by Tara Sue Me
It wouldn’t take much to get her to change her mind. But he didn’t want her to feel any guilt if something happened. Which meant as much as he enjoyed teasing her, he’d stop for the night.
“I know,” he assured her. “I won’t bring it up again today.”
He didn’t glance at the clock on his nightstand, but he knew it wasn’t long until midnight when it technically would be tomorrow.
“Thanks.” She gave him a quick kiss that didn’t tempt him too much to break the word he’d given seconds before. “Back to my original question,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Why Texas?”
“Why Texas?” He closed his eyes, remembering, and opened them to find her watching, her eyes studying him, and a faint smile on her lips as if she could see the truth inside his head. “I can be practical and say it was a buyer’s market as far as the real estate market went. That buying the house and property, and yes, even the damn pear orchard, was a sound financial decision and a good investment. Or I can be honest and tell you that when I thought of my forever home, I’d always pictured a ranch.
“That to me, this ranch symbolized everything I never had as a child and, if I ever had kids of my own, what I’d want them to have growing up. Land to play on. Stock to care for. Food to grow. Roots. Solid ones. Roots to ground them to the earth and their family while giving them the freedom to go off and explore on their own. Roots to know there would always be someone here to welcome them back from their journey.”
Kiara didn’t seem to notice the tears streaming down her face. “I think that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”
He ran his thumb across her cheekbone to catch her tears. “Are you sure it's not more like the cheesy dreams of a lonely boy?”
“No, it’s beautiful, and I won’t let you call it cheesy.” She stopped, and it was almost as if he saw her brain churning as she reflected more on what he’d said. “That’s why you do it, isn’t it?”
He wrinkled his forehead, trying to decide what it was he did. “I do a lot of things. Which one is it you think you’ve found a reason for?”
“It’s why you have the ranch set up the way you do with family activities most of the time. You want to give other families the chance to do those same things. To make memories together. To have fun and connect with each other. To play on the land and to care for the stock. And that’s why the orchards are so important to you. Because you want them to experience the pride of growing food.”
Now that she’d spoke it out loud, he felt a little foolish. “I didn’t know I was so transparent.”
“Only because you let me inside to see the part of you that you hide from the rest of the world.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “If you’re certain.”
“I am, but don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
He needed to touch her, to let her know how much it meant to him she understood and would guard his secrets. But at the same time, he didn’t want her to think he was getting handsy or that he would back on his word.
To be safe, he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
She returned his squeeze with one of her own. “Now that you explained that, I have another question.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
“Why kink on the weekends?”
He should have known that would be her next question. But fortunately, he had a response handy. “That’s because I’m both a sensitive sort of guy and a dirty filthy fucker who gets off on dominating women. How’s that for messed up?”
“Messed up? Are you kidding me? There’s nothing messed up about it.”
“There’s not?”
“No, there’s not. In fact I think it’s quite possibly the most perfect combination I’ve heard of.”
He was so far from perfect, but being this close to her, seeing the way she looked at him, made him want to be that perfect man for her. He never would be, because nothing in life was perfect, especially people. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what it said about him, that he wanted to try, anyway?
Chapter 20
Kiara
Orson Kent was turning out to be nothing at all like Kiara thought he’d be. She’d known him to be easygoing and well-liked, a hard boss not afraid of doing hard work himself. While all of those were true, they only represented one layer of who he was. There were so many more layers to Orson Kent.
She understood now why he sometimes came across as withdrawn. It amazed her he trusted her enough to tell her about his childhood. He hadn’t said as much, but she had the impression he hadn’t shared that part of himself with very many people.
It was disturbing to learn people such as his stepmother actually existed in the world. And then to have his father act the way he did, further boggled her mind. That Orson turned out the way he did was a miracle, growing up the way he had, surrounded by those two. He’d managed not just live through the situation, but to thrive once he moved away.
He truly amazed her. Knowing her time with him was limited, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible for the next few weeks. Not only because he was an incredible Dom who brought her to new and unexpected places every time they were together in a scene, but also because he was an all around wonderful man.
It was too late to tell her heart not to get close. Not that it would have done any good if she had. She would have fallen for him regardless of what she or anyone else told her. But while she couldn’t have done anything about the attraction, she could do something about how she reacted to that attraction.
They had only agreed to play for the time she stayed on the ranch. Assuming the cast would be on his arm for six weeks, and that he’d want his home back to normal as quickly as possible once that happened, she estimated they had three more weeks before she’d leave. No matter what happened in those upcoming three weeks, she promised herself when the time came, she’d pack up and leave, and not make a scene.
On the off chance he wanted to continue their relationship, she’d let him bring it up. She didn’t want to be seen as the woman who begged a man to let her stay with him. All that added together told her she needed to get busy finding a job. A task she did not look forward to carrying out because a new job meant she wouldn’t be around Orson any more.
