Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Cara didn’t recognize the number that came up on her cell phone.
She normally didn’t answer calls from unknown people since they were usually scammers.
For some reason, she had an unexplainable urge to answer this one.
When she did, she had been prepared to hang up and block the number if her instinct was wrong.
It wasn’t.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” filled her ear. It was the same voice that answered her questions all those weeks ago when she originally made her reservation at the Double D Ranch.
“Are you calling for additional feedback on my stay?” she teased, since she had filled out the survey emailed to her after she returned home.
Dayne chuckled. “No. But I’ll still listen if you have any.”
“I figured mentioning that my stay was worth every dime spent said it all.”
“Honestly, I don’t read those surveys. Our Guest Services Manager does. But that’s good to know. I hope I had something to do with making your stay worthwhile.”
“ Mmm hmm . Heath, too.”
“I’ll assume that means you’d be open to returning for another visit.” After a slight hesitation, Dayne asked, “When can you come again?”
“I have a couple of vibrators so…anytime? Or did you mean phone sex?”
“No. Though, that sounds intriguing and I might take you up on that since phone sex is right up my alley. I meant come to the ranch.”
“I have work.” She already took a whole week off. She doubted the library director would be quick to approve another week.
“No vacation days?”
“I’ve accumulated plenty since I haven’t used many for years, but it will leave the library short-handed.”
“That’s their problem, not yours. You earned those days.”
“I did, but it’s not fair to my coworkers.”
“It’s not fair to me that you’re not here.”
She clicked her tongue. “ Aww . Poor baby. You live on a ranch resort. There are plenty of others available. Have you forgotten that?”
“Of course not.” He paused. “Maybe I don’t want anyone else.”
Wow. What? “Not even Heath?”
“Heath isn’t here.”
Of course not. He left the resort at the same time she did. After the three of them said their goodbyes. “Does he have plans to return?”
“He said he would.”
“When?”
“This weekend. ”
“Well then, he can keep you company.” Did she want to be with them? Sure. She actually missed seeing their faces—as well as other parts—every day. To be expected, the three of them had grown close during their stay a couple of weeks ago.
But, truthfully, she figured Dayne would simply move on afterward like he normally did after hooking up with guests. Him reaching out to her, and even Heath, surprised her. She hadn’t expected Dayne to miss them, too.
“Sure he could. I invited him to stay with me. In my wing. In the farmhouse. I’m extending that invitation to you.”
“To come stay with you?” Did her voice squeak?
“Unless you want to share my sister’s room.”
She rolled her eyes despite him not being able to see her. “Funny.”
“Not really. I’d prefer not to watch you eating out my sister.”
Cara just about choked on her own spit. She cleared her throat. “While two women having sex doesn’t gross me out, the thought of you watching your sister doing it does.”
He chuckled. “Same here. I was only messing with you.”
“I know.”
“So?”
“So…you’re asking me to come for a weekend and stay with you?”
“Yes.”
At least she wouldn’t have to ask for leave. Despite it being an almost-three-hour drive one way, the long hours in the car wasn’t the only reason making her hesitate. “Can I think about it?”
“No.”
She laughed softly. “You might not be a Dom but I’ve noticed you can be demanding. ”
“Absolutely. When I want something, I go after it. I want you.”
“Again, you have plenty of?—”
“You want me to fuck others?”
Truthfully, no, she didn’t, but they owed each other nothing. “You’ll be fucking Heath or vice versa, correct?”
“That’s different.”
“It’s not,” she countered.
“We both had sex with Heath. Would you rather me bring in a new third?”
“Why must you have three?”
“I’ve had more,” Dayne answered.
“I’m sure.”
“Cara, it’s not about having a threesome. It’s about who’d be involved in that dynamic.”
“Dayne, while you’re making me feel wanted, I’m simply a shiny new toy for you. I’m sure I’ll lose that shininess soon.”
He groaned. “You wound me.”
“Is that not true?”
“We won’t know until we get tired of each other.”
“Have you gotten tired of others?” She already knew the answer since he didn’t hide the fact he rarely had sex with the same person—or persons—more than once. Why would he want the same dish over and over when he owned a smorgasbord?
“Absolutely.”
“Have you ever been monogamous?”
“Yes, when I was young and dumb.”
“And now you’re older and smarter?”
Amusement colored his voice when he said, “Smarter than back then. I want to spend more time with you, Cara. Heath does, too. ”
“Is it because I’m a blank slate to mold however you’d like me?”
