Page 57 of Claiming Ours
“Thank you?” I chuckled. “So, you gave Carla her meds and….” I gestured for her to continue the story.
“Right, so when I came back, I found Taylor messing around in the medicine cabinet. It has a lock, but I’ve never used it because I’ve had nothing stolen or misused.”
I eyed the metal cabinet. “Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”
She nodded. “I’m missing a full bottle of antibiotic, which is really odd. Out of all the other medicines in there, that was the only thing taken.” She gnawed on her lip, brow furrowed as she followed my line of sight to the cabinet. “Now that I think about it, gauze is missing too. Anyway, when I caught Taylor, he seemed surprised to see me. I asked him what he was doing looking around in the cabinet, but he avoided the question completely, shifting the conversation to West’s accident.”
“That sounds shady as hell,” I muttered.
“Yeah, and then his arm….” She searched my face with a thoughtful expression. “Carl mentioned the reason Langston wasn’t around was because Taylor was out of antibiotics, which is what’s missing here. None of it makes sense.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” I reassured her, kissing the top of her head. “Do you still have stuff to do around here, or can you take a break?”
“I’m good.” Pinching her damp, teal long-sleeve T-shirt with two fingers, she pulled it away from her skin with a grimace. “I might head back and change. Where’s Liam?”
I hooked a thumb in the direction of her cabin. “He’s back at your place getting cleaned up. He took a shower after me. Why don’t you head there now? I’ll be right behind you. I need to pick up the brushes and shit we used earlier, then will head back to the cabin for lunch.”
She pressed a hand to her stomach when it growled at the mention of food. “Yes to all of that, it seems. Want me to stay and help?”
I shook my head with a lopsided smile. “I think Liam could use some alone time with you. He was frustrated when Amy talked him out of following you earlier. He knew you were upset and didn’t like the idea of you being alone. She convinced him you needed time to process what happened and to give you some space to work through it by yourself.”
Baylee blew out a heavy breath. “Yeah, she was right, I did. But I can see how that would cause my big cinnamon roll distress. I’m sure he’s worried about me changing my mind about us after?—”
Movements quicker than she could react, I gathered both of her wrists in one hand and pushed her back against the wall, securing her hands high above her head. Eyes wide with surprise, she gaped up at me.
“He wasn’t thinking about himself, Baylee. He was worried about you. Worried that you were sad and hurting and doing it alone. It had nothing to do with the relationship you two are building.” A look of guilt fluttered across her face. “He’s not that kind of guy, which is shocking as hell. Liam looks like he should be the biggest asshole on the planet, but he’s not. Even a day with him has shown me just how much he cares about you, and it’s not related to how you feel about him in return.”
Her throat worked with a hard swallow as she nodded. “You’re right.” Pulling her hands down, I kissed each palm before releasing my grip. “And holy hell, that was hot,” she rasped, eyes a little glassy.
“The restraining part or standing up for your boyfriend?”
Lower lip between her teeth, she attempted to stifle a sly smile. “Both, I think. But wow, I can get on board with at least one of your kinks for sure.”
“And the other one I mentioned?” I murmured, dipping a hand under her damp top, caressing her ribs with a single knuckle.
I gazed down at her in wonder. How the fuck was this my reality and not some dream that I’d be woken up from soon? I’d fantasized about this, pinning her to a wall with my hips as I touched her soft skin. Though those visions never stopped with the innocent touch like I needed to now. If things continued theway they were with the three of us, I would hopefully have Baylee pinned beneath me soon, and then I wouldn’t have to hold back.
“Guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we,” she said, breathing harder than she was seconds ago.
Forearms pressed to the wall on either side of her head, I leaned in until our lips brushed. “Looking forward to it, Kitten.”
With a smirk, she dipped under my arms, but she didn’t move fast enough. My hand connected with her firm ass, the smack vibrating through the barn. Her responding squeal and following giggle had my heart seizing. Baylee was the most amazing woman I would ever meet.
If she’d allow me the honor of being a fixture in her life, not a day would go by when she would question how much she meant to me.
19
BAYLEE
Despite the fact that my tennis shoes were already soaked from earlier, I still dodged the various puddles on the road as I hurried toward the cabin. My heart was hammering against my ribs from both the adrenaline and desire rush from Memphis pinning me against the wall. After that, my damp underwear had nothing to do with the prior downpour I’d sprinted through.
Bounding up the few porch steps, I toed off my shoes and pushed the front door open. Elvis leapt up from where he lay at Liam’s bare feet as the man stood in the kitchen wearing a pair of snug Wranglers and nothing else. I blew out a steadying breath through pursed lips to chase away the building nerves.
Not allowing my insecurities to take hold, I strode across the living room. Liam looked up from the sandwich he was constructing, turning to face me just in time to catch me as I jumped into his arms. He shifted to the side at the surprise attack.
“Well, hello to you, too, Little Bit,” he said, planting a kiss where my neck and shoulder met.
Every press of his lips to my skin ramped up the throb between my thighs that Memphis started. Squeezing my legs around his waist, I shifted to seal my core against his stomach and ground against him. Both large hands cupping my ass tightened.
