Unbound (Crimson Romance)

by Nikkie Locke

She reached her hand out toward the coffee table. In a move that she had performed repeatedly in the past two hours, she snagged his glass of water off the table and held it up for him. He smiled down at her and paused to take a drink.

  “Isn’t your throat tired?” she asked him.

  He shrugged. “It’s getting good.”

  She laughed. “Ryleigh would be proud. Let me read for a little bit.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He passed the book to her. She squirmed a little, trying to find a comfortable way to hold the book above her. She gave up and rolled off the couch to kneel on the floor.

  “Scoot down,” she told him.

  When he slid toward the middle of the couch, she took his place on the couch. She sat with her back against the arm and put her legs in his lap.

  “Much better,” she told him with a grin before she started reading.

  She hadn’t been reading long when she felt his hand move on her leg. She glanced over the top of the book at him while she continued to read. He slouched far enough in his seat to rest his head on the low back of the couch, and his eyes were closed. Her legs stretched across his waist rather than in his lap. His fingers gently rubbed half circles on her thigh. It seemed innocent enough, but she remained very aware of it.

  His hand stopped, and he cracked open one eye.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You stopped reading.”

  “Sorry,” she muttered. She started reading again.

  As she read, he slowly drove her crazy. Half circles on her thigh turned into stars above her knee. Those turned into a slow rub from her knee to the middle of her thigh and back again. She glanced up at him every time he switched, but he never opened his eyes. He seemed to not realize what he was doing.

  “You want me to read?” he asked.

  “Why?”

  He opened his eyes and tilted his head up. “Your throat sounds a little dry.”

  She shrugged and stole a drink from his glass. “I’m good.”

  When she started reading again, she realized what was coming in the book. The characters were about to have sex. She’d lied about reading the book. It was one of her favorite of Ryleigh’s books, and she’d chosen it assuming the first sex scene was so far into the book they wouldn’t reach it.

  You have two options, girl, she told herself. One, tough it out and read it. Pretend like it’s no big deal. Or stop reading. Make him read it. Fake a seizure or something.

  I like option two. Two is good. Seizure faking is bad, though.

  “You know what? My throat is kind of dry. Would you mind reading for a little?”

  “Not at all.”

  She passed the book back to him and tried not to sigh with relief. As he began reading, though, she realized a different problem.

  Oh, God, what if I giggle? Oh, man. Giggling is bad. Damn you, Ryleigh!

  Dean read about the man’s hand sliding over the woman’s breast as his own hand slid over her thigh. She realized giggling would not be the problem. Not jumping the man in his own living room was going to be the problem.

  “Umm…Dean?”

  When his gaze settled on her face, he gave her thigh a gentle squeeze and smiled at her. She did what came naturally. She leaned over and kissed him.

  Maybe she had only meant to give him a peck on the lips. Maybe she hadn’t. She didn’t know what her intentions had been, and when his tongue followed hers back into her mouth, she didn’t care.

  As they kissed, he pulled her onto his lap. His hands started on her hips, but slipped under her shirt to skim along the skin of her back. She buried her hands in his hair, holding his face to hers. She understood his fascination with her hair then. His was thick and soft. Sliding through her hands, his hair was a caress all its own.

  His hands moved from her back to her stomach, then up to cup her breasts over her bra. The gentle squeeze he gave them made her moan. She broke their kiss long enough to jerk her shirt and bra off over her head and drop them to the floor before coming back to kiss him again.

  The feel of his hands on her bare breasts took her breath away. Soon, it wasn’t enough. She needed more. As if he could read her thoughts, he pulled his mouth away from hers. The protest she started to make ended on a whimper when he took her breast in his mouth.

  With each long, slow pull of his mouth on her breast, she felt fire build inside her. He alternated between sucking and flicking the tip of her breast with his tongue. The sensations pushed her higher. Her hands found their way back into his silky hair, holding him to her.

  “More,” she gasped. “Please, more.”

  When he looked up, she met his gaze. His pupils were lost in the dark of his eyes. His cheeks were flushed. She imagined her own were, as well. When he licked his lips, she reached for him. She needed another taste of him.

  Gasping for breath, she begged him. “Please touch me. I can’t stand it if you don’t touch me.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “God, yes.”

  He claimed her mouth again, and she was lost in pleasure. She didn’t know how he maneuvered her off his lap and onto the long couch, but she was glad to be there. As he worked to get her jeans open and off her, she rubbed her breasts against his chest.

  He broke their kiss long enough to rip his shirt off. She pressed herself tightly against his chest. His warmth felt so good against her. She was burning up, and he was as hot as she felt. His hands moved along her naked body. His mouth followed.

  His hand slid between them, skimming down along her stomach and into her heat. Slowly, he parted her lips and touched her core.

  She couldn’t contain her gasp. Oh, my freakin’ God, she thought.

  When he smiled, she realized she’d said it aloud. She gasped again when his fingers moved upward to press gentle circles around her clit.

  “Dean.”

  He shifted up to kiss her mouth. “Right here. I’ve got you.”

  “Obviously.”

  He laughed as he slowly slid a finger inside her. He pulled back and moved in quicker the second time.

