Well Bred

by Avery Gale

  She hadn’t, but it had been damned tempting to lie, just for the fun of it. Kip was maddeningly confident, and the opportunities to make him ill at ease were rare. Deciding honesty was the best policy, she’d shaken her head. “I was there one night when you arrived. Seeing the club’s unattached submissives offering themselves to you was too much for me, so I left.” Her exit hadn’t gone unnoticed by Master Nate, who’d caught up with her near the front door to make sure she was settled enough to drive back home. She had been discouraged, but not so upset she couldn’t drive, so he’d let her go.

  Last night had been the most intense sexual experience of Caila’s life. When she’d first stepped into the playroom, she’d been surprised to see the other women already naked and bound to various pieces of equipment. Kip didn’t give her time to become lost in the visuals assailing her. Stripping her, he’d quickly slid a silk blindfold over her eyes. “I want all of your attention focused on me, baby. Tune out everything, but the sensation of the rope gliding over your skin, the way your body responds when I slide my fingers through the wet folds of your pink pussy.” His words made her sway on her feet, and without any visual references, Caila felt herself start to pitch forward. “Oh no you don’t, my sweet sub. I already saw that one coming. This will keep you safe until I’m ready to lift you.”

  Lift me?

  He’d secured a belt around her waist, and she heard metal clips being snapped into place at her sides. She jolted when she heard the distinctive sound of flesh striking flesh and a woman’s startled shout. “Hmm, perhaps a little quiet will help you focus.” He slid headphones over her ears, and she found herself drifting in silence. The only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat. Lifting one side, his words were a warm brush of air over the curve of her ear. “Your safe word still works, baby—but I promise you won’t need it.”

  Shutting off the shower, Caila toweled herself dry and smiled at the rapidly fading marks from Kip’s ropes. Most of the imprints had already disappeared before she’d fallen asleep last night. The light marks on the inside of her thighs would be gone before the end of the day, and as strange as it sounded, she felt as though she was losing a friend. Running her fingers lightly over the marks, she silently wished they would last a bit longer.

  “Regretting the fact your Master’s marks are fading, sweet cheeks?”

  She screamed when Colt spoke behind her. Grabbing the towel, she frantically tried to cover her nudity. With the towel barely in place, she saw his expression turn dark. “Drop the towel, Caila, right fucking now or face the consequences.”

  Her hand opened, and the towel fell into a damp pile at her feet before her mind registered the command. Colt straightened from where he’d been leaning against the door frame and crossed his arms over his heavily muscled chest. Damn, sometimes she forgot how tall the Morgan brothers were. They rarely used their height as an advantage over her, but Colt was definitely pulling out all the stops now. Looming over her, he nodded his head toward the counter to her left. “Hop up and let me check the marks, Cal.”

  “Oh my God, Colt, you can’t do that. I’m fine. You’d be able to see…well, everything.” Caila was starting to panic, and the smirk moving over Colt’s face wasn’t helping her nerves at all. “What will Kip say if you…well, if you inspect me?”

  “Sweet cheeks, who do you think asked me to check on you? Now be a good girl and hop up before I’m forced to paddle that pretty ass of yours.” It didn’t sound like he considered the prospect a burden, but she wasn’t going to tempt fate by saying it out loud. “Cal, I was in the playroom last night when Kip bound you so beautifully. I can assure you there wasn’t a square inch of your pretty pink pussy I didn’t see. All seven of us are responsible for the health and safety of my lovely Josie, Sage’s feisty Coral, Ryan and Brandt’s brilliant Joelle, Mitch and Phoenix’s sassy Aspen, and you.”

  His words warmed her heart, but her internal voice was still shouting all the reasons she shouldn’t expose herself to another man. “You’re overthinking this, Cal. Am I hurting you?”

  Say what? “No.”

