Skye Blue (Hell Yeah!) (16 page)

“Noah!” she cried out as she started bucking on top of him. He bent his knees, determined to give her exactly what she needed. Holding her up, just enough, he fucked her with powerful, hammering strokes until she unraveled, her body jerking as pure ecstasy washed over her. Her pussy fluttered around him, sucking on him until he surrendered, relinquishing his essence, his heart and his future into her hands.

***

They awoke intertwined. Noah had slept fitfully, his mind kept going to the wet suit and the test that might prove Aron was dead. He also worried about Skye. Something was holding her back, stopping her from fully trusting him. What would he do if she rejected him? Could he be satisfied with just a physical relationship for however long he could hold on to her? Noah grimaced. Who was he kidding? He’d take what he could get. If this was all he could have, he’d take it. Because he would never get enough of her—never.

A soft buzzing sound drew his attention. His phone had been on vibrate. Hastily, he snatched it up and looked at the message.

LANCE: Boss, I need to take a few days of vacation for some personal business. Will you look after my sister?

NOAH: That goes without saying. Anything I can do?

LANCE: Not yet. I’ll let you know. Thank you. Tell her I’ll call her when she wakes up.

NOAH: Uh, okay.

LANCE: Yea, I know. I drove by and saw your truck parked by hers.

“What was that?” Skye stretched beside him. She had slept like a baby. Since Noah had come into her life, the demons had fled. No more did she wake up thinking she was still in prison, locked away in solitary—all alone.

“It was your brother, asking me to take care of you while he takes a few days off.”  He rolled over, half on top of her, bracketing her with his legs. “I better start now.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said, knowing it was true. But the idea that he wanted to watch after her made her smile. “How was Nathan’s friend?”

He wound a strand of hair around his finger, noticing there were a couple of freckles on each of her cheeks. “She’s a lucky girl. After a few months of rehab, she’ll be on the mend.” As he lay this close to her, he could feel his cock expanding. “Nathan likes her a lot. He’s a good kid.”

“Of course he is. Look who he has as a role model.” Cuddling up to him, she kissed his arm. “Thanks for my first wish. You did good.”

“I did?” He smiled. “Couldn’t you tell? I was overexcited. Some stud I am, I came before giving my woman her pleasure first.”

Putting her arm around his shoulder, she pulled herself up to kiss his lips, looking him in the eye. “Do you want to know how I feel about that?”

He nodded, hoping he would want to know. “How?”

“I love that I excite you that much. And baby, you are so built, you bring me so much pleasure. I came so hard.” She kissed his chest and purred and that fast—in just a flash—he was rock hard and ready again.

“Let me show my appreciation for your compliment.” He turned her, arranging her on his body so that her pussy was in his face and her face was right over his cock. “And if you’re so inclined to grant a wish for me…”

“Just try to stop me.”

If he only knew what she longed to give him. She’d give her life for his in a heartbeat, no questions asked.

***

Noah pulled into the parking lot of Hardbodies. It had been awhile since he’d patronized Isaac’s establishment. And he wasn’t really here for a drink. The bar was open, but it wasn’t quite five o’clock. Skye had gone into town to meet with Zane and he was so nervous he couldn’t sit still. So, he’d decided to hang out with his brother. As he walked into the dimly lit interior, he could hear Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert singing
We Were Us
. Doris was flitting around putting centerpieces on tables, a single vase with a single sunflower. “Centerpieces, Doris? When did Isaac’s bar become a tea room?” 

She put her hand on her hip and frowned at Noah. “These are from your mother’s garden. Isaac said I could pick them and they make me happy!” She groused and Noah realized he needed to shut-up while the hushing was good.

“Yes, ma’am. Where’s my brother?” He wanted to ask Doris what was wrong, but he was a mite afraid of her when she was on her high horse.

“He’s in the storeroom, he’ll be right back. Okay?” She looked at him, then her face crumpled. Tears started spouting out all over.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Noah walked over and patted her arm and she threw her tray down and slung herself in his arms. Isaac walked through the door, saw Noah and grinned. Noah’s eyes got really wide and he threw Isaac an imploring look.

“Not feeling any better?” the biker asked his employee.

