Rough Stock (15 page)

Kit’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, thank the Lord. I knew nothing would keep that boy down. That’s a relief to hear though. Thank you.”

Mason accepted the thanks with a single nod of his head. He reached out and rubbed April Dawn’s ear, and she stood and happily let him. “When are you all moving on to the next city?”

“Tomorrow. When’s Clay fixing to join us again? I can take care of April for a bit if you need. I’m traveling with a two-horse trailer with only my barrel horse in it.”

“He won’t be back to riding on the circuit for a bit, I think. The doc wants him in physical therapy but, knowing Clay, he won’t stand for that. He’ll try to push it too fast and do damage to himself. I figure I’ll drive his trailer and the mare back home to Oklahoma for him and he’ll have to follow whenever the doc says he can fly. That way he won’t be tempted to catch up with the rest of you on the circuit.”

Kit grinned. “You’re a smart one, and a good friend. He’s lucky to have you.”

Mason rolled his eyes. Some friend he was, purposely not coming home to the States and not seeing Clay for years because of April. “Not really. Um, do you know which trailer is his? I need to get him some things.”

“I surely do.”

Mason raised a brow at that, again wondering at Kit’s familiarity with both Clay and his trailer. She answered his unspoken question. “Don’t be getting the wrong idea. I’ve never been a guest there the way you’re thinking. Not for lack of trying, mind you. The flame he’s harboring for that April girl is a mighty strong one to keep him out of my bed. You got any old flames, Mason?”

Little did she know.
“Unfortunately, yes, ma’am, I do.”

Kit looked him up and down shamelessly. “That’s too bad. Come on. I’ll show you to the trailer.”

***

Mason locked the door of Clay’s trailer, pocketed the keys and headed for the well-lit entrance of the hospital. He’d decided to drive the trailer back to the hospital rather than have to take a taxicab back and forth, which could get expensive on an Army paycheck. On top of that, Clay had a real nice set-up. Mason could sleep there rather than in the hospital chair and still be near Clay, whenever he finally got to sleep tonight.

As he neared the front door and saw April and Ben standing outside, Mason nearly turned right around and headed back to the trailer, but chances were they’d see his retreat, and he had promised Clay he’d be right back.

Close enough to them, Mason could hear Ben and April speaking.

“I’ve got today’s clothes, my phone and charger and makeup. I’ll just sleep here in the lounge tonight and take a train back to the city sometime tomorrow. I can’t leave until I talk to them both.”

Mason slowed down and finally came to a dead stop in the shadows.

“Are you sure? I could get us a hotel room for the night here in Philly. Or I could drive you home and we can come back tomorrow after you’ve changed and rested.”

“No, I won’t let you do that. You’ve been too generous already and I know you have to get back to Burberry.”

He waved a hand. “So there’s some dog poo on the floor when I get home. I’ll live. Honestly.”

April laughed and took a large bag from Ben’s hand. “Thank you, but no. Go. Okay? I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ben bent and kissed her. It was quick and chaste, and, gay or not, Mason was jealous as all hell.

Ben headed for the other side of the parking lot and April turned to go back into the hospital when Mason stepped out of the shadows. Surprise showed on her face as she stopped. “You’re back.”

Hands shoved deep into his jeans pockets, Mason nodded. “I told Clay I’d be back.”

“Look, Mason, can we talk?”

“April, I get it. There’s no need to explain. Clay and I are rough stock and you’re looking for certified and purebred.”

She frowned at him. “That’s not it at all. If you let me…”

He threw one hand up. “I don’t want to hear any explanations. You made your choice. As soon as Clay is up and around, I’ll go back to my unit, you’ll go back to whoever in New York and we’ll never have to be bothered with each other again.”

“When exactly did you become so heartless?” Teary-eyed yet again, April shook her head and reached for the handle of the glass door.

As he watched her waiting for the elevator inside the lobby, he whispered, “Right about the time you crushed my heart.”

With a sigh, he entered himself, and in an act that could only be called childish if he were willing to put a name to it, he took the stairs rather than wait for the elevator with April.

Mason would tell Clay that his horse was fine, feign exhaustion and head back to the trailer to sleep. He’d deal with all the rest in the morning.

Chapter Fifteen

Once Mason had come and gone again like a cyclone and he and April were alone once more, Clay turned to her. She looked near to dropping from exhaustion. He patted the edge of the bed.

“Crawl on up here, darlin’. That chair’s no place to spend the night.”

Looking so tired she’d agree to anything about now, April pulled herself onto the mattress and settled against Clay’s shoulder with a sigh. Then she lifted her head. “Am I hurting you?”

He shook his head and pulled her head back down. “No, not a bit. And even if you were, the view makes up for it.”

She looked down and adjusted the front of the dress so it once again covered her exposed breast, then frowned at him. “I guess you’re feeling better. I should change out of this dress and into real clothes. It’s not even mine.”

“Well, I don’t know who it belongs to, but leave it on a bit longer, because I surely do like it.”

He felt her smile and his heart lifted. Her skin felt so inviting and it had been so long since he’d touched her, he couldn’t stop his hand from running up and down her arm as he itched to explore more. “You were about to tell me something before we were interrupted. Do you feel like talking now?”

She shook her head. “No. Can we talk in the morning?”

“Sure. I’ll be here, I reckon.” Clay heard her small laugh at his little joke. “So, you feel like kissing instead?”

Against all hope, she hesitated a beat and then asked, “Do you?”

He suddenly found it hard to breath. “I’ve never stopped wanting to kiss you.”

She turned her face toward his and their eyes met for a moment before he leaned down and brushed her lips with his.

