I'm a fairly docile man. I like excitement, but in the form of fun, not fights, but tonight my blood's boiling. I let the run-in with Chase go, but after dropping Kinlee at her car, I want to set a few things straight. Heading back up to the pull, I make myself a parking spot up front and head for the VIP area where he snaked his way into earlier.
Not seeing him, I decide to head home. Call it a night before I do something stupid, but someone stops me and ropes me into a conversation about steer. Chatting with the old man, I see Chase across the way and I keep my sights on him. He's got some sort of problem that I'm trying to date Kinlee, and as her ex he probably thinks he has a right, but fuck that. As her best friend, he probably thinks he can add two cents about her choices. And fuck that too. I just want to make it mighty clear my intentions with Kinlee, and make sure he understands. And if he don't...he don't have a choice.
When a few other people join the conversation with this old man, I slip away, heading right for Chase who's got his arm wrapped around a woman's waist.
"Chase," I get his attention and he looks over, his smile falling because he knows I'm not here to hang. "You got a minute?" I rub my jaw, my adrenaline starting to spike.
"Anything for the star-boy," he says, walking toward me.
I step away from his group and turn my back to them. "I just want to fill you in that I plan on dating Kinlee. Don't want any confusion like back in the day with your sister." My jaw tenses when I think about the drama Fiona created. She's the reason Chase became less of a friend. "I don't know why Kinlee feels the need to have to mention it to you, but I figured I could do it, man to man, so we can both be on the same page."
"Probably because I'm her best friend, man. I was here for her and I always will be. While you were off getting richer, we were here living humbly. She's a respectful girl, man, and it's just respect to fill in your closest friend when you start seein' someone."
That's motherfuckin' news to me. Goes back to why I got pissed to begin with. He don't need to know my damn business. She's not his property, she's not his mama or sister, she's a friend. Best is just a word you put in front of something to make it seem more important. Chase ain't the best at anything.
"I ain't a stranger, Chase. I'm not just some guy rollin' through town lookin' to mess around with a pretty girl. I'm not sorry I left and followed my dreams. Wasn't my responsibility to stay in this town. Just like it wasn't yours or hers, but I had nothing here askin' me to stay at the time. Now I'm back, and I'm hopin' to change that, and you ain't gonna get in the way of it. She may be your friend, but she doesn't owe you explanation for anything."
"She owes me whatever she wants to give me. Why don't you take your eight hundred dollar pants wearin' ass and head on home, Bo. She don't need a guy like you sniffin' around her, flaunting his money in her face, then breakin' her heart. She's a good woman, you're a snake. She has responsibilities you can't comprehend in that fucked up head of yours. When you wake up in the morning, your only care is if you should wear a two hundred dollar flannel and wipe your ass with cash. That woman has to figure out how to feed two sixteen-year-old kids, man. She don't need you snoopin' around. Go back to a big city, Bo. Knock up one of them whores before you do it to Kinlee and ruin her life even more."
There are about five parts in his rambling where I wanted to punch him, but the last part, the very end, 'ruin her life even more' is what makes me act irrationally. My fist jabs him in the eye and as he stumbles back, I take a few steps back myself. I never turn to violence for anything. I want to protect Kinlee, and if the subject of her comes up, I'm on edge until I learn someone's intentions. I've only had a few short conversations about her lately, but none have gone this route. No one has said—to my face—I'm not good enough for her yet. Well that's what Chase is insinuating, and then in the next sentence saying her life's ruined already. Don't speak badly about someone I care this much for. I don't know why I ever thought I was over her. The second I saw her again, I knew she never left my heart. She really was my first love, but I never let it die. I may have buried it, let myself forget about it, but she's always been in my subconscious.
When Chase swings, I let him land a hit on my jaw, but I'll only take one. Luckily for the both of us, people separate us, telling us to get lost. He storms off first, and I follow behind him, feeling guilty as hell I hit him. When he stumbles more than once, I catch up.
"Let me drive you home, Chase," I offer because it's obvious he's drunk.
A string of curse words are snarled at me as he starts to stumble in a different direction. I don't know if he drove, but the last thing I want is for him to try it when he's drunk and possibly concussed.
"Come on, Chase." I grab his shoulder and he twists away from my grasp. "Look, I'm sorry. You said some things about her I didn't like."
He's still cursing at me and he jerks to storm away but slams right into a barrel, flipping himself to the ground. When I help him stand, he doesn't push me away.
