6. Clay

CHAPTER 6

Clay

G oddamn son of a fucker, this is what it’s like. I’m hooked. There’s no other way to describe what happened the moment my eyes landed on Clementine’s. Then I touched her, barely skating my thumb over the apple of her cheek, watching as her eyes blazed like an inferno full of longing. I’m not sure what is more reactive, my heart or my dick. Both seemed to be working double time as I watched Minnie walk away and come back. This has got to be what Amos and the Johnson brothers felt when they met their match. Never in my life did I feel a pull like I do with the woman who’s currently in my bedroom.

It didn’t take us long to drive back up the driveway, Nala running alongside us, with Minnie in the passenger seat and leftover supplies still in the back, which meant no room for my girl. She didn’t mind, and when I parked near the side entrance, Nala greeted the woman who I know without a fucking doubt will be mine. One way or the other, I’ll convince her to stay even though I’ve yet to have the slightest taste of her.

“Clay.” I’m hanging by the door as she moves closer to the king-size bed. The dark wood frame takes up the majority of the room. I didn’t care. Still don’t. I’d rather have a bigger bed with less room around than being crammed on something too damn small for my tall frame. The rest of the room is outfitted with a nightstand on either side and a tall dresser on the wall opposite of the window. I’ve got a small television mounted to the wall which is only used in the morning to watch the weather report. The last piece of furniture is a small bench at the foot of the bed. It's where she drops her small bag when she realizes this is my room.

“Phone is on the nightstand. Cell service is shit here, even with Wi-Fi. Once the storm sets, it goes all wonky. Might want to make that call here soon. Not sure how much longer the phone lines will hold up with more snow moving in. You won’t have to worry about power. I’ve got a backup generator and enough firewood to keep the place warm.”

“Please let me help you with something, anything,” she pleads. The only damn thing I want her to beg for is my cock. Whether it’s on her knees, her ass up in the air, or her riding my face.

“I’m good. It won’t take me too long. Make your call, take a hot shower, and climb into bed. I’ll be done before you know it.” My room isn’t too dirty. The bed is obviously unmade considering the accident woke me up, and the last thing on my mind was making it.

“As long as you’re sure.” I take a step toward her. My restraint is dwindling. The need to touch her, to feel her… There’s only so much I can fucking take.

“I’m positive, sweetheart.” I’m less than a foot away from her. My hand cups her check, and I watch as both cheeks redden with how close we are to one another.

“Please be careful. I’d leave the van there, except I don’t want anyone to round the corner and get hurt in the process.” She looks up at me, lips pursed and eyes filled with worry. Damn, I’d much rather see a different look on her face, but I get it. Minnie doesn’t want anyone hurt.

“I’ll be careful. Now, you need anything, help yourself. I should have everything you could need.” The pull is too damn strong, and I do the last thing either one of us could expect. I drop a kiss to Minnie’s forehead. Her hands go to my stomach. At first, I figure she’d push me away, except her fingers dig into the material of my jacket and she holds on. Damn, I’d much rather have my lips on hers, my tongue sliding inside her mouth, showing her exactly what I’d do to her when neither of us has a drop of clothing on.

“Thank you, truly. Thank you. I can never repay what you’re doing for me.”

“Fuck it,” I breathe. My head dips lower, and my lips press against hers. I don’t linger, fast and all the sweeter when her tongue glides along the seam of my lips. “Goddamn, we’re definitely coming back to this. After.” Minnie nods, agreeing with me.

“So, it isn’t just me?” Her voice is as sweet as the ripest berry.

“It’s not just you. Do your thing and get in bed, yeah?” The next time I kiss her, I’m going to take my time.

“Okay.” Minnie is making it damn hard to leave her here while I get the rest of the shit squared away.

“Jasmine will probably get in bed with you. She likes to be in everyone’s business and stick as close as possible,” I explain. She’s still not inside yet, which has me worried that she may have snuck away to get into some kind of trouble.

“And Jasmine is who?”

“My cat. Got a lot of animals here, Clementine. I’ll introduce you to the rest of them tomorrow. Be back soon.” I’ve got to get my head in the game, or I’ll never leave.

“See you soon.” She backs away from my body. A damn good thing because I sure the hell wasn’t.

“Yeah, you will.” With my parting words, I head back toward the door. There’s a lot to get done. The side-by-side won’t be able to haul her van up the driveway, which means I’ve got to get the tractor, chains, and a rope. I’m hoping the barn will be big enough to hold the vehicle. If not, it’ll be sitting out in the open, and every time she looks outside, she will be reminded of her accident. The last thing I want is for her to worry her bottom lip with what she has to get done.

“Nala, stay,” I tell my dog, who’s sitting on the rug near the couch. She’d much rather be outside, but with Minnie in the house, I prefer she keep an eye on the raven-haired beauty. Her straight hair is so long it touches the top of her ass, covering strong shoulders, a slender waist, and hips that are more than enough for me to grab on to. And she’s got a peach-shaped ass I want to sink my teeth in.

My girl lets out a small yip, letting me know she’ll stay in the house. She’s a good girl and deserves more than her fair share of treats. I’m still dressed from bringing Minnie up to the house. At least that’s one less thing to worry about. The only problem I see having here soon, is the amount of snow that’s dropping. I’ve got to move as fast as possible.

I walk out the door and close it softly behind me, then double my pace to the barn. The doors are still open from earlier, and with the tractor parked behind the side-by-side, I’ll be able to get her up and running in no time. Truth be told, I’ve yet to do a job as big as this since I’ve moved up here. Sure, there’ve been a couple of fender benders, a few cars breaking down here or there, but nothing as bad as what Minnie’s been put through.

I go through the motions, dropping the chains and rope in the bucket and climbing inside. There is a plus to being in the skid steer: it’s enclosed, keeping the snow and freezing cold weather out. I make my trek back down the drive while worrying the entire time that Clementine is by herself and I didn’t do that of a great job of checking her for any injuries.

“Goddamn it, Clay. You’re a dumb pecker head,” I say into the enclosure. The jarring down the gravel road has me deep in thought. There’s a chance more people will head up this way after the sheriff told Minnie to get a move on and drive up here instead of telling her to park in town. And he didn’t say shit to me about her coming up here. Is he asking to get someone killed? Unless it wasn’t the sheriff but a park ranger. Though, I’d like to think either one of them would have a lick of sense, especially after everything that’s happened around here lately. Either way, the next time I’m in town, I’ll be having a chat with whomever is involved. This accident could have been avoided, and while I’m pissed that Minnie could have been hurt, the good thing to come of this situation is I’ve got her exactly where I want her—in my home and in my bed.