Redemption Road (Roughneck #3) (13 page)

Chapter 24

“I’m really glad you get to come home every night,” Mackenzie said, as we lay wrapped up in each other, slick from sweat and still a little out of breath.

“Me, too,” I said, as I kissed her damp forehead.

“I mean, it will be late, and I have to leave really early, but at least I’ll be here.”

“You won’t mind all that driving?” she asked, as she ran her fingertips down my chest, causing my skin to prickle from her touch.

“Nah,” I replied.

“I do have something to talk to you about,” I said. I had arranged a couple of things, though, that I needed to run by her.

“What?” she asked, as she sat up on her elbow and looked at me, with worry in her eyes.

“Now, I’m only doing these things to protect you. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to control you,” I said. I needed her to know that.

“What things?” she said, as she eyed me with suspicion.  But she didn’t look upset, more curious than anything.

“Moon and Sam will be here in the mornings, to follow you to and from work, just until my days off.”

“What? Kash, that’s not necessary,” she said, obviously frustrated.

“Yes, it is,” I said. I wasn’t budging on this, she would be wasting her breath to even try and convince me otherwise.

“I don’t want to put them out. I’m sick of being the victim. I have my taser; I’ll deal with it myself,” she said.

“Sweetie, it’s already arranged. It’s happening. I just want you safe.”

“So how long is this going to go on? Everyone can’t baby me forever,” she said. She was getting aggravated.

“No one is trying to baby you. We all want you safe,” I said. I had rarely seen her be anything but sweet. I kind of liked this feisty side of her.

“How long?” she asked, with a loud exhale following.

“As long as it takes,” I said, and rolled her on her back, lying on her.

“I don’t like this, Kash,” she said.

“Sorry, it’s the way it is,” I said as I kissed her neck, and felt the tension leave her body.

“You’re sexy when you’re feisty,” I said, and felt her body shake as she giggled against me.

“There’s one more thing,” I said, and she groaned. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?” she asked.

“I have you set up to start self-defense classes. The first one is Saturday, and Sam is going with you,” I said sternly, waiting for her to blow up on me.

“Oh,” she said. That wasn’t the reaction I expected out of her.

“Oh?” I repeated.

“I like that idea,” she said, as she wrapped her leg around mine.

“You do?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about doing that,” she said.

“Well, damn, I thought I was gonna get to see you get pissy again, I kinda like it,” I said, as I gave her a kiss.

“Maybe next time,” she said, as she pushed me on my back, and climbed on top of me. She ran her hands through my hair as her soft tits rested on my chest.

She bit her bottom lip and stared at me, her eyes screaming that she was deep in thought.

“You’re pretty good at this boyfriend stuff, you know that?” she said, as she kissed me.

“I’m trying,” I said.

“Are you sure you haven’t had much practice?” she asked. I knew she would ask for details. I knew it was coming. Fuck.

“Not in a long time,” I said, biting the inside of my cheek. Stupid fucking nervous habit. Mackenzie stared at my mouth, and then climbed off of me. She snuggled against me, wrapping her arms and legs around me.

“How long?” she asked, with her head against my chest. I stayed quiet.

“Kash?” she said, as she rested her chin on my chest, and stared at me. She wasn’t giving up. She was just as fucking stubborn as I was.

“Since I was eighteen,” I said.

“You haven’t been in a relationship in seven years?” she asked, her eyes wide with shock.

“Are you surprised?” I asked, laughing at her expression.

“A little. You’re a good man, Kash,” she said, and kissed my chest.

“Not many would agree with that,” I said, as I ran my hands through her hair.

“I don’t care what everyone else thinks,” she said, as she stroked my arm. “I know the truth.”

“How long were y’all together?” she asked, after a couple of minutes. Shit.

“A year or two,” I said. It was actually eighteen months, but I didn’t want to give that exact number. I hated that I still remembered it so clearly.

“Wow. Why did y’all break up?” she asked. I knew that fucking question was coming.
But I knew she wasn’t going to drop it, so I might as well just get it out there. Not that I was happy about it.

“She cheated on me,” I said.

“Are you serious?” Mackenzie asked. She seemed so shocked, which was a little funny.

“Yeah,” I said, as I stroked her hair. I didn’t like talking about this, to anyone. But she needed to know me, my reasons for the way I was.

“I’m sorry,” she said sweetly.

“Oh, that’s not even the worst of it,” I said with a laugh.

“No?” she asked.

“I got to see it.”

“Spill it, Bennett,” Mackenzie said, her eyes wide. She was so fucking cute. I couldn’t deny her anything, whatever she asked. I had held this shit in for too many years. But looking at Mackenzie, I realized that the anger about that situation was gone.  So I let out a long exhale.

“I was best friends with a kid named Josh, since we were five years old. He was my next door neighbor. He was like my brother growing up. Since my real brothers were older, they always had their own shit going on. We played sports together, inseparable. Until I met Casey,” I said, realizing I hadn’t said either of their names out loud in all these years. I looked at Mackenzie, who was staring at me with those curious eyes.

