The Bluff (Calamity Montana)

TODAY WAS A BAD DAY.

It certainly wasn’t the first bad day. It wouldn’t be my last.

How could Hux think that of me? How could he believe I was a sleazy gold digger out to rob him blind? Maybe I should have fought harder on the car and the ring. Both would be returned to him when I left Calamity, but I should have spelled it out. Except never in my mind would I have suspected Hux assumed I was with him for money.

After all that we’d been through, how could he?

I’d been furious earlier, but now I was numb.

Today was a bad day. A truly bad day. The ache in my chest felt deeper than the ocean. Vaster than the sky.

Hux’s apology didn’t lessen the pain.

As easy as it would be to blame him for this hurt, the problem in this car wasn’t him. It was me.

While he afforded me so little grace, my faith in him was endless.

Wives should believe in their husbands. Real wives should. And damn it, I wanted it to be real. With every passing day, I wanted to belong to someone special and have that special someone belong to me.

I wanted that special someone to be Hux.

Impossible. He’d made his desires crystal clear. Love and marriage and family were off the table. Luckily, thanks to a failed singing career, I had practice living with disappointment.

The meadow was nearly dark now. Moonbeams lit the tips of grass blades and flower petals barely in bloom. I stared disappointment in the face and let it soak through my skin.

This marriage had been a mistake.

“I’m walking on eggshells with Savannah.” His quiet confession drew my attention.

“We both are.”

He nodded. “I missed her life. I missed her being born. I missed her as a baby. I missed her first steps and her first tooth. I missed her first day of kindergarten.”

“None of that was your fault.”

“Yes, it was. I landed myself in prison. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could go back and slap some sense into my younger self. Tell him that he’s about to miss out on the greatest thing in his life.”

My heart squeezed. Never in our time together had Hux spoken with such emotion. And tonight, for the first time, he was showing me his heart. He was showing me the man who created paintings from his soul.

“All I’ve ever had were glimpses of her life,” he said. “And now . . .”

“Now that you have her, you don’t want to lose her.”

“Yeah.” He reached across the console and lifted my hand off my lap to his. “I’m fucking this up.”

“No, not with her.” Even though Hux hadn’t been allowed to participate in her life, no one could stand between the two of them and not feel the love between father and daughter.

“Sorry,” he whispered. The regret in his voice was my undoing. “Forgive me? I care about you.”

He cared.

Care wasn’t a promise for the future. Care wasn’t the same as undying love. Except care was something, wasn’t it? He’d admitted to feeling more for me than I’d hoped for.

He cared.

And I hoped.

It was foolish to let down the guard around my heart. It was reckless to look into his eyes and give into that hope.

But today was a bad day.

Tomorrow, I’d pick up the pieces.

So I leaned across the console and fit my lips to his. “You’re forgiven.”

Hux didn’t let me lead the kiss for long. He never did. One moment my tongue was in control, sweeping across his lips, teasing the corner of his mouth. Then the next, the dominant, voracious lover I’d come to cherish emerged and I was but paint on his skilled brush.

The console dug into my ribs as he pulled me closer. It wasn’t close enough.

He unbuckled my seat belt, then with his hands under my arms, he hauled me to his side of the car, only breaking our kiss for the briefest second as I settled my knees outside his bulky thighs.

As he kissed me again, I dove into his pocket, searching for the condom he always kept on the left side. But the pocket was empty so I tore my lips away from his. “Hux, where’s the condom?”

He shifted lower, his hand taking my place. It came out empty too. “Fuck. They’re at home.”

Probably because he’d been working at home exclusively and that was where we were together. Which did me no favors today. Hux owed me an orgasm or two, damn it. I wanted to feel him move inside me and let him toy with my body until I exploded.

We’d always used a condom, even though I was on birth control. “I’m on the pill.”

He hesitated, his chest heaving with his heavy breaths. Hux didn’t voice his decision. He just flicked the button open on my jeans and shimmied them along with my black panties down my hips.

It wasn’t easy in the cramped space, but I managed to pull off my shoes and then lose the pants entirely.

“Dresses. You gotta wear more dresses,” he muttered as he worked his own jeans down his hips.

I smiled, then dropped my gaze. The rigid length of his cock sprang free and a rush of heat enveloped us as I settled on his lap again, waiting for his command.

Hux put his hands on my hips, guiding me down on his shaft. Slowly, inch by inch, we connected. And when he was buried, stretching me to my fullest, I collapsed on his chest and savored the delight.

“Fuck, you feel good, babe.”

I hummed my agreement, pressing my nose to the apex of his neck and dragging in a long breath. Spice and soap and paint. That was my Hux. And he was bare inside me. Nothing separated us but the emotional walls we’d put into place. Barriers that maybe didn’t need to exist in this car. Rules that my foolish heart wanted to break.

