Bullwhipped (A Cowboy Romance) (9 page)

“Tell me what you want, Livie,” he said, as if he was in her head.

She moaned as he cupped her, his fingers barely making contact with her folds. “Make love to me, Cale.”

His hand guided her face, turning it. She wished she could see, but at the same time, the whole mystery behind all of this was incredible. Once again, he kissed her so hard, her head pushed into the pillow. She felt his erection rub where his fingers just were, tracing her, and then plunging in so fast that it took her breath away.

He didn’t give her time to adjust as he slammed into her. The headboard hit the wall behind them, taking over the quietness of the night air. She hoped no one would hear it, but they were in the middle of nowhere, all alone. She clenched her teeth and was almost on the verge of passing out from the pleasure. The blindfold slid down her face and she saw Cale above her, his eyes closed as he continued, bracing himself on either side of her head. She watched his taut chest and the way the veins in his neck bulged as his pulse raced. Opening his eyes, he looked down at her, not even skipping a beat.

“Livie…” it was inaudible, but she could read his lips.

“Cale,” she mimicked as she spread her legs as far as they’d go, wishing she could reach out and touch him. “Untie me, Cale.” It came out in short pants, but he didn’t even hesitate, doing as she asked.

One arm came loose, followed by the other. Pushing on his chest, she moved him back to where he was on the bottom. Straddling him, she held him at his base, guiding his erection to her entrance. Looking down at him, she could learn to love this vantage point.

His hands cupped each of her breasts as she slid down, taking all of his nine inches deep inside, feeling him crash into her cervix. His sandpaper palms were a great contrast against her.

“Ride me, Livie. Riiide me…” he said as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his hips bucked so hard that she almost fell off. His hands clamped down hard on her and she yelped, but when he went to let go, she held them firmly against her, not wanting to break the sensual contact. She leaned back as he hit her in every spot she needed, quickening the pace. His hands skimmed downward, now clamping onto her hips, slowing her, and then pushing her to the brink.

He sat up but stayed inside of her, entering her at an angle that made her legs tremble. Resting his forehead on hers, he continued to guide her hips, sliding her up and down on him. Her legs were like noodles and she was about to lose control, and though they were going much slower now, she was experiencing complete ecstasy.

Cale breathed hard, his sweaty body against hers. “Livie,” he whispered. “Damn, Livie…”

He slid out and crashed into her once more, shooting his seed deep inside of her. She felt herself come with him, collapsing into his arms. He hugged her tightly, both still sitting up on the bed, both unwilling to break the embrace. He didn’t pull out and smoothed his hands through her damp and tangled hair.

Running his finger over her lips, he smiled. “I love you, Livie.”

It caught her off guard, but it was like music to her ears. Was
the
Cale Warren professing his love to her? “I love you too, Cale.” She meant it. She wasn’t just repeating it because he said it.

He slipped out of her and lay back on the bed. “Stop gawking at me and come lay with me.” He held his arms out and she fell against him as both of them tried to get their breathing under control. “How was it?” He asked, placing his hand in the small of her back.

“Heaven on earth.” She traced her finger along his muscled chest. “Where in the heck did the baby oil come from?”

“Had some stashed away. Used to oil down my saddles. Always worked better than leather oil. I called an audible. You looked like you could use a good massage.”

She rested against him, on the verge of falling asleep. They had their first rides of the Killeen rodeo tomorrow and after what had just happened, she felt like she could sleep for days, though it definitely had relaxed her. She didn’t want the night to end, but the rodeo was important for both of them.

“I really am sorry my dad was such a dick to you, Livie.”

Propping herself up on her elbow, she pecked him on the lips. “It didn’t bug me. He can say what he wants to me. I don’t like how he treats you, Cale. That’s what gets me upset.”

He waved his hand and scoffed. “I’m used to it. He’s been that way my whole life. I can handle his words. It’s the other that I never got used to.”

“The other?”

He nodded and let out a deep breath. “He used to beat the shit out of me, especially after my mom left. That’s why I always ran out here. I’d hide in the hay and he never could find me.”

“Oh Cale.” It broke her heart to hear it, and the look on his face was even more gut wrenching. He creased his brow and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he kept it bottled up inside and needed the release. “Did anyone know he did that to you?”

