Chapter 14
brAY
Kitten was sprawled on top of me, soft and warm and naked, out cold. I’d flipped her over and fucked her again–my dick never went down after I came the first time. In fact, I never even pulled out, letting my cum seep out around where we were joined to wet the sheets.
I wasn’t sure if I should be proud that all the orgasms I gave her knocked her out or if she was just plain exhausted. When I heard a truck pull up, I carefully extracted myself from beneath her and climbed out of the bed.
“Bray,” she murmured, blinking her eyes open.
“It’s my brothers,” I told her. “You need to do anything with the horses?”
She shook her head against the pillow.
“Then rest.”
After the sneak attack by the fucker who broke her window, I didn’t think he’d just drive up now.
I expected Buck and Zeb. Either way, I wanted Kitten to stay away.
No way my younger brothers were going to see my girl looking well fucked.
The way she was sprawled on her stomach, sheets rumpled and barely covering her, she was the picture of just that.
The sight of her made my dick hard. Again.
But if she came downstairs in that worn robe in front of two more of my brothers, I might have to poke their eyes out.
Fortunately, she rubbed her face into her pillow and settled back into sleep.
Tugging on my jeans and grabbing my socks and boots, I made my way down the steps.
Buck and Zeb were lifting the plywood out of the back of the pickup.
I met them on the porch and they slowed when they saw me.
No shirt. Hair probably a mess. I didn’t look down, but I could feel the scratches on my chest and back from my kitten’s claws.
I couldn’t help the smirk on my face at how wild she got with me. And that had been her first time.
Fuck, I still couldn’t believe that.
“It’s true,” Buck said, coming up the porch steps and setting the plywood against the railing.
“Yeah, someone threw a rock,” I said. I leaned against the railing and tugged on my boots, not doing the laces. There was broken glass strewn all over.
“Not that, although that’s fucked up,” Zeb added, tipping his head. “You and Katie.”
I smiled. “Yup, me and Katie.”
He slapped my shoulder and set down the toolbox he’d brought with him.
Zeb was the youngest of the nine siblings.
At twenty, he went to the state university and was the star quarterback, but was home for the summer.
While he might be the youngest, he was also the biggest. He used that size and muscle to take his football team to a bowl game. “Where is she?”
“Taking a nap.”
They both grinned.
“Kinda hard to nail a board up without waking her,” Buck reminded.
“It’s fine. Let’s just get it done.” So I can get back to her naked and cum-drunk in her bed.
I went to one end of the board as Buck grabbed the other. Zeb was ready with a hammer and nails.
“Mom said to bring her to dinner,” Buck said, holding his side up over the broken window. It was a picture window, the pane large. I’d take measurements from the inside and get it ordered from the hardware store.
“She’s making spare ribs and mac and cheese.” Zeb patted his stomach. He liked everything Ma cooked and she made plenty to feed all of us.
My stomach rumbled from the menu. I knew Kitten had worked up an appetite, too, but I didn’t want to share her yet.
Especially since Ma’s invite wasn’t because Kitten was Lainey’s friend and had had dinner with the family many times over the years.
No, it was because Ma heard about me and Kitten being a couple.
She’d have to wait though. I was selfish with my kitten for right now.
Until Colt figured out who was fucking with my girl, I wouldn’t be leaving her side.
Zeb got to work nailing and in under a minute, the board was secure. He wiped his brow, the day still warm.
“Want a drink?” I asked, wiping my hands together.
“Sure,” Zeb said. Buck nodded. They were both in jeans and t-shirts, dusty and sweaty from a day outside on the ranch.
I grabbed the broom that Kitten had left earlier and went inside, the guys following. “I’m not sure what she has. Maybe a can of soda.”
I opened the fridge. Stared.
A jar of jelly. A loaf of generic white bread. Mustard. A quart of milk. Cheese slices.
That was it.
Shutting the door, I opened the freezer. A loaf of bread with a clearance price sticker on it. A few bags of generic brand frozen veg. A plastic leftover container with my mother’s writing markered on the lid. Spaghetti sauce.
I went to her cabinets next, opening one, then the next.
The farmhouse was old and the kitchen had vintage cabinets.
The counters were white laminate with gold flecks, but spots were rubbed down so much they were missing in sections.
A wood table was tucked by a window that looked out behind the house.
Beside it was the back door with a white cafe curtain over the window.
Opening the third cabinet, I found the glasses and handed one to each of my brothers. “Here. Water from the tap.”
As they filled them, I continued my way down the line. The amount of food Kitten had was negligible. Generic cereal, oatmeal, ramen. Pasta. Cans of beans.
I shut the last door and spun around. Took in the room. There was no separate pantry. The house was too old for that feature. What was my girl eating?
She’d mentioned the night before that she couldn’t lose her job at The Roadside, that she needed the tips from a busy Friday night. Was she really that hurt up for money that she was eating ramen and jelly sandwiches?
She had the ranch. Her stable was full.
I felt like I’d been kicked by one of her horses. I was a dumbass. Of course, she needed money. A girl like Kitten choosing to work at The Roadside? She’d never work there unless she was desperate.
How had she been living like this without me knowing? Did Lainey know? Thinking of my kitten and how quiet and proud she was, probably not. I doubted Lainey would let her go hungry either. She was fierce like our Ma. Protective, too.
Lainey’d said they were going out to dinner tonight, her treat. Last night, did Katie get a meal before her shift at The Roadside? Did she have to deal with fuckers like the asshole I knocked out cold in order to put food in her belly?
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I ran a hand over the back of my neck, ready to lose my shit.
“You okay, Bray?” Buck asked, setting his cup in the sink. There was no dishwasher. “You don’t look all that happy for a guy who just claimed his woman.”
I grunted. Since she and Lainey were going out, that meant she hadn’t eaten yet. Was that one of the reasons she said yes, to get a meal?
It didn’t matter. I was taking care of Kitten now. Making sure she was happy and cared for and didn’t have to work in a place where she could be fucking groped. I just fucking never imagined that it would be to ensure she didn’t go hungry.
I clenched my jaw, then looked to Buck. “Tell Ma we’ll be there for dinner.”