Trouble in Dixie

by Becky McGraw

  Tommy growled low in his throat, then covered her mouth with his and devoured it, sucking her lower lip, licking her top, then he found her tongue and teased it with his, until she was panting and squirming against him. She whispered frantically, “Hay loft…I saw one in the barn,” then grabbed his hand and tugged.

  “Whoa, sugar…they’ll be looking for us for supper…we should wait,” he said with a chuckle, then pulled her back against him and kissed her neck, then whispered by her ear, “Someone’s out in the bunkhouse anyway, and I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna be making some noise.”

  Katie huffed out a frustrated breath, then dropped her chin to her chest and nodded. “Let’s go eat, then,” she said then pulled out of his arms and walked to the door.

  So much for spontaneity, she thought, and a little spark of anger fired in her chest. She was going to be his dirty little secret, and she was going to accept that role. It didn’t make sense, with her new found assertiveness, but she’d take what she could get with this man. She wanted him too badly. When it didn’t work for her anymore, she’d tell him, and move on.

  He followed her inside the house to the kitchen, and all eyes turned to them when they walked into the room.

  “Wondered where ya’ll got off to, I was just about to come and find you,” Karlie said with a grin and mischievous sparkle in her blue eyes.

  “We were just sitting on the porch talking,” Tommy said a little too quickly, which made Karlie’s grin widen. Katie knew her sister, and knew Karlie was teasing them to get a rise, and Tommy was falling right into her snare.

  “Need help setting the table, Cassie? Or fixing drinks?” she offered and walked right past her sister without saying a word.

  “You can help make ice tea for everyone. It’s in the fridge, glasses are there,” she said and pointed to a cabinet next to the sink.

  “Where’s Gabe, Karlie?” she asked to put her sister off the scent.

  “He had to work tonight…think some cattle got loose, and he drew the short straw,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, I know he loves those calls, right?” Katie teased. “Didn’t you tell me about an escaped emu or something one time?”

  Karlie shook her head and hooted, “Yeah, he was covered from head to toe in mud…took him forever to catch the thing, and he said that place stunk to high heaven.”

  Luke piped up and said, “Yeah, Cole had a chicken rodeo one night, when a hauler overturned on the highway,” then he belly laughed.

  Katie gave Tommy a small satisfied smile, when the conversation darted off in that direction, and they were effectively off the hook. She saw his shoulders relax as he joined in the conversation, while they served up dinner, then ate. She looked over at Dixie who was nodding off intermittently between bites, and she nodded her head in that direction, when Tommy glanced her way.

  “Dixie, you ready for bed, sugar?” he asked with a grin. “You’re not gonna look real pretty wearing that spaghetti.”

  She yawned then rubbed her eyes, then admitted, “Yeah, I’m sleepy, daddy.”

  Karlie got up and grabbed Dixie’s plate and then her own, and took them too the sink to scrape them the disposal. She cast a glance at Katie and asked, “I guess we’ll be going, because I’m pretty tired too…Katie you coming to the house?”

  Katie glanced at Tommy out of the corner of her eye and saw him stiffen, then replied nonchalantly, “I’m not sure yet, I’ll call you in a little while. I might sleep in the camper, or maybe here if Cassie and Luke have room.”

  “Okay then, just let me know,” Karlie told her then walked up beside Dixie and asked, “You ready, for our slumber party squirt?”

  Dixie’s eyes widened a little with excitement, then drooped again, “I’m probably too tired tonight, Karlie…maybe tomorrow night?” she asked hopefully.

  “You got it…let’s get out of here, Gabe might be home by now,” she said then walked over and gave Katie a kiss on her cheek, “Night, sis…let me know if you need a place to crash…our couch is short, but decently comfortable.”

  “She can stay here, we have room,” Cassie told her, then gently took a sleeping Bella from Luke’s arms.

  “Ya’ll work it out then, I’m too tired to think. Let’s go, Dix…” Karlie said then helped the sleepy little girl to her feet. “Night, and thanks for supper.”

  “You’re welcome…ya’ll be careful going home,” Luke told her and then walked them to the door.

  “Night, everyone…” Cassie said then told them, “Bella and I are going upstairs. Just grab a room if you want, Katie. The first one on the right is empty.”

  “Thanks, Cassie,” she said knowing full well she wasn’t going to be sleeping there tonight. “I’m going to clean the kitchen up, you go ahead.”

  “You don’t have to do that, I’ll do it in the morning…” she said with a yawn.

  “Go! I’m handling it,” Katie told her, then shooed her toward the stairs.

  Soon, it was only her and Tommy standing in the kitchen and he looked at her nervously. “You sure about this, sugar?” he asked sounding unsure himself.

  Katie pinned him with her eyes and asked angrily, “You backing out on me Tommy Tucker?”

