by Gayle Eden
“Oh—shit.”
Carter looked at Kane who muttered that. “What?”
Kane brought the cup to his lips and muttered, “Nothing.” But he gave the couple a peculiar look before going over to steal a handful of candy from one of the bowls.
Carter couldn’t hear what they were saying down by the bike, but he smiled as Kelly laughed aloud. He watched Rayne put the helmet on her. There was a spare raincoat tied on the back. The guy looked brawny and tough as hell next to Kelly in her all but tweed browns. Rayne had on jeans, straight chaps. A pair of badass sunglasses hung on his stud belt. He wore a leather jacket over a white shirt.
Once on the bike, he was talking to Kelly. She mounted—listening where to put her feet apparently. They both laughed a little more as she scooted back, and then up, a couple of times. Her hands were on Rayne’s sides under the jacket. Carter heard her whoop! They were off with a rumble of speed.
“You have to get something in your stomach,” Carter told Kane, later walking into the kitchen with him, filling himself and Carter a plate of the take out that Kelly had brought back.
Trick or treaters started coming while they were still in there.
Eyeing Kane—who picked at the food and drank an iced soda, he murmured, “You don’t look like a guy who got laid last night.”
“Didn’t.” Kane shook his head.
“Your choice, or—”
“I drove down to the lake.” Kane shrugged.
“And drank a couple of cases….”
Kane arose and took his plate to the sink. He stayed there a moment, looking out the window. “Yeah.”
“Something besides the obvious you want to talk about?” They were mourning JC and Carter knew Kane would grieve a long time.
Kane glanced at him, then back. “No.” He drew in and released a long breath. “Let’s go out and help Willow.”
“I’ll watch you,” Carter said dryly.
Kane put his cowboy hat on as they stepped out again. They spoke to some of the parents while Willow filled candy sacks, and chattered with the kids. Carter watched as Kane laughed with the kids. Most were farmers, rancher’s kids, a lot arriving together in pickups or mini vans. He put himself out too, and sat on the steps, complimenting costumes and remembering when he and Kane had gone out on Halloween. They always dressed as cowboys. They had always loved being exactly what they were.
Carter felt that twinge of grief and guilt again.
He snorted to Kane, who leaned a bit behind him, watching the kids load back up. “Ironman and Optimums Prime? We were way cooler being John Wayne as Rooster Codburn and Clint Eastwood.”
Kane laughed low. “You drove me fucking nuts, doing that whistle to Good, Bad, and ugly.”
Carter stood, meeting Kane’s eyes. “Not as bad as you—swaggering round saying, “fill your hands you son—ofabitch.” And you all of seven years old.”
Kane laughed full out. Carter joined them.
It felt—really good.
Night descended. A steady stream came. Carter figured the same was going at the Vaughn place. When Kane went ambling out toward the barn—Rio still out there tinkering with something—he saw Willow had everything in hand. She was talking to some teens her age, down on the steps. All the kids were dressed up.
He went to the far side of the porch and called Skye.
“Carter?”
“Hey.” She sounded out of breath. “How’s it going?”
“Fine uh…fine.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just out of breath.”
He could tell that, but there was some odd crackling noise in the background. “Skye?”
“I have to go. We had a little trouble down here…”
“I’m on my way.”
“No. Carter. It’s—”
“I’ll be right there.” Trusting his gut instincts, Carter clicked off and strode toward the steps. He told Willow, “I’ll be down at Skye’s.”
One of the teens said as he passed, “Dude. The cops are down there.”
That’s all it took for Carter to jog the rest of the way and get in his truck. He started, backed, and was careful going down the drive because of cars coming up. His heart was hammering.
Out on the road, he went faster. Seeing no cars and having rolled the window down. His adrenaline went into overdrive. He smelled smoke before he swung up the lane to the Vaughn place. Sure enough, there was a cruiser with the lights on, pulled close to the barn.