"I'm really sorry." I stare at his puffy eye. "She means a lot to me. More than you or anyone have ever understood, and this time I want her to see it."
"What the hell you talkin' about, Hart?"
"Man, I've been in love with Kinlee since the sixth grade. She only saw me as a friend back then. Didn't even realize I had feelings." I chuckle and shake my head, not wanting to think about how oblivious she was to what I felt back then. "I ain't around lookin' to hurt her."
He stares at me a minute, like his drunken brain's absorbing what I'm saying. "You're a stupid son of a bitch for never telling her, but at least it got me a chance with her."
I grit my teeth and shove my hands in my pockets to keep from jabbing him with a punch again. "Maybe I am."
She wouldn't have cared back then. People only liked me when I was younger because I had energy, because I had everything I never asked for, and because my sister was old enough to buy us beer when we were seventeen. And like I said before, I wasn't allowed to have real feelings that didn't revolve around my folks' money so they never came out. They were there, under the surface so I didn't lose friends, but now I don't give a damn. Not only do I look a hell of a lot different, but I'm not hiding my feelings anymore to keep friends. I'll let it be known what my intentions are this time around.
Chase wouldn't take the ride, and it's probably for the best, but I did make sure he wasn't driving. The drive's quiet, leaving me to my thoughts. Right now, all I can think about is how Kinlee and me ended the night. I want to go back to her place and kiss her like I should have, but instead I head home to a quiet house that's extra lonely tonight.
"BOBBY MICHAEL HART!" I hear Kinlee's voice belting through the barn and my eyes go wide.
"I'm outta here." Brandt grunts, tossing his gloves on the bench and heading in the opposite direction of Kinlee's scream. I actually just got finished telling him all about the reason she's probably here right now.
"Bo!" A door slams from somewhere and my brows go higher.
I try not to smile over my shoulder at her, but she's fine as hell and the way she's dressed today is like I remember her. Short jean shorts. Boots. A flannel open but tied in the front with a peak of that tempting flesh. And tits defined in a white tank. The best tits I've ever touched.
"Howdy." I tip my hat as she stomps her way up to me.
"Don't you fuckin' howdy me," she grunts, trying to shove me back. "The hell you doin' roughing up Chase?" With hands on her tempting hips, she glares at me. "He just came over for breakfast with a fuckin' black eye, thanks to you apparently."
"Breakfast, huh?" I move around her and continue to put the milker back together. "Darlin', he had it comin'. He landed his own hit." I rub my tender jaw. "But it ain't my fault his fists don't do much damage, Kinlee." I keep my back to her so she doesn't see my smirk.
"You're so smug, Bo. You can't walk back in town and beat up anyone I talk to. And that's exactly what you did. It ain't right."
"Hey, princess." I turn around and grab her hips, pulling her against me. "I didn't hit him 'cause you're talkin' to him. Don't worry about my reasons. The beef is squashed and we made up." When my thumb starts to rub against her exposed stomach, she shoves my hands down and steps back. Control is hard with Kinlee.
"Bo, you punched him in the face. You can't just brush it off like that's okay to do." She crosses her arms in front of her and her tits perk up for me. "You're gonna apologize to him."
"I only apologize when it's necessary." I did apologize to the asshole, though he didn't deserve it. Heading out of the barn, she follows right on my heels. Stopping short, I turn so she slams into me, her body hitting mine and I grin when her peaked nipples only seem to harden more. I didn't miss the small gasp when our bodies touched, but she recovers and she's staring at me with those baby blues and her mouth set in a firm line. "I already apologized."
"Oh. Well. He didn't tell me that," she whispers. "What made you hit him, Bo?"
Telling her the shit her best friend was spouting about her is the last thing I'm willing to do. I'm not into people getting their feelings hurt if it can be avoided. "He was drunk, rambling. Only way to shut him up."
Stone faced, her hand reaches up and touches my jaw to trace the one spot he actually got a hit in. She can look angry all she wants, but she cares and that's all that matters to me. "I want to be mad at you. Bo, you can't go around punching people."
"I don't normally try to solve problems with fists." This is one of the times my height isn't an advantage. If I were shorter, I wouldn't have to lean down to kiss her and I could just do it, not having to worry she'd pull away in time. "Things escalated. I apologized, Kinlee."
Those fingers stay on my cheek, and when she licks her lips I'm certain I'm finally going to get my kiss. As I begin to lean down, her phone starts singing some country song from her back pocket. The focus she had on my face is lost and with a curse, she steps back, using her hand that was still on my cheek to grab her phone.