  “Oh!”

  His mouth returned to her breasts even as he continued to pump his fingers steadily into her. First, only one, then two.

  So close! So close! Just a little…

  He kissed her mouth as he pressed against her clit. She exploded. Gasping against his mouth, she felt her inner muscles ripple against his fingers. He continued to pump until she went limp under him.

  • • •

  Dean watched her. Propped on one arm to keep most of his weight off her, he waited for her eyes to open. Slowly, he told himself. Take it slowly.

  He wanted to rip his constrictive jeans off and bury himself deep inside her.

  Not going to happen, he warned. What part of “slowly” is so hard to understand?

  Her eyes finally opened. Deep blue and so innocent, those eyes yanked at something inside him. Her fiery red hair spilled out of its usual braid and curled around her face. Cheeks flushed and lips swollen, she tempted him.

  “That was — ”

  The sound of the phone ringing cut her off. He groaned and buried his face in her hair.

  “Are you going to answer that?” she asked.

  “Do I have a choice?” He rolled off the couch and moved across the room. Grabbing a throw off the back of the recliner, he tossed it to her. “You might — Uhh — ”

  She flipped the small blanket out and wrapped it around herself. “Got it. Answer the phone.”

  “Hello?”

  “Dean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is Officer Chase. Chief Whitley asked me to call you. There’s been a break-in at Ms. Bailey’s house. He wanted me to call and alert you to it.”

  He frowned. “Do you need us to come to town?”

  “No,” she told him. “Stay where you are. Officer Pierce is on his way to you. Chief Whitley and Officer Rykers are going to Ms. Bailey’s. We’ll keep you updated. Stay inside.”
>
  “All right.”

  He hung up the phone and took it with him to the couch. He sat next to Payten and pulled her into his arms.

  “Bad news?”

  “Yeah. Burke’s coming. You’re going to have to put clothes on,” he teased. “Breaks my heart.”

  She snorted.

  He smiled at her, but hers was weak in return. “Someone broke into your house,” he told her.

  “Great,” she muttered.

  “They’re going to check it out and let us know what’s going on.”

  “All right.”

  He kissed her cheek. “Burke really is coming. Why don’t you go put some pajamas on?”

  “That’s something I can definitely do.” She stood up and kept the blanket wrapped around her. “Could you bring my clothes? I’m not sure I can manage the clothes and the blanket.”

  “Lose the blanket.”

  She laughed exactly as he’d planned as she went to the bedroom. When she was out of sight, he quickly moved through the house checking locks. He gathered her clothes and went to the bedroom.

  He knocked lightly on the door. When she didn’t answer, he peeked inside. He found her asleep on the bed. Naked.

  The sight made him grin. Payten naked in his bed. He could get used to that. Burke was coming though, and he’d want to check in on her. Letting Burke see her naked wasn’t an option in Dean’s opinion. Careful not to wake her, he gently dressed her in his T-shirt and covered her with the blankets from the foot of the bed.

  He stepped out of the bedroom and pulled the door closed behind him. A knock at the front door stopped him before he made it any farther. He moved through the house quickly. Coming down the hallway to the foyer, he could see Burke in the window of the door.

  “How is she?” Burke asked when Dean opened the door.

  “Asleep.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Tell me what’s going on,” Dean said.

  “Rykers and Smith went to the house this afternoon. They were looking for how last night’s vistor got in. They didn’t find that, but they did find that someone had been on her computer between last night and this morning.”

  He pointed Burke toward the living room. “Who?”

  “That we don’t know. We don’t know why, either. Chase went through the computer and didn’t find anything out of place.” Burke sat on the arm of the couch. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “If this happened last night, what’s the rush?” he asked. “Why tell us now? Why come over?”

  “Ms. Clarke called in a break-in. She said there are lights on at Payten’s,” Burke answered. “Rykers and Smith didn’t leave any on. We think he’s at the house again. We just don’t know why. Chase and your dad were on the way over when I left headed here.”

  “When will you know?”

  Burke shrugged. “No idea. I’m going to hang out here for a while if you don’t mind, though.”

  “I guess I don’t.”

  Burke was quiet for a moment, then he grinned.

  “What?” Dean asked.

  “Why don’t you have a shirt on?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Payten woke up, she didn’t know where she was or what woke her. The room was dark. The bed she laid in was amazingly soft, and it smelled like Dean.

  Dean’s room, she realized. She looked at the other side of the bed, then glanced around the room. He wasn’t there. She flipped the covers back and crawled out of bed. Quietly, she moved out of the bedroom. From the doorway, she could see him on the couch.

  She realized what woke her. She watched as he tossed on the couch. His legs kicked like he fought some invisible enemy, and his head flung side to side on the cushion of the couch.

  When a childlike whimper spilled from his mouth, she couldn’t help herself. She moved toward the couch. Unsure of how to wake him without making it worse, she hesitated. The whimper turned into a scream. She reached out and laid a hand on his chest.

  “Dean, it’s a bad dream. Wake up, sweetheart.”

  His eyes fluttered. “Mom?” he asked in that same childlike voice.