“Move,” he ordered, his hands guiding me.

Up and down, I worked us together, rolling my hips each time he was rooted deep. My clit throbbed against his hardness. I braced my hands on his shoulders, my fingertips digging into the soft flannel of his shirt.

“Lift your knee,” he said, urging it off the door where it was jammed and past his ribs. “Damn, you’re flexible.”

That was his doing. Every night Hux seemed to stretch me in new ways. He’d contort our bodies together, pressing with those large hands, until I was molded into his body. Until we could reach new positions and new heights.

He was the reason I could sink down on him now, changing the angle so the tip of his cock hit the spot that made every muscle in my body shake. The place Hux had claimed that very first night. Hux owned every memory from Calamity, even the ones before we’d met. Because they’d all led me to him.

“Ev.” His gravelly voice wrapped around me like silk. “Look at me.”

My eyes locked with his blues and . . . crash.

I loved him.

I was undeniably in love with Reese Huxley.

His sweet moments. His scowl. The way he loved his daughter. The way he made me feel safe.

Emotion clawed at my throat but I swallowed it down, holding those blue eyes that peered straight into my soul. He made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He made me feel special. Craved. I was his addiction and he was mine.

A flash crossed his gaze. The intensity of his stare spiked as the windows fogged.

Never in our time together had it been like this. The tether between us wasn’t only physical. Not anymore. Here, in this moment, we were raw and vulnerable. Two wounded hearts. Bruised and battered and broken, their ragged pieces fit together into a piece of art.

Tonight, we were real.

“Ev.” His whisper made my breath hitch. He stopped helping me move and brought his hands to my face, his palms cupping my cheeks. His fingertips traced the lines of my cheekbones. The ridge of my nose. The contours of my lips.

Then one hand dropped between us and with the easy swirl of his thumb, the orgasm I’d been chasing came upon me in a rush.

“Hux.” My body tensed as pleasure overwhelmed.

When I came with Hux, we both let out cries and moans, riding the wave until I collapsed onto his chest and squeezed my eyes shut to lock away another memory.

Hux helped me off his lap, then cradled me in his strong arms, holding me tight as we breathed.

It was a tender moment. One we normally didn’t share. Hux wasn’t much of a cuddler and after sex, we were usually so spent, we’d flop onto our pillows and fall asleep.

“Ev, I—” His hold tightened as he buried his nose in my hair.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he murmured.

Then the moment was gone. He let me go and opened the door, the night air whooshing in and chasing away the steam. He stepped out and helped me into my jeans and shoes.

When we were both dressed, he took my hand, pressed a kiss to my knuckles and said, “Let’s go home.”

Maybe tonight had been the night we’d needed. This could be our turning point.

Nothing about this marriage was fake. Not for me. Not anymore.

Maybe tonight, Hux had realized it too.

“DAD, can we go out to breakfast?” Savannah asked, waltzing into the kitchen the next morning.

I glanced at the clock. It was seven thirty. This kid hadn’t woken up on a weekend morning before ten in any of the weeks she’d been with us. But here she was, dressed in a cute green sweater and jeans.

This breakfast idea was about a boy.

“How about the White Oak?” I suggested.

She shrugged, but there was a small curl to her lips. “Yeah. I guess. I just don’t want cereal.”

Uh-huh.

I shot a glance at Hux, who was at the island, drinking his coffee and scrolling through something on his phone. “Fine by me.”

“Give me ten to get dressed,” I said.

Savannah didn’t have a smart-ass comment for a change. No quip that ten minutes was too long or not enough. So I raced away from the kitchen before the demon teenager could return.

Dressed in a pair of leggings and one of Hux’s flannels with the sleeves rolled up, I tugged on some knee-length boots and met them downstairs.

“I’ll drive.” Savannah jiggled the keys to her Mazda in the air.

Yesterday on the way home from the dealership, I’d watched Savannah peel out of the parking lot and leave tire marks on the pavement. No way I was getting in her car if she was behind the wheel, but I bit my tongue.

Thankfully, Hux swiped the keys from her hand. “This is breakfast. Not our last meal.”

“Hey!” She tried to get the keys back, but he raised his arm in the air and laughed as she jumped.

His gaze met mine over her head and the twinkle there was enough to melt me into a puddle.

God, that smile. Gone was the man who had wrapped his heart in chains. He stood there, open and free, showing the playful and generous soul he’d been hiding behind that stern exterior.

Savannah was lucky to have him as her father. She’d probably never know how lucky she was, or the lengths he’d gone to for her.

But I did. I’d appreciate him on her behalf until she was old enough to learn the truth.

“Fine.” Savannah planted her hands on her hips, finally giving up on the keys. “You can drive.”

