Chapter Five
Scarlett
“Dad! What… what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming until next week?” My heart slams against my chest as though there’s a twelve pound hammer trying to break through a brick wall. I never told him I had a boyfriend, but it’s kind of convenient he assumed Clyde was the one filling that role. Maybe this will make the week easier, or more difficult. I guess I’ll find out.
He grins wide. “That’s the trick. It’s good business. I tell you I’m coming one day and show up another. Keeps you on your toes. Besides, the investor has to fly out for a family thing at the end of the week, so he’ll be stopping by to get a look at the ranch before then.” He glances up at the fireplace. “Looks like those beams could use some work.”
It’s close to eleven at night, and while I was all for staying up late to touch a man I never thought I’d ever have interest in, I don’t have the energy for my father’s talk about investors.
“Well, your flight must have been exhausting. It’s very late. I can give you a tour in the morning.” I want to ask him what he’d have done if I weren’t here, but he probably would’ve checked into one of the cabins with the front desk and found me in the morning.
Clyde glances toward me, and then my father. “Is there a problem with the beams?”
“Well, no, but they’re not cost effective. They’re prone to rot and infestations which lead to structural issues. I assume they’re real.” My father wanders toward the beam in question, landing his big hand against the log as though he knows something about wood and building things.
Clyde points toward the air vent nearby. “We have a humidification system in the building to keep all our logs properly ventilated. I’ve been building cabins for the better part of thirty years. The beams hold up just fine.” There’s a bite in Clyde’s tone that my father seems to respect.
“Finally, a man who knows his stuff. It’s good my daughter has you. If it were up to her, the place would be built with dreams and butterfly dust.”
My stomach churns. Well, he made it three minutes without insulting me. I guess that’s a win.
Clyde glares toward him and tucks his hand around my waist. “Your daughter’s built a beautiful ranch. Her ideas are making a lot of people really happy.”
I’m not sure if he means it or not, but I appreciate him saying it either way.
My father shakes his head. “She needs an older man to keep her head on straight. Like I said, she’s lucky to have you.”
Oh God, what the actual hell? I’ve slaved for months on this place. I’ve worked my ass off. I came up with the idea that got it started to begin with. I’m pulling in business, including one of the biggest country stars on the planet, but this ‘older’ man standing beside me is the reason I’m so successful?
Why am I still living in the eighteen hundreds?
“No,” Clyde’s voice turns more stern, “the design was all Scarlett’s idea. She did the research, she knew what materials to use, and she had the concept down for Mail Order Mountain Men. I just showed up and did what she told me.”
Dad bumps into his side and winks. “Smart man.”
Ugh, I’m gonna be sick.
Clyde glances toward me, his dark blue eyes wide with what looks like frustration. “Well, we should get to bed. It’s been a long day. Can we show you to your cabin or—”
“No. I’m staying up here at the main lodge tonight. Only here for the day, so no need to give up an entire cabin for me.”
That’s one thing to be grateful for. He’s only here for twenty-four hours. One single day. I can handle that, right?
He leans in and kisses my cheek, the scent of cigars on his breath. The smell still grosses me out. Growing up, the whole house smelled like cigar smoke. I don’t know how he managed to fill five thousand square feet with the rich, earthy smell of sweet leather, but he did.
Clyde drapes my coat over my shoulders and helps me outside into the fresh air before we both explode. I’m not looking forward to his questioning, but I’d rather that than listen to my father for another second.
“Jesus,” Clyde groans. “No offense, but your dad is a trip.”
“Yeah, he’s something. Thank you for doing that. I… I shouldn’t have let him think you were my boyfriend. I just,” I blow out a breath, “well… you saw.”
“I did, and it’s okay. Boyfriend is a huge improvement from the asshole I was earlier today.” We step into the side parking lot where our vehicles sit parked under a dimming light. I make note to have maintenance check it out. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home tonight. It’s late. I don’t want to worry about you on the roads.”
“What? No. I’m fine.” I’ve dated a little here and there, but I’ve never had a man so worried about me that he’d take me home because it’s dark. Most men just wave goodbye and maybe ask for a text. I’ve also never had a man hold the door open for me, which Clyde is currently doing.
“Let’s be fair. Get in or I’ll put you in. You’re not driving up that mountain alone at this time of night.”
“Did you hear anything my father said in there? I’ve grown up under the thumb of a controlling man. I’m independent . I don’t need a man driving me around and holding my doors open.”
