Shrinking Violet (Colors #2) (15 page)

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky, startling the both of us. We’d been so immersed in what we were discussing that we hadn’t realized the sky had begun to darken to an ominous, eerie gray. Lightning cracked, causing both of us to jump. I could hear the horses in the corral start to whinny at the oncoming storm—Kal’s newest stallion, Thunder, the loudest of them all. Ironic as it was, the horse hated thunderstorms, becoming even more ill-tempered every time one passed through.

“Let’s get inside before it starts pouring,” I told Navie.

I didn’t think much of it when I heard Kal’s voice call through the whipping wind to Carson, telling him to help get the horses into the stable before it got too ugly. We just made it under the covered back porch, dumping our gardening bags on the ground, when the skies opened up. Brushing my hair from my face, I looked around before asking Navie, “Where’s Doodle Bug?”

She’d been with us in the garden earlier, but had gotten antsy and asked to join Kal in the barn.

“Is she still in the barn?”

I squinted, looking through the rain. I saw Kal and Carson wrangling the horses from the corral, a few yards away and into the stables. The only horse left in the large round corral was Thunder. From the way he reared up on his hind legs with each crash of thunder or clap of lightning, it wasn’t hard to assume he was going to give the guys a difficult time.

I didn’t want Willow to be in there when they tried to get the big beast into the stables, so I took off into the rain, running to get her out of the way. I went through the barn, back to the stables, just as Carson stepped out of one of the stalls. Kal was shutting Buttercup, our gorgeous, well-mannered palomino, into one of the other stalls.

“Have you seen Bug?”

Kal looked from me, to Carson and back again. “She’s not with you? I sent her back up to the house just a few minutes ago.”

Just then, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and I could hear Thunder kicking his hind legs against the metal railing of the corral. In that instant, my heart stopped beating. I knew exactly where she was.

“Oh, no.” As fast as my feet could carry me, I ran from the barn toward the corral. Feet beat against the ground behind me, quickly catching up. Just as I cleared the doors of the barn, I saw my little girl climbing up the railing of the corral, right by where Thunder was anxiously prancing back and forth in a tight circle. She was right at the top, at least five feet off the ground, throwing her leg over to climb back down.

“Willow! No!” I shouted, picking up my stride. Rain pelted against my face, stinging my eyes and skin as I ran. “Willow, get down!” I shouted into the wind. I barely made out Carson passing me as a loud rumble of thunder sounded, followed by a deafening crack of lightning. My scream froze in my throat, my soul focus on the terrifying sight in front of me. Instantly, it was as if time slowed. I watched as Thunder went up on his hind legs, kicking his front legs just feet away from where my little girl teetered on the top rung of the railing. I heard Kal yell her name from behind me as Thunder came back down on all four legs, his massive body tipping sideways right into the fencing. Willow’s small frame slipped and fell onto the muddy ground, right in front of the skittish animal. All I could think was that my baby girl was about to be trampled.

I picked up the pace, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I could, praying I reached her in time to keep her from getting stomped on by the horse.

Just as another booming roll of thunder echoed, Carson cleared the railing, landing on his feet inside the corral, never once breaking stride. He skidded to a stop directly in front of the horse, scooping Willow up in his big arms and twisting back around at the same moment Thunder went back up on his hind legs.

It was seconds, mere seconds between Carson getting out of the way and the black stallion coming back down. If Carson had hesitated in just the slightest, they’d both have been trampled. At the same moment I made it to the corral railing, Carson was on the other side, lifting a sobbing, muddy Willow up and over into my arms as Kal climbed over. I didn’t bother to wait and see if they were able to get the stallion under control. I rushed back to the house to find Navie and Milly watching from the back porch.

“Oh, my Lord,” Milly exclaimed, her hand to her chest as she and Navie followed me through the back door and into the kitchen.

Willow’s face was muddy and tear-streaked as I sat her on the kitchen counter next to the sink and quickly wet a dishtowel. My hands trembled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline as I wiped away the mud to try and assess her injuries.

“Hey, sweet girl,” I spoke softly, brushing her hair from her face. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

She shook her head back and forth. “N-n-no,” she hiccupped on a sob.

“Did you bump your head?”

She sniffled. “Nuh-uh.”

I ran my hands along her arms and legs, bending them at certain points to make sure nothing was broken. I took my first real breath since seeing her on that railing when she moved her limbs without wincing or flinching. Huffing out in relief, I turned to face the worried women behind me.

“I think she’s okay. Just dirty and scared.” I picked Bug up from the counter and propped her on my hip, starting out of the kitchen. “I’m going to give her a bath and wash all this off.”

My heart was still beating frantically in my chest as I carried Doodle Bug up the stairs and into the bathroom. I couldn’t bring myself to put her down until the tub was completely full. She stayed mostly silent as I went about scrubbing her little body, but as I lathered the shampoo in her hair, those bright blues focused on me, giving me sad puppy dog eyes.

“I’m sowwy, Mommy.”

She looked so remorseful, I just couldn’t bring myself to chastise her for nearly giving me a heart attack. “It’s okay, honey. But maybe next time I tell you not to play around the horses, you’ll listen, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After her bath and a quick dinner, Willow was fading fast. I took a speedy shower before dressing in comfortable sleep shorts and a tank then took her up to her room and put on a movie, crawling into bed with her for a little while longer just to make sure she was okay. By the time Hiro met Baymax for the first time, my precious angel was fast asleep.

