Page 110 of Grit
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hours after Oxand Emmie had gone home, Melissa sat with her feet kicked up on the front porch of the bunkhouse, watching the sun set over the valley as hawks cried overhead, searching the meadow for one last meal before the light disappeared.
Cary had left in the early afternoon to meet Jeremy at Halsey Rock. Stu, Leigh, Rumi, and Joan had driven into Metlin to see a movie they were excited about.
And Abby was stuck in a new book, engrossed in dragon-riding adventures with her goats.
She heard Cary’s quad before she saw it. He drove down the trail along Halsey Creek, crossing the stream with a quiet splash before he came up the bank and into her view.
His silver and black hair flew back as the wind whipped it. He was wearing climbing pants and a thin tank top, a bandana around his neck and sunglasses shielding his eyes. His arms were braced wide on the handlebars, and his skin glowed golden in the waning sunlight.
God bless mountain climbing muscles; I get to have sex with that man.
There were lots of other amazing things about Cary Nakamura, but seriously, that couldn’t be understated. She got to see that man naked basically whenever she wanted, and he ordered her around in a bone-melting voice when they were having sex.
It was… very nice. Very, very nice.
He smiled when he approached the bunkhouse. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She swung a beer by the neck. “You want one?”
“I’ll have a taste.” He crooked his finger at her and shut the bike off. “Come here.”
Melissa glanced around, but Abby was in her room reading. She walked to the quad, putting a little extra sway in her hips because she had just remembered that she got to have sex with that man.
Which was very nice.
She walked beside him and threw her leg over his lap, straddling him face-to-face. She slid over and hugged his thighs with her legs. “Hey.”
He grabbed her beer. “Hey.” He took a drink with one hand and slid his other hand down her back and onto her ass. “How’s my girlfriend today?”
“Feeling a little…” She leaned toward his lips. “Lonely.”
“Are you?” He reached over and set the beer down. “We can’t have that.”
He took her lips in a long kiss. His mouth tasted like green tea and honey. His skin smelled like sweat with a hint of sweetness. She reached back and ran her fingers through his hair, careful to work out the tangles from the wind.
“I knew it!” Abby’s voice rang through the air.
Melissa froze.
Cary froze. Then he immediately removed his hands from Melissa’s ass. They both turned to see a triumphant ten-year-old marching toward them, pointing an accusing finger.
“I knew you guys were in love!” Her face was beaming. “I bet you thought I didn’t notice!”
“Uh… hey.” Melissa’s heart was racing. “Hi. Um, what…”
Nothing. She had nothing.
Cary narrowed his eyes. “Hey, kid.”
She crossed her arms and watched them with a smug smile. “Hey, adult.”
“How long have you known?”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Only like… a year now.”
Cary snorted. “Oh, look at that! She knew before you did, Missy.”
