Chapter 15
fifteen
Tessa
The auction was a bust.
Killian came back home and was only able to sell two horses, but at such a terrible rate that it’s clear that we’re going to have to use plan B.
Thankfully, I already had it in the works.
He also informed me of the conversation he had about the rumors of Travis doping the horses here.
All of it has forced me to change gears.
Tonight, we have our first bachelorette party. They rented the guest house that Travis used to live in as well as a two-hour trail ride out to the falls, a campfire setup, and a second trail ride tomorrow.
I just haven’t broken the news to Killian yet.
I spoke with Brynlee, and she and I agreed that since he was resistant to any and all of my ideas, I needed to step in and do what my job is. Which is to get some income flowing, and this was the easiest and most viable option.
Now, I’m out in the front porch area of the guest house, stringing up some lights and decorations so that they can have a fun place to hang out after their ride and take pictures.
Gary walks over. “Tessa, I have the four horses chosen. When do you want me to saddle them?”
“The girls should be here in about an hour, so maybe two hours from now? I think we’ll let them settle in, eat for a bit, and then we’ll do the horseback ride before they start drinking.”
He chuckles. “That’s a good plan. And you want me to lead them out there?”
I nod. “You know how to get to the falls—I would probably get lost.”
Since I’ve only been out there once, it’s definitely not a good idea for me to be in charge.
“And Killian wants me to wear these?” He lifts up the pink shirt and baseball hat that says “Buck Wild”.
The lovely little embroidery shop in town was able to make me a few things this afternoon. It’s going to go over—terribly, but I don’t care.
“Yup,” I lie.
He glances over at the main house and sighs. “The shit I have to do on this ranch.”
Gary walks off, and I go back to it. The maid of honor for the party asked if I could decorate with pinks and beiges in a very tasteful way. No streamers or dick-shaped stemware, which was a shame if you ask me, but probably for the best because if Killian saw it, he might kill me.
It’s still a possibility anyway, but maybe this way, there’s less of a chance. I did let the bridal party know there’d be no outside people allowed, meaning no male strippers since everyone has to be buzzed in through the gate.
Another hurdle I felt was eliminated.
I have my music going as I continue to do my best decorating skills with the budget I have.
“Tessa?” I hear Killian’s voice, which has a very strong echo of frustration in it.
Well, here goes nothing.
“Over here!” I call out with all the charm and joy I can muster.
I can do this with a smile and keep my spirit up.
“What the hell is going on?” Killian asks, looking around at the very tasteful decorations, if I say so myself.
“What do you mean?”
His eyes narrow. “What is this?” He picks up the pink cowboy boot cups I ordered.
I look around the deck that has pink and beige accents and the lights strung on the string poles that he’s now pointing at. “Decorations.”
“And what are you decorating for?” he asks, arms crossed over his broad chest.
“A party.” I smile broader, climbing up on the ladder. “Can you help me reach this spot?”
He grumbles. “Tessa, what party are you having and why is Gary wearing a pink hat that says: ‘Buck Wild’?”
“Oh, that’s the name of the new division that does bachelorettes, birthdays, and women-run events. Our first gig is tonight.”
“I said no to that.” The warning in his voice should worry me, but it’s too late to turn back now and, really, there are no other options available.
I sigh, ready for the fight I knew was coming.
“Yes, I heard that, but you brought me here to make you money, right? Well, in order to accomplish that, I have to actually do something that will…make money. You didn’t do great at the auction, and this is a guaranteed flat fee.
Gary is on board to take the girls out to the falls, let them have a little trot, and come back here where they can drink, eat, and have fun.
Do you know how much this little outing is going to make you in revenue? ”
His jaw clenches, and I take that as a no.
“It’s three thousand dollars. In one night. Now, I know that’s nowhere near what you would make on a horse, but it’s something. We need supplementation.” I grab the hat that I had made for him, kiss his cheek, and put it on his head. “Here, now, can you help me reach up there please?”