But that day wasn’t today, she thought with a smile.
No, today she and Orson would do something she hadn’t done in all the time she’d worked at the ranch, including the summer. They were going horseback riding.
Orson had brought it up at dinner a few nights ago by asking if she rode. Her honest reply had been that she had as a teenager because her best friend owned a horse, but that it had been years since she’d been in a saddle. When he asked if she’d like to ride with him, she agreed with the understanding that one, he would have no issues riding with only one arm, and two, that the horses they rode had to be old and well-trained. She probably should have told him no way, not on his life, but found it impossible to do so.
Because he hadn’t ridden since before the accident and since she hadn’t been on a horse in years, the plan was they would only ride for a short time today. She’d bit back a laugh, certain that their definitions of “short time” were probably not similar at all.
He’d left the house earlier in the morning to get everything lined up and ready at the barn, telling her to meet him there at eleven. She left and locked up the house at a quarter till, giving herself more than enough time to walk to the barn.
A cool front had passed through the area the day before, leaving behind much more comfortable temperatures than what they’d been experiencing. She lifted her face to the sun and decided today was the perfect day to go horseback riding. Also, she could see Orson on a horse, and she imagined that was a sight to behold.
Seriously. He was hot enough on his own, but put him on top of a powerful animal and then watch as he controlled said animal? It didn’t matter that the horse today would be old and not dangerous a
t all, the image alone was enough to be the death of her.
Smiling, she dropped her head back down so she could continue walking down the drive to one of the ranch’s main roads and not trip over her feet in the process. But a quick glance at the dirt path before her had her screaming.
A snake.
She froze. Everything she’d ever learned about snakes flew straight out of her head. How to tell the difference between venomous and nonvenomous. Which snakes were more prevalent in Texas. What you were supposed to do when you ran across one. She had no freaking clue, but she soon noticed one thing.
The snake didn’t move. At all. It was curled up as opposed to crossing the path, but it wasn’t moving. Odd.
She looked closer. Took a deep breath and nudged it with her foot. Plastic?
What the fuck?
She was going kick Orson’s ass when she found him in the barn. Kick it and kick it good. Something like this, she could see from a child, but not someone Orson’s age. She left the plastic snake alone and continued on with a renewed energy.
She found him in the barn less than ten minutes later. He had his back to her as he stood and talked with someone in a nearby stall she couldn’t see. She waited until there was a break in their discussion before speaking.
“For the record,” she said, and Orson swung around to face her. “I am not amused.”
His face revealed nothing.
So he wanted to play it that way?
Okay.
“I don’t find such childish games funny in any way, shape, or form. Nor do I think they’re particularly clever,” she added.
“What the devil are you talking about?”
Now he was just making her mad. It was one thing to prank someone, but something entirely different to refuse ownership once confronted. She crossed her arms. “You know damn well what I’m talking about.”
Whoever had been talking with Orson slipped out of the stall they’d been in, and out the back of the barn.
“I assure you,” Orson said. “I have no idea.”
“Fine,” she said in a tone she hoped conveyed how not fine she was. “I was unamused with the plastic snake you tried to scare me with. It worked for a second, until I figured out it was fake. Nearly peed my pants before that though. Is that what you were aiming for?”
“Kiara,” he said, dropping his voice into the low rumble that normally calmed her as soon as she heard it. “I promise, I know nothing about a plastic snake.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Right. Like it just grew there."
“You don’t believe me?” he asked.
“I’m saying there was a plastic snake on the drive before I got to the main road. Someone put it there. It’s not like it crawled there on its own.”
He took the phone clipped to his belt and punched in a few numbers. “Kelly,” he said, looking Kiara straight in the eyes while he spoke. “I need you to meet me in the barn, ASAP.”
“You’re bringing my sister into this?”
“No,” he said, his voice still low and calm. “I’m bringing my head of security into this.”
Right. Shit. She’d forgotten that for a minute.
"Because," he said. "If I didn’t put the plastic snake there, and you didn’t, someone else did, and I want to know who."
Two things stuck her at once. One, he wasn’t the one who put the plastic snake on the ground for her to find and two, he was taking this seriously.
“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” she said. “I just assumed…” She took a deep breath. “Now that I’m looking at it, it doesn’t sound at all like a thing you’d do.”
“No apology needed. It’s the most logical conclusion to make. And I’m glad to hear that you agree such pranks are beneath me.” At her nod, he added, “If it had been me, I’d have used a remote control snake.”
They were both still laughing when Kelly walked in. Her sister took in the two of them with a small grin before interrupting. “Excuse me, Orson, you needed to see me?”
“Yes, thank you for coming so quickly,” he said. “It appears as if someone wanted to play a joke on Kiara. I’d like to find out who so I can tell them how unfunny I found it.”