He shrugged. “If they did, they didn’t do a damn thing about it. Any time I’d ride and not perform to his liking, you better believe I’d get hit. Of course, it was easy for him to cover it up. It was no mystery that I was in the rodeo, so any time I’d need medical attention, he’d blame it on that. I guess that’s why I’ve really taken a liking to the bull riding. Pain is relative. At least if the bull hurts me it’s only because he just wants to buck me off and get on with his life. It doesn’t hurt near as bad as my dad’s fists did.”

“I’m so sorry you went through that, Cale.” It explained so much about him and she pulled him for a hug. “When did it all stop?”

“The day I turned eighteen and went out on the road. Before that, the physical shit slowed down, but the verbal abuse has never gone away.” He rested his chin on her head and laughed. “Listen to me. I sound like a damn pansy. Tonight ain’t about that. I just want you to be prepared. He’ll be around this entire week. I don’t want it to end what we have going here. I meant it when I said I loved you, Livie. I’ve never really told anyone about all of that.”

“I love you too, Cale.” She felt special that he had opened up to her. He needed to vent and it was great that he felt comfortable enough with her to do it.

“I don’t want to go back to the motel yet. You ready for round two?” He buried his face in her chest, kissing her between her breasts.

“On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

She reached for the strips of cowhide and dangled them in front of his face. “This time, you’re tied up.”

“I think you got yourself a deal, Livie. Let’s get started.”

After much reluctance, Cale had dropped Olivia off back at her motel room a little after midnight. He was exhausted and barely had the energy to get to his bed. Stripping down to his boxers, he fell into the mattress and pulled the covers up around him, hoping sleep would hit him hard, but instead, insomnia was there to greet him. His mind raced a mile a minute, from the amazing night he had just had with Olivia, to his father and how he was back, rearing his ugly head, ready to shake up Cale’s world.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand, Cale buried his face in the pillow and tried to get his mind on other things. Had he really said those three words out loud to Olivia? He had never loved a woman before, but the feelings he was experiencing with her were so overwhelming and real that he knew, without a doubt, that he loved that woman. What else could it have been? Sammy was the only other person who knew all of the details about he and his dad. It had to mean something.

In the time that he had been seeing her, she had changed. She went from a hesitant girl to a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. It was exciting seeing the progression in the relationship, and he felt like he was on top of the world to have such an amazing woman in his life.

Through the happiness he also felt nervous. He knew she was a woman with values and morals. He didn’t want to be the man to make her test her own views and he hoped he wasn’t forcing her into things she wasn’t quite ready for. Maybe she trusted him enough to tell him no if she really didn’t like something.

Rolling on his side, he stared up at the ceiling. He’d never had better sex, but most importantly, he’d never had such a connection with another woman, much less another human being. He didn’t want it to end, so keeping his father at a distance would be important the next week. He had a knack for scaring people off, and that was partly the reason why Cale never felt the need to get close to anyone. One thing was certain - Cale would try his best to keep his father away from Olivia. One encounter was enough.

His cell phone buzzed and he picked it up, tempted to ignore the call when he saw it was Sammy. “Yeah?”

“Good to hear from you too, buddy. A few of us are gonna go grab a quick drink at the motel bar. Wanna join us?”

It was probably best not to, but he felt like he hadn’t really hung out with Sammy and the guys. All of his time had been with Olivia, and though it was a good time, he needed to give time to his traveling partner too. Maybe it would help him relax and get some sleep.

“Yeah, man, let me get dressed real quick.”

Hanging up the phone, he pulled his jeans and black shirt back on and met Sammy outside. The air was cool and they walked to the nearby bar, just a few hundred yards away. It was after midnight and the crowd was thin, but Cale was only there to get a drink and leave. Moving to the bar, he ordered a whiskey and kept his eyes forward, looking at himself in the wavy mirror, presenting a disoriented view of himself. Maybe if he were drunk it’d look normal.

“So you still seeing that chick you were with back in Denton?” Sammy asked as he drank down almost half of his beer in one pull. “Seems you and me haven’t really talked much.”

The clack of pool balls echoed behind them, followed by a country song on the jukebox. Cale sipped the booze, taking his time with it. Would Olivia have liked to come too? He wanted to text her, but resisted it. “Yeah. I took her out to the ranch earlier tonight.”

“Back for repeat performances with her, huh?” Sammy laughed and ordered another beer. “You must really like her. That’s not normal for you.”

