By the time I made it back to the house, I’d been stopped by three more people who needed shit done.
She was bending over, taking something from the oven that smelt like heaven, but it was the sight of her ass that made my cock jump.
I need this fuck.
“You just about done in here?”
“Ahhh.” She jumped and dropped the pan of cookies on top of the stove.
“Lawton, you scared me half to death.”
It was the first time she’d said my name, and it did something to the nerves in my gut.
I felt like an ass standing there wanting to ask her to say my name again in her sweet voice.
I’m a fucking romance novel.
“Sorry, are you done?
You need to go say bye to your mother.” That made her sad, and she gave me the pouty face sad eyes look as she removed her apron and turned down the oven.
“I know you said not to ask you about your…”
“So don’t.”
She actually glared at me and huffed.
Shit, she was one of those.
“As I was saying, I don’t see why mom can’t just stay here with me.”
“I don’t like people I can’t trust that close to me.” She wasn’t too happy with my words, but she didn’t say anything more as we walked over to the cottage.
Her mother, as I expected, was waiting with her shit already at the door.
“Mom?” she rushed over to the older woman, and they embraced.
“I’m sorry, Dana Sue, but I’ve been living with your father for too long.
I can’t just up and leave, much as I would wish to.
I know this young man don’t understand, but Carl’s been my husband since I was your age.
It’s the only life I know; I can’t just…”
“But he hit you, mama, and look at what he did to me; how can you think of going back there?”
At least she had a little fire in her, which was a relief.
If I was going to have to abide her for any length of time, it was good to know she wasn’t going to be a pain in the ass simpering twit.
The two of them played a little game of back and forth until I put an end to it.
“Listen, I have to make some preparations around here to deal with your shit.
I don’t want her here when I start putting my shit into play, so you’re gonna have to get your goodbye out of the way now.”
“I’ll take this shit out to your truck.” I grabbed the bags she’d brought with her and headed out the door.
“Promise me you’ll take care of her.”
“I don’t make promises.” Fuck does she care?
She was going to sell her to Royce fucking Davis.
My border collie would take better care of her than that fuck.
“Did you have to be so rude?”
“That sounds a fuck of a lot like you telling me what to do, Ms.
Dana.
Now get back to the house; I’ll be there soon.” She gave her mother one last look before heading back.
I ordered two of the men to follow the mother part of the way and headed back to the house to deal with a sulking female whose life I was about to turn upside down.
Fuck!
She was doing it to me too, so I guess we’re even.
***
I cornered her against the wall with my arms beside her head as soon as I cleared the door.
She looked up at me with a look of wonder mixed with fear on her face.
“What…” I stopped her mouth with mine.
I had to know; no matter the result, my mind was already made up, but I had to know.
I didn’t stop to think why it should matter, but just in case.
Fuck me.
I let her go and stood there looking down at her.
She wasn’t looking much better than I was feeling, and her eyes were glued to my lips.
“Was that your first kiss Dana?” and why the fuck did I care if she said yes or not?
But there was no denying the feeling I got when she nodded her head yes.
“I know you’ve said that you didn’t know about the deal with Royce until this morning, but were you ever alone with him, or was he ever near you in the last six years?”
“Yes, but I didn’t know what was going on.
I did find it a bit strange in the beginning, but daddy explained that the two of them had gone into business together.
“You what?”
“I just remembered; there was this one time when Mr.
Davis tried to get me to sit on his knee.
It felt weird, so I didn’t stay there long.”
“And then there were all those times he’d ask me to turn so he could have a look at me, all those comments about how well I was growing.”
“Now that I think of it, he was always there whenever I came home.
And sometimes he’d stay for dinner…”
“DANA.” I had to pull her in hard and hold her against my chest because the shakes were even worse than before.
“How could I have been so stupid?
Why didn’t I see what they were doing?” Maybe because you were a kid!
I held her until she stopped shaking and then put her away from me.
I don’t think it was appropriate to be having visions of fucking her on the kitchen table while she was reliving that shit.
Now I have the memory of the way she felt against me burned into my mind.
As if this shit wasn’t going to be hard enough at it is.
I checked my watch and gave myself one last time to change my mind, no dice.
I had no doubt that if Royce had been given the news that she was with me that he was already plotting some shit.
“I have to make a call, and then you and I are gonna have a nice long talk.”
“About what?”
“Stuff.” I left her in the kitchen and went to my private home office for some privacy for the call.
I was going to need a lot of shit done in a very short time, so I was going to be calling in some favors.
Surprisingly, most of the town’s people were only too happy to help out the guys and I whenever we had a need.
When I’d lived at home, I hadn’t ever noticed how much contempt the people held for Royce and his family; now, it was glaringly obvious.
Because of his highhandedness and the way he’d taught his son to be just like him, the people had a lot of dislike for them.
I didn’t know too much about the son; Royce had shipped him off long ago to some fancy school somewhere in Europe.
I didn’t even know people still did that shit.
Unlike his father, I didn’t believe in going after anyone other than the person I had beef with.
Otherwise, I would’ve ended his son a long time ago.
He’d been home for quite some time now, and one of the women he fucks is only too willing to set him up for my bullet, but that’s not the way I play.
Though I keep my options open, you never know what might be in the future.