Betting the Farm (5 page)

At some point she’d veered off the asphalt roadway and was
now on a hard-packed clay side road. Smelling fresh rain on a light, welcome
breeze that kicked up, Kai glanced at the sky and groaned. Ominous, gray storm
clouds were fast approaching from the west and she had to head south. At the
rate that storm was moving, their paths were going to collide soon. Since she’d
run so far, it was doubtful she could beat the rain back to the house, but she
turned around and began to jog that direction. At a quarter mile in, a fat
raindrop hit her on the nose. Kai tried picking up her pace a little but she
was already spent, so she accepted that she was about to get wet.

Another half-mile down and the bottom dropped out. She’d
barely made it back to the main highway. In a matter of minutes, she was soaked
to the skin. Still, she had no choice other than to keep going. With every footstep,
rainwater splashed her calves, soaking into her socks and shoes. Her sodden
ponytail slapped heavily between her shoulder blades. The fresh smell of pine
and dank earth saturated her sinuses.

Lightning cracked across the sky, followed by rolling thunder
carrying off through the trees. To distract her mind from her discomfort, Kai
tried to remember the saying about the seconds between the two and how it
equated to how far away the worst of the storm was. It was no use. She was
drowning, freezing and at least a mile yet from home.

She eyed a rusty, dilapidated shed a few feet off the road
up ahead. When she got close, she dashed through the ditch toward it, huddling
under the narrow eaves. It didn’t offer much shelter, but at least it gave her
a brief respite from the relentless, stinging drops. She hugged close to the
tin wall, still warm from the afternoon sun, and tried not to think about
spiders and snakes while she rubbed at her chilled skin.

A black Ford F-250 drove past, then slowed and did a three-point
turn in the middle of the highway. Kai sighed, wiping rain from her face with
her hands.

Crap.
What was he doing out this way?

Fritz pulled through the ditch and stopped, his truck
idling, the passenger door and the dry, warm cocoon of the cab four feet away.
Embarrassment coursed through her, burning her cheeks despite the cold rain.
Steam should’ve been rising from the top of her head.

The dark-tinted window slid down faster than she wanted it
to.

“Get in.”

Kai glared up at the angry sky, cursed hard enough to make a
sailor blush, then pushed away from the meager shelter of the old building and
climbed into Fritz’s truck. He reached behind the seat, pulling out a clean,
folded towel and handing it to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered and began drying herself with the
rough cloth. It felt good against her clammy skin and smelled like dryer
sheets.

Fritz spun the truck around and drove north. Home was south.
She kept her mouth clamped shut while she squeezed the water from her ponytail.
Her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn’t form a coherent sentence anyway.
He must’ve noticed because he switched off the air conditioning.

They rode the distance to his house in total silence. At
least she assumed that’s where he was headed. Kai glanced at him once out of
the corner of her eye. He’d showered and changed since she’d left him at the
barn. His dark hair was damp and curling around the base of his neck. The
masculine scent of his soap filled the confined space, filled
her
. He
stared straight ahead, wrist balanced on top of the steering wheel.

He parked close to his front porch and turned to look at
her, his expression unreadable. “Come inside, get warm and dry.”

She nodded once.

When she stepped onto his porch, she toed off her muddy running
shoes and stripped off her wet socks. Once inside, she hovered near the front
door, afraid she’d drip all over his wood floors, unsure of what to do and
where to go…what she was doing there.

You could’ve asked him to take you home.

“I’ll get you another towel,” Fritz said after noticing she
hadn’t moved.

His work boots clomped down the hallway, the sound echoing
off the walls in the quiet house. She heard the squeak of a door, then he was
returning with a large blue bath towel opened in his hands.

Her tremors grew inexplicably stronger, the quaking of her
body no longer caused from being wet and cold. There was that, yes. But there
was also the undercurrent of tension and anger flowing between them that made
her tremble. And pure, raw desire. Kai saw it in Fritz’s shadowed eyes as he
gently wrapped the towel around her shoulders and began rubbing her arms and back
to help stimulate warmth into her numbed flesh.

She didn’t quite know how to handle his tenderness after
what happened in the barn earlier. It confused her but at least he was being
kind, attentive.

Kai gave up and melted against him, seeking the heat from
his body and more contact. He hesitated just long enough to remind her she
hadn’t been forgiven. The knowledge brought forth a wave of fresh tears. She
pressed her face into the open collar of his shirt, curling her hands into the
soft cloth covering his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his warm skin, not sure
if he heard the words. He gave in, pulling her tight to him. She felt his face
in her wet hair, heard him breathe deep, then sigh as he held her while she
cried as quietly as she knew how.

“Me too,” he murmured.