I’m not sure if Killian is going to do it, but he grumbles and then reaches to the spot I couldn’t get, putting the string light on the pole. “This is…absolutely ridiculous.”
“No, what’s ridiculous is hoping that somehow, this is just going to fix itself. It’s been almost two weeks and you’re losing money and sales. So, we’re going to stop the bleeding and this is just one way.”
He pulls the hat off, looking at it. “Buck Wild, really?”
I grin. “I was between that and Lady Lopers. I figured Buck Wild is a little more open ended. We can have bachelor parties too with that name.”
He rolls his eyes and looks heavenward. “Deliver me.”
“I’d rather you just trust me and let me do my job. I know you were very strongly against the kids’ parties, so I didn’t do that. And the rodeo is going to take a few weeks to organize, but I’m already on top of that.”
Killian shakes his head, sighing heavily. “I can’t believe this is the situation I’m in.”
“Well, now we have a place to start fixing the rumors. We know they’re being spread by your rival farm that you coaxed his best trainer from.
Owen probably lost a ton of money after that, so we’re going to work on repairing your reputation.
I think having Everett pull all the horses’ records and showing that there is no history of doping is the first step.
Next, we’ll work on getting you into more auctions as we do what we can to quell the rumors so you can keep selling and hopefully getting new boarding clients.
Then, hopefully, we’ll find Travis and get some answers there.
For now, we are going to get cash flow going. ”
I hate this for him. I can see the worry growing with each day that passes. He wants this to be over, but we’re nowhere near that yet. There’s damage that’s being done and I need to work on fixing it.
When I spoke with Brynlee about it, I expressed that I thought bringing people, even if it’s just in the form of parties, onto the property would go a long way.
It shows that Killian isn’t afraid of people seeing his facilities.
Word of mouth is what got him here—now we need to do something to get people to refute the rumors.
I move to him, and he lifts his gaze to me. “I’m going to keep doing what I can to make this work. I have money from my other business, and it’ll keep me afloat here, but at some point, if we’re not bringing in real income, I’ll have to make some tough choices.”
“I understand.”
“If I ever heard that Travis was harming the horses…”
“I know,” I say, truly meaning it. He would never allow it.
“I knew he trained them hard, but he backed off when he needed to.”
I give him a sad smile, my hand moving to his scruffy cheek. “You’ll get through this. I’m right by your side. We’ll show the people in the town how wrong they were.”
He sighs and takes his baseball hat, slipping it on backward, causing me to smile widely.
Killian looks ridiculously hot with that hat on. The pink corduroy not doing a thing to dampen it. “I’m not walking around town with a hat that says Buck Wild on it.”
I lift up on my toes and kiss him effortlessly. “Maybe you can wear it tonight.”
He pulls me against him, rocking his hips forward. “Maybe you’ll show me just how buck wild you can be while you ride me.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
He kisses me, his tongue sliding against my lips. “Oh, we definitely will.”
And that’s a promise I don’t mind making.
I’m on top, riding him just like I promised.
His hands are on my hips, digging into the flesh, and I love it.
Killian’s gaze doesn’t move from mine.
It’s the most intense sexual experience I’ve ever had.
The way he looks at me is almost too much.
My heart is pounding and not just from exertion, but from the emotions that are stirring inside of me. All of the fear, self-doubt, and worry doesn’t exist when I’m with him. It’s a safety, a sense of security, like he’d tear down the world for me.
I know that’s absolutely ridiculous. We’ve only known each other a short time and it’s very surface level, but no matter how much I tell myself these things, my heart isn’t falling in line.
No, instead, it’s running away with this idea that we could be more than this.
Killian is already taking pieces of my heart, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop him from seizing the entire thing.
“Be with me, Tessa. Right here,” Killian says, snapping my thoughts back to the moment.
And just like that, he freaking makes my point. How did he know?
How can he see inside my mind? It makes no sense.
Instead of allowing my overthinking brain to take back over, I do as he says. My hand moves to his chest, and I hold myself up, riding him at a different angle.
