Down to You

by M. Leighton

  On the one hand, I think it must’ve been Nash that came to my room. Based on this time with Cash…holy shit! But then again, Cash didn’t ask about my birth control situation tonight, which makes me think he already knew. And that would mean it was him that came to my room.

  But, I have to keep in mind that something impulsive like this is probably very much in character for Cash. A guy like him probably assumes if I don’t speak up, I’ve got birth control taken care of.

  Once again, my revelation only leaves me with more questions. But, at the moment, I don’t care. I’m consumed by Cash. I still feel his touch. I still smell his scent. I still…feel him and it’s a feeling I hope never goes away. I can’t get him out of my head and, for right now, I’m okay with that.

  I’m straightening my hair for the second time while Cash stands behind me rubbing my bare stomach. My panties are still damp and, at this rate, they’ll never be dry.

  He smoothes my hair then pulls it away from my neck and starts nibbling. “Do we have to go back out there?”

  I can’t help but giggle. “I’m sure there are people that will need to use the restroom before the night’s out.”

  “Screw ‘em. There’s another one.”

  I laugh outright. “Where are you staying?”

  He looks up and meets my eyes in the mirror.

  “I’ll find a hotel somewhere. Why? You wanna come visit me?”

  Um, hell yes!

  I think that, but I don’t say it. Rather, I turn around in his arms. “Look, you came all the way out here to help me. The least I can do is give you a place to stay. But my dad will be there, so…”

  “So we have to be quiet,” he whispers, waggling his eyebrows comically.

  I just smile. I neither confirm nor deny that there will be more sex. But there will be. If he tries very hard at all, there definitely will be.

  Slowly, we make our way to the door. I take a deep breath and flip open the lock.

  “You go first. I’ll wait a few minutes. That way it won’t be too obvious,” he says considerately.

  I grin. “Um, I’m sure there will be very little doubt, but that’s sweet of you to do anyway.”

  I turn to pull open the door, but Cash puts his hand against it. When I look back, his lips crush mine in a fiery kiss that has me rethinking his suggestion that we stay in the bathroom.

  But, alas, we can’t.

  The rest of the night proves to be one of the best I’ve spent in a long, long time. Cash stays close to me, always touching me in some small way, setting my skin on fire. We share lots of knowing smiles and glances that keep the moments in the bathroom fresh in my mind. Not that they wouldn’t be otherwise. I’m pretty sure they’ll still be fresh in my mind when I’m a hundred and nine and can’t remember where I put my teeth. But there will always be Cash… in the bathroom… in the mirror…

  Neither of us drinks much more. I think we’re both content to keep our wits about us and not ruin the magic of the night. When everyone is all partied out, Cash walks me to Ginger’s car so I can drive her home. I’m more than sober now. And happily so.

  “I’ll follow you so I can drive you back home.”

  “Okay,” I agree with a wide smile. I can’t seem to stop smiling.

  He gives me a quick peck on the lips and then we part ways. All the way to Ginger’s house, I find myself looking in the rearview mirror at the single headlight behind me.

  And smiling. Of course, smiling.

  “Well, I guess we know which one you pick, Liv,” Ginger slurs from the passenger seat. I jump. We’re almost to her house and this is the first time she’s spoken. I thought she was passed out.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because he’s a bad boy. And we both know you always pick the bad boy.”

  Her head slumps to the side after she deals me this blow.

  I do always pick the bad boy. And I do always live to regret it. Am I making a huge mistake with Cash?

  Her words haunt me from the time I drop her off to the time I walk Cash to his room after our trip home on the motorcycle. I leave him for the night after a very chaste kiss.

  He stops me with a hand to my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he whispers. I’m sure he’s curious why I’m going to bed without…him. He saw my father fast asleep on his bed downstairs.

  I try to put some heart into my smile, but I imagine that I fail miserably. “Nothing. I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well.”

  I go to my own room, closing the door snugly behind me and then getting ready for bed. After more than an hour has passed and I’m still not asleep, I decide to take a shower, hoping it will refresh and relax me. Maybe it’s the grime of the bar that’s keeping me awake.