  “Are you so emotionally overwhelmed you can no longer function safely?” She could see where he was leading her, but she was also certain it wasn’t going to do her any good to try to talk her way around him. Everyone always mentioned how smart Phoenix was, but most people didn’t realize Colt wasn’t far behind. She’d worked in the high school office as a student aid and snooped at their records. Damn, they’d all tested off the charts. “Caila.”

  Colt’s sharp tone startled her back to the moment, and she realized she was staring at him, trying to catch up. Blinking rapidly, she finally remembered the question he asked and shook her head. “That’s not good enough, and you know it. I realize you aren’t particularly experienced in the lifestyle, but I’m sure you’re aware Doms expect a verbal response to questions.”

  Dammit, now he’s just being a jerk.

  “No, Sir.” She didn’t make any attempt to camouflage the sarcasm in her tone, something he hadn’t missed. She knew the Morgan brothers shared responsibility for their women, each having given permission to the others to ensure safety and enforce rules.

  Caila had asked Coral about it once and been shocked by her answer. “Oh, honey, I can’t get away with anything. Sage gave them the green light to discipline me in his absence and damn if they don’t take full advantage of it. Kip’s the only one who hasn’t paddled me, and that’s because he’s learned you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. He’s a charmer, that one.”

  Refocusing her attention on the man standing in front of her, Caila watched a sly smile spread over Colt’s face and took a quick step back. She bumped up against a wall of muscle and felt large hands wrap around her upper arms when she tried to step away. “I wondered what was taking you so long. Kip’s called twice, wondering if you’ve checked on Caila. I think he’s worried she’s still swimming laps like a woman training for the Olympics.”

  How did he know she’d been swimming? Cameras. Damn, she’d forgotten about all the security cameras. No doubt Phoenix had been keeping tabs on her. Small wonder they were checking up on her since she’d been pushing herself in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to burn up some of the restless energy blazing through her veins. She hated being stuck inside for any length of time.

  Colt stood in front of her, beefy arms crossed over a massive chest, studying her. He was obviously spending a lot of time in the gym despite his wife’s hectic touring and recording schedule. Crickets, he wasn’t in this good of shape when he was on the rodeo circuit. Knowing the two of them the way she did, there didn’t seem to be much point in continuing down this path. It wasn’t a matter of if they’d get their way…it was a question of when.

  Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Caila met Colt’s intense gaze and lifted her chin, trying to hold on to at least a small piece of dignity and defiance. “Fine, I’ll let you look at the mark that’s barely even visible, even though I think you’re being overly dramatic.” Phoenix released her so she could hop up on the cool counter. Caila had hoped Phoenix would move on, sparing her half the humiliation, but she should have known better.

  Colt’s touch wasn’t sexual as he ran the tips of his fingers over the pale purple marks on the inside of her thighs. “I’m usually the ropes aficionado, but little brother is no slouch, that’s for sure. These will be gone by the end of the day; he did a damn good job balancing your weight on the lift.” She’d loved seeing the beautiful pattern of the ropes decorating her skin last night and found herself disappointed they’d faded so quickly.

  Colt helped her down from the counter and nodded toward her clothes. “Get dressed and come upstairs for lunch.”

  Bossy much?

  “And make sure your hair is dry. For some reason, it’s like a damned refrigerator up there.” Phoenix shuddered, and she fought the urge to laugh. She remembered when Coral was pregnant with the girls the men had complained she�
��d kept the air conditioning set on frigid, and with Joelle, Josie, and Aspen all in the early stages of pregnancy, Caila suspected she would likely be spending a lot of time in Kip’s suite. Thank God Dean insisted each of the boys’ suites have its own heating and cooling units.

  As they walked away, she heard Phoenix mutter, “Too bad she came around. I’ve wanted to paddle her ass a hundred time over the years for being so careless.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” Colt’s regret-filled response was the last thing she heard as they rounded the corner.

