Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
O peration Get Casey As a Sex Teacher was not going well.
Mostly because Casey was as good at avoiding her as he was at kissing.
For the last four days, ever since she had made her proposition, he had worked well past dinner. When he did finally walk in the door, he wolfed down the plate of food she’d saved him, thanked her graciously, and headed upstairs where he stayed until she left.
She might have thought he wasn’t interested in her if she hadn’t felt his interest. It had been a lot of interest. A lot of long, hard interest that made her weak just thinking about. Since he desired her and she definitely desired him, she didn’t see why they couldn’t have a holiday fling. A short holiday fling before she went back to Dallas, where she had been offered a job as assistant pastry chef for a prestigious downtown hotel.
The job offer had come just that morning. She should be thrilled. It was an amazing opportunity. Most new pastry chefs would be doing cartwheels about now. But for some reason, she wasn’t. Probably because running Nothin’ But Muffins had made her dream of owning her own bakery even more vivid.
That, and she would miss her family. She enjoyed waking up before sunrise and having coffee on the front porch with Daddy. Enjoyed helping Mama and Mimi bake and put up holiday decorations. Enjoyed cuddling Autumn Grace, even when she was fussy. And regardless of their continual suspicions about her relationship with Casey, she enjoyed hanging with her sisters.
“Sweet Lord, Elle.” Liberty closed her eyes and chewed the bite she’d just taken of the Sugarplum Fairy muffins Noelle had brought to the Holiday Bed and Breakfast that morning. Liberty, Jesse, Belle, and Noelle were at the Holiday Sisters Events’ office that was located above the carriage house behind the bed-and-breakfast. “These are the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.” Liberty glanced at Jesse, who sat on the couch next to her with their fat pug, Buck, snoozing on his lap. “Well, maybe not the best thing.”
Jesse grinned and leaned over to give his wife a kiss. “Good to know, Libby Lou. Now quit talking naughty in front of your innocent little sister.”
“If she’s dating Casey, I doubt she’s that innocent anymore.” Liberty turned to Noelle, no doubt waiting for a confirmation or argument. Noelle gave her neither.
“Don’t start, Lib. Just like it’s none of my business what you do with Jesse. It’s none of your business what I’m doing”—or not doing—“with Casey.”
“Fine! But if you get hurt, don’t come running to me.”
Belle, who had been sitting at her desk and talking to a client on the telephone for the last fifteen minutes, hung up and turned to Liberty. “Of course she can come running to us, Lib. That’s what sisters are for. They are not for judging or saying ‘I told you so.’”
“Thank you, Belly,” Noelle said. “Now why did y’all call me here? Don’t tell me it was just to bring you breakfast.”
“No, but breakfast is certainly appreciated.” Liberty took another bite of muffin before holding it out for Jesse to take a bite. Buck roused long enough to open his mouth and catch the dropping crumbs. The smell of food finally roused Gilley, Belle and Corbin’s huge dog, from his nap under Belle’s desk.
Mickey Gilley and Buck Owens had both been Melba’s rescue dogs. Gilley was some kind of doodle mix. He looked like a Muppet and was just as cute. He followed Belle everywhere unless someone had food.
He was sitting in front of Liberty in a flash of his furry tail.
Liberty held the muffin over her head. “Back, you beast. You’re not getting my muffin.” Gilley whined and gave her a pitiful look until she conceded. “Fine, but only a pinch.”
“No, Libby,” Belle said as she got to her feet. “That’s too much sugar. I’ll get him and Buck a doggie treat.” She pulled a bag from the coffee bar cupboard and gave each dog a few treats before she answered Noelle’s question. “We invited you here to help us with a surprise.” She glanced at Jesse. “A surprise for our husbands. So you’ll have to leave, Jess.”
Jesse rubbed his hands together. “I do love a surprise. Of course, this puts a lot of pressure on me and Corbin to reciprocate.”
Liberty smiled slyly. “I bet our surprises are going to beat anything y’all come up with.”