“I already hate both of them,” she said, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Keep going.”

“They acted like they hated each other. So it made it hard on me, trying to keep the peace. I wanted them to get along. Apparently, they decided they got along just fine.” I said with a laugh, surprising myself that the bitterness had finally left me. So I continued.

“One day after practice, I went over to see Josh. He skipped it, and I was checking on him. I never knocked when I went to his house; his parents were still at work, so I just walked right in his room. And there they were, fucking on his bed.”

“I’m sorry, Kash,” Mackenzie said, her voice full of sympathy.

“I got so pissed, I attacked him. They were both still naked. She was screaming and crying. It was fucked up. My brother was outside working on his car and heard all the noise. He broke it up, and that was the end of it. I never spoke to either one of them again. I dropped out of school, and I got my GED so I could get on the rig. I never looked back.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again. I just kissed the top of her head.

“It was a long time ago,” I said. “But, I decided then that I wouldn’t get hurt again. So I did whatever I wanted, no matter how many I hurt along the way. I’ve done a lot of bad shit through the years,” I said. But looking at Mackenzie, I knew I could never hurt her.

“You had your reasons,” Mackenzie said, as she climbed back on top of me. Funny, that she could actually defend me for being a whore.

“I never wanted to get close to anyone,” I said, as I rubbed her back. “Until you,” I admitted, and grabbed her by the chin, pulling her closer to me, but stopping just short of our lips touching.

“Don’t stop now,” she whispered, and I slammed my lips into hers.

Until you.

Chapter 25

My head was fucking pounding. All those numbers and formulas, along with this new position, came a whole lot to fucking learn. But I could do it, I was always pretty good at math in school, but damn, it had been a long time. It had been a long week, but I got to crawl in bed with Mackenzie every night, so all the new shit and driving was worth it. My gas light started to beep, so I looked around for the nearest gas station. I just finished the last day of this hitch and I was anxious to get home.

Moon and Sam had taken turns following Mackenzie to and from work, and everything had gone pretty smoothly. After her self-defense class on Saturday, she tried to convince me to make them stop. But, I kindly declined. Sorry, sweetie. She got a little pissy with me, and I liked it. She also knew I was only trying to keep her safe, so she finally let it go. For now, anyway, but that girl had a lot of fight in her, she wasn’t giving in for long. I couldn’t help but smile to myself, picturing her pouting to me about it. The beeping started again as I pulled into the gas station. I was still almost an hour from home, I had to stop.

“I hear you baby,” I mumbled, as I patted the dashboard.

I started the gas pump and closed my eyes, rubbing my temples, trying to ease the pounding. I heard the click of tiny footsteps coming closer, but I didn’t even look up.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Kash fucking Bennett,” the high-pitched voice said, as the footsteps drew closer. I opened my eyes and looked up, wondering who the hell that was. I saw a little blonde standing next to the gas pump. She was wearing a tiny, barely there black dress and a pair of stripper heels. I was familiar with those. And she looked familiar, sort of.

“You don’t remember me?” She pouted dramatically, and moved a couple of steps closer.

“Uh, not really,” I said, trying to place her face. She had on a shit ton of make-up and her hair was bleached blonde. The blonde hair clicked to me, and I vaguely remember her sucking my cock in a bathroom of a bar. Somewhere. It was all fuzzy, I’m sure I was drunk.

“Well, I could remind you,” she said as she pressed against me, swinging her hip across my dick as she scooted into me.

She could remind me, no one would ever know.

I looked down at her. Her hair was way too blonde and looked like it had been through the ringer. I decided I preferred long brown hair that fell through my fingers when I touched it. She stared at me with blue eyes, surrounding by black eyeliner and too much other shit. I liked those big brown eyes that stared at me, and spoke a thousand words for each one that came out of her mouth. She pressed her obviously fake tits against my chest and bit her lip. Her lips that were caked with shiny pink lip gloss. It didn’t compare to soft, real tits and plump pink lips that didn’t need all that shit covering them.

“Kash?” she whispered, trying too damn hard to be sexy as she batted her eyes at me.

No one would ever know. Except me. I would know.

Six months ago, I would have let her blow me in my car, right here in this parking lot, or bent her over in the gas station bathroom. But it was different now. I was different. What the fuck was happening to me? Was I pussy whipped? No, it wasn’t just that, although Mackenzie’s pussy was fucking hypnotizing. It was everything about her, and I wouldn’t fuck it up.

“Kash?” she repeated, and this time she dropped her hand down and rubbed it across my dick.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said, as I grabbed her by the shoulders and backed her away from me. I turned my back to her, removed the gas nozzle, and put it back on the pump.

