Chapter 26
brIAR
He plopped me down on the kitchen counter and slid his hands onto my hips. Fingers dug into my skin as his tongue shoved down my throat, the wet feel of his taste swirling with my own breath. Hot and heavy, every worry, everything else that drowned me was blown away as I lost control in him.
His chest rose and fell heavily with each beating of his heart that slammed so hard against his ribcage; I could feel it. Mine matched the rhythm, and I tangled my fingers in his hair, begging for more.
And more. And more.
My body was desperate for relief that would only come from him. The walls around us shattered, as every fiber in my skin roared hot with his touch. Panting, I was falling apart in front of him; his kiss was not nearly as gentle or tender as the silky caress had once been. Magnetism pulled us together, inseparable by anything around us as he broke the kiss and his teeth found the skin of my neck.
Tilting my head back, I bared as much to him as I could, accepting the rough nips that were followed by his tongue, wet and warm lapping at the marks that he made. I was a mess, in all the right ways. As I raked my fingers through his hair, his chest vibrated with an uncontrollable hum, and he rocked my hips toward him.
Pressed flush against his body, coarse strands brushing against my palms, I grabbed a handful of his tresses and jerked his head up, away from my neck. I slammed my lips against his again, and his fingers tightened on my hips, and then slipped beneath the hem of my T-shirt.
Goosebumps erupted over my entire body as his calloused touch brushed against bare skin. Not a thread separated his hands from my waist as they slunk around to my lower back and tightened me against his torso.
A sharp gasp left my lips, giving access to his tongue, and he slipped it between my teeth once more. The reckless dance between our mouths increased in fervency as my entire body pulsed with hot, slick flames. Sticky and sweet, inhaling his scent of bergamot and hay, I slid my hands from his now messy hair and grabbed the front of his shirt.
His eyes snapped open as my fingers trailed along his neck and I undid the top button. Heavy breaths escaped his lips, washing over my face and churning the fire that danced in the deepest pits of my stomach. Everything ached, in ways that had me needing more of him as I worked down the next button and the next. Whispered desires twirled on the dangling edge dripping with an appetite only filled by each other.
“I have more shirts,” he groaned, impatiently, grabbed the fabric right beneath my hands, and ripped it open the rest of the way. A couple of buttons popped off, clattering against the ground. Diving back in against his mouth, my swollen lips worked against his kiss as I shoved the shirt from his shoulders. It fluttered to the floor, and his hands grabbed my cheeks. As rough as his kiss, he tightened his hold on me.
I was addicted. The only thing on my mind was the feel of his skin beneath my hands that trailed down his muscled back. Touching every mountain that tensed beneath my fingers, sliding down to every crevice that enhanced with my movements sent a shudder through my body.
His tongue fought with mine—a craving that I would never want to be rid of—and his palms whispered down my neck. As he brushed over my collarbone, my mind tracked his movements all over my body, landing back at my waist. Without hesitating, he slid them beneath my thighs, hoisting me from the counter and into his heated frame.
Right as the front door came crashing open. “Guess who is a girl dad?” a young man’s voice shouted, and my eyes snapped open.
“WHAT THE…?!” the brown-haired intruder screeched, annoyed, as Cassidy pulled his kiss away, and we both locked sights onto the uninvited guest. The visitor’s jaw fell open, and he raised his brows, wrinkling the freckles that lined a face that I’d seen before but couldn’t quite place.
He raised a hand and pointed at my head. “I’m pretty sure that’s your hat, Cassidy,” he teased, smirking like a giddy teenager who’d just discovered girls for the first time.
“Butch, what in the seventh heavens are you doing here?” Cassidy growled and quickly placed me back down on the counter.
“Tenley had the baby, so Mom sent me back to the ranch to help you out with chores,” he paused and wiggled his brows way too slowly to not be completely aware of what had been happening. His eyes darted from me, landing back on Cassidy. “I thought you had a concussion or something.”
“I do,” Cassidy grumbled, letting go of me as my entire body ran warm, not from what we had been doing, but from the embarrassment that flushed my figure.
