She tied Lightning to the hanging branch under the tree, and he went to graze. Although she never left the land, she’d snuck out before, and this had become a habit for the two of them. She stroked his neck before she turned toward the truck.
“Going somewhere?”
Carly sucked in a breath and clutched her chest. “Jesus Christ!” She locked eyes with Wade. His arms folded across his chest made his biceps bulge in the grey button down shirt. With the sleeves rolled up, it looked as if the fabric would tear. Good Lord, his denim jeans fit so well the factory must have made them just for him. He probably had his own product line. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes strolled from the tips of his boots back up to his eyes. She swallowed hard. “I guess I’m busted.”
“I guess you are.”
“Okay. See you back at the house.” She turned away from him, hiding her disappointment.
“Carly.”
“Yeah?” She peered at him over her shoulder.
“Get in.” He held the truck door open, and she stared at him. “Well, if you’re goin’ honky tonkin’, it’s better I escort you this time.”
Tears hit the back of her eyes faster than a second hand ticks. She took a deep breath, held them at bay, and walked toward him.
Chapter 6
Poprocks
“Are you finished with that beer yet?” Wade asked, as he tipped his back, finishing it in one gulp.
“Almost.”
“Leave it at the table, and follow me.” She slid her hand into Wade’s. His warmth soaked into her skin like sunshine after a light rain. She followed close behind him, her eyes darting everywhere. The music was louder than the other place she’d been to, and the people seemed less rugged here. She was grinning like an idiot, but she didn’t care. This place filled her with life, and it’d been a long time since she’d felt alive. She ran into the back of Wade when he stopped. Giggling, she stared up at him.
Wade grabbed her shoulders and straightened her. “Ready?”
“Ready for what?” She looked around. Her eyes went to her feet and back to the set of hazel eyes holding hers with a warmth that made her melt. Oh, God… he wanted her to dance. In front of all these people. She shifted her feet. Her nerves churned in her stomach and pushed outward to dampen her skin.
“I thought you wanted this?”
“I thought I did too, but look at all these people.”
“You can dance, can’t you?”
“When I’m alone, I told you that… I—”
His finger hooked under her chin and tilted her head back until she met his gaze. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
First she snickered, she didn’t trust anyone, then her body reacted to his touch, and her eyelids slid closed. Although she couldn’t explain it, she trusted him. The thought was disturbing. How could you trust someone you didn’t know? Maybe it was time to ease up on the beer?
“Now.” Sliding his arm around her waist, he pulled her close. “Dance like no one’s watching.” He moved forward two steps, back two steps, and repeated the movements until they were moving across the dance floor. He kept her at a distance, not dancing as close as the other couples were on the floor, but his thigh pressed between her legs on each turn, and she knew her face was on fire. After two songs, they slid into the booth where fresh beers waited.
“What’s your favorite color?” She watched his beer stop at his lips, and he eyed her. What was wrong with that question? It wasn’t too personal, but the concern in his eyes was evident. He swallowed his drink, flashed a grin, and answered after what felt like forever.
“Blue.”
“That’s mine too. Midnight blue.” She grabbed the fresh beer the waitress had left on the table and leaned back. “You got places like this back home where you live?”
“Aren’t there places like this in every town?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Where’d you learn to climb down a wall like that? You escape from a second story house better than a fireman.” He laughed and tipped his beer back.
“I’ve been climbin’ out that window for a long time.”
“Oh! Come’on, darlin’. This song has you written all over it.” He grabbed her hand, and they danced their way to the middle of the floor. Garth Brooks’ Ain't Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up beat in her chest. She was so in sync with his moves, people stopped to watch. It was as if they’d danced together for years. She didn’t miss a spin or a two-step, and the song was so fast she thought she’d pass out before it stopped. His hands moved from her waist to her shoulders, twisting and turning her, and every place he touched started to burn. She looked around and smiled at the woman next to her. Carly had never had this much fun.
When the song ended, Carly laughed and slumped forward against Wade’s hard chest. Her labored breaths matched his. She looked up, caught his compelling, magnetic gaze, and held it as Hunter Hayes started singing, I wanna wrap you up, Wanna kiss your lips, I wanna make you feel wanted.
His smile faded with hers, as they remained motionless. Their labored breathing slowed, and his arms loosened around her.
“Make love to me.” She watched his eyes widen at her request.
“What?”
“Nevermind.” She peeled her gaze from his and shifted nervously.
“I think it’s time to go, darlin’.”
Carly reprimanded herself all the way back to the truck. How could she be so stupid to ask him, blunt like that? He probably thinks she’s easy, but she was far from it. She slid onto the seat, Wade shut her door, and she watched him walk around the front of the truck.
His forehead wrinkled and he looked to be deep in thought. When he slid beside her, the wrinkles were still there along with a look of confusion. Or concern, she wasn’t sure which, but she didn’t like it.
“I’m sorry. I ruined our night.” She fidgeted in the seat. Her face sagged with regret.
