by Alison Paige
Clayton’s blond brows creased while he deciphered her meaning. “Oh. Yeah. Vet’s on his way. I think we got the horses out before they breathed in too much smoke. Not sure I can say the same about you.”
Kate shook her head and centered herself better on the short tree stump she huddled on. “I’m fine.”
“How’d it start?” Joe asked from behind her.
“He torched one of the saddles,” Clayton said. “Fire spread to the ones hanging above it.”
Joe cleared his throat, as though the smoke had affected him too. “Which saddle?”
“Yours.”
“Joe’s?” Kate tightened the knot of her arms across her belly, trying to hide her worsening tremble. “Why would anyone burn Joe’s saddle? It’s not even his.”
Clayton shrugged. “Who knows?”
He didn’t look her in the eye. Kate glanced over her shoulder at Joe. The soot shadowing his face made his scowl more intense than usual. He met her gaze but gave nothing away.
Kate turned back to Clayton. “You think it was…y’know, him?”
The possibility her secret crush had done this made her stomach roil. She hated even asking.
The worry in Clayton’s eyes belied his words. “I don’t know, honey. The fire chief says with the kind of kids we’ve got staying here, it’s probably a prank gone outta control. Don’t let it freak you out.”
“It was him.”
Kate and Clayton shifted focus to Joe.
“Left a calling card on my door.” Joe stared off in the distance toward the stables as though he was talking to himself. Kate followed his gaze.
The throbbing red strobe from the fire trucks cast the night sky and surrounding building in a strange bloody haze. Smoke still thickened the air, stung Kate’s nose and soured her stomach.
Maybe it wasn’t the smoke. Maybe it was the fact that everything she ever cared about, everything she loved, had nearly burned to the ground, and her right along with it. If not for Joe.
Kate’s stomach flopped, bile shooting up her throat. She held it back.
“You found another note? A photo? Which?” Clayton’s tone was harsh, accusatory.
“Both.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“I was busy.”
Kate stood to better see the exchange between them and because she couldn’t stop her knees from shaking. She looked at Joe still watching the firemen coming in and out of the stables, seemingly unconcerned with Clayton’s mounting outrage.
Clayton huffed. “Lemme see them.”
“Police have everything.”
“Dammit, Garity. Who the fuck put you in charge?”
Joe’s cold stare shifted to Clayton and Kate saw the quick blanch on her stepbrother’s face.
Clayton’s gaze flicked to Kate then back to Joe. He scrubbed his face with one hand, turning his back on the both of them.
“What’s going on?” Kate asked.
“I’m spending the night at your place,” Joe said.
Clayton spun around. “Like hell.”
“Clayton.” Kate stepped between them. Both men looked to have murder on their minds. She turned to Joe. “A girl likes to be asked, y’know.”
Joe’s steely gaze dropped to hers. “It’s not a date.”
She flinched at his chilly tone. “I see. You think I’m in danger?”
“Not takin’ the chance.”
“He burned your saddle not hers,” Clayton said. “If anything, he’s after you. Probably wants you out of the picture. And y’know what? I get that.”
“That’s why we’re not staying at your place,” Kate said to Joe.
Joe dipped his chin. “That’s why.”
Clayton moved up beside them, though neither Joe nor Kate looked his way. “She can stay in the main house.”
“No. I want to sleep in my own bed.” With Joe.
She wasn’t cold, but for the life of her Kate could not stop her knees from shaking. Her heart pattered like a startled rabbit, and her hands trembled even when she balled them into fists.
Kate detested the fear that gripped her heart, but the only sanctuary she could imagine was in Joe’s arms. It was such a romantic cliché. But since the moment he’d exploded through her office door, alerting her to the fire, saving her, saving everything, she didn’t want to leave his side.
Joe calmed her. She could feel his presence like a protective force. He’d keep her safe. It was that simple. And that strange.
“You’ll be safer in the main house,” Clayton said. “It’s got alarms and solid locks.”
