Upper Hand (Cedar Tree Book 5) (21 page)

“I’d like to fucking know what he said that convinced you so easily, since I’ve only been trying for the last few hours to get you to do what he managed in two seconds.”

“Clint...” I try, but he won’t have it.

“Don’t fucking ‘
Clint'
me. I finally get some good news from the doctor, manage to escape the clutches of that scary bitch in the office, only to come outside to find my girl bleeding on the ground in the parking lot. Fuck, Beth...” His voice goes from dark and threatening to husky and soft in the span of that one sentence.

Instinct propels me off the bed, plastering myself against his back, which he turned to me again, slipping my arms around his waist and hanging on.

“Scared me, Bean. Can’t remember being so scared ever before.” His whisper is wavering with emotion and I just hang on tighter.

“I know, sweetie. I know,” I whisper back. Because I do—I do know exactly how that feels. I know how it feels like your heart is about to be ripped from your chest when you see the person you love bloodied and hurt. When all you can think about is what
you
could’ve done to make a difference, when there really isn’t a fucking thing. His hands come up and pry mine from around his waist before turning and sliding his back down the wall, until his ass is sitting on the ground. I don’t need to think, I drop down immediately on his lap and wrap my arms around him again.

“I’m okay. I’ll be okay. I’ll talk to the cops, I’ll stay at your house, I’ll cooperate. I promise.”

His face is buried against my chest.

“Excuse me, Ms. Franklin? About that statement—“ The fierce look on my face when I turn my head to find the young officer, who was in earlier, sticking his head around the door, must’ve cut him off.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I promise him. His eyes flick between me and Clint’s head, still with his ear pressed against my chest. With a single nod, he backs out.

“You called me ‘sweetie,’” Clint’s muffled voice vibrates against my breast. I pull back a little, put my hands on his cheeks and tilt his face.

“I did,” I say, trying to ignore the tear tracks staining his cheeks. He’s scared and hurtin’ for me, and I’m fucked. I so love this man. “If you’re good, I might just call you that again.”

The tease elicits a chuckle from him, and I lower my head until my lips find his. “Fuck, Beth, I—“ My mouth silences him and by the time we pull back my heart is pounding a mile a minute.

“Me too, Clint.”

-

A
n hour later the police drop us off at a car rental place, since they’ve towed my car from the clinic’s parking lot. Apparently it is potential evidence at this point, at least as long as it takes them to check for any forensic evidence that might shed light on who this guy is.

Given the green light, Clint insists on driving. I try to pull down the mirror from the sun visor, but he keeps slapping my hands away. “Don’t. Not until we get home.”

Fuck, it must look bad.

-

-

“O
h. My. God!”

Right. So this is exactly what I didn’t want Beth to be faced with, coming home from the hospital. I’d prefer it if she didn’t see what that bastard did to her beautiful face, at all. But it appears the girls’ posse has landed on my doorstep with entirely different ideas. And Arlene being who she is, there are no filters.

Beth’s hands go immediately to her face as we get out of the car, trying to shield it from Emma, Naomi, and of course the verbal Arlene.

“I’m gonna kill that fucker. Emma, where the fuck is your husband? He needs to track that sonofabitch down so I can have my way with him.” Arlene’s voice spouts anger, but her eyes are full of tears.

“Arlene...” I start, before she turns on me.

“Don’t you ‘Arlene’ me. Where were you when this was happening?”

Fucking direct hit that I feel in my gut.

Dropping her hands, Beth marches right up to her, getting in her face. “Don’t you dare say another word to him. Leave Clint alone, he didn’t even know I’d gone outside, Arlene. I know you love me and you worry, but don’t you dare take it out on him!”

Arlene’s mouth opens, but not a sound comes out. Then the tears suddenly flow and I raise my eyes to the clouds. Here I am, lone man surrounded by four sniffling women, and I almost wish I was in a coma again. Two arms come around me in a hug. “Sorry,” Arlene’s voice is soft—softer than I’ve ever heard it before.

