Caught in the Act: Book Two: Independence Falls

by Sara Jane Stone

  Locating a cutting board, he removed the tofu from the fridge, opened it up, and dumped it on the plastic surface. He stared at it. When he’d grabbed the package at the store, he’d assumed he could toss it on the grill alongside his steak. But it looked like a bar of wet, crumbling soap. He didn’t have the first clue what to do with it.

  Down the hall, he heard the shower turn off. His mind abandoned the tofu, choosing instead to picture Katie reaching for a towel and running it over her naked body. He wanted to join her, dry her off, and toss her back on the bed. Forget dinner. He needed a second chance to prove the explosive connection between them ran too deep to walk away from—in and out of the bedroom.

  She’d blown him away when she’d said those three little words: Don’t hold back. Her fire and her passion matched his, stroke for stroke. But they couldn’t spend the night in bed. He needed to feed her, care for her, and show her that he wasn’t here just for sex.

  He withdrew a knife from the block resting on the island and began slicing the tofu. He’d picked up wooden skewers to grill the vegetables. Adding squares of tofu—if it didn’t crumble to pieces first—might work.

  He finished with the soaplike substance and moved on to the vegetables. As he impaled the peppers and mushrooms on the wooden sticks, his thoughts shifted back to Katie. He’d given her every reason to keep her emotions under lock and key. He should have known she wouldn’t turn to him, her expression filled with young love. She’d grown and changed. And hell, he liked the woman she’d become more and more. But he’d hoped for some sign that she felt the same pull he did.

  Liam gathered the food and headed for the door leading to the grill. “I sure as hell hope she likes tofu.”

  “I do.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. With her wet hair framing her face, forming ringlets, Katie stood in her jeans and fitted green tank. She moved to the glass door, sliding it open.

  “Need a hand?” she asked.

  “I’ve got this.” He wanted her to relax and let him take care of her.

  “Want to grab a couple of beers and join me out here?” he added.

  Just as he was setting the last of the skewers on the grill, Katie stepped onto the expansive back deck overlooking the yard. Facing due west, they had a kick-ass view of the sun dipping behind the coastal range on the far side of the lake. He could hear the water lapping against the empty dock, the sound blending with the crickets and the sizzle of the food.

  Katie handed him an opened bottle of Oregon microbrew. “Nice view out here. I have a feeling Georgia will like this place. But I think I’m going to recommend that we hike in. It might mean some of the old friends I planned to invite won’t come, but that could be for the best.”

  “The water level may rise by the time of your party,” Liam said, using the metal tongs to turn the food from the grill. “But Georgia would probably prefer the hike.”

  He felt Katie move behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

  “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” she said.

  “For you? Yeah, I did.” He pulled the skewers off the grill. “And you might want to hold your thanks until after you’ve tasted your dinner.”

  She walked over to the oval table and claimed a seat. Using a separate fork, he lifted his steak off, setting it on his plate. He put the dishes on the table and sat beside her. Raising his beer to his lips, he watched her take a bite.

  “It tastes great, I promise,” she said. “Now eat your dinner.”

  “Good.” He reached for his knife and fork. It was nice to see her relaxed even if it was under the pretense of planning Georgia’s party. “So, how are the horses?”

  “Better.” Glancing up from his plate, he caught Katie’s lips form a soft smile. “The vet stopped by yesterday and said they need to gain weight. She also suspects one of them is blind. I’m trying to find a home for them at one of the nearby sanctuaries. But everyone is full right now. It is bound to get worse as winter approaches and people realize they won’t be able to afford hay during the cold months.”

  “What is going to happen to your animals if you leave?”

  Liam regretted the question, watching as she set the half-eaten skewer back on her plate. Now wasn’t the time to talk about the future. But shit, the thought of her walking away from Independence Falls ate at him.

  “Georgia told you,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “I’m not sure. I’d like to take them with me. But it would be an expensive move. All the way to Montana.”

  “You don’t sound too excited. The way Georgia talked about this Safe Haven place, it sounded like your dream job,” he said, hoping Georgia had exaggerated Katie’s desire to leave and work in another state. Liam knew she was passionate about saving animals, but she’d also invested a lot of time and energy into building her family’s business. Part of him wanted it to be that simple. But he also had a feeling Katie didn’t dream in the abstract.

  “It is the perfect job. And I’m ready for Montana. I could use a break from Independence Falls. I’ve lived here most of my life. Aside from the years I went to college. Even then I was only a short drive away. And my brothers used any and every excuse to come visit.”

  “I can see Chad eager to revisit college life.”

  Katie laughed. “He stopped by for the parties. But Brody and Josh? They came to check up on me. I’ll admit, for a while I needed that. But now I want to be on my own and explore a new place. Make some new memories.”

  Deep in the pit of his stomach, guilt combined with dread. “Are the old ones really so bad?”

  She didn’t say a word. In the distance, crickets chirped and water lapped against the dock. But otherwise, silence. And he didn’t move, needing to hear her answer before returning to his meal.

