Unbridled and Unbranded (5 page)

Delbert squinted and looked at Rafe who answered, “Actually, he works for us. We’ll pay his regular salary and you and I can work out the finances later on.”

Callie was often very proud when it came to money. On a normal day she wouldn’t have settled for an ambiguous financial arrangement for some indeterminate time later. But today was nowhere near a normal one.

“Thank you, Rafe.” She turned to Delbert. “And thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” She shook his hand and he actually blushed.

“No problem, ma’am. I’ll come over tomorrow first thing and do what I can.”

Rafe slapped Delbert on the back. “I’ll come with you tomorrow so we can figure out what needs to be done. Gather along anyone you think can help, okay?”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Latimer. Happy to.” He excused himself.

“I can’t afford to pay you right now. But I swear I’m good for it.” Callie did several quick calculations, feeling confident she’d be okay to pay them back in a timely fashion.

Rafe put his arm around her and squeezed. “I have no doubt. We’ll iron things out tomorrow so you will feel comfortable with the process and the financial issues.”

Filled with emotion over this timely rescue, Callie sucked in a deep breath of sincere relief. She was saved. Rafe, and indirectly, Bo, had come to her rescue.

She turned her face into his chest, unable to hold back her emotions. Rafe’s other arm went around her as she sobbed a couple times.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise,” he whispered. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Callie lifted her head. Several tears dripped off her cheeks and formed spots onto the front of his starched blue shirt. She looked up into his dark, sultry eyes filled with the same lust she’d seen five years ago on the hotel balcony. The kiss she wanted so desperately was likely inevitable. Why fight it?

One of his strong, square hands came up to cup her face. He brushed half her tears away with his thumb. He kissed her cheek before securing his mouth against hers.

Supreme gratitude still fresh in her soul, Callie responded in kind. For the second time in less than half an hour, she licked past a man’s lips to taste him after so long without that particular comfort.

Seemingly unfazed by the fact that she’d just been locking lips with Bo earlier, Rafe poured on his personal brand of seductive charm into the luscious kiss.

He didn’t so much as kiss her but instead he invaded, overwhelmed, and devoured her.

Her nipples tingled and hardened. Her pussy gushed freely. Without realizing it, she pushed her hips forward until she encountered his growing cock.

Rafe tightened his grip. His hips also pressed closer in response to her overture.

Suddenly breathing hard, Callie wondered what in the world she was doing. While it had been quite a while since she’d been with a man, today was not the day to have sex with Rafe in the barn after he’d saved her life. Especially not after the long, hot hello kiss from Bo only a few minutes ago in the house.

Bo and Clay were out of sight, but somewhere close. It wouldn’t do for them to catch her kissing Rafe. Or fucking him, which was where her mind currently resided. Confusion over her obvious attraction to two men made her mind shut down.

Callie broke the kiss and pushed back from Rafe and his wonderful body and amazing lips. Given the right circumstances, she would have loved to be with him. But not today. Not when she had so much at stake.

She wasn’t willing to pay the debt she owed him with her body. Was she? She glanced at his amazing physique. She closed her eyes and pushed out a long breath of regret. No. He was beautiful, but she didn’t plan to use her body for payment of anything. No matter how magnificent it would feel.

“I’m so sorry, Callie,” Rafe said. “I let that go too far. I just didn’t want you to be upset. I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”

“I didn’t exactly stop you right at first.” Callie looked up into his guilt-filled expression. “And then there was the kiss with Bo a few minutes ago. You must think quite awful things about me.”

His expression darkened for a second. He reached out and pulled her into his arms again. “Please don’t ever think that. Bo and I have a unique relationship.”

“Does it include sharing kisses with women?” She laughed. But he didn’t.

His expression softened. He smiled and whispered, “Perhaps I don’t mind sharing you with Bo. He’s my very best friend.”

“So if I want to go back and kiss him, you won’t be upset.”

He grinned like he’d just won the lottery. “Not even a little bit.”

Feeling like they’d stepped into a place she wasn’t stable in, Callie backed off and promptly changed the subject. He let her.

“Thank you for Delbert.” She crossed her arms as if to protect herself from a man who sincerely pushed all of the right buttons for her sexual satisfaction.

Rafe didn’t approach, but moved in tandem. He kept an arm’s length away as she moved toward the barn doors. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Together, they walked back to Clay’s SUV. She didn’t see Bo, but Clay was closing the back hatch.

“Are you ready to head back to town?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Clay nodded at Rafe. “I’ll meet you and Bo at the Ryder Hotel restaurant in an hour, okay?”

Rafe nodded. Bo came out on to the porch right before she made it to the door.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have dinner with us?” he asked.

“Thanks anyway, but I need to get back.” Callie glanced at Rafe. He only smiled, but her cheeks blistered with embarrassed heat.

Bo came down the porch steps. “You don’t have to run off.”

