by Aubrey Cara
“I was out there with Mason Coleman. I drove Kat home last night.”
And Kat broke in, “It was not a big deal.”
Diane looked skeptical. “Your face would beg to differ.”
“Okay, it wasn't a small deal either,” Kat said. “But it's done and Caleb was there to drive me home. Which he did only because my car stalled out. He took me home and that was it.”
He smirked at her and that was it. That wasn't nearly it.
“Do you know who did this? Did you file a report?” asked Diane.
“I didn't get a good look at him, but I filed a report. And I'll be much more careful in dark parking lots. Lesson learned.”
He didn't know why Kat was downplaying her attack. It was a big deal, and he personally wouldn't be sleeping well until he knew whoever had jumped her last night was at least behind bars, if not beaten to a pulp.
For a second it looked like Diane was going to push for more details. Instead she asked, “Are you two staying for lunch?”
Before Kat could answer he said, “We're heading out to visit my mom. I haven't been to see her since I've been back. I thought it might be time.”
“It's long past time, but I guess you have your hands full with the new house.”
Kat looked at him in question and he answered, “I've been building a house, just up the way. It's almost finished. I'm actually in the process of moving in.”
“He's being modest. It's a beaut,” Diane said. She smacked his arm affectionately. “You should take Kat by to see it.”
Kat looked at him and he heard himself say, “We'll swing by and I'll show it to you.” He almost grew nervous thinking about Kat seeing his house. For some reason he really wanted her to like it. He had been saving his money since he got into the military. With the help of Diane he'd made some wise investments that paid off.
When he got out of the military and told Jack and Diane his plans they had been more than supportive. They let him buy a share of Circle F. Jack hadn't said anything, but Caleb suspected he was glad to have someone to mentor and maybe one day take over. Caleb was fairly certain Jack and Diane both were concerned about who was going to be running things should anything happen to them. They all knew Jake was capable of taking over but wouldn't be happy to be put in that position. Caleb would be more than happy. Everything about ranching spoke to him.
That's why he built his house less than a mile down the road. The land his almost finished house sat on was technically part of Circle F land. After he bought his share of Circle F he put the rest of his money in building his house and he couldn't wait until it was finished. He'd stayed in a guest room in the main house for a few days before he started chafing. It felt too much like moving back in with mom and dad.
Although still regularly used, the ranch hands rarely lived in the bunk house anymore. It was more of a place to crash if they had to stay late and get up early, or needed a place while they were looking for a real place to stay. It was updated to have a fridge, microwave, and a big bathroom with three shower stalls. The main room just had eight old metal framed bunk beds. It reminded him of basic training. When he and Jake were kids they used to love “camping out” in the bunkhouse. Now as an adult he'd been in the bunk house for three months and was ready to have his big, comfy bed in a house that was his and had a regular kitchen.
“Well,” he drawled. “I better change these clothes so we can head out.”
Diane's brows went to her hairline, “Why do you need to change your clothes? The ones you wearing the same ones you wore last night?”
He flushed, doing a deer in the headlights stare, opening and closing his mouth. He suddenly felt sixteen again and remembered when Diane had caught him and Jake making out with the Rochester twins, Stacy and Holly, in the bunk house. Diane had whacked them both with a big wooden spoon, then made them muck out shit for a week. He noticed Kat was suddenly fixated by the steers in the pasture behind her.
To his relief Diane didn't pull out her wooden spoon. She just huffed, “So that's how it is? Well, you'll let me know how that goes for you two.” Then she turned, stalking back to the house, presumably for lunch.
“Maybe this isn't such a good idea,” Kat said. “I'm just going to catch up to Diane and see if I can borrow a truck.”
He grabbed her wrist as she turned away. “Nice try. You're going to come into the bunk house while I change so I can keep an eye on you. Then we'll go and have a nice visit with my mama.” She scowled up at him, so he added, “And no funny business. I know you like to ravish my body the second my clothes come off, but we need to keep a schedule. It's almost noon and we need to drive out to Murdock County.”
Kat looked reluctant so he added, “My mother fancies herself a medium.”
“Like...a spiritual medium?” When he nodded, she said, “I'll wait in the truck.”
“You're not going to run off are you?” He wasn't sure why he was so set on her coming with him, but now that he made up his mind to bring her, he refused to go alone.
She rolled her eyes as she walked to his truck. “As a rule, I don't run unless something's chasing me.”
He could get on board with doing a little chasing. “I'll keep that in mind,” he called while he opened the door to the bunkhouse to change his clothes.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kat had waited in the truck because she was a coward. And just the idea of being in the same room with him while he had his clothes off made her itchy to get her clothes off, too. Then rub her body against his. Maybe run her tongue up his ridiculously hard abs. His body looked like it was sculpted out of an oak tree, and she wanted to climb him. Which wouldn't do at all.
She didn't want anyone at the ranch to know she was having... an affair? Random, crazy, monkey sex? Well, whatever it was between them, she didn’t want anyone to know. It was bad enough Diane knew. Kat practically hero worshiped Diane Forrester, and now she wanted to crawl under a rock. Diane seemed like such a larger than life indelible woman. Kat could only hope to emulate her. She felt like she had let Di down in some way.
