“No. You’re not. After everything that’s happened to you and your sisters, the last thing I want is to place you in danger. Until we know who’s behind this, you stay put.”
“Is it safe for Mom to go with you?”
A heavy breath filled the line. “Why hell yes. I don’t let your mother out of my sight.”
“That’s an understatement,” Ansley muttered, her thoughts miles away. Her cousins had gone through so much over the last few years. Brianna and Gemma were buckwild, but who could blame them for their lack of discipline? They hadn’t exactly had a fine example to follow. “Daddy Kane, what can I do?”
“Stay by the phone. We’ll touch base as soon as we get there.”
“Who called you?”
“Alberto.”
“Where is that noble bastard?”
Tristan reentered the bar and dumped an armload of paperwork in front of her. He pretended to sort through bills and invoices so he could listen to the conversation.
“Alberto says he’s changed his ways.”
“Hmm, but of course he has. Let me guess. Drina is still keeping house and playing mommy to her sisters while Alberto courts women from Paris to Florence to God only knows where.”
“He’s had a tough time.”
“Since you’re my father, I won’t be disrespectful by telling you what kind of hard times Uncle Alberto has.” Uncle Alberto’s tough times were attributed to his own bad choices.
“I appreciate that, Ansley. Now get on the phone and call your cousins. See if you can find out what the hell is going on there. We may have only gotten half truths from Alberto. Still, he’s very concerned.”
“Imagine that,” Ansley drawled, sick of her three fathers and mother always defending him. She’d heard plenty of closed-door conversations about Alberto. He was a pathetic father and a mobster with a past full of enemies. “Daddy Kane, did he have something to do with this?”
“Of course not! He loves those girls, Ansley. Whether you want to believe it or not, he left them to save them.”
“Right.”
“Can you try to keep the sidebar comments to a minimum? Those girls don’t trust many people, but the older ones will talk to you.”
“The older ones have names. If you’re crossing the mountain to help, the least you can do is try to show some compassion by acting interested enough to call them by name.”
“Point made. Point taken. See what you can find out. We’ll be on the road in a few minutes.”
After they said their good-byes, Tristan asked, “What was that all about?”
Fiddling with her phone, Ansley muttered, “Old problems resurfacing if I had to guess.”
“I heard ‘noble bastard’ and ‘uncle’ in a short period of time. Want to talk about it?”
Ansley took a deep breath. “My fathers had a first cousin who grew up in East Tennessee. When we were kids, we called her Aunt Ann. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about her. Anyway, when Daddy Kane and Aunt Ann were younger, they were close, more like brother and sister. As kids, we did everything with our Tennessee cousins. Then, one day, they just quit coming around.” Ansley’s heart grew heavy as she thought of the past and how drugs and scandal had separated families.
“Surely there was a reason. Did your dads have a falling out with her or something?”
“Ann married a drug lord. I mean, he was rotten to his very core, but I guess he loved Ann. I’d like to think he did anyway.” Ansley’s mind reverted back to happier times. “Alberto and Ann had—well, I guess you might say they had a wild and reckless love much like my mother describes her love for Daddy Kane.” She laughed. “Although I can’t see Mom putting up with the things Ann tolerated. Then again, Ann was so in love, so completely smitten. I guess charm and good looks can buy a man a lot of things.”
“What happened to her?” Tristan leaned over the bar and listened. One of the things Ansley loved about him was his love of family. He never tired of learning more about the Cartwells and thought of her family as his own.
“For a short time she was happy. In the end, Alberto’s money didn’t buy the happiness Ann must’ve thought it would.” Ansley’s eyes watered at the memory as she returned to a past she could barely stand to recall. “Her girls found her face-down in the swimming pool on the eve of her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.”
“Oh, Ansley. That’s terrible.”
“Yes, it is. And it is also the reason why my dear uncle hasn’t returned to the States since.”
“He killed her?”