“You want another?” the bartender asked, grabbing the bottle of whiskey.

Holding his hand up, Cale waved it off. “I’m good, thanks.”

“And stopping after one drink? She’s got you whipped and you don’t even know it, bud.” Sammy clapped his hand on Cale’s shoulder blade. “What’s so special about this one?”

Cale stared at the mirror again. It was a good question, and he couldn’t even put the answer into words. He had told her he loved her, but Sammy didn’t have to know that detail. He’d never hear the end of it.

Glancing at his watch, Cale slid off of the barstool. “As much as I’d love to sit around and chit chat like a couple of old women, I need to hit the sack.”

“The night’s still young, Cale.”

“And you seem to forget we’re in Killeen, Sammy.”

“You’re an adult Cale. Don’t let your daddy get under your skin.”

Cale tossed some money on the bar, well over enough to cover his drink and several for Sammy. “See you in the morning.”

He walked toward the door, his head pounding from the loud music, his mind on so many things, and the voice at the far table made him jump.

“Cale Warren.”

He turned, recognizing the man whose posture was slumped, his eyes glaring at him like Cale had just run over his dog. “Yeah?”

“Have a seat. I’ve gotta talk to you about something.”

Cale hesitated for a second. The last thing he needed was getting into it with someone, but it hit him that it was Oscar. He owed the man a conversation, though he had no clue where this was going to go. Sitting down across from him, he clasped his hands in front of him on the table and waited.

“Why are you messing with my sister?”

“I’m not messing with her, Oscar.”

“Your reputation precedes you. For the life of me I can’t understand why you’d want to hurt a girl like Olivia. She’s good people. All she wants is to make enough for a horse riding school. We don’t need you coming around shaking things up.”

Olivia wanted to start a horse riding school? It fit her and Cale loved her future plans. “Who says I’m going to hurt her?”

“I know how you are. And by God, if you do anything to hurt her, I’ll make sure to kick your ass myself.” Oscar’s expression was cold and his jaw was clenched.

“If I hurt her I’ll kick my own ass, Oscar.” Cale kept his voice low, hoping he’d have the control to never do anything to harm her. “Listen, I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Do I?” Oscar patted his chest. “I wanted to
be you
, Cale. I tried so hard to become a bull rider and I just couldn’t hack it. Now I see you, your arrogance, your flashy smile, and your reputation as a love them and leave them kind of guy, come marching in and take a liking to my sister and I can’t sit by idle and let it happen. I might be a failure when it comes to rodeo, but I can’t fail her.”

“Oscar, if I had a sister I’d probably feel the same way if a guy like me came around. I don’t know how I can convince you, but I mean it when I say I don’t want to hurt her. I care for her. I love her.” Holy shit did he just admit it to her brother? It was like someone else was controlling him.

“You don’t love her, Warren.” Oscar slammed his hands down on the table, rattling the beer bottles to the floor. “You’re only capable of lust.” Standing up, Oscar towered over him, his fists balled. “Stand up and face me like a man, you son of a bitch!”

Cale looked around the bar. They had grabbed the remaining people’s attention. Staying seated, he shook his head. “I’m not going to do that, Oscar.”

The other man laughed out loud and motioned his hand down at him, acknowledging the crowd. “Can you believe this? Cale Warren, all time badass bull rider and womanizer is refusing a fight? All bark and no bite, huh? You bull riders are all a bunch of candy ass, no good pieces of shit.”

Sammy stepped in, getting in Oscar’s face. “Say all that to me. Say it again!”

Standing up, Cale moved in between Oscar and Sammy, keeping his eyes trained on Olivia’s brother and a hand against Sammy to hinder him from getting any closer. “Go sleep it off, Oscar. Olivia will need you tomorrow.”

Oscar prodded his index finger into Cale’s chest so hard that it knocked him back. “Stay away from my sister. You can flash that smile all you want, but you’re not fooling me, Cale. You might be fooling Olivia, but I know who you are.” He got close enough to Cale that their noses were almost touching, and his breath reeked of stale beer. “Can’t even hit me. Come on, hit me.” He shoved Cale but he stood his ground, keeping his balance.

“I’m not gonna hit you, Oscar. Go get some sleep.” Cale backed off, motioning toward the door as two other guys helped Oscar outside. Adjusting his shirt, he took a deep breath. He had to wonder when the stain of his womanizing reputation would fade away.