Though dark out, the double doors of the barn were pushed open and the lights up. It cast a wide arc over the front yard and much of the side and hill. He parked and got out.
His eyes took in everything; Juda was rolling up a water hose, looking like he had dressed in a hurry, in military fatigue pants, his bare feet, and a tank undershirt. His muscular torso was damp. The acrid smoke smell was thick. Skye was sitting on the picnic table that the cruiser was parked close to. A female deputy was talking to her, and writing something down.
He didn’t see Jesse until he’d gone around the cruiser, calling Skye’s name. Jesse was in sweats and T-shirt, her hair in a tail. She was raking up burnt grass.
“Skye.” He reached her side. “What the hell happened?”
“Carter. This is Deputy Sutton. She is new here. Her first night, in fact. Deputy, this is Carter Croft, he and his brothers run the 4 Oaks. Which is all the land, from the turn off, to the river.”
Out of politeness, Carter shook the woman’s hand. She had a pretty face; short razor cut red and gold hair and serious dark brown eyes.
“Croft.” She nodded.
“What happened?” He looked between her and Skye.
“Just the usual Halloween pranks,” Skye answered. “Some kids up to mischief.”
Carter studied Skye. Her hair was down and shiny, her make up smoky. She wore a soft black running suit with sneakers, a T-shirt that said Boo, under the hoodie. She looked pulled together. But, he sensed the tension in her.
“If you’ll excuse us,” the deputy said pointedly.
Carter started to insist on staying where he was, but Skye shot him an oddly pleading look to obey. So, he nodded and went over to where Juda was now wiping his hands on a towel.
“Juda.”
“Carter.” Juda smiled wryly.
They shook hands and absently Carter thought that Juda still had that military look about him, the hair, and the brawn, the iron hard jaw.
“What went down?”
“Motif cocktail.” Juda lost his smile and nodded toward a burnt patch of land. “Fucking punks drove up and tossed it out. I was on the porch and saw the arc, the explosion of fire…”
Grimly, Carter looked at it, and noticed how close it was to the barn. “This happen before?”
“Kids pull shit on Halloween.”
Carter held Juda’s topaz eyes a long time. “You know what I’m asking, Juda.”
Juda jerked his head for Carter to follow him. Inside the barn, Carter saw Juda set aside a rifle he must have carried down with him, and reach for a pack of smokes.
He lit one and muttered, “It’s happened. I don’t think she will tell the new deputy out there. I intend to have a word with her before she leaves. Already told her so.”
Carter half sat on a spool made into a table. He and Juda could see out. See Skye, still on the picnic table. Juda leaned his hips against the spool edge, beside him.
“Tell me.”
Juda blew a steam of smoke. “Every Halloween since she opened someone pulls this. I don’t think they’re brave enough to do anything any other time. I’ve let it be known that anyone or anything out this way is under my protection. I don’t care what they think, so long is they know I’m dead serious. My guess is that its punks with parents who have talked too damn much about Skye and Rayne.”
“They have tried to burn her out?”
“Year before last. Last year, they messed up her bike. She keeps it parked inside now. They were sneaking about
it. I didn’t hear them, but Jess did. When we got down here, they had taken off, parked down the lane. It took her months to fix what the vandals destroyed.”
Carter watched Skye stand and mentally shook his head watching her smile, and act cool, and collected.
Juda told him, “I’m going to talk to the deputy. You hanging around awhile?”
“Yes.”
The man’s amber eyes met his. There was grim set to his smile before he uttered, “She’s going to try and run you off.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Juda nodded. “It’s her pride, you know. Who wants people to witness how much people hate them? The town has its share of supposed do gooders who gossip, and ass holes at O’Malley’s and other bars. Chloe deserves to be where she is. She’s left them nothing but shit to deal with since they were born. Pride is all Skye has.”
Carter felt sick, but said, straightening, “I’ll find a way to save her pride and keep her safe too.”