Fritz eased away and took her hand in his, leading her down
the hallway and into the bathroom. Reaching into the shower, he cranked the
knobs and pulled the curtain back, then began to help her undress as steam
filled the small room.

Utter shock held her immobile while Fritz rid her of her wet
clothing. Her shorts hit the floor with a soft plop. She raised her arms obligingly
when he tugged the hem of her tank top up and over her head. Kai searched his
face, desperate to see an emotional sign—anger, desire, compassion,
anything—but he remained stoic.

He turned her so that her back was to him and unhooked her
bra. She let it slide off her arms onto the pile of wet clothes at her feet.
Her nipples pebbled so tightly they hurt while more goose bumps rose on her
skin.

His fingers hesitated at the waistband of her underwear and
she glanced over her shoulder. A muscle jumped in his jaw and his nostrils
flared, but he still didn’t meet her gaze. Kai took the decision away from him
and before she could second-guess that choice, skimmed her panties over her
hips and off her feet. Even though Fritz had seen her naked before, it felt as
though she were being stripped by a complete stranger. She’d never felt so
exposed in her entire life.

Kai stepped into the tub and jerked the curtain closed,
hiding behind the thin barrier of black and white checked plastic. On the other
side, she could make out the shape of Fritz shoving his hand through his hair
before bending to pick up her wet clothes. Then she heard him leave the
bathroom.

She slumped against the tile wall and let the hot water pour
across her body. It revived her chilled skin, though now the chill was more
from the way he’d treated her moments ago than her previous exposure to the icy
rain. She snatched the elastic band from her ponytail, tilted her head back
under the spray and closed her eyes, wishing she could wash away all the hurt
between them.

When the curtain was slid open a few minutes later, Kai
squeaked in surprise. Fritz stood there, unabashedly naked, his impressive cock
growing hard. His gaze skimmed over her body in a sizzling caress, hesitating
on her breasts then moving down to the juncture of her thighs. Her first
instinct was to cover herself with her hands, but Kai stood her ground, looking
her fill as he looked his. Shy of actual touching, it was the most fundamental
way possible of reacquainting themselves with each other.

He stepped into the tub with her and Kai tilted her head
back to look up at his face while water continued to sluice down her back.
Fritz reached past her and picked up a bottle of shampoo, pouring a generous
puddle into his palm. This silent treatment was killing her, although she
supposed she preferred it to bitter words.

His voice was low and rough when he broke the silence. “Turn
around.”

She complied, giving him her back, then his hands began
working the shampoo through her hair. Fritz lightly scrubbed at her scalp and
Kai shivered. Her breasts felt heavy and full, her sex tingling with building
arousal. When he slicked the suds from her hair and turned her around to put
her under the spray again, she sighed with anticipation. Would he wash her body
too? The thought of his soapy hands all over her had her trembling with desire.

She opened her eyes when his hands touched her shoulders. He
stared down into her face, his eyes dark, a small crease between his brows,
lips pressed together. Then he cupped her face in his palms. He shook his head
once as if he were disagreeing with something before lowering his mouth to
hers.

Kai went up on her tiptoes to meet him, her hands gliding
across his wet chest to circle his neck. A faint groan rumbled from his throat
when their bodies met.

Fritz had always been a great kisser. Soft lips but firm
pressure, not too wet, the perfect amount of suction. There was no sloppiness
or ineptitude. His tongue stroked hers, plunging and retreating, sliding and
tasting.

His thick erection brushed Kai’s stomach, branding her like
an iron, and she whimpered into his mouth. He broke away to nibble at her
bottom lip, her chin and jaw, while his hands coasted over her hips to cup her
ass and pull her tighter against him. Her pussy heated and pulsed, needing to
be filled. No one else had ever turned her on, made her want, the way he did.

“Fritz,” Kai whispered.

He lifted his head, darkened eyes roaming over her upturned
face. “I knew the moment I saw you again this would happen. No matter how hard
I try, I can’t stay away,” he said, though he didn’t look happy about his
admission. Despite everything that had happened between them, Fritz still
wanted her. Kai got the feeling he hated that weakness in himself. Despite how
angry he’d been with her,
remained angry with her
, he couldn’t ignore
the chemistry that pulled them together like bee to blossom.

His eyes closed briefly when she stroked his cheek. “Then
don’t.”

He kissed her again, harder, claiming her mouth as his own.
She shuddered from the force behind it but Fritz must’ve mistaken her reaction
to mean she was cold.

“Come on. Let’s get you dried off and warm,” he said,
turning off the now tepid water. She hoped he meant beneath his body.

