by Alina Jacobs
“You could at least ditch the fanny pack,” Kate suggested.
“I need it,” I said. But I wanted to shrink down and hide inside of it when the crowd parted to reveal Karen with her yoga pants and blowout, standing next to Hunter.
He swung down off the horse. He even had a ridiculously shiny silver belt buckle right at crotch level. He grinned at me and tipped his cowboy hat. “Ma’am,” he said. The women around him swooned.
You could have worn jeans, I reminded myself. As this was not my first barn raising, I had brought my own tools, strapped to the belt under my fanny pack. I jangled like a wandering tinker as I walked. I was sure Hunter thought I looked like a lunatic.
You are almost thirty-five! Own your choices! I put my fists on my hips and walked over to him, head held high.
“I can’t believe you showed up here with a fanny pack,” he teased, reaching out to hook two fingers in the nylon belt.
“And I can’t believe you showed up here cosplaying as a cowboy in a shameless ploy to garner votes,” I shot back.
Hunter huffed out a laugh. “I’m not cosplaying as a cowboy,” he drawled. “I’m from Wyoming. I grew up on a ranch. I’m just as at home out in the rural areas as you are, Deputy Mayor.”
“I hope you brought your tools,” I said, hefting my own bag.
“Did you one better. Brought two draft horses,” he said, patting the horse that he had just been riding.
“It can be difficult to maneuver a tractor around all these pieces when you’re trying to build a barn, but horses get the job done.”
“Then let the barn raising begin.”
Remy had already begun marking out where each of the heavy timber posts that held up the barn were being placed. With the help of the horses, plus a hundred people, we erected one post then the next then winched up the beams to create the overall building frame.
After that, construction went quickly, with some groups working on the walls and others attaching the tin roofing. I was up in the rafters—I didn’t mind heights—nailing on the sheets of metal.
Hunter was working a few yards away from me. I couldn’t help but admire the way he worked quickly and efficiently. He looked up, saw me, then glared.
“You’re going to fall,” he called. “Can’t you do the walls?”
“I’m fine up here,” I insisted as I hammered in the next piece of roofing. “Besides, you want someone smaller doing the roofs. Less of a chance of falling through.”
All while I worked, Hunter seemed to keep one eye on me. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I had always prided myself on being able to put my head down and work, no matter what the situation was.
“I don’t need you to look out for me,” I finally snapped at him when he clambered by to grab another piece of roofing.
“I was just checking out your tits,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to my mouth then winking.
I was momentarily stunned and almost dropped my hammer then overcorrected to catch it and almost slipped off the rafter. Hunter grabbed my overall strap, righting me.
“What was it you were saying about not needing to be watched out for?”
“I’d make a rude gesture,” I told him, “but I’m better than that.”
Once the roof and walls were in place, we painted the barn a colonial red on the walls and white on the trim.
“Looks like a barn!” Remy hollered as we all cheered.
One of the horses came over and nuzzled me.
“I don’t have any food,” I told him, stroking the velvety nose.
Hunter loped over. God, he looked so fucking good, and he smelled even better, like country air and male.
“Come on, Merlin.”
“You named your horse Merlin?” I asked with a laugh.
“They’re technically horses Garrett bought for Penny. Of course, he just lets them out to roam around the property. Once I found one in the kitchen.”
“Speaking of…” Merlin’s sibling was trying to steal some of the salad Kate was prepping. I grabbed the reins of the other horse, leading him away from the dinner line to a nearby barn.
“Marco said we could keep them here for now,” Hunter said.
I grabbed a bucket and filled it with water while Hunter started brushing down the big black horses. I grabbed another brush and helped him.
“You can go back to the party,” he said. “And tell some of my brothers to come help.”
“There’s a line for supper,” I said. “Besides, I like horses.”
“And here I thought you were hanging around because you wanted time with me,” he murmured, turning to face me.
“I mean, maybe,” I said looking up at him.
“You can’t show up all sexy with your overalls and a fanny pack and not think that you were going to drive me crazy all afternoon.”
“I do try and make an effort,” I quipped.
