by Cat Johnson
His eyes focused on her face as he held her and swayed to the music. “So apparently Chase, Leesa and Mustang, and who knows who else, have all guessed that you and I have been sleeping together since the North Carolina event.”
“What?” Technically they’d done everything but sleep, but she got the idea. “How?”
“They said it’s obvious.” He shrugged. “The point is they think we should just tell Aaron.”
She let out a burst of air. “Do they know my brother at all?”
He laughed. “I know. That’s what I was thinking. He’s not going to take well to us hiding it from him. What the others don’t know though, is that Aaron won’t be suspicious that we’re spending time together because he’ll think it’s all part of us laying the groundwork for the lie.”
“When are we going to proceed with this lie anyway?” What was up with her today? She’d had a daily countdown to when she’d get to see Garret again, and now that she was here in his arms, she was feeling like a cranky bitch. It had to be the deception getting to her. On top of all these new emotions flying around thanks to this damn wedding.
“I guess in a few weeks. Maybe when the season starts up again.” Garret answered her question.
“Then why bother telling anyone at all we’re married if we’re just going to get divorced right afterward? Maybe we shouldn’t tell at all. Just have the whole thing be a secret. No one needs to know the marriage ever happened. After the divorce it’ll be as if it never had.” Silver’s frustration with the situation made her words sound harsher than she’d meant them to, but what she’d said was the truth. They’d planned for this thing to end, so why complicate it?
Garret pulled back a bit. “Is that what you want? Don’t tell anyone then just get the divorce as soon as possible?”
As soon as possible. She didn’t particularly like the sound of that, but if that’s what he wanted… Silver shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, after you’re healed.”
He let out a long, slow breath. “All right. That’s what we’ll do then. We’ll tell Aaron as soon as we can get him in private.”
Garret continued to rock them slowly in time to the music as he stared off into the distance.
“Did you figure out someplace for us to be alone?”
He looked surprised at the question and glanced down at her. “Yeah. Mustang said his trailer is unlocked and we’re welcome to use it.”
“Good. When?” Maybe some good hard sex would knock her out of this funk she’d settled into.
“Whenever you want.” Garret continued to watch her with a strange expression on his face.
She glanced around the room. Hors d’eouvres were out but not the food for the buffet. If they disappeared during the meal, Aaron would notice they hadn’t eaten. But if they snuck out now, they’d probably get away with it. “Now. No one will notice we’re gone. They’ll think we were mingling or touring the ranch or whatever.”
“Now?” His brows rose. “Okay.”
Somehow she thought he’d be happier. He was, after all, about to get lucky, and she wasn’t even complaining about it being in some sort of trailer. Instead, he kind of looked like a man heading for sentencing. Interesting. Maybe a good hard fucking would knock Garret out of his funk too. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.
With a covert glance around, Garret steered her out of the reception and around the barn where she soon saw Mustang’s trailer. It wasn’t nearly as scary as she’d imagined. There weren’t even horses or bulls inside, just a fairly nice living space with exactly what she needed—a bed.
“This is pretty nice.”
Garret laughed as he closed the door behind them and flipped the lock. “You sound shocked.”
“I kinda am.” She didn’t like how he was still standing so far away. Silver remedied that by taking a step forward and planting her hands on his chest.
He put one hand on each side of her waist, but that was all. It was strange being face-to-face again after being apart. Yeah, they’d texted every day and talked at least once a week, but that felt different to this.
Maybe he was waiting for her to make the first move. Fine, she could do that. Her high-heeled boots beneath her dress gave her some height. She only needed to reach up a bit to get to his lips. She’d missed the sex, but she’d missed his kisses too. When her mouth touched his, she realized how much. He hesitated a second. Perhaps he was afraid of losing control. It had been a long time since they’d seen each other. But once he gave in, he was back to the old Garret, angling his mouth over hers and plunging his tongue inside. He tangled his hand in her hair and held her head tight.
His thigh wedged between hers and she groaned at the delicious friction it caused against her clit when she pressed closer. She pulled her mouth away from his. “Fuck me.”
“Don’t be in such a rush.” He leaned in again to kiss her.
He could be very frustrating sometimes. Like when he didn’t let her have her way. She was about to pout, and possibly bitch, when he reached his hand between them. He pulled up the hem of her dress and slid his fingertips beneath her panties. Her hips bucked forward the moment he connected with her hood ring. One touch on her clit and she was moaning.
Garret smiled against her mouth and began to work her with his fingers. He moved his mouth to her ear. “Still sensitive, I see.”
“Yeah, but not as bad as when I first met you.” She let out a low moan when he put more pressure into his stroke.
“Good. I don’t want to think you’ve been picking up strange men in stairwells to scratch your itch when I’m not around.” There was no joking in his tone.
“You’re the only strange man in my life.” She hissed in a breath as he hit a particularly good spot. “Oh, yeah. Right there. Don’t stop.”
There was no more talking as Garret’s touch pushed her over the edge. With her arms around his neck for support and his free hand on her back holding her, she came hard and probably much too loudly considering where they were. He waited until the last spasm had slowed and then she found herself lying on her back on the bed and not quite sure how she’d gotten there.
