Chapter 36 Shiloh
Shiloh
After the rodeo this evening, we all went to eat to celebrate our winnings.
Watching Verge ride again after that night for sure made me anxious, especially given how two rides before him Pierce was fucking annihilated by that bull.
I can’t say I feel an ounce of remorse for him.
Karma is a bitch. We have not heard whether he is dead or severely injured, but I’ll say I will sleep better at night either way.
Once we get home, we all unload our horses.
Cash has been very quiet tonight. And I know he’s always that way, but something is different about tonight.
He’s honestly been off all damn day. As we are all dispersing, I grab him by the arm before he can make his way in the house. “Cash, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, why?” He asks.
I shrug. “You’ve been oddly off today. What were you doing with Uncle Tuff today? You've never helped him with bulls.”
“Well, Cross wasn’t there to help,” he quips quickly, and it makes my stomach sour. I look down to my boots, kicking the dirt, and he puts his hand on my arm, and I look back up at him.
“Sorry, Shiloh. It’s just been a day for me, okay?” He says, and it confuses me, but I don’t press him. He will open up to me if he wants to, and he seems in a mood, so I’ll let it lie for now, I suppose.
Tyler walks by and says, “Everyone have their hotels booked for Vegas, baby?”
He smiles, laughing as if he didn’t just pop off at me, and says, “Yeah, you?”
“I’ll be in my trailer.” She winks and hip bumps me, and I laugh, loving that her happy-go-lucky side is back.
Verge and Love come up along with Beau, and he puts his arm around me, saying, “What are we talking about?”
“Viva Las Vegas, baby,” Tyler squeals out.
We all laugh. She has been exceptionally chipper this evening, and we all know why. Not having to worry about Pierce anymore is probably a weight lifted off her shoulders.
“I’ll book our room tomorrow,” Verge replies, then asks, “I’m about ready for bed, what about you, Boots?”
I nod and look at Cash again, and he’s looking over his shoulder to the house before he says, “Yeah, I’m gonna turn in as well. Tyler, you good?”
He always makes sure she has everything she needs since Cross passed.
I haven’t really gotten him to talk about his feelings with all of that.
Cash has had more loss in his life than anyone should have.
I wish he would talk to someone about it, but I feel like that will only happen if he ever gives another woman a chance.
It breaks my heart for him, and maybe that’s why he’s so off this evening.
Who knows. Now that he isn’t so worried about me, maybe his mind has settled and he’s actually grieving now.
“Yep, thanks for always looking out, Cash.” She smiles, then waves. “Night, everyone.”
He smirks at her, but per usual it’s not a real smile.
Something is bothering him big time tonight, and I can’t put my finger on what it is.
Maybe it was Pierce. The way he was taken out.
Maybe just seeing that brought up some old shit for him.
I’m lost in my thoughts as everyone walks off, and Verge grabs my arm, “You ready to head up, baby?”
“Yeah,” I say with a slight lift of my lips as him, Love, and I head up to the loft.
Once we get up the stairs and he shuts the door, he says, “Okay, what’s going on?”
“What?” I ask.
“Something is on your mind.”
I sigh, leaning against the counter, and cross my arms, then ask, “Did you notice how odd Cash was tonight?”
“I mean, he was back in the chutes when I went back to ride. It was odd, but I don’t know, he…”
I cut him off.
“He was back in the chutes, why?” I shout, panic starting to fill my being. This can’t be what I think.
“I don’t know, but he seemed like he was in a hurry to get out,” he says as he sits on the edge of the couch, running his hands down his pants, and he is starting to look as if he knows something that he's not telling me too.
“What are you hiding?” I ask.
He looks up, his eyes betraying him when he purses his lips and says, “I don’t think we need to ask questions we don’t want the answer to, Shi.”
“Do you think he had something to do with Pierce tonight?” I ask quickly.
“Like I said, I don’t think we should ask questions,” he says, his jaw flexing as he looks away from me.
“Fuck,” I say under my breath, my head spinning with all the possibilities of how this could go wrong. I mean, sure, it looked like a terrible accident. Believable, in fact, but if he got caught, there is no telling what kind of hot water he would be in.
I’m spiraling, and I put my hands on top of my head, and before I know it, his hands are on my face, tilting my chin up and pulling my eyes to his before he says, “Shi, calm down. We don’t know this for a fact, and we don’t need to ask, okay?”
I nod, but my mind is still racing. If he goes to damn prison, I’ll have to live my life without him too, and I can’t do that. I can’t lose someone else.
“Shi,” he says again, turning my head to him.
I look up, and he’s searching my every feature with his warm, callused hands on my face when he says, “Don’t ask. Do you hear me?”