  Good grief.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kip had already searched the house for Caila. He’d moved to the barn and was now wondering how she could have forgotten their plans to meet at three o’clock. She’d been going stir crazy for days, and after everything that happened last night, he’d assumed she would be ready and waiting. Christ, according to his brothers, she’d put in several miles in the pool this morning trying to burn off her restless energy. She’d never been one to spend a lot of time inside, and he knew this past week had been particularly difficult for her.

  One of the bulls they’d planned to draw semen from next week had become entangled in a downed barbed wire fence a few days earlier. The deep lacerations weren’t healing as quickly as Kip thought they should, so he’d asked Caila to check the injury.

  He was just opening his phone to call her cell when he heard a door close behind him. Turning, he saw Luke Kimball striding towards him. “Hey, boss, you looking for Dr. Cooper?” Kip still hadn’t gotten used to people referring to Caila as Dr. Cooper, even though she’d certainly earned the title. Luke was one of the newer ranch hands, and Kip hadn’t missed the way the younger man watched Caila the last time she’d worked with him in the barn.

  “Yes, I’d asked her to meet me at three, but the fence up on section seven was a bigger project than I anticipated, so I’m running late.” The fence was in such bad shape Kip had wondered if the whole herd had been spooked through it, but he hadn’t had time to ride the entire section to make sure they were where they belonged. “We’ll have to ride up there tomorrow and do a head count. With the weather fixin’ to go to hell, I don’t want to risk having the herd scattered from here to Kingdom Come.”

  “I’ll tell the others. God knows cattle on a mountain highway in the snow is a recipe for disaster in anybody’s book.” Luke was right, and Kip wanted to do everything he could to ensure that didn’t happen.

  Pressing the speed dial for Caila’s phone, Kip looked up at Luke. “Have you seen Dr. Cooper today?”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry, I got distracted.” No shit. “She was here earlier and examined the bull. Man, she’s amazing with animals. Didn’t need any help at all. She wasn’t even worried about going in the pen alone.”

  Kip thought his head was going to explode. He wasn’t sure what pissed him off the most—Luke’s inability to get the fucking point or knowing Caila had gone alone into a pen with an injured bull. His mom had definitely been right when she said Caila would rush in where angels feared to tread.

  Luke grinned and added, “She said we don’t have the supplies she needed and took the Gator over to the clinic.” The hair on the back of Kip’s neck stood up, but he tried to push down the dread suddenly rearing up in his gut.

  “How long ago did she leave?” Kip’s dread was building as he willed the laid-back kid to answer.

  The younger man glanced at his watch and scratched his head. Kip wanted to shake him until the answer tumbled out. “You know, it’s been close to an hour. That’s odd. Shouldn’t take that long, do you think? I got busy out back and lost track of the time.”

  Kip barely heard Luke’s last words, because he was already sprinting to the door. Shouting over his shoulder, Kip yelled, “Call 911, and get Brandt headed that way. I’ll call the house and round up anybody there. Get some of the men together and head to the Cooper’s as soon as you can. I have a bad feeling about this.” He dialed Sage’s number as he roared out of the driveway.

  “What the fuck, Kip? I just heard you tear down the drive like you ass was on fire. What’s wrong?” Typical Sage Morgan, he hadn’t missed Kip’s departure. Their dad had built his office on the mountain side of the house so he could gaze out the windows. His dad swore being able to look out over at the mountains he loved helped focus and inspire him. But Sage had always suspected the office was positioned to allow his dad to see anyone approaching the house. He could also watch over the barns and several of the smaller pens. It seemed reasonable his dad would want to supervise the operation of the ranch, and even more, he’d known how important it was to keep track of his five unruly sons.

  “Caila went to the clinic an hour ago for supplies. There’s no way in hell it would take her that long to gather up what she needed and get back here.”

  “God dammit, what is it with the women in this family rushing head first into catastrophes? Where were you?”