Jesse stood, then leaned down and gave Liberty a kiss. “Challenge accepted.” He straightened. “Come on, Buck and Gilley. We have a Christmas surprise to plan.” The pug followed immediately, but Gilley looked to Belle and wouldn’t leave until she gave him the okay.
“Go on, Gilley. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
When Jesse and the dogs were gone, Noelle looked at her twin sisters.
“Okay, what’s this surprise and why am I being asked to help? I’m not going to Austin and buying you sexy lingerie. We aren’t even close to the same size in the booby department.” She proudly pushed out her chest.
Belle laughed as she took a seat next to Liberty. It never failed to amaze Noelle how much the twins looked alike. “Truth. But we don’t want you to buy us lingerie. We want you to make us a cake for Christmas.”
“Y’all know I’d love to, but how is that going to surprise your husbands? They’ve eaten my cakes before.”
“It’s not the cake that’s the surprise,” Liberty said. “It’s what’s going to be inside the cake.”
“What do you want me to put inside it?”
Belle and Liberty exchanged glances before Belle spoke. “Something that announces to our husbands and the rest of the family that . . . Liberty and I are pregnant.”
Noelle stared at her sisters. “What?” She glanced at Liberty. “But I thought . . .”
“I know.” Liberty beamed. “I thought I couldn’t get pregnant either, but I guess my endometriosis scars didn’t keep my ovaries from doing their job after all.”
Noelle hadn’t known how bad Liberty’s endometriosis had been until recently. Liberty wasn’t a sharer. She was the type of person who kept her emotions in check and powered through whatever life dealt her. So Noelle had no idea how much she’d wanted kids until now. Her face held the same joy as Belle’s, but tears streamed down her cheeks. And Liberty was not a crier. In fact, she hated tears. Seeing her so overwhelmed with emotion made Noelle start crying.
“Oh my gosh, y’all!” She quickly got up and joined her sisters on the couch. Soon they were all crying and hugging. “I know twins do everything together, but this is crazy.”
Belle drew back and wiped at her cheeks. “Isn’t it wonderful? Our due dates are only a week apart.” She smiled at Liberty. “It’s like it was just meant to be that our July babies will be almost as close in age as we are.”
“July?” Noelle sighed. “That’s just awesome, y’all. We have to incorporate sparklers or something Fourth of July-ish on, or in, the cake. You leave it to me. I’m going to make it the best pregnancy announcement cake anyone has ever seen. I’ll sketch out a drawing for you and bring it by in the next couple days for your okay.”
Liberty shook her head. “It will have to be next week. Belle and I have a wedding in Austin and Corbin and Jesse are coming with us.”
“Our new house by Cooper Springs is almost finished,” Belle said. “And Corbin and I are going to pick out furniture for it. We plan to move in right after the holidays.” She rested a hand on her stomach. “Which is perfect timing. But you can still drop the drawing off while we’re gone.” She hesitated. “Libby and I were wondering if maybe you’d like to stay at the bed-and-breakfast while we’re gone and keep an eye on Gilley and Buck. Mimi can watch Tay-Tay.” Taylor Swift was Corbin and Belle’s tiger-striped kitten, yet another gift from Melba. “But she can’t handle Gilley and Buck too. And we can’t ask Mama. She’s already doing too much with her broken arm. It’s okay if you can’t. We can always kennel them.”
Noelle was getting a little tired of helping her sisters out, but she couldn’t stand the thought of Gilley and Buck being stuck in a small kennel while Liberty and Belle were gone. “I’ll do it.”
Belle jumped up and gave her a hug. “Thank you. I’ll get you the keys.”
Once Noelle had the keys in hand, she left her sisters and headed to Remington Ranch. She was just getting out of her car when the garage door opened and Rome’s truck backed out. It stopped next to her and the passenger window rolled down.
“Hey, Elle,” Cloe said. “Didn’t you get my messages?”
She pulled her phone out of her purse and saw the line of text messages on the screen. “Shoot! I turned the ringer off last night and forgot to turn it back on. What’s going on?”