  “No. It’s Payten.” She knelt next to the couch and threaded the fingers of her other hand into his hair. “Wake up for me. Please.”

  His hand moved up to press against hers on his chest. “I’m awake,” he said, sounding more like himself.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” His eyes stayed closed. “Go back to bed, Payten.”

  “Scoot over.”

  He opened his eyes. “In the bedroom. Go back to bed in the bedroom.”

  “No.”

  “Payten — ”

  “I don’t want to talk. I just want to hold you.”

  He sighed. “You’re not going away, are you?”

  “No.”

  He sat up. “Bedroom. Neither of us will get any sleep if we’re both on the couch.”

  “But — ”

  He stood up. “I’m going with you. Come on.”

  He helped her up and followed her to the bedroom. When he lay down with her, she snuggled into his chest. She was sure he was only placating her. Within a few minutes, though, she felt the rhythm of his breathing change slightly. She tilted her head to look at his face and smiled when she realized he was asleep.

  • • •

  The next time she woke, he wasn’t in bed again. She stretched lazily, then forced herself to get up. She looked at the T-shirt she wore. It was his from the day before. Deciding it covered enough, she headed for the kitchen.

  He sat the bar. Dressed in jeans and another T-shirt, he looked like he’d been awake a while. When he saw her, he smiled at her.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good afternoon,” he corrected.

  “What?”

  He pointed at the clock on the microwave.

  “Twelve-twenty? You’ve got to be joking. Nine in the morning is sleeping in. On a really good day, I can stretch it out until ten.”

  He shrugged. “First time for everything. I made some biscuits and gravy this morning. That was at eight. You’re more than welcome to reheat what’s left.”

  She thought about it. “That sounds delicious. I’ll do that.”

  As she microwaved her breakfast, he moved from the bar to the sink, taking his plate with him. He began washing the dishes.

  “Nice shirt,” he teased.

  “You couldn’t have put me in my pajamas?”

  He laughed. She took her food from the microwave and moved to the bar. “What did Burke have to say last night?”

  “Someone broke in after they left Saturday night. He messed with your computer. Smith and Rykers discovered it yesterday afternoon.” He handed her a fork.

  “Thank you. My computer?”

  “Burke said they didn’t find anything out of place, but someone was definitely on it,” he said.

  She forked the first bite of her biscuits and gravy into her mouth while she considered what he said. “This is really good.”

  “I do occasionally cook. You might have noticed, boss.”

  She laughed. “I’ve noticed.” She took another bite. “What was the panic last night about if he broke in the night before?”

  “Ms. Clarke called in another break-in.” He set the last plate in the strainer beside the sink and dried his hands. “Dad and Chase found another note. It was taped to your bathroom mirror.”

  She set her fork down. The food already in her stomach churned. “What did it say?”

  “They think he broke in and left the note just to prove he could.”

  “What did it say?”

  He moved around the bar and sat beside her. He took her hand. “‘You can’t hide from me.’”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “That’s not so bad.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “Do we have a plan for today?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Don’t think about it. Just don’t think it.

  “Your mo
ther called. She said to tell you to stay home today.”

  “Really?”

  “She actually said you shouldn’t come to work at all the rest of the week.”

  She frowned. “Not sure I like that.”

  “I’ve been banned too.”

  “Matchmaking?” she asked.

  He grinned. “It sort of sounded that way. I didn’t tell her she was a little late there.”

  She laughed. “About a week. Plan?” she asked again around the mouthful.

  “I figured we could be lazy. Do nothing. Play cards. Maybe go to Jonesborough to get some more groceries. Stop by the diner on the way home.”

  She nodded. “I’ll run through the shower.”

  He nudged her empty plate. “I got this. Go for it.”

  • • •

  Later that night, they sat on the floor in the living room playing cards. The groceries had been bought and put away. They’d visited with her parents at the diner and checked in with his father at the police station. Everything was quiet.

  She knew it wouldn’t last, but didn’t complain. Sitting on Dean’s floor playing cards was a long way away from sleeping on her bathroom floor terrified.

  “Twenty-one! My turn.”

  “Not happening,” she teased. She showed her cards. “Twenty-one.”

  “What do we do with a tie?” he asked.

  They were playing blackjack. Instead of gambling, the winner won the right to question the loser. She and the girls played most of their card games that way.

  “Go again,” she decided.

  They played out their next hand. Dean ended with a hand of seventeen while Payten busted.

  “Who was your first kiss?” he asked.

  “Easy. Kalvin.”

  He choked. “Kalvin? Kalvin? Like our friend, Kalvin?”

  “One and the same,” she laughed.

  “How did that happen?”

  “That’s two questions. If you win again, I’ll tell you.”

  They played the next hand, and Payten won it.

  “How do you not have a real job?”

  “Hey,” he objected. “I have lots of jobs. I work out at the Kincaids’ ranch when they’re shorthanded. Fixing fencing, moving cows, loading hay. It’s not easy, but it’s nice. I work with Kalvin, Jack, and Jonah when they need it. I’m their only official employee. Before Coop left, I worked at the diner five or six days a month. I cover for Dad when he needs extra help.”