"Hello?" While whoever's on the other end rambles, a scowl deepens her frown every few seconds. "I'll be right there." With eyes closed and head dropped back, she takes a deep breath. "I gotta go," she mumbles, shaking her head and trying to push past me.
Whatever's got her stressed, she don't need to be jumping into a car without being able to focus.
"Hey now, slow down. Where's the fire?"
"Literal fire," she grumbles, trying to shake me off. "Will's at it again. Somethin' about a dumpster downtown. I really need to go." Pulling out of my grasp, she jogs toward her car.
I stare after her, wondering how bad that kid can be. Heading for the barn, I glance behind me and see her hands hitting the steering wheel over and over. When I jog over, I expect her to be crying, stressed, at her wits end, but I yank open the door to curse words ladies shouldn't say unless you've got Jo's city mouth.
"You been hanging 'round Jo too much." I chuckle.
"My fuckin' piece of shit car won't start," she growls, letting out a puff of air. "Excuse me, I gotta see if I can use Jo's truck." I let her slide out of the car and watch as she slams the door and the glass rattles a bit.
Before she storms off, I wrap my arm around her stomach. "Now, Kinlee, hold on a minute. Calm down and get in my truck. Stop trying to act like I'm not here." Still holding her waist with her back to me, I manage to walk her to my truck and pull open the passenger door for her. "I'm back in town and I know you ain't used to me being around and being here for you, but I am. I'm here. If you need something, you see me first."
The frown on her face and her arms crossed under her chest is a definite shut-off stance, but when her eyes flash from my truck to the Kenshaw's front door, I sigh.
"Kinlee—"
"You got work to do. I don't want you to get in trouble for my little brother."
"I make my own hours. The Kenshaws are doin' me a favor. They ain't gonna mind if I get out of here and log less hours. Everything I needed to do today was done by ten a.m., I was just kind of hangin' out 'cause there's nothin' else to do."
A puff of air exhales and she climbs into my truck. "Thank you."
She may not be used to asking for help, but I wasn't lying. She'll learn to come to me first; maybe I can take some of the stress away.
I take a back way into town so lights and small town roads don't slow us down. It turns into a bit of an off-roading adventure I didn't mean for, but the terrain isn't smooth. By the time we make it to Old Eighty, she's at least laughing.
"Sorry about that." I smile over at her, wanting to pull off and take my kiss, but we gotta get to the sheriff's station where her brother's waiting for setting a dumpster on fire.
"Been a while since I've done that." Her pretty smile's back at least, but she's wringing her hands in her lap. "I'm really sorry if this is puttin' you out, Bo. I've been needing to get my car fixed."
"You ain't putting me out. I told you, if there's anything you need, you call or see me first. I'm serious. I'll take a look at your car after we handle this." I park and open my door before jogging around to her side. I hold out my hand for her to take and help her down.
"I shouldn't be too long. This is becoming something all too regular," she mumbles, not letting go of my hand as we walk into the station.
"He's in with the sheriff. Has been since I called you, dear. I'll let him know you're here," Betty, the same reception lady that worked the office when we were teens, says to Kinlee.
Kinlee groans and shakes her head. "Thanks, Betty." She turns to me. "I'm sorry. I figured I'd just grab him and we could head back." She falls into one of the waiting chairs.
I dart my eyes to the same closed door I remember from the last time I got in trouble when I was nineteen. It was right before I left; a bottle rocket trick off the back of my pickup gone wrong. I look at Betty and she hasn't gotten too far with telling Sheriff Dunken we're here.
"I'll be right back," I say and head toward the sheriff's door.
"Oh, hey now!" Betty calls out as I push open the closed door.
"Excuse me." Sheriff Dunken stands from his desk and I look at Will who's leaning on his hand looking bored to death.
"Sheriff." I nod before mussing Will's hair. "Will."
"Bo Hart?" the sheriff asks in surprise then Will looks up at me confused.
"Yes, sir. I'm here for Will."
"Me?" Will peeps.
"What's goin' on? Everything alright, Sheriff?"
"It's good to see you, boy. How you been? How's that back injury treatin' ya?"
"All healed," I lie with a smile and nod as I sit next to Will.
"You're Bo Hart," Will says in wonderment and I forgot I'm not just Bobby Hart from this small ass town anymore. If bull riding interests you, I'm a star. From the look on Will's face, he doesn't realize I'm a guy that's crushed on his sister since we were kids. To him, I'm rodeo sensation Bo Hart.