  I’m standing beneath the hot spray of water, trying not to think too much, when I hear the metal curtain rings slide along the shower rod. I wipe my eyes and look up to see Cash stepping into the shower.

  I can’t help but go a little ga-ga over his naked body. It’s even more perfect than I could’ve imagined. His chest is wide and tan and flawless but for the tattoo on his left pectoral. His stomach is flat and rippling with muscles. His legs are long and strong. Not one inch of him disappoints, including the several hard, proud, impressive ones that make my insides quiver.

  I know I’m staring, but I can’t help it. Just the sight of him makes me wet and ready.

  A finger beneath my chin tilts my face up. Cash’s expression is serious and sweet, his face devastatingly handsome.

  “You worry too much. Can’t you just trust me?”

  His eyes are boring holes into mine. I want him so much, but I just don’t know that giving in to him is the smart thing to do.

  If only he were more like Nash…

  “I don’t know,” I answer him honestly.

  He nods in acceptance. “You’ll learn to. I promise.”

  And then he kisses me. It’s a slow, deep kiss that carries meaning and emotion, neither of which I know how to interpret.

  I pull away to speak, but he puts his finger over my lips. “Shhh, just let me love you, okay? Don’t think. Just feel.”

  His sinfully dark eyes are fathomless, but earnest. After several seconds, I nod. He smiles then kisses me again. Tenderly.

  With his lips and his tongue, he licks the water from my skin—from my neck, from my nipples, from my stomach. He kneels between my legs and brings me to the brink of ecstasy twice, stopping both times as if he’s waiting for something.

  When I’m nearly ready to explode a third time, he stands and kisses me again, grabbing the tops of my thighs and picking me up to press me against the shower wall. He lowers me onto his shaft, his tongue thrusting into my mouth, mimicking the movements of his body.

  We climax together. He swallows my moans, no doubt in deference to my sleeping father. When we’re done, and he’s still buried inside me, he turns with me in his arms and holds me beneath the shower spray. The warm, massaging fingers of the water soothe me. I nearly fall asleep with my head on his shoulder.

  Letting me down, Cash turns off the water and grabs the towel I laid out for myself. He dries me from head to toe and then carries me to the next room and puts me to bed, naked.

  “Go to sleep,” he says softly. “Don’t think anymore. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  And then he’s gone.

  And I go to sleep.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX- Cash

  I wake up with a raging hard-on and only one girl on my mind. I can barely see the light of dawn coming through the curtains. I know I shouldn’t wake her, but I’m almost afraid not to. As much as she gets caught up in her own head, it’s hard to tell what mindset she’ll be in when she wakes up.

  So I go to her.

  I open the door a crack and listen. I can hear her father snoring downstairs, so I slip out of my room and down the hall, silently entering Olivia’s room.

  I move quietly. I’m relieved that her breathing remains deep and even. She’s lying on her side,
facing away from me. Stripping off my jeans, I peel back the covers just enough to slide beneath them. I ease in beside her and snuggle up close to her back.

  In her sleep, she wiggles her butt against me, settling in closer. I bite my lip to keep from making any noise. She’s still naked and the crease of her ass is teasing me.

  I reach around and cup one of her perfect breasts. Even in sleep, her body responds to me, the nipple puckering. I pinch it lightly between my fingertips and she moans a little, pushing her ass into me again. This time, I push back, grinding my hips against hers.

  I lean forward and kiss her neck, letting my hand trial down her flat stomach to the little thatch of neatly-trimmed hair covering what I want most. Obligingly, she shifts, parting her legs enough for me to slide a finger between her folds. I rub her slowly, gently, until I feel her hips move with the rhythm of my hand.

  Easing a finger inside her, I find that she’s already dripping wet. My body jumps in anticipation, flexing against her back side.

