Wicked Fall (26 page)

I slap at his chest again for good measure, knowing I didn’t hurt him in the slightest, and spin for the door. His arms shoot out and wrap around my waist, and I start flailing my arms and kicking my legs in an attempt to get loose. Yes, I know I’m acting like a brat, but I’m absolutely beyond reason right now. I’m so angry at him for just… just… everything, that I think I’m seriously on the verge of flipping my shit and earning me a one-way ticket to the insane asylum.

“Jesus Christ,” Woolf mutters and then grunts as my boot catches him in the shin. “Will you calm the fuck down?”

That makes me kick and punch out harder. I manage to catch him on his jaw, which is hard as a rock and hurts my knuckles bad, but he finally relents and thrusts me into Bridger’s arms.

“Hold her down,” Woolf says in a steely voice and even though I’m still fighting like a wild cat, something about those words reaches through to me.

Right down deep… between my legs.

Images of Bridger holding me down while Woolf—

Wait! No fucking way.

“Let me go,” I hiss at Bridger. “Or I’ll stomp your nuts into the ground.”

He chuckles and wraps his arms around me tighter. “Zip your lips, precious, or I’ll stick something in your mouth that will keep it occupied.”

And… did my mouth just water at the thought?

I shake my head in denial as Bridger carries me over to the couch and dumps me unceremoniously there. He glares down at me, but the little amused tilt to his lip tells me that he’s finding this funny as fuck and only trying to act bad ass. I glare back at him.

He points at me. “Keep your ass down, and I won’t have to pull out the ropes. If I have to pull out the ropes, I’ll pull out my flogger too and give your ass a workout. Now, you promised my boy here fifteen minutes and you’re going to give it to him, or I’m going to blister your skin until you’re begging for mercy. Are we clear?”

God help me, but that scares the shit out of me and turns me on at the same time. I’m afraid my voice won’t work so I just give him a nod of my head, and then turn to glare at Woolf.

He’s standing there with arms crossed over his chest, looking at me in contemplation. He even raises one hand and rubs thoughtfully at his chin. He doesn’t approach me though, and I think that’s a good idea. His nuts will thank me later.

“Are you through with your temper tantrum?” he asks me quietly.

I grunt at him in response and cross my own arms over my chest in an act of defiance, and a metaphorical pose of defensiveness. Bridger casually leans up against the wall, tucking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans and watches this all play out with that same amused look on his face. But I see something else in his eyes… I think he wants me to flip out again so he can get his ropes.

I suppress the shudder that wants to break free.

Woolf drops his arms and walks up to me. He squats down, about an arm’s length away from me, but it brings his gaze more in line with mine. He comes down to my level, and I think he’s treating me like a wounded animal.

I bare my teeth at him.

Bridger chuckles.

Asshole.

“Callie,” Woolf says softly, and my eyes cut to him. I brace myself, because his voice sounds just too damn good. “Why did you just run away?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say with a calm voice and a tilt upward of my chin. “We’re over and I’m here to listen to you. Just forget all about how you got me in this office, and just lay it on me so I can get going.”

Woolf’s hand shoots out so fast, I can’t even react. He grabs my jaw and stands up, effectively pulling me up from the couch. He’s not hurting me, but he’s holding me the way a mama tiger would grip her cub in her jaws to get respect.

He steps in close and leans down until his lips are just a breath away from mine. My heart rate soars and my mistake is in taking a deep breath and smelling all the yummy goodness that is Woolf Jennings. I start to melt into him and my eyes flutter closed.

“Why did you run away from me?” he asks again with a hard edge to his voice.

“Because you were standing with your arm around another woman,” I grit out. “Didn’t look like our talk was really needed.”

His blue eyes seem to dig in deep to mine. I feel like he’s able to see inside and garner all my secrets from the intensity of his stare. He seems to be… searching for something.

“Why would that bother you?” he asks softly. “You’ve been telling me repeatedly that we’re through.”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

And I really don’t. I have no explanation for the pain that lanced through me when I saw Woolf with his arm around that blonde. I thought I had my feelings somewhat contained where he was concerned, but apparently not.