"Hey." I grin at him. "I'm a good friend of your sister's." Good might be stretching it, but I hope to get there.
"Shit, you went to school with Kinlee? Didn't ya?"
"Yeah, how about we watch our mouth around the sheriff?" I smile at Mr. Dunken. "What's Will been doin'?"
They both start at once. Will's got his innocent side of the story, and the sheriff's got all the reasons Will's a bad seed. Only problem is they keep trying to talk over each other. Now, I know Will's had it rough these past few years, but he needs to respect his elders and shut his mouth until the sheriff's told me what's goin' on.
"Hang on, hang on." I put my hand out. "Will, Sheriff Dunken is gonna talk first and you sit quiet." I look at the sheriff who looks like a sibling that just won dad's attention first and I almost roll my eyes.
"This ain't the first time Will's been in my office. It's happenin' too much and—"
"I ain't been in here but a few times, don't lie!" Will interrupts and I sigh.
"Will, you're diggin', man. Just close your mouth." I glare at him a minute and he drops his head.
Sheriff Dunken starts his tirade and I have to dip my head because I almost laugh a few times at the stunts Will's pulled. Reminds me of myself, except I wasn't getting caught.
"He's got a life of prison ahead of him," the sheriff ends his rant and I furrow my brows.
"Hey now, he's just a kid."
"He's sixteen, Bo. We haven't had this kind of trouble in this town since I can remember."
I look over at Will and he's shut off. He's leaned away from me, head down, face leaning in his hand. This ain't a bad kid and I'll be damned if I let him head down the path the sheriff thinks he will.
"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm back." When Will smile's over at me, I wink. "I got this from here, Sheriff. You won't see Will Jones in your office again unless it's for a friendly visit."
The sheriff smiles and looks at Will. "Whad'ya say, Will? No more comin' in for trouble."
"You got it, Sheriff." Will grins over at me, I think more excited that I seemed to get him off from whatever harsh punishment the sheriff was gonna hit him with.
"Sheriff, remember that mini bike me and Brandt Kenshaw used to ride around the town back before we could drive?" I grin at him as I stand.
"The one you broke your leg fallin' off of?" The sheriff rolls his eyes.
"Wait, what?" Will's grinning ear to ear.
"The bike ran out of gas and these fools thought it'd be a good idea to hold onto the Haring boy's bumper of his rusted Ford. Damn bumper broke right off. Him and Brandt Kenshaw narrowly missed getting run over by me because I was about to pull Chase Haring over. That's the type of stupid I don't want to see happen to you, Will. Bo got a few pins placed in his knee from that accident."
Will's laughing his ass off, probably envisioning it because it'd be something he'd do.
"Thanks, Sheriff." I give him a nod as we head for the door, still laughing. Before Will opens it, I stop him. "Straighten up a little. Look sorry for what you done," I tell him before pulling it open. "And apologize for inconveniencing your sister again," I whisper with my hand on his shoulder as we exit.
"What took you two so long?" Kinlee blurts the minute the door opens, rushing over to Will and wrapping her arms around him, then backing off and punching him in the arm. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"We were just havin' fun, Kinlee. Didn't mean for it to get that big. Sorry for makin' you come out all this way." Will glances over at me and I rub my jaw.
"Bobby Hart?" Betty blurts with a smile and I pause then nod my head at her, plastering on a smile while I approach her desk to give Will time to talk to his sister. "I didn't know that was you, boy. I was fixin' to teach you a lesson." She laughs and I keep a smile on my face but try to listen to Kinlee and Will while Betty goes on.
When Will heads out the door, I look back at Kinlee who's frowning in his direction.
"Stay gorgeous, Betty." I wink at the old lady as she giggles and blushes then I head toward Kinlee.
"What'd you do in there?" she asks, her eyes locked on her brother as we head to the parking lot.
I smirk. "Me and the sheriff go way back. Your brother ain't a bad kid." I put my hand to her back until I see Will looking around for her car. "Over here, arsonist," I call to him and point to my truck.
"Holy shit!" he blurts in excitement and runs toward my truck. "Can I drive it?"
"Language, Will!" she yells, shaking her head. "And no, you cannot drive this beast. Get in."
When I pull up to the Kenshaw Ranch, Will huffs. "What're we doin' here?" he complains and I cock my eyebrow, but before I can say something, Kinlee turns in her seat.
