Betting the Farm (8 page)

Footsteps on the porch made him lift his head. He smiled
down at her flushed face, dropped a quicker peck on her mouth. “I’m glad you’re
here.”

“Me too.”

Eli and Sage shuffled into the kitchen, prompting Fritz to
set Kai away from him begrudgingly. Eli whooped when he spotted her, scooping
her up in a bear hug while she made a startled squeak.

“I’ve got my birthday present right here,” Eli said, giving
Fritz an exaggerated wink over the top of Kai’s head. He gave her a smacking
kiss on the cheek. While Kai laughed, Fritz flipped him a middle finger.

“How are you, Eli?” Kai asked.

“Better, now that I’ve stolen sugar from the prettiest girl
in Georgia.”

She gave him a playful shove. “Oh stop it, you’re giving me cavities.
Good to see you again, Sage.”

“You too, Kai.” As expected, Sage didn’t share Eli’s
enthusiasm at seeing Kai in their parents’ kitchen. Fritz gritted his teeth,
squelching an urge to punch him in the stomach.

The sound of his mom and dad descending the stairs made him
remember his orders to set the table. “Damn, I forgot the plates.”

* * * * *

Throughout dinner, Fritz remained in total awe of Kai. She
carried on such an easy rapport with his parents and brothers, as if she’d
never left; it filled his chest with warmth and pride. She was a perfect fit in
his life, but then she always had been, even when they were kids. Having her there
tonight hammered that point home. He would have to be sure to thank his mother
later for inviting her to join them.

As they were digging into birthday cake, Eli asked, “Kai,
did I see your car parked in front of the Sherman place yesterday afternoon?”

Fritz looked up, curious as to why she’d be there.

“I’ve been looking for someplace to rent, without much luck
I’m afraid. I’m either too late or there’s something wrong with the place. The
Sherman house has a serious bug problem.” She shuddered in her chair and Fritz
smiled. “I’m supposed to look at the little green house on Narrow Gap Road
tomorrow afternoon.”

Fritz knew the place. It belonged to Pete Moore, an elderly
man who used to own a hardware store in Serenity.

“Oh dear,” his mother said, a worried look on her face. “You
don’t want to live there, Kai.”

Kai frowned and so did Fritz. It was a nice house. Older, but
still in good shape, small and with a manageable-sized yard. It would be
perfect for her.

“I don’t?” she asked.

“No. Mr. Moore died in that house.” Ruby stretched her eyes
wide and dropped her voice. “I hear it’s haunted by his ghost,
if
you
believe in that sort of thing.”

Kai’s fork clattered to her plate at the same time Fritz
almost choked on the bite of cake he’d just swallowed—because he knew for a
fact Mr. Moore wasn’t dead. He was living with his daughter in Moultrie. Fritz
took a sip of tea to hide a smile and wash the cake down.

What was his mother up to?

Kai had gone pale, her face crestfallen. “Are you kidding,
Ruby?”

“I’m afraid not. Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure Mrs.
Moore died there too, about four years ago. Isn’t that right, Joe?”

Fritz’s dad grunted noncommittally around a large mouthful
of cake. Smart man.

“Well, I can scratch that one off my list as well.” A heavy
sigh made her entire body wilt with disappointment. “Too bad it was my last
prospect.”

His mother cleared her throat and Fritz glanced over at her.
She gave him a sly wink, then said, “I may know of something. It’s close by
too.”

“Where?” Kai asked, her face lighting up again with
hopefulness.

“There’s a small apartment upstairs in the new barn we
built,” his mother said.

Fritz could have kicked himself. He’d forgotten they’d built
a studio apartment above the barn. Each of the boys had lived there at some
point until they’d found their own places. Occasionally it was still used if
one of them pulled a late night working and was too exhausted to drive home, or
if they had an extra-early wake-up call. Sometimes extended family slept there
when they came for a visit. It was tiny, cluttered with boxes of Christmas
decorations and farm paperwork, but it could work with a good cleaning and
straightening up.

“But, Mom, that’s our—” Sage started before Ruby cut him
off.

“Sage, last I checked this place still belonged to your
father and me.”

Sage clamped his mouth shut, his cheeks turning red.

Kai fiddled with her napkin, trepidation written all over
her face. “Ruby, I appreciate the offer so much, but…” She glanced up at Fritz.
He tried to keep his expression neutral. Although he wanted her to accept, it
had to be her choice.