“Autumn is sounding a little congested so we’re taking her to the pediatrician. Sam and Casey are working in the south pasture and we won’t be back until later this afternoon. So you don’t need to stay. You’ve already done so much, Elle, and we can’t thank you enough for all your help.”
“You know I don’t mind at all. Since I already have a roast thawing out in the refrigerator, I’ll just put it in the Crock-Pot. That way you don’t have to fuss with dinner when y’all get home.”
Cloe glanced over at Rome. “Do I have the best sister in the world or what?”
“No argument here.” Rome leaned over and smiled at Noelle. “Cloe is right. We can’t thank you enough, Elle. I know Sam and Casey feel the same way.” He hesitated. “Is everything okay with you and Casey? He’s been spending a lot of time away from the ranch and we thought maybe . . .” He glanced at Cloe and she finished the sentence for him.
“Y’all had gotten into an argument.”
Noelle forced a smile. “No. Not at all. And you don’t need to worry about me. Like I told you both, we’re just hanging out together during the holidays. It’s nothing serious. Now get my sweet niece to the doctor’s and keep me posted.”
Once they pulled away, she used the key under the doormat to let herself in. It was strange being in the house all alone. But also kind of nice. She plugged in the lights on the Christmas tree and then told Alexa to play some Christmas music while she prepared the roast.
She had learned a lot of fancy recipes for how to prepare beef in culinary school, but not one of them beat out simmering the meat on low in a Crock-Pot with rich gravy, carrots, and potatoes. After she started the roast, she did a little straightening and folded the pile of baby clothes she found in the dryer. When she came out of Autumn’s room after putting the clothes away, she noticed the open door of the room across the hall.
Casey’s room.
She couldn’t resist taking a peek.
For some reason, she thought it would be a mess. Instead, it was much neater than her room at the Holiday Ranch. No clothes or shoes were strewn around and the king-sized bed was made perfectly, the navy comforter smooth as glass and the pillows stacked neatly against the oak headboard. The nightstand held a lamp, phone charger cord, and an ereader.
The ereader surprised her. She hadn’t taken Casey for a reader. She glanced at the door before she picked it up and opened it with a swipe. The titles ranged from popular fiction novels to books on raising beef cattle and animal husbandry. She replaced the ereader on the nightstand and again glanced at the door before she opened the top drawer.
It held chargers, nasal spray, ChapStick, nail clippers, sore muscle cream, melatonin capsules . . . and a box of condoms. She pulled out the box and read the label.
Her eyes widened.
Ecstasy XL. Twenty percent larger than the standard condom. Lubricated and ribbed for her intense pleasure.
Just the thought of Casey giving her intense pleasure made her feel like a puddle of warm maple syrup. Of course, he hadn’t bought the condoms for her.
“What are you doing?’
She jumped and whirled toward the door, dropping the box. Casey stood in the doorway with his cowboy hat pushed back and his eyes narrowed.
He crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway. “Well?”
“Umm . . . I was just . . . straightening up.”
He glanced down at her boots that were surrounded by condoms. “My condoms?”
She felt her face heat. Instead of answering, she knelt and started putting the condoms back in the box. She couldn’t help noticing how many there were. It was like he hadn’t used any of them. Which made her extremely happy.
He walked over. “I’ll get them.”
“I made the mess. I’ll clean it up.”
He reached down and took her arm, effortlessly lifting her to her feet. “I said I’d get them.” The feel of his work-worn hand on her arm made her a little lightheaded. Or maybe she was still lightheaded from reading the box of condoms. Whatever the reason, she swayed on her feet, causing his hand to tighten and concern to enter his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Nope. She wasn’t okay. She was sex doped by this hunk of virile cowboy and she wasn’t going to be okay until she got him into bed. As luck would have it, there just happened to be a bed right behind her and a bunch of for her intense pleasure condoms scattered around her feet.
Unfortunately, he seemed to read her thoughts and quickly released her and stepped back.
“No, Ellie. Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a bad idea.” He turned and strode out of the room, but she followed him.
