Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
KINDRED
Not sure what came over me and not sure I care. At least for tonight. All I know is that when I saw the beautiful new deputy eye-fucking the hell out of my Cash, I might have overreacted. I climbed the man like the giant tree he is and kissed him, and he kissed me right back.
I thought all those romance books were pulling my chain when I read kissing scenes in them. I was wrong. That one kiss with Cash had made my body feel as though it were on fire. I could’ve kissed that man all night in the middle of the dance floor.
My lips are still tingling, and you’ll never convince me that’s the alcohol making them do that. Nah, that’s all Sheriff Cash Hudson. He’s always getting my body to do things. I think it’s time I get to return the favor.
“If you can call me babe and cupcake, that means I get to call you honey and beefcake.”
“Beefcake?”
“What? You don’t like it?” I turn in my seat so that I can watch him. There is only a faint glow from the headlights as he drives that lets me partly see his face. “You know how long it took me to come up with that?”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know, like”—I hold up my hand, counting four of my fingers—“four seconds.”
“You got me there. Can’t have you wasting that precious time of yours.”
“Hey, don’t be all rude.”
He flicks a glance toward me. “How was I rude?”
“Making the most of my time and calling it precious.”
“I wasn’t making fun of it. It is precious. You’re always busy doing a million things, so yeah, your time is precious.”
“Oh.” That takes all the steam out of me getting mad.
I’m really starting to believe I misread the things he says to me.
“Well, I came up with honey because you tasted sweeter than I thought you would.” Cash’s eyes are on the road, but I see his brows pull together slightly.
Or I might be drunk, and nothing is moving as much as I think it is.
“I don’t fully mean you tasted like honey.
” I keep going, wanting to clarify. “It was all sweet. The way you kissed me back and all.” I let out a dreamy sigh and melt back into my seat.
"Those books teach you that, or did you learn it elsewhere?
" A half second later, my own question catches up in my head.
"Wait!" I jump toward him, but the seat belt assaults me.
I do manage to still get my hand over his mouth.
I don’t really want to know the answer to that question. I’d rather live in oblivion. Well, for tonight at least. I’ll get back to being more nosy tomorrow.
He turns his body toward me. "The road!" I drop my hand, preparing for the worst, but all I see is a beautiful cabin lit up by the headlights. "We're here." How did I miss that part?
"We're here. Stay put.” His order sends a jolt through my body, connecting parts that shouldn't be connected. “I haven't been home since this morning, and fresh snow has fallen." I grab my boobs. He swallows, his eyes dropping to my hands that are now full of said boobs.
“Sometimes your orders make my nipples hard.” Ope, did not mean to say that out loud.
I watch a shocked expression take over all of Cash’s features.
I burst into laughter. “I didn’t mean to say that, but your face makes it worth it.
” I keep on laughing until I’m almost falling out the door because at some point, Cash has gotten out and come around to open it for me.
"Out," he orders again, but I don't understand why because he's already pulling me out and swinging me up into his arms.
"You need Christmas lights," I tell him as he carries me up toward the house. It's been a while since I've been out here. This piece of land is magical. I’ve always loved it but never had the need for so much room.
"Need to turn them on."
"You have lights?" I ask. "You didn't order lights." I know all the Christmas light companies that hang them around here. It's a total of one.
"I hung them."
"What?!" I drop my head back to see, but he's already on the porch.
His cabin, if you can call it that, has these beautiful high V-shaped peaks on it.
That's a million miles in the air to be hanging lights. He’ll hurt himself.
Oh my God, he could have fallen off the ladder and died and never known how I feel about him.
The thought makes my heart ache. If anything ever happened to him, it would rip my world apart. He’s become the center of it. Even if I try to pretend he’s not. All the dreams of a family and the things I long to have, he’s at the center.
When he enters the house, it's completely quiet. "No alarm?" I gasp in mock shock, my fingers playing with the short hairs on the back of his head. They feel nice. "You'd lose your shit on me if I didn’t have one."
"I have never lost my shit on you, and I have an alarm. I can turn it on and off with my phone."