His mother forged on, undeterred by her hesitancy.

“After we’re done with dessert, we’ll take the golf cart
over so you can have a look, okay?”

Kai gave her a feeble smile and gave in. “Okay.”

“Ruby, I don’t know what to say,” Kai said, blinking back
more damnable tears at the woman’s generosity. “It’s perfect.”

Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t this. The small
apartment was just right for her. Tucked into the top of the new barn, the
exposed-beam ceiling pitched to a high point in the center, dotted with two
ceiling fans on long rods. One side was the living/sleeping area and the other
was the kitchenette, bathroom and a small closet. Didn’t matter to her that the
bed was in her living room and the kitchen was the size of her bathroom at her
parents’ house. She loved it. She could make it work. She wanted to do a little
happy dance and move in tonight.

Kai hugged Ruby. “Thank you so much for offering. I’ll pay
you rent, whatever you think is fair.”

Ruby waived her hand through the air. “Oh shush, I’m not
worried about you paying me anything. I’m just glad we’re able to help you
out.”

“No. I insist you charge me something. And I expect to pay
for my part of the utilities too.”

“We’ll work it all out later,” Ruby said with an unconcerned
shrug. “I’ll have the boys get these boxes out of here tomorrow morning and we
can start moving you in right away. Once the windows are opened, the musty
smell will disappear. Couple hours’ worth of elbow grease and we’ll have this
place shining like a new penny.”

It wasn’t lost on Kai that Ruby used the word
we
a
lot. But strangely it didn’t bother her. She was anxious to get out from under
her parents’ roof, yet the thought of Ruby being next door was comforting. She
was warm and caring and Kai had no doubt she would respect her boundaries.

“Can we start in the morning?” Kai asked before she
remembered tomorrow was Saturday and she’d promised her mother she’d attend the
Junior League brunch with her. “Oh, darn. I forgot I’m supposed to do something
with my mother tomorrow for a few hours.”

“You do what you need to with your mother and I’ll see that
the apartment gets cleaned.”

Kai shook her head. “I can’t let you do that all by
yourself. Offering me the place to stay was generous enough.”

“I don’t mind at all. It gets me out of the house.” Ruby
looked around, pointing out things she thought Kai might like to change. “That
window could use a set of curtains and I’m sure you’ll want to dress it up a
bit, make it homey. Oh, I almost forgot the best part,” she said as she took
Kai by the hand. “There’s a little balcony off the back here.”

Ruby pushed a stack of cardboard storage boxes out of the
way, revealing a door with clear glass inserts near the kitchenette. She
unlocked it and pushed it open. When Kai stepped through, she gasped in
surprise. It was indeed a small balcony with a wooden railing, just wide enough
for a chair or two, maybe a tiny table and a plant. She could imagine herself
enjoying a cup of coffee there each morning or perhaps a book in the late
evening. Overhead, the pointed eaves of the barn would provide shelter from the
midday sun or a light rain. Best she could recall of her directions, she’d be
able to see the sunrise.

“You can sit out here in the mornings and enjoy a cup of
coffee, or perhaps read in the afternoons when it’s not so hot. Sorry the
view’s not great, what with all the farming equipment sitting around and a long
stretch of cornfield. Unfortunately, it smells a bit like fertilizer and diesel
fuel when there’s no breeze.”

Kai wrapped her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “I love the
view and the whole place. I don’t know how to thank you, Ruby.”

Ruby tilted her chin up to look at Kai, a solemn look on her
face. “You’ve put the sparkle back in Fritz’s eyes. That’s thank you enough
right there.”

Emotion clogged Kai’s throat. So much so that she couldn’t
speak around it. Ruby gave her waist a quick squeeze and pulled away. The sound
of heavy footsteps on the stairs drew their attention back inside, saving her
from the seriousness of the moment.

Fritz pivoted, arms outstretched and a wide smile on his
handsome face. “Well, what do you think? It’s not so bad for a dusty ol’
bachelor pad, is it?”

His mom patted him on the shoulder as she breezed past on
her way to the door. “You’ve got plenty of work to do in the morning, Son. I’m
going to check on Sage, see if he got the dishwasher loaded the way he’s
supposed to,” Ruby muttered. “See you tomorrow, Kai.”

