Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kate
I’m so sexually frustrated I might come from a breath if it hits my skin just right.
But instead of riding a postcoital high, I’m following my not-a-cowboy back to the main house, and you best believe I am ogling his ass the entire way.
I don’t know what happened between us in that barn while we stared at each other. But something shifted between us. Something deep and stirring. That eye lock far more intimate than even my sitting on his lap had been.
Damn Gus and his interference.
Vaughn reaches back and takes my hand, pulling me closer to him.
At the stairs, he lets go, only to place his at the small of my back as we climb the stairs.
Like he’s a force field that can prevent me from falling backward or something stupid.
Warm tingles sprout from the place where he’s touching me and spread out over my entire body.
Vaughn is the total package. I want to devour him whole and be consumed by him at the same time.
The heady realization is almost as intoxicating as that kiss was.
I’ve spent my life around men more than women.
My career demands that I be one of the guys, present more masculine.
From the shapeless unisex uniforms to the types of calls we run, toxic masculinity bleeds into even the most basic interactions.
I need to be hard and in control of myself on calls.
Mostly, that comes naturally in times of crisis, but it’s the after, when I want to talk about a call or feel bad for a transport, that I get looked at sideways.
At the station, I’m sexless, considered one of the guys or their little sister at best. And for so long, I’ve wanted someone to see me. The real me. Not some manufactured version of myself, but the heart of me. To accept me for all the different sides of myself that I don’t always show the world.
But Vaughn doesn’t look at me the way others do. Our first meeting, he liked what he saw and wanted it. And based on the way his body responded to that kiss, he still wants me. But there’s more to it than that.
When I’m around him, I feel soft and girlie and romantic. And also like a raging hornball… all at the same time. I need a cold shower. Or an orgasm or two.
But he’s also taken my rants in stride. Proven to me I can be my authentic self. And that makes my attraction to him deeper than anything I’ve ever felt for anyone.
Gus grunts a hello from his recliner, the white of his undershirt blinding as he stands. “Bout time.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’d been waiting up on us. Old man Gus is the responsible one, and we’re the kids he has to supervise. I chuckle at the thought.
“What’s so funny, Katie?”
It’s his accusatory tone that makes me take a second look at him. Though he’s trying to do his grizzly bear impression, it’s falling flat. “You feeling okay, Gus?” I sidle around the chair, noting the pale pallor of his skin, and take him by the wrist so I can check his pulse on the down-low.
“I’m fine, just tired. I was waiting up because I didn’t know if you had a key to get back in.”
“That’s awful sweet, Gus, but I’m calling BS on it. You forget that I know you don’t lock the doors around here.”
He steps forward and wobbles, teetering into me. In a flash, Vaughn and I have Gus sandwiched between us.
“What in the hell is wrong with you two,” he wheezes, even as his legs give out. “Just help me to my chair. I’m fine.”
“You stubborn ass,” I mutter.
Vaughn eases Gus to the chair, and I jog to the downstairs bathroom for my mini jump bag.
I do my standard patient checks but reverse the process to check his blood sugar first.
“Gus, what all did you eat today?” I know he didn’t eat much at dinner, but Vaughn’s been making healthy meals, though if Gus is being his temperamental self, he may or may not have chosen to eat it.
He fills me in on his diet, and Vaughn goes to the kitchen. “Pop, did you take your meds today?”
Gus and I both freeze at what I’m assuming is a name the old man hasn’t heard in a very long time.
His eyes go glassy as he stares at me. His back faces Vaughn, and there’s a sudden vulnerability in his gaze, begging me not to say anything.
With a sudden headshake, he sinks back, his lids lowering like he’s exhausted as Vaughn comes back into the room holding out a daily pill container—today’s meds still in their compartment.
“Well, I think we figured out the problem. Can he take them now?”
I nod and stand, taking the offered pills from Vaughn and squatting before Gus once again.
Vaughn retreats to the kitchen, only to return a few seconds later with a glass full of milk.
Once Gus has downed the meds, I lift my eyes to find Vaughn with his hands on his hips and concern written all over his face.
Gus fakes like he’s sleeping, and Vaughn motions for me to follow him to the kitchen. “He gonna be okay? Should we call someone?”
I busy myself with washing my hands and anything else I can think of so I don’t blurt out the question that’s burning at the forefront of my mind.
Does he even know how much Gus loves him?
Does he know how being called that name affected the old man?
There’s obviously so much between them, and I still don’t know the root cause of the rift.
But now is not the time, and it’s really none of my business, so I let it go. “He should be okay, but I think I’ll sleep down here tonight so I can keep an eye on him.”
Vaughn’s shoulders sag a split second before he pulls me in for a hug. “Thanks.”
The man continues to surprise me with his gentleness under all that gruffness. He’s exactly like his grandfather, with that hard, crusty shell protecting a center of goo.
It’s a long night as I wake up every hour to check on Gus. But at some point, I feel comfortable enough that I allow myself to fully lie down on the couch and turn off my hourly alarms.
A gentle shaking and my name rumbled in a low tone wakes me. I’m snuggled under a blanket I didn’t bring down, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee entices me to open my eyes.
“It’s later than normal, so you’ll miss your morning workout. Figured you could use the extra sleep more than an extra rep or two.” He gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze, glides a hand over my unruly hair, and leaves me once again stunned.
I am in so much trouble with this guy, because Vaughn Adams is the kind of man a woman could fall for.