll have an unsweetened iced tea with two lemons. That’s it.”
“Me, too. If it’s okay with you, we’re going to camp out here for a little bit,” Faith said to the waitress with a smile of apology. She’d waited tables for years, she knew how far a few kind words could go.
“That’s fine, just holler if you need anything.”
They waited silently until after the waitress had returned with their drinks and drifted out of earshot.