Kat needed to get a handle on her libido when she was around Caleb, or start carrying extra panties. Her hormones were in overdrive. She certainly had never had this problem before. Maybe she just hadn't branched out enough in the kind of guys she dated. Tech guys and tax accountants certainly hadn't done it for her. Military men and cowboys seemed like a good dating alternative. Her mother and sister wouldn't heartily approve, but they didn't approve of anything she chose to do with her life anyway.
They drove a while, mostly in relaxed silence. Kat liked that about Caleb. He didn't speak just to fill up the silence. But on the other hand he also wasn't the kind of guy that would say something just to make someone comfortable. He was kind of an enigma to her. She needed to know more about him so maybe she could stop thinking of him as some fictional sex god in her mind and just be a mortal man. She still wasn't sure why he was interested in her, but she guessed he had a thing for chubby red heads. Everyone had their weird quirks.
Caleb drove a big, dark gray Ford F250 with black interior. Kat thought the truck fit his personality. The seats were big and surprisingly plush. She sat flipping through music and now knew his set radio stations consisted of rock, classic rock, and country. She was kind of disappointed not to find out he had a weird thing for teen pop, or even better rap music.
She was relieved he didn't have a thing for classical. Ever since she read American Psycho, any man she met that expressed an interest in classical music creeped her out. Not that she thought they were actual deranged killers, but she kept her eye on them after that. Especially the cello player she had gone out on a sum total of two dates with. Sure, he had a legitimate reason to love classical but he was extremely good looking, played the cello, and had been interested in her. Those three things all together made her suspect there was definitely something off with the man.
Not finding anything good she turned down the music and asked, “So, we're going to
see your mom. What about your dad? He still around?”
Caleb gave her a side eye and said, “He's back in prison for breaking his parole.”
“How did he break his parole? Wait, how long has he been in prison?” She had just meant to shoot the shit. She hadn't been expected a 'dad in the pen' story.
He actually smiled but it was just a pull of his lips that didn't reach his eyes. “I was about eight the first time. I was eleven when he went in for the long haul. Both times were for fraud. He was always running a scam. I'm not even sure what he went in for the first time. He may have stolen computers or something. The second time he had stole three hundred thousand dollars from investors. I have no idea what they were investing in. That's the thing with my old man. The investors themselves probably didn't know what they were investing in. He was just like that. Smooth talker. He still is.”
“Huh,” she said. “So your dad is like the guys on that show Greed on MSNBC?” At his questioning look she said, “It's this show that goes over the details of the lives of frauds and con-artists, or at least their crimes. It kind of chronicles their time right before and right after their take down.”
“Yes, that’s my dad. He could be on that show. He got out of prison when I was in my twenties. I was pissed at him. My mom never left him, but I don't think she visits him much either. She still sold their house back in Gibson County to pay my old man's restitution. But I was already long gone by then. As a kid I used to get mad at Jake for having a great dad and mom. A part of me was jealous at how solid and dependable they were. The thing with Jack and Diane, they don't really let anybody feel sorry for themselves for too long. And they certainly didn't let me think they were going to treat me any different than Jake just because I wasn't their kid. I got in more trouble with them than my own folks,” he said with a grin. “Jake and I got our asses whooped side by side. Had to muck out stalls together. And we had to do chores together once we reached a certain age. When I think about it, I'm not sure why I stayed friends with Jake for so long.”
Kat could tell he loved every minute of being made a part of the Forrester family. For the good and the bad.
“What about you, kitten?” She rolled her eyes at the nickname, even though it warmed her inside out. When she didn't say anything right away he reached across the consul and squeezed her leg, saying, “Come on. I told you about my dad in prison and you're about to meet my...colorful mother. I've met your sister, she seems nice. I certainly like the way you bristle when she calls you Katherine Rose.”
She gave an involuntary shiver, bristling just hearing him say it. “Ugh, I can't hear that without hearing my sister and mother's voices in my head.”
“I'll make a note of that. Wouldn't want to accidentally call out Katherine Rose while in the moment.”
Her eyebrows went up. “And who says there are going to be more of those kind of 'moments' between you and I?” Arrogant man.
He gave her a look that caused a slow melt inside her and chuckled. His laugh was deep, and when at her expense, often promised wicked things to come. “They'll be more moments, kitten. Besides you have my lucky little leprechaun.” He wiggled his eyebrows comically.
She laughed despite herself. “You can not have a pet name for my hooha. That is wrong on so many levels. You especially can't call it your leprechaun. I'm not even Irish! I'm Scottish, French, and English!”
“My pussy. I can name it what I want.”
“It's not your anything.”
“I beg to differ. And if we had time to stop I'd prove it.”
Kat rolled her eyes, “Pa-lease.”
He cut his eyes to her, and she felt the change in him. The air shifted from carefree Caleb to demanding intense Caleb. “Undo your pants and pull them down.”
“What?” They were on a country road, but she couldn't just pull her pants down in the truck.
