Untamed: (Heath & Violet) (Beg For It) (14 page)

He liked talking dirty
to me, coaxing it out of me, making me tell him how much I wanted it.
My fingers started working harder, faster, pressing, stroking,
plunging into my slick depths. I felt so alive, quivering, panting,
pushing against my clit, my other hand up clutching my breast,
rolling my nipple between my thumb and forefinger.

I was close, moaning,
stroking myself, and I could imagine his huge, magnificent cock, the
thick crown at my entrance. Then, all at once, he’d spread me so
wide and fuck me, deep and hard.

“Oh!” I cried out
and came, shuddering and bucking against my hand in the bath, my back
arching up and out of the water as I pressed against my throbbing
clit. I was so wet, so slippery and slick with need.

I sank back into the
bath, sighing, letting the orgasm subside. But I knew there was a lot
more where that came from.

Heath

My workshop used to be
my haven. Now even my lathing table reminded me of Violet. The way
she’d looked spread out on it, the eager sounds she’d made, how
close I’d been to tasting her. Up against that wall right there
she’d told me she wanted to taste me.

Fuck. I was hard again,
my cock pressing full against my jeans. I’d had more hard-ons in
the last nine days since Violet had come to town than I had since
early puberty, those awkward years when the sight of any cute girl
anywhere had provoked an instant response. No thank you, teacher, I
didn’t want to stand up just then, better keep my wood hidden
underneath my desk.

Violet had me jerking
off like a goddamned teenager. That night at the bar, watching her
over at the pool table surrounded by a bunch of local yahoos? They
didn’t know how to treat a woman like her. They couldn’t satisfy
her like I knew I could. I’d gone home and barely made it into the
shower before my hand closed around my cock, picturing her hot little
mouth down sucking me as I came. It had taken the edge off, but it
hadn’t made it go away. Hell, that night I’d almost climbed into
my truck and driven over to her condo.

I’d been walking
around clenching my teeth so hard my jaw was starting to ache. And I
kind of liked the pain. It took my mind off the ache everywhere else.

Where had my quiet,
easy life gone to? I had my brother Ash bothering me, too. He’d
texted me again. He needed an answer, was I going to be his best man?
And could I make it down to the city for an engagement party? Then I
could also get fitted for a tux. All of a sudden my simple life
didn’t feel so simple.

I’d successfully
gotten away from it all, but now Ash was working his way back in.
First, last year, he’d come to me for help. Paparazzi were hounding
him. He’d had some trouble with his woman. He needed a place to
take refuge. I’d found him a cabin not too far from here, and he’d
hidden out for over a month. And during that time I’d realized how
much we had in common.

Our father had hated us
both, that was probably the most defining feature we shared. And
wherever he was now, passed away over a year ago, I’m sure he was
still hating on the both of us, his two greatest disappointments.
Whereas our oldest brother, Colton, had risen directly in our
father’s footsteps to assume the throne of the family business, Ash
and I were the misfits. What kind of a Kavanaugh liked woodworking
and messing around with motorcycles more than economics and
networking at the country club?

My father had never
known what to do with me, his hulking giant of a son. I’d gone to
the right schools, but never taken the right classes. It drove him
crazy that I’d gotten accepted into an Ivy League university, but
instead of pledging a fraternity, playing a varsity sport and
declaring my business major—essentially establishing my corporate
network for the rest of my life—I’d hidden myself away in the
machine shop.

And then, right before
finally attaining that prestigious degree he’d assumed was a done
deal, I’d walked away from it all. I’d started building the cabin
on this land as my senior thesis, my culminating design and construct
project in the school of engineering sciences. But when professors
had started interfering, wanting this change and that re-do, I’d
held up my middle finger and moved right into the cabin I’d built
exactly the way I wanted where I could be my own man.

A place off the grid. A
place where no one asked questions, no one had expectations of you.
You could live your life in private, in peace.

