Love & Rodeo (25 page)

Around three o’clock, Nora joined Kallie in the riding arena.

“
How was school?”

“
Good.”

“
And Nolan?”

Nora had a ridiculous smile on her face.

“
Amazing! He asked me out on a date Saturday night.”

“
Are you going to be up to it? I mean with family day?”

“
He wants to come help, and then afterward take me into town for ice cream.”

“
Let me think about it, okay?”

Nora smiled at her and Kallie knew she couldn’t tell her no.

“
All right, but there’s going to be rules.” Nora squealed and threw herself at her.

They dove into a conversation about how the girls were doing and then Nora went to the house to start homework while Kallie’s thoughts moved to Levi. She tried not to think about him and the way his rock-hard body felt against hers, or the fact that he was engaged and what they had done was completely wrong. Was she setting herself up to get hurt? He would leave in a week and go back to Danielle and their life together. Where did that leave her? Could she be that girl? The girl from the past who swooped in and took the fiancée’s man? She didn’t want to be, but the thought of not being with him made her chest hurt.

Kallie finished putting the horses up before she headed to the house. Levi found her as she walked and pulled her inside of a barn. She squealed as his lips found hers. She smiled immediately feeling his hands on her hips. She didn’t want this to end, but she also knew that they weren’t being fair to Danielle. She pulled away.

“
Hey, maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“
You don’t like it?” He looked hurt.

“
No, Levi, this feels really amazing, and it’s hard for me to say those words.”

“
What’s the problem?”

She looked at him like he was crazy. “You’re engaged. Hello, Danielle?”

“
Danielle?”

“
Yeah. Your fiancée. Are you sick?”

“
No. Kallie, Danielle and I were done over a month ago.”

Did she hear him right? She closed her eyes and rested her head against the barn wall.

“
Say that again,” she said and bit her lip.

“
Danielle and I are done. I couldn’t quit you. I’ll never be able to quit you.”

He kissed her taking her bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth. He sucked hard as her hands tangled in the hair at the back of his head, pulling him against her. Frantic to be closer to him, but not able to fill that need. It didn’t matter how close he was to her, it wouldn’t be close enough until he was inside of her. In that moment, she let everything go and lost herself in the kiss. She inhaled and he surrounded her making her weak in the knees. She felt his strong arms around her and for the first time since she’d left him, she felt safe. His lips met hers once more with a fierce passion she only hoped she made him feel until she heard Nora yelling for her.

“
You are trouble,” Kallie said with an unsteady voice as she slipped from his arms, putting some distance between them and heading to the house.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room where Kallie announced family day on Saturday afternoon. Family day was when the guests got a taste of a real rodeo. They all would get a chance to show their families’ what they had learned over the last two weeks. Some people from town came out to watch the guests ride as well. Everyone seemed really excited, and then asked if Levi and Kallie would be riding as well. Kallie looked at Levi.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“
Sure. I’ll ride.”

Levi looked at her, challenging her.

“
Well, I’m riding if you’re riding,” Kallie challenged back.

Everyone cheered and started chatting. Nora found Kallie and told her goodnight. It wasn’t long before everyone was heading back to the bunkhouses. Kallie told them all goodnight before she set off to her evening chores.

She was in the laundry room finishing a load of her and Nora’s clothes when Levi found her.

“
So, am I allowed to sleep in your room tonight or do I need to ask Nora?” he asked leaning against the door.

Kallie laughed.

“
Laugh it up, but she’s a teenager and this is her house. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable or be confused about the things going on in her home.”

“
Well, how about this? We set the alarm so that I get up before her. I’ll be in my room before she wakes up,” Levi said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He kissed her nose.

“
All right. Give me a minute and I’ll be in.”

He kissed her once more before he disappeared into the dark hallway.

Kallie finished folding the laundry and put it in Nora’s basket for her to put away. She grabbed her clean clothes and then took them to her room. She shut the door behind her and walked to her wardrobe. She slowly put her clothes away all too aware of Levi’s gaze on her. She walked into the bathroom and undressed, slipping his old T-shirt on before reappearing. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she thought about him being in her bed.

She emerged from the restroom and moved to turn off the light. Standing there for a moment, she let her eyes adjust to the dark.

“
Kallie?” Levi asked.

Her heart raced as her name escaped his lips, as if it belonged there and only he was supposed to say it.

She walked toward the bed and climbed onto the foot. She crawled up his body, trailing kisses as she went. When she reached his chest, she felt his hands on her arms urging her further up his body to claim her mouth as his. She kissed his neck and his jawline until she found his mouth in the dark. His kiss was strong and passionate as his hands pushed her panties down. She straddled him, her lips never leaving his while his hands worked his old T-shirt up her body. He sat up with her when he pushed the shirt over her head. His mouth finding her neck and working its way down her collarbone and then to her breasts. She moaned and it only made him draw her nipple further into his mouth. Needing to feel him in her hands she ran her fingers over his taut stomach until he inhaled with surprise as she gripped his length. His skin felt warm and velvety and strong in her grasp.

“
Kallie,” he breathed as she began stroking his length.

