“Everyone talks about you guys at the ranch. And you,” her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Well, you’re the fun, sexy one. You’re always making people laugh. I’d see you, at the bar sometimes. And whoever was with you was always laughing.” Her eyes scrunched and she tilted her head. “You’ve just got this shine about you.”
Shine. He had a shine about him? Him? Not his money or the gold and diamond jewelry she thought he’d shower her in?
But the more he looked at her, those eyes of hers so open, the more he believed her. She wanted him. Just him.
She thought he had shine.
He covered her mouth with his. Christ, she tasted sweet. The instant the tip of their tongues made contact, she started writhing against him crazily. Like she couldn’t get enough of him. Like she’d never felt anything so good in her life.
Liam pulled out and shoved back in, hiking her up by both her legs and pinning her against the wall.
Her features went soft with lust and he leaned in to nip her gorgeous throat with his teeth. She clutched his head and held him to her, all the while making little high-pitched gasps. The octave seemed to rev higher and higher the more he thrust.
And then she let out a keening wail as she shuddered around his cock. Liam leaned over and drowned the noise with his mouth on hers. His balls drew up—it was coming. Jaysus fuck it was coming. The tip of his cock— Fuck, it was so insane without a condom. He could feel everything. Fucking everything.
His cock bottomed out and he kissed her crazily as his cum spurted deep inside her. Holy fuck. Holy— He pulled out and thrust back again, spilling the last of his load. Still he kept moving. She felt so fucking amazing.
He dropped his head to her chest, breathing like he’d just run a marathon. He felt her lips on his temple and her arms and legs clenched around him tighter than ever. They stood there for one breath. Then another. Until finally his legs started shaking from holding her up.
She laughed as he awkwardly set her down. But he pulled her back into his arms as soon as her feet touched the shower floor. The spray was still hot around them. The beauty of hotel showers. If they were back at the ranch, there would have been pounding at the door for using up so much hot water at once.
He kissed her again, a short, sloppy press of lips. He couldn’t decide if his body felt light or heavy. The moments after orgasm always left him feeling emptied out. Not just physically. There was a coldness that usually stole in the second he recovered from coming.
But having Calla in his arms, the way she clutched him back… He looked down and her features were relaxed and happy. Satisfied.
And damn if that didn’t have his cock hardening all over again.
Liam pulled away from her reluctantly. “Come on,” he said, running his hand through his wet hair to get it off his forehead. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He soaped his hands and caressed down her stomach and then between her legs. She grabbed hold of him, her whole body shaking. He needed to get her to the bed. He hurried at his task and soon they were both stepping out of the shower.
15
CALLA
“Dad, have you seen these statements from the bank?” Calla chased her father down as he walked to the barn. She shook the papers from the envelopes she’d uncovered from the very back of Dad’s filing cabinet. “Why didn’t you tell me the ranch was having money problems?”
“‘Cause it’s none of your concern,” her father bit out as he leaned on his cane and took another step. The tremors that had started out in his hands a couple years ago had worsened until his whole body now shook. Which made even simple tasks like walking the uneven dirt lane out to the barn difficult.
“None of my concern?” Calla’s mouth dropped open. How could he— She’d cut her sophomore year at college short to come back and help with the ranch. She’d only known the ranch was in trouble because Harris, her dad’s ranch manager, called and told her what was going on. About how her dad’s condition was worsening more rapidly and about all the debt. Harris had been working at reduced wages for six months out of loyalty to her dad since he’d been with them for almost a decade. But he had a family and couldn’t afford to keep it up.
When Calla got mad and asked Harris why he hadn’t called her earlier, he said her dad forbid him to.
So she came home and was doing her damndest to save the legacy that had been her family’s for three generations. Four, counting Calla.
“That’s right,” Dad turned around and snapped at her. “I didn’t ask you to come back here. I’ve run this farm for twenty-two years. Then you come home from your one year of college—and suddenly you think you know everything about my business? Tryin’ to tell me what to do.” He pointed one trembling finger at Cal. “We just hit a spot of bad luck. Happened before and it’ll happen again. Us Carters always come out just fine.”
Calla breathed out heavily. “You levied a second mortgage on the ranch.” Why wouldn’t he just listen to reason? “And you can barely pay back the interest on the loans each month, much less start chipping away at the principal. Dad,” she pleaded, “the bank’s gonna take the ranch unless we—
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” her dad yelled, his face going red as he spun toward her. He lost his balance as he did it. He took one stumbling step forward to try to stay up but it only sent him crashing to the ground with more momentum.
“Dad,” Calla cried. She’d tried to lurch to catch him but wasn’t able to get to him in time. She leaned over to help him up.
He just swatted at her hands.
“How many times I gotta tell ya to leave me be. The ranch was fine before you got here. I was fine.”
His legs jerked back and forth in the mud with the uncontrollable shakes. He tried getting to his feet by propping his cane and hefting himself up. But his cane slipped in the mud and his butt hit the ground with a splat.