Rising Bounty

by K. D. Jones

  She turned around and her heart started beating faster at seeing him standing there looking so sexy. His hair was damp and he wore jeans and a really tight t-shirt.

  “Good morning.”

  He moved up to her and cupped her cheek. “Ye’re pure glowing.”

  She blinked. “I am?” She felt joy and elation from his touch and she felt some of her worry inside lessening. Prior to their night together, she was wrapped up so tight, but now she felt softer, looser and ready for what comes next. One night with him had made her feel like a new woman. Then, their intimate moment was broken by her mother. He made her forget there were other people in the room.

  “Stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and come over here before the food gets cold!” Her mom yelled from the kitchen. Cici giggled.

  Shit! They had been standing there staring at each other with longing. Great role model she was setting for her daughter. She quickly walked over to the table and sat down. Her mom motioned for Abe to sit down next to her. Her mom seemed to be trying to push them together as much as possible.

  “This looks wonderful,” Abe said as he inhaled.

  “Why, thank you Abe. Cici fixed the toast,” Sandy said, smiling, as she sat down.

  Abe smiled at Cici as he took a bite of his toast. “Mmmm.—this is delicious, Cici.”

  Her daughter beamed with happiness. Roxanne took a bite of her own toast and cringed, as she tasted all the butter Cici had put on it. Good grief.

  “Delicious,” she told Cici. She glanced over at Abe and he winked at her. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh no, she was falling for him hard. How did that happen? When?

  “Eat, honey, you need your energy for later,” her mom told her. Then she smiled at Abe with a knowing look.

  Roxanne rolled her eyes. If her mom had her way, she would have them married by tomorrow and a brood of little baby Abes running around before long. She looked from Abe to Cici. Having more children was something she had always wanted. Darryl’s primary reason for having another child was to try for a boy. Cici would be a great big sister and Abe would make a wonderful father What the hell was she thinking? She needed to clear her mind. There was still too much going on that needed to be settled before she could even fathom having a future with anyone.

  Chapter 13

  Vic dialed the number for Isaac as he looked out the window from Roxanne’s apartment. He had left Lexi downstairs to work in the club getting everything ready for the evening. He came upstairs to check on the apartment and noticed that the lock had been broken into but the alarm they installed wasn’t going off.

  He checked each room to see if the burglar was still there. He found no one, but he knew all the drawers had been closed when Sandy and Lexi left yesterday. Now, they were only partially shut, which meant the burglar had been looking for something. He went to the front room and peered out the window without moving the curtain too much. He didn’t see the van that had followed Roxanne to the bail bonds office yesterday. Vic did see a white car parked across the street. Two people were sitting in the front seat. They hadn’t been there when he had first arrived.

  “Yo boss man, what do ya need?”

  Vic rolled his eyes. “Isaac, stop calling me that and stay professional.”

  “Sorry. What do you need, sir?” Isaac asked, making the sir sound sarcastic.

  “The apartment’s door locks are broken and for some reason the alarm didn’t go off.”

  “I’ll get someone to replace the locks and I’ll take a look at the alarm system. It wasn’t the most high tech, I had to go with what I could get my hands on in such a short notice. It’s possible that if they power went out that the alarm would have shut down too.”

  “Figure it out. We can’t have them coming back to an unsecure apartment. One more thing Isaac. There’s a car outside Roxanne’s apartment. Do you have them in view?”

  “Got them. They weren’t there an hour ago,” Isaac told him. “I’m checking the plates. This one isn’t a rental like the van was — it has a permanent plate belonging to someone local.”

  “Find out who, and send Shy and Blade out.”

  “Will she need to dress up?” Isaac asked with excitement in his voice.

  “Yes, I think that will get their attention.”

  “Oh man, I love it when Shy gets to dress up.”

  “Isaac, be professional.”

  “You got it, boss man,” Isaac said before he hung up.

  “I am seriously going to kick his ass,” Vic grumbled as he stuffed his phone into his back pocket.

  *****

  Roxanne smiled as she watched Cici climb onto Abe’s shoulders. Abe carefully gripped her ankles and then tossed her into the water not too far from him. He stayed close to help pull Cici up if she needed it. Cici demanded he do it over and over again. Abe did so every time without complaint.

  “He’s a good one,” her mother said next to her on the chair Abe had brought with them to the beach area by the lake.

  “He is. He’s really great with Cici. It usually takes a while for her to warm up to people.” She watched as Abe laughed at Cici splashing him in the face with water. He stood up and the water ran down his muscled body. She remembered how his body felt sliding against hers. She licked her lips.

  “Hungry?”

  “What?”

  “I asked if you were hungry. I brought sandwiches.”

  “Sure.” She looked back at Abe again.

  “Or maybe you’re hungry for something — or someone — else,” her mother commented, making her gasp and look at her in shock.

  “Mom!”

  “Honey, I may be older and your mother, but I’m not dead. I see the way you look at that man and the way he looks at you. I also know you spent most of last night in his bed.”

  She knew she was blushing, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. “It was probably a mistake.”

  “Was it?”