And now Violet’s TV
network was considering filming a reality show in my town. Why in the
hell would they want to do that? There was nothing going on here.
That was why I liked it. And yet, she was in Watson to do exactly
that. And much to my surprise I could see things starting to fall
into place. They were recruiting people, seizing on storylines. Some
residents were against it like me, but most seemed all for it.

Like that rat of a fire
warden, Tom. He’d fucked anything that moved within a 50-mile
radius. He sure as hell wanted to add Violet to that list.

With a swear, I set
down my sandpaper. I wasn’t going to get any work done today. Might
as well head into town and check on the store. I’d gotten an email
inquiry about a piece showing there. I didn’t know if it had
already sold or not. I knew I needed a better system, some way to
inventory and track my pieces and catalogue my sales. But all that
seemed like a constraint. I’d put that off as long as I could.

Before I even knew what
I was doing, I washed up and changed my shirt. Like I was getting
ready for a date. What, did I hope little Miss L.A. would swing by? I
should be growing back my beard, keeping things wild and wooly, maybe
adding a big Off Limits sign across my chest while I was at it.

I should be doing more
to run her out of town on a rail. We had a town hall meeting set up
in a week. I should be rounding up the troops, not helping her out
when Old Fred started in on her. But I didn’t like seeing her
harassed. And mostly I wondered, was she going to be in town the
whole time before the town hall? Because that would be a long week to
manage with my hand in the shower.

§

“Wow, that’s so
beautiful.”

I recognized her voice
the second I heard it. With the population of Watson topping out just
over 1700, the odds of running into Violet were too damn high.

She stood in our store,
admiring Benny’s glasswork. Benny was mid-40s and happily married
and I still didn’t like her admiring his glasswork. I skulked
around in back. I could stay there. She’d never even have to know I
was around today.

“You should really
market these!” I overheard her saying. “I know a ton of shops in
L.A. that would love to sell your stuff.”

“Is that right?”
Benny sounded impressed and pleased. Fuck, she was winning people
over left and right.

“Oh, yeah. You could
sell so much more.”

Sell out was more like
it. I grumbled to myself in the back. Benny didn’t know what he’d
be trading. Moving on up always required leaving something behind.
They’d make him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Then later he’d
find out in fine print: he’d get to keep ten percent of the
profits, but only if he legally changed his name to The Fame!
Network. He didn’t know how cutthroat these kinds of people could
get.

“How are you enjoying
your stay in Watson?” Now Harriet was getting into the mix, playing
the charming hostess. I paced in back like a tiger in a cage.

“It’s a gorgeous
town,” Violet cooed. “And the food here is so good!” I
grumbled. Who’d been taking her out to eat? I’d put money on it
fire warden Tom had elected himself for the job.

“We want to get her
out on a sleigh ride tonight,” the mayor chimed in. Apparently the
whole goddamned town was in our shop. “It’s going to be a full
moon. We’ve got some fresh snow. It’s not supposed to be too
windy.”

“Perfect night for
it,” Harriet agreed.

Sleigh rides, my ass.
How touristy could you get? I knew a family-owned farm down the way
that offered them up to New Yorkers and the like. I think they
charged about a hundred bucks for a half hour and the out-of-towners
thought they were getting a bargain.

“Tom’s going to see
about finding a sleigh,” Marty explained.

“I’ll take her.”
The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. I
emerged from the back of the shop, my thumbs hooked through the belt
loops of my jeans, my jaw firmly set.

“Oh, hey, Heath!
Didn’t know you were there!” Mayor Marty greeted me. “You’ll
take Violet on a sleigh ride tonight? OK, then!”

Violet looked at me in
surprise, her mouth open.

“Why don’t you pick
her up at eight?” Marty suggested.

Looked like we had a
date.

§

I picked her up at
eight, feeling like I should be wearing a light blue tux and holding
a corsage. I’d try to pin it to her and poke her in the boob. She
opened the door looking about as comfortable as I did, her mouth set
in a grim line of determination. Let’s do this.

“The farm’s not far
away,” I told her as we climbed into my truck. “Should only take
us about ten minutes to get there. We can go for a quick ride and
then I’ll get you home.” Because that was how I sweet-talked the
ladies, telling them the date wouldn’t take long.