“Some say he had it done, but others say if he returns to Tennessee, the locals will show him just how much evidence they had mounting up prior to and on the day of her death.”
“What about extradition?”
“You can’t bring home what you can’t find.”
“But what about his children?”
Ansley took Tristan’s hand in hers. “Have you ever heard that old saying that some kids are brought up and some are yanked up?”
“Well yeah.”
“The girls didn’t have anyone around to do either. For the most part, my oldest cousin Coco looked out for her younger sisters. And they had a full-time housekeeper until her untimely death five years ago.”
“Are you saying she was killed?”
“I’m saying there are a lot of strange happenings in Erwin. Most of the time, Alberto is believed to be the problem. If you ask the local sheriff what he thinks, he’d likely tell you Alberto is evil and all illegal activity in East Tennessee somehow loops back to Uncle Alberto.”
“Well he must care about his daughters somewhat if he’d take a risk and call Kane. With today’s technology, the phone could easily be traced.”
“Don’t kid yourself. Alberto will never be found.”
“At least your cousins can depend on your dad.”
Ansley frowned. “Truth is, my cousins haven’t had anyone they can count on. Sadly, if they hadn’t been so headstrong like their mother, they could’ve grown up here in Fletcher with us. Then they would’ve known the true warmth of our family’s love.”
* * * *
“Kane, if you don’t slow this car down, I’ll kick your ass once we stop!” Peyton gripped the ‘oh shit’ handle and mashed her feet against the floorboard. Kane drove the mountainous terrain of Interstate 26 as if their vehicle had been specifically designed for speed and curve-hugging accuracy. “If I’d known you meant to drive like a teenager from Fletcher to Erwin, I would’ve stayed home.”
“That wasn’t an option and we both know it.”
Peyton’s lips twitched and she attempted to ward off a smile. Still madly and passionately in love, Kane and Peyton hadn’t spent more than a handful of nights away from one another in the nearly thirty years they’d been together.
“Kane, I’d like to arrive in one piece,” she grumbled, grabbing hold of his hard thigh and digging her fingernails into his denim jeans.
“If you slide that hand on up here a little bit, woman, we may have to pull over at the lookout.”
“I dare ya,” she said, more carsick than horny.
“Considering the timing of that offer, I’ll take that dare.” He whipped the car to the right and sped up a ramp leading to one of the most picturesque views in the South. By the time he slammed the gearshift into park, his fingers were working at his snap and zipper.
“You’re too much, Kane Cartwell,” she crooned, feeling her cheeks heat as a couple sauntered by their sports car, watching what was an obvious show. Kane lifted up his hips and jerked down his jeans. “Now what, sub?”
Her nipples were on fire from the moment he called out the name she’d often missed. For the last five years, they’d lived a fairly vanilla life. Kane had been the one to make the decision. When Braden had fallen ill with prostate cancer and nearly died, Kane had quickly called their club-hopping days and exhibitionism to a halt. He hadn’t wanted his brother to feel neglected or left out and even though Braden’s sexual interest ha
d rebounded and even peaked, they’d never resumed their former lifestyle.
“Until now,” Peyton whispered, dragging her finger up and down Kane’s swollen cock.
“Until now what?” he asked, jerking her closer so her breasts mashed against his chest.
“I was just thinking about the past.”
“Like?” He stroked himself.
She loved that. “We don’t go out to the clubs anymore.” She gave him a heated look, hoping he’d translate her intended meaning. If he’d call her out as his sub again, perhaps they could revisit a lot of their past while they were in Tennessee.
“And you’ve missed that?” He guided her hands over him and pushed his erection against her palms.
“Haven’t you?”
His guttural growl filled the car before he assaulted her mouth with a warm kiss, thrusting his tongue through the seam of her lips. Taking their passion to another level, he unbuttoned her shirt as he pumped his hips. “That’s right, use both hands, sub. Show me what you’ve got, woman.”