I stuck around to watch until about the halfway point of
Big Hero 6
before finally shifting Willow’s sleeping form from my lap and tucking her in tightly. I kissed her forehead, lingering just long enough to hear her breathing—a bad habit I picked up the second I brought her home from the hospital after she was born—and flicked the light switch, pulling her door closed just a bit so light from the hall could filter in to make sure the room wasn’t bathed in darkness.

As I started down the hall toward my room, Carson came around the corner, causing my breath to hitch. His clothes were dry, but his hair was damp from a recent shower. He looked positively mouthwatering as he walked to me, wearing a pair of faded jeans, a simple tee, and work boots.

“Hey.” His full lips tilted up in a hesitant smile. “I wanted to come check on Bug. She doing okay?”

Tears clogged my throat as a riot of emotions crashed into me all at once. Without a word, I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burrowing my face in that nook between his chin and shoulder. I stood silent, clinging to him for several seconds before I was finally able to speak.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “God, Carson. Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done if…” I couldn’t finish that sentence. I couldn’t even
think
about it.

“Hey, hey, shhh.” The combination of his large hand stroking my hair and the sound of his heartbeat against my ear did a wonderful job of soothing me. I lost track of time as I stood wrapped in his arms. The comfort he was offering to me right then was enough to make me never want to move. Unfortunately, Carson’s hands moved to my shoulders, pushing me back far enough for him to see my face, his brow furrowed, and his mouth downturned in a worried frown.

“Is Bug all right?”

It wasn’t until that moment that I realized I’d been silently crying against Carson’s chest. Brushing the tears away with the back of my hand, I inhaled a shaky breath. “Yeah, she’s fine. She’s great, actually. Just a few scrapes and bruises, nothing major.”

It was as though the tension melted away from him instantly and a palpable calm washed over him. “Good, I’m glad.” I’d been so consumed in the comfort he provided, that I hadn’t realized how much apprehension he’d been carrying in his massive frame until just then.

The realization of just how much he cared for my daughter mixed with the adrenaline from earlier and the attraction that always plagued us became too much in that moment. Without thinking, my body took over. I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips firmly to his.

What started as a chaste peck on the lips instantly morphed into something else altogether. Hunger and need took over.

And I began to drown in it.

Devour.

That was the only word to describe how we both reacted to that kiss. It was the most all-consuming kiss I had ever experienced. I couldn’t get enough of his lips, his tongue, and the taste of him. It was mind-numbing bliss. Rough palms held on to my hips tightly, his fingers digging into the flesh between my shirt and the top of my sleep shorts.

A whimper escaped me when his tongue traced the seam of my lips and I immediately opened, granting him access. The growl that vibrated from deep within his chest sent tingles straight to my core. I nipped at his bottom lip, wanting,
needing
more. That seemed to spur a reaction out of him. His grip moved from my hips to my behind, squeezing and kneading greedily, driving me out of my mind. I let out a loud moan and hopped up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I was so turned on, so lost in lust that I couldn’t care about anything…where we were, or who could possibly stumble upon us.

Thankfully, Carson was on the move. The sound of a door shutting reverberated through the room just seconds before I was dropped unceremoniously onto my bed. I let out a small growl of irritation at the absence of his skin on mine, but it only lasted a second.

I watched in a haze as Carson reached behind his head and grabbed the collar of his t-shirt, whipping it off. Drool-worthy was the only way to describe his immaculate body. I couldn’t think straight when I was looking at him. My body was taking over, fighting against that tiny, niggling voice in the back of my head telling me that getting so involved with him was a bad idea. My emotions rioted inside me, warring against each other. My conscious mind knew this wasn’t right, that he deserved better than someone like me, but my craving for him battled against letting him leave my bedroom without feeling all that skin against mine.

There was no containing my groan of pleasure when Carson’s large frame covered me. His hips fit so perfectly against mine, like a missing puzzle piece. I wrapped my legs around him, locking my ankles to assure he couldn’t pull away. To my pleasure, that was the last thing on his mind.

I had to clench my eyes shut against the pleasure as Carson rocked against me, his denim-covered erection hitting all the right places to make stars burst behind my eyelids.

“So fucking perfect,” he whispered against my skin, his lips trailing down my neck. When he bit at the flesh of my collarbone, I thought I might spontaneously combust. “I knew you’d be perfect.”

“Carson,” I moaned, my hips rotating against him, needing more friction, dying for it.

When his lips left my skin, my eyes popped open to find him hovering over me, his mossy green eyes glowing almost obsidian with lust and want.

“What do you need, baby? Just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. Anything.”

“Kiss me.”

His mouth came back to mine, hungry and demanding. I met his wicked tongue stroke for delicious stroke. One of Carson’s hands threaded through my hair, cradling my head so he could control just how deep the kiss went, while his other snaked down my ribs, continuing its torturous path until I felt his fingers on my skin beneath my panties. I sucked in a harsh breath as he breached my wet folds, pushing first one, then two fingers deep inside of me.