Bitter Hearts (A Southern Loving Book 3) (18 page)

“Kari,”
he groaned and bit his bottom lip, just touching her made him want to cum. Kari
rocked her hips and began to ride him slow; both hands firmly on either side of
the bales of hale, she moved faster throwing her head back and letting out a
moan. Hank swiftly rolled over and placed her back on the hay, he moved faster
pulling her hands over her head, lacing her fingers with his and thrust as hard
as he could.

“You
feel so good,” he panted.

Kari
wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him in deeper, her eyes closed as
his thrusts became fervently.

“Kari,”
he groaned, biting down on her shoulder.

She
moved her hips, matching his movement causing Hank to move faster than before,
Kari cried out his name as her body shook with pleasure. Hank shouted, emptied
his load inside her, he rested his head in the crook of her neck, panting.

***

The
sun creeping through the curtains pulled Kari from out of her slumber. She
yawned and looked over the empty space where Hank was supposed to be sleeping
at. She smiled and picked up the white paper on the bed.

“Good
morning my beautiful filly! Every day I’m around you I fall deeper in love with
you. I wish I could have laid in bed next to your warm body to see you open
those beautiful eyes to gift me with tender loving gaze.
”

The
smell of bacon and coffee brewing made her stomach growl. Jumping up quickly,
she went to the bathroom, showered and changed into a pair of jeans, tank top
and riding boots.

“Why
didn’t you wake me?” Kari said, as she rounded the corner and stopped dead in
her tracks.

Standing
at the stove was the red haired beauty from the pictures she’d seen around the
house back in Nashville and at the cabin. 

“Natalie,”
Kari said like a whisper.

“Who
are you?” she snapped, looking at Kari like she was intruder. Not giving Kari
time to explain Natalie reached over for the cordless phone. “I will call the
police right now and tell them there is a burglar in my house.”

“I’m
Kari Hayes-Hank’s girlfriend,” Kari walked further into the kitchen, going to
the cabinet she took out a coffee mug and poured herself some coffee. “You’re
the ex-wife.”

“No,
honey I’m
the
wife,” Natalie said in a sweet southern voice that was laced
with venom. “Hank and I are very much still married.” She held her hand and
showcased the sparkling diamond ring on her finger.

Kari
sipped her coffee. “Divorce has already been filed,” she said smugly.

“You
think so? I never filed for divorce and I’m sure as hell Hank hasn’t either.”
Natalie stepped closer to Kari, invading her personal space. “I’ll let you in
on a little secret, you’re the mistress.”

“And
you’re the whore,” she spat. Kari wasn’t one to back down to anyone including
the cheater who rode into town thinking she could easily push Kari to the side.

Natalie
stepped back and started clapping her hands. “Just because he brings you to the
home we shared and introduced you to my family and friends, don’t mean
anything. You should always know a husband doesn’t leave his wife, especially
an old-fashion man like Hank.”

Kari
had to save face. She couldn’t allow Natalie to know that she was rattled from
the news that no divorce paper work was ever filed. Every night they were
together, she was lead to believe that they had a future. “You abandoned him
emotionally and physically, what makes you think he is going to be with you
again?”

Natalie
smiled never failed. “It’s called love and three years of marriage. If you
think your month of some puppy love is going to defeat a bond between man and
wife, you have another thing coming.”

Kari
shook her head; this woman in front of her was delusional. “You’re right you
had three years of marriage with Hank, yeah you’re legally his wife for now and
I’m not going to argue that. Natalie, you claim that you love this man, but you
soiled your marriage and love for him when you walked away from him for another
man. If that’s your way of showing someone you love them, then maybe you need
to rethink what love is about.”

“Get
out of my house!” Natalie screamed, pointing her finger at Kari. “I’ll have you
know, we are a perfect couple. Hank and I adored, supported, and loved one
another. If you think I’m going to allow a two bit whore to come between me and
my husband you have another thing coming.”

“I’m
not going to argue with you,” she said, sitting the cup down on the counter.

“Because
you know everything that I say is true.” Natalie raised her voice and took a
menacing step towards Kari. “Leave my husband alone!”

Kari
stood eye to eye with her. She pointed her finger in Natalie’s face. “Lister
here. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you will not, and I
repeat, you will not tell me-”

The
door to the house opened and familiar cowboy boots sounded on the hardwood
floor.

“Bullshit,”
Natalie interrupted, moving inches in front of Kari, they were toe to toe and
eye to eye with each other.

Kari
didn’t blink an eye as she gazed at Natalie, who rode in on her broom like the
wicked witch from the west. She wasn’t about to back down even when she could
hear Hank calling her name.  “And if I don’t stay away?” she challenged,
raising her perfectly arched eye brow. Natalie shoved Kari into the counter
causing her to stumble back.

“Don’t
fuck with me,” Natalie warned.

“No,
I only do that with Hank,” Kari replied.

Crack.

Natalie
slapped her so hard across the cheek. Kari could feel her cheek growing warm.

“Kari!
Natalie!” Hank said.

With
full force, Kari landed a punch squarely in Natalie face. A shriek escaped her
mouth. Crimson color trickled down her nose. “Don’t ever lay your hands on me!”

Natalie
wiped her nose with the back of hand. “You bitch!” she screamed, charging Kari
and pushing her into the wall and pulled her hair.

Kari
could hear commotion around them, but it didn’t stop her from defending
herself. She punched Natalie repeatedly.

“Grab
her and I’ll grab Kari,” Hank shouted to someone.

***

When
Hank walked into the house with Shane, he didn’t expect to see Natalie, his
wife who abandon him a few months ago, standing in the kitchen with his new
woman.  He could tell they were having a heated conversation by the way both
woman were standing.