"I didn't see you do that." That’s not saying much since I also didn't see him get out of the car, but that's neither here nor there. I try to glance around to get a good look at the inside of his house, but it's dark, with most of the lights off.
Cash carries me through the house past a beautiful set of stairs that overlooks part of the bottom floor. He doesn't stop until we're entering a bedroom, and he sits me down on a bed, flicking the lamp next to it.
I give a small bounce. “This bed is giant and soft,” I tell him, falling backwards, closing my eyes momentarily. When I open them, Cash is there, simply standing on the side of the bed staring down at me.
He runs his hand up his jaw, rubbing that midnight o'clock shadow he’s rocking. The man can pull off both a bare face and one covered in a short beard. I can’t help but imagine how that would feel against my bare skin.
“Want to help me?” I lift one leg and wiggle my foot.
“Fuck.” I follow his line of sight to see my dress has ridden up, and me lifting my leg has given him a small view of my panties. The lust I see in his eyes does nothing to calm my body. The man looks as though he wants to eat me up.
“Only panties. No different than bikini bottoms,” I huff, dropping my legs, but Cash catches my ankle so it doesn’t go anywhere.
“Never seen you in a bikini.”
“Then take me to the beach,” I joke. I’d love to see him on a beach shirtless. Imagining his broad chest and thick arms on full display for me does nothing to tame the ache between my thighs.
“All right.” He pulls the zipper down on my boot before grabbing the heel and slipping it off me. Cash reaches for the other boot, lifting my leg higher this time and revealing even more of my panties.
“You staring at my panties, Cash?”
“Yes.” He removes the second boot but keeps his hold on my ankle so my leg remains up. I prop myself up on my elbows, watching him. I can’t miss the hungry expression on his face.
“You ever wonder what’s under them?” His grip on my ankle tightens. “I could show you. Give you a little peek if you’re interested.”
“Kindred,” Cash warns, but I’m eating up the way he’s looking at me and trying to take full advantage of it.
“What? You don’t want to see? Maybe have a little taste.” I know it’s the alcohol that’s making me more straightforward when it comes to this.
“We can’t.” His breathing grows heavy, that broad chest of his rising and falling with each breath. “You’ve been drinking.”
“So?”
He closes his eyes. “We can’t,” he repeats, and this time his words come out strangled.
“Well, damn.” I tug my foot back, but he doesn’t let go. His eyes snap back open, Cash’s face turning hard.
“But you can tell me.”
“What?”
“Tell me what your pussy looks like, Kindred.” Oh shit. Now that the shoe’s on the other foot, a rush of shyness hits me as Cash turns the tables on me. “I know it will taste damn sweet, but what I don’t know is how pink it is. Do you shave it bare?” His thumb strokes my ankle. “How tight it is.”
“Cash,” I whisper his name.
“Bet it would strangle my cock, wouldn’t it?
You’re so small compared to me. It would be a fight to get inside you.
Would you let me try, Cupcake?” He steps forward, placing my bare foot against his chest. “Is it wet?” Cash licks his lips, his husky words rumbling through my body.
“You’re not going to tell me? You want me to order you to do it? ”
“Oh my God.” He obviously has a very high reading comprehension because this man could have written a scene from one of those naughty books.
My fingers dig into the comforter. Can a person orgasm from words? I try to push my thighs together for the pressure, my clit throbbing, but Cash doesn’t let me. “Cash.” My hips slightly lift. “Please.”
“I tried to do the right thing,” I hear him mutter. I shake my head wildly back and forth.
“Don’t do the right thing. It’s wet and needy.” I shut my eyes tightly. “Do something.” My whole body is on fire, and I need relief. He won’t let me try and close my legs to find it. I know I’m a hair trigger away.
He drops my legs, and I cry out in protest. It’s short-lived. Cash’s hands go to my hips, jerking me to the side of the bed as he drops to his knees, burying his face between my thighs.
His mouth covers my sex over the panties. His tongue pushes firmly, licking and stroking me over my clit. That’s all I need. The strong orgasm hits, rushing through me in a burst of pleasure more powerful than anything I have ever felt in my life.
I moan out Cash’s name, elated he didn’t do the right thing for once.