“No. I like seeing this world through your fresh eyes. I’m asking that you don’t close them.”
“I can’t simply pick up and go there whenever you ask, Dayne. Not only do I have a job, I have a dog.” One she loved very much and had missed while she’d been away. “I can’t leave her at home alone.”
Her sister had been kind enough to watch Buttons for her, but Amelia had her hands full already with three children under the age of eight, along with two large dogs and a cat. Not to mention, her man-baby husband who rarely lifted a finger with the kids or around the house.
“What kind?”
What did that matter? “A Boston Terrier.”
“Bring it.”
“Her. Her name is Buttons.”
Silence filled her ear for a moment. “Is she house trained?”
“Yes.”
“Will she chase our livestock? Eat our chickens?”
“I don’t know. I never take her off leash.”
“Then we’ll keep her on leash until we know those answers.”
Boy , was he persistent!
“I didn’t think guests were allowed to bring their pets.” If she stayed with him, though, she wouldn’t technically be a guest. Of the resort, anyway. She’d be a personal guest of one of the owners.
“Unless it’s a certified service dog, they’re not. Lucky enough, you have connections and you won’t be staying where the guests do. Bring her.”
“Dayne… ”
“I’m serious. As long as she isn’t shitting on the floors or chasing the livestock, no one will care she’s here.”
Cara doubted that. Buttons could be sassy. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I want you here.”
She was sooo tempted. The three of them had quickly created a bond. She’d like to see if she had imagined it. With what he was proposing, it wouldn’t cost her a dime to go this time, except for the gas to get there. How could she say no? “Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“I’ll come and bring Buttons, but not this weekend. It’s too short notice. However, even if I’m able to swing taking off the Friday on the weekend I come, I wouldn’t get there until the late afternoon. If I can’t, then it’ll be sometime in the evening.”
“Cara, it’s only a three-hour drive. Technically, you could be here by breakfast if you left early enough.”
She laughed. “I’d think you’ve gone without sex for years by the way you’re acting.”
“It feels like years.”
“You really haven’t had sex with anyone else since we left?” That was impossible.
“No.”
“Dayne…”
“I figured you might not want me fucking others.”
What? “Dayne, you owe me nothing. Us nothing.”
“Not even respect?”
“You abstained out of respect?” Bullshit .
“Look, it’s no secret that I love sex. I’ve had plenty of it with a vast amount of people since opening the resort, not counting my prior partners, but…” The phone went silent.
“But?” she prodded .
“But the truth is, none of the rest compared.”
He was really laying it on thick. “Are you saying I’m a natural when it comes to sex?” That was laughable.
“You are. You wanted to run that first night, but you didn’t. You stayed and gave the resort, and me, a chance. You expanded your knowledge and experience because you were willing to try new things and keep an open mind.”
“I don’t get it. If this is only about sex, then you could have plenty of it without us. You don’t need to have me or Heath in your personal space.”
Dayne didn’t respond for the longest time, and when he finally did, he said, “This isn’t only about sex.”
“Explain.”
“I’ve been struggling with this, but the truth is, I want to explore the connection the three of us had.”
So, he felt it, too.
“I want to know if it’s real and find out how deep it goes.”
She didn’t expect any of this to come from Dayne. “What does Heath think?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I sent him an invite for this weekend via text. He accepted. Maybe I’m wrong about this connection but I won’t know— we won’t know—unless we spend more time together.”
“I definitely didn’t expect any of this from you,” she whispered. Not when she thought she’d never hear from him again.
“I didn’t expect this from myself, either. Like I said, I’m struggling with this whole thing, but I also can’t ignore it. My life hasn’t been the same since you two left.”
Wow. That was some confession. Especially from a man who considered the resort as his personal playground.
“Are you asking us to return so you can work on getting us out of your system? ”
“Not at all. An invitation wouldn’t be needed for that. Having sex with others would do that job.”
“But you can’t.”
“No. I can’t stop thinking about you and Heath, Cara.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you and Heath, either,” she admitted softly. “Fine. I’ll let you know when I can come. Hopefully, before the end of the month.”
With one hand on his hip, Heath used the T-shirt hanging around his neck to wipe away the sweat beading on his forehead.
He was definitely getting more into running on trails rather than on the treadmill in his building’s gym. The terrain might be rougher but the run itself was easier.
The scenery also made it a bit easier, too. Not of the mountains or the pastures, but of Dayne’s ass and legs. And possibly his bare chest and back, too.