Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
ABBI
B rady’s taking the longest shower in the history of showers, but that’s okay. He’s exhausted, filthy, and probably needs a few minutes of quiet after a full day of strangers and work. That man works harder than anyone I’ve ever known in my life, and that’s just one of the reasons that I’m falling in love with him. He loves the animals on this ranch, and he gives it all 100 percent of his attention and energy.
He deserves a nice, long shower to wash it all away. He was way too dirty for me to even think about joining him in there.
No thanks.
There’s a knock at his door, and when I open it, Erin’s standing there holding a pan and wearing a knowing smile.
“I brought dinner to you,” she says and wrinkles her nose. “I saw the lusty looks you were sending his way at the barn, and I can’t blame you. There’s just something extra sexy about a dirty cowboy. Trust me, I know.”
“In more ways than one,” I reply with a wink and earn a laugh from her. “And thanks. I know he has to be starving.”
“There’s half a pan of lasagna here, some salad and bread, too. Listen, why don’t I keep Daisy through the weekend?”
“Erin, I know I’m horny and all, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t, but really, she’s no trouble. If she wants to go home, I’ll let you know. Oh, and I’ll swing by after school tomorrow to grab her stuff from you.”
“Seriously, if you change your mind, no harm, no foul. And I’ll come get her Saturday afternoon. I don’t want to lose the whole weekend with her.”
“That works for us. We’ll just play it by ear. Is he still in the shower?”
“I think it’s for mental health more than dirt.” I shrug, looking toward the bathroom. “It was a lot of peopling today.”
“Yeah, I get it. Rem is the same way. I think all the Wilds are just wired that way. Okay, have a fun night, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, friend.”
As soon as I’ve closed the door and set the pan in the oven to keep it warm, my phone rings, and when I see who it is that’s calling, my blood runs cold.
How could I forget ? I’ve settled in so well here, become too comfortable, and it’s easy to forget that there’s a reason that I ended up in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Montana. And that forgetfulness is dangerous. I know better.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ms. Abbi, it’s Jerome. Been a while.”
“It has, yes.” I swallow hard at the sound of the private investigator’s voice, dread sitting heavy in my stomach. “I take it something’s happened?”
Please tell me she’s dead and I don’t have to worry anymore.
“It has.” His deep voice is thick with his North Carolina accent, and for about a heartbeat, it makes me just a little homesick. “It seems she’s started putting feelers out again, trying to find you. Lots of Google image searches. Now, you and I both know that your appearance has changed somewhat over the past six years, and I don’t think she’ll come up with a recent hit.”
“But?”
“But she could. You know that I keep an eye on you, mostly so I might see something before she does.”
“Yes, I know, and I appreciate that.”
“And while you don’t have social media of your own, you’ve been in some photos recently. Your friends post photos, and it looks like you’re doing some important stuff there in the community.”
“I know, but like you said, they can’t tag me, and I don’t look the same. And I never let images of Daisy show up online. My friends know that I don’t want that, and they’re very respectful of it.”
“That’s smart. Keep doing that. As of right now, I don’t see anything to be worried about, but I wanted to give you the heads-up, just in case something slips by me. How long do you plan to stay in Montana?”
Forever.
The thought of leaving this town, where Daisy and I finally fit in and feel at home, is devastating.
But we’ve never stayed anywhere longer than a year.
Of course, that was before she was in school and made friends and we both became entrenched in a community that we love, and that loves us back.
“I don’t plan to leave any time soon. We’re very happy here, Jerome.”
He sighs on the other end of the line. “I’m happy for you, Abbi. I really am. You’re far enough away, and in a small enough town, that I think you’re fine. Like I said, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate you. You’re doing well?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hear the smile in his voice now. “I’m doing just fine. You go enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks. You, too. Bye.”
I hang up and lean heavily on the kitchen counter, feeling sick to my stomach and just so… tired.
So fucking tired.
I wish she’d just forget about us, but as long as she’s alive, that’s not going to happen.
The shower has stopped, so I scrub my hands over my face and redirect my energy to the man down the hall. Because if I let myself dwell, I’ll have nightmares tonight, and I don’t want that.
I don’t want to put either of us through that.
I hear him pad down the hallway towards me, and I smile as my breath catches when I see him, shirtless, in a pair of gray sweatpants that hang low on his sexy hips and do what gray sweatpants do: show off his impressive package. He’s lean with muscles that seem to have muscles, and his dark hair is wet from the shower. And the look in his hazel eyes as he stares at me tells me that he’s a man ready to consume me. It’s exhilarating and a little unsettling, all at once.
Holy shit, what did I ever do to get Brady Wild?
“Did I hear you talking out here?” he asks, leaning against the doorjamb and crossing his arms, which makes his biceps flex, and that alone almost sends me into overdrive. Is it legal to look like that? Probably not.
“Erin popped by,” I reply and lick my lips. “Brought dinner to us. She’s keeping Daisy until Saturday afternoon.”
He lifts an eyebrow, but he doesn’t push off of the wall.
“Are you hungry?” I ask him.
