“Always,” she whispered.
He kissed her where he bit, but knew there’d be a bruise there tomorrow. This bruise he didn’t mind. Mitchell snaked his hands down her stomach to the button on her shorts. He released it then slid the zipper down. Her hands reached behind her and encircled the back of his head as her fingers ran up and down his hair. His hands freely roamed her body. While one slipped into the front of her shorts, the other moved up to her breasts. When he slid his middle finger into her pussy, her moans grew louder and she arched her back for her ass to press against his cock. His patience waned so he pushed her pants and thong down then dropped to his knees to slip off her sandals. Her ass was right there so he kissed each cheek. She wiggled it in front of him, so he nibbled one. She turned, and her pussy was level with his chin. He nudged her legs apart and ran his finger from her clit to ass and back. She shivered. He found his footing and carried her to their bed. He laid her down and buried his head between her thighs. He sucked her clit until she squirmed then stuck his tongue into her slit as far as he could. His favorite taste. He heard her panting, but didn’t stop until he lifted his head to slip a finger into her channel. She was wet, but tight. His favorite feeling. He didn’t want her to come yet. Tonight, one climax together, so he worked his way back up her body. He was kissing her when she pushed his shoulder until he released her lips to look at her. He didn’t want to talk, he only wanted to touch. He wanted to tell her everything she needed to know with his body.
“Roll over. Let me undress you,” she softly said with love radiating from her eyes.
He did as she asked. She straddled him and pushed his shirt up his body. She made eye contact and never wavered until she took his shirt over his head. As soon as his hands were free, he laid them on her hips. Touching. She kissed his mouth and worked her way to his jaw, his ear, his neck, and down to his chest. He lay back as she sucked on one of his nipples then kissed across his chest to suck the other. She kissed her way down his stomach to his navel, where she licked the rim and he groaned. Her eyes met his when she pulled back to unfasten his jeans. He watched as she pulled the zipper toward her and licked her lips. She wasn’t teasing him, but she looked like it. She slid off the side of the bed and pulled off his boots. As she tugged on his jeans, he lifted his ass to help her. She crawled on the edge of the bed and kissed his cock through his boxer briefs. He was as hard as steel. The tip of the head peeked out of the top of his underwear so she licked the precum from his slit. Holy hell! He let her have her way with his body just as she let him with hers. He didn’t rush her even though it was killing him not to be inside of her. She worked his boxer briefs down his legs, and he kicked them off. She started at his thighs then moved up to suckle his balls. Then she moved to the base of his cock and licked all the way up. He held his breath as her tongue grazed his glans. “Fuck,” he mumbled. When she got to the tip, she immediately impaled her mouth with his cock. “Ahh!” She sucked so hard her cheeks sunk in. He panted now as she did it again. This time she left his cock wet with her saliva and shifted to slide her body onto it. Again, her eyes were on his. He moved his eyes down her body to where they were slowly becoming one. She started to move as he pulled her upper body to him. As soon as her mouth could touch his neck, she kissed him while her hips rolled in a circle. The change of movement caused him to press harder into her while he held one leg in place and rolled her to her back.
“Ohhh,” she moaned.
He rested on his forearms so she could breathe and he could see her. Her eyes were closed, but she had a small smile on her face. An expression of pleasure. She opened her eyes and saw him watching her as he pulled out and slowly moved back in. The skin on her chest was flushed, and he knew she was close. He was, too. “I want us to come together, baby. I don’t care if they hear us in the next county. I just need this with you.” It was the most he’d said since they entered their room tonight. His thrusts grew quicker and more forceful with each movement.
“Yes. I’m close, so close. Take us there. Make me fly.”
That was all he needed. His hips pounded into her with such force that her head could go through the headboard. When she cried his name, he let go and filled her full of his seed. “My Mak,” he whispered. Knowing his sperm was leaving his body and going straight into hers, he was calm. And spent. All of the shit from the last few days had kept him on edge. He wrapped her in his arms and stayed firmly planted while he rolled them to their sides. As their heart rates began to return to normal, he kissed the top of her head. That was the only place he could reach and still keep their bodies joined.
“Mmmm. That was incredible. Was there something you were trying to tell me with that?” she softly asked.
“I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to touch, to worship your body. I wanted you to know that what I said to Thomas, I meant. I want this with you always. I need to talk to your dad soon, but I won’t until I know whether you’re in danger staying here,” he said
“You do know this is the twenty-first century and you don’t have to talk to my him.”
“We’re still in a small town in the south, and they don’t care what century it is. I’m still talking to your dad. I’ll do right by you and your parents. Thomas can suck it, though. I can’t believe he stopped us tonight,” he said with a chuckle.
The music still flowed through the speakers. Either everyone was still outside talking or Evan was making sure no one could hear anything. Maybe he was with Ginger. Mitchell wondered if Thomas and Cat had stayed. “Caught Up In You” by 38 Special came through the speakers. Evan must really like 38 Special. “Perfect song, don’t you think?”
“I’m caught up in you, too. Do you think we’ve calmed the raging bull inside both of us enough to check on everyone else?” she asked.