Still standing, Garret left his pants on, but open. He looked good dressed up for the wedding. As good as he’d looked the day they’d been married. He looked even better to her now as he covered himself with a condom.
Pushing her dress up and her panties down, Garret stepped between her spread thighs. She was going to offer to take her boots off, but the way he was eyeing her as he held one of her booted feet in each of his hands made her think they were doing it for him. Fine. She could appreciate that. His cowboy hat still being on as he slid inside her was doing it for her too.
He tilted his head back, his eyes squeezed closed, as he pushed inside her. She was more than ready, and he took advantage of that by setting a fast, hard pace.
“How many beers did you have?” she asked on a gasp as he rocked into her.
He opened his eyes and his gaze met hers. “One.”
“You should have had more.” She was ready for a good long fuck.
Garret let out a breathy laugh. “Sorry. I’ll slow it down and try to hold on for you.”
She certainly hoped he could. Who knew if they’d get more time together this weekend with Aaron around.
“Roll over.” He pulled out and let go of her feet.
Silver let him be bossy this once because she knew him well enough now to know what he wanted. She turned over and got up on her knees on the mattress. Garret wrapped his arms around her and slid inside her from behind, just like he had in the truck the night they’d met. And just like that first time, he reached down and found her clit.
She tilted her head to the side and let out a sigh as he ran his tongue up the side of her neck. “I love this position with you.”
A tug of pleasure shot through her as he pulled on her hood ring while sliding in and out of her.
“I love every position with you.” He swallowed hard enough she could hear it. “Now hush up
and concentrate. I’m not going to last.”
Again, she let him be bossy, mainly because he started working her overly sensitive clit so hard and fast she couldn’t be bothered complaining. His body tensed behind her as he held on, waiting for her. The moment her muscles gripped him as her second orgasm of the day began, she felt him give in and let himself go.
Coming together, even in a borrowed trailer just steps from her brother and a arena full of people, was amazing. Then again, every time with Garret had been amazing. Yet they were flying away from each other again tomorrow and getting divorced when his rehab was finished.
With that thought, her funk returned full force right along with a heaviness in her chest that she had a feeling wouldn’t be going away anytime soon.
Chapter Nineteen
The new season started without Garret. He watched the broadcast of the first event of the year from his sofa with his father and a beer for company. If that wasn’t enough to make a man depressed, he didn’t know what was.
“You should go and be with your friends even if you can’t ride yet.”
He glanced up at his father’s suggestion. Garret found him wearing the same concerned expression he’d gotten used to seeing over the past couple of months of living at home with him. “That seems kind of silly. No? Spending the money to travel there when I’m not competing.”
His dad shrugged. “It’s not silly if it makes you feel better. Besides, since you found that insurance you told me about, your surgery was all paid for so you have the money in the bank to travel a bit if you want.”
At the reminder of that lie, guilt washed over Garret, and not for the first time. He’d told his father that he’d gotten a catastrophe insurance policy that covered major bills for things like surgery. That kind of policy did exist, but it would have cost him a bundle to have it. He certainly didn’t want to involve his father in the marriage-for-insurance plan that had really gotten him coverage and paid for the surgery.
Though with his arm growing stronger every day, he supposed he wouldn’t have medical insurance for long. Not after he and Silver got divorced. Then no one would be the wiser about what they’d done. It would be just like the marriage had never existed. No harm, no foul. That thought was no comfort to Garret.
He and Silver had gone from texting all day long and talking at least once a week, to barely any communication at all after the weekend in Montana for Luke and Annie’s wedding. Why, he didn’t know. Part of the problem was his being afraid to contact her. After she’d said they shouldn’t tell anyone about the marriage and just get divorced as soon as he was healed, he figured she couldn’t wait to be done with it. The fact she hadn’t been initiating contact a whole lot either was proof of his suspicions. She was over the whole thing with him. She’d probably moved on to another guy.
Crap. What if she had gotten herself a boyfriend? Or maybe she was just tired of him and had moved on to another temporary guy. Garret had scratched her itch, and now with him stuck recuperating in Ohio for the foreseeable future and her living and working in North Carolina, maybe she didn’t see any point for her to keep in touch. Not when she could find someone local to satisfy her needs.
He let out a sigh and adjusted his position on the couch. He pulled the throw pillow out from behind his back and flung it to the end of the sofa, then wiggled again, looking for a more comfortable spot.
“Garret for Christ’s sake, just go.” The force behind his father’s words surprised him.
Garret turned to frown at his father. “What did I do?”
“You’re miserable. You’re practically crawling out of your skin. I can see it. I’ll pay for the fuel for the truck, Just drive to the next event. Be with your friends. This sitting around is going to drive you nuts.”
He hadn’t been too thrilled to be sitting around his dad’s house to begin with, but he certainly didn’t like the idea of getting kicked out of it. Maybe there was a reason his father wanted him gone. “You know, Dad, I’m fine with you having Molly over if you want. If that’s what this is about—”
“That is not what this is about.” His father shook his head. “I’m good with seeing her at her place.”