  I move my hand down to cup her thigh and bring her leg up onto my top one. It opens her enough that I can guide myself into her from behind. It’s all I can do not to groan loudly when I slip into her tight sheath. I inhale deeply so as not to make any noise. She tips her hips back toward me, giving me an even deeper penetration. I don’t know if it’s intentional or instinctive. I still can’t be sure if she’s awake or not.

  Working my fingers back to her moist center, I rub her toward orgasm as I move slowly in and out of her wet heat. When I feel her muscles begin to clench around me, her hand comes up to my hip, gripping me, pulling me tighter against her.

  She’s awake.

  I hear her breathing pick up and then she gasps. I feel the spasms of her orgasm and hear her panting softly. I hold her firm and steady as I drive into her, harder and harder.

  And then an explosion of sensation and I’m coming inside her. Before I even realize it, my teeth are biting into her shoulder. It seems to stir her. She brings her hand up and fists her fingers in my hair, pulling it a little, making me jerk inside her.

  Damn, I can’t wait to see what she’s like when she lets go.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN- Olivia

  I can’t stop smiling. Again. Even though doubt niggles at the back of my mind, it’s impossible to think entirely bad thoughts when I’m lying on Cash’s chest, tracing his tattoo.

  “What does this mean?” I whisper.

  “It’s the Chinese symbol for awesome,” he teases lightly.

  I giggle. “If it’s not, which I imagine it isn’t, then it should be.”

  “Are you paying me a compliment? I just want to be sure, so I don’t miss it.”

  I slap his ribs. “You make it sound like I’m mean and horrible because I don’t throw myself at your feet.”

  “You don’t have to throw yourself at my feet. Although if you want to, I’m sure I can think of something for you to do while you’re down there.”

  I look up at him and he’s waggling his eyebrows again.

  “I’m sure you could.” Shaking my head, I settle back onto his chest and resume tracing the ink shapes. “Seriously, what do they mean?”

  Cash is quiet for so long I begin to think he’s not going to answer me. But then he finally speaks.

  “It’s a collage of things that remind me of my family.”

  I look at each image, not really being able to see any discernible images. I trace the things that look like dark fingers. “And these?”

  “They symbolize the fire that took them from me.”

  I lean up onto my elbow and look down into his face.

  “What do you mean?”

  He looks disconcerted for a second before he answers. “Well, my mother was killed in a boating explosion that was intended for my entire family. My father is in prison for her murder. My brother and I are very...separated. In all the ways that matter, that fire took my family. My home. Now, it’s just me.”

  I think back to Nash telling me about his father being in prison for murder. We never got to talk more about it, so I didn’t know his mother was dead and his father was to blame.

  I want to know more, of course. I have a thousand questions, but I don’t want to push.

  “Do you…feel like talking about it?”

  His smile is polite and sad. “Not really. If you don’t mind. I hate to ruin a day that has started out this perfectly.” His grin widens when he reaches down to cup my butt. I feel him getting hard against my belly where I’m half lying on him.

  I grin, too. “Well, you’re just gonna have to cool your jets. My dad will be up soon and I may not have mentioned that he’s a crack shot with a pistol.”

  “In that case, how about breakfast instead?”

  I giggle. “Wise choice, braveheart.”

  “Don’t tease. How much good would I be to you if I let your dad blow my dick off?”

  I say nothing, only smile. But inside, I feel my heart plummet. Already I’m thinking that there’s so much more to Cash than the fact that he’s great between the sheets. He’s charming and witty, he’s considerate and passionate. He’s smart and resourceful. He’s all sorts of wonderful things that have nothing to do with his prowess in the bedroom.

  And in a public bathroom. And against the shower wall.

  Those thoughts have me feeling lighthearted again in no time.

  After Cash sneaks back to his bedroom, I head for the shower. Again. I need to actually bathe this time.

  I smile the entire time. There’s not a place on my body that doesn’t seem to be marked with Cash as I rub over it with the soap. And it’s a decidedly nice feeling. For the moment anyway.