Joe swung his attention to Clayton. “It’ll tip our hand. She moves out of her cottage, the stalker will know he’s made an impact. Either he’ll back off, regroup, and we’ll never catch him, or it’ll validate him. Prove he matters to her and he’ll want more.”
“So what, we’re supposed to pretend nothing happened?” Clayton asked.
“Right. Me sleeping over won’t seem out of the ordinary.” Joe’s dark eyes shifted back to Kate, the cool detachment melting away. “We’ve spent most of our time together from day one. Everyone’s been led to believe something’s going on between us. Overnight’s a normal progression.”
He made it sound like he’d set the whole thing up. Like their relationship, or whatever it was, had been part of some master plan from the start. Kate closed her eyes, forced the suspicion from her brain. The stalker, the fire, it was all making her paranoid. She couldn’t deal with it now. She just wanted to feel safe.
Kate pulled the blanket off her shoulders and shoved it into Clayton’s chest. “Whatever. Give this back to the firemen, will ya? I’m going home.”
An odd kind of numbness wrapped around Kate as she stood at Joe’s front door waiting while he grabbed a fresh change of clothes. They hadn’t spoken on the walk over from the mess hall, and left the silence undisturbed as they walked from his cottage to hers.
She sank into the fat cushioned chair by the TV the moment they got inside, and sat boneless as Joe pulled off her boots. She curled her stocking feet under her on the chair, resting her head against the soft back.
Joe draped an afghan over her shoulders, tucking the ends around her knees and under her toes, nice and snug. Kate didn’t so much as blink. Her stomach churned and twisted. She felt hot but couldn’t stop shaking. She was helpless, exposed, powerless to stop all this from happening again, or worse.
Her mind whirled. God, she couldn’t live like this. How could anyone live like this? She didn’t want to feel scared and vulnerable anymore. She had to get rid of this feeling. She had to do something.
“I’m gonna grab a shower,” Joe said. “You okay?”
Kate looked to Joe.
Joe. Strong and capable. He never let anything get the better of him. Not even fire. He’d saved her. He’d put out the fire and saved the stables, the horses, everything. Nothing scared him. Nothing harmed him. God, she wanted that. She wanted to be fearless, invincible.
“You’re lookin’ kinda frayed at the edges there, dollface.” Joe tilted his head to one side. “You hearin’ me?”
Kate blinked, forced a smile, then nodded.
“Right.” He brushed the tip of her nose with his finger and winked. “Yell if you need me.”
The bathroom door clicked shut behind Joe. The sound of running water followed minutes later. And just like that Kate decided she wouldn’t be scared and helpless anymore.
“Kate?” Joe knew it was her without pulling back the shower curtain. He’d known she’d be coming before he’d closed the bathroom door.
She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. He shifted back under the spray of water, rinsing the soap from his hair and face. He’d nearly finished when the curtain fluttered then peeled back at the other end of the tub.
“Hey, dollface.” Jeezus, she made it hard for him to breathe.
Soot streaked her forehead, nose and chin, but when she stepped into the tub he noticed the shadow of grunge covered
every part of her body that’d been exposed. He could see the line around her neck in the shape of a vee from her collar and the line at the round of each shoulder.
She smiled, but there was no spark behind it. Her hair hung loose past her shoulders. Her breasts and belly and legs pasty white compared to the black dust on her arms and face.
His gaze dropped, lingering on her breasts then lower to the tight curls over her sex. His body responded, his cock thickening, rising out from his balls, muscles tightening.
“Mind if I get in there?” Her voice was stronger than he’d expected judging by the haunted look in her eyes.
Joe stepped to the side and Kate made a point to rub her body against his as she passed. Her breasts and belly brushed soft against his skin, her hard nipples chafing an erotic line across his chest that his brain tracked on reflex.
She turned her back to the spray and inclined her head, lifting her arms to rake her fingers through her hair. Her breasts rose, shaping into two perfect teardrops, nipples rosy and puckered. Black-gray streaks raced down her chest, between her breasts, over her nearly flat belly and down her legs. The water pooled at her feet, turning ashen, then darker, before running clear.
