Fighting for Us: A Small Town Family Romance (The Bailey Brothers Book 2)

by Claire Kingsley

  Cara took her time unwinding from her chair and replaced her sunglasses. “Pie does sound good.”

  I glanced at Asher while she walked away, leaving the two of us alone on her picnic blanket. “You don’t want a slice of pie?”

  The corner of his mouth hooked in a grin and his tongue darted across his lower lip. “I want something sweet, but it isn’t pie.”

  A pleasant tingle ran down my spine and heat bloomed in my core. He helped me to my feet and as we quick-walked back to my car, all I could think was that we couldn’t get back to my house fast enough.

  31

  Grace

  Gram’s house smelled like blueberries and sugar. I peeked into the living room and glanced up the stairs but didn’t see anyone. The kitchen was similarly empty, although there were muffins sitting on the counter. They looked fresh.

  Asher and I were both off today—whenever he could, he arranged his schedule so he didn’t have any jobs on my days off—and he’d asked me to meet him here. I wasn’t sure what he had planned, but I was looking forward to finding out.

  Gram came in from the back, carrying a basket of eggs on her arm. “There’s our Gracie Bear.”

  “Hi, Gram.” I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  I heard footsteps coming down the creaky stairs and Asher appeared, looking freshly showered with damp hair. He beelined for me, scooping me into his arms. I turned my face into his neck and inhaled deeply. He smelled so clean and delicious. I was positively addicted to this man.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “What are we doing?”

  “You’ll see. I already have stuff out in the truck, so we can get going.”

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t take my car?”

  “Why? The truck’s been running fine.”

  I lifted my eyebrows.

  “It has. I don’t know why it wouldn’t start that night.”

  I’d heard the story. He went out to get the truck the next day and it started on the first try.

  “Mm hmm,” Gram hummed from behind the refrigerator door.

  Asher glanced at her. “What was that for?”

  “What?”

  “That mm hmm. Do you think I sabotaged the truck so it would break down?”

  I playfully smacked his chest. “Did you?”

  He put his hands up. “No. I swear.”

  “No, I certainly don’t think you did,” Gram said, closing the fridge. “Someone else might have, though.”

  “Who would sabotage the truck and then fix it again in the middle of the night?” he asked. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe not. But it sure did work, now didn’t it?”

  My cheeks warmed and I shared a quick look with Asher. She didn’t know what we’d done in that truck when it had been broken down on the side of the road, did she? She just meant Asher and I were together now. Right?

  Gram didn’t say anything else, just grabbed a steaming mug of tea and headed for the sitting room. On her way out, she paused to gently touch the photo of Grandad that hung in the kitchen.

  “Wait, does she think Grandad sabotaged the truck so we’d break down?” I whispered.

  Asher shook his head slowly, gazing at the photo. “Maybe?”

  “Do you think Grandad sabotaged the truck?”

  A little smile played on his lips. “I don’t know. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him. Anyway, should we get going?”

  “Sure.”

  He grabbed two warm muffins from the basket. I paused just inside the kitchen doorway and glanced at the photo. It had been taken just before he’d fallen ill. He was standing on the bank of the river holding up a fish, a wide smile on his face. His mischievous blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

  For a second, I could have sworn he winked at me.

  “Thanks, Grandad,” I said under my breath, then followed Asher outside.

  The truck bounced along the dirt road and the sun shone high in the summer sky. A thunderstorm had blown through yesterday, briefly drenching everything, and the landscape seemed to have bloomed again overnight. Wildflowers covered the clearings, bathing the ground in color.

  At this point, I knew exactly where he was taking me. This road led out to a spot on Lake Tilikum, just north of town. There wasn’t much out here. A few faded No Trespassing and Private Property signs that the locals ignored. Around the east side of the lake were some cabins, but as far as I knew, they were long abandoned.

  The lake and its surrounding area wasn’t public land, but no one seemed to be sure who actually owned it. That left it as a kind of hidden wonderland. Visitors who came to the area to hike and camp left it alone, partly because of the signs, and partly because the trails weren’t on any maps or guides. Locals enjoyed the beautiful lakefront scenery or hiked out to the twin waterfalls at the north end. But the only roads to get out here were bumpy and often hazardous, keeping all but the very determined away.

  It had been a favorite spot of mine and Asher’s, even long before we’d dated.

  Grandad had taken all of us out here as kids many times. We’d climbed in the back of the truck and laughed as we bounced along the poorly-kept road. Sometimes we’d stopped to cut back blackberry bushes with machetes just so we could get through.

  When we could see the clear blue waters of the alpine lake, Asher pulled off the road and parked, positioning the truck so the back faced the view. He got out and spread two thick quilts in the bed of the truck.

  “We can hike out to the falls if you want,” he said. “Or swim, although I remember it being cold as fuck. I also brought a picnic.”

  “This is amazing.” I took his hand and he helped me into the back. “I just realized I haven’t been out here since the last time I was here with you.”

  He climbed in and we both settled on the blanket, sitting cross-legged. “You haven’t?”

  “No.” I glanced around, taking in the fresh warm air, the clear sky, the sound of the water gently lapping against the bank. “I missed it.”