  He held up his hands and his face flushed, “No way…I’m just giving you a chance to change your mind.”

  “If I changed my mind, you’d know it,” she said sassily then added, “Get the hell out of here, and I’ll be there shortly.”

  He chuckled then told her, “Yes ma’am…I’ll see you in a little bit,” then kissed her cheek and hugged her for a minute, before saying with a groan, “Damn, you feel good…”

  “We’re not gonna make it out of this kitchen, if you don’t get away from me…that breakfast bar is looking awfully good,” she murmured in a low voice.

  Instantly, he backed away from her and turned on his heel, then said over his shoulder, “You better hurry…but be careful!”

  “Hurry, but be careful,” Katie mumbled with a chuckle, then tidied up the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. She wiped down all the counters then headed outside to her truck. After unhooking the tailgate, slid the ramp down to unload her bike. That turned out to be an ordeal trying to do it alone, but somehow she managed.

  Unzipping her suitcase, anticipation filled her as she pulled out some fresh underwear and clothes for tomorrow. For tonight, she pulled out a new lingerie set she’d bought in Dallas, a royal blue and black panty and bra set, and some light colored blue jean shorts and a bright colored shirt, so she’d be visible riding the bike.

  The bright safety yellow wind breaker she’d bought should help too. She snuck back into the house and found the half bath on the main level, then changed her clothes, before heading back outside. After stashing her clothing change in her backpack, she straddled the bike and cranked it up.

  Trying to be as quiet as possible, she didn’t rev the engine, but idled her way down the driveway to the road. Halfway to Bowie, she saw tail lights flashing ahead on the side of the road and slowed down to take a look. The truck was broken down in the middle of nowhere, and she knew there wasn’t cell service out here, so that guy was up a creek. Pulling up behind the truck, Katie didn’t cut the engine, she got off and flipped her face shield, so she could see better, then walked around the truck tentatively.

  The doors were shut, and the hood wasn’t up, so she didn’t see any obvious signs it was broken down, which made her a little nervous. After she looked around a minute, she realized she knew this truck. In the dark, she hadn’t really recognized it, until now. It was Tommy’s truck and she didn’t see him anywhere, which caused fear to course through her.

  She walked around to the driver’s door and tapped on the side window, Tommy vaulted up in the seat, then before she knew it, she was looking down the snout of a mean looking pistol. Taking a step back, her eyebrows shot up as did her hands. The blood in her face drained down to her toes.

  His eyebrows shot up too, then fell over his narrow
ed angry eyes, as he flung the door open. “What the hell are you doing stopping in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night? Are you nuts?!?!” he yelled and jumped down to stand in front of her.

  Katie’s blood boiled up from her toes and she put her hand on her hip, then said sarcastically, “Obviously I am, because I’m stopping to help a dumb ass who’s just sitting on the side of the road, waiting for someone to come along and plow into him! Is your truck broken down, or are you just enjoying the scenery?”

  Tommy ran a hand through his dark hair, then huffed a breath, and grated, “I was waiting for you…I was worried about you on that damned bike.”

  “You’re a mess, you know that?” she said and stepped toward him to put her hand on his chest and lean up to give him a quick kiss. “I’m fine…I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself, Tommy.”

  He shoved the gun into the back of his pants then growled and pulled her into his arms, before covering her mouth with his in a kiss that held frustration and need. “That doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt…accidents happen.”

  “Yeah, they do, and you waiting by the side of the road for me isn’t gonna stop that from happening,” she told him then stepped back.

  “It will if you ride with me, instead of riding that bike,” he told her then walked behind the truck and let down the tailgate. “I have a ramp, come help me load it in the back.”

  “God, are you always this overprotective?” she asked incredulously, then went and shut off the bike and kicked up the stand.

  “Only with those I care about,” he said softly, then slid the board down and leaned it against the tailgate.

  Katie pulled off her helmet and fluffed her hair, as he took the bike and wrestled it up the ramp and into the back of the truck. He hopped down, then slid the board in and slammed the tailgate.

  Relief filled his eyes as he turned to her and asked with a sexy grin, “Ready?”

  Her heart skipped to the Lou in her chest and she swallowed down the desire that swamped her. “More than you’ll ever know,” she admitted then walked around to the driver’s door. He opened it for her, and she threw her helmet in then climbed up.

  Katie barely had her butt on the seat, when she saw headlights headed toward them on the road. She slid over quickly, so Tommy could get inside, but then Red and Blue lights started flashing on the top of the car and Katie groaned and put her hand to her forehead.

  Tommy didn’t get in, he just shut the door and leaned against it, waiting for the cruiser to pull alongside them. Katie scooted over and cracked the window so she could hear what was going on. The darkened window of the cruiser rolled down and her eyes widened when she saw Gabe was behind the wheel.