Kelly looked from Orson to Kiara and back again. “What kind of joke?”
“Someone put a plastic snake in the middle of my drive right before it meets the main road.”
“Where’s it at now?” Kelly asked.
“Where I found it,” Kiara said. “You know I hate snakes. I don’t even want to pick up a plastic one.”
“Has anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary today or last night?” Orson asked Kelly.
“No.” Kelly looked as if she didn’t want to say what she would say next. “Unfortunately, there aren’t that many cameras from the main gate to your house. Not compared to the number we have on the other side.”
Orson sighed. “Because we haven’t had the need. That has to change. Can you take care of adding more?”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Suddenly, Kiara felt silly. All this hoopla over a plastic snake? Maybe she’d overreacted. “I didn’t mean for this to blow up into a big huge issue. Couldn’t it have just been a toy a little kid dropped?”
Kelly shook her head. “There’s not a reason for any guest to be on that side of the ranch.”
“All things considered,” Orson said. “I think it’s best that we cancel or at least postpone our ride until we know for certain what’s going on.”
“I agree,” Kelly said. “Can’t be too safe.”
“Are you serious?” Kiara asked. “Over a plastic snake?”
“It’s not the plastic snake so much,” Orson said. “As it is how it got there and by who.”
Understanding came slowly, but the meaning of his words hit Kiara square in the chest. “You think it might be Randy?”
His expression spoke for him. Fuck. It hadn’t entered her mind it could be someone outside the ranch. She’d just assumed it was someone playing a stupid prank on her. That it might be Randy meant he could be watching her right now. In what she considered her safe place.
Her body shook. Orson picked up on her unease and put his good arm around her. “Yes, there’s a possibly it might be Randy, and because it’s a possibility, even a small one, it has to be investigated. Frankly, I don’t think it’s him. A plastic snake seems a bit amateurish for his type, but people have been known to shock me.”
Kiara closed her eyes and tried to drink in the strength coming off him, while letting her body relax against the firm planes of his chest.
He kissed the top of her head. “And you’re just going to have to deal with me if I seem a bit too overprotective or come across like a Neanderthal.”
Chapter 21
Kiara
When Orson mentioned acting like a Neanderthal, Kiara had laughed to herself thinking he exaggerated the truth. Three days later, she no longer laughed or thought it an exaggeration. They had yet to go on the horseback ride, and because they hadn’t been able to find out anything about the fake snake, he wouldn’t let her out of the house unaccompanied.
It had to be the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. He’d put her on lockdown because of a plastic snake. A plastic snake. If she had it to do over, she wouldn’t even mention the damn thing to Orson. She’d nod at the curled thing in the drive, say to herself, “Yup, that’s a plastic snake,” and keep on going.
Orson wouldn’t know about it. Kelly wouldn’t know about it. Kiara would have gone on the ride with her sexy cowboy like planned, and maybe have had crazy outside monkey sex. Everything would be the way it'd been before that damn snake showed up and turned Orson batshit crazy.
Kiara had tried to reason with him, but he shut her down. She’d tried to bargain with him, but he’d have none of it. Last night, at her wit’s end and not knowing what else to do, she’d undressed and put on the see-through robe she’d approached him with that first night. Then she'd marched into the living room where h
e had disappeared after dinner to work on financial reports.
At her entrance, he’d lifted his head, taken a quick look at her, and said, “You should know me better. We’ll deal with this attitude of yours tomorrow.”
He didn’t have to explain what he meant with those words. Damn it all. She’d spun around on her heel and stomped out of the room.
After they’d finished breakfast earlier, he’d stood and told her she could head to his bedroom, while he cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen. “With clothes on and kneeling,” he added before taking their plates off the table.
Heart thumping, she left the dining area and walked to his room. She wasn’t sure how long it’d take him to finish in the kitchen, but she didn’t think it’d be too long. There wasn’t much to clean up. The only thing she knew was she didn’t want to be anywhere other than in position when he joined her. Deciding to forego a bathroom trip to brush her teeth, she made a beeline for the center of his room and went to her knees to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
She strained her ears in an attempt to hear if he was still in the kitchen, but the house was too big and she couldn’t hear a damn thing. He’d obviously decided to do something after clearing the table and cleaning the kitchen. No way did it take this long to put a few dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the countertops.
Her annoyance at kneeling on his floor while he did who knows what, threatened to reach explosive levels right as footsteps sounded in the hallway. She took a deep breath, attempting to get her emotions under control.
He stepped into the room without a word, and she automatically dropped her head in response.
“Kiara,” he said, and she looked up to meet his eyes. Something was there, but she couldn’t make out what. “Come sit next to me.”
With that, he walked to the bed and sat down, patting the spot beside him. Totally not what she’d expected, but she stood and obeyed. He took her hand.