As Ruby closed the door, Kai gave her a quick wave, still
bowled over by her kindness and what she’d said about Fritz.

Even though she hadn’t come right out with the actual words,
Ruby made no secret of the fact that she wanted Kai and Fritz back together.
She didn’t have to give voice to it. It was etched deep in her eyes, apparent
in her actions. Her optimism sat like a lead weight on Kai’s shoulders,
threatening to buckle her knees. Ruby was so kind and thoughtful; she would
hate to let her down. It went without saying she must’ve already let her down
once when she left Serenity and her son behind.

Fritz noticed the strained expression on her face. He
stepped closer, catching her chin in his fingers and tilting it up. Kai blinked
at the concern in his gaze.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, wrapping one arm around her
waist to pull her against the strong column of his body.

She couldn’t tell him. No way. His mother’s words would
embarrass him, and may even make him somewhat angry as well. Kai knew how much
he hated her parents interfering in
her
life, so it would stand to
reason he’d feel the same way about his own, especially when it came to the two
of them.

Kai swallowed and shook her head. “Nothing. I was overcome
by your mother’s generosity, that’s all.”

Fritz kissed her temple. “I told you she held no grudges,
sweetheart.”

Her insides turned to warm goo when he called her that. His
voice lost its rough edge for the briefest of moments, but it was just enough
to make her want to wrap herself around him like a honeysuckle vine. All it
took was his nearness to make her want to do that. Kai sighed and rubbed her
mouth across his throat, breathing in the smell of his skin.

“Have you seen the bathroom yet?” Fritz asked next to her
ear.

“No, but a bathroom is a bathroom, right?” Kai drew back,
peering up at him suspiciously. “Right?”

“It doesn’t have a tub.”

“Okay. Does it have a shower? I won’t have to bathe outside
in the hose, will I?”

He chuckled and turned her loose to open the bathroom door.
“There’s a shower, if you want to call it that.”

Nervous now, Kai stepped into the small room.

Ooh boy.

Thank goodness everything was tiled white. Any dark color
would’ve made the room seem claustrophobic. It hovered fairly close as it was.
A pedestal sink occupied one corner, a mirrored vanity cabinet above it. The
toilet was beside it with a storage unit straddling the tank for towels and
supplies.

And then there was the shower.

Now she understood what Fritz meant.

Kai kicked off her flats, slid the dreary tan vinyl curtain
aside and stepped into the stall. It couldn’t have been more than a
three-foot-square box. Fritz leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and
watched her twist and turn, his bottom lip clamped between his perfect white
teeth, fighting off a grin.

“Wow, this is one tiny shower,” Kai said, trying not to
sound disappointed or ungrateful. So she’d take quick baths. At least she’d
save on hot water. On the plus side, she could prop her foot on the opposite
wall to shave her legs and it’d be a breeze to clean. She eyed Fritz—tall,
wide-shouldered—and frowned. “How’d you ever manage to fit in here?”

“I bathed in the hose.”

Kai giggled.

He tugged his boots and socks off and stepped into the stall
with her, monopolizing the cramped space. She pressed her back against the
wall. “Oh crap, now I know how a sardine feels, squished into that little can.”

Laughing, Fritz said, “Kinda reminds me of a vertical
coffin.”

“Jeez, don’t say things like that.” Kai’s chest felt tight,
like she couldn’t take a deep breath. “And when have you ever been inside a
coffin?”

“I haven’t. I just imagine this would be what it feels
like.” He ducked his head to kiss her. “You okay?”

“Uh-huh,” she fibbed.

“Good. Let’s experiment.”

“Experiment?” Kai asked, her voice rising to a concerned
squeak. “Fritz, I’m already feeling a wee bit claustrophobic. You squeezed in
here with me is not helping matters any.” Still, she rested her hands on his
solid chest, and not to push him away. Beneath her fingertips, his heart beat
at a steady thump.

“Relax, sugar. The door’s open. Take a few deep breaths—in
through your nose and out through your mouth.”

Kai did as he suggested, although she felt ridiculous. When
she realized Fritz was staring at her breasts, rising and falling beneath the
soft cotton of her sundress, she punched his shoulder. “You’re bad, taking
advantage of the situation like that.”