  “Fixing fence, and I didn’t get back here to meet her at three, so she evidently started without me. I swear she isn’t going to sit for a fucking week.” Kip was rounding the corner onto the highway and was fast approaching the Cooper’s driveway when he heard Sage shouting to someone before he disconnected the call. Kip pocketed his phone and focused on making his way to Caila as quickly as possible.

  Filling two syringes, Caila capped the first the syringe with penicillin and tucked into the hard plastic carrying case. Carefully picking up the second syringe filled with Micotil, Caila froze when she heard the scrape of a shoe against the tile floor. Even as a kid, she’d noticed the different sounds shoes made on the floor of her dad’s clinic. People from town who’d brought their pet to the clinic almost always wore street shoes whose squishy soles sounded wimpy against the tile. Ranchers visiting the clinic usually wore spurs, and the distinctive chink against the bare floors announced their arrival long before they came into view. Whoever stood behind her hadn’t come from the Morgan Ranch, that was for sure.

  The older medicine cabinet in front of her had a mirror at the back. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Barry Orman standing behind her.

  “Turn around, bitch. It’s time we saw one another up close. I believe the last time you saw me was in your damned rifle sights. You should have stayed out of my fight with Phoenix Morgan.”

  Phoenix? Brandt had been right. Orman intended to use Aspen as leverage against his real target. Sliding the syringe up her sleeve, Caila turned to face the man who’d been making her life a living hell. It took all the self-control she could muster to keep her gaze on the man’s face instead of the nine mm Glock pistol in his hand. She hadn’t seen one of the longer barreled guns up close, but Orman evidently wasn’t hurting for money—fuck, those are expensive as hell.

  “Who are you, and why are you here?”

  “Don’t be coy, Dr. Cooper. You know exactly who I am. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Phoenix Morgan, it’s his penchant for information. And from the looks of it, the whole damned family is thick as thieves, so there’s not a chance in hell you haven’t been briefed on who I am.” When he took a couple of steps toward her, Caila noticed he was limping and knew his hatred for her probably grew with each labored step. The damage caused by bullet she’d put in his leg would be a constant reminder and fuel his anger.

  She could only imagine how much he must despise her…she’d kept him from following through on his plan and given him a lifelong injury. If I have my way, you won’t be suffering much longer, dick weed. He took another step toward her. His voice sounded like he was possessed. “By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to wish like hell you’d taken that kill shot.”

  I’m way ahead of you, asshole.

  “I’ll ask you again—why are you here?” She needed to be close enough to inject him with the drug in the syringe and thanked God the Morgan’s prize bull required a large dose of the powerful antibiotic. The longer needle used for a much bigger animal meant she’d easily be able to penetr
ate however many layers of clothing he was wearing.

  “Take a wild guess. I’m sure not here to watch you jack off a bull. That’s what reproductive specialists do, right?” Evidently the man had done his homework if he was aware of her specialty in veterinary science, but jacking off bulls? Really? Talk about ill-informed.

  “I don’t have time to deal with your nonsense. I’m expected back at the ranch. They know where I am and how long it would take me to gather up what I came for. They’ll be waiting for me.” She took two steps closer before she saw his finger tighten on the trigger. Stopping just a few feet from him, Caila wasn’t close enough to make a move, but he obviously wasn’t going to let her saunter past him, either.

  “I know how long you’ve been here. I watched you come through the trees on that overgrown four-wheeler. If I’d wanted to make this quick and painless, I’d have taken any one of the dozen shots I had before you walked in the front door of this place.” His cold eyes scanned the room, and he shuddered. “Christ, how can anyone stand to work in a place that reeks of antiseptic and animal feces.”

  What the hell?

  She and Kip spent two days cleaning the clinic top to bottom, a job her dad had obviously let slide over the past few months. It might smell like a damned swimming pool from all the bleach they’d used, but it damned well didn’t smell like cow shit. It was more likely he was smelling her since she’d been in the barn at the Morgan’s. Nice of you to point out my Eau De Barn scent, ass hat.