Hunter kissed me, smiling against my mouth.
“Fuck, I love kissing you, Meg,” he whispered. His hands tugged at my clothes. I wanted to melt into him, give into him.
He unhooked my overalls, and his hand slid under my shirt. I gasped as he caressed a nipple, pinching and teasing it as his tongue slipped into my mouth. It was sensual and powerful and exactly how I had fantasized about being with him again. Well, not exactly…
Bahhhh!
I jumped. A demonic-looking goat bleated at us.
“I don’t think he wants us in his barn,” I said, slightly out of breath. Hunter tried to shoo the goat away, but it charged at him. Hunter sprung back with a curse as the goat reared up for another attack.
I thought we were going to be trapped in the barn until one of the horses turned around and snapped at the goat. It fled, and the horse gave a smug snort.
Undeterred, Hunter reached for me again.
“We should go back to the dinner,” I said.
“Or”—Hunter drew me close to him—“we could skip the party and go back to my place.”
“Your place? With all your little brothers?”
“Yes, but see, they’re all here,” he said, tipping my head back to kiss me hard. “And we could use the excuse that we’re taking the horses back.” His hand tangled in my hair as the other pressed between my legs. “I want you. You know I do. I always do.” He promised a night of bliss, but I still wasn’t ready to give in, wasn’t ready to trust him again.
“I am kind of hungry.”
Hunter blew out a breath. “You’re going to choose broccoli salad and macaroni and cheese over me?”
“Mrs. Levenston is making brats,” I said, “so I’ll still have some sausage in my mouth!”
42
Hunter
I spent another irritable, sleepless night dreaming of Meg then Sunday having to play prison guard to make my brothers finish book reports, science labs, and math homework. All by myself, I might add, as the other non-contributing adults in the household had opted to spend the day with their girlfriends.
Meg hadn’t even given me a crumb when I had texted her, asking if she was free. She just said she was busy catching up on work and dealing with her little sisters. Not even a cold morning run could banish the craving to bury my cock in her hot, wet pussy, to feel her clench around me.
“Slow down!” my little brother cried, paces behind me as I led them on sprints around the property.
I turned, bounding back to the end of the line that trailed behind me on the wide path. “Pick up your feet,” I coaxed the toddlers, who were really giving it their all.
“My legs are short, and I can’t run that fast,” Jacob puffed, his little face red.
“That’s fine. Just do your best. This will wake you up.”
“I worked late all last night,” Calvin complained from up ahead.
“And yet I haven’t seen a penny of that money.”
“It’s my money!” he cried as I motioned them to stop and take a break. “I’m buying something nice for Minnie.”
“Minnie is mine!
” Isaac launched himself at Calvin.
“Holy smokes!” I broke them up then snarled as a swinging fist caught me in the ribs.
“Stop fighting over girls,” I scolded.
“You’re fighting over Meg,” Isaac countered, still glaring at Calvin.
“No I’m not,” I scoffed.
“Yeah, you are,” Calvin insisted, “with Walter. His assistant Kate was on the phone with him last night while she was waiting to pick up her order. She was telling him all the things Meg likes and suggesting date ideas.”
I glowered. “Walter is not taking her on a date. I won’t allow it.”
“So you’re fighting.”
“No,” I told Calvin. “Fighting implies that Walter and I are on equal footing. I’m winning.”
But I wasn’t winning at being the mayor. I wasn’t even sure I really wanted the job. Surely there was an easier way to push our developments through.
“And this is a new type of feral-cat catcher,” the gray-haired woman with large spectacles was saying later that morning in yet another tedious meeting.
“I just don’t see why we need a brand-new type of cat-catching contraption,” Meg said. She was taking copious notes while two warring factions of feral-cat lovers of Harrogate vied to convince her that their way was better.
“We wouldn’t need the carriers,” one man said in exasperation, “if you would just stop feeding them, Myrtle.”
“The kitties are hungry!” she cried. “And you’re a monster. You just want the cold to wipe them out.”
“Slanderous witch!” the man thundered. “I’m advocating trap-neuter-release, which is the industry standard.”