  “Me too.”

  We dug into the picnic he’d packed. Cheese, salami, and crackers. Fresh berries from Gram’s garden. The blueberry muffins were to die for. We chatted as we ate and it felt so… normal. Just the two of us on a day off, talking about work, funny things his brothers had said, and musing over how Gram managed to keep the resident squirrel population from stealing the nuts from her walnut tree every fall.

  It was truly a mystery.

  Last night’s storm had left a light breeze behind, cutting through the summer heat. Still, I stripped off a layer, shedding my t-shirt so I was in a tank top and shorts. Asher took off his shirt and there was no part of me that was complaining.

  We leaned against the back of the bed and I shifted so I was facing him. He’d come home with more tattoos than when he’d left, and he’d recently had more work done, filling them in and adding to the designs. Now they stretched across one side of his chest, onto his shoulder, and down his arm. It all matched the Native American design he’d started with on his upper arm, a traditional rendering of Bear, like you might find on a totem pole.

  “This is turning out beautifully.” I gently traced the black and red design on his chest.

  “Thanks.”

  I gazed at it for another long moment. “It tells a story, doesn’t it? It’s not just random designs.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Yeah. You can see it?”

  “I think so.” I moved so I could get a better look and touched the bear on his upper arm. “Bear represents you.”

  “Right.”

  I ran my fingers down past his elbow to his forearm. “Here I see a lot of things. This looks like fire. And is this an eagle?”

  “Raven.”

  “Are these faces inside Raven?”

  “Yeah. Some of the old stories say one of the things Raven did was fly the souls of the dead back to the creator.”

  I touched the faces. �
��Your mom and dad.”

  He smiled and although there was sadness in his eyes, he didn’t seem overwhelmed by it. “Yep.”

  “This looks like… another bear face, maybe? With an owl above it.”

  “That bear represents Grandad and the owl is Gram.” He pointed to another part of the design. “This is water. I added it as a counterpoint to fire.”

  “So this is where you come from.” I moved my attention back to Bear on his upper arm, then to his shoulder. There were more animal faces, almost hidden in the intricate tribal design. “What are these?”

  “Can you guess? There’s four of them.”

  “Your brothers. Oh my god, how did I never realize that before?” I carefully traced from his shoulder to his chest. This was where the ink was freshest, although it was healing well. Within the design, I could see what looked like a bird holding its talons out to grab a fish. Below that was another animal. It looked like they might be fighting over prey. “What’s all this?”

  “It’s an eagle and a bear both trying to take the same fish. It represents strife. I guess it’s my reminder to keep fighting.”

  “And what’s this face?” I asked, softly touching a spot toward the center of his chest. This one was almost hidden among the rest of the design.

  “Another bear.” He paused for a moment. “It’s you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Remember Declan, the guy with all the tattoos? He’s the only reason I let someone do ink on me in prison. I didn’t want to come out with a bunch of prison tats, but he actually knew what he was doing. He designed it based on the bear I already had. If you look closely, he wrote your name.”

  I stared at the tattoo on his chest. I’d looked at it before, but I hadn’t examined it carefully. We tended to be distracted by other things when we had our clothes off. But he was right. Hidden in the design, just below the bear’s face, the lines made my name.

  “Oh my god. Asher.”

  “I told you—when I couldn’t have you up here,” he said, tapping his head, “I kept you here.”

  I splayed my palm over his chest. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, beautiful.”

  He ran his fingers through my hair and brought my lips to his. What started off as a soft kiss quickly transformed into more. His tongue delved into my mouth, hungry and insistent. I couldn’t help but smile while he kissed me. It felt so good to be wanted—to be wanted by him.

  His hand slid down and I gasped when he brushed across my nipple. I was so sensitive to his touch. He trailed his hand lower, over my belly, to the waistband of my shorts.

  Birds chirped and the sun blazed above us. We were outside in the full light of day.

  “Here?” I murmured against his mouth as he slid his hand into my panties.

  “We’re alone,” he said, his voice low.

  I tipped my legs open, welcoming his touch.

  “That’s my girl,” he murmured. His hand fisted in my hair, holding my head with his mouth next to my ear. “You’re wet already.”

  His fingers gently explored, his breath hot on my neck. I let my eyes flutter closed, surrendering to him. Letting him take my body where he wanted.

  “I love this pussy,” he growled, dipping the tip of his finger inside me. “So soft and wet. So perfect.”

  I trembled as he slid his finger in deeper. He pressed his body closer to mine, still keeping a tight grip on my hair. He was both demanding and gentle. The contrast was intoxicating.

  He traced his wet finger around my clit, and I moaned in pleasure. He knew every inch of my body—knew exactly how to touch me to make me feel good. His fingers teased my hot bundle of nerves with quick strokes.

  “That’s it, Gracie.” His growly voice alone was enough to make me wet for him. “You like that, don’t you?”

  I nodded, sighing out a soft yes.

  Shifting slightly, he drew me closer and slid his fingers back to my opening. He dipped a finger inside, then another, slowly pumping them in and out. His palm rubbed against my clit, giving me the perfect amount of friction and pressure.