“I just want to stay buried inside of you. That’s when I’m calm. That’s when I know you’re safe, but I guess it’d be the polite thing to do.”
Before they got cleaned up and dressed, the music stopped. Mitchell heard voices down the hall and stuck his head out of the door. Thomas and Cat decided to stay and were holding hands as they walked toward the business wing of the house. Mitchell couldn’t see Evan or Ginger, but only heard one door close in that direction. Everyone would be happy in the morning.
He walked back to the bathroom to tell Kayla they weren’t going back out. “Baby, they’re all going to bed. Thomas and Cat are staying.”
“Oh good. I don’t have to get dressed.”
“They were holding hands. Do you think they’ll remember anything in the morning?”
“Thomas didn’t have that much to drink. He has to work tomorrow night, and I don’t think he wants to be hung over.”
They got in bed and snuggled close as sleep overtook their bodies.
13
The next morning, Kayla’s head was pounding. When she moved, Mitchell groaned next to her. She guessed he was hurting, too. He didn’t try to stop her from getting up, so she dressed and headed for the kitchen. It looked as though a hurricane had plowed through there, and no coffee made. Just great.
“Shit,” Mitchell’s voice came softly behind her.
“I’ll start the dishes if you’ll start the coffee and Advil,” she suggested.
She tried to put the dishes in the dishwasher as quietly as possible because she didn’t want to awaken anyone, and because the slightest sound would’ve caused her eyes to explode. When she finished the dishes, she gently laid the empty wine bottles in the garbage can. She was sipping her coffee when she heard Mitchell, “Apparently, Evan took Ginger horseback riding this morning.” He held up a small, scribbled note. “Are we the only ones who drank too much?”
“No, Cat wasn’t feeling any pain last night either. I hope no one hit the vomit point, though. And, I don’t think we drank too much. We just let ourselves be happy. Since I remember everything that happened and you were in spectacular form, I’d say we were good. This morning, however, is a totally different story.”<
br />
“Do I smell coffee?” Thomas asked as he padded into the kitchen looking a little rough.
“Good morning. Where’s Cat?” Kayla asked.
“She’s coming. She stopped by the bathroom first. She said something about her mouth tasting like ass.”
“Too much info, dude,” Mitchell said, getting back at Thomas a little for last night.
Thomas just flipped Mitchell off, and he laughed softly because his head couldn’t take much more than that.
“Coffee. Please tell me there’s more coffee,” Cat walked in, holding her head with both hands.
Thomas handed her a mug of coffee and two Advil. “Here, honey, take both of these. Kayla, is there any orange juice?”
“How would I know, Thomas? This isn’t my kitchen,” she said with a cocky smile.
“After what I saw last night, it may as well be,” Thomas retorted.
Mitchell just grinned and nodded his head. “Yes, there’s orange juice in the fridge.”
“Good, I’ll pour some for everyone. Where’s Evan?”
“He and Ginger went for a ride this morning,” Mitchell responded.
“I’m sure he took her for a ride last night, too. Those two were getting along very well when we went to bed,” Cat said.
Something outside of the kitchen window caught Kayla’s eye. It was Evan, with Ginger following at a distance. He reined his horse in as he yelled, “Mitchell! Mitchell, get your ass out here!” He jumped off of his horse and met Ginger as she caught up to him.
Everyone followed Mitchell out the door. “Do you have to yell, dude? My head is splitting, and I’d prefer to keep it intact if you don’t mind.”
“Damn it, Mitchell. Go put on some boots. We know what those sounds were last night, and it wasn’t Mr. Hamilton.”
“What was it?”
“Someone shot one of our steer.”
“What the fuck?” Mitchell and Thomas both went to put on boots.
“I’ll go with you,” Thomas said.
“You can follow in my truck because we’ll need to bury the steer.”
Kayla watched as Mitchell and Thomas walked toward the house while Evan turned toward the barn. Ginger had tears in her eyes when she turned toward Kayla. “We were going to the river along the back of the property, but we hit a boggy spot so we decided to ride farther before turning toward the river. That’s when Evan saw it. It was shot several times and was just lying there.”
Kayla didn’t know what to do or say. Did she go help? Did she stay with her friends? Evan returned from the barn and threw shovels in the back of Mitchell’s truck.
“Come on. Let’s get you girls inside.”
As soon as they were all inside, Evan disappeared down the hallway toward the office. When he returned, he was carrying two rifles, two shotguns, a hand gun, and a pistol in a holster strapped to his thigh. Mitchell came from their room with his pistol the same way. She had always known he could shoot, but she’d never seen him like this.
Evan leaned the two rifles and a shotgun against the doorway leading outside. He gave Kayla the other shotgun. “You do know how to shoot, right?”
“I’ve shot before. It’s been a while, though.”
“The gun is loaded with buckshot. It’ll spray wide to cover a bigger area. You shoot if you have to. Just aim for the center, Kayla. You’ll hit something,” Evan instructed. He then gave the handgun to Cat. “You watch the front driveway. If you see anyone coming, go out by the deck and shoot this in the air. It’s a flair gun.”