“Why is it a bad idea? You’re sexually interested in me and I’m sexually interested in you. Why can’t we have a night of . . . sexual interest? Just one night is all I want. One night where you show me all the things I should already know.”
He stopped and turned to her. “There’s nothing you should already know, Ellie. Believe me when I tell you that your inexperience isn’t a turnoff. Kenny is a dick who needs his ass whipped. When you meet the right man, he’ll be thrilled to teach you everything you need to know. But that right man isn’t me. I’m not anyone’s right man. You need to understand that.”
“Then we’re a perfect pair because I’m starting to think I’m not anyone’s right woman. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe neither one of us is ever going to find our other half. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have moments when we feel like part of a whole—moments when we don’t feel so alone.” She hesitated. “And when you touch me, Case, I feel like I’m not alone.”
He stared at her for a long moment before he released his breath in a hiss. “Dammit, Ellie. Why do you always have to have the last word?” With a frustrated groan, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was rough and needy and devouring. She loved it. She loved knowing he felt the same way she did—like a champagne bottle that had just been popped so all the bubbly sprayed out. Liquid heat rushed through her veins as he stepped her back and pushed her against the wall, the hard evidence of his desire digging into her stomach and causing heat to pool in her panties.
Coming up to her tiptoes, she rubbed against his XL length. It did give her intense pleasure, so did his hand slipping beneath her shirt and palming her breast. In other men’s hands, she had always felt too big. In Casey’s, she felt just right. He must have thought so too because he groaned as he squeezed her abundant flesh in his strong fingers.
“Damn,” he muttered against her lips. “I could come just like this.”
She pulled his bottom lip through her teeth. “Good by me.”
He drew back long enough to strip her shirt over her head. At second later, her bra cups were tugged down and her breasts swelled forth.
“Holy shit!”
She would have questioned whether his exclamation was good or bad if he hadn’t dove right in and started worshipping them with kisses. Lush, tongue-brushing kisses that made her knees so weak she had to hold on to his shoulders or slip to the floor. When his tongue swiped over her nipple, she swore she saw stars.
“Casey!”
She felt his smile before he sucked her nipple into his hot mouth. The tight coil of need between her legs tightened almost painfully.
She bucked her hips. “Please, Case.”
His mouth released her, his breathy words brushing over her nipple. “You want me to take care of that itch, Ellie?”
“Yes!”
She thought he would carry her to his room. Instead, he knelt in front of her and expertly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans before tugging them down. Once he had one leg out of the pooled jeans, he hooked it over his shoulder.
“What are you—”
That was all she got out before his hot, wet mouth did make her see stars. Sparkly stars that went with the fiery ones that he ignited between her legs. She had thought he was an expert and he was proving it. Only an expert could bring her to the brink as quickly as he did. With just the right tongue flicks and suction, he sent her spiraling over the edge into a gasp-worthy, quivering orgasm that seemed to go on forever.
As it drew to a satisfying close, she opened her eyes and looked down to see him watching her with hot blue eyes that made her feel a wave of desire all over again.
With one last sensuous kiss, he slipped up her panties and got to his feet.
“Okay. So this is happening. But just like with our fake relationship, we need rules. Firstly, this isn’t going to be a long drawn-out thing.” He held up a finger. “One time and one time only.”
She tried to focus on what he was saying, but it wasn’t easy when her brain was orgasm fried. So she just repeated what he said. “One time and one time only.”
“Secondly.” His gaze lowered to her breasts and he swallowed hard. “Secondly . . .”
“Secondly?”
He shook his head as if to clear it and lifted his gaze. “Secondly, no cuddling or long talks or romance. This is just sex. Nothing more. Understood?”
She nodded. “Understood. Now will you take me to bed, Case?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. This isn’t the right time. This was just . . . a preliminary trial.” She liked preliminary trials. She liked them a lot. “If we’re going to do this,” he continued. “Then we need a place where we won’t be interrupted.” His gaze lowered once again to her breasts. “A place where I can devote every single second to your lessons.”
A warm shiver of anticipation ran through her.
She had just the place.