Garret tried not to delve too deeply into what seeing her at her place really meant they were doing there. He had a much better understanding now of how addicting being with one woman could be. He couldn’t think of his father too harshly for wanting that feeling, especially since Molly lived right here in town. If Silver were closer, he’d be at her place all the time too.
But then again, Silver would have to want to see him, and he wasn’t so sure that was the case any longer. Garret let out a big breath and looked up to find his father still watching him. Maybe he should listen to the man for once. “All right. I’ll drive to the next venue. I want Tandy to take a look at my shoulder anyway. It’s healing up nice. Maybe he’ll let me come back earlier than he thought.”
“Good. That’s a good plan. Let me know what you need from me.”
“All right, Dad. Thanks.” This would be good. He’d get to see Chase and the rest of the guys. He’d talk to Tandy. He’d have a distraction from thinking about Silver day and night and wondering why she wasn’t calling or texting. This might just save his sanity.
He pulled out his phone and typed a text, copying it to Chase, Aaron and Skeeter. Got room for a fourth in your hotel room next week? I’m coming.
Even though he knew Chase was behind the chutes in the middle of the competition, the text came back almost immediately. You got it!
His dad had been right. Just knowing he would be at the next event made him feel better already.
When Aaron walked into the bar and saw Garret talking to Chase, a grin spread across his face. “Hey, glad you made it.”
“Me too. It feels good to be back, even if I’m not riding.”
“You will be soon enough. Don’t worry.” Chase raised his beer to Garret in a toast.
“From your mouth to Tandy’s ears.” Garret grinned and downed the last of his bottle. “I’ll go and get us another round.”
“I’ll come with you.” Aaron stood and followed Garret to the bar. Once they were out of earshot of Chase, Aaron leaned in. “So Silver’s coming tomorrow.”
“She is?” Garret’s heart sped in reaction to that news. “Uh, was that planned?”
“Nope. I mentioned to her that you were going to be here and she suddenly decided to come.” Aaron shrugged. “She didn’t say why. Maybe she needs you to sign something for insurance. I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess.”
Silver showing up at the event could only mean one thing. She was here to arrange the divorce. She’d want him to sign something all right, but it wouldn’t be for the insurance company. Most likely it would be the papers ending their marriage. Garret’s rehab was almost finished. Him coming here probably made her think he’d be riding soon, if not this weekend. Of course she’d want her freedom now that he didn’t need her health coverage anymore. It was what they’d agreed upon.
From day one he’d known this was coming, so why did it feel like he’d just taken a fist to the gut?
The bartender came to take their order and Garret was suddenly in the mood for more than just beer. “Shot of Jack with a beer chaser, please. Aaron?”
Aaron looked a little surprised but nodded. “Yeah, better make it three. I’m sure Chase will be up for a celebratory shot now that you’re back.”
“Yup, that’s what tonight is all about. Celebrating.” Garret watched the bartender pour the shots and wondered if he should just tell him to keep them coming.
The night passed in a drunken blur, starting with that one shot and continuing with many more, for him at least. Garret figured out at one point that he was drinking alone as the others humored him and switched to drinking soda.
A few hours into the night, he mentioned to Chase and Aaron he wanted to get another tattoo. After that, he was aware of being in the back seat of Aaron’s truck, feeling kind of ill an
d wondering if he could reach the window if he needed to hurl.
The next thing Garret knew, he was opening his eyes, fully dressed and laid out flat on his back on top of the hotel bedspread. He turned his head slowly. It turned out to be still too fast. A wave of nausea hit him and the room seemed to spin around him. The blurry digital numbers on the bedside clock said eight-nineteen. He’d go with the assumption that it was morning and he hadn’t slept through the entire day. With the blackout curtains in the room, it was hard to tell day from night on a good day when he wasn’t still reeling from a hard night of drinking.
Thank God, he wasn’t riding tonight. This was bad. He hadn’t been this drunk, or this hungover, in years.
The soft snores in the room told him he wasn’t alone. In fact, there was a dip in the bed on the other side of him. He braced himself and risked turning his head again, slowly and carefully to not disturb the delicate balance that was keeping him from vomiting. Finally, a sleeping Skeeter came into view. When the hell had Skeeter gotten here? He only remembered being with Chase and Aaron.
And holy crap, why the hell did his nipple feel like it was being squeezed in a vise? Garret reached up and rubbed at it through his shirt. It was sore as shit. “Ow. What the…”
He reached beneath his T-shirt and felt a metal ball on either side of a bar passing through his nipple. Holy shit. He’d gotten his nipple pierced? What the hell else had he done? He was afraid to look.
“You awake and alive, sleeping beauty?” Chase’s voice, sounding sleepy and gruff, came through the darkness from the other bed.
“Barely. What the hell happened last night?” Garret’s voice wasn’t sounding so good either. And he’d kill for a drink of water, though right now it would probably come right back up.
“Let’s see, there were lots of shots. Then you tried to get a tattoo, which I didn’t let you get once I heard what you wanted.” Chase laughed. “You’re welcome, by the way. It would have been hilarious, but as your friend I couldn’t let you go through with it.”