“You think?” Gus added, shaking his head.
I put my hands on my hips, thinking of what she’d done after I stomped off, only thinking of myself. Was she okay? I’d hurt her, I was sure, even if she hadn’t shown it.
Fuck, she was brave. Caring. Concerned. I still knew barely anything about her, but I knew enough. She was perfect. Fucking perfect and I’d stomped all over her with my dirty fucking work boots.
For the first time all day, I had my head on straight. Knew what I had to do.
Grovel.
“I’ve got to fix this. It wasn’t her fault her father was a fuck-up. Shit, she was ten. I’ve got to go.”
“Call Jed. He’ll want to be there so you don’t fuck up again,” T said.
I cut right past both Gus and T, grabbed my keys off the table beside it and opened the front door.
My parents were coming up onto the porch, which forced me to stop. I was beyond restless to get to Kaitlyn, to make things right, but I couldn’t ignore them.
“Where are you rushing off to?” my mother asked, tilting her head to the side so I could kiss her cheek.
The top of her head didn’t come up to my shoulder. Where she was petite, my father was tall. He’d shrunk a little, but still had the tall, proud bearing of a Montana cowboy. It was my mother who had the grit. She might be gray-haired, but not only was she a member of the city council, but she had a keen intelligence that shouldn’t be underestimated.
My father gave me a hello pat on the shoulder. “Forgot the dessert?” he asked on a laugh.
“I have to go fix something.” I dashed toward my truck in the driveway, not wasting any time to explain. I pulled out my cell to call Jed. To tell him what I’d done and get him over to Kaitlyn’s house, too. Pronto.
“Will you be back for dinner?” my mother called.
I glanced over my shoulder. T and Gus stood with my parents on my porch.
“I hope not.”
11
KAITLYN
I heard a vehicle pull up and the engine turn off. From my perch on the roof, one corner of the blue tarp held in place beneath my knee, staple gun in hand, I saw that it was Landon. I couldn’t miss the big pickup truck, the words Compass Construction and the company logo on the side, or the big man who climbed out. My heart lurched at the sight of him, all broad shoulders, thick muscles and long legs. He settled his cowboy hat on his head. He hadn’t seen me and I took my time taking him in. I remembered the way he’d kissed me, the way his hands—God, his hands were like magic—had touched me, coaxed an orgasm out of me in less than a minute. I even remembered the scent of him.
A second pickup drove up, parked behind Landon’s and shut off. Jed climbed out so fast, he didn’t even close his door.
He approached Landon at a fast clip, settled his hands on his hips. From this far, I could tell by their stances alone they were both tense. Nothing like the loose-muscled way they’d been last night after I’d gripped their cocks and stroked them off. I remembered the feel of their hot cum as it had landed on my skin, the scent of sex—even though we hadn’t actually done the deed—thick in Jed’s office.
I could hear them talking, but was too far away to pick up the words. Jed looked pissed and the way he ran a hand over his face, it might have been Landon who’d made him feel that way.
While I hadn’t moved, hadn’t even breathed since they’d pulled up, Jed somehow saw me. Did a double take. “What are you doing up there?” he shouted from the street, hands on hips.
Landon whipped his head around, eyes widening at the sight of me kneeling on the roof.
I hadn’t thought to see them again, especially not here at the house. Maybe in passing on Main Street or something, but not like this. Their arrival was intentional. It was clear Jed had learned the truth of who I was, of what had happened this morning. Was Jed here to yell at me, too? While I deserved anything he wanted to say, I didn’t like to be yelled at. Who did?
But if Jed wanted his turn, I’d let him have it, and then hopefully they’d go away for good. Leave me alone in peace, or some semblance of it.
Setting the staple gun down on the corner of the tarp, I stood, made my way over to the ladder.
“Be careful up there!” Jed shouted, practically running toward me, Landon hot on his heels.
By the time I got to the top of the wooden ladder, Jed had already climbed it, standing a few rungs down from the top, and we were almost eye level. He was right there with his hand out. The hand that so skillfully worked me to climax the night before. “Careful, baby. I don’t want you to fall. What are you doing up here?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the tarp. “Covering the leaking part of the roof.”