He lowers his head and grins before staring toward me intently. “You don’t need one. I know that. You’re perfectly capable of getting up that mountain alone. This is about me. I want to take care of you. I want to know you’re safe.”
A sudden desire to erase all distance between us washes over me, and my clit begins an untimely throbbing that sends my thoughts careening off the edge of reasonable and into the place they were earlier this evening.
“Come on.” He motions me forward, and I fold like a cheap suit in his arms.
I let him help me up into his truck, pull the belt over my lap, and buckle me in. I also let him climb up into the driver’s seat and drive us away. Twice in one night I’ve been more vulnerable with this man than I have with anyone, ever.
I glance toward him, studying his side profile. He’s so masculine, so opposite of everything I usually go for, yet I’m totally turned on.
His hands are big and rough. They grip the wheel casually, and that gun I hated so much earlier sits on his hip like a powerful reminder that he’s got everything covered.
“Is it awful I’ve never actually been in a pickup truck?”
He grins. “A rancher who hasn’t sat in a proper truck? Yeah, that’s pretty bad.” He twists the heat higher and turns the radio up until country music plays low in the background. I also don’t listen to country music. Sure, I’ve listened to a little now that Buck Dalton is staying at the ranch, but I find classical music more relaxing.
“Thank you… for everything. I know I’ve been a dick, and you didn’t have to be so good to me in front of my father.”
“Glad I could be there. What’s with all this investor talk?”
“Oh, he has a buyer for the ranch. Some guy who’s willing to give him triple what he paid, including my improvements. He thinks my whole idea is stupid, so he wants to sell before I crash and burn.”
“What does your mother think of all this?”
I drag in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No. She’s, ugh, she passed away when I was six. She had Lou Gehrig’s disease. I don’t remember her much except for the photos. Some days, I fantasize about what it would be like to have her with me. I wonder who I’d have been with a female influence. I like to think she’d have stuck up for me with my dad when I was young. When I was a teenager, most kids I knew were so sick of their mothers, but I was still daydreaming about mine. What about you? Your parents still alive?”
“Long gone.” He scrubs his hand down over his beard. “Dad was former military and mom was a homemaker. They both passed together in an accident out near West Lake about ten years ago. They still have a property out there I need to sell one of these days. People say there’s gold buried in the hills. My sister would benefit from the profits as well. It’s a pretty big nest egg. We should really sell it, but it’s hard to give it up, ya know? Losing them was really difficult. They were great people.”
“And that’s why you feel so responsible for your sister?”
“Always have, but we’re the only family we have now, so we stick even closer. You have any siblings?”
“No. I used to think I was lucky, but the older I get, the more I realize how alone I am. It’s weird that there’s no one else in the world with my DNA. No one else who really gets the childhood I’ve had, ya know?”
“I get it.” He turns left up the old mountain road that leads to my cabin. It’s no joke how dangerous these turns can be at night. Between the wild animals, shadows, and sheer drops, it’s no wonder so many vehicles go off the road up here. “Any close friends that can sub as siblings?”
“Yeah, a few. Dad and I traveled a lot, so most of my friendships got kind of strained, but I have a few people I’ve stayed close with. I probably sound pathetic to you.”
“Why would you think that?” He rests his hand on my thigh.
“I don’t know, all those comments about success earlier. You define it as family and relationships. I don’t have any of those things.”
He glances toward me, then back at the dark road. “I was trying to get under your skin. It’s the thing we were doing twenty minutes ago, remember? You called me poor and—”
“Okay, I remember.” I smile, thinking about the rage fuck we were both headed toward. “Still, what you said might be true. I’m twenty-five and I don’t know if I have enough to show for it.”
“You’re doing amazing. A lot of people would just take their father’s money forever and be happy to do nothing. You went to college, came up with a business plan, ran this whole damn place, and you’re barely old enough to fucking drink. I may not have everything, but I’d say you’re doing pretty well for yourself.”
“Does my age bother you?”
“Why would it bother me?”
I realize now maybe the moment we had earlier was a fluke. Maybe his hand on my thigh is just a comfort thing. Maybe he’s driving me home because he feels responsible for me, not because he wants to fuck me. “Oh, I don’t know. I just wondered.”
“No. I mean, you’re young, but I… it’s been a long time since I’ve connected with anyone. It feels kind of nice.”
“You feel connected with me?”