“No!” Doris sobbed, getting Noah damper than he wanted to be. “He’s coming to see me!”

“Who?” Noah was afraid to ask, but couldn’t resist.

“Cletus!”

“Cletus?” Noah looked at Isaac who nodded solemnly.

“Yes.” Doris backed up and wiped her face on her apron.

“Don’t ask,” Isaac warned about the time Noah asked.

“Who’s Cletus?”

“He was my high school boyfriend.” Doris wheezed. “I haven’t spoken to him in ten years.”

Noah went out on a limb. “So, isn’t this a good thing?”

“No!” A fresh new sob rang through the bar. “The last time I saw him was our wedding day!”

Noah realized then he was in over his head.

Isaac decided to rescue him. “Doris, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. Full pay. I’ll call Crista in. She’s been asking for some extra hours.”

“Thank you.” She hugged both of them and went off sniffing.

“Mercy!” Noah sat down. “I’ve never seen Doris like that. She’s always Mama Bear in charge.”

“Yea, love will turn you inside out.” He sat a beer in front of Noah.

“McCoy.” A slow drawl from the door had them both looking around.

“Sheriff. Are you off duty?”

Kane Saucier joined his buddies. “Yes, I am. Give me a beer for each hand. This has been a day.”

“What’s wrong?” Isaac asked, popping the tops of two more longnecks.

“Billy Chestnut went out hog hunting with some of his buddies and they trapped about twelve. Now that bunch of rednecks eat those hogs. They make good sausage when mixed with venison. Anyway, he was castrating this boar, so it’d fatten up and lose its gamey taste. Now this boar was in a pen with a sow, and Billy was all stooped over, picking up the hog’s leg to cut his sac. The sow seen him all bent over with his loose overalls on and she walked up behind him and proceeded to bite his nuts off.”

Both Noah and Isaac eased one hand down over their private area. “Ouch.”

Kane continued with his story. “Ole’ Billy was mean. He always hollered at his wife so much, she didn’t even pay attention to him out there carrying on and hollering. She didn’t go check on him for a while.”

“Poetic.” Noah laughed. “Did he live?”

“Yea, but he won’t be doing much tomcatting anymore.”

They downed one beer and started on another. “How’s Lilibet and your son?” Noah asked.

“They’re good. Dwayne is looking forward to Christmas. I’m buying him one of those little trucks he can drive around the yard.”

“You’re going to have so much fun with that little boy. I can’t wait till we have a dozen little McCoys running around the ranch.” Isaac got a wistful look on his face.

“You know, we’re going to have to do something special for Libby this Christmas. The babies are going to be born right after and she’s going to need all the support she can get.” Noah had been thinking about that a lot.

Kane stared at the brothers. “Something’s changed. With Aron. I can see it in your faces. Spill it.”

Isaac shook his head as if he wanted to deny it. “Well, we don’t know anything for sure yet, and this is not to be repeated. We haven’t told Libby. But a fishing boat found part of his diving gear, we think. And there looks to be some remains with it. They’re being tested.”

Kane dropped his head. “My God. I’m so sorry.”

All three were silent for a moment, until they heard footsteps coming up behind them. “I thought I’d find you all here.” Joseph settled down on a bar stool beside them. “What’s up?”

“Not the price of cattle.” Noah sat his beer bottle down. “We’ve got to inseminate that youngest batch of heifers this week.”

“Better you than me.” Kane pushed his hat back on his head. “I tried that once and got stepped on twice.”

Isaac laughed. “Your bedside manner must not be to their liking.”

“What’s wrong?” Noah noticed Joseph looked deep in thought.

“Cady still doesn’t feel good. She finally told me she went to the doctor the other day and he gave her some antibiotics, said she had an infection. I just hope that’s all it is. She’s in pain, but she won’t be totally honest with me about it. She doesn’t want to worry me.”

“Well, do something.” Isaac knew Joseph loved Cady to distraction. “Take charge. Get her to level with you. You’re the man!”

Noah laughed. “And Cady’s a magical woman with powers.”

“Yes, but she loves me. Love trumps hoodoo.”

“I wouldn’t cross her.” Isaac looked serious. “Nanette Beaureguarde scares the mess out of me. I swear she sleeps in a coffin.”

