Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
CASSIDY
I moved her off my lap and settled her on the floor. I looked around, wishing there was something soft to lay down. Unfortunately, there was nothing but the dusty wood floor. I shrugged off my jacket and put it down. Then changed my mind. It wasn’t big enough and I didn’t want to hurt her. I lifted my butt and pulled my wallet from my back pocket.
“What are you doing?” Karen asked.
I pulled out the condom that was stuck in a pocket. She raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t they ever teach you that’s not a great place to store a condom?”
“It’s only been in there a couple of weeks. It’s fine. It’s dirty and cold so we’re going to do this a little different.”
“I don’t care,” she breathed.
I undid my jeans while she quickly worked on hers. It was hasty and lacked any romance, but I didn’t think either of us cared about that.
I rolled the condom down my length. Karen had removed her jeans and panties and moved toward me. I leaned against the wall and pulled her into my lap.
She straddled my lap, her arms wrapping around my neck. I placed my hands on her hips and kissed her, trying to put all my feelings into that one act. She responded with equal passion, her lips moving against mine as if she was trying to devour me.
I revealed her perfect breasts and my mouth dove in like it had a mind of its own. I sucked lightly, then more urgently, her hand in my hair guiding me.
I moved my hand between her legs and found her wet and ready. I traced my fingers along her slick folds, pulling a soft whimper from her lips.
“Cassidy,” she gasped out, pulling me in for another searing kiss.
My free hand snaked up her back, pulling her closer to me. I pushed one finger inside her, finding her tight and wet. Her breath hitched as I pushed in deeper. I slid another finger into her, stretching her slowly. Her nails dug into my shoulders as she moved against my fingers, urging me on. She groaned at the stretch but didn’t pull away.
Karen closed her eyes and threw her head back. She was tighter than any woman I’d ever been with but also so damn wet it was like slipping into silk.
I pulled my fingers away, desperate to bury myself inside her. She went up on her knees as she guided my cock to her opening. Ever so slowly, she lowered her body onto mine. I squeezed my eyes closed, counting to five to control my body’s intense reaction. She gasped at the intrusion, her eyes fluttering closed as she adjusted to my size within her.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, my voice shaking with the effort to keep control. She nodded, her face buried in the crook of my neck. Her arms wrapped around me once more, anchoring herself to me.
Gradually, she started to move, her hips rolling slowly above mine. I growled low in my throat at the sensation of her tight pussy gripping me. My hands clamped down on her hips, guiding her movements as pleasure coursed through us both.
Her lips sought mine again. Our kiss was ravenous, fueled by a desire that felt like an electric current.
“Cassidy,” she groaned into my mouth. She started to move faster, her body rising and falling on mine as she chased her bliss. I thrust up into her, relishing the way she cried out in sheer ecstasy.
Her body was quivering above me now. Her tight sheath clenched and unclenched around me as if pleading for release.
“Let go, Karen,” I encouraged her through gritted teeth. My hands moved to cup her breasts as they bounced up and down. The sight of her writhing on top of me with wild abandon was enough to send me spiraling toward my own release. I held it back, wanting to wait for her. Not wanting the moment to end.
She threw her head back, a strained sound ripping from her chest. She finally tipped over the edge of ecstasy. Her body shuddered violently. Her inner walls contracted around me. It was the final push I needed to join her in sweet oblivion.
I gasped, thrusting one last time before succumbing to the overwhelming pleasure that gripped me. My climax came hard. My body shuddered as I filled the condom.
She collapsed against me, her breaths coming in heavy gasps. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her through the aftershocks.
She moved off my lap and got to her feet, pulling on her panties and jeans. I tossed the condom and zipped my jeans.
Neither of us said anything.
I never intended to get that vulnerable with Karen. But there I was, leaning against the cold, rough wood of the barn, knuckles throbbing and my head spinning from everything I’d just laid out in front of her. My guts felt like they were spilled all over the place, exposed for her to see, and the worst part was, I had no idea what she was thinking. I felt like I’d given her a front-row seat to all my unresolved issues.
I looked weak and I hated that feeling.
We left the outbuilding just as fresh snow started to fall. I glanced down at my hands, opened them, and then tried to make a fist. Nothing felt broken but they were certainly sore. A reminder of how stupid I could be when the anger got the better of me.
“You should ice those knuckles, champ,” Karen said.
I smirked and nodded toward the snowbank a few feet away. “Got that covered,” I said, sinking my fists into the snow. The cold bit fiercely, like a thousand tiny needles stabbing my skin, but it felt good. I hissed at the burn but forced myself to keep my hands submerged.
She watched me for a moment, then shook her head. “You’re impossible.”
“No, just practical.” I pulled my hands out of the snow. Now, instead of just red knuckles, my whole hands were red as well. They felt less swollen though.
We walked back toward the lodge in silence. I glanced at her as we walked. She looked like she was holding something back but wasn’t quite sure how to say it. When we reached the steps of the lodge, I hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Things had gotten a little heated. Passion ruled and now we were dealing with the aftermath. I didn’t know if I should apologize or give her a high-five. She was doing a good job pretending nothing happened.