His voice went deep and stern when he said, “Kitten, you better unzip those pants and have them down by your ankles or I'll pull this truck over. And kitten, if I pull this truck over and have to take those pants off you, I'll whip your bare ass with my belt. I'll do it out in one of those fields, for God and anyone driving by on this county road to see.”
She gulped, heat going straight to her core at his words. She stubbornly wanted to stand her ground, but she knew firsthand Caleb didn't make idle threats. At least they weren't on a busy highway. They were high up in a big truck, on a mostly deserted stretch of road. She unzipped her pants, and she berated herself as she lifted her butt to shimmy her pants down her legs. She got them all the way down and sat up, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly, scowling at him. “Bully.”
“That's a good girl, kitten,” he said, running a finger up her leg. It made her shiver, but she slapped it away. “Do I need to bind your hands?”
She glared at him but relaxed her arms to the side. He went right to the leg of her panties, brushing aside the cloth to run a finger along her folds. Her embarrassingly wet folds. She could feel her cheeks flush as he gently teased her opening, spreading the moisture. The lower half of her body alternately tensed and relaxed at the sensation. Her hips wanted to thrust toward his hands in a plea for more, yet her mind was calling for her hips to stay right where they were. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of proving whatever little point he was trying to make.
“Alright kitten, tell me about your family.”
“What?!” she screeched.
His fingers were just playing along her opening, circling around her clit, not touching it directly. He wanted her to talk about her family while he drove her mad with his fingers? One look in his direction confirmed that is exactly what he intended. She could do this. She took a deep breath, willing herself to forget about the fingers at her core making her toes want to curl.
“Fine,” she said, but her thoughts seemed to scatter as he started shallow dips of his middle finger during every slow upstroke.
“You and Macy's dad? You have one, kitten?”
She gritted out, “You know, it's really messed up you're making me talk about my family while you're doing this.”
His answering smile was unrepentant. “Better to prove my point. Now stop stalling and start talking.”
Right, eye on the prize. He was not the owner of her pussy. “Bob. My dad is Bob. We have different dads. Macy and I.” She knew her speech was halting. She could hear her own breath growing heavier. Her head fell back, eyes closing only a moment before they sprang open, determined to win the battle. “Macy's dad left when she was seven and he divorced my mom. Fuck.” Caleb made direct contact to her clit and she was moving with his hand, chasing his wicked fingers up and down. “He um, moved, and fuck—” she bit out, trying to continue but losing her train of thought. “Child support. He sent child support. Oh God, that feels good.” She bit her bottom lip to keep from begging him to fill her with his thick magic digits. The rough callused tips were wreaking havoc on her sensitive nerve endings.
“Do you wanna come, kitten?”
She nodded her head. Boy did she ever.
“Who owns this pussy, kitten?”
She whimpered, knowing the battle was lost. She was delirious with the need to come by his hand, and his hand alone. Nothing she could do to herself would do at this point. When she didn't answer quick enough he asked again, “Whose pussy is this?”
“Yours,” she breathlessly choked out. Still a little pissed he was winning this round. “It's your pussy.”
“That's right,” he practically growled. “Could any of those college boys do this to you?” She shook her head, crying out as he filled her with two broad fingers, setting up a steady rhythm. “How about that tax attorney your sister set you up with? He ever own this pussy?”
She had no idea how he even knew about that guy. That guy had been a schmuck. Her hips lifted trying to get his fingers to move faster. “No, no, no one but you! Pleeease let me come.”
“Say it again. Who. Owns. This. Pussy?” Every word was pun
ctuated by a glide of his fingers and had her crying out.
“You! You own this pussy!”
His fingers moved hard and fast, rasping against her slit at every glide and she felt her inner muscles convulsing a second before the sensation tore through her entire body. She gripped the door handle as her ass came off the seat, riding his fingers. She heard herself shouting, “Yes, fuck, yes!”
Little by little he slowed his fingers as her body came down. She panted, coming back to herself as she sat there, limp and replete. She whimpered as he removed his fingers from her. He gently painted her lips with her own honey. She looked him straight in the eye and sucked his fingers into her mouth. It was the single most base sexual thing she had ever done in her life and she felt a spike of her own feminine sexual power when his eyes flared.
His face was a mask of intense desire. Before she knew what was happening he had the truck pulled over and thrown into park. He took her face between his hands, his mouth devouring hers in a carnal display of lust that set her mind spinning. He unbuckled her seat belt and said, “Backseat, now.” He plucked her out of her seat and pushed her between the two front seats. She scooted through to plop on the bench style backseat of his king cab.
He maneuvered through, literally ripping her panties off her body before plucking her off the seat as he sat down. He put her astride his lap as he undid his pants, awkwardly yanking them down while she kissed him. She nipped and sucked at his jawline and neck, breathing in his pine and leather scent that was all him. He lifted her by the waist and guided his cock to her center, entering her with just the tip before slamming her down on him. She cried out, clenching her hands in his hair.
His cock throbbed inside her. The hard length stretched her swollen channel. He felt impossibly large in this position and slid almost too deep. She flexed her internal muscles on him and watched as his eyes nearly crossed. His head fell back, his grip on her hips tightening. She'd have bruises.