"Bo's fixing my car." She glances at me. "I think. You're not leaving my side, you hear me? And empty your pockets." She shoves her hand out, waiting patiently.
When he drops the lighter into her hand, I snicker. He told the sheriff he lost it in the dumpster.
"Know who you should spend some time with?" I glance back at him. "Jo. Let her teach ya a thing or two, city style." I chuckle and get out, walking over to Kinlee's car.
"You really don't have to fix this tonight. I don't know why I said that without talking to you, but it was either that or tear his head off for being so disrespectful. The Kenshaws have been nothing but nice to that kid and he can't seem to understand that." She leans against the side of her car, arms crossed, glaring at Will who's taken up residence on the front porch.
"Do me a favor?" I glance toward Will again before smiling down at her.
"This is a trap, isn't it?" The look on her face tells me she's not amused at all right now, and I better not be joking around.
I chuckle. "No, darlin', I just need my tools." I point to the barn. "Black and red bag, sitting right on the bench to the right. You mind?"
"Oh." Finally I get a smile as she pushes away from her car. "Yeah, sure. Least I could do if you can really fix this thing. I may need to buy ya dinner too."
I smile at her, wondering if she forgot I've been fixing all our friends cars since we were kids. "I'll have you running tonight." While she walks away, I watch her ass until I remember why I sent her to the barn. I turn around and call out, "Will!" waving him toward me. When he jogs over, he laughs at something on his phone. "Pocket it, or find it in the field tomorrow," I warn and he scowls at me, shoving the phone into his pocket. "Get in the car and turn the key. I'll tell you when to stop."
It's obvious he doesn't want to be around his sister, and she don't seem to want to be around him either. It won't do any harm trying to teach the kid a thing or two about cars. When Kinlee walks back up, hauling my tool bag, I wince, forgetting how heavy it is but she doesn't seem to mind. Her eyes flit to Will who's been waiting for my command to turn the key. We've been at this for almost five minutes.
"He helpin'?" She huffs, dropping the bag by my feet and resting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah. Hey, listen. I think I know what it is, but I gotta take the air filter apart, and I'm starving." I glance back toward the house. "You mind seein' if Donna fixed dinner tonight? Please." I offer her a smile and she glances at her brother again.
"Um... Sure." Her eyes flick from Will back to me. "You gonna be okay with him?"
"Just fine." I wink at her then turn my hat around, dipping my head under the hood. "Hit it, Will!" I call out, glancing over my shoulder to watch Kinlee's ass again. When the horn blows, I jump, hitting my head on the hood then shift to scowl at him while he's laughing.
"Stop looking at my sister's ass," he says through laughter.
I mock him in a whiney voice then dip back under the hood.
I'm sure Kinlee has a hell of a time with this kid. All he's got is two sisters. His parents died too young and it was during an impressionable time in his life. But I'm not seeing the defiant pain in the ass the sheriff does. He needs a male influence, and not from his peers. I find it hard to believe Brandt never tried to step in, but if I know Kinlee, I bet she keeps these things to herself. Not wanting to inconvenience others, or let them in on how she's struggling.
"I mean, I get what it does, but why can't we bypass it?" he asks after I explain to him her starter ate it.
I grin at the kid. He's got smarts in that head; he just needs a push in the right direction to use them correctly.
"All components serve a purpose and you're right, some probably were put there to keep someone in business." I chuckle. "But the starter ain't one. I tell ya what. If you can rebuild an engine bypassing what you don't think is necessary, I'll give you a thousand dollars. But the car has to function."
His eyes narrow. "How long do I have?"
"A year."
"Where am I gonna get a car? This seems like I gotta spend money to make it."
"Well ain't that how the world goes 'round?" I chuckle. "I'll provide you with the car. Just some junker from the yard in town."
"You ain't messin' with me?"
I stare at him a minute, wondering why he's having a hard time trusting me. "You have a year. It needs to safely run. Don't forget about the deadly fumes that a car gives off. It can't leak exhaust into the cab or nothin'. I ain't saying it needs to sound pretty, but it has to function. And I want to know what parts you've found useless or are able to bypass with something simpler and cheaper. I'll fund the project but if you fail...you owe me."
"Owe you what?" He's skeptical but to be honest, I didn't think about that.
I'm not spending tons on parts the kid won't even look at. "I'll figure that out later. And, Will, the only way you can fail is by not trying."
"Spit on it." He spits at my feet and I cock my eyebrow because he narrowly missed my boot.