“Clearly. And you seem quite incapacitated by it,” Butch taunted, and then his eyes flickered down to Cassidy’s exposed torso. Concern flashed onto his features, maturing him. “Is that from the crash too?” he asked, pointing at the purple and black bruise forming on Cassidy’s ribs.
“Ah, no. That’s from earlier today,” Cassidy answered and crossed his arms, his pecs bunching with the movements, and I nearly drooled at the sight. Pulling the hat from my head, I hid my face behind it and peaked just over the brim.
“Earlier today? What happened earlier today?” Butch exclaimed, his forehead wrinkling in surprise. Such effortlessly handsome features riddled this young man, who seemed to be in his late teens, maybe early adulthood.
“Long story. Anyway, you’ve heard of knocking, right?” Cassidy said.
“Since when do I have to knock at your house?” Butch answered, giving him one last questioning look. Cassidy rolled his eyes.
“Git, would ya?” Cassidy raised a hand and waved him away.
“Think you can put your adult activities on hold until at least Dad is back? I drove Keaton and Millie from the hospital, too, so they can help out here as well, and I would really like to not get in trouble for something you did.”
“It’s my house, I’ll do what I want,” Cassidy grumbled, and I wanted to disappear from the room—be somewhere, anywhere that wasn’t here.
Butch grinned. “I won’t tell anyone if you let me use your house for a couple hours on Saturday.”
“Absolutely not. That is not even remotely the same,” Cassidy snarled.
“How is it not?”
“You’re eighteen, I’m—”
“Eighteen is an adult.”
“Nope. I don’t care, my answer is a firm no.”
“It’s just for dinner, that’s it. Away from Mom and Dad.”
“Then take Lacy to town.” Cassidy marched toward Butch and pointed over his head. “Now, go. I’ll be out in a few minutes, and we can get started with chores.”
Butch glanced over his uncle’s shoulder and grinned at me. “Nice to officially meet you, by the way.” A soft squeak left my lips as he turned back to Cassidy. “Make sure to pick up all the buttons that popped off of your shirt when she tore it open!” he teased and sprinted out of the house as fast as he could—narrowly missing the boot that Cassidy was ready to swing at Butch.
Slowly, the cowboy himself turned back around and pulled his lips between his teeth, grimacing. My cheeks burned red hot, even if there was a bit of humor in the situation, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, remaining hidden behind the hat.
Cassidy closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m sorry ’bout that,” he mumbled.
A giggle escaped my lips, and I looked away, dropping my palms to brace against the counter, and gently placed the cowboy hat on its crown beside me. “It’s fine. But um…that’s good news, isn’t it? Tenley had a girl,” I said, trying to change the subject from the reality that his nephew walked in on us in the middle of, well…doing stuff.
“Yeah, it’s good news,” he muttered, tipping his head back.
“Means that she and the baby are fine,” I continued.
“Yeah, means that.” His eyes remained closed as he shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression and emotions indecipherable.
“Are you…Are you upset or something?” I cautiously asked, sliding myself slowly down from the counter. Maybe I was supposed to feel ashamed by what we’d almost done, but at this point, I was mostly confused over his reaction.
“Yeah, I am,” he grumbled.
And my heart shattered, the pieces crumbling to the floor as quickly as his buttons had. I’d made him upset. Wrapping my arms around my body, my attempt to hide myself away failed as he dropped his chin to his chest and opened his eyes.
Immediately, his brows lifted, and he raced across the room. “Woah, not at you, Goldie!” he gasped and jerked me into his chest, encircling me in his embrace. Gently swaying, he held me. “I’m upset that we were interrupted. I’m upset that I’ve gotta leave you and this house to go do chores with a moody eighteen-year-old and help babysit a couple kids when the most incredible, beautiful woman I’ve ever met is right here.” His fingers snaked into my hair as he tightened me against his body.
“Okay, that’s fair,” I muttered. Each puzzle piece of my heart found its rightful place back in my chest with every word he uttered, and I knew I couldn’t stay here alone and wait for him again. Every part of me desired to be wherever he was, doing whatever he wanted or needed to do. “I can come with and help?” I offered.
“Mmmmm, if your version of helping means a few public displays of affection, then absolutely,” he teased, burying his face in my hair.
