She clamped her mouth shut.
“Tell me.”
She shook her head.
He bent his head, sliding his tongue along the crease of her lips. She shivered, almost letting out a whimper that she had trapped in her throat, but he heard it anyway. He stepped closer and let his mouth trail across her cheek to her ear, nibbling on her earlobe while she unconsciously moved to give him better access to her neck. Nuzzling her shirt aside with his nose, his lips found the hollow at her collarbone. Stroking the spot with his tongue, she finally gave in and sighed, leaning toward him. His hand found her breast and slid his palm across the nipple while she sucked in a ragged breath. She couldn’t deny her body’s reaction to his touch.
He dove for the button at her waist, wanting to feel her heat. Slipping it free, his hand moved inside, and his fingers found her clit. Her hands twisted the T-shirt spread across his chest, bunching the material in her fists as she moaned in his mouth.
Removing his hand, he backed her up with his body until her legs touched the dining room table. He lifted her slightly until her butt rested on the top, her legs open for him, and he stepped between them. Grinding his jean-clad cock against her, he felt her shiver at his touch. His hand worked the buttons on the front of her blouse loose while his mouth followed their path. She arched her back and grasped the back of his head, holding him tighter when his lips brushed against her nipple.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, tossing her head back, letting her hair trail down her back.
His tongue licked her, and his teeth nibbled the skin beneath his mouth. “I love the way you smell.”
Pushing her back so she was lying across the table, he worked his way back down her chest and flicked the button at her waist free. His tongue stopped at her belly button to lave at the indentation before moving lower. He tugged until her jeans slipped down her thighs and off her feet. His lips found the arch of her foot, then her ankle, as he worked his way to her knee. He licked the inside of her thigh, nipping the soft skin and soothing it with his tongue. A high pitched squeal left her lips, and her thighs quivered when he slid his tongue inside her, before sliding across her labia and sucking on her clit.
She panted, “Oh, God—Oh, God,” when he alternated with flicking his tongue over her swollen center and sucking it deep into his mouth. He slipped his fingers into her wet pussy and curved them up under her pelvic bone to stroke her G spot. She quivered and contracted around him until her sweet liquid seeped from her center, flooding his mouth.
As she came down from her high, he kissed his way back up her body, settling on her lips. He shucked his pants quickly and then pushed inside her with a tortured groan rumbling in his chest. “God, you feel so good. I can’t get enough of you.”
His hips rocked, sliding his hard length inside her when she slipped her legs around his hips and hung on. He lifted his chest and watched her eyes close slowly as she got closer and closer to the edge again. Letting his gaze wander down her body to rest between them, he was fascinated by how their bodies fit together so perfectly. When his eyes met hers, he realized she watched their joining, too, and the same look was written on her face.
A low growl ripped from his throat before his mouth swooped down, latching on to hers in almost desperation. His pelvis slapped against hers while their moans mingled. He drove into her, faster and faster, until she clenched around his cock and shouted, "Cole!"
* * * *
Silence surrounded them. She was surprised he couldn’t hear her heart shattering when a sob escaped her lips. He lifted his gaze to hers when she dropped her legs, and the confusion on his face made her feel like shit.
All I'm doing is sending mixed signals. It's no wonder he's confused.
When he slipped his cock from her body with a hearty groan, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He stepped back and pulled up his jeans, the buckle on his belt tinkling loud in the room. Scrambling from the table, she grabbed her clothes and pulled them on, trying to cover herself from his piercing gaze. She pushed her hair out of her face before turning to meet his stare.
Clasping her hands in front of her in an attempt to stop them from shaking, she couldn’t look him in the eye. Focusing on a spot just over his shoulder, she said, “I think you need to leave.”
Surprise registered in his eyes, and frown lines settled between his eyebrows. “If that’s what you really want.”
Tears burned the back of her eyelids. She had to say it.
Tell him,
her head screamed.
Tell him to leave because eventually he will, anyway, and the longer he’s here, the harder it will be when he does.
She couldn’t say it. A quick nod of her head was the best she could do.
“Fine. I’ll get my stuff.”
He walked out of the kitchen, and she choked back a sob. She could hear him upstairs as he banged and slammed things. Praying he didn’t wake the baby, she just listened, her heart breaking with each sound. When he was finished, she stood by the couch while he approached the door. He stopped and looked at her one last time, before he pulled it open and walked out, shutting it softly behind him.
His truck back out of the driveway while tears rolled down her cheeks and heart-wrenching sobs shook her frame. She sank down on the couch, her face buried in her hands while she rocked back and forth, trying desperately not to shatter with the pain.
* * * *
“Damn it!” He hit the steering wheel with his fist as his truck rolled down the street, plowing through the snow. Raking his fingers through his hair, he wasn’t sure what to do now. The last several days had been wrapped around Carrie and baby, but now he just felt lost. “How could she just tell me to leave? Doesn’t she know how I feel about her?” He sighed.
How would she know? I’ve never told her anything. As far as she’s concerned, I’m still just here for the short term.
“Time. I just need to give her some time, that’s all.” The bright neon sign of a Motel Six caught his attention, and he pulled into the driveway. He needed a place to stay, at least for tonight—at least until he could talk to her again and maybe they could get some things straightened out.
Leaving his duffle bag on the seat, he pushed open the door and shivered when the biting wind hit him in the face. Hurrying into the lobby of the motel, he asked for a single room and signed his name to the receipt. Grabbing the key, he headed back for his truck and his lonely bed.