Eying him a silent moment, Juda murmured, “I believe you will.”
Carter watched him walk to the cruiser, where the young deputy waited.
He exited the barn and caught up with Skye. She was talking to Jesse.
“We’ve got to think about some security, Skye. We do have a business out here. I think we were just too relaxed being out here in the country. If we were in town…”
“Okay. We’ll talk about it.”
Jess looked at Carter. “Hey.”
He read the silent message in her eyes. “Hey, Jess.” Slipping his arm around Skye, he hugged her to his side a moment.
“Well. I’ll go on up to the house.” Jess said, “I left the doors open…”
When she smiled and left, Carter turned so Skye was against him. “I need a hug.”
She laughed and put her arms around him.
Lips on her temple, he was thinking that it was not just a business, it was her home. Her first real home. He husked, “Tighter.”
She hugged him tighter, thus he got to embrace her like he wanted. Against her hair, holding her, he said softly, “Must have been scary.”
“It was. I half expected it. You know how kids are.”
Closing his eyes a moment, he gave her an extra squeeze before leaning back. She did too, still in the circle of his embrace.
Eyes moving over her face, he whispered, “I need something sweet.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Hmmm. I think there is some candy left.”
He shook his head no. “A kiss, at the least.”
Her gaze flickered over toward the cruiser.
He followed it. The deputy was getting in, then backing out; Juda was headed up the hill.
“Night, you two,” he called.
“Night.” They both answered.
Carter offered, “I’ll help you clean up.”
She sighed and pulled free. “Not much to do.”
He helped anyway, bringing in elaborate decorations she’d put out, and clearing candy bowls off the picnic table. When the double doors were shut, he watched her rolling up lights, moving this or that, a preoccupied look on her face.
She had the lights off eventually. The lantern one on, and went to the side door, smoking.
“What have you got to drink?”
She rolled on the shoulder that she had leaned against the frame and motioned toward a big free standing and sliding door. “Kitchens back there. Help yourself.”
He went behind it, finding a full kitchen, a table, and bottle of JD. Ice cubes, two glasses. He had a little poured in each, and joined her again, handing her one.
“Thanks.”
“Drink up.”
* * * *
Skye drank and shuddered. She needed it, even if she rarely drank more than beer. The night had started exciting, fun, and though she had been dreading something like this, she’d come to a point of relaxing when it had. The pickup with young guys, probably not teens, but early twenties, four in the bed. It had barreled in so fast…she had been inside just long enough to not get out there in time to see little more than the color of the truck in the flash of fire that exploded.
Shit. It never paid to relax, to fool herself that life in this place was ever going to be as good as she wanted it to be. No matter where she went there would always be her past, and present. She sighed and shook it off, mentally saying to herself—Hey, Skye, remember, it’s just one of those realities you get to deal with.
At least they only pulled these things on Halloween.
The drink lay warm in her belly. She glanced at Carter. His timing, she grunted, having to laugh, was like radar. That call came right after the deputy showed up. She could not believe how fast he had gotten there either.
She had so needed that hug. And his strong body. His soft grin.
Leaning her head back against the frame, her gaze started at his long powerful legs and travelled up his body. He was built. By the time she reached his face, he was looking at her, watching her with those sexy lime eyes.
A whole other kind of fire started.
Skin warm, blood pumping, head light, she drew on the cigarette and blew smoke, musing in the midst of all the things he stirred in her, she had never had a man look at her like that.
When she had crushed the smoke and he tossed his, they finished their drinks. He took the glasses to the kitchen and returned, just as she was closing the door.
Meeting up with her, he said in a rough whisper, “I want to stay awhile.”
She nodded and led the way up to her living quarters.
Carter waited once they reached it, until she had lit candles that cast warm light over everything. He watched her take off the hoddie and kick off her shoes, from the spot he had taken himself, the trunks/window seat.
When she stood at the end of the bed wearing the form fitting running pants, a T-shirt, he held out a hand for her.