“Are you serious?” she said, as she glared at me with a look of disgust. I wanted to return the look, because that’s exactly what I felt. Disgust. She didn’t look sexy to me. She looks desperate and a little trashy. It wasn’t what I wanted anymore, not even for a few minutes.

“Absolutely,” I said, without even looking in her direction. I felt guilty for even having this conversation. The thought of hurting Mackenzie made me sick to my fucking stomach. I needed to get out of here.

I hopped in my car and pulled away without looking back in her direction. I felt like I needed a fucking shower, and my head was pounding again. I was going to grab some Tylenol at the gas station, but fuck that, I had to get out of there. What are the odds of running into someone you messed around with at a gas station outside of town? Well, apparently, with my track record, pretty fucking good. The thought of it made my stomach turn again.

As if she knew what I fucking needed, my phone started to buzz. I saw those beautiful eyes on my screen as I hit the green button.

“Hey, you,” she said sweetly.

“Mmm…there’s the voice I’ve been waiting to hear all day,” I said honestly.

“Do you like mashed potatoes or baked potatoes?” Mackenzie asked, in that perky little voice I loved.

“What?” I asked with a laugh

“Well, I’m cooking you dinner, and wasn’t sure which one you preferred. I still have a lot to learn about you, Kash Bennett,” she said, and I heard pans clanking in the background.

“Well, Mackenzie Harrison, I like both, whatever you feel like making is fine with me,” I said. “Surprise me.” I thought the whole being domestic shit would fuck with my head, and maybe a couple of times, it did. But only for a minute. I actually liked it.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“I’m fine. Just a headache, ready to get home,” I said, still trying to shake my guilty feeling.

“Well, I might have something to help you unwind when you get here,” she whispered, and sounding sexy as fuck.

“Will you be naked?” I asked.

“I just might be,” she giggled. My dick, that had been limp and guilty since the gas station, decided to perk up a little and twitched at the thought.

“On my way, sweetie,” I said.

“Hurry, but be careful,” she said.

“Ok, see you soon,” I said, and hung up.

As soon as I threw my phone down, I decided I was taking her away this weekend. We needed to get out of town. She had been cooped up in that house, only going to work and back, thanks to that dick munch. He hadn’t pulled any of his shit lately, but we were all still on edge.  She needed a little freedom. I wanted to take her out, show her off, and I know she felt like a prisoner in that town.

As soon as I got home, I locked the door behind me and reset the alarm. The house smelled amazing, and my stomach started to growl. But I didn’t see her anywhere.

“Mackenzie!” I yelled, as I threw my stuff down by the door.

“In here!” she yelled from the bathroom.

I walked in that direction, but the bathroom light was off. I saw flickering, and there was a sweet scent coming from that direction. I walked through the doorway, and there was perfection in front of me. There she was, naked, in a bubble bath, with a few candles sitting randomly around the bathroom.

“Hey, baby,” she whispered, as she dripped a handful of water over her tits, wiping the bubbles away, and my dick stood at attention, immediately.

“You’re fucking beautiful, you know that?” I said, and started to kick my boots off.

“First, take that,” she said, and pointed to the sink. There was a bottle of water and two Tylenol sitting there. She was thoughtful and perfect. I did as she said, and then continued to strip down. She watched me with those beautiful eyes and even bit her lip when my boxers came off.

I slid behind her in the hot bath, and felt all my tension disappear as she rested against my chest.

“I missed you,” she said, as she ran her hand down my leg.

“I missed you, too,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around her stomach and kissed her head. More words I wasn't used to saying, but it felt right with her. Everything did.

“I’m taking you away this weekend,” I said, after a few minutes of silence.

“Really?” she said, as she turned around to face me, straddling me, rubbing that sweet pussy against me.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to concentrate on our conversation and not my hard dick.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her eyes full of excitement.

“There’s a little lake town, down south. I passed through there when I was working down there. There’s a hotel right on the lake. Thought it might be nice to get away.”

“It sounds perfect,” she said, as she pressed her lips against mine. She ran her wet hands through my hair and then wrapped her arms around my neck.

“But I have the plans for tonight,” she said, as she reached for the shampoo bottle.

“Do you?” I asked. “And what’s that?” I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Well, first I’m going to wash you,” she said, as she lathered up the shampoo in her hands and then ran it through my hair, massaging it.

“Then I’m going to feed you,” she said, as she continued to work her hands through my hair, causing chill bumps all over my body.

“Then,” she said, as she put her lips up to my ear. “I need you to fuck me until I can’t move,” she said, as she pulled my hair gently.

“Baby, you talk to me like that, and the first two things will have to come later.” My dick was begging for attention as Mackenzie stared and rubbed against me. She started to rinse my hair but there was too much soap. I needed inside her, I couldn’t wait.

“Shower. Now,” I said, as I lifted her off of me and forced us both to stand.

“Oh, thank God,” she said, as she slammed her lips into mine and ran her fingers over my piercing.

Fuck. I needed her right now. Everything else had to wait.