Their fingers slid into the silkiness of her arousal. “Oh, my God, no.” She yanked at her hand again before a wave of pleasure rolled through her. Wade moved her hand until her fingers rested at the top of her mound.
“Right here, baby.” He moved their fingers across her flesh, and her body bowed. “If you’re gonna marry a man like that, you’re goin’ to need to learn how to please yourself.” He moved their fingers back and forth.
“Wade.” His name was a breathy prayer.
“If you were mine, I’d put my tongue right here.” He pressed her hardening clit with his thumb. “And I’d lick you until the neighbors knew my name.”
Oh, my. The visual of that description ripped a moan from her chest. With her body in charge, nothing else mattered. “Please…”
“Please what?”
“Can I… Can you… ” She couldn’t concentrate when their fingers kept an even pace around that spot. It was driving her mad. “Inside me.”
He started moving her fingers toward her opening, and she halted his movement. “No. I want you inside me.”
“Keep movin’ your fingers here.” He pressed them against her swollen nub, and the tips of his digits moved lower, circling around her opening in a torturous motion.
“That’s not what I meant. I want to feel you inside me, one more time.” She stared at him when he stopped his movement. He looked away from her and then seemed to recover from something.
“No.” His tone was firm, and then his fingers were inside her.
She felt them rubbing against her walls.
“Move your fingers.” He stepped out from between her legs. His free hand buried beneath her locks, and he tightened his grip. Sliding her to his side, he trailed a line of kisses across her jaw line to her ear. His skilled fingers worked her to the edge. “You’re goin’ to come for me, Carly.”
“Wade…”
“Say it again.” His tongue darted out and he licked her earlobe.
“Wade. Ooh...”
“That’s right. That’s the name you’ll have to bite your lip from calling out every time you come.” His fingers moved faster.
“Please… make love, have sex with me.”
“No.” His rejection came out in a strained growl.
Her mind and body battled, knocking her off her high. Why didn’t he take her? Didn’t he say he was going to? She was mad at him, but had to admit she was excited about his threat.
“When he’s inside you, it’ll be me that you feel.”
She jerked her head toward him and met with his intense gaze. His thumb moved up under her fingers and circled her flesh with such accuracy she felt it harden under his touch. Her body arched in his arms.
“Wade.”
“My name, on your lips, always.” His mouth burned a trail back to her ear, and the heat from his breath hardened her nipples. “You know it. You feel it.”
“Oh…” Her body tightened. Her toes went numb, and she waited for the crash she’d felt before. She grabbed onto his shoulders, clutching his shirt.
“Let it go, I’ve got you.” His head came up, locking with her gaze. The combination of his words and the heated look in his eyes snapped her body in two. She came hard, his name spilling from her lips in a chain of words.
He removed his hands from her, pulled down her skirt, and stepped back. “You can drive a man redneck crazy. It’s not wise to use your womanhood to test a man, Carly.” He looked her over before he turned and walked toward the gate. “I’ll leave first.”
Placing his hand on the wood, he paused. “For the record, I wasn’t tellin’ you to get in the house. I wasn’t tellin’ you to do the dishes or cook dinner. I wasn’t tellin’ you to be seen and not heard.” He raked his fingers through his hair then rubbed his jeans pocket. “I was tellin’ you… to know your self-worth. To not settle for anyone until you’re certain you’ll be their everything.
“Why didn’t you want to have sex with me?” She could barely see his slanted eyes as he tilted his head toward her.
“If you knew what was at stake, you wouldn’t push, Carly.” She stared at his back until he disappeared through the gate. Having her words thrown back at her only confused her more.
Did he know his brother’s freedom was at stake, her horse, the ranch, her mama’s grave…? Wade’s words in her ear were like a branding mark. How could she let another man touch her? He did that on purpose.
“My name, on your lips, always.” Tears filled her eyes and didn’t stop. She couldn’t do this. There had to be another way. She’d almost thrown up from Chet’s kiss earlier.