Cat nodded, and Thomas kissed her on the temple. Cat just closed her eyes as if she were garnering strength from his kiss.
Mitchell cupped Kayla’s cheeks with his hands, tilted her head, and kissed her. It was a kiss of strength and confidence. “Baby, call your parents. Make sure nothing is happening there. Tell them one of our steer was shot and to stay vigilant. If anything feels wrong, call the police. They may not do anything, but they have to send someone to the call. Keep these doors locked. Only go out to fire the flair. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.
“Got another gun?” Ginger asked.
“You can shoot?” Evan questioned in surprise.
“Yeah, I can shoot. I live in the mountains, don’t I?”
Evan unbuckled his holster and handed it to Ginger, as he preferred his rifle anyway. The guys locked the door on their way out. Kayla watched as Mitchell and Evan took the horses and Thomas the truck. She stared out the window until she couldn’t see them anymore then walked back to Cat and Ginger. They sat in the living room with a clear view of the driveway. “I’m sorry to have brought you into this mess, Ginger,” she said.
“Are you kidding me? This is the most excitement I’ve had in a while.” Kayla knew she was just saying that to calm herself because she could see the fear in Ginger’s eyes.
Kayla called her parents to let them know what was happening. They told her they hadn’t seen anything or even heard a car in a while, which took one worry off her mind.
It had to have been close to an hour since the guys left when the girls noticed a car by the driveway. It didn’t turn in, but just sat there. Kayla narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at it. It was an older faded red car with white stripes running down the center of the car, over the hood, the top, and the trunk. She told Cat to shoot the flair, and Ginger went with her to keep watch.
Within a few seconds, they were all back in the living room with the doors securely locked. Mitchell’s ring tone broke the silence, so Kayla grabbed her phone from her back pocket. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“There’s a car at the top of the driveway. It looks like the one they were working on Friday.”
“Fuck! Okay, Thomas is heading your way on horseback. It’ll be quieter than the truck. Evan will tell him to circle to the back of the barn before he heads toward the house so he won’t be seen. Are they facing the house or pulled to the side of the road?”
“Pulled to the side of the road, but blocking the driveway. I haven’t seen anyone get out yet.”
“Good. Are they facing toward town or away?”
“Away.”
“Okay. I’m going to take the truck and get as far behind them as I can. Evan is on the other horse, heading to the border of Mr. Hamilton’s property with a long-range rifle. Baby, y’all stay put and watch for Thomas. He left as soon as we saw the flair so he should get there any minute.”
Kayla told Cat to watch for Thomas. She no sooner got the words out than Thomas rode up. Even though her voice was a little shaky, she let Mitchell know Thomas was with them. He reminded her Evan had left extra flairs on the table, and Cat needed to reload the gun. Before Mitchell could disconnect the call, she said, “They’re backing up and turning into the driveway. Mitch, they’re turning in!”
Mitchell tried his best to calm her by letting her know that he was on his way and Thomas wouldn’t let anything happen to them. He told her to have Ginger call Evan to let him know the car was on the property. She relayed the message to Ginger and watched as she called Evan.
The exhaust system of the car got louder as it inched up the driveway. If they saw Mitchell’s truck leave, they probably didn’t think anyone was home. She watched as the car slowly neared the house, then began quickly backing up; the number of cars on the property must have spooked them. A sudden movement caught Kayla’s attention—it was Mitchell’s truck blocking the driveway. He’d gotten out of his truck just as the driver of the car revved his engine. The next sound she heard was Thomas loading his shotgun.
14
Thomas must’ve come outside when Mitchell got out of his truck with his handgun pointed right at the driver’s window, moving toward the car. His right hand held the pistol while his left hand wrapped around it for support. As soon as the driver saw Thomas, he let off the gas and put his hands on the steering wheel. That enabled Mitchell to get close enough to yell for them to get out of the car.
As teenagers, Mitchell and Evan had worked out
a system for dealing with poachers; Mitchell using his pistol and Evan using his rifle. When they found poachers in the back pastures, Evan would climb a tree where no one would see him, and Mitchell approached the poachers with just his side arm. If they turned a weapon on him, he’d tell them there was a rifle pointed straight at them. If they didn’t believe him, he’d flip Evan a bird. Evan would shoot at their feet to let them know Mitchell was serious. They’d usually hightail it off the property, and the boys would never see them again. If he had to, he’d use the same signal with Evan today. They hadn’t used it in years, but Evan would know it.
“Get out, dude. I’ve got a gun on you. Thomas over there has a shotgun full of buckshot aimed at your friend. He doesn’t have to be real accurate to kill your partner. Keep your hands where we can see them. I don’t want any surprises,” Mitchell yelled.
After a few minutes’ hesitation, the driver opened his door. His hands were up when he got out. “We don’t want any trouble,” he said.
“Then why the hell are you on my land? Put your hands on the hood of your car and stay there,” Mitchell said. “You, too,” he told the passenger. Then he glanced at Thomas. “Call 9-1-1. We need the Sheriff out here.”
Unwelcomed Greeting: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 10