“That’s not taking advantage.
This
is taking
advantage.” Grasping her wrists, he lifted her arms above her head and made her
wrap her hands around the short expanse of pipe between the wall and the
showerhead. He cocked one dark eyebrow in warning. “Keep them there.”

A shudder of arousal worked its way through her body, making
her forget the smallness of the space. She loved it when Fritz took charge.
When he went all alpha male, it seriously flipped her switch. Kai knew he would
never hurt her or embarrass her in any way. She trusted him, and in that trust
she’d found a whole new sexual awakening in herself. It was freeing to turn her
pleasure over to someone else who knew what to do with it. Someone who would
never violate that trust.

Fritz kissed her, slow and deep, his tongue sliding over the
inside of her bottom lip, past her teeth to tangle with hers in a wet, hungry
dance. Kai moaned into his mouth and pressed as close as she could without
turning loose of the cool metal pipe. Instead, she tightened her fingers around
it for support.

Her nipples grew achy and tight. Between her thighs her
thong was damp. Fritz nipped her ear, then traced the shell with the tip of his
tongue. When he blew softly across the wetness left behind, her skin prickled
and she shivered.

Trailing his mouth down the side of her neck, he used the
day-old stubble on his chin in a rough caress that had her whimpering for more.
He worked the buttons free down the front of her dress, kissing every inch of
skin he exposed along the way. When he reached her waist, he lifted his head.
“Drop your hands for a second.”

Kai did as he said and he slid the straps of her dress down
her arms then pushed it over her hips. He helped her step out of it before
hanging it on a nearby towel hook. She raised her arms again, returning them to
the pipe. Fritz smiled, cupping her hips in his palms.

“Good girl.” Her body grew even warmer with his praise.
“You’re so beautiful, Kai. I love how soft your skin is. Here…” He trailed his
fingertips across the sensitive flesh below her bellybutton, stopping at the
edge of her panties. He unhooked her white satin strapless bra and dropped it
to the floor. “And here,” he said, nuzzling the bottom curve of her left breast
with his mouth.

“Fritz,” she whispered. The weak plea sounded much louder in
the strangely intimate space. Every word, every breath, every moan amplified.

When his mouth closed over her nipple and he sucked, Kai
squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease the growing ache in her sex. Fritz
took his time, laving her with his tongue, grazing her with his teeth, molding
her pliant flesh in his calloused palms. The way he blended the roughness and
the softness together felt wonderful.

He straightened again and kissed her thoroughly, saturating
Kai with his potent flavor, before he stripped his T-shirt over his head. Kai
gripped the pipe tighter since he wouldn’t let her touch him. With every
movement, his sinewy muscles bunched and flexed. There was so much raw power
coiled in that impressive body, earned the old-fashioned way with hard manual labor,
yet he was utterly tender with her.

Fritz dropped to his knees on the floor of the shower. Kai’s
heart began to race when his lips grazed the top of her thigh. His fingertips
traced the lace edge of her thong before he stripped it down her legs and off
her feet. He adjusted her stance the way he wanted her, soles planted a foot
apart with one of his knees between her ankles.

He looked up at her. Kai’s hair fell across her cheeks as
she stared back in wonder at this beautiful man crouched at her feet. His own
cheeks were flushed with color, pupils slightly dilated with desire. He lifted
his hand, palm up, and pushed his middle finger through her damp slit.

Pleasure shot through her body, forcing her head back and a
needy moan to escape her throat.

“You’re so wet,” he said gruffly. “Like warm honey on my
fingers.”

Her clit felt hot. She needed him to do something about the
burn.
“Please.”

He continued to stroke her, so slow, back and forth with
that one long finger. Pleasure sparked in tiny jolts from her clit outward.
“Tell me, baby.”

With his free hand he palmed his erection, then ripped at
the button and zipper of his jeans, reaching into his briefs to free his
straining cock. It arched up toward his belly, the head ruddy and smooth as a
ripe plum, the shaft thick and dark red. His hand stroked up and down a few
times, rougher than what she would’ve thought tolerable. Kai licked her lips,
mesmerized, wanting to taste him again. To relive the unbelievable restraint
he’d shown when he’d fucked her mouth, then see ecstasy soften his masculine
features as he came.

He glanced up, waiting for her to do as he asked. “Kai?”

“I want…” She swallowed and tried again. “I want you to make
me come, with your mouth and…your fingers.”