“Let me go get my hat,” I answered and gently whacked him against his back. Giddiness filled my soul as he rocked side to side even faster, still holding me a little longer. He knew, despite my subtle defiance, that I most certainly would give into any sort of physical expressions of intimacy that he wanted. Obviously within the boundaries of what was appropriate in front of others, but that didn’t mean my heart soared any less.
If only my father could see how happy Cassidy made me.
Or how safe I was here, despite all of the craziness going on.
I didn’t care that my mother had abandoned me, nor did I care any longer that my father had lied about it. I still wanted answers, but in the end, the people that cared about me, loved me, wanted me, they stayed—which included my dad.
And they were the ones that really mattered.
∞∞∞
“Briar!” Keaton’s voice bounced through the air as I followed behind Cassidy around the corner. The red-headed boy waved at me, a grin on his face as he sat next to Butch on top of some hay bales.
That’s right, I thought. Butch was Keaton’s brother, and sitting next to each other, and besides their hair color and age difference, they looked nearly identical.
Cassidy’s fingers tightened in mine, as if he was proudly displaying that I’d admitted I had feelings for him. We weren’t together, at least not that I knew of, but we weren’t not together? Maybe?
Whatever, it didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that his hand was holding mine and that we were walking together.
“Hi, Keaton!” I shouted, waving in response. Butch leaned back, stuck a stalk of hay between his teeth, and grinned, all too knowingly for the situation.
“Glad to see you finally accepted the fact that Uncle Cassidy is into you,” Keaton admonished, a very similar grin to his brother’s slipping onto his face.
“Nothin’ gets past you, does it?” Cassidy mumbled beside me, letting go of my hand and throwing his arm around my shoulders. The red-headed boy hopped down from the haystack.
“Have you seen our family? I’m pretty sure the week or so that Weston and Tenley dated in secret was a world record around here,” he teased.
“Fair enough,” my cowboy answered as we stopped in front of Keaton. “Where’s Millie?”
“Bathroom,” Butch answered, jumping down as well.
“Okay, well let’s go get started with chores and keep an eye out for her,” Cassidy instructed. Both boys nodded, and then we were off.
And somehow, I found myself sitting on a rail, watching a fully grown man have a standoff with his eighteen-year-old nephew—all at the request of the seven-year-old girl who had devised this as a plan to see who would get me on their side to help them with their individual chores. That was all we had left for the evening to finish up.
Cassidy rocked the stalk of hay in his teeth, keeping his chin tucked to his chest and his hat low over his eyes. His fingers hovered over his waistband where the airsoft pistol was holstered. All that was needed was an old, wild west saloon door creaking as he entered and the sound of trumpets to follow. Shifting to a wider stance, his spurs rang out and his chaps billowed in the light wind.
“Didn’t think you’d show.” Cassidy lifted his chin, and I could’ve sworn a red-tail hawk call danced through the air. “Friend,” he added tauntingly, laying the old western accent on thick.
Butch, in a similar style outfit with his own airsoft pistol holstered on his waist, inhaled deeply. “I never miss a chance to duel at high noon.” He widened his stance as well and turned his head sideways, peering at Cassidy from the corner of his eye.
“More like evening noon,” Cassidy answered and exaggerated narrowing his gaze. “Friend,” he added. He flexed his fingers, and the hawk called again, then a tumbleweed just happened to roll across the pasture they were having their standoff in.
“Well,” Butch gave him a sly grin, hidden beneath his hat. “I’ll have you know, I didn’t come alone, partner.”
Keaton, also dressed in the same thing, stepped out from behind Butch, his spurs clanging as he stopped beside his brother and let a hand hover over his own fake weapon.
Cassidy grinned. “Well, friend. I never go anywhere alone either.” And I nearly fell off of the fence as little Millie, with bright red hair tucked beneath a hat slightly too big for her, stepped around the back of Cassidy. He’d let her borrow a pair of his chinks that were still way too big for her, and the spurs they’d somehow managed to hook to the back of her boots dragged against the dirt, swamping her feet.