“All good, sugar.” I don’t have to bend too low with Arlene, who’s the tallest of all the women, to mumble in her ear. “Don’t know about you, but this chill gives a whole new meaning to blue balls. Let’s get inside.”

With Beth flanked by Emma and Naomi, and Arlene still tucked under my arm, I unlock and lead the group in.

Emma takes charge of the kitchen, where in no time she has coffee on the go and something called, ‘Madeleines,’ in the oven. Some kind of mini cakes she’s using my old muffin pan to make, by dropping spoonfuls to cover just the bottom. Smells fucking great though.

Naomi is looking Beth over, making sure nothing was missed in the ER. Being a former ER physician herself, having only recently set up shop locally with her own clinic, I guess she needs to make sure. Arlene is talking on her cell, giving an update to Seb, the cook and her partner in the diner, as well as her significant other. I’m sitting on a kitchen stool feeling the effects of the last hours when something occurs to me.

“Max. Jesus!” I grab for the phone and am about to dial Katie, when Emma puts her hand on my arm.

“He’s fine. I checked with Katie while we were waiting for you. That’s why she isn’t here. She would’ve been but she suggested it might be better to keep him with her until things settled down a bit.”

I shift so my back is to the room before addressing Emma. “The guy didn’t only threaten Beth, he threatened Max, too,” I tell her quietly. Her eyes widen slightly at that before squinting in angry slits.

“Cowardly bastard,” she hisses. “Caleb’s home. Katie told me he came in and already knew what’d happened. Does Gus know?”

“Talked to him when we were in the hospital, can’t say I remember much of what I said.”

“Gimme a sec,” Emma says, pulling her phone from her purse on the counter.

“Hey, honey. — Yes, they just got home.— She’s... gonna be fine.” Her eyes flick over to the couch where Naomi is still hovering over Beth. “Just wanted to make sure you knew the guy apparently threaten that little cutie, as well. —You did?—Oh, okay. You wanna talk to him? —Love you, too.” She holds out the phone to me. “Gus.”

“I couldn’t remember if I told you that or not,” I jump right in.

“You mentioned something and I’ve been in touch with my contact at the Durango Police Department, who filled me in. Caleb and Katie will cover Max, and I’ve got Mal and Neil taking turns covering Beth. We just finalized two cases so the docket is clear. We’ll get it sorted, Clint.”

“I don’t care what the cost. I’ve got money, and what I don’t have I can make.”

“Beth’s family. Not gonna need your money.” Gus clips.

“Beth’s my woman. She got hurt when she was with
me.
I fucking know little or nothing about security, but I’ll be damned if I let others take care of what’s my responsibility.” I get loud. I hear Gus, but he’s got to understand this is for me to carry. One fucking way or another.

“Gotcha,” is all he says before hanging up, but I hear the respect in that single word. He heard me. Looking at all the eyes turned my way, so has everyone else. So I do what I do best—hammer some nails. I head outside to my shed, grabbing my quilted work shirt from the hook by the door. For the next hour, I work on framing the walls for my design. I’m hellbent on having it up before the first snowstorm.

-

“Y
ou okay?” Beth’s voice sounds from the doorway to my workshop, where she lets her eyes scan the interior. Not much to see, just some stacks of lumber, new and old tools, a floor full of wood shavings, and a few wagon wheels I aim to use at some point. Not sure for what yet. She takes it all in with a little smile on her battered face.

“Where is everyone?” I ignore her question because I don’t want to let her know how
not
okay I am.

“I sent them away. Told them I wanted to rest, but I really just wanted to find you. Mal’s here, though. He’s sitting in his truck out front, refusing to come in. Says he can keep a better eye out from his truck.” She shrugs her shoulders  looking a bit lost.

“Come here,” I tell her, putting down my tools, wiping my hands on a rag, and holding them out to her. Without questioning me, she moves right into my arms, a deep shuddering breath leaving her lips. Resting my cheek on top of her head I ask, “What can I do for you, my beautiful Bean?” I don’t miss the sharp intake of breath or the little snort that follows and hold her a little tighter.