Joe snagged the bottle of shampoo from the molded corner shelf and squeezed a dollop into his hand. The vanilla scent flavored the warm shower steam, filled his nose, connecting with every erotic thought in his head. His blood warmed, lust zinging through his veins despite his compassionate intent.
“Turn around,” he said, and Kate opened her eyes.
A flash of little-girl-lost filled her wide green eyes before the woman settled in behind them. The corners of her lips trembled, sweeping up to the barest of smiles. She lowered her chin and turned. Her hair looked like a dark shiny curtain down her back, two inches past her shoulder blades.
Joe gathered the thick strands with one hand, the other coating the mass with the sweet-smelling shampoo. He worked the soap to a lather, massaging the small round of her head. Everything about her seemed miniature now, so delicate and vulnerable.
She could’ve been killed tonight. With all his training, all his hard-learned lessons, if he’d been a minute longer, thought a little slower, he would’ve been too late. Kate would’ve been gone forever and there was nothing he could’ve done to change it. Dammit.
Joe exhaled, closed his eyes for a minute. He pushed the swell of anger and triggering thoughts from his head. Kate’s alive. That’s what matters. For now.
He opened his eyes when he felt Kate reach for a smaller bottle. She squeezed a dab into her palm and washed her face while he continued lathering her hair. She leaned into the spray and rinsed, then reached to cover his hands with hers. He stopped his massage and Kate turned around, inclining her head into the stream again.
Joe stepped closer, his fully erect cock thumping against her belly. He took her wrists, pulling her hands from her hair.
“Let me.” Gently, he pushed his fingers through her long hair. White foaming suds cascaded over the shiny curves of her body, catching around her nipples, dipping into her belly button, gathering around their feet.
Kate rested her hands on his hips. He could feel her fingers trembling. Anger stormed through him so fast his jaw locked.
When he caught the son of a bitch who’d done this, who’d shaken her, stolen her sense of safety… It’s not right. Kate should never be frightened. He’d kill him. He’d—
Joe strangled the thought, reeled in his murderous anger, struggled for gentleness. He gathered her hair, squeegeeing the last remnants of soap with both hands, from the base of her head to the tips of her hair.
She edged closer so her breath warmed his chest, and her arms slipped around his waist. He kissed her forehead when she peered up at him, his cock pressed thick and needy between them.
Kate hugged him, resting her cheek on his chest, crushing the softness of her body against his. Joe wrapped his arms around her, held her while the warm water pattered his arms and over her back. He could’ve held her forever. He would’ve, but the snug hold of Kate’s arms loosened and he let their bodies part as she wished.
“Ready to finish?” He reached for his sponge on the molded soap dish beside them and grabbed the bottle of liquid soap. Only half noticing the flowered picture decorating its label, he squeezed a mound of Kate’s soap in the center.
The wildflower scent went straight to his cock as he lathered the sponge. Suds covered the back of his hand, halfway down his arm and he rubbed the soapy sponge around her neck, over her shoulders, down her arms. He lifted her hands and cleaned her fingers, her palms, then moved to the other.
Her naturally sun-kissed skin glistened, and Joe sponged soap over her chest, circling her left breast, then her right. His free hand followed the path, tracing the sensuous curve of her breast up to her nipple. Suds, piled in a small temple, braced on the tight puckered flesh, and Joe swiped his thumb over the hard nub, then gently pinched.
Kate’s eyes fluttered closed. Her back arched, encouraging his fondling hand. Her chest rose and fell with her deepening breaths. His heart pounded, blood turning hot, swelling his cock to its limit. He pressed the soapy sponge down her belly, rubbing circles, before sliding around to her ass. He squeezed her nipple one last time then slipped his free hand around to hold both cheeks, holding her slick soapy body against his.
She wriggled, stroking his stone-hard cock with her body. Their flesh slid easy, pressure instead of friction, erotic and needy. Joe drew the sponge along the crease of her ass, soaping the inner sides of her cheeks. His other hand followed behind, pushing between the firm rounds, toying over the pucker of her anus.