Another red-tail hawk cry ricocheted through the air as everything turned stiff. Tensions slithered through the thick atmosphere, and not a single soul dared to move as they stood, locked and ready for battle. I swear I could hear a band playing the old standoff music from the shows I grew up watching in the background.
Cassidy raised a single brow.
Sweat trickled down the side of Keaton’s forehead.
Butch narrowed his eyes.
Millie stuck her chin out and widened her shoulders.
The sun dipped below the peak of the mountains, draping the scene in a hazy orange glow.
My heart raced in my chest as the four of them remained absolutely still.
And then Butch’s fingers grazed his pistol.
Cassidy ripped his airsoft gun from the holster, and Butch was running for his life as Millie drew on Keaton. She suddenly dove behind the grown man beside her. Pellets flew through the air, slamming into chaps and dirt.
Dust kicked up behind Keaton and Butch as they barreled straight toward Cassidy and Millie. My cowboy snatched the little girl up, tossed her over his shoulders, and started gangly running away from the other two.
“The lady must choose! The lady must choose!” Cassidy shouted, begging for surrender as Butch drilled him in the butt, and Millie giggled wildly in her uncle’s arms.
“We are the fair winners of this duel! Surrender. Briar is now on our side, and you get to do chores all alone,” Butch commanded, then blew across the tip of his pistol as if cooling off the chamber.
The two boys stopped giving chase, and Cassidy paused, his back still to the boys. He slid Millie down from his shoulder, and they had a private conversation. One that Keaton and Butch both strained to hear, but their words were so quiet there was not a sound that reached my ears.
Then Cassidy whipped around with the gaze of a wild ghost rider, and Millie jumped from his arms, holding both pistols. She cackled into the air and began rapidly firing at the two boys. Cassidy took off, sprinting directly toward me, his eyes roaring with hot flames. The orange from the sunset glowed in his hazel irises that were locked on the very person that they’d been fake dueling over: me.
“Cassidy!” I squealed as he scooped me off the fence, hopped the railing, guided my legs around his waist, and continued sprinting away without missing a step.
“KEEP GOING! WE MUST HAVE HER ON OUR SIDE!” Millie shouted, the sounds of her airsoft gun still clicking as he carried me farther and farther away.
As I wrapped my arms around his broad neck, he glanced over his shoulder, his grin as wide and carefree as ever. There was something so pure about this man in this moment. A gentleness behind whatever rough exterior that he typically exuded that had me melting in his arms.
He raced farther away, catching my eyes from his peripherals, and he grinned even wider. Playful. A word that seemed to accurately describe this moment with this man. The worries were still there, the maturity that came from a life full of burdens was still hanging onto our coattails, but for just this tiny space in time, they were a problem for tomorrow.
Until his feet came to a screeching halt and the serenity slipped from his face.
Cassidy’s fingers dug into my body. The sound of distant laughter was muffled by the crunch of tires on gravel, ebbing closer and closer toward our solitude. Sweat dripped down my back as Cassidy slowly lowered my boots to the dirt below. An arm remained around my waist, and the moment I was steady, I glanced over my shoulder, refusing to put space between Cassidy and me.
“Who’s that?” I whispered, my veins prickling hot with the too familiar nauseating stab of fear. A black escalade creeped up the road, heading straight toward the main house off to the side.
“I have no idea,” he answered slowly.
“It’s too soon,” I replied, my lip trembling as his hold around my waist tightened. “Cassidy…” I begged as the chains that were dragging us to the bottom of a river arrived. The devil had arrived to carry me home.
“Go. Take the kids to the house,” he commanded.
I shook my head. “I won’t leave you here alone.”
“Wayde wants you. You can’t be here.”
“This was never supposed to happen like this. He’s already sent a dozen men; who’s to say he’s alone now?” I whispered as the black escalade lugged to a stop. The windows were tinted so dark you couldn’t see the passengers.
“Briar, I won’t argue with you. Now, go get those three and leave.” His arm slid away from my waist.
“Please! Be smart about this!” I begged, refusing to leave.
“Then I’ll have Butch stay to give me cover or something. Now, go! Take Keaton and Millie!” he snarled and took a threatening step toward the uninvited guest.