  The reality of my situation threatens to intrude once more. And once more, I brush it back. Ruthlessly. Relentlessly. I’ll deal with it on Monday. But I’m taking this weekend and calling a time out. Time out from wisdom and responsibility and all the voices in my head. This weekend is only about Cash and me and all the mad attraction between us.

  After dressing in cut-off jean shorts and a Boys Over Books t-shirt, I head downstairs. I’m a little surprised by what I find.

  My father is sitting at the kitchen table. His casted leg is propped up on a stool, his crutches are against the wall behind him, and there’s a day’s growth of stubble in place. The most surprising thing, however, is that he’s chatting up a storm with Cash, who appears to be making breakfast.

  A thousand different feelings bubble in my chest as I watch the scene. Not one of them is welcome. Each of them means trouble for me. And for my heart.

  If only you were more like Nash, I think as I watch Cash add spices to beaten eggs as my father directs him.

  “Good morning,” I say brightly, trying to hide the sinking feeling that’s dragging my heart into a pit of despair.

  They both turn to greet me with light and happy smiles. Cash winks at me from in front of the stove and pure lust twitches in my lower belly. There’s no denying this man is hot. Effing hot. Probably hotter than the stove he’s cooking on.

  I jump in to help and let myself fall into a morning that is nothing short of surreal and Rockwellian in its charm and appeal. As I sit scarfing down eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee, I know that every other morning for the rest of my life will be measured against this one. And probably come up wanting. By an enormous margin.

  Dammit.

  After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Cash helps get Dad settled back into his chair and we head for the barn. On the way, Cash peppers me with questions about raising sheep and what all it entails. I try to answer them as quickly and as succinctly as I can, although it’s hard to cram a lifetime of knowledge and experience into a few short minutes.

  “So what is it we’re doing today then?”

  “We are going out to look for the new lambs. The ewes separate themselves and have their babies out in the woods or field. We need to make sure the lambs are healthy, though, and not having any problems that we need to treat. I’ll record them and whic
h ewe they belong to. That way, too, we know roughly how long to wait to bring them in to tag them, dock the female tails and band the male testicles.”

  “Dock their tails? Band their testicles? Why?” Cash asks, looking fairly horrified at such a barbaric notion.

  “We dock the female tails because it’s much easier and cleaner for the ewes when they give birth. It’s for the safety of both the mother and her offspring. Plus, it’s also a way to tell them apart from the young males.

  “As for the males, we neuter them because…well, you know what they’d do if we didn’t.”

  Over his shock over the procedure wears off, he grins and waggles his eyebrows. “Yeah, I do!”

  Smiling at him, I throw my leg over the wide, padded seat of the four-wheeler and pat the spot behind me. “Now, it’s my turn to drive,” I inform him in my wickedest voice.

  Cash cocks one eyebrow in that way that I love and very slowly slides onto the seat behind me. He scoots in close, grabbing my hips and pulling me snugly into the V of his legs, pressing his chest to my back. I can feel him along every inch of my posterior. He winds his arms around my waist, his hands settling perversely low on my stomach, making my insides twitch with desire.

  I feel his lips against my ear when he whispers, “Ready when you are.”

  With shaking fingers, I turn the key and crank the ignition. When I rev the engine, I figure there’s no way it’s running with more RPMs than my libido is at this very moment. If Cash doesn’t cool it, I’ll be sitting in a puddle within the hour.

  I pull out of the barn and stop shortly after to open the first gate. One of our several herding dogs runs out to meet us. I reach down to pet his enormous white head. “Solomon! How are you boy?” I ask of the Great Pyrenees.

  I bend down and he licks my cheek vigorously then moves back so I can push the gate wide and pull the four-wheeler through. Cash gets off to close the gate behind us and that becomes our routine through each gate of each field of the vast 170-acre farm of my childhood.

  I drive us up and down and around the old familiar paths of my youth, pointing out along the way places and things I think Cash might find interesting. He asks several relevant and insightful questions, leaving me in no doubt that his intellectual aptitude is at least equal to Nash’s.