“Fucking starving.” His hazel eyes narrow at me. “Did you wear that today to drive me crazy on purpose?”
I frown and look down at my green dress. It’s not particularly sexy. I guess it’s showing a little cleavage, but with these knockers, that’s not hard to do.
“It’s just a sundress. It was actually on the warm side today, and?—”
Brady pushes off of the wall, and my mouth goes dry, making it difficult to speak.
“I guess you like it,” I whisper, and he grins as he strides slowly across the room.
“Oh, I fucking like it,” he confirms. “But I like the woman in it more.”
“I thought you were hungry?”
“I am. Dinner can wait.” He grips my hip and tugs me against him, and then that hand slides around to my back and down over my ass as he presses his hard erection against my belly. “Been wanting you all damn day, Blue Eyes.”
“Back at you, Cowboy.”
Brady smirks, and then his lips are on mine as he walks me out of the kitchen and around to the couch where I’m suddenly flat on my back, and he’s braced over me, muscles flexing.
“You shouldn’t be doing all the work.” I cup his cheek and smile up at him. “You worked hard today.”
“You know what? You’re right.”
He easily pulls me up and switches our positions, making me giggle, and I can’t resist biting his chin.
“Hey, you little land shark.” His arms wrap around me, and he buries his face in my neck, breathing deeply. “I’m going to want you to sit on my face now, sweetheart.”
“Not a chance in hell. I will smother you, and I may be smitten with you, but I’m not going to jail for you or your kinky ways, Brady Wild.”
“Smitten?” His smile is wide as he grins down at me. “Is that what we’re calling it? Okay, then, smitten girl. I want you to pull that skirt up around your waist and sit on my face so I can make you come once or thrice on my tongue.”
I shake my head. Jesus, I don’t want anyone to see me from that angle. I have a belly and cellulite and thighs and…no. It’s better if I’m on my back and gravity is doing its job.
“Hey.” With his finger under my chin, he lifts my gaze to his. “You’re way overthinking this, babe. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re sexy. From every angle. Feel this?”
He moves his hips, nudging me with his hard cock, and I instinctively bite my lower lip in anticipation as my core tightens.
“I want you. I want every glorious, amazing, sexy-as-fuck inch of your body, and right now, I want you to ride my face until I make you scream my name.”
Well, when he puts it like that, who am I to argue?
“If you can’t breathe, you tell me.”
“Uh, there’s a hole in your logic, but sure.” He laughs as I lift myself off of him, tug my skirt up so I can take my underwear off, and then straddle his face.
Brady’s hands find my ass, and he says, “Oh, yeah. Bring it.”
And I can’t help but laugh at that. I always laugh when I’m nervous as hell. But then he guides me down and licks me, and all thoughts of laughter evaporate from my mind.
Holy. Shit.
I’m still self-conscious, but what he’s doing to me is incredible. Licking and lapping, his hands cradling my ass just so, and when he hums in delight, I can’t stop the moan that tears its way out of my chest or the sudden climax that rocks through me.
When I would move off of him, he holds firm, keeping me over him as he fucks me with his tongue.
Okay, I’m a little less self-conscious now.
I can’t help but move my hips back and forth, loving the way his mouth and tongue feel as they move through my slit. Little jolts of electricity zip through me until I’m shaking and coming all over again.
“I can’t hold myself up,” I cry, as I reach for the back of the couch, but Brady scoots out from under me and kisses me, the taste of me on his lips. His fingers make a dive for my pussy, and he shakes his hand, pressing his palm against me so hard that it sends me right over into another mind-numbing orgasm.
“That’s right,” he growls against my lips. “Come for me, Blue Eyes. Ah, God, yeah. Keep those eyes on me. Good girl.”
“Shit.” I’m coming again because that praise shit is hot , and when I come to, he’s guiding me onto my back and nudging himself between my legs.
“So fucking gorgeous,” he says through gritted teeth as he pushes inside of me. God, I’m so wet that he eases right in, despite his size. “You like it when I call you a good girl.”
My muscles contract, making him grin.
“Maybe a little. I guess that’s my thing.”
Brady rests his forehead against mine, so serious now as he starts to move, pushing and pulling in long, steady strokes. He links our fingers and holds them to our chests as he moves, faster and faster, until we’re cresting another peak that sends us both into euphoria.
“That’s right, good girl. Come on my cock. Fuck, yes.”
I’m gripping onto him so tightly , and his jaw is clenched as he rocks against me, pushing every last drop of himself inside of me.
“Wow,” he says, his breath still coming fast. “Every time I think I’m used to how you make me feel, I’m hit with it all over again, as if I’m struck by lightning.”
I push my hair off my face and lift an eyebrow. “And how, exactly, do you feel?”
“Like nothing and no one else in the world exists. Like I was made just for this. Just for you.”
Tears prick the back of my eyes, and I bite my lip as I gaze at him, memorizing every detail.
“Maybe I was.” His voice is a whisper.
“Maybe you were,” I agree.
He kisses me as he eases out of me. “Let’s clean up and eat. Now I’m starving for another reason.”
