Tied Up, Tied Down(64)

A flash of inspiration struck him. He knew exactly how he could put the rope to good use. He draped it over his shoulder.

Kade always did things with purpose, so it was nice just to meander, no destination or agenda in mind, talking to Eliza as they wallowed in the lazy afternoon. It pleased him Skylar hadn’t cultivated the stereotypical suburban lawn, but allowed the landscape remain natural. Rugged. A backdrop of long, gold and brown grasses, stubby groundcover the color of cinnamon, sagebrush, and the occasional yellow daisy popped up, all blended seamlessly past the barbed wire fence and across the pasture.

An oak tree with gnarled branches grew in the middle of the backyard. Usually only scrub oak survived and they never reached that size. He stopped under the canopy of shade and looked up. A sturdy branch stuck straight out from the thick trunk.

“Whatcha think, Eliza? Nice and peaceful in this spot. Shady. That’d be a perfect place for a tire swing, wouldn’t it? Made outta one of them big tractor tires?”

She grunted.

“No? Would you rather have a wooden swing so you didn’t get your pretty pink clothes coated with black rubber?” Her feet moved. Kade laughed and wrapped his hands around her chubby calves. “Wooden it is, though it’ll be a few years before I’ll let you swing on it, darlin’.”

If you’re even around.

He refused to consider he might not be living here in the future. He was making progress with Skylar, slow, but it was still progress. Whether she’d admit it was a whole ’nother story. Then again, earlier today, she’d admitted she wanted him. And she’d been willing to toss caution to the wind to have him. One week ago he couldn’t fathom Skylar banging his brains out in a strange house, with strangers around, and chance they’d get caught.

Man. It’d been hot as hell, hoisting her against the wall. Feeling the hot, tight caress of her pussy around his cock without a layer of latex. Sky’d matched him thrust for thrust, move for move, kiss for kiss. Those noises she’d made in his mouth when she came…damn.

The self-assured Skylar hiding in his aunt and uncle’s upstairs bathroom had knocked him for a loop. When she’d reached out, touching him so sweetly, telling him, and showing him she did need him on an emotional level as well as a physical one, he’d been tempted to blurt out—Baby, I love you, right then.

Luckily he’d refrained. Talk about spooking the woman. India might be of the no pain, no gain school of thought, but these days, Kade was more inclined to follow the old saying slow and steady wins the race.

Kade circled the perimeter from the house to the barns, to the granary and machine shed. He’d been pleased to find the chicken coop in relatively decent shape. He rested his boot on the bottom rung of the fence, scrutinizing the field. He studied the green patches of high grass, noting cattle or horses hadn’t grazed in it for a number of years. It looked healthy. How much land did Skylar own? He racked his brain trying to remember if she’d told him.

“Baby girl, what’s your mama’s acreage?”

Eliza grunted.

“I know, never ask a cowgirl the size of her spread. If I could fence that area off, it’d be a perfect place for your pony. Still want a white one?”

She grunted again. Then Kade knew why she’d been grunting.

“Whoo-ee, are you Miss Stinky Britches. Let’s go in and get you changed.”

How one little thing could poop so much boggled his mind. By the time he’d bathed her, dressed her, changed his clothes and fed her, they were both yawning. Kade stretched out on the couch. Eliza was sound asleep on his chest and he didn’t have the energy to move. Truth be told, he didn’t want to move. It was an ideal way to spend an afternoon, at home with his family.

He tucked the blanket around her, kissed her sweet-smelling head and drifted away.



That’s how Sky found them. Father and daughter snuggled together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

It is. He belongs with her. He belongs here. He could belong to you.

But would he? Despite what he claimed he’d written in the missing letter, part of her believed Kade wouldn’t be here, with her, if it wasn’t for Eliza. Another part of her believed the reason he’d become so sexually demanding was not in an effort to get her to open up to new sexual experiences, or to give him control of her pleasure, but so she’d willingly provide him with enough sexual variety that if she did accept his marriage proposal, he wouldn’t be tempted to look elsewhere for the kind of kink he needed in bed.

If that’s true, then why did he ask you to marry him before he revealed that side of himself?