Woolf releases me abruptly, and I swivel my jaw tentatively. Feels fine.

He turns and walks over to the desk, picking up a folder. He holds it out to me and I take it, completely confused. As he sits back against his desk, arms crossed over his chest again, he gives a nod at it. “That woman I had my arm around is a very good friend of mine. We went to college together.”

My eyes narrow at him, and he doesn’t even look abashed when he says, “Yes, I fucked her back then, but only in college.”

He nods again toward the folder in my hand. “Jenna is also my attorney. She prepared that for me and delivered it just a little bit ago.”

Attorney?

“I don’t understand,” I mumble as I look from the folder back to Woolf.

He doesn’t enlighten me, but rather nods again toward the folder, encouraging me to open it up. His body is tense and his eyes are pinned on me, searching every line and angle of my face for a reaction. He’s watching me very carefully to see how I’ll react to what’s in my hand. I’m dreading what I’ll find in there, but my curiosity is too overwhelming.

My hand is slightly shaking with anxiety as I open the folder and stare down at a document that can’t be more than ten pages long. At the top, in all caps and centered:
Business Purchase Agreement
.

I look back up to Woolf, who seems poised to either pounce on me or walk out the door, I’m not sure which, but I think it hinges on my reaction to what I’m holding.

I read on, certain words jumping out at me from the haze of legalese.

Seller — Woolf Jennings…

Buyer — Bridger Payne…

The Wicked Horse and all its entities…

For the sum of $1.00…

My head snaps up and Woolf leans forward a bit, looking at me hungrily.

“You’re selling The Wicked Horse to Bridger?” I ask stupefied.

“Sold,” he clarifies. “All the documents have been signed already. Bridger already owned fifty percent of it. I just sold my entire portion to him.”

“For one dollar?” I ask, still thinking there’s some sort of joke here.

Woolf just shrugs noncommittally, apparently not wanting to hash business details with me.

“I don’t understand,” I mumble again… for the second time, and I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be smarter than this but it makes no sense to me. “This is your dream. What makes you happy. Why would you ever let it go?”

Woolf doesn’t answer me but instead turns to Bridger. “Mind giving us some privacy?”

Bridger pushes away from the wall and gives a fist bump to Woolf. He gives me a pointed look before walking out the door, and I think it was a warning of some type… maybe not to hurt his buddy?

“This
was
my dream,” Woolf says matter-of-factly as he pushes away from the desk and walks up to me. “It’s what made me happy. But you want to know why I’m letting it go?”

I nod… words stuck deep in my throat.

His hand reaches out and tucks a lock of hair behind me ear. His eyes roam over my face and he has a wistful smile on his face. “I’m letting it go because you’re my dream now and you’re what makes me happy. And I can’t have The Wicked Horse and you, so I have to let one go, and here’s what I know for fucking sure… I can’t do without you. It was sort of a no brainer for me.”

“Whoa,” is all I can say as I sink back down onto the couch, my legs feeling like jelly. I look down at the agreement one more time before closing the folder and setting it down beside me. When I look back up to Woolf, I say, “I know this is the point in the conversation where I’m supposed to be all altruistic and insist you not give up your dream for me, but fuck if I’m going to do that.”

Woolf just blinks at me for a moment, then he throws his head back and laughs. When he looks back down at me, his eyes are shining with relief and happiness. That lasts just a moment before the smile morphs into something that borders on hunger.

He leans over me and my heart starts thumping again. In one fluid movement, he places a knee on the couch and pushes me back with a hand on the center of my chest so I lay backward. I flip my legs up onto the leather and he settles on top of me, holding his weight on his elbows.

We just stare at each other a moment, taking in all the ramifications of what this means to us.

I don’t think either of us are at a loss for words, but perhaps Woolf may be a bit reserved in his emotions at this point, so I decide to lead the way. I touch his lips with my fingertips, and then slide them along his stubbled jaw. “I’ve loved you for a very long time. Ever since I was old enough to see you as a man. It was a different type of love back then… young and foolish, but I loved you then. Always… to some extent since. And I love you now in a deeper way, and I don’t even have words to tell you what this means to me.”