"Shake like a decent man." I push my hand out, glaring at him until he shakes.
"So you like my sister or something?"
"Uh." I glance back toward the house and chuckle. "Yeah, I do. Hand me that ratchet with the quarter inch socket." I point.
"She ain't really on the market, Bo. Her and Chase have a thing goin' on."
I stand up straight and start to wipe my hands on a rag. "Yeah? Like what?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. He's always sniffing her ass like a dog."
"I think they're just friends," I mumble and lean under the hood again. This conversation is better not had at all, but I think I need to talk it over with Kinlee first.
It takes awhile, but she comes out with two bowls. "Goulash," she says, her eyes watching her brother before flitting to me. "You two doin' okay out here?"
"Thank you." Starving and with a smile, I take a bowl. "We're fine, but this is gonna be a couple hours. I don't know if you need to get to Wendy, but you can take the truck." I pull the keys from my pocket and hold them out while trying to eat at the same time.
When she hesitates too long, I know a protest is coming. "I can't drive that thing. Wendy's already home. One of her friends dropped her off." She flicks her gaze to Will who's silently eating, but surely taking in every word.
"This ain't gonna be a quick fix, Kinlee." Needing her away from her brother, I start walking toward the porch and she follows. "I'm gonna be out here well into the night. Let me keep Will for a hand 'cause I think Brandt and Jo went to the city for a new steer. You get on home to Wendy and I'll drive your car over when we finish."
She bites her lip and glances back at the house. "I can just wait. I really don't want you thinkin' you need to babysit Will, Bo. Or work that late on my car. It can wait. It's spring break and I don't need it till my shift at the diner tomorrow." The look of worry on her face makes me sigh, but I hold it together. It's gonna take a bit before she takes me seriously when I tell her to rely on me.
I give my head a shake. "I need Will, Kinlee, I'm not babysitting him. I need his help. And tomorrow I don't have time to work on the car until evening. I'd rather get it done right now. And...no offense, but I can't work with you over my shoulder and I know it's lights out at the Kenshaw's around ten. Head home." I almost reach up to tuck her hair behind her ear but I remember my hands are dirty. "But first run this into the house? Please?" I smirk and hold out my empty bowl.
Another worried glance flits to her brother before she takes the bowl. "If he gives you any trouble, I'll be right back to get him."
"He'll be fine, and if he ain't, I'll give you a holler." I almost lean in for her lips but quickly jerk my head back because as much as I want it, she isn't mine yet.
"Okay, great." There's that smile again, finally. "Thank you. Again. You pretty much saved the day."
I like hearing it, even if it isn't true. "You need me, I'm here, Kinlee." I walk away before I try kissing her on the Kenshaw's porch with dirty hands and in front of her brother.
Will starts showing me an engine on his phone and I grin, proud the boy's seemed to take an interest in something other than fire. We get back to work on Kinlee's car before she comes out of the house twenty minutes later. I wipe my hands before helping her into the Denali.
"It's a diesel, so don't be afraid to push the gas pedal."
"I can barely see over the front of it!" Her eyes go wide. "Don't the Kenshaws have a work truck or somethin' I can take for the night? This thing's huge, and if I hurt your baby you're never gonna let me hear the end of it. Let alone, I can't pay to fix anything that happens to this beast." She's shaking her head, hands in her lap and not even trying to start the damn thing.
I hold my finger on the button to raise the seat and push it forward. "You need to get used to drivin' it, Kinlee. And this ain't my baby. I'm not worried 'bout the truck, I trust you." Stepping down from the runner, I close the door before she freaks out again over nothing. Besides, she looks damn good in the driver seat of my truck. Before my chub turns into a full-on boner, I start thinking about my back. That always helps. I walk back over to Will. "Run in and ask Bryant Kenshaw for the work truck keys. We need to go to town to get a starter for your sister's car before they close," I tell him then lean under the hood but angle so I can see Kinlee very slowly and jerkily pull down the dirt drive away from the ranch. By the time she gets a few yards away, she's gotten the hang of the pedal.
It's almost two in the morning before we get the car started and Will's excitement makes me chuckle.
"You did it!" he boasts, but honest to God truth, he helped a ton.
"We did it." I muss his hair before wiping my hands clean. "Let's get you home."
Pulling up to their house, I smile, remembering sneaking Kinlee out that side window a million times so she could come party at the pond with us. Brandt would hold the window open 'cause it would always fall, and I'd help her down before she fell. She probably never really needed the help, but I insisted just so I could touch her.
