Chapter Four
At least she hadn’t dreamed her hunky bodyguard and the kiss in her kitchen. Jenny sat up just as Caid entered her living room. “Forensics just left. How are you feeling?”
She rubbed her forehead, then winced and thought better of it. “I’ve been hurt worse. Have you heard from Bull or anyone else?”
He shook his head. “All’s quiet.” He sat down next to her, stretching out his arm along the back of the couch to brush his fingers against the nape of her neck.
She leaned into the touch. Just sitting here like this was a heady elixir, never mind that she knew the heaven those fingers could produce. She still struggled to wrap her mind around Jon, the theory that seemed to be developing, and frankly it was giving her a headache. “When will we hear?”
“Probably tomorrow or a few days.”
Jenny nodded, thinking maybe her life could get back to normal. Except for the ex-Para Rescue guy sleeping in her pasture and Caid’s presence that is. “So we have nothing to do but wait and keep a look out?” It seemed like an odd lull, after discovering the cattle mutilations. Like how could they go about their daily lives knowing Jon, or someone, was still out there trying to kill her livelihood.
“Nope.” He moved closer.
“Good.” She closed the gap between them, her lips finding his. What started as a soft, gentle kiss quickly turned needy, as Caid wrapped his arms around her and drew her against his chest.
She leaned into his strength, his warmth. Flattening a palm on his chest, she curled her fingers into the soft fabric of his shirt. The faint smell of horses clung to him—had he visited the barn or gone riding while she’d been napping? She inhaled the heady mixture of equine and man, opening her mouth as he slid his tongue across her lower lip, then sucked on it gently.
Yes. The danger and the worry faded away. Right now there was just her, Caid, and a hungry need both of them had been denying for a very long time.
Whether her gentle pushes on his chest sent him laying back or he did so, pulling her on top of him, she didn’t know, but she found herself straddling him, knees on either side of his hips as she sprawled across that muscled, magnificent chest of his. She worked the buttons on his shirt, more careful than she had been in the kitchen, until she had it open and his chest bare to her touch. She rose enough to stare at his flat pectorals, the muscled ridges of his abs, all covered with just the right amount of chest hair to rasp deliciously against her breasts and nipples when they made love. She traced the outline of the whorls between his pecs, then down, over the line bisecting his abs.
He caught her wrist before she could explore lower.
With a wicked smile, she twisted her hips against him, her core hot and needy with the memory of how his cock fit perfectly inside her.
Caid groaned.
Jenny nuzzled his neck instead, licking and nibbling with open mouthed kisses down to his shoulders and along his clavicle. She moved lower, until she could draw one of his nipples into her mouth and suck.
Caid bucked beneath her. The ridge of his erection pressed intimately against her, and she knew if she wanted to take it slow, she had to be the one to stay in control. Except, with the need in her body, she wondered if slow was what she really wanted. There’d be time for slow later.
Sitting up, she unbuttoned her shirt, giving him a view as she slipped it from her and then unfastened her bra.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, reaching forward to capture her breasts in his hands. He palmed them, running his fingers over the tops and around the edges. His fingers danced across her nipples, drawing them into tight peaks. This time, she moaned.
Then, he sat up and wrapped his arms around her to draw the tight peak of one nipple into his mouth. As if to give her the same torture she’d given him, he licked and sucked, rolling the button between his lips and tongue. He moved to her other breast, the light scrape of his teeth across her sensitive flesh erotic.
This was the Caid she remembered; the hot, passionate nights spent exploring each other’s bodies, only to fall asleep right before dawn. His eager hands unbuttoned her jeans, drawing the zipper down. He slipped his fingers inside over the soft cotton fabric of her panties, then hooked one beneath the elastic around one leg. It was as far as he could reach, but the sweep of that single finger across her sensitized flesh had her biting her lip to hold back a moan. She moved her hips, rising just enough so he could tug down her jeans and find her soft folds with his fingers. He stroked her labia, the glide of his fingertip along her slick flesh enough to make her buck her hips and ride the edge of her release.
One finger slipped between to circle her clit. Oh god, she couldn’t hold on anymore. It’d been too long, her body denied while she focused on the ranch and other matters, that a few circles of his finger around her swollen nub had her crying out as her pussy contracted with pleasure. It coursed through her veins, a heady rush that held the promise of more. He penetrated her with his finger, first one, then two, pumping gently while his palm rotated against her clit, not letting her come down from her release, but only taking her higher.
“Caid! Please.” His name was a cry on her lips, a pleading for more. And then she came again, the joyous scream of pleasure echoing on the walls. A fleeting thought of Bull in her pasture, thinking he had to be too far away from the house to hear, crossed her mind, then she didn’t care, for Caid shifted beneath her to unfasten his jeans and pull down his pants just enough to reveal the thick length of his cock.
She licked her lips.
“Keep looking at me like that and I won’t last, sweetheart,” he said, his voice husky with desire and need.