  She sighed. “It didn’t feel like a mistake. For the first time, I felt something no one had ever made me feel before. I just don’t know if he feels the same.”

  “You won’t know until you give him a chance. Give this a chance. Spend time with him, talk to him, let him in.”

  “I’m not good at letting people in.”

  “I know that, honey. For years, you pushed everyone away — everyone except Cici and me. When you finally let Lexi in, I thought it was a chance for you to open up and have a real life.”

  “I didn’t know you were so unhappy. I’m sorry.”

  Her mom reached out and placed her hand on hers. “I’m not unhappy. I’m just worried about you. You’re young and should have your whole life ahead of you to live to the fullest, but instead you’ve been running and hiding, shutting yourself off from any personal relationships. That does make me unhappy. It breaks me heart. I love you and you deserve to have so much more.” Her mother choked up and blinked back tears.

  She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “I’m fine, Mom, really.”

  “Hey there, me bonnie lasses. Did you save us some sandwiches?” Abe called out as he approached them from the lake, carrying Cici on his shoulders.

  Roxanne looked up at them and smiled. “Of course we did.”

  She reached for the sandwiches and handed them across the blanket she had laid out as they sat down. She held up a towel. “Come here, sweetheart. Let’s wrap this around you.”

  They sat down and ate their sandwiches. They listened to Abe tell stories of growing up on Basin, laughing often at his humorous depiction of his childhood.

  “Abe, I don’t understand why your grandmother would send you away,” Sandy commented.

  “Mom, it may be too personal a subject.”

  “It’s okay. For a while, I was pretty angry with my grandma. I thought she had abandoned me like my mom did. One night when I was about nine, I overheard my foster parents talking about sending me back to my grandma. I had caused a lot of trouble at school, starting fights a
nd stuff. My foster mom said that they couldn’t, because my grandma was dying of cancer and was undergoing treatments. It was why she gave me away — she needed to find someone to take care of me in case she didn’t survive the treatments. After that, I turned my attitude around and when I could, I worked jobs to save up money. When I was finally old enough and able to, I moved back to New Earth so that I could take care of my grandma in her final days.”

  Roxanne couldn’t take it anymore. She reached over and took his hand. “I’m so sorry, Abe.”

  “I’m fine. It was a long time ago, and after my grandma died, I was alone. I’ve dealt with everything.”

  “No one should have to be alone.” Roxanne squeezed his hand.

  A throat clearing had them pulling apart. She looked over and noticed that Cici was lying down, looking sleepy. “Someone is ready for a nap.”

  “The sun is full out right now. She could get burned if she naps here.” Abe sounded concerned.

  “I’ll take her back up to the cabin while you two finish your swim.” Her mother woke Cici up. “Come on, little one, let’s go nap on a nice, soft bed.”

  “Aw, I wanted to swim some more.” She yawned as she stood up.

  “Maybe we can come swimming again tomorrow,” Sandy offered.

  “I can take her, Mom.” Roxanne made to stand but her mom waved her back down.

  Her mother shook her head. “Nonsense, you haven’t had a chance to swim hardly at all, and I know you love swimming.”

  “If you’re sure.” Roxanne looked back at the lake longingly.

  “I want to take a nap, too. I’m not as young as I used to be. Enjoy yourselves.”

  Roxanne avoided looking at Abe until he touched her shoulder. She lifted her head. “Yeah?”

  “Let’s go for a swim.” His voice sounded deep and rumbly.

  “Okay.” She watched him stand up then he lowered a hand to her to help her.

  “Ye should just take the shorts and t-shirt off. It’s only going to weigh ye down.”

  “I’m not going skinny dipping in broad daylight with my impressionable daughter twenty feet from me.”

  “Not naked, just down to yer underwear. It would be no different than wearing a bikini swimsuit.”

  She bit her lip. Thinking about it, he was right. Could she do that, though?

  “I promise, I have really good hearing. If yer mother or daughter come outside, I’ll hear them.”

  She nodded her head and pulled her shirt over her head. She threw it to the floor. Then she reached for her shorts. He was watching her every move and for every bit of her skin she revealed, he licked his lips.

  “Stop that.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Looking at me that way.”

  He chuckled. “What way is that?”

  “Like you — want to do more than swim.”

  He stepped forward and lifted her up in his arms. “I do want more, but I’ll settle for a swim for now.”

  “Put me down.” She kicked her legs but couldn’t stop herself from laughing. She wrapped her arms around his neck as Abe splashed into the water.

  “Ye wanted me to put ye down, right?” Abe had a suspicious sparkle in his eyes.

  “Don’t you dare...”

  He winked right before he threw her up into the air. She came down splashing and holding her breath at the last minute. When she came up for air, she was sputtering and spitting water.

  “You are in so much trouble!” She sent a big splash toward him but he ducked down under the water. When he didn’t come back up right away, she looked around her. “Abe?” Then she felt something tickling her leg under the water. Oh god, what if it’s a snake? Just as she was about to yell for Abe again, she felt a hand on her leg pulling her off balance. She went under again.

  She came up again sputtering water. “Damn it, Abe!” She wiped her wet hair from her face. Abe wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. Her nipples were hardening.