The minute I kill the engine she comes shuffling out the front door, wiping sleep from her eyes.
"I was startin' to think it turned into a party over there." She leans against the porch post. Her hair's knotted at the top of her head and the oversized shirt she's wearing makes me inappropriately wish she slept in lingerie. "Thanks for... Everything." A tired laugh chuckles from her. "For helping with Will, for fixing my car, and for bringing it back. Heck, I owe you a few good dinners for this."
"I wasn't playing when I said I'm here now, Kinlee, but I'd love to come over for a home cooked meal. Been a long time," I lie. I've been eating Donna's meals since I've gotten back.
"Night, Bo," Will says, walking past his sister and into the house before I can reply.
"How was he?" She sits on the top stair and pulls her knees to her chest, trying to hide a yawn behind her hand.
"He was..." I sit next to her and look at my hands that need a good scrubbing. "He just needs some guidance, Kinlee," I quietly say in case he can hear us through the open windows. "He's got a brain in that head and it's always thinkin'. He's a sixteen year old kid stuck with two sisters." I nudge her. "He needs more guy time."
Air puffs between her lips before her head falls to my shoulder. "I think you may be right. But he needs to stop doing stupid crap too. That fire today coulda been way worse. Ya know? What's it gonna take for one of his stupid ideas to get outta control?"
"Yeah... Yeah." I turn my head and smell her hair before kissing it. "I don't think it's an overnight process by any means, but give him time. I gave him a project, so if it's alright with you, he'll probably be spending more time on the ranch."
"You gave him a project?" She sits up and looks at me. "What kind of project?"
"He's determined to make things simpler." I chuckle. "He's going to build an engine and bypass what parts he don't think are necessary to make it run. He's smart as hell. Do you know he invented an app?"
"He did?" She sits up straighter and looks back at the house. "What kind of app? Why didn't he tell me?"
I chuckle and drop my head. "Ah...um, well listen." I shift to look at her. "I shouldn't have said anything." Resting my hand on her knee, I fight my fingers that want to massage her bare skin. "Do me a favor and don't mention it?"
Her brows pull together and her eyes fall to my dirty hand. "Okay," she whispers. "Am I a shit sister? Shouldn't I know more about these kids, Bo?"
"Not unless you want inside the inner-workings of a sixteen year old guy's brain, no. Just, don't ask about the app. It's for guys." I chuckle while I watch her brows shoot upward as she gets where I'm going with this. "It's harmless and not strange for him to be entertained by stupid games like the app he created. You got nothing to worry about." When I pull my hand away, I let my fingers trail over her flesh, but I left a black streak. "Hell, sorry." I reach to clean it with my other hand but pause because it's just as bad.
Her hands stop mine and I realize how close we've gotten as my eyes hit hers. She's grinning, holding my hands steady, her eyes searching mine.
"You're a great sister, Kinlee, and an amazing woman holding all this together. There's nothing simple about you." I lean in and the front door swings open.
"Bo!" Wendy shrieks and makes me jump to my feet before I get the kiss I’ve been tryin' for since this afternoon.
"What are you doing awake, Wendy?" Kinlee blurts, trying to shake out of the haze as she stands.
"I haven't gone to sleep yet!" she chirps and bounces. "I drank Will's energy drink at ten and have been wired since!" She starts to giggle and hops down the stairs toward me.
I'm fighting laughter and Kinlee looks like she's fighting exhaustion.
"Alright. Back inside. And no more energy drinks so late." She opens the screen door and gives Wendy a glare that she doesn't argue with. "Come on, Wendy."
"Boo," Wendy pouts. "Night, Bo!" She pops to her toes and practically jumps to try and kiss my cheek. She fell short by a few inches, and I jerked back a little, not used to young girls. She reminds me of Kinlee when she was younger. Just a sweet little thing.
"Sleep tight, kiddo." I chuckle and smile at Kinlee.
When Kinlee closes the screen door behind Wendy, another exhausted puff of air comes from those lips I'll never get to taste at this rate. "I'm sorry," she says, her eyes closed. "I swore she was asleep. She's so hyper anyway, that girl does not need energy drinks."
I grin and slowly start to walk backward to my truck. "Get some sleep, pretty girl." I smile, liking the way she looks in the middle of the night and I hope eventually I'll get to experience this every night.
"Thank you, Bo. For everything." She's halfway inside the house but leaning her head on the screen door as she watches me.