Somehow, she managed to wiggle out of her boots and pants, then naked, straddled him once more. Instead of impaling herself on him, she leaned forward, stroking his velvety length with her fingers. A few drops of fluid emerged from the tip and she smoothed them into his skin with a caress. She wanted to drive him to the same fever-pitch of arousal that he’d done to her, and yet, she suspected he probably was there already from the way his hips bucked and he gave soft groans as she caressed him.
She moved so her pussy hovered over his shaft, and then slow enough to torture both of them, she fitted him to her opening and lowered herself onto him with a single long, slow stroke. She moaned, leaning forward to brace her hands on his shoulders. He grabbed her waist, drawing her even closer to him, and then arching his hips for good measure. Only then, did he began to move.
He thrust into her, keeping his movements slow and steady, clearly with an effort to make it last. Not that she wanted to be that patient. Now that she had him inside her, she wanted to take it to its logical conclusion, and then ago again. Twisting her hips, she wrested control away from him and began to move, increasing her pace.
With a ragged groan, he met her thrusts. The sounds of their panting breaths and the slap of skin against skin filled the room. Her inner muscles tightened around him. When he reached between her legs to caress her clit, she couldn’t hold back anymore and came with a loud scream of passion. A moment later he poured into her, the hot burst of his seed reminding her of one vital fact. They hadn’t used protection.
They knew each other; she worried only about the physical effects, though she was in the wrong place in her cycle, she hoped. Not that a baby with Caid wouldn’t be perfect. Just not now. Not when someone was killing her cattle and her ex had flipped to psycho mode. She slumped against his chest, his heart hammering beneath her cheek. His hands lazily stroked her back holding her, his cock still half-hard inside her.
“We should take this upstairs,” he murmured into her ear.
“Yeah. We should.” She shifted her weight off him, prepared to do just that when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Instantly, she went on alert. Grabbing her phone, she noticed an image Shelby texted to her. She’d gone back into the cafe to work another partial shift to cover for one of the other waitresses. A flyer promising proof of real, live UFO activity promoted the event that seemed to be hosted by UFOP. The contact name? Ashley.
“Fuck,” she muttered, handing the phone over to Caid. “I think that’s one of my cows, too.”
Caid finished fastening his pants, then took the phone, a scowl deepening across his face. “Mind if I text it to myself?”
“Not at all.”
She arranged her clothes, watching while he forwarded the message to his, Hank’s, and Bull’s cells, or at least that’s who she assumed the three numbers were. He handed the phone back. “Ask Shelby if the cafe has any surveillance video. Any chance they saw who put the poster on the board?”
“I’ll check.” She hadn’t thought about things like surveillance video, though now that he mentioned it, she probably needed something for her house and barn. A moment later Shelby’s reply returned. No video and no one saw who had placed the photos.
Caid passed that information onto Hank as well, perhaps he could tap into the municipal cameras, then frowned. “Well that killed the mood.”
She chuckled, then leaned over and kissed Caid on the lips. “I don’t think anything could kill the mood when I’m with you, but yeah, that put the damper on things.”
“I want to ride out and talk to Bull. You’ll stay here.” It wasn’t a request, but an order.
“I could go?” One look in his face, and she knew the truth. No, she couldn’t. Someone had shot at her or at least at her horse, once and she wasn’t keen on giving them a second chance. “I’ll stay here. I can’t twiddle my thumbs and it’s too early to start supper. What can I do to help?”
As soon as Caid began shaking his head, she knew. Nothing. Leave this to the trained professionals.
“I’m sorry, but right now we’re waiting on forensics. I want to see if Bull has seen anything. There’s not a lot we can do until we get more information.” He pulled her into an embrace.
She returned it, understanding where they were with things, and battling the feeling of helplessness. Not that there really was anything to do. If she pulled her cattle off the pasture, she’d have to feed hay, which would drive up her costs exponentially. And, there was a part of her that refused to knuckle under Jon’s stupid pressure. “If you ride out, take Sooty. He’s the most level-headed. Or, the key to the utility vehicle is hanging by the back door. It’s full of gas, take it.”
“I will, thanks.” He released her and tucked his cell phone into its holster. He disappeared upstairs, and emerged a moment later with a gun holstered at his waist.
She didn’t like the look of the gun, didn’t want to think about him getting in trouble out there, especially not on her behalf. She reminded herself that he’d been in the military, parachuting into the most dangerous of situations to retrieve wounded soldiers.
“Text me if anything happens. I can be back in a flash.” He gave her a quick hug and then grabbed the keys and was gone.
~* * *~
Both Bull and Caid returned in little over an hour and after a dinner of spaghetti casserole, Bull headed back out to the pasture. Adrenaline thrummed through her veins. Making love to Caid until they both couldn’t walk straight would be the perfect way to cap the night. She’d toss him onto the bed, well, like a domino. Except, not even he could settle the nervous energy humming through her.