  She couldn’t hide, because her brother-in-law’s eyes met hers first, before he looked at Tommy, and a big grin spread across his face. “Evening, Tommy…everything okay?”

  Tommy didn’t say anything for a second, then he lied, “Um…yeah, Katie just had a little trouble with her bike, and I was bringing her back to the Double B.”

  Oh, hell no he wasn’t! Katie had just escaped from there and she wasn’t going back until she scratched the itch that was quickly reaching poison ivy scale inside of her.

  Tommy looked back over his shoulder at her, then at Gabe, “We’re good, thanks for stopping, though. Shouldn’t you be home by now?” Tommy asked conversationally.

  “Yeah, but I got another call out here…domestic, some idiot came home drunk and his wife beaned him with a skillet,” Gabe told Tommy with a chuckle.

  “Interesting job you have…” Tommy said with a forced laugh.

  “You have no idea,” Gabe laughed too then asked with a tilt of his head, “Ya’ll need any help getting back to the ranch? Katie staying there tonight?”

  Katie saw that Gabe was studying Tommy’s face intently. As easy as the man blushed, she figured that’s what he was doing, and that was why Gabe was looking at him so curiously. Keep it cool, Katie urged him silently.

  “Um…yeah, she’s staying there tonight…we were going to get a drink first, then I’ll bring her back,” Tommy improvised again. Katie thought he was pretty damned good with the lying, and it kind of worried her a little. Maybe she needed to give him the same speech she’d given his daughter earlier today. But he couldn’t very well say, I was just taking her to the bed and breakfast outside of town to fuck her brains out, now could he?

  Gabe finally left and did a U-turn on the road then headed back toward town, but Katie knew the gig was up. They couldn’t follow Gabe, because of what Tommy had just told him. They’d have to go to the bar to make Tommy’s lie true, and she was not into that tonight…the only thing she wanted was a tall order of cowboy. Tommy watched him drive away, then his head dropped to his chest and he just stood there a minute, before he opened the door and quietly got inside.

  “I feel like a fucking teenager, lying and trying to get laid,” he said then ran a hand through his dark hair.

  “So, let’s make out like teenagers…” she purred and scooted close to him, then ran her hand along his thigh. “I’m game, if you are.”

  He looked down at her with desire making his eyes glitter in the dim interior of the truck. His jaw was tight as he told her, “We probably should just forget about it…take this as a sign.”

  “I’ve got a sign for you, bucko…” she grumbled then slid over to the other side of the truck. “If you give up that easily, then maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she told him angrily and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Evidently you don’t want it bad enough…just take me back to the ranch.”

  “I just think you deserve better than getting fucked in the cab of a pickup, Katie,” he told her with anger scorching his words.

  She snorted then looked over at him and said nastily, “Wouldn’t be the first time…it’s kinda fun if you aren’t too much of a tight ass to try it…sex doesn’t always have to be in a bed, Tommy.”

  “That’s the second fucking time you’ve called me a tight ass…” he grated, then slid across the seat of the truck and yanked her onto his lap. He settled her astride him, then roughly put his hand behind her head and pulled her head to his and clamped his mouth over hers in a kiss that about melted her panties. His hands grabbed her hips and dug in, and pressed her tightly against his erection, and ground his hips to hers, causing friction that started a fire inside of her.

  She moaned and tried to move against him, but he held her too tightly. He slid one hand up her back to her bra closure, and shivers traveled over her skin, as it magically came undone, just like she was doing in his arms. Tommy deepened the kiss and teased her tongue with his, and then let her hips go to slide his hands up the side of her ribcage to cup her breasts.

  Darts of electricity shot through her core, and Katie arched her back to press her breasts against his hands. When his thumbs moved over her nipples in tandem, she sucked in a breath and moaned loudly. He abraded them with the pads of his callused fingers over and over, and tension built inside of her, along with a wave of pleasure so intense it threatened to overwhelm her. Her breaths were short and sharp as she reached for the release that was just out of her grasp.

  Tommy shifted his hips, then pulled his lips away from hers, then closed his mouth over her nipple through her shirt, and nipped it with his teeth. Katie exploded, her body vibrating with the most intense orgasm she’d had in her life. She shouted his name hoarsely and clutched his shoulders, riding it to its devastating conclusion, then dropped her forehead against his, breathing heavy, and her body shaking violently.

  When the tremors slowed, she whispered, “Jesus…” then moved her shaky hands down the buttons of his shirt, loosing one at a time, leaning forward to place kisses on his neck, along his jaw, the finally his lips.

  “I need you inside of me, now,” she said in a desperate breathless voice. Standing, she unbuttoned her shorts, then slid them down her legs and went to work on his jeans.