She opened the passenger door. “I need to get back,” she said once more. “You three go out and have a boys’ night.”

Rafe walked closer to Bo and waved. “I’ll see you bright and early in the morning with Delbert.”

Callie nodded. “Thanks again.” She paused and stared at the two of them together. Equally gorgeous. As different as rain and shine in looks. And she was wet between the legs for both of them.

She climbed into the SUV and closed the door. She continued her study of them through the windshield.

Both of them equal parts of man candy and nice, sexy guy.

Rafe seemed blasé about her kiss with Bo. She’d have to chew on that for a few days. Because if she went to dinner with them tonight, she wasn’t sure she could keep her wits about her. How embarrassing to be lusting after two men.

Clay didn’t say anything until they’d exited the property of the Double R Ranch. “You can come to dinner if you’d like.”

“Let me guess. Bo told you to say that.”

A half smile appeared. “You
do
know him, don’t you?”

“I did. It was a long time ago.”

“Sometimes feelings don’t go away easily, or ever.” His expression beneath the dark sunglasses he wore went deadly serious. Callie wondered right then if he had a tragic past. Maybe everyone did.

“Are you speaking from experience?” she asked quietly.

Stone-faced and unreadable, he didn’t speak for several seconds. Then said, “Maybe.”

He didn’t elaborate, so Callie moved on. “Okay, so what did Bo tell you to say to me?”

“I can’t betray my man Bo like that.”

“Fine. But I’m not having dinner with the three of you tonight.”

Clay turned his head slightly as if double-checking his mirrors. She glanced out her window to the side mirror and saw a rusty truck a ways back.

“Are we being followed or something?”

“Maybe.” Clay stomped on the gas and the SUV lurched forward. Callie watched as the truck grew smaller in her mirror view.

He kept the speed up until they hit the edge of town. He slowed down and took a creative way through a few old residential areas before turning on to Main Street where she’d left her vehicle in front of the bank.

“Do I need to double back or take a new way home? I’ll admit my spy skills are rusty, but I’ll do my best.”

Clay shook his head. “I was just being cautious. No one is back there.”

He pulled up in a space right next to her truck. He put the vehicle into gear, turned sideways in his chair, and lowered his sunglasses until she could see his dark, sexy eyes. “You going to be okay?”

“I am now. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me, Clay.” Callie held his solid, serious gaze. “I owe you one. A big one.”

She leaned forward, put a hand on his cheek, and kissed his mouth quickly. His lips were firm and smooth. She drew back for a second to give him the opportunity to end things or protest, but he didn’t. So she kissed him again. She didn’t try to tongue him, just wanted to show her gratitude. Wanted to kiss him. He didn’t stop her, but didn’t deepen the kiss in any way, so she pulled back. He smiled at her.

“You’re welcome. And you don’t owe me. This one’s for free. I only made a phone call.”

She unbuckled her seat belt and reached for the door, but then paused. His eyebrows went up as if in question. “But if there was ever anything I could do for you. I hope you’ll ask me.”

He nodded once. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Callie got out of the nice luxury beast he drove and then climbed in to the ancient POS truck she owned.

Seated for ten seconds and she already missed the opulence of Clay’s ride. She had a long way to go for her own luxuries. But at least now, there was an actual chance she’d achieve them.

Callie pulled out on to Main Street and pointed her vehicle south, headed for the highway that ran alongside her property. Clay pulled in behind her and together they drove the few miles to their respective properties.

When Callie saw that Clay missed the turnoff to his property, she realized he was following her home. Even if no one was following her, he was. A gentleman and a friend. She knew he had other places to be tonight.

Kissing him had been nice and safe, but it didn’t quite have the volcanic intensity of kissing Bo or Rafe. And that was her reason for doing it. She needed a comparison.

After kissing Rafe in the barn, she needed to know if suddenly she’d become wanton and attracted to all men.

Clay’s lips had been very nice. She might not miss an opportunity to kiss him again, if another one came along. However, kissing Bo and Rafe took her to an entirely different plane.

* * * *

Clay watched Callie speed onto her property in her beat-up blue pickup truck and remained at her gate until the rusty truck that had followed them earlier passed by.

His gut told him someone had been following her. He pulled out and followed the rusty truck all the way to Kincaid’s ranch.

He’d heard loose talk in town about a rivalry brewing between the two ranches about a week or so ago. He wasn’t interested in gossip, but a few malicious things had been mentioned. Given his feelings for Callie, he felt honor bound to ensure she stayed safe.

She was his friend. His good friend. She’d been crucially helpful when she didn’t have to be back when he sought out buying the land that bordered hers for their Double Rider Men’s Club playground.

He wouldn’t have even known about the property as it hadn’t gone up on the market yet. She’d been seated next to him at a diner counter. He’d been reading an outdated real estate section of the local paper trying to find not only the perfect place, but also scout the area in general for their purposes.