  I let out another moan.

  “Yes, beautiful. That’s it. No one can hear you.”

  “Oh my god, Asher.”

  He kissed my neck, his tongue lapping against my skin. “You want me to make you come, don’t you?”

  His fingers moved faster and I nodded, opening my legs wider. God, he was good at this. His cock, his tongue, his fingers—it didn’t matter. He knew how to drive me absolutely crazy.

  “Mm, Gracie. Your pussy’s so hot. I can’t wait to fuck you.”

  I reached for his cock, intending to shove my hands into his pants to get to it, but his grip on my hair tightened.

  “Not yet, beautiful. I’m going to make you come first. This is just for you.”

  I could hardly complain. There was something about him fingering me with my clothes on in the back of the truck under the bright summer sun that felt naughty and erotic. Especially with the way he kept talking dirty in my ear, his voice so growly and low.

  I loved it.

  Moving my hand down, I held it over his, moving with him.

  “That’s it. You’re going to come right here, aren’t you, baby?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  A deep growl rumbled in his chest and he kept his rhythm steady. His hand stroked my clit and his fingers gently curled inside me, rubbing right where I needed it.

  “Give me what I want, Gracie,” he murmured in that dangerously low voice. “Come for me, love.”

  His fingers were relentless, moving faster. Harder. The world around me seemed to swirl as the heat and pressure peaked. The metal of the truck dug into my back, but I barely noticed. All I could feel was Asher’s touch, his deft fingers demanding I come for him. Now.

  With one more perfect stroke, I obeyed.

  I cried out as I came apart, my body melting in his arms. He murmured soft encouragement as the hot waves of climax crashed through me, groaning as if he enjoyed this as much as I did.

  I’d barely finished when he growled again, a deep animalistic sound. With rough hands, he ripped off my shorts and hauled me into his lap so I straddled his thighs.

  Still breathless from coming, I braced myself against the cab behind him as he pulled out his cock. It was thick and swollen, drops of moisture beading on the tip. He rubbed my wetness down the shaft and pumped it with his hand a few times.

  “I’m going to come in you so fucking hard,” he said through gritted teeth. “Get the fuck over here.”

  He hooked one arm around me and hauled me closer. With his hand still gripping his cock, he lined it up with my very slick opening, and pulled me down on top of him.

  Groaning, he held my hips and moved me up and down his length. His brow furrowed and he grunted with every hard thrust. I could feel him thickening inside me, his cock pulsing with the need for release. He was ready—now.

  “Fuck, you feel so good,” he said, his voice strangled. “I can’t fucking take it.”

  My barely finished orgasm exploded again as his cock throbbed. He grunted, slamming me down onto him, his hips jerking as he came. I rode it out with him, euphoric and breathless.

  We both slowed as we finished and I dropped forward against him. With his cock still inside, he wrapped his arms around me. I felt so safe. So loved. And so in love with him.

  32

  Asher

  An unexpected surge of nervousness hit me as we turned off the highway into Echo Creek. It was a nice little town, about half an hour from Tilikum. I’d been down here before—many times—but it had been a while. And today we weren’t just looking for a new place to eat or going out for a drive because the weather was nice. We were going to visit Grace’s other family—the Miles siblings she’d met while I was in prison.

  I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly nervous. Her sister Brynn had recently had her first baby, and when Grace had asked me if I’d like to come meet the family, I hadn’
t hesitated to say yes. These people were a part of her life now, so of course I wanted to get to know them.

  But now that we were almost there, I felt edgy. Worried.

  I held on to Grace’s assurances that they were all good people and were anxious to meet me.

  She turned at a sign that read Salishan Cellars Winery. The long drive led past rows of grapevines, and there were more in the distance. Several buildings were surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens and a grove of pear trees. The place was bustling with people and the parking area was full.

  We passed the public areas, driving deeper into the grounds. Here there were more trees and a path winding through them, but no people in sight. A white cat darted across the road ahead. Finally, Grace turned and parked in front of a large house with a big wrap-around porch. The front door was wide open and several other cars were parked outside.

  My heart beat fast and my arms and hands tingled with adrenaline. It felt a lot like the night Gram had sent me and Grace to the store. I’d taken one look at the entrance and a deep sense of panic had erupted in my chest. I felt it again now—the fear that I was walking into uncharted territory. I didn’t know what to expect in there. Who I could trust. What I’d need to look out for.

  It was irrational, and I knew it, but that didn’t do anything to make the feeling of impending doom subside.

  “Hey.” She reached over to rub my arm. “Are you okay?”

  I stared straight ahead, trying to get a hold of myself. She slid her hand to the back of my neck and gently stroked my skin, running her fingers up into my hair and down again. Letting her touch soothe me, I took deep breaths, hoping the sense of dread would subside.

  Why the fuck did this keep happening? I was stronger than this.

  “Take your time.” Grace’s voice was soft, calming.

  The panic started to recede. I still felt edgy, but my heart rate slowed to a more normal pace and the feeling that I was about to walk into a hostile situation—where I needed to be ready to fight my way out—faded.