After fixing her clothing, she stared at the gate. She had to walk through it and go to the house. Getting her legs to move forward was more difficult than it should’ve been. She placed the back of her hand to her mouth to silence a cry. As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears. She still felt Wade’s breath on her skin, and his rejection to love her cut deeper than she allowed herself to admit. She pulled open the gate, dropped her eyes to the ground, and made her way to the house with quick steps.
Chapter 17
Manhandled
Carly entered the house through the back door. She headed toward the deep voice in the study. “Daddy!” She hurried through the room’s entrance, tears streaming down her face, and the words she’d fought so hard to keep inside her everyday spilled forward. “I can’t marry—”
“Can’t marry…” Alice Parker, her daddy’s girlfriend stared at her from beside the sheriff. Carly’s eyes darted between the two of them.
“Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s out, dear.” Alice patted the sofa. “Why don’t you come and sit down. You look put out.”
“I’ll stand. Why are you here sheriff?”
“We got a report, and by the looks of you, I’m concerned.” His eyes hardened. Carly had no idea what she looked like. She leaned slightly to the side to catch her reflection in the mirror on the wall behind the sheriff. The sleeve to her dress was stretched, hay randomly poked out of her hair and her eyes were puffy from crying.
“I fell off Lightnin’.”
“You? Fell off a horse.” His eyes turned suspicious, and he tilted his head, flicking his gaze down the length of her.
“Yes. I rode him into his stall, and you know how he hates that.”
“Um. All right.” He pulled a pad from his pocket. “We got a report of you being manhandled the other night at a bar by a man that fits the description of the foreman. His eyes stayed on her. She stayed still, motionless. Alice’s smug smile did not go unnoticed.
“Sheriff, if I went to a bar, my daddy would have my hide.”
“So are you sayin’ you weren’t at the bar, and you were not manhandled by your foreman?” He held up his finger when she opened her mouth to respond. “Pardon me.” He grabbed his cell phone and walked away.
“Are you okay, dear?” Alice’s hand reached out and tucked a lock of Carly’s hair behind her ear. “If somethin’ happened, you can tell me. You know me and your daddy are together now.”
“I’m fine.”
“In a couple of days you won’t have to worry about any manhandlin’ you wrong. You’ll be married. But, if somethin’ happened and we need to postpone the weddin’, we’d make sure that foreman makes it to jail.”
Carly’s gaze sliced to hers. The woman’s eyes held the same false tenderness and caring her tone did. Did Alice know what she’d done with Wade? She was wrong about the warm and fuzzy feeling Carly should have about marriage. She wouldn’t feel safe with Chet. The kiss he’d given her was just the start of a rough life with a man that wanted her for something other than love. She knew it and felt it.
Wade had kissed her so tenderly the first time, harder the second, and just moments ago he kissed her like a man claiming a woman. Inexperience doesn’t mean ignorance, and that kiss had devastated her just as much as his words had.
“Sorry ’bout that.” The sheriff pulled at his belt and repositioned th
e pad in his hand. “So, you were sayin’ this is a misunderstandin’. Did I hear you right, young lady?”
“Yes, sir.” She didn’t hesitate to respond; holding the sheriffs’ stare, she straightened her spine. She’d never betray the gift Wade had given her. Dancing with her… he’d given her the best night of her life. Well, the night he took her innocence would have topped it if she hadn’t just been part of the job. None of this made sense though…
“Alright. I’ll disregard the call then. No victim—no crime.” He tilted his hat at Ms. Parker then turned toward her. “See you at the weddin’, Carly.”
As soon as the door shut behind the sheriff, Alice turned to her. “Are you feelin’ okay… about the weddin’? I mean are you nervous?”
“No. I can’t wait to be married. In fact, I’m so excited, I’m exhausted.” Carly stood. “If you don’t mind I’m gonna turn in early.” Not waiting for a response, she turned on her heels and bolted up the stairs.