One small kiss wasn’t enough. It never had been between them. He tangled his hand in her hair and the familiar feel of that act had him groaning as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She turned and threw one leg over him, straddling his thighs and grabbing his face with both of her hands.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked breathlessly.

“No.” He could barely answer before his mouth was on hers again. His hands easily parted the front of the dress and found her bare breasts aroused to sharpened peaks.

Clay broke the kiss and bent his head to roll one hard nipple between his lips. April held his head closer and the sound of pleasure coming out of her sent a shiver straight through him.

He moved back to claim her mouth again—just as the door opened.

“Oh, boy. Excuse me.” They both looked up at the embarrassed nurse as she threw her hand over her eyes. “I just came to check if you needed anything, but I see you’re fine. I’ll just, ah, close the door.”

When she’d left, Clay laughed and April, who hadn’t grown out of her tendency to blush, crawled off of his lap, red-faced. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be. We were only kissing.”

Clay was thankful she stayed on the bed next to him and didn’t flee to the chair. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and held her close, his other hand playing with the soft material of the dress covering her legs. “You know what?”

She shook her head. “What?”

“At least now I know that my dick still works.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, more relieved at that fact than his joking let on. “Wanna see?”

“No.” Her face flushed.

Afraid to push her too far too soon, not to mention he wasn’t exactly sure he had it in him to make love to a woman right now, Clay made a joke. “Oh, all right. I should probably save that for when we have some privacy anyway. Don’t want to frighten the nurse if she comes in again.”

He looked down, enjoying her blush, and then a thought hit him. “You are going to stick around for a little while, right?”

Clay had both of his best friends back and he wasn’t willing to part with either of them just yet.

“I don’t know that I can. I have a job in New York. My boss will need me.”

He felt his heart fall. “Oh, okay. I understand.”

She was quiet for a second before she finally said, “Let me see what I can do.”

“I can’t ask for more than that, now can I?” Clay smiled.

They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes, just leaning on each other.

“April?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t be this close to you and not touch you.”

“Do you want me to move back to the chair?”

“Hell, no. I want to touch you. Can I? Nothing more, just touch you.”

He felt her take a shaky breath. “Okay.”

His hand bunched up the fabric and uncovered her thighs so he could run his hands over the long, lean muscles he remembered the feel of so well. How many times had these legs been wrapped around him that summer? He couldn’t begin to count.

Clay felt April shudder as he ran his fingers up and down her thigh. He leaned in for a kiss and she whispered, “You said touching, not kissing.”

“Kissing is touching, just with the lips. Now, hush up.”

After a few minutes, she was putty in his hands, just as she always had been. Her legs, which had started out locked tightly together, relaxed and spread for him.

“I’ve missed you.” Clay ran a finger over the dampened crotch of her panties.

She drew in a breath. “You missed the sex.”

He shook his head and repeated the touch, loving how her body jerked when he did. “No. Not just the sex, I missed all of you.”

“What you’re doing isn’t exactly proving that.”

His finger pushed aside the elastic and slid into her slick warmth, causing his own heart to speed at the familiar feel of her. He slipped it out again and began to circle her clit as he watched her mouth open and her eyes drift close.

“Not true at all, darlin’.” He added two fingers inside of her and slowly began to work her G-spot as he spoke. “I do miss all of you, but this part, the sex,
this
we’re good at. Even when everything else was shit, the times when you were mad at us or I was jealous of Mason, or you refused to talk about things, this between us was always good, and it made everything else seem better.”

Her hips were off the bed, pushing against his hand. “So sex is like a medicine that cures all ills?” Her voice was breathless as she spoke.

“Mmm, hmm. Exactly.”

She started to shake but hadn’t quite gone over the edge, and he really wanted her to, as much for him as for her.

“I love you, April.” He adjusted his position and added a second hand. She trembled harder, so close he could feel it. “Come for me, darlin’.”

April came around him, biting her lip so as not to cry out, even though Clay was pretty sure the embarrassed nurse wouldn’t be back for quite a while no matter what sounds came from his room.

He enjoyed every pulse of her body and when she finally calmed and lay breathless next to him, Clay was still hard and aching, but felt absolutely satisfied at the same time. After far too many years, April was back in his bed, something he had started to doubt would ever happen again.

Everything else could wait.

“Clay. I think maybe we should talk now.”

Everything except, apparently, talking. “Okay, darlin’. I’m listening.”

Chapter Sixteen

Mason awoke disoriented. His internal clock still messed up from traveling, being in an unfamiliar bed didn’t help things any. In spite of all that, he somehow felt rested. His body must have realized it could really sleep, that for the first time in months, he wouldn’t be awoken by shouts of, “
Incoming
”.

Realizing that if he wanted to see Clay, he had to go inside the hospital now and also deal with being near April again, he decided he’d rather face mortar fire. At least that was exciting
and
he could fire back. Not so with the assault April waged on his heart. With her, he just had to sit helpless in the face of the pain.

Judging by the light outside, it was late in the morning. He’d gotten to bed so late, it was no wonder he’d slept so long. Swinging past the cafeteria, Mason picked up two cups of coffee and two Danish, figuring they had to be better than whatever Clay would get fed for breakfast. He stifled the feeling of guilt about not getting anything for April. She used to drink tea, but who the hell knew what she liked now, certainly not cowboys, that was for sure.

Holding on tightly to his bad mood all the way to Clay’s room, Mason walked through the open door and breathed a sigh of relief. He was alone. Maybe she’d gone back to New York with Ben Ben, or taken an early train.