Hux bent to drop a kiss to the top of her hair, then he repeated the gesture with me. “Nice shirt, babe.”

Sweet lord, I was in so much trouble.

What if . . .

What if Hux didn’t want a divorce either?

We could live here together. Happily. If he did want to leave Calamity after Savannah graduated, we could pick a new home together. Maybe we could add to our family.

Hope swelled and I let it loose. What if—

“Are you coming?” Savannah asked, startling me out of my daydream.

“Oh, um . . . yeah.” I forced a smile and followed them out of the house and into the truck.

The two of them chatted as Hux drove us downtown while my mind kept spinning.

Would he want to stay married? I mean, it would be easy. No divorce. No moving out. It wasn’t like the sex was getting anything but better. And I didn’t need an all-consuming love story. My parents had survived decades together on much, much less.

Why should we get divorced when what we had going was a good thing?

We reached the White Oak too soon, parking in one of the few available spaces on First.

Hux got out first, opening the back door for Savannah. Then he came to me, opening my door before ushering us inside.

The café was busy, nearly all of the tables and booths occupied. It was definitely too busy for Nelson to be here, though I scanned the room for him anyway.

“Morning.” The host, a teenage boy, took three menus from the stack beside the door. He barely glanced at Hux or me. His eyes were glued to Savannah.

Ah, yes. The reason we were here.

“Hey, Jordan.” She flicked a lock of blond hair over her shoulder.

Jordan grinned. “Want the corner booth?”

“I guess.” She shrugged. “Sure.”

Jordan led the way, Savannah falling into step right behind him.

“Who the fuck is that?” Hux’s scowl was out and as magnificent as ever. Poor Jordan.

“Jordan, apparently. I thought she liked Travis.”

He grumbled something, then strode after the kids. Jordan was smart enough to set the menus down and disappear before Hux and I could catch up.

“Savannah—” He began the inquisition, but then at once, his attention turned and his mouth snapped shut as he stared at the booth beside ours.

Everything about Hux’s demeanor changed. The light attitude from this morning vanished. The scowl he wore out of irritation morphed into a cold, indifferent glare. His hands fisted at his sides as he stared at an older man sitting beside a woman with gray liberally streaked through her blond hair. Across from them was a man who looked a lot like my husband.

Savannah followed Hux’s gaze to the table, recognition dawning.

Hux’s family. This had to be his parents and brother.

The older man slid from his seat, his eyes locked on Hux as he stood. The resemblance was there too, not as strong as with Hux’s brother, but it was there, hidden behind a weathered face and thinning hair.

Hux’s father said nothing. Not a word. He simply took out his wallet, lifted out a stack of bills, and set them on the table. Then he brushed past me without so much as a glance. His wife, Hux’s own mother, was close to follow.

The brother stood last, actually acknowledging our presence. “Reese.”

If Hux had been tense before, he went completely rigid at his first name.

I slid my hand into his, forcing his fist to relax. On the other side, Savannah did the same. Maybe the two of us hadn’t figured out our groove yet, but in this we were united.

“Caleb.” Hux jerked his chin.

“Heard you got married.” Caleb’s gaze, a dull blue, drifted my way.

I couldn’t help myself. I held out my right hand. “I’m Everly. And you are?”

Caleb tensed. He had the same nose as Hux. The same profile, but this guy was soft. His body wasn’t nearly as cut and lean. His looks weren’t as striking and handsome. “I’m Caleb. Reese’s brother.”

“Oh.” My hand dropped. I smiled wider, infusing it with a bit of evil. “That Caleb.”

He quickly looked away, his gaze darting to Savannah and then to Hux, before he walked past us, like his parents, to disappear out the door.

This was why I ate at weird hours. The White Oak was a great restaurant, but clearly, it wasn’t safe until after noon.

“Nice of them to say hi.” Savannah rolled her eyes, then slid into the booth.

But Hux stood rigid and unmoving, staring at the place where his parents had been seated. “They look old.”

The ache in his voice twisted my heart. “When was the last time you saw them?”

“Five years.”

They’d gone five years without bumping into one another in this small town. “How—oh, right. Different circles?”

He answered by ripping his hand free from mine. He did it so violently that I jolted. Then he shot me a look so cold and distant, it stole the air from my lungs.

No. We’d come so far last night, hadn’t we? We’d had that moment in the car. The laughter this morning.

But as I stood there, surrounded by restaurant chatter and the sound of forks scraping against plates, my husband shut down. Shut me out. Hux erected a wall three times as thick as the one he’d had there before.

“Savannah, let’s go.” He motioned to the door.

“But—”

“Now.”

She was wise not to argue. She slid out of the booth with a huff, then marched to the door.

“Hux, honey—”

He didn’t wait for me to finish. He simply walked away.

He followed his daughter.

And left me behind.