She felt the mental weight of her situation. Opening the door to her daddy’s room, she slid inside and grabbed the phone on his nightstand. Her chest tightened when Chet’s mother said hello.
“Hi, Mrs. Wilson, it’s Carly.”
“Are you gonna be late, again?”
“No, ma’am. I was hopin’ you could do somethin’ for me.”
“Haven’t I done enough already?”
“Yes, ma’am… thank you. I was just thinkin’… I’d like somethin’ to be a surprise. I know everything that’s going on with the weddin’ and you have such good taste.” She paused and pulled the phone away from her mouth before her lie choked her. “Can you pick out the cake for me?”
“Oh, I’d love too. I know just the one. You’ll love it.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Wilson.”
She ended the call and went to her room. Standing at her window, she looked down and locked eyes with Wade on his porch. He dominated her thoughts. If she was honest with herself, he’d dominated her thoughts since he told her to stable her own horse. She focused on his words. Why would he say the things he did to her, if he didn’t want her? She didn’t get it. And it’s not like she could go ask her mama about men.
“My name, on your lips, always.” And then he rejected her. She stared down at him, neither of them moving. She’d give anything to be in his head right now.
* * * *
Wade stared up at Carly as she stood in her bedroom window. His body still ached from needing release. She had stopped his intentions cold, by breathing his name the way she did. He’d be lost if he had sunk himself into her warmth. He shuddered remembering the way she felt, the tightness of her sheath squeezing him. Her complete trust and surrender. And God the way the woman came.
Fuck! He yanked his phone from his pocket on the first ring. “What?”
“Damn, brother. You okay?”
No, I have a raging hard on that could hammer a spike through a two by four. “Did you find somethin’?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Levi—not in the mood.”
“Alright… damn. I got a name, but I can’t locate the photo, yet.”
“Fuck.”
“Wade. Just get out of there.”
“I’m already packed. Did that about fifteen minutes ago, but Levi—”
“I know what you’re gonna say. Just get out of there. Don’t worry about the photo. Don’t worry about the business.”
“I can’t just…”
“She’s got your head messed up, brother. If she means that much, take her with you. Just go.”
“What was the name of the bounty?”
“Lawrence Sullivan.”
“Damn.” Wade tilted his head up. Carly was still watching him. “I was hoping for another name.”
“Wade, I’ve never heard you like this. I know how that temper gets.”
“And?”
“Just… I need to get to you.”
“Take care of you, Levi. I got this, little brother.”
“You’ve had my back since we were little and more so after Dad died. You’ve pulled me out of more shit…”
“Hey, I’m your brother. I’m supposed to have your back. What’s with all the sentimental crap?”
“It’s this fucking therapy, hippie shit.” He could hear Levi’s smile when he laughed.
“Yeah? What’s that noise? Do they have those sessions in a wind tunnel?”
“Oh, I’m outside. Listen… sleep on doing anything crazy. Give me two days to dig up more info.”
Wade stared at the sudden click and dead tone on his phone. Maybe the therapy was getting to him. He slid his phone back in his pocket, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at Carly. Yep. She’d gotten under his skin fast, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d gotten under hers. He’d had his share of love’em-and-leave’em nights, usually with his brother as back up.
They’d been through a lot together. Their father hadn’t been warm and loving. The man had his own demons and fought them nightly with alcohol. That’s probably why his mother left. He didn’t blame her; the man could be downright mentally abusive.
But she left her kids too. He was thirteen when she left, and Levi had just turned seven. That is too damn young for a boy to grow up without a mother, and for another to grow up overnight and become the man of the house. His father’s drinking worsened, and on a couple of nights when the verbal attacks weren’t enough, they became physical.
Although he’d never been able to hit his father, he’d worked out every day building his strength. Each time he slid a new weight disc on the bar to increase his load, he’d felt a piece of him slipping away. He worked hard on the farm, harder on his body, and protected his brother. Their bond was unbreakable.