Peyton grinned into their kiss and dropped her gaze to his cock. Loving the moisture slipping from his tip, she subserviently asked, “May I, Sir?” She wet her lips, but made certain she kept her gaze down. “Your balls are tight, heavy. You’ve missed this, Kane.”
He shoved his hand under her bra and pinched her nipple. “Damn right I have.” He directed her lower, pushing her head to his groin. He manipulated her arousal, pulling and releasing her nipple until she cried out with pleasure, sang in pain.
Her head was in his lap. She swirled her tongue around his engorged cock and drew him into her mouth, loving his warm and masculine taste as he thrummed across her tongue and tapped against her throat.
“That’s it, baby,” he rasped, grabbing a handful of hair. “Suck me, vixen.”
Peyton was aware of the slamming car doors in the distance, but she didn’t slow down. In fact, she took a chokehold grip on Kane’s cock, riding him with her mouth, stroking him with her tongue.
She used her lips to massage him and as she gave him head, she squeezed her knees together, aware of her own building lust. Her panties were damp. Her pussy clenched each time she slid down on his shaft.
“That’s it, sub. Hmm.” He relaxed against the headrest, but Peyton sensed him watching her. She longed for him to take pleasure in this moment, willed him to remember the excitement they once enjoyed when they lived the lifestyle and often played in public places. She missed going to the fetish clubs. She longed to return to the way of life that had been such a substantial part of their past.
She looped her tongue around his cockhead and licked his shaft, caressing him with tenderness one minute, eagerness the next. “Don’t you miss this, Sir?”
He placed a possessive hand on her hip and pressed his palm against her back. “I’ve missed this far more than you know, Peyton.”
The tenderness in his voice was rare then. Given the fact he’d used her name at all after he’d temporarily slipped into a more dominant role, was unusual indeed.
“Then show me,” she pleaded, flattening her tongue against his wet slit. “Show me how much. Right here.”
In an act she might have seen coming had it been twenty years earlier, Kane dropped his seat back and pulled her over him at the same time. Bunching her matronly-looking skirt around her waist, he snarled. “If I see you wearing something so hideous again, I’ll spank you every hour on the hour while we’re here.”
Her pussy heated with the threat. She’d deliberately test that threat and provoke those spankings.
Driving his fingers underneath her panties, he twirled three digits around her opening. “That’s nice, baby. Real nice.” He pushed his middle finger high inside her while thumbing her clit. “You’re so damn wet, sub. Squeeze, baby. Work that sweet cunt.”
She loved it when he talked dirty, when he showed that raw and masculine side of himself. Lust and appreciation excited in his eyes as he slipped one digit away from her and placed the back of his hand against her wet opening, moving aside her undergarment. At the same time, he grabbed hold of his penis and aimed the head at her entrance. Given the awkward positioning, he couldn’t slide right in.
“Fuck it.” He pulled her hips forward, grabbed hold of the string bikini on both sides and ripped her panties away from her body.
Peyton shivered in his arms. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for this man now. She’d fuck him with an audience, shout out her needs, and ride out his demands.
“Um, yeah, I’ve always loved that look on your face,” he whispered at her ear, holding her head firmly in his hands.
“What look is that?” She didn’t need to ask. If she had ten dollars for every pair of underwear Kane had stripped from her body, she’d bank a couple of million or more.
He gave her a hard thrust full of hardcore appreciation. “Let’s give ’em a show. What’d ya say?”
Peyton cocked her head. “I say this is the man I married, the man I’ve craved.” She bore down on his cock, finding her perfect seat, and loving the feel of that thick wedge of manly flesh forging forward. “God, I’ve missed this, Kane.”
“Prove it.”
That’s exactly what she’d planned to do until a fist landed against the driver’s window. Followed by a rapid, tap, tap, tap. “Sir, I need you to step out of the car with your pants up.”
Chapter Three
Five hours later, Peyton and Kane were on their way again. Arrested for indecent exposure, Peyton couldn’t believe how their day had unraveled into a real mess.
