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After the sexual haze cleared froue zigzagged up her spine causing her to shiver anew

"See? I think you sood too Sorta like my own personal salt lick, eh?"

Gemma was too stunned to speak

"You okay?"

"Mot a condoe" She pushed herself off the stall into an upright position "You know I haven’t been with anyone since Steve I sort of hed softly "Last time I had sex without a condoot anyelse"

"Good to know"

Cash spun her and tugged her into his arms for a sweet, intense, exhaustive kiss

"What was that for?" she ainst his chest

"For lettin’ me be bold and bawdy For bein’ the hottest, sexiest winyan I’ve ever put my hands on You drive s that need to be done around here and the only thing I can think about is doin’ you Over and over"

"You sweet talker" Geo inside and get cleaned up before we eat Where are my clothes?"

"Who cares? I prefer you half-naked Or all naked"

"Well, no matter what you prefer, I ain’t struttin’ across the yard wearing nothin’ but -ass smile"

"At least you ain’t cryin’ this time"

Gemma froze "What?"

"Don’t try to pretend it didn’t happen I heard you that first night Up in your rooh part of me understands why you were bawlin’, another part of me felt like you kicked me in the balls"

"It wasn’t about you"

"I know Don’t es the way it made me feel" He kissed her forehead and draped her shirt and bra around her neck "Get dressed I’llGeain

Chapter Thirteen

Macie woke up and didn’t knohere she was

Seeht She was such a wild child

She sat up and looked around Ah She was in Carter’s trailer

But where was Carter?

Out in that run-down barn he called a studio? She called out, "Carter?"

No answer

As she stood and stretched, she squinted at the clock Five thirty? She’d slept for three hours? Dammit Why hadn’t Carter woken her up?

Macie re else was out of place No dirty clothes scattered across the carpet No dog-eared skinfan was even dust-free

Talk about being a neat freak

Shearea Not the bachelor pad she expected with leather couches, a big screen TV and neon beer signs

He’d shoved an ugly green and orange plaid sofa beneath the s A brown corduroy recliner sporting several silver patches of duct tape was kitty-corner to the door

The pressed wood coffee table didn’t host a pile of remote controls Or an empty beer can Or a discarded newspaper No personal objects covered the scarred surface

The temporary feel to the place made her sad Mostly because it reminded her of every place she’d ever lived

As she walked to the kitchen she realized the trailer wasn’t completely devoid of decoration; an entire as devoted to pictures Fa faces stared back at her The infairl and a couple who didn’t look old enough to have so er Carter, she realized the picture was several years old She 93

scrutinized each person All of the men were tall, with broad chests and shoulders Three of the sons reseo eyes

Carter and another brother looked hter hair made up of every shade fro sky, and their bone structure ran irl inherited the best from each of her parents: her father’s dark hair and eyes and her ly beautiful smile

Macie inched closer to scrutinize the dozens of snapshots A picture of a young Carter and his dad dressed in ca next to a dead buck A photo of one brother on the back of an enorues, squinting into the desert sun A studio picture of his sister in a for proudly at the ca beside a Christ brand neboy boots and a diaper A dark-haired brother waving froeda cap and gown sandwiched between his parents A photo of all five McKay sonsThe McKays hunting The McKays working in the garden, the fields, the barn The McKays kicking up their bootheels at a pig roast<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>