"I'm here." I wink. "Night, Kinlee."
"Night, cowboy." She closes the door behind her.
I reach for my door handle and yank, but it's locked. "Shit." Glancing back toward the house, I realize I never got my key. She's already turned the lights off inside. I glance down the road but I'm thirty minutes from here, there's no way I'm walking in the dark at two in the morning. "Dammit," I whisper and reach in my pocket to call her but my phone's been in my truck since she took it a few hours ago. Creeping up the front steps, I huff and try to quietly but effectively knock.
The light flicks back on and the door swings open. There's a sparkle in her eyes and she grins. Before I can get out the words that I just need my keys, she goes up on her tiptoes, takes my face in her hands, and presses her lips to mine so hesitantly I don't quite know how to react at first.
I've been waiting for this for years. The one time I kissed her five years ago, I was a wreck and had no idea what I was doing, but here we are again and now I have a clue. I slide my arms around her and lift so I don't have to lean down. Walking into the house, I pin her against the open door while I suck her lip before licking, asking for entrance.
Her arms wrap around my neck and her mouth opens, finally letting me taste her. She lets out a small moan and grinds her hips against me, her fingers sliding through the back of my hair and under my ball cap.
While my hands slide up the sides of her shirt, I remember the dirt, but there's no stopping their travel. I don't reach for anything I shouldn't yet; I just want to touch her flesh. I want to feel her, more than this, but this is good enough for now. So much has changed with me that this is nothing like the one night when we were kids that I got to explore her for less than ten minutes. If this weren't Kinlee, I'd be stumbling around this house looking for a surface to take her on, but I promise this is my future and I'm not rushing or ruining it before we begin.
She pulls back to catch her breath and her forehead rests on mine. "Bo," she whispers, still clutching onto me, her breathing is heavy and it sounded like my name was said with regret.
"I need my key," I pant before she tells me that shouldn't have happened.
"Oh." She pulls back again, her eyes going wide. "Oh my god." Her fingers go to her lips, and a small giggle erupts from her. "Oh my god, you just came back for your key," she whispers, shaking her head and smiling through the giggles.
"If your brother and sister weren't here, I'd forget about the key." I press my mouth to hers again, this time slower, with more of a purpose so she thinks about this all night and well into tomorrow. It's so quiet in this house, I'm afraid they can hear our lips connecting so I pull back. "But I'm a gentleman, so I'm gonna walk out that door and head on home before I change my mind."
"Right," she whispers, blinking a few times then rushing over to her purse, pulling out my keys. "Um... Sorry." She hands them over, then crosses her arms in front of her.
I let my eyes trail down her white shirt that has black hand prints smeared all over it, then her face from when I cupped it, hoping she wouldn't pull away. Goddamn she looks good sleepy, rumpled, and smudged with dirt. I clamp my jaw, fighting the urge to yank that t-shirt off and see my handprints all over her sides and stomach.
"Thank you. Night." I have no options here or I'll be in a lot of pain if I try to move, so I quickly adjust myself in my pants before turning for the door.
She giggles from the middle of the room as I make it to the porch. "Have a good night, Bo."
I don't look back, or say anything; I just give my hand a wave while I try not to walk like I've been on horseback for days on end. My dick is being crushed in these jeans and I haven't been this painfully hard since the last time I got my hands on Kinlee. Lifting myself into my truck, I huff and take a minute to adjust myself now that she can't see me. I could sit here and jerk off in her driveway...but I'm not that weird so I make it a few miles down the road and pull off. I pop the button to my pants and unzip. After spitting in my palm before wiping my hand on the rag in the center console, I adjust my pants to free my dick. It springs from my jeans and smacks the steering wheel so I adjust my seat back farther then grip my cock. I lean my head back and my ball cap hits the seat, making me smack it off my head because my fist has already started pumping.
"Shit," I grunt when I close my eyes and think about Kinlee's tits pressed against my chest. Her nipples were hard enough I could feel them through her shirt. Her pussy was so hot I felt the heat through her shorts and my shirt on my lower stomach. "Goddamn," I moan and jerk my wrist a little faster.
I keep flashing back to losing my virginity to her and how god-awful it was, but the images are still doing the job tonight and in only a few minutes my balls retract then release, shooting my come up my t-shirt while I groan her name. When I'm completely drained, my eyes glance around to my mirrors and I quickly pull back on the road.
That should have been her tight pussy wrapped around me, but until then...
I huff and grab the rag to wipe away the mess on my shirt.