Stepping from the shower one at a time, Fritz bundled her in
a fresh towel and wrapped one around his hips. He used a third to squeeze and
rub the dampness from her hair. Then his hands were back on her, using the
coarse cloth to gently dry her body. She ate up the sight of his muscled chest,
watching rivulets trail down his pecs and across the strong plain of his
abdomen. He would scold her if she ever told him how perfectly made she thought
he was. Instead, she stared slack-jawed at his incredible body.

Giving in to temptation, Kai leaned forward to lick at the
glistening droplets clinging to his neck. He stilled, his hands tightening on
her waist. “Christ,” he muttered. The towel he’d been using on her hit the
floor. His hands slid underneath her ass as he picked her up. Kai wrapped her legs
around his waist, not caring that the remaining towel loosened and fell behind.

Fritz strode to his bed and stretched her out on top of his
comforter. Kai tugged the towel from his hips as he settled between her thighs,
tossing it behind him.

His weight pressing down on her felt so right and good. Part
of her knew there’d be regrets when this was over, questions and confusion, but
she didn’t care. She was here now and wanted Fritz to make love to her more
than she wanted to breathe. Closing her eyes, Kai succumbed to the pleasure his
mouth brought as he made his way down her body.

When his lips closed around her nipple, Kai moaned and
arched into him. His fingers strummed at its twin, stroking and pinching.
“Beautiful,” he murmured against her overheated skin. His tongue flicked at the
turgid peaks before he sucked her deep. Warm moisture soaked her sex. She
squeezed her thighs tighter around Fritz’s hips. Releasing her breast, he
lifted his head to meet her gaze. One of his hands gripped her hip, stilling
her writhing, needy motions. “Tell me you want this, Kai.”

She threaded her fingers through his damp hair, loving the
silky glide of it across her skin. “Isn’t it obvious?” Curling her hands into
fists, she tried to tug him back down but he resisted.

“I want to hear you say the words.”

“I want you,” she replied without hesitation. One corner of
his mouth curved up in satisfaction. “Do you?” she asked, unable to avoid the
trace of trepidation in her voice. There was always the possibility that Fritz
was screwing her out of spite, but she suspected it was a slim one. At least
she hoped it was.

“Do I what?” he mumbled against her breast.

“Want this too?”

He slid higher, nudging her pussy with the tip of his cock.
“That should be proof enough,” he said as Kai gasped at the brief spear of
incredible sensation.

Dropping her hands to his ass, she pulled him closer. “Then
use it to show me how much.”

Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating Fritz’s determined
features in the dim light of his bedroom. Thunder rolled ominously, rattling
the glass in the windows. She knew how the old house felt, being shook to the
foundation as his talented mouth did wicked things to her nipples. Kai squirmed
at the restless ache forming in her core.

“Be still or I’ll tie you down.” He lifted his head and
nailed her with a look that said he wasn’t kidding. Her face flushed and a
little jolt of curious excitement shot through her. Would she like being tied
up? Judging by the way her body responded to his warning, she would as long as
Fritz was the one tying the knots.

“I can’t help it. I need you so much.
Please
.”

He shifted his weight, reaching toward his nightstand
drawer. Kai froze, thinking he might be about to make good on his promise.
Instead, he came back with a condom. He sat back on his haunches, ripped it
open and rolled it down his cock while Kai watched, her heart thumping at the
lust-drunk expression on his face.

She reached for him when he leaned over her, eager to feel
his warm skin under her palms. It occurred to her this was the first time she
and Fritz had ever had sex in a bed. They’d made love outside on a blanket, in
the narrow seat of the old hand-me-down pickup he used to drive, but never on a
mattress. Aside from the prime location, something about this time felt different,
new and exciting, as if she were losing her virginity to him all over again,
except it wouldn’t hurt. It would feel amazing, a rebirth of sorts.

When Fritz’s cock brushed the inside of her thigh, she quit
thinking.

Kai held her breath as the head breached her slick entrance,
a divine stretch that made her sigh. She watched Fritz’s face tighten as he
slowly pushed inside her body, rigid muscle parting tender flesh.

A deep groan rumbled from his throat. “Fuck, you feel good,”
he said. “Even better than I remembered.”

As Fritz began to move, he smothered her gasp of pleasure
with his mouth. The rising intensity became too much. Kai broke away from his
drugging kiss and wrapped her legs around his hips to anchor herself.

Yes, how
could
she have forgotten what it felt like
to have him deep inside her, how wonderful his solid weight felt between her
thighs? Her body seemed to remember because it sang his praises. Delicious
bursts of concentrated pleasure speared through her, turning her body into one
giant, hypersensitive nerve ending.

“Open your eyes and look at me,” Fritz said.

When she did, his face loomed above hers, his gaze boring
into her as though he could see every thought. His thrusts became almost savage
in nature, as if he were trying to purge Kai of anyone else’s prior sexual
possession.