“For a badass biker dude, you’re sure jumpy,” Kane drawled. “If you were from New Orleans like me, you wouldn’t even blink at that kind of stuff. Why my grandmother used to tell me about the seven sisters of New Orleans. She says she saw them back in the 1920’s. They were a family of clairvoyants; those women could just look at you and know what you were thinking.”

“Sounds like my wife.” Joseph drained his second beer.

“That’s not the strange part. Some people say they never aged, in fact, some say they’re still in New Orleans and none of them look a day over twenty.”

“Who-oooo-ooo.” Noah teased Isaac by waving his fingers in the air.

“Don’t worry. I’m watching Cady like a hawk. If she gives me one more indication she’s not a hundred percent, I’m bringing the doctor to her.” They all nodded their agreement. “Oh, I have news.” Joseph perked up.

“What’s that?” Kane asked.

“Beau and Harley are coming over for Thanksgiving. You two ought to come join us, Kane.”

“I’ll have to check with the boss,” Kane said. “But it sounds good to me. I love to eat at Tebow. And with Lilibet as pregnant as she is, she’ll appreciate not having to spend so much time in the kitchen.”

“Well, let us know. It’s only a few days away.” Joseph checked his phone. “Less than a week, man does time fly.”

“Let’s just pray those DNA tests come back negative on Aron. Then we’ll have even more to be thankful for.”

“Amen.”

***

“Am I crazy?” Skye asked as she crawled in the pick-up to head back to Tebow. “I guess I might be. I’m talking to myself.” The habit she’d picked up in solitary used to shame her, but today she was a little too happy to worry about it. Zane had offered her a job. Skye had argued with the handsome lawyer, making sure he realized what he was getting into.

“How thoroughly did you check my resume and my background? Are you sure you aren’t doing this just as a favor to Noah McCoy?”

Zane had looked at her pointblank. “I promised him I’d talk to you. I didn’t promise him I’d hire you. That’s my decision. But I’m offering you a job.”

“So, you know I’ve been to prison?”

“Yes, Eddie Warrior for three years. Justifiable homicide, but the real story was that you were defending yourself. Right?”

“Yes. But most people just see that I’m an ex-con and don’t look any farther.”

“I’m not most people, Miss Blue. I was blind, but now I see. My blindness was a prison, of sorts, and now I’ve been given a second shot at life. I believe in paying it forward. Besides, you’re the best candidate I’ve interviewed. Do you want the job?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you.”

So, she guessed she was staying in Kerrville. Her first day of work would be in two weeks. Zane wasn’t even going to wait until after graduation. Now, she supposed she could start looking for an apartment in town.” That thought put a frown on her face. Leaving Tebow was going to be hard. And what about Noah and his declaration? What was she going to do about that? Now that Zane knew, word would get around. She was going to have to come clean and soon….but she wanted to wait for the right time.

Turning on her brights, she eased out of the office building and took off on the highway toward home. The road between Kerrville and Tebow was a steep winding road in places. Just outside of Kerrville, the Guadalupe hugged the road and wove its way, scenically, for miles through pastures, groves of trees and near the high hillsides. Closer to the ranch, the trees grew thick and there were deep ravines. There were places where the speed limit was only fifteen miles per hour.

As she maneuvered down the road, deep in thought, a deer ran right out in front of her. She turned the steering wheel hard and nothing happened. The deer bounded out of the way in time, but the truck weaved dangerously around. Skye realized she didn’t have much control. The steering mechanism was barely working. Approaching a steep downhill grade, she tried to put on her brakes, but nothing happened. Skye panicked. The farther she went down the hill, the faster she went and the curve up ahead was sharp. Fighting the wheel and working the brakes, Skye knew there wasn’t anything she could do. She was about to crash. Frantically, she pulled on the parking brake, even tried down-shifting the gears, but nothing seemed to work. “Noah, Noah, I love you Noah.”

Running off the road, the truck bounced over a ditch, almost turned over and Skye screamed, throwing her arms over her face as she slammed into a tree.

***

Noah turned on the radio. Strains of Requiem by Verdi filled his truck. Letting himself get immersed in the music, he smiled as thought about what waited for him at home. Skye Blue. His phone buzzed. It was Skye.

“Hello, baby.”