“Let’s forget about it. And, you didn’t ruin the night, so stop.” Wade glanced at her. She looked beautiful, innocent, and God how he wanted to take her up on her offer. It must be the beer talking. He needed to get her out of the truck, fast. His foot hit the gas, and he caught her troubled look before she turned toward the window and silently stared out into the blackness of the night. The truck’s interior glow reflected her face in the window, and the sadness he saw turned his gut.
She stayed silent, until they turned down the main road to the ranch. “What’s it like to kiss? I mean, you’ve probably kissed a lot of girls… women, is it all the same?”
“Damn, Carly. I thought we were gonna forget about it?”
“I did. I was talkin’ about kissin’.”
“Yeah, well, kissin’ can be just as dangerous.”
“Really?”
Wade parked at an angle, hidden between the shadows cast by the large horse barn and the foreman quarters. “Carly.” He sighed in frustration.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s just…” He ran his fingers through his hair and tilted his head toward her. “Don’t you have someone to talk to about this, besides me?”
“No,” she whispered, pulling the handle on the door. “Thank you for tonight, it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She jumped out and moved quickly toward the stable.
Once she made it through the center of the barn, she’d be in sight of her house, and he’d go inside. Wade kept his eyes trained on her movements.
She lifted a hand to her face and wiped each side.
“Ah, hell.” He pushed the truck door open, and his strides ate the distance between them. “Carly.”
“It’s fine, Wade. I understand—”
“Stop.” He grabbed her wrist. His other hand found her waist, and he pushed her against Lightning’s pen. He slid his hand from her wrist to her shoulder, palmed her cheek, and rubbed his thumb over the dampness her tears had made.
W
ade searched her sad eyes. She had a natural beauty that made her stunning, and the teary gloss in her eyes made them shimmer like blue crystals. He traced her lips with the pad of his thumb, dropping his gaze to their soft, full surface. Leaning forward, he hovered just above her mouth. Their breath mingled, and when he brushed his lips across hers, he was sure a fire would start. He prayed he could pull himself back from what he was about to do. His heart hammered in his chest as he tilted her head back, cupping her neck. He moved in slow wanting to savor the kiss. He took her mouth, and his tongue demanded entry. He’d never felt his tongue tingle before, but the moment theirs united it reminded him of the time he’d eaten Pop-Rocks as a kid. There was no pop, but the fizzling feeling was there. He tried to keep the kiss tame and fought against the urges bubbling up inside him. He wanted to savor more than what he tasted; he wanted to savor everything that was Carly.
When she melted into him and moaned, his cock stiffened. She wasn’t tense, as she was with the guy in the bar the night he’d dragged her home. She surrendered to him, completely. It was a submission any man would die for. He broke their connection before his one head overrode the other. Smiling down at her, he removed his hand from her hip and placed it on the wooden slat behind her creating more of a distance.
“How do I compare?”
“Compare?”
“To the others.”
Her giggles tightened his sac. “I think you are much better than little Billy Ray.”
“Little Bill Ray?”
“Yes. He gave me an ice cream kiss when I was eight.”
The hooded look she gave him threw up a caution sign in his head. “Carly, that’s all I can give you.” His cock wanted to burn the sign and forge forward, but he straightened and stepped back. “You better get back in the house before someone catches us out here.”
“I have to get Lightnin’ from the field.”
“I’ll get him.”
She nodded and moved past him. He stared after her, even after she’d disappeared into her house. What the hell was he doing? Was that her only kiss? It couldn’t be. God, was she innocent in other ways too? Now he had questions, and they were much more personal than a favorite color, but he needed to know this stuff. First thing he wanted to know was why did she want to have sex with him?
Chapter 7
Trapped
Wade woke earlier than he did the day before and hoped to get to the back field before anyone saw him. Mostly Carly. He was not ready for her this morning. This was starting to get complicated, and it was his fault. All he had to do was mind his own business, do his job, and not touch the farmer’s daughter. It was simple really. He’d expect Levi to fuck things up but not him. He was the oldest, the leader, and the man of the house. He wasn’t supposed to fuck things up. Nothing ever went wrong on his watch.
Lost in thought, he stepped out of the truck and walked toward the tractor in the field. He jerked his head up when the green machine moved forward, toward him. His eyes locked with Carly’s. Shit. It wasn’t even 5 a.m. yet. What the hell was she doing out here? He walked toward her. Placing his hand on the tractor’s pull bar, he lifted himself and stepped inside the massive machine. “What are you doin’ out here so early?”
“I guess I could ask the same of you.” She stared back at him. “Look, you’re not the only one tryin’ to hide. You can either let me stay and plow this field with me, or I’ll go sit in the truck. Either way, please, don’t tell me to go back to the house.”
“What are you hidin’ from?”
“Weddin’ dresses.”
“I thought that was supposed to be fun?”
“If you had a choice in the dress and the man you’re marryin’.”
She turned her head, resting her chin on her shoulder, she stared in the opposite direction. Wade pulled her up from the seat, took her place, and shifted the tracker into gear. She leaned her hip against the seat but remained quiet.