“Only you would call me that,” she says, a smile in her voice.

“I’d better be the only one calling you that to your face,” I grumble, to which Beth chuckles.

“Tell me what you’re working on?” She moves from my arms and starts shuffling the drawings on my workbench.

“What is this?”

“I’ll show you.” I grab her hand and pull her out the door to the old catalpa tree in the yard.

“What am I looking at?” she asks when I turn her to face it, slipping my arms around her waist from behind and resting my chin on her head.

“Tree house.” I feel the hitch in her breath before she turns in my arms and plants her face in my chest. “Boy needs a tree house.” When she doesn’t say anything, I go on to explain. “I’ve got time. Now that the doc’s cleared me for half days at work, I can tinker around with it in the afternoons.”

Lifting her face back, she looks at me with wet eyes but a smile on her face. “You’re too much, you know that?”

“Far from it, but I sure hope I can be just enough.”

Without another word, Beth leads me by the hand into the house and straight to the bedroom. With a little shove, she has me sitting on the side of the bed, inserting herself between my legs. Bending over, she kisses my head, before working her hands into my shirt and pushes it off my shoulders.

“Babe...maybe—“

“Hush,” she stops me. “My choice. I need you.”

Not about to argue with that, I allow her to divest me of my work shirt and the white T-shirt underneath, but when she drops down on her knees in front of me and goes for my belt, I grab her wrists.

“Not gonna happen. Not today.” I let her know in no uncertain terms. I stand, pulling her up with me and start stripping her of the T-shirt she changed into after we got home. The other having been covered in her blood. Her heavy breasts hang beautifully in the lace cups of what undoubtedly is another one of her Victoria Secret bras, but since they’re even more beautiful freed, I quickly undo her bra and strip it off her. There is so much vulnerability in the way she holds herself, I try to show her with my hands and my mouth how much I worship her body. I lave attention on her face, albeit very carefully, from her neck and shoulders to the soft swells with their dark pink nipples taut in my mouth. Finally nipping and licking my way down her slightly rounded belly that forms a perfect cushion when I’m laying between her legs.

Beth’s eyes go wide when I slip down to my knees in front of her and slowly pull her pants and undies down to her ankles. Tapping one and then the other, I let her step out before I toss them aside, slipping my hands around to dig my hands into that fine ass, while I bury my face in her front.

“You smell so fucking good,” I manage as my lips and tongue find their way to her pussy, already wet with her arousal.
Fuck me
. I could die a happy man right this moment. Demanding as I like to be in the bedroom normally, this soft loving worship is what I need today. “Lay down for me, baby.”

She settles on the edge of the bed before laying back, letting her legs hang open over the side, allowing me a clear view of her wet swollen pussy. “Beautiful,” I murmur, sliding my fingers through her wetness. Listening to her breathing to tell me how to touch her.

“I could feast on you,” I tell her before settling my mouth over her core.

I
don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but I am starving.

Dusk is settling in outside the window and the house is quiet. Pulling on a discarded T-shirt from a pile of clothes on the side of the bed, I go in search of Clint, who apparently left the bed at some point, after bringing me to orgasm not once but twice. First with his incredibly talented mouth, and the second time when he fucked me sweetly before tucking me to his side. I must’ve dozed off in my postcoital daze, because I can’t remember a damn thing after that.

The living room and kitchen are cast in shadows and there’s no sign of him anywhere. Where the hell is he? A quick peek out the front door shows me the rental car is still there, and I know Jed still has Clint’s truck.

A quick trip back to the bedroom to put on some proper clothes, and I’m out the door, toward the shed, figuring he’s probably in there. Odd. It’s dark in his workshop too. A little niggle of fear is starting to twist in my gut, and the hair on my neck is standing up. Now fully aware of the last of the light fading fast, I hurry back to the house, sneaking peeks over my shoulder. Whether it’s just paranoia or someone is really watching me, fear chases me into the house, and I rush to slam the door shut. I need the phone. Rushing into the kitchen, I snatch the portable off the counter and immediately dial Gus’s number, the first person I think of.