I nod because deep down I know he’s right.
If I know or he knows, that would make us accomplices.
It’s best to just let it lie and bury it.
This would 100% explain why he has been so off today, though.
Cash wouldn’t hurt a fucking fly, but when it comes to protecting the ones he loves, he will die for them, and I know this.
“I need you to promise me you aren’t going to ask, baby,” he says.
I nod.
“Say it. Say you aren’t going to ask questions, okay?”
“I won't ask, okay? I promise.”
He leans down and kisses me, then pulls me in, wrapping his arms around me before he says, “Go grab a shower, and I’m gonna grab a smoke and let Love out with me.”
I nod, and he walks off with Love.
I walk into the bathroom, gathering some towels, and my mind has what happened on fucking replay.
I turn on the water and undress, getting under the scalding water, thinking about how happy I was a few hours ago.
The way Verge absolutely killed it in the team roping today, giving me the spark back that I knew I needed.
And the fact that we all qualify for the 10-day rodeo in Vegas, but now all of this feels pointless because now I’m more stressed that my brother may have done something he can’t come back from if he got caught.
I let my mind spiral in the privacy of the shower as I wash my hair and body, and when I hear the open and shut of the loft door, I cut the water and get out of the shower.
I dry myself off and put his Nickelback shirt on.
It's been my favorite sleep shirt since the first day I put it on.
I open the door, drying my hair with a towel, as Love scoots past me, making herself comfortable on the end of the bed, per usual, and I laugh at her and put my thoughts of Cash out of my head for now, trying to let myself be happy about the man before me who will do anything to make me happy and keep me safe. .
He walks past me to the bedroom, and I grab his arm, and he looks at me with those beautiful silver eyes before I say, “I never got a chance to say thank you for today.”
“Thank you for what?” He asks, pinching his brows together.
“Roping with me.” I smile.
“I loved every minute of it, baby.” He smiles, and I walk closer, putting my hand on his jaw and kiss him.
He reaches around my waist, pulling me closer, and slides his tongue in my mouth.
I suck his lip into mine, and a low groan escapes him.
I feel him smile against my lips before he says, “I haven’t showered yet. ”
“I don’t care,” I breathe out.
I jump into his arms, and his hat falls to the floor, and he catches me, cupping my ass in his hands as he backs up to the bed, saying, “Love, out.”
I laugh as she scurries off the bed, and he kicks the door closed with his foot, and I lean my head back, laughing.
He spins around, laying me on the bed, hovering over me, and burrows into my neck, kissing me as I giggle. He pulls back and pulls his pearl snap off and tosses it too the floor. I lay there admiring him and smiling up at him.
He leans over me on his forearms, caging me in as he rubs his nose against mine and says, “You’re my everything, Shi, you don’t ever have to thank me for doing something that makes you happy, baby. If it puts a smile on your face, it sets my heart on fire. There is no life without you.”
I smile before I say, “I love you.”
I pull him closer, crashing into his mouth as we lose ourselves in a passionate kiss that I feel all the way to my toes.
He runs his hands around my ass then hooks his thumbs in my panties, dragging them down my legs slowly.
He spreads my legs, running his hands slowly up my thighs until he finds my core and runs his fingers up and down my folds and I gasp at the tingling feeling it sends running all the way down my body.
He lifts my shirt and lays his bare chest between my legs as I grind against him trying to find the friction I’m so desperate for.
Peppering kisses down my neck he makes his way down until his mouth finds my breast sucking and licking and I arch my back, closing my eyes.
Sitting up he flips me over on my knees, pulling me to the end of the bed. Spreading my legs, his hands find my center and he pushes two fingers in, working me slowly as he pushes my lower back down to give him better access and says, “Relax, I got you.”
I hear the clank of a belt buckle and look down to see he has pulled his pants and boxers down. He grabs my hips as he positions himself from behind and gently pushes into me and I gasp as I feel his length inside of me.
“Verge,” I pant out.
He brings his free hand to my front, massaging me with precision and it’s not long before I feel my orgasm build.
“I can tell you’re close, come for me baby.
” He muses and I explode. My eyes rolling to the back of my head as my toes curl and I feel myself tighten around him.
I shudder, letting the orgasm take over every fiber of my being, feeling him make love to me like this is pure bliss and it’s something I never want to be without.
He pulls his hand from my front, grabbing on to my hips with each hand as he thrusts in and out until he is leaning over me sweating and panting, losing himself. We both sit there breathing heavily as I turn toward him, kissing him and say, “You can take that shower now.”
He smiles against my lips, kissing me as he runs his hand through my damp hair, “Only if I can take you with me.”
“Always.” I reply and he picks me up and we start all over in the shower.
.