“Oh
shit,” Shane said, looking back and forth between Kari and Natalie.

When
Natalie delivered the first slap to Kari, he saw something change in Kari.
Those sweet eyes that reminded him of warm whiskey became enraged.
Damn
,
he thought when Kari landed a punch like she was one of Muhammad Ali’s daughters.

Natalie
pushed Kari into the wall, pulled her hair and tried to get a few punches in.
“Grab her and I’ll get Kari,” Hank yelled trying to get a hold of Kari.

Kari
lifted her knee and kneed Natalie in the gut, causing Natalie to fall and bring
Kari with her. Both women rolled around on the floor, like wild animals.

“Enough,”
Hank said. “Let go of her hair, Kari.”

“You
too,” Shane said.

By
the time they pulled the two women apart, Natalie was sporting a bloody nose,
swollen eye, cuts and scratches on her face, her red hair was sticking straight
up on her head.  Kari had a cut above her eye brow, her hair was a mess, and
shirt ripped.

“Let
go of me!” Kari panted.

“Are
you done?” Hank asked. When Kari didn’t respond, he asked her again.

“Yeah,”
she sneered, shrugging him off her. “I’m leaving.”

“No,
I want to press charges against her,” Natalie huffed, turning around looking at
Shane.

“You
assaulted Ms. Hayes first,” Shane reminded her.

“Get
the hell off me McBride,” Natalie said pulling away from Shane, she glared over
at Kari. “This is not over not by a long shot.”

Shane
had to restraint Natalie as she started to lunge at Kari.

Hank
tossed Kari on his shoulder; he stormed out the front door leaving a shock and
stunned Natalie behind him.  Kari wiggled and pounded his back with her small
fists.

“Put
me down!” she screamed.

“Fine,”
he said, putting her down on her own two feet. “What the hell is going on?”

“What?”
she asked, looking at him like he grown two heads. “Did you or did you not file
for divorce?”

“Natalie
filed for divorce, I didn’t.” When the words left his mouth, he could see the
shock in Kari’s face.

“I
think it’s time for me to leave,” she said.

“Just
give me a second to talk to you.” Hank appeared to be agitated that Kari wasn’t
giving him the time and day to explain himself. “You have to realize that my
marriage of three years was over the day my wife left me for another man. It’s
like she was a freaking twister that left my life in a mess.”

“My
god! I must have stupid written across my head!” she yelled, walking away from
him. “What was this? You think I’m deprived of a male attention? Did you use me
just to occupy your time?”

“Kari,
you’re being over the top.” Hank ran towards her, he reached for her arm only
for Kari to pull her arm away from him. The glare she gave him, Hank wouldn’t
work on.

“Don’t
touch me!” she screamed, her eyes filled with tears. “Tell me Hank, what you
expect me to do here?”

“Be
rational and choose your words carefully.”

“Choose
my words carefully,” she mocked, throwing her hands up in the air. “I know
you’re not dumb, blind or stupid. She’s been gone for two or three months and
clearly you haven’t received not one damn divorce paper. Why didn’t you file?”

Silence.

“How
long did you know she was back?” she asked.

Hank
should have listened to Shane and Austin when they said a woman can do better
research than the FBI. Clearly Kari had done her homework. “What were you doing
sneaking around,” his face became red with anger, “I’m a grown ass man I don’t
need you checking up on me.”

“When
I called Corey to check on the work at Southern Hearts Ranch, he told me about
the red hair vixen that arrived on the ranch barking orders and looking for her
husband Hank Jackson.”

“When?”
he asked

“At
the cabin everything made sense, you acting funny at Graceland and at the
cabin,” she pointed out.

“What
do you want me to say! That I was waiting for Natalie to come back and work on
our marriage?”

Kari
shook her head and laughed hysterically. “She’ll come back with her heartfelt
promises and tearful apologies. Repent her sins of infidelity, explain her
affair in detail and you guys will go back to becoming the perfect couple that
she claimed. Become the forgiving husband, because I don’t give a damn. I’m out
of here.”

Hank
watched as Kari stormed off into the house. He stood there like an idiot, when
she emerged from the house carrying her bag with Shane hot on her heels.

“Kari,
I’ll take you to the airport,” Hank offered, hoping that she would say yes. To
give them time to talk. He didn’t care that Natalie was standing right there
looking at him, he loved Kari.

***

Kari
heard him speak, but everything was like a total blur. She shielded the blazing
Texas sun from her eyes, turning she look at him.  “Go back to your wife,” she
said.

“I’m
going to go get the truck,” Shane said to no one as he walked down the gravel
road.

Hurry
back,
she thought pretending to ignore Hank and his pitiful stare.
She didn’t regret falling in love with him because Hank showed her that it was
possible to love again. Before meeting him she promised herself a long time ago
that there would be no way in hell she would never fall in love again.

“She
is my wife-”

Kari
held up her hand to silence him. “I get that…she is the lady who broke your
heart and made you feel insignificant.”

“We
need to talk.”

Kari
rolled her eyes. “About what? I’m a big girl! I don’t need you to give me a
fucking pacifier and tell me everything is going to be okay.” She looked him
directly in the eyes. “No regrets.”

“I
will always live with regrets,” Hank said looking at her; his fingers itched to
reach up and touch her. “I will regret not leaving the past in the past and
seeking the person who makes me happy.”

 “What
if this is what is supposed to be…me and you?” Kari wasn’t one to beg, but this
was for love, the man who could be the one. She had to stop him from making a
decision that would cause them so much pain. “You promised me forever and now
you’re changing your mind.”

“Natalie
is still my wife,” Hank said.

Natalie
gasped and smiled with satisfaction. “I’ll leave you guys to talk,” she said,
retreating into the house.