“You could’ve taken him, Cale. You gonna let him talk to you that way? Who the hell is that guy anyway?” Sammy asked, taking several steps toward the door and then back.

“Oscar Hayes. He’s the brother of the woman I’m falling in love with.”

***

Olivia heard Oscar come in the room. He stumbled over something and crashed to the floor. Flicking on the light, she saw him sprawled out on the floor, drunk, and on the verge of puking everywhere. Helping him to a sitting position, she grabbed the nearest trashcan and held it near, hoping he’d hit it instead of making a mess on the floor.

“What in the hell, Oscar?” It was rare for him to get drunk, and tonight of all nights just made everything worse. She needed rest for her ride tomorrow. Babysitting her brother was no way to get it.

He swatted the trashcan away and leaned his head back against the wall, swiping some sweat away from his brow with the back of his hand. “I ran into Cale tonight.”

“Where? At the bar?”

Oscar nodded and closed his eyes. “He was there with that dumb ass friend of his.”

Here it came – Oscar was going to lecture her about how he was a bar hopper and a drinker. “So?”

“He loves you, Olivia.”

“Excuse me?”

“I confronted him about everything. I antagonized him, pushed him around, chastised him in front of everyone and he didn’t even crack. I thought he would, at least, that’s what everyone has always said about him. But you know what he did?”

“What did he do?” Olivia asked as her heart raced. Cale had said he loved her, but this was odd coming from Oscar.

“Looked me straight in the eye and said he loved you, Olivia. Didn’t hit me. Didn’t act out in anger. He was very respectful and I was a complete asshole.”

Shaking her head, she slid down against the wall until she sat next to him, her emotions getting the best of her. “I know he loves me.”

“Do you love him?”

Without hesitation, she replied, “Yes.”

“Of all people…”

Olivia laughed and grabbed his hand, squeezing. “I know, Oscar. I guess we can’t help who we fall for.”

He tried to get up, but his body crashed back to the floor. Smiling, he took a deep breath. “I’m gonna regret this in the morning.”

“And I’m gonna make sure I get you up early to help me with Chance. Guess you better get some shut eye.”

“I think the floor is looking mighty comfortable right about now.”

Olivia had a hard time sleeping. Cale had told Oscar that he loved her, confirming he wasn’t just saying it in the heat of passion. Butterflies shot through her stomach and she couldn’t stop smiling. She wished he was lying next to her, their bodies intertwined, his warmth enveloping her like a blanket. Rolling over, she saw it was almost time to climb out of bed and get ready for the day.

After a shower she made sure Oscar was up as well. Making a pot of coffee, she grabbed a donut from their stash of junk food and dragged Oscar out the door toward the stables. She was excited on so many different levels. Today was going to be a good ride - she could feel it. She’d use the momentum from her relationship with Cale and catapult her energy into winning the Killeen rodeo and pulling in the biggest check she’d have won in a long time.

Grabbing her saddle, she slipped it on Chance and walked him out toward a field. The morning air was cool and his muscles would need to be warmed up and loose.

“I mean it when I say you need to get women off your mind and think about the bull you drew for today, damn it!”

Olivia’s attention diverted to the yelling. Cale was standing next to his truck, his father with him. Slowing her pace, she watched the argument unfold, though it was appearing as one sided.

“You fall off and you’ll never amount to being a good rider. World champions don’t fall off, Cale. They don’t get involved with buckle bunnies. They focus on every damn ride.”

Cale’s head was down, his posture slumped as his father laid into him. A chill shot through Olivia. The poor guy had been taking the abuse his whole life and all she wanted to do was protect him. Would going over to them make it worse? She felt like an innocent pawn watching a horrible scene unfold in front of her. Standing back, she made sure that Cale couldn’t see her. He was already embarrassed about the whole situation.

“You fall off and you’re gonna get your ass kicked, Cale. You’ll get put in the hospital. And then what good are you?”

“She’s not a buckle bunny, Dad.”

Finally, he spoke up for himself. It was strange to see him clam up when it came to his father.

“She’s a woman, isn’t she?”

“I don’t have to justify any relationship to you. I gotta get going.” Cale stepped away from his dad, still keeping his head down.

“Eight seconds, Cale. Eight seconds and a check or a lifetime of misery with a woman. You choose.”