Kate flinched at his touch, thrusting her hips forward, crushing the mound of her sex against the base of his cock. Joe caught his breath, every muscle in his body snapping tight. He rocked into her on reflex, cradling her against him with both hands on her rear.
Heat surged through his body, from his head down to his chest, tingling along his arms and legs. Kate’s hands dropped to his ass and gripped, pulling their bodies flush. His thigh muscles shook, need pounding through his body and brain. She leaned back and wrapped her fingers around the thick shaft of his cock.
Instinct jerked Joe’s hips back at her touch but Kate followed the move, quickly cupping his balls too. She arched into him, rubbing his cock along her soapy belly, lathering his shaft, so her hand slipped slick and easy along his sensitive flesh.
She stroked him from root to head, her fingers bumping over the smooth ridge at the top. Each stroke sent jolt after jolt of pleasure rippling through his body, humming along his skin, tugging the tightening knot in his groin.
His chest squeezed so hard he could barely breathe. His hips pumped his swollen cock into her snug little hands, faster, harder, pressure building. Joe dropped the sponge, grabbed her upper arms and spun her to the sidewall, pressed her back, his hips thrusting on instinct.
He took her mouth with his, tasting her, feeling her heat surround his tongue, enveloping him. She lost her grip on his cock, but his need continued the thrusts, stroking himself along her belly, the coarse hairs of her pussy brushing against his shaft. He moaned at his loss of control, at the sweet satisfaction of giving in to his primal urge, however briefly.
Her legs opened, though his height made his cock too high to find her sex. He slipped his soap-covered fingers through the wet folds between her legs, finding the heat of her inner body, hotter than the water warming the shower.
His fingers slipped from clit to anus, dipping in and out of her tight little pussy as they passed over, mixing her sultry cream with the wildflower soap. Her hips bucked, following the stroke of his fingers, her sex pulsing each time he teased her opening.
She grabbed his hand between her legs, matched him finger for finger, and drove the center two of both deep inside her. With their fingers doubly thick, filling her pussy, the muscles latched achingly tight around them. Kate pushed them deeper, and Joe stroked her inner walls, curling to fin
d the spot that made her moan.
Her head pushed back against the wall, body arching, legs opening wider, as her muscles milked their fingers. Kate drew her hand out of her, riding only his. Joe cupped her mound, grinding his palm against her clit, watching her writhe for more. Her body tensed, her muscles squeezing around his finger, her hips rocking faster, suddenly frantic.
Kate’s mouth opened, eyes closed, breaths coming in quick pants. “That’s it. Joe. Yes. Don’t stop.”
Determination seized everything male inside him. With his fingers fucking her pussy, grinding her clit, he bent to take her breast into his mouth. Joe drew her in, flicked his tongue over the tight nub, nipped and suckled, feeling the instant her sex fluttered ecstatically around him.
“Ohgod… Yessss…” Liquid heat gushed through her sex, her orgasm pulsating her muscles.
The moment she stilled Joe pulled out of her. He turned her, faced her toward the end of the tub and braced her hands on the back wall. He pulled her hips back so her ass thrust toward him and spread her legs with his knee.
Joe stroked his cock, staring for a minute at the glistening sight of her, pink and open, plump and ready. He leaned forward and smoothed his hand down her back, over her ribs, curving his fingers around her waist, feeling that she was real, startling at how small and fragile she was. But she was alive.
He ran his hand over the firm round of her ass and traced a finger through her folds. A few more tight strokes on his cock and he guided himself to her sex. He plunged into her, his thoughts screaming in his head.
She could’ve been killed. Jeezus, he’d almost let her get killed. His hips thrust, driving his cock, pounding her sex. Kate drove back just as hard, harder. He couldn’t get deep enough, close enough. He wanted to surround her, envelope her so nothing could ever threaten her again.
“Fuck.” His voice was graveled, his emotions riding him rougher than he was riding her. Sensation swirled through his body, hot blood surging into his cock, swelling him, tightening her pussy’s delirious squeeze.