She nodded, saying
nothing.

Good, it was easier
that way. It was difficult enough sitting that close to her in the
cab of my truck, smelling her unique vanilla and honey scent,
remembering how she’d climbed up on my lap on this exact seat. I
didn’t need to add to it hearing her voice, the light burst of her
laughter, the way she teased me like she knew me all too well. Better
to sit in silence.

We got to the family
farm soon enough, and Steve rigged us up in a sleigh straight out of
a Victorian era romance. He even gave us a couple of wool blankets
with a wink.

“You keep each other
warm now, you hear?”

I grumbled and
grudgingly took them.

“You know where to
go, Heath? Up and over the pastures? We’ve got a path through the
woods, then the orchard.”

“Yeah, got it.” I
knew the whole area well, just like everyone who lived out here. Now
I was about to show all its treasures to Violet.

Steve and I hitched up
the horse. We climbed up into the sleigh and settled ourselves on the
bench. I unfolded the blankets and put them over our laps. Just doing
what I’d been told. Violet took out a knit wool hat and pulled it
down over her head.

“You buy that in
L.A.?” I had to tease. A pom pom on top, braids hanging down from
the ear flaps and reindeer knit all around it in a pattern, I knew
she had to have bought it in town.

“I got it from
Sally,” she said, crossing her arms against her chest and looking
forward. Not. Flirting.

“First name basis,
are we?”

“I’m getting to
know people here, yes.”

“Like Tom?”

“Yes, like Tom. And
others. You might be surprised to know not everyone hates me.”

“They don’t
understand what you’re selling the way I do.”

“Oh, right, I forgot.
You alone see through me and understand my wicked ways.”

I flicked the reigns
and made a click, letting the horse know we were ready. Steve waved
at us from his front door as we headed off. The horse seemed to know
the way well. He barely needed any encouragement.

The night settled in
around us, quiet and clear. The full moon lit up the winter
landscape, making the snow glitter and glow. During the daytime,
birds chirped and cars passed. But tonight, we had it all to
ourselves.

We set out across the
pasture, the only sound the clop of the horse in the windless night.
To the right, the Mad River lay in a frozen twist, black and glassy
where the snow had been blown away. One of the covered bridges for
which Vermont was famous stretched out ahead, the old wood painted a
bright red each year.

“I love those covered
bridges,” Violet murmured, almost as if she were speaking to
herself.

“Vermont has more
than any other state.”

“Really? And are they
just decorative? Or is there a reason for them?”

“A bridge lasts
longer if it’s covered up. Winters are harsh here. A bridge gets
eaten up in ten, fifteen years if it’s not covered.”

“They’re like
little farmhouses you can drive through,” she marveled.

I could feel the warmth
of her next to me on the sleigh, underneath the blankets. The horse
was tame enough I could hold the reigns with one hand and free up an
arm to wrap around her, bring her closer. But I didn’t. I used both
hands to guide the horse onto a path through the woods, cleared wide
enough for the sleigh.

I wasn’t a religious
man, but something about the woods at night always struck me.
Surrounded by the crystal quiet, the ancient oaks and maples and
pines stretching their way up to the sky, it reminded you how small
you were. How insignificant your troubles were, in comparison with
the great world beyond.

“It’s so beautiful
here.” Violet sounded amazed, her breath making a visible puff in
the chilly air.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“It’s gorgeous.”

I nodded. I knew I
could tease her, could easily fall back into the banter we’d used
to interact up until now. But somehow my heart wasn’t in it. She
sounded so sincere.

“It’s almost like a
church,” she went on, surprising me. “Like a really old one with
high, arching ceilings.” She looked up as she spoke, gazing at the
bower of tree limbs overhead. Her cheeks looked rosy and who knew she
could look so good in a knit hat with reindeers dancing all around
it? But she did, good enough to kiss and pull that hat right off so I
could thread my fingers through that silky hair of hers again.