  “Living in Independence Falls,” she began, her voice so soft he was tempted to move his chair closer. “I drive by the place where my father ran off the road. He died there, in his truck, alone in the middle of the night. We’d just buried Granddaddy two days before. We’d known the end was near for him. But Dad? He survived his time in the army, fought overseas . . . We didn’t expect him to have a heart attack at fifty-five. He was my daddy. And at eighteen, part of me still wanted to believe that he was invincible.”

  “Katie—”

  “I was out that night,” she continued, toying with her food for a moment before glancing up at the orange sky and the shimmering lake. “I took back roads home from town. If I hadn’t, if I had taken the highway, I would have driven right past his rig. Maybe in time to help him. Get him to a hospital.”

  He pushed back from the table and held out his hand. They could finish their meal later. Right now, he needed to hold her, offer the comfort he should have given years ago. “Katie, come here. Sit with me.”

  She obeyed, rising from her place and settling into his lap. He wrapped an arm around her, wishing he’d pulled on a shirt. He’d been focused on teasing and tempting her back into the bedroom, not serious conversation.

  “You can’t think like that,” he said. With his free hand, he touched her chin, guiding her head until her gaze met his. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know. But knowing I was so close during his last moments . . . I was minutes away from saying good-bye to him. I hate that I never had the chance.”

  Liam stared into her green eyes. He’d thought her bad memories of this town revolved around him. If he could win her forgiveness and make her see that this time would be different, that he wouldn’t run, he wouldn’t hurt her, then she would stay. But it ran deeper, so much deeper . . .

  He interlaced his hand with hers as the arm snaked around her waist drew her closer. “I can understand wanting to escape those memories.”

  “Don’t you think about leaving? A fresh start someplace that doesn’t remind you of the people you lost?”

&nb
sp; “I thought about it after my parents passed away. But Georgia was in school and she needed a place to come home to. So I started logging.” He shrugged. “It’s what I know. I grew up working in the forest, same as Eric.”

  He looked out at the lake. The sun was dipping low behind the mountains. It would be dark soon and the temperature would drop too. They should finish eating and head inside. But he couldn’t let her go. Not yet.

  “I told myself I would leave when Georgia graduated,” he continued. “But then she joined the army. And I felt paralyzed. If I left, if I walked away from our hometown, what would she have to come back to? I needed her to come home. I couldn’t lose her too.”

  He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his words like the heavy fear he’d carried around day and night while his sister had been overseas. Katie squeezed his hand.

  “Now this place is my home,” he added. “My future is here.”

  Opening his eyes, he looked at their joined hands, resting in her lap. Our future. But he couldn’t say the words. He couldn’t tell her that running from memories didn’t make them disappear. Look at Georgia. She carried hers with her across the ocean.

  No, he couldn’t use words. He needed to show her. Tonight. Before they left this place and returned to the other side of the lake. When they got back Independence Falls, the negotiations to buy her family business, the one her late father had nurtured and grown, waited for them. And when Katie learned of Eric’s plan to hire her and bind her to Independence Falls?

  His hand resting on her hip ran up the side of her body, drawing her closer. On Monday morning, when Eric presented his offer, she’d feel trapped. And there was no doubt in his mind, she’d look to him, accusing and demanding to know why he’d hadn’t said a word about the deal during their time together.

  Shit. He couldn’t do that to her. He had to tell her. Now.

  “Katie, honey, I want you to stay, but there is something you need to know—”

  “I can’t.” She raised her hand, pressing a finger to his lips. “I can’t stay, Liam. I want to be here. Tonight. With you. But I can’t make promises beyond that. If that’s not enough for you, I understand.”

  He turned his head, running his lips over her palm. He should tell her about Eric’s plan. But out here, removed from Independence Falls, with Katie perched on his lap, the need to be with her, to love her, won.

  “What did you have in mind?” he murmured, punctuating the question with a kiss in the center of her hand. They could discuss business in the morning. He silently promised they wouldn’t leave the cabin until she knew about Eric’s offer.

  Katie broke free from his hold, sliding off his lap. “I think it is my turn to call the shots.”

  “And if I disobey?” he asked, watching as she returned to her chair.

  “You wouldn’t dare.” In the near darkness, he saw her pick up her knife and fork. “But first, I’ll let you finish your dinner. I’d hate for that steak to go to waste.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen, he thought, hardening to the point that he might explode. The thought of Katie vying for dominance narrowed his focus to the here and now.

  “Later.” He stood, picking up his plate. “It’s getting dark out here.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “I do.” He picked up her dish and headed for the sliding glass doors. “You better believe I want to see the expression on your face when you make your demands.”

  If they had only tonight—and she’d better be prepared for the fact that he wasn’t going to let her walk away without a fight—he wanted to spend it worshipping her, caring for her, giving her damn near all he had to offer.

  Chapter 14

  KATIE PAUSED IN the doorway. The things she’d revealed on the porch, she’d never shared with anyone, not even her brothers. How could she tell her family, the people who loved her no matter what, that living with them in Independence Falls left her second-guessing her past choices over and over?