Skye walked to him, letting him pull her between his spread knees and against him. For a bit, he just held her that way, his hands soothing over her back and hips. Her arms loose around his shoulders. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed it.
Lifting her lashes, she was aware of the intimacy of having him in her personal space. Of Carter himself. The utterly masculine and sensual way he was with her.
He leaned until there was enough space so that they looked at each other, his drawl deep and smooth in saying, “You’re beautiful, Skye. I could get lost in those incredible eyes.”
“Ditto,” she whispered biting her lower lip and staring into his. “Yours are— potent.”
He cupped the back of her head and brought her to him for a deep, lush, kiss. It was silky, sensual, and hot. His beautiful mouth felt so sexy. His tongue tasted her, rolling over and under hers, getting more sexual as the kiss went on.
Head swimming, her body flooded with erotic energy, Skye felt his hands move down, then skim under her T-shirt. Her fingers curled into his shoulders, legs unsteady, like her breath, when he pulled back and kissed across her temple, then down her cheek, back near her ear as his palms touched the bare skin of her back.
As Carter brought one round to her ribs, glancing at her, he whispered, “Can I take your shirt off?”
She moved back to do it, but he stopped her, peeling it up and over her head, then holding her by her bare sides as his gaze moved over her stomach, the pants riding low on her hips. His eyes skimmed up her ribs, then lingered on the half lace white bra.
She watched his fingertips trace over her stomach and up over her ribs. Though it was obvious her nipples were hard behind the silk cups, he took his time following the line of lace at the top, dipping down, between the mounds.
Chills covered her skin. Observing his handsome face now, she felt him hook the strap and bring it inches down her arm, then the other. His gaze took everything in. She wasn’t large, but enough so that when she felt him reach for the snap, felt it release, and the weight of her freed breasts came, she wasn’t self-conscious.
“God. Skye.” Hi
s lime gaze flickered to her face after he put the bra aside. “Your breasts are perfect.”
She swallowed, glanced down at pale pink nipples and orange size mounds with skin tensed and aroused. Looking back at Carter, she found him watching her expression, his arousal evident in a half-sleepy gaze, but alert in the way he kept watching her face when his fingertips touched her nipples.
Skye breathed shallower.
Cupping her breasts, he looked at the objects of his pleasure, making her gasp echo in the room when he dipped his head to taste them. He did it incredibly erotic, flicking his tongue over them, holding the globes in his hand, and then rimming his lips on the nipples before he suckled.
Her hands on his broad shoulders, she arched her neck, trying to contain her sounds as the pleasure became intense. His teeth scraped lightly on the tips, and while licking or sucking one, he brushed his thumb over the other.
“Carter.” She lowered her chin, further turned on by the sight of that mouth around her nipple, his strong hands against her flesh. She blindly found the buttons on his shirt.
He released her nipple, leaving dampness that felt exquisite, and leaned back, his hands leaving her while he helped her undo his shirt. Shoving it off those wide shoulders, she resisted shaking her head at his bare torso, muscled, tanned, cut, amazing.
Skye put the shirt aside and uttered, “Lean back.”
He did, more toward the window ledge, enough to show that the ridges in his stomach were not because he was sitting. Sinew, and muscles, thickly veined. His dark nipples were hard.
Skye began to smooth her hands over him, starting at the sides of his strong neck, and going over shoulders and arms. His skin was velvet smooth, hot, and arousing to touch.
“Umm,” he uttered when she smoothed over his chest, dragging palms over his ribs and stomach. “Your hands feel good.”
She glided them up, rolled her fingers over his nipples, saying, “Carter Croft, you’re one fine man.”
He grinned tensely and cupped her breast again, massaging them and whispering back, “Keep me in control. I am tempted to pull you down and be inside you just from this. But I want to take my time with you.”
Carter sat up more and kissed her before asking, “Can I go down on you, Skye. Will you trust me?”