He laughs. “Yeah. Something about all the shit talk really makes me feel at home.”
I laugh and nervously adjust the heating vent. “Sorry. I walk around with all these walls up like I’ve got something to prove to everyone.”
“Well, you can let them down with me. Promise I won’t fuck you over, though I have been thinking about spanking that ass.”
“What?” I laugh. “Spanking my ass?”
“Yeah,” he glances toward me then back at the road. “You’ve got a mouth on you, and an ass that looks like it needs some marking up.”
My heart races, and part of me wants to jump on him, make him pull the truck over, and give me a proper ass spanking. That’s a thing I never, ever, would’ve wanted thirty minutes ago. The mere thought that he’s been thinking it soaks my panties.
“Is this something you do with all the women? You run your mouth, take them home, and spank their asses?”
He laughs. “No. I haven’t been with a woman in a decade. Hell, maybe longer at this point.”
“ Yeah, okay. You’re a big, rough, handsome guy. I’m sure the women around here are all over you.”
“I could get ‘em in the boat if I wanted to, but I don’t. Relationships are hard. You gotta be with the right person to put the effort in.”
“Okay, a relationship, sure… but a one-night thing. I’m sure you do that all the time.”
“Have you met women? Women don’t want one-night things. Not around here, anyway. The women here want full time, all the time, wake up together, have kids kind of things. Which, I’m not doing unless I meet someone that really fits with me, ya know?”
“What am I then? What were you doing pressing me against a wall, licking me up, then taking me home?” I don’t know why I’m getting so defensive. He hasn’t said anything wrong. We didn’t make any commitment, but for some reason, I’m on fire, like I want to lock him in a room and save him all for myself.
We pull into the stone driveway that leads to the little cabin I’ve rented in the middle of nowhere, and he kills the engine before turning toward me. “I don’t know what this is. I don’t usually feel compelled to kiss a woman mid-argument, then meet her father, and drive her home, but I’d like to see where it goes.” His gaze is on me and his big, rough hand is still on my thigh. “What about you? You must date all the time with loads of rich boys all desperate to touch you.”
I laugh. “No. I mean, I’ve gone out a few times for an evening or whatever, but nothing serious. If I’m honest,” my face heats at the thought of actually saying this out loud, “it’s nothing.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, something. Words were coming out of your mouth.”
“I was, but I changed my mind. I guess I should go inside. It’s pretty late.”
He grabs my arm as I turn and pulls me closer. “Do I need to give you that spanking or are you going to use your words?”
A rush of something warm runs through me, spiking my heart rate. I’m tempted to keep running my mouth so I can feel the heavy weight of his hand against my ass. That said, what I’m about to say might change things, and I suppose he deserves to know who I am before we go any further.
I draw in a deep breath. “I… I’m…” Why is the word so hard to say? Why is it so embarrassing? Everyone was a virgin at one point. My stomach tightens and I stare toward the big, gruff man in front of me. I’m sure he’s done it all, every weird sex thing ever. I mean, he’s got to be in his late forties. Surely he’s had some kinky crazy sex. “I’m a virgin.” I blurt the words then pull away and jump out of the truck and onto the stone driveway. The moon is full tonight, and it lights a path for me toward the front porch.
“Wait.” Clyde jumps from the truck and chases after me. “You’re a virgin?”
“Yeah. It’s embarrassing, but I thought you should know before we went any further.” My face heats as I speak, and I regret saying anything. Before I told him I was a virgin, I felt like a seductress. Now, I feel like a child. I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. Too bad that doesn’t change anything. “Anyway, you should go. I’m just… it’s late—”
His sandpaper hand lands on the side of my face, his gaze on mine softly as he says, “We’ll go slow. I’m sorry if I—”
“No. I’m not telling you because I want to slow down. I just thought you should know.” I swallow hard and turn away, sliding the key into the lock on the door before stepping inside. “You should get home. Don’t worry about driving me in tomorrow morning. I have another car in the garage. Besides, I should probably get there early for my dad.”
Sliding his hand under my chin, he redirects my wandering gaze to his. “You’re a good girl, princess. I’m coming back for you in the morning. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The thing happens again. The thing where my panties soak and my heart rate rockets. The thing where I want to jump all over him, drag him into my house, and be naughty until he spanks me. The thing where I can’t speak and the only thing running through my head is what he’d feel like inside of me.
The thing where I need to get myself in check.