His hips bucked a little beneath her in protest, but she continued her assault on him until the anticipation was too much. She quickly sheathed him in a condom before lining him up with her entrance. She felt his hands go to her hips as she guided him inside of her. She rose once more before pushing down against his hips once more, this time filling herself completely. Together they moaned at the sensation.

“
Kallie, you feel so good. This feels so good,” Levi muttered against her breasts.

She raised her hips once more and let him fill her all over again as he held her tight to his body.

In that moment, she felt complete. Like no one would ever be able to satisfy her the way Levi did. She raised her hips once more, over and over until Levi panted beneath her. Noises of pleasure escaping him bringing her a satisfaction she hadn’t known. She felt so in control and about to lose it all at once. She quickened her thrusts while his hands at her hips helped keep her pace until that familiar wave of ecstasy consumed her. A few thrusts later, Levi followed her. She collapsed on the bed beside him as they tried to catch their breath.

When Kallie was finally able to steady her breathing, she laid in Levi’s arms looking at the ceiling, listening to his heart beat in his chest.

“
Levi? What happened to you and Danielle?”

He was quiet for a second.

“
You.”

“
Excuse me?” She rolled onto her side so that she could look into his eyes.

He exhaled. “Well, she said that I was having dreams about you. That she’d wake up and I’d be calling your name. I didn’t want to believe her at first, but then I’d catch myself thinking about you in the middle of the day or right before bed.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah. The smallest thing would make me think of you. Can I ask you something?”

“
Sure.”

“
Have you been with anyone since us?”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, until she eventually murmured, “How could I be with anyone else when I never stopped loving you?”

He pulled her on top of him and kissed her deeply.

“
I never stopped loving you either. Lord knows I tried. I tried so damn hard,” he said.

Her lips crushed his. Her heart ached in her chest at the pain that permeated his voice. She wanted to take it all away. She wanted to make him forget the last three years they were apart, but most of all she wanted to forget too.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Levi woke and looked at the clock. It read 5:30, Friday morning. His body was tired, but it wasn’t because he’d been riding bulls again. Kallie had been insatiable all week and he wouldn’t deny her. He’d never deny her again as long as she wanted him.

Last night, they stayed awake after making love, talking about nothing really. Just different things. It reminded him of when they were traveling together on the circuit. He squirmed out of her arms so that he could go back upstairs to his room before Nora woke for school. He’d been doing it since Tuesday when Kallie asked him to and he didn’t mind. He looked over at her, belly down with her hair splayed across the white sheet on the bed. She was gorgeous and she was his for the time being. He didn’t want to push Kallie into anything she wasn’t ready for, so if this was all he could have of her right now, he was fine with that.

Levi pushed a strand of her hair from her face to get a better look at her, wanting to commit this image to his memory forever. He started to stand and noticed Kallie’s locket on the bed with a piece of something sticking out. He still couldn’t believe she wore it after all this time. Not wanting her to lose one of the pictures, he pried it open. The piece fell onto the bed. Levi looked at the pictures of himself and Kallie before closing the locket back. He picked up the piece of paper that fell from the locket and unfolded it. When it was unfolded he knew exactly what it was that he was looking at. At first he thought it was an ultrasound of Luke’s baby, but the dates contradicted that thought. The dates were just a couple of months after the year she won her NBRA world title and just a few months after she left him. In that moment, he started putting everything together and realized that the baby in the ultrasound had to be his.

Kallie stirred a little, resting her hand on his bare back. He slipped on his jeans and grabbed his shirt from the foot of the bed. He folded the ultrasound photo and put it in his pocket before heading to his room.

He needed to put some space between them. He needed a minute to gather his thoughts. He showered and then sat on the edge of his bed staring at it. It was a small baby on the picture and it was only in black and white but Levi felt a tie to it. He had so many questions running through his head. He was angry and upset and scared all at the same time. He wondered what happened to the child. Obviously, she didn’t keep the baby. Did she put it up for adoption? What happened? Had she not wanted to be with him that badly she didn’t tell him about their baby?

There was a light knock on his door and Nora peeked her head in. Levi hid the ultrasound in his large hands.

“
Levi?”

“
Yeah, Nora?”

“
Can I come in?”

“
Sure.”

He put the little picture in his shirt pocket as Nora let herself in.

“
What’d you need?”

“
I know you’ve been getting up early to come up here, but it doesn’t bother me that you’re sleeping in her room. Clearly you guys have history.”

“
Yeah.”

“
I guess what I want to say is, I haven’t seen Kallie this happy in a really long time. Thank you. I just hope you don’t hurt her. She’s been through a lot since the last time you guys saw each other. I just want to make sure you know that.”

Levi offered her a weak smile.

“
What’s up?”

She sat down beside him.

“
Nothing. Just tired. Getting up early is taking its toll on me.”

“
Well, tonight, sleep in her bed and don’t worry about getting up early.”

Levi smiled, but he had a feeling he’d be sleeping anywhere but here.

They went downstairs and started the barn chores for the day. Kallie joined them a little later. Once the chores were done, Levi and Kallie saw Nora off to school and then went inside for breakfast. After breakfast, they split into their groups for the day. Kallie took breaks from her groups several times to see how the guys were doing. She’d touch Levi but he’d gently pull away.