“You get started, and I’ll be right back. The food’s in the oven, salad in the fridge.” I hurry to the bathroom, not just to clean up this epic, wet, dirty mess, but also to catch my breath. It’s not just the sex with Brady that turns me inside out. He can be so intense, so filthy when it comes to the physical aspect of our relationship, and then turn around and say the kind of words that make my heart melt. It’s…amazing. But I need to catch my breath.
When I return from the bathroom, Brady has already plated the meal for both of us and has dug into his with gusto.
“So good,” is what I think he says around the bite in his mouth.
“You worked off a lot of calories today.” I take a bite of lasagna and sigh. “But yeah, this is great. Erin’s a good cook.”
“How was your morning?”
“Productive,” I reply and dab at my mouth with a napkin. “I’m officially fully staffed, and I think this crew is going to be awesome. Now, let’s talk about you. How did you really feel about today?”
“How did I look ?” he asks, reaching for bread.
“Hmm.” I lick my fork and narrow my eyes, thinking it over. “You looked sexier than any one man has any business looking, and I kept undressing you with my eyes. I mean, I know it was a denim ad, but you’re way hotter naked.”
“I’m going to make you come just by sucking on your nipples later.”
My eyes widen, and said nipples come to full attention.
“But how did I seem today, sassy pants?”
“Oh, that.” I laugh and steal his bread, taking a bite. “There were moments that you looked annoyed, but those were minimal, and maybe I just noticed because I know you. Otherwise, you looked like a busy cowboy who had shit to do.”
“That about sums it up accurately.” He watches me from across the sofa for a minute as we eat our dinner. “I’m taking you to bed after this.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Both.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You’re going to pay for that.” I don’t like his smile. It’s scary and mean, and when he smiles like this, I know it’s going to hurt.
It always hurts.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“You like being a bad girl,” he says with that slimy voice, and he starts to take off his pants, and I just want to crawl into a hole.
I want to die.
“Please. Please don’t hurt me again. I didn’t mean to knock the ashtray over.”
“Shut up!” He backhands me, and even in this fucked-up dream, I see stars and feel the force of the blow as I fall to the ground. “You’re nothing, do you hear me? No one cares about you. No one fucking cares what I do to you. I can do whatever I want. Maybe I’ll put a pretty little scar on you right here.”
He drags his finger down my cheek, and I jerk my face away. As I do, I know that it’s the wrong move because it only makes him angrier.
“Don’t you jerk away from me, you little slut.”
He grips onto my hair and pulls me to my feet, dragging me down a hallway with doorways that are open, and I can see other foster parents laughing at me. Always laughing at me.
“You deserve it!” one yells out.
“I want my mommy,” I cry as I’m tossed into a room, and the door closes behind me. He’s not with me, and I breathe a sigh of relief, but then I hear the slithering, and that scares me more.
I hate snakes.
“They won’t hurt you.”
It’s Nate, and he’s holding one of the snakes, watching it.
“You hate snakes, too.”
“Nah, they won’t hurt you as long as you’re a good girl.”
It doesn’t sound nice when he says it.
“I want my mom.”
“I’m right here.”
I spin, but it’s not my mom standing behind me. It’s Nate’s, and she’s holding Daisy, but it’s Daisy from when she was a baby.
“Give me my daughter.”
“No,” she says and kisses Daisy’s head, leaving black marks where her lips were. “I don’t think I will. She’s mine. She’s my daughter.”
“No, she’s not.” I spin back to where Nate was, but now he’s hanging from a rope, his eyes unseeing as he stares my way, and I shriek before turning back to his mother. “I just want my baby.”
“You don’t deserve her,” she says, still kissing her and leaving black stains on Daisy’s skin. “You never did. I’ll raise her better than you can. I can give her everything. And what do you have? Huh? Poor little thing, you don’t have anything. No family. No money. You clean houses and probably fuck the men who pay you, don’t you? Whores don’t deserve babies.”
“I’m not,” I cry, reaching for my daughter, but she’s suddenly farther away, and I can’t reach her. I can’t run fast enough to catch them, like my feet are stuck in the sand. “Give her back to me.”
I’m trying to run down the hallway, and sometimes, she’ll stick her head around one of the doorways and laugh, then disappear again. I can hear Daisy crying for me. Wailing and sobbing, as if she’s being hurt, and it tears me apart.
“Daisy! Mama’s coming.”
“You’ll never see her again, you whore.”
“Not a whore,” I mutter as I continue to fight against my heavy feet, trying to walk, fighting to find my daughter. “Need my baby. Daisy! Daisy!”
There’s so much sinister laughter that I can’t hear Daisy anymore. It’s so loud, echoing off the walls of the long hallway, and now it’s all starting to fill with water.
Daisy can’t swim! She’s just a baby.
Oh, God.
The water rises and rises until I have to swim to keep going because it’s over my head. Something grips onto my leg and tugs me under the water, still laughing at me. I tug free and pull myself into one of the rooms, and I can see Daisy, just floating in the water, blinking as she watches me.
“Baby! I’m here. I’ll get you.”
But then she’s snatched away, and I can’t stay above the water.
“Daisy!”