“It’ll be alright,” he said.
She stood in a tank and yoga pants, not quite sure she wanted to strip to get into bed. If something happened, she didn’t want to have to waste time getting dressed. “How can you say that? We’re waiting for someone to attack my cattle so they can what? Sell tickets to an event. I mean, seriously. That’s why this is going down?”
“It’s just a theory. Kellan will hopefully find out more. Maybe even something that exonerates Jon.”
Jenny shook her head and sat on the edge of her bed.
Caid sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. His hands lazily moved over her biceps, down to cup her elbows and back again.
“No, it makes sense. I didn’t see it. I think because we were already growing apart, but he’d always had that at any cost kind of vibe, you know?” Jenny snuggled deeper into his embrace. “I hate waiting.”
A low chuckle vibrated through Caid’s chest. “That never gets easier. Even in AFSOC, it was wait around until we were called into action. We could do something to pass the time, but I want to be alert in case he decides to come back here.”
She nodded against his chest, then released him and stood. “Well I want to be right there with you, so what do I do?”
Caid grinned. “Sit in the dark house and look out the windows. I’ll probably move to the back of the barn to get a better view of the well house. I’ll be right back.” He left, returning a moment later and handed her a small, black radio. “This is how we’ll keep in touch. You see anything. Anything at all. I don’t care if it’s a mouse in the pantry. I want to know.” He pushed the radio into her hand and closed her fingers around it. “Don’t let this out of your sight.”
“I won’t,” she assured him. “I won’t.”
“Good.” For the next twenty minutes he showed her how to sit at the window so she could look out, but no one could see her inside, and he gave her a pair of night vision binoculars. Once it became fully dark, he had her use them until she could make out small objects, like the bucket left near the well pump, at a distance. He proclaimed her ready for watch.
She wasn’t. A yawn overtook her and she tried to hide it and failed miserably. “Sorry,” she muttered, making herself comfortable on the stool she’d placed just beyond the window.
“It’s okay. I’ll be upstairs. Remember. Radio if you need anything.” With a curt nod, Caid left.
Jenny stared out the window, reminding herself that this was like being on calf watch or foal watch with a friend. Of course then, it didn’t matter if she talked or made noise, though she tried to keep quiet. She’d done it, stayed up all night and mostly functioned the next day. She could accomplish that now, too.
Movement startled her. She lifted the night glasses in time to see an opossum go darting across the arena. She released a breath. Maybe there was nothing out there, that this would be a foolish endeavor. She sat back and continued to watch.
Jenny roused to hear the door slam and realized that Caid must have dashed outside. She also belatedly realized she’d fallen asleep. Glancing out the window with her binoculars she saw him race toward the barn. Something had happened.
She bolted to the back door, realizing that the key to the utility vehicle was gone. A moment later she heard its engines start and it headed toward the pasture—toward Bull. She wasn’t being left out this time. She hurried out the door, running to the barn. As soon as she reached Daisy’s stall, a hand clamped over her mouth.
“Don’t you dare think about moving.”
“Jon?” She spoke behind his hand, her words muffled. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t ruin my plans. Come on.”
There was no way in hell she was going anywhere with him. Twisting her body, she bit into the pad of flesh covering her mouth. Jon yelped and jumped back. Jenny wiggled free, grabbing the first thing she could to try and defend herself—a pitchfork.
She leveled the steel tines at Jon, not wanting to think about what if he had a gun. She reached for the radio—crap, she’d left it back at the house. Instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Wordless and with as much force as possible, she imagined shoving the sound down the road to Caid.
Jon rushed her.
She jabbed him with the pitchfork, grunting when the tines bit into his thigh.
“Ow! Bitch!” He reached to slap her, missing her when she swung the pitchfork at him again.
“Why? Why did you do this to my cattle?” Was that the sound of the utility vehicle coming? She rushed him, brandishing the pitchfork in front of her.
Two sharp pops—gunfire?—sounded from outside. Her heart leapt into her throat.
Taking advantage of her distraction, Jon scrambled to his feet and darted out the door. She followed, though by the time she reached the yard, he was gone.
More shots—yes, those were shots. And then silence.
Jenny wrapped her arms around herself. “Caid?”
Silence met her question.
Oh god. What if Jon had done something? What if he’d—the utility vehicle’s motor cut off her thoughts.
“Jenny! Get in the barn!” Caid’s shouts sent a rush of relief through her. “He’s not alone.”
His words galvanized her to action. She ran back into the barn, ducking into an empty stall to stay out of sight. More shouts that sounded like Bull fighting with another man, and was that her brother she heard was out there? She peered over the edge of the stall, unable to see anything in the darkness. Damn, she’d left the binoculars back at the house too. Her heart pounded and she bit her lip, wanting to stay quiet and out of the way, but what was going on out there?