Between tracking down a Cartwell to bail them out of jail to worrying about Kane’s temper, the whole morning had been a real nightmare. She eyed Kane, noting the smirk on his face. After driving along for a few silent minutes, they burst out laughing.
Kane said, “I wish you could’ve seen Ansley’s face.”
“Ansley bailed us out?”
He nodded. “I wasn’t going to tell you. She didn’t want me to say anything. She said at ‘your age’ it would only embarrass you.”
Peyton heehawed. “Embarrass me?” She shook with still more laughter. “Honestly, Kane, I don’t know where our girls get these notions. Apparently they think they were hatched, rather than born.”
He rested his wrist on the steering wheel. “They’re hardly angels, Peyton. I’m sure they suspect us of having sex every now and then.”
“Psht! Every now and then is about right.” She glanced out the window wishing she could eat those words.
“You’ll regret that,” he said, resting his hand on her knee.
“I know I will,” she whispered, accepting that old familiar feeling of excitement and dread. No one could punish her better than Kane. No other man could make her want with such a profound need. She rubbed her lips together. “While we’re away, we could—” She thinned her lips. She wasn’t about to ask. They’d enjoyed a brief moment, relived a special time in their lives, but that didn’t mean she had a right to ask him to reenter the lifestyle, particularly if he was content with their vanilla relationship.
“We could what, sub?” That carnal longing was back. She’d heard it when she’d been in his lap and she detected it now.
Turning sideways in her bucket seat, she whispered, “We could have everything we used to have, Sir.”
“Why do you look so worried?” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek.
“I don’t want to push you back into the lifestyle if it’s not what you want.”
Kane pulled over on the side of the road and let the engine run. He framed her face with those manly hands and she shivered as soon as he touched her. “You still take my breath away.”
“I wondered.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I thought you guys didn’t want the lifestyle anymore because I’m aging. I mean, I’m not built like I was at twenty. Maybe you don’t want to show me off in clubs like you did in the past.” She shrugged. “I—”
�
�Shh.” He placed his fingers over her lips. “You want to know why we don’t go to fetish clubs? Is that it?”
She slowly nodded.
His eyes darkened and his jaw set. She knew that look. Kane didn’t want to answer her question and something told her, she’d love the answer when he finally came clean. After a little more hesitation, he finally said, “I’m too greedy to share you, Peyton. That’s why we quit going to clubs. The older I get, the more obsessed I am with you. It takes every drop of strength I have to share you with my brothers. Letting the world see you is more than I can stand at times.”
“It wasn’t because of Braden?”
“Hell no. I just blamed him.” His nose twitched. “He knew it. He called me out on it.”
“You never said anything to me.”
“And what would you have wanted me to say? We both know how that conversation would’ve gone five years ago.”
“But you used Braden’s illness to yank me out of the club scene.”
“It was time for us to step out of that scene. We have grandchildren.”
“We may have grandchildren, Kane, but I still have needs.”
He slid his hands down her neck and dragged her lips to his. Peppering her mouth with a series of kisses, he whispered, “And if I haven’t met those, you let me know. While we’re over here in Tennessee, I’ll make it up to you and that’s a solemn promise.”
* * * *
Brianna was glad to be home. Her short stay at the medical facility reminded her of one fashion fact. No one looked sexy in a hospital gown.
She curled up on her side and stared out over their back lawn. Congregating on the patio, her sisters lounged poolside, apparently ready to discuss how to handle the Brianna situation.
Tears drifted across her cheeks. She remembered the harsh words Coco had hurled in Drina’s direction. She’d blamed Drina for leaving Brianna at the club and tossed out one accusation after the next.
If she’d only known the truth.
Realizing facts would soon surface with all the girls together, Brianna reached over and lifted the six-pane window. The spring breeze shot through the room, ruffling a few papers on her nearby desk.
Sexual Healing [Contemporary Cowboys 1] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Page 2