  But she’d told Liam, the man she had reason to distrust. On the porch, she’d been open and honest with him, proving once again that she’d pushed beyond her desire for revenge. She no longer held the past against him. But what did that mean for the future?

  Katie shook her head. That question, the future—it didn’t belong here in this moment. Right now, she wanted to focus on the fever pitch of need rushing through her at the thought of seducing Liam, of calling the shots.

  She stepped inside, drawing the door closed. She watched as Liam placed their barely touched dinner in the fridge and turned to her. Everything about this man, from the way he stood, his bare feet planted hips’ distance apart with his strong hands on his hips, to his sharp brown eyes, left her eager to walk into the moment and never look back.

  “What do you want, Katie?”

  She heard the challenge in his tone. If she didn’t take control, he would. But she wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “You,” she said, closing the space between them. She touched his chest and began tracing the outline of his muscles. “At my mercy. Calling my name.”

  She looped her fingers beneath the waistband on his jeans, brushing her thumb back and forth over the button. The head of his cock touched her fingertips and she could feel him straining for more. Moving backward, she headed for the overstuffed leather couch in the den area, pulling Liam with her. He followed willingly, his lips forming a smile that threatened to melt away her resolve and let him have his wicked way with her.

  Stepping onto the soft rug, Katie paused in front of the couch. Using both hands, she undid the button on his jeans and lowered the zipper, freeing his erection. She wrapped her hand around him before stealing a glance up at his face. His jaw was tense and his gaze was fixed on her hand, watching and waiting. If she faltered, even for a second, he’d reclaim control.

  Reluctantly, she released him and went to work removing his pants. “Sit down.”

  “Sure you don’t need help with your clothes?” His voice was a low growl. The tone and timbre sent red-alert signals through her body.

  “Sit down, Liam.” She gave him a little push and waited until he’d settled into the cushions before sinking to her knees between his splayed legs.

  “I want to be clear on the rules,” she said, wrapping her hand around him.

  “I’m listening,” Liam murmured.

  She lowered her head, running her tongue around him, ensuring she had his full attention. “Place your hands behind your head, grip the couch cushions if you want, but you can’t touch me.”

  “And you think I’ll agree to this because—”

  She took him in her mouth, running her lips down to meet her hands.

  “Oh hell yes,” he hissed.

  She lifted her head, but kept her hold on him. “And the second rule. The only words I want to hear from your lips are ‘more,’ ‘please,’ and ‘yes.’ ”

  Liam let out a strained laugh as she placed him on the receiving end of the command he’d issued earlier in the bedroom.

  “Understood?” Her lips grazed the tip of his cock.

  “Yes.”

  Katie licked him beginning at the base and he let out a low moan as his hips rocked up, demanding more. His sounds and movements left her aching for his touch. Remembering his instructions from years ago, under the fir tree, she moved her free hand to her breasts, brushing the hardened nipple through the thin fabric of her tank top. She knew, just knew, he was watching.

  “Oh fuck, Katie. You’re killing me.” He thrust up into her mouth, harder and faster. But she stilled, gently lifting her head and looking him in the eye.

  “More,” he said, the smile on his lips in sharp contrast to the need in his brown eyes as he realized his error, and her determination to stick to her rules. “Please.”

  Lowering her mouth, she took him as deep as she could, savoring his
growl of approval. The hand touching her breast headed south. Having him at her mercy had her turned on to the point she couldn’t hold back. If she didn’t touch herself, she might abandon her plan, strip off her clothes, and straddle his lap.

  Through her shorts, she pressed the heel of her hand against the part of her body demanding friction. She moaned, swirling her tongue around his tip, before taking him deep again. Her hand worked in time with her mouth.

  She felt Liam’s fingers in her hair, drawing her back. “Game over, Katie. You can call the shots later, I swear. But right now, honey, I need to taste you.”

  She heard the dangerous edge in his voice and was about to refuse even though his words sent a thrill down her body, when he added: “Please.”

  That one word—it was supposed to be a plea—but crossing his lips, it was a command. She released him, resting back on her heels.

  “Please, take off your clothes.”

  “Since you asked nicely . . .” Reaching for the hem of her tank, she drew it over her head and tossed it aside. She rose to her feet and quickly stripped away the rest of her clothes. “Better?”

  “Yes.”

  With a wicked smile that promised to make up for the fact that he was vying for control, he stretched out on the couch. The leather surface wasn’t long enough for his six-foot-plus frame, but he didn’t seem to give a damn.

  “Come here, honey.”

  It took some adjusting, but Katie managed to straddle his face while taking him deep in her mouth. As he licked and kissed her, pushing her closer to release, she silently thanked him for breaking the rules.

  This, she thought as she felt his hips thrust up into her mouth, was so much better.

  His hands wrapped around her bottom, holding her still as his tongue swept across her sensitive flesh. Katie moaned, a low, throaty sound. If he kept this up, she’d explode.

  She lifted her mouth, her hand never stopping. “Come for me. Now.”

  LIAM HEARD KATIE’S demand and his body took over, begging to do exactly as she ordered.