“I’m close,” I whisper as my body is tense.
His fingers tighten and he stops me. “Not yet. Stay still.”
I shake my head, hating him right now. “I need to move.”
“I know what you need.” He lifts me just a bit and bucks up, filling me while his thumb plays with my clit. “I’ll give it to you,” Killian promises. “I want you to come like this. Sit up straight.”
I somehow push myself upright. “Now what?”
“Feel it. Feel all of me inside you. Look at us,” he says, his eyes moving to where his dick is thrusting inside me. “Do you see that?”
I glance down at the erotic scene, how his cock is slick with my wetness as he rocks my hips, pushing it deeper inside of me. “Yes,” I groan as my orgasm teeters on the edge.
“Who is inside of you?”
I moan. “You.”
“That’s right. Who is making you feel good?”
My head drops back, my hair brushing against my lower back. “You.”
“Who’s going to make you come?”
I gasp as he slams his hips up, and the pressure from his thumb increases. “God, you!”
He keeps going, relentlessly thrusting deeper and deeper. It’s the most incredible sex I never dreamed possible. Killian drives me higher, continuing to give me more pleasure than my body can handle.
I lose myself, cresting over the precipice and drowning in ecstasy.
Killian follows me shortly after, and we lie here, both struggling for breath.
As much as the sex part is fantastic, I equally like this. Being in his arms, feeling as though nothing can harm me when I’m like this.
He pushes my hair back and I lift my chin to look at him. “That was pretty fantastic.”
“I agree.”
I grin. “Are you still mad at me?”
“For what?”
“The bachelorette party.”
He chuckles softly. “No, angel. I’m not mad. I don’t like it, but I understand the business side of it, and you’re right. It’s money and I can’t be picky.”
I raise one brow. “So you’ll do kids’ birthday parties?”
“Not a fucking chance.”
I laugh and kiss him softly. “Fine, I won’t push on that.”
“I appreciate it.” I start to roll to the left, but he stops me. “I’m not ready to let you go.”
My heart inflates so large I fear it might burst. He’s so sweet on top of being bossy. Each layer of Killian is a mystery. He’s smart, funny, caring, dominant, but willing to give in, and I know there’s so much more to uncover.
But at what cost?
Sure, there could be something terrible under there that will, once again, prove that men leave.
He might have some deep, dark secret that could ruin my life.
But, on the other hand, he might just turn out to be the best man in the world.
I’ve seen that tender side of him, the one that makes me food, that ensured I had a place to sleep, even when he knew it would make things difficult for us both.
If my instincts are correct, and all I’ll unmask is a wonderful man I can’t have, why do it?
There’s no reason other than to make me feel even worse about myself than I already do.
No.
I’ll keep my mouth shut about all my feelings and my heart locked firmly against opening up.
As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, he runs his finger down the slope of my nose. “What’s going on inside that beautiful mind of yours?”
I should be as honest with him as he’s promised to be with me. To tell him that I’m building a small wall around my very fragile heart so he can’t touch it, but that sounds ridiculous, so I won’t be doing that.
Instead, I latch on to the thought that there actually is something actionable I need to do.
“I’m thinking that as much as I enjoy lying on your very sculpted and perfect body, I need to get dressed and go check on the bachelorette party.
Gary is due back in about an hour, and the girls wanted to have their party items all ready to go when they returned from the ride. ”
He sighs heavily. “And you’re the host?”
“Well, I didn’t think you were going to want to do it.”
“You think right since I had no intention of starting a new company, let alone one that caters to girls gone wild.”
“Buck wild—get it right,” I correct him.
The low growl from his chest should be a warning, but I don’t heed it.
“Now, I’ll go handle the party and you go do whatever it is you need to do to prepare for the auction this week.
When we’re done, I get to pick the movie and maybe we can get frisky before it’s done. ”
“Then by all means…”
Killian allows me to roll off him, and I saunter into the bathroom to get dressed. Right before I get to the door I turn back and smile when I see him watching me.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to start building that wall…