“See you tonight?” I asked more awkwardly than I’d meant to. My mouth was better at kissing than talking.
Karen nodded like I didn’t sound like a fool. “Yeah. Dinner. In the meantime, I should work on the books. See if there is anything I can do to cut some costs or increase revenue.”
I nodded, then took a step back. “If anyone can figure it out, it’s you.”
“Let’s hope.” She gave me a small wave before disappearing into the lodge.
I turned toward the bunkhouse, my head still swimming from everything that had gone down. I needed a shower. I had gotten up early, did my chores, and then it was like we had been running at full speed. Discovering that helpless child had drained me.
Thankfully, no one was in the bunkhouse. I didn’t want to explain about Carson or my knuckles or where I had been.
I stripped, tossing my clothes in a heap, and stepped into the shower. The hot water stung my skin as I scrubbed away the grime and blood from my knuckles. The steam filled the small stall like a thick cloud. I stood under the spray for a while, just letting it beat against my back, trying to work out the knots of tension. It had been one hell of a day already, and it wasn’t even halfway done.
I got out of the shower with a towel around me. The door creaked open.
Kenny strolled in. “Heard about the drama this morning,” he said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “It’s all anyone’s talking about in Bodie’s kitchen. Lucky only a few guests saw what went down. That would’ve ended up in the paper for sure.”
“That can’t happen. For Carson’s sake.”
Kenny held up both hands. “Relax, man. Nobody’s going to say anything. We’ve got it handled.”
“Good.” The last thing that kid needed was his whole life being dragged through the mud because of his dad’s mess.
Kenny crossed the room, tossing his jacket onto the bed. “Cassidy, no one’s going to let Earl Hoyt’s mess get out of control. We’ve all seen that piece of work and how he operates. We’ll make sure Carson is protected, as much as we can.”
Before I could respond, Ginny marched into the room with her hands on her hips. Yes, I was only wearing a towel, but it wasn’t like Ginny hadn’t seen it all before. “I heard everything too. That boy… that poor boy, being so scared of his own daddy. One of these days, Earl’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
I wanted to grab Earl by the collar and make sure he knew what fear felt like. “No shit,” I said. “With any luck, I’m going to be the one delivering the message. I’ll be sure to say it loud and clear.”
“Trust me, Cassidy. When that day comes, I’m going to be sitting in the front row with a bucket of popcorn. Extra butter. And a soda. Maybe even a bag of those spicy honey peanuts your mama makes, Kenny.”
“You’ve really thought this through, huh?” I said, walking to my dresser to pull out some clean clothes.
“Oh, I fantasize about that man’s karma daily,” she said. “Now, get your asses outside. We’ve got work to do.”
“You mind if I get dressed first?” I asked.
She made a big point of looking me up and down. “Well, I’m sure that will be a disappointment to the ladies, but we’d hate for your bits and pieces to get frostbite.”
“Don’t talk about my bits and pieces, thank you.”
She smirked, strolling out of the room with an exaggerated swish of her hips.
“So, are we going to confront Earl?” Kenny asked.
“Confront him?” I asked, pulling on fresh jeans and boots.
“Yeah, like kick his ass.”
“No. I don’t want to risk there being any blowback on Carson. I called CPS. Karen thinks it’s best if we do this all the legal way.”
“Karen, huh?”
“She’s the one that saw him. And she seems to have a level head. She doesn’t have the history we do with Earl. I think she’s right. I don’t know if I like it, but I’m going to go with it for now. Then, if the system won’t handle things, we will.”
“Alright, but I would love to get in at least one lick.”
“Everyone in town would,” I said. “We could make a fundraiser out of it and build a new orphanage.”
Chuckling, we headed outside to finish up the chores that had been neglected with all the excitement. As much as I tried to focus, my mind kept wandering back to Karen.
It wasn’t just the kiss or the sex, although all of it had been amazing. It was the way she’d looked at me afterward—like she understood. Like she saw the broken, angry pieces I tried so hard to keep hidden and didn’t flinch. She wasn’t scared. She didn’t back away.
I thought about her soft lips, the way her breath hitched just before I kissed her. The way she smelled like vanilla and hay, and how her hands had felt on me, holding me together when I was ready to break apart.
She was something special.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind, man. Wanna share with the class?” Kenny grunted as he tossed another bale on the pile.
I snorted, grabbing another bale and hefting it onto the stack. “Just thinking.”
“About Karen?” Kenny grinned, already knowing the answer.
I shot him a look. “Maybe.”
He let out a low whistle. “Knew it. I could tell something was brewing between you two.”
“Don’t start,” I said.
“Hey, you know I won’t say anything. I think it’s cute. She’s pretty enough, for a city girl.”
I paused, leaning against the bale and wiping the sweat from my forehead. “It’s more than that.”
“Yeah?”
I wasn’t one to talk about my feelings, especially not when I didn’t fully understand them myself. But there was something about Karen that had dug its way under my skin in a way I couldn’t shake.
“She’s different,” I said. “She jumped into action this morning. No hesitation. She was right there when I needed her, even though I didn’t ask for it.”
Kenny gave me a knowing nod. “Sounds like you’re into her.”
“Yeah. I think I misjudged her.”