Two hours later, he rolled over and groaned when the jingle of his cell phone dragged him from the exhausted sleep. Blinking in an attempt to focus his eyes, he brought the still ringing phone up to see who it was. He frowned a moment before he flipped it open.
“Chase?”
“Cole, where are you?”
“In Silver Ridge, why?”
“You need to come home. It’s Mom. She’s had a stroke.”
“Shit!” He groaned. “Okay. I’ll be there as quick as I can. It’ll take me several hours to get home though.”
“I know. Be careful, okay? The roads aren’t great.”
“I will. I’ll call you when I get close. Where is she?”
“Still at the hospital.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
The click of the phone sounded menacing, like someone had just sliced his heart in half. He wanted to be with Carrie, needed to get things straightened out, but his mother needed him at home. Struggling from the bed, he threw what little he’d taken out the night before back into his bag.
He picked up his phone to call her. “Shit. I still don’t have her damn number!” He paced the floor a minute before he dialed information and asked for the number to Marsh’s Feed. His heart clenched when he heard Carrie’s voice pick up, but it was just the answering machine. When her message was finished, he said, “Carrie, it’s me Cole. I realize now that I don’t have your home number or cell number, but we need to talk. Call me when you get this okay? My number is three-zero-seven-four-two-nine-four-three-zero-eight. There’s an emergency at home, so I have to head back there. Please, baby—call me. Talk to you soon.”
He closed the phone and held it in his palm for a moment. Shaking his head, he picked up his duffle, opened the motel room door, and let it slam behind him.
The ride back to Laramie was hell. He tried listening to the radio, planning where he would go for the first ride of the season, anything to get his mind off Carrie, but nothing worked. The store would be open already this morning, so she should have gotten his message. He frowned.
Why didn’t she call? I could call the store and see if I get her, but knowing her, she’d probably just hang up on me.
The day dragged by while he made his way toward home. When the lights of Laramie finally came into view in the distance, he continued to pick his way along the highway toward the hospital. It was slow going. The roads were slick and covered with snow.
Both the snow plow and Cole stopped at a four-way intersection for a moment before the plow went on through. Cole stopped and looked, but the snow was coming down so hard, it obliterated most of his view. He didn’t see anything coming in either direction. The tires spun on the icy snow when he pulled out slowly. His truck fishtailed slightly before grabbing on. He never saw the other vehicle before it broadsided him, knocking his truck into another vehicle sitting at the intersection.
After several minutes, he slowly opened his eyes. His head hurt, and his vision blurred as he tried to focus. The windshield looked like a giant spider web with big chunks missing. His chest burned when he tried to take a deep breath. He brought his hand up to his forehead above his left eye where it hurt, but his fingers came away with blood smeared on them. Pressing his hand against the burning in his side, he groaned and fought for consciousness. He lost the battle and slipped back into oblivion with Carrie’s name on his lips.
Chapter Thirteen
Abby and Chase sat in a couple of small chairs in his mother’s room at the hospital, talking softly, while Chase's father, Charles, reprimanded his mother, Bonnie, for doing too much. The pad of Chase's thumb rubbed against her hand where their fingers were interlaced. She knew in her heart his mother would be all right although she would have some trouble with movement for the rest of her life. Thank God she was alive. Abby had grown very fond of her mother-in-law, and the last thing she wanted was for Chase to lose her.
Chase's sister, Jamie, had been by earlier to see her mother but had to be home to care for her daughter, Samantha, when she returned from school for the day. Abby smiled when she thought of Jamie. She had seen what the future held for her sister-in-law to a small degree, and Abby knew Jamie would find happiness again—soon.
Abby lost focus on the world around her as her head began to pound with a splitting headache. She involuntarily squeezed Chase’s hand and closed her eyes.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
When she opened them again, she tried to smile to reassure her husband. “I’m fine, Chase. I just have a really bad headache.”
“Should we go home?”
“No, I’m fine. We need to stay here until Cole gets here.”
“Are you sure you are okay? Your face is really pale. You’ve been doing too much being pregnant and all.”
“You are being an overprotective husband and expectant father.”
“I love you. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Rubbing the soreness clinging just above her left eyebrow, she squeezed his hand as the radio at his waist crackled. She smiled, trying to reassure him, but the pounding in her head kept increasing.
“Accident on the corner of Sheridan Street and Highway Two-eighty-seven. Probably injuries—possible extraction.”
Abby gasped and pressed her palm against the spot on her forehand. Feeling very lightheaded and dizzy, she wanted to Chase to understand she was okay, but the pain got worse until a scene flashed behind her eyelids. She moaned when the pain shot through her entire head, and she could vaguely hear Chase calling her name. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she raised her eyes to his.
“Chase—God, Chase, it’s Cole. He’s hurt.”
“What? Where?”
“The accident they just called. It’s Cole. You need to help him. He’s hurt bad.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, I’ll be fine. Just go.”
“I love you, Abby. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I love you, too. Be careful.” He kissed her quickly, grabbed his coat, and was gone.
Abby sat on the chair shaking. Her head hurt and now her chest began to burn. She wasn’t alarmed at the pain she felt. She knew it all had to do with Cole and where his injuries were. He was alive, that much she knew, but he hovered on the outside watching and trying to communicate. She could hear him whispering. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her thoughts so she could make out what he was saying. She tried reaching him with her mind.
Cole—talk to me.
Silence.
Come on, Cole—talk to me. Tell me.
After a moment, her eyes flew open, and she gasped, startling Bonnie and Charles.
“Something wrong, Abby?” Bonnie asked.