Woolf lets out a whooshing breath of relief and his facial features relax. I had not realized how tense he was, and that he obviously needed to hear those words. He drops his forehead to mine and whispers to me. “I love you, Callie. I never thought I would love anyone, and fuck… I fell hard and fast for you. It scares the shit out of me, but it also feels so very fucking right. I would give up every single possession in my world if it meant I could have you.”

I can’t help the lovesick sigh that comes out, but Woolf silences it with a kiss.

A soft kiss, and then deeper.

And deeper.

And I fall all the way into him it’s so deep.

When he lifts his lips from mine, he says, “I’m aching so bad to be inside you right now, but I think we need to go clear some things up with your father.”

“It’s getting kind of late,” I point out.

“This is kind of important,” he says simply.

And yeah… this is kind of important.

Woolf

Thank fuck Callie’s father was in residence this weekend, otherwise, I would have put her in my Range Rover and we would have driven through the night to the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne. I want to hurry up and get this done… get Reggie back on board with me now that I’ve given up The Wicked Horse. I need him to see that I’m good for his daughter, and then once that’s done, I’m taking her back to my house and I’m going to spend all weekend making up for a whole lot of fucking we’ve been missing out on.

Goddamn, my heart almost hurts it’s so full right now as I watch Callie unlock her front door and look over her shoulder at me with a wink. I can’t help myself… I grab her face and pull her in for a swift kiss.

“I love you,” I murmur against her mouth. “So don’t let your dad shoot me, okay?”

She giggles and kisses me. “I love you, too. And I’ve got your back.”

Callie takes my hand and leads me toward her father’s den. She assured me he’d probably be up watching basketball and as we get closer, I can see the blue flicker of light through the doorway.

She squeezes my hand in unification as we walk through the door.

Reggie’s lying on the big leather couch against one wall and sees Callie first. A bright smile lights his face up, and then he sees me. His eyes cut down to us holding hands, and he flies up off the couch and bolts toward his shotgun case mounted on the opposite wall. Callie reacts faster than I do, releasing my hand and darting to intercept her father. She makes it there way before he does and stands in front of the case, her hands on her hips in a defiant stance.

“You are not shooting him,” Callie says.

“I am,” he growls at her.

“You’ll go to jail. Leave this poor state to your gubernatorial opponent,” she says with a taunt.

“Okay,” he says with a glare of malice shot my way before he turns to stalk to his desk. “I won’t shoot him, but he has ten seconds to get out of this house or I’m calling the police.”

“Then I’m going with him,” Callie says, and I didn’t think my heart could melt any further for this woman. “And I won’t come back.”

Reggie’s hand freezes above the phone, and he looks at Callie with his mouth hanging open. “What?”

“I love him,” she says simply, and I feel the need to interject.

“I love her too,” I say before shooting Callie a wink. She smiles at me with mega wattage and turns back to her dad.

“Daddy… just sit down and listen, okay?”

Reggie’s eyes cut back and forth between his daughter and me, before he scrubs his hands over his face and sinks down into the chair behind his desk. He looks at Callie in defeat and raises his eyebrows in expectation at her.

“He sold The Wicked Horse,” Callie says without preamble. “It was his dream, and he gave it up so he could be with me. He gave it up so my reputation and yours could stay pristine.”

Reggie cuts his eyes to me, but he quickly looks back at Callie. “But he took you to that club—”

Callie holds her hand up. “I’m a grown woman and it’s none of your business what I do in my private life, but just so you get the idea out of your head that Woolf somehow tarnished me, I asked to go to that club and he refused at first. I kept after him so if you want someone to blame, you lay that on my doorstep.”

“Oh, Christ,” Reggie grumbles and rubs at his face again. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”

“Reggie,” I say as I walk across the room to Callie. I take her hand and pull her into my side. “Put the club aside for a moment. You know me… have known me my entire life. I would never do anything to hurt Callie or put you at risk. I love her and I gave up a lot to have her, so I’m not letting her go. You need to find a way to deal with me being in her life.”