  “I can’t wait to be with ye again.” He kissed her.

  She couldn’t help but respond to him. Her body seemed to memorize him, the feel of him. “Abe, we can’t do this now.”

  He helped her wrap her legs around his waist. “I just want to hold ye, touch ye.” He kissed her like he couldn’t stop himself.

  She responded the same. It was like he was a drug to her, and she relished the addiction. She looked up from the kiss and saw that Abe had moved them closer to some trees that blocked the view to the cabin.

  “I’m ready,” Abe whispered against her ear.

  “Ready for what?” She asked, tilting her head back to give him access to her neck.

  “To have ye again.”

  Chapter 14

  She gasped when she felt his hand slip into her panties. His fingers stroked her pussy lips, and then they entered her. She couldn’t hide her response to him; she opened herself further.

  “Abe.”

  “Did ye think about me, what I did to yer body?”

  “Yes.”

  “I haven’t stopped thinking about ye. I had to stroke myself several more times after ye left my bed and I’m still hard. Can’t ye tell?” He took her hand and moved it over the front of his swim shorts, where his cock was full and hard.

  “I can feel.” She wanted more than to hold him in her hands; she wanted to feel him deep inside her. She reached inside his waistband and stroked his long, thick length. She was always amazed at how large he was. She wasn’t sure if that was a bazinoid thing or just an Abe thing. She didn’t care.

  “I want ye so much,” Abe growled, snapping her panties off.

  She was ready. She clutched his shoulders as he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “I’m sorry, Roxanne, I seem to have no control when it comes to ye. I should wait, take my time to romance ye—”

  She kissed him to make him stop talking. “No waiting, no romancing needed. I want you.” She was the one to reach down and line up his tip with her entrance, and then she used her feet and knees to help lower down on him. All the way down until he was fully sheathed inside. They both tilted their heads back and moaned in pleasure.

  He gripped her hips and moved her up and down on him. “So good, lass.” Abe pulled her close so that her breasts were rubbing against his chest.

  “Abe — I’m not going to last. I need—”

  “Take what ye need.”

  Something inside her unleashed that she hadn’t realized she had been holding back. During all the years she was married, even with the few boyfriends she had been with, she always kept something back. Not now, not with Abe. He brought more out of her — no, he demanded more out of her. Then he did the most amazing thing — he gave her control to take what she needed. That trust was amazing, and she could do no less than give him the same in return.

  She opened herself to him fully, rode him hard, enjoying the feel of every stroke. He hit her spot on the inside each time. He gripped her a little harder and she knew there may be some bruises, but she didn’t care. It felt too good to stop. She was close, really close.

  He sensed that about her. Abe was good at knowing exactly what she needed when she needed it. He reached between them and pinched her nipple through the wet fabric of her bra. The slight pain followed up with the building pleasure was all that would finally take her over the peak.

  “Yes!” Her inner walls squeezed him as she experienced her orgasm. She felt his hot semen shoot up, coating her as he came too.

  “Roxanne—mine!”

  They held each other as their bodies cooled. Abe pulled out of her and they moaned. He dipped them to shoulder level to rinse them off. She was silent as he carried her to the shoreline. He lowered her to her feet and then she followed him out of the lake. She reached for her t-shirt and shorts. They hadn’t spoken, she was feeling so many emotions she didn’t know what to say.

  “Is there something wrong?” Abe asked with concern.

  “Um, we didn
’t use protection.”

  He paused to look at her with a surprised look on his face. “That’s — not like me.”

  She looked down at her hands, not sure what to do. The thought of having Abe’s child was so very appealing, but she didn’t want to make him feel trapped. She felt his finger under her chin, gently lifting her to face him. Their eyes locked. She couldn’t tell if he was angry with her or not.

  “I should have taken precautions but ye make me lose all common sense. Would it be a bad thing to have a child with me?”

  She shook her head. “No, I would love it. You’re a good man, Abe, and you would be the best father. The timing isn’t the best though.”

  He seemed to be thinking about what she said. Then he cupped her face with both his hands and kissed her. She could tell he was going to say something different than what he actually said. “I — whatever comes, we’ll handle it together.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s head back to the cabin. I need to check in with Vic.” They packed up the picnic items and walked hand in hand.

  She wanted to say something to him, but wasn’t sure what to say. If she knew how he felt about her, it would help so much. Doubts filled her mind. What would happen when all this stuff with Darryl was over? Would Abe still want to see her? Were they drawn together out of necessity? What if she was pregnant? She couldn’t trap him, no matter what — that wasn’t the kind of woman she was. If he didn’t want her afterward, she would have to find the strength to let him go. Until then, she would appreciate every precious moment she had with him.

  *****

  “No, I don’t like it.” Abe paced back and forth on the front porch outside as he talked on his cell phone to Vic.

  “Look, I understand how you feel, but Lauren says that her federal contacts are willing to put Roxanne and her family in the witness protection program if she comes in to give a statement against her ex-husband.”

  “How can we trust that? What if they are only trying to draw her in to arrest her?” Abe looked in through the window to the living room at Roxanne as she laughed at something Cici said.