He rubbed his fingers over his mouth, then tucked them under his bicep, and leaned against the post. How could he take the chance of Levi going to jail because he’d developed a soft spot for Carly? He wasn’t concerned about the business, because if they couldn’t bring it back, he still had the ranch. Levi loved the thrill of bounty hunting though, and that’s why Wade was here—why he fought so hard to keep it going. After the thrill of the rodeo was taken from Levi, this was what he’d found to substitute for the loss.
His chest ached when she placed her hand against the window and then disappeared from his view. Damn. He’d throw it all away for her, and that knowledge scared him to death. She was young, he wasn’t sure if she wanted him, and just because they matched sexually didn’t mean her heart was truly in it. That’s what he told himself even though he felt something stronger and way beyond a sexual compatibility. Levi had two days to come up with more information, but in two days, Carly would be married—unless he hogtied her and took her with him right now. Nope, he would think on that action only because he promised Levi.
Two long days…
Chapter 18
Ditching and Digging
Carly had avoided him all day yesterday, and Levi never called. His two days were up, and today was her fucking wedding day. He was climbing the walls. The truck was packed, and for the first time in his life, he was nervous. Every noise he heard had him jerking toward the door waiting for her to bust through it with her fiery attitude asking him to take her away from here. He wanted that sweet voice to call his name.
Wade sighed, lifted his hat to his head, and walked out the door. His head jerked up, and his boots froze to the ground. Tightening his grip on the door handle, he stared at the back of a wedding gown a couple of yards away from him sitting in a carriage. The air left his lungs as if he’d been punched. His feet were heavy once he was able to move them, and his duffle bag dropped with a thud when Carly looked over her shoulder and found his gaze. She was going through with it? A bitter taste filled his mouth, and he spit it to the ground.
He parked the truck next to the carriage and stared at her. “I won’t be here when you get back.” He tapped his fingers on the truck’s frame and waited for her to look at him.
“That
’s fine because I won’t be comin’ back here, I’ll be with my husband.”
“You’re still mad at me.”
“No, Wade. I… I’m not mad.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
“It’s better if I don’t.”
“Don’t do this, Carly. Just ride off… leave or—”
“You know, all my life I’ve been listenin’ to men with their arrogance. Statin’ the difference between men and women, ‘women have choices, men have obligations’.” She ran her palms down the front of her wedding gown. “I don’t have a choice. This is an obligation.”
“I disagree. You do have choices. Whatever it is you said I didn’t know was at stake, well, you can let others fight their own battles. And you made other choices since I’ve met you.” He watched her face taint red, but she shook it off, and her spine stiffened.
“Yes. Thank you for that. Now I’ll know how to please my husband.”
“What? Did you just say that to me?” He leapt out of the truck and stood next to the carriage. “Get your sassy little ass out of that damn carriage so I can spank it.” He reached toward her, and she jerked back.
“No, Wade. It’s okay. I know how this works. I know what I was to you—what it meant… I asked for sex with nothin’ in return. That’s all it was and all it was supposed to be—one time sex.”
Wade huffed, and his throat felt as if he’d swallowed glass when he spoke. “Really? That’s all that first time was for you…?” He leaned toward her and tossed a rectangular shaped envelope in her lap, “Because it meant a hell of a lot more to me.” Grabbing the truck’s doorframe he swung himself into the seat and let the dirt fly from his back tires as he headed toward the open field.
Carly sucked in a breath, but her words didn’t come fast enough. She stared at Wade’s taillights as he disappeared in the distance. There, it was over. She’d hurt him, and that would hurt worse than anything Chet could ever put her through. The tortured look in his eyes would haunt her until her last breath, but at least the Dawson’s were clear of this mess. Her fingers rubbed the envelope in her lap. Fighting the tears, she grabbed the string on the back and unwound it from the circle closure.
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