The Country Duet(24)
“Teale,” I rasp out.
She turns when she hears my voice, concern covering her features. Her legs move, racing to me. She cups my face.
“What’s wrong?” She tilts her head.
I grab the globes of her ass, lifting her up to my chest. Teale’s legs wrap around my waist, locking at the ankles, then her hands wind in the back of my hair. It’s longer than usual, making it easy for her to wind her fingers in it.
“Bad day,” I whisper into her lips as I walk back to my room. “I need you.”
“I’m here.” She begins kissing me slow and soft and then we are out of control.
Stripped down to nothing and tangled in my sheets, our bodies move in rhythm until we both lose control.
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Teale sings out as she falls over the edge.
I follow her, collapsing down onto her perfect body in exhaustion. I want nothing more than to hold her the rest of the night. I make a quick trip to the bathroom then sneak under the sheets, pulling her back into my chest. I lean forward, kissing the soft skin at the top of her shoulders.
“What happened, Hunter?”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“At the beginning, that would be good.” She giggles then rolls over in my arms to face me. “Tell me.”
I do. Everything from finding the job posted on the bulletin board to watching Dave’s body fight for his life tonight.
“See, you are perfect,” she whispers.
“The man is sitting on a gold mine just with the land he owns. It’s filled with junk, but worth millions to someone. Dave has no family. He told me it will all go to a charity one day. I struggle with…”
The thought has whirled around in my head on repeat several times, but I’ve never verbalized it.
“Say it.” Teale props up on elbow, intent on my next words.
“I’m not doing this expecting anything in return. The man needs help. It haunts me that my friends only think I drop everything for Dave because I’m waiting for him to die. That’s the furthest from the truth.”
Her palm goes to my chest. The pads of her fingers are digging into my flesh. “It’s your heart. It’s a special one. You know why you work for Dave and that’s the only thing that matters.”
My whole body relaxes further into the mattress, feeling relieved. “Want to meet him when he goes back home?”
“Of course.” Teale beams.
“Warning you now that there’s no way to prepare anyone for this man.” I pull Teale into my chest, cradling her head on my bicep while running my palms up and down her back. “And just to warn you, he’s a tit man.”
The vibrations of her giggles tickle my chest.
“And Teale, you, Darlin’, have a nice set of tits.”
“Thank you.” She manages to get out between laughter.
“He told me to play with your tits one day when I was in a bad mood.”
“You talk to him about me?”
“Yeah.” I kiss the top of her head. “He even tried giving me dance lessons one day.”
Teale’s eyes flutter shut while her smile stays in place. I refuse to close my eyes, preferring to study the woman in my arms. Her breathing deepens and is rhythmic, righting all the wrongs in the world. Uncertain of when it happened…I’m falling in love with Teale.
Chapter 10
Hunter
“I say if you're going to take a chance on something, you just go full balls to the wall.”
–Toby Keith
“Do you know if Mr. Hendricks has a DNR?” the social worker at the hospital asks once again.
“Ma’am, I’m not trying to be rude.” I twirl my cowboy hat in my hand. “I’ve just been working for him. He doesn’t have anyone else.”
“His hospital stay is racking up, and Medicare is cut off for this visit.”
She continues rattling off the immense expense of the hospital stay and ambulance ride.
“Listen, I’m just a twenty-year-old college kid helping him out.”
“What about his assets? Is that something he’d be willing to put up as collateral or sell off to pay some bills?”
“Again, I’m not much help here.”
“A serious question, Hunter.” She leans forward, resting her elbows on her oak desk. “Does Mr. Hendricks have funeral arrangements?”
I scrub my face in frustration with my free hand. “Don’t know how many more times I can tell you that I know nothing of Dave’s medical history or wishes.”
“It seems you’re the only one he’s let in, so this falls on your shoulders. We need these answers to ensure the best possible healthcare. These conversations can be quite hard to have, but something that needs to be done.”
“Okay.” I clasp my hands together and stand to leave the office.
“Hunter.” She rises from her desk, rounding the corner of it and handing me a card. “Here’s a number you should contact to find out different avenues and how Medicare might be further help.”
“Thank you.”
The chilled air outside is a welcoming relief to the nerves crawling up my spine. I place my Stetson on my head and call the one person who has always had all the answers my whole life.