He reached down, and turned the music up. Scrunching his face, he looked at her. “How can you listen to this shit?”
“This ain’t shit. This is Alicia Keys, Girl on Fire. This song makes me feel—free. Like I can do anythin’ I want in this world.”
“Why did you ask me to have sex, make love, to you?” He rubbed his palm over his jeans pocket.
“Because a woman ought to be able to choose who she loses her innocence to.”
His jaw slacked, and his cock tightened. Aw hell, she is innocent. A virgin at twenty-four? “How the hell are you a virgin at your age?” His internal filters were in need of caffeine because they were running slow, almost non-existent.
“My mama died.” She looked away from him, and he watched her change before his eyes. Her posture straightened, and hardness set into her jaw.
“I lost someone too. It’s hard.”
“She killed herself.”
Wade froze. His foot slid off the accelerator, the tractor stopped, and he felt his chest tighten. He swallowed hard. “Go on.” Although, he wasn’t sure he wanted her to continue.
She rubbed her arms and looked away from him. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
“My fiancée’ killed herself.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
She placed her hand over his on the steering wheel, her soft voice stroking his unhealed wound. Why the hell had he given up that information? He glanced at her, and saw the pain in her eyes. How long had she held her own pain in?
“You can tell me, darlin’. I won’t tell another soul.”
“She felt trapped.”
Oh God, not that. It was as if his past suddenly echoed. He swung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her trembling body toward his, pulling her off the armrest and tucking her into his side. If his chest tightened any more he was sure it would crush his heart. After a long bout of silence, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“I heard the crash in the bathroom and ran to it. I remember I couldn’t open the door.” Her tone became distant. “And I called for her, but she wouldn’t answer. I pushed and pushed.” Her breathing came quicker. “I saw her feet, and at first I thought she dropped nail polish, but then I remembered Daddy didn’t allow her to wear red. The red started toward me from underneath the door, and I panicked. I slammed into the wood until I could wedge my body through the crack. I dislocated my shoulder, but I got through.” She tensed.
“Breathe, darlin’, I’ve got you.” He tightened his arm, and she sighed an uneven breath against him.
“She was barely alive. Blood covered her hand, and I remember my fingers slidin’ through it when I tried to hold her hand. I cried. I begged her not to leave me.” Carly’s voice cracked. “She said, ‘don’t ever let them clip your wings, angel. Fly… fly’, and that was it. She sucked in this breath… I can’t even describe it.”
“It’s like an inward howl, and it haunts you every day of your life.”
Carly placed a hand on his chest, jerking herself up to met his eyes. “How’d you know that?”
“Looks like we got company.” Wade nodded toward the approaching truck.
“Shit.” She moved out of his lap, and a touch of fear rolled over her.
“Carly, get your ass out of that tractor, and get in the truck.” Chet’s blonde features highlighted his reddening skin, and his eyes threw daggers toward her.
“You know…” She looked at Wade as she opened the tractor door. “I get scared sometimes.”
“Of him?” Wade asked, inclining his head toward Chet.
“Not as much as I am of myself.” She stepped down on the bottom step, held onto the handle, and looked back at him with a small nervous smile. “Thanks, Wade. I’ve never shared with anyone before.”
Neither have I… “Wait.” He grabbed her arm, seeing her eyes go vacant as she stared at Chet. “What are you scared of?”
“That I’m like my mama.” She shrugged her arm from his grasp and jumped down from the tractor.
What was that supposed to mean? Surely, she did
n’t mean… he looked up and watched Chet grab her arm. His face was inches from hers as he yelled at the top of his lungs, pushing her into the truck. He was still yelling as he spun the truck wheels leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Wade shook his head and jumped from the top step.
He was back at the stable within seconds of their arrival. When he parked the truck, he could hear Chet yelling at Carly from inside the barn. He walked with hurried steps toward them. Shit. So much for minding my own business…
“You’re hurtin’ me.” Carly ripped her arm from Chet’s grip.
“And you’re supposed to be with my mama, pickin’ out a dress. She arranged for the shop to stay open late, so go wash this,” he looked at her in disgust, “dirt off you, and get your ass movin’.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the house.
“Chet, you’re hurtin’ me. Stop!”
“She said stop.” Wade grabbed her other arm and pulled. She came out of Chet’s grasp and curled into his.
“This ain’t none of your business.” Chet grabbed her arm and challenged Wade with a glare. “Carly. Go to the house, now.”
“When a woman is being abused in my presence, it’s my business.” Wade placed his hand on Carly’s stomach and pushed her behind him.
“‘I said mind your business, boy.” Chet poked Wade in the chest, and stared up at him when Wade took up the space between them.
“I’m many things, but boy ain’t one of them.” Wade let a right hook fly and enjoyed the sound of his fist connecting with the asshole’s jaw. The shock on Chet’s face was nothing compared to Carly’s. Chet staggered back and then stood straight. Carly jumped between them.
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