“There are feral-cat industry standards?” I whispered to Meg.
She kicked me under the table.
“Don’t listen to Horace,” Myrtle insisted. “It’s better if we catch them and rehome them.”
“No one wants a feral cat,” another man said in exasperation. “They can’t be tamed, they have terrible manners, and they tear up your furniture and hump it.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” Meg whispered to me.
I reached over to slide a hand up her bare thigh.
“They can,” Myrtle insisted, “with a lot of patience. That’s why I feed them. They know me now—it’s part of the process.”
“Yeah, them and that possum that you also took home and had running around your house,” the man shot back.
“Why don’t we start a feral-cat committee?” Meg suggested. “And you can all work together and come up with one comprehensive set of recommendations, and do let me stress recommendations. I can’t promise these will become law.”
The two warring factions glared at each other.
“Or,” I suggested, “we could let the alligators take care of it.”
“There aren’t any alligators,” Myrtle scoffed.
“Oh, yes there are,” Horace said. “My dad swears he saw one.”
“Unfortunately, I have another meeting,” Meg said over the din of the argument. “But feel free to use this room as long as you need.”
I slipped out a side entrance with her.
“You had to bring up the alligators,” Meg complained to me as I followed her to her office.
“I’ll have you know that a number of constituents have come to me and told me all about the feral alligator problem.”
“We don’t have alligators.” Meg rolled her eyes, went into her office, and set her bag down on the desk. I shut the door quietly then took two steps over to her, wrapping her in my arms.
“I missed you,” I whispered to her. She felt so right as she practically melted against me. It was like the first time I had ever kissed her, back when we were opposing counsels on the Holbrook divorce case.
I backed her up so her ass was against the heavy wood desk. She moaned against my mouth as I unbuttoned her blouse. I pressed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, to her collarbone, then her tits. She cried out softly as I took one in my mouth, heavy and round, the nipple a hard pebble under my tongue. Meg whimpered, tugging at my clothes. I took out the other breast, sucking harder at that one, needing to feel all of her.
The whimpering noises she made were driving me crazy. I slid a hand under her skirt. Her legs widened for me; her panties were soaked, and I stroked the silky wetness through them. My pants were tight, my cock aching for her.
“You’re so fucking hot,” I rasped, kissing her hard then adjusting her position and pushing her skirt up.
She moaned as I stroked her harder. She bucked against me.
“The first thing I’m doing as mayor is fucking you in my office.” I growled in her ear.
Meg shoved me off. My head spun as my brain tried to catch up with the fact that I was not, in fact, about to have quick, hot, dirty sex with Meg in her office.
“Er…” I tried to salvage the situation. “I mean when you’re mayor? When one of us is mayor?” How did you screw this up?
“You’re just doing this so you can knock me off my game and swoop in and steal the election,” she scolded, adjusting her clothes.
“No,” I said, trying to calm the raging erection in my pants since it was clear that Meg was about to drop-kick me out of her office, and I didn’t want to give the elderly secretary a heart attack. “No, I’m really just doing this because I want to fuck you.”
“I guess you’re going to have to find another option,” Meg said angrily. “I will not be used and humiliated by you again.”
43
Meghan
“Of course he was always planning on being mayor,” I fumed to Kate in the campaign office. “Every once in a while, I let my guard down, and he uses the opportunity to twist it to his gain.”
“You’re just horny and stressed,” Kate told me soothingly. She handed me a pimento cheese sandwich triangle. I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth.
“Oof,” Kate said. “I’m not sure the food is cutting it. Maybe you need something harder, like alcohol.”
“Or something else in my mouth,” I muttered.
Kate laughed. “You should have just slept with him then kicked him out.”
“Ugh. Sleep with Hunter? You know what happened last time. It would be a disaster. Trust me, I’ve been down that road before.”
“Then find someone else.”
“Who, Frank? Or Josh with his practical jokes? I’d probably take off his pants, and a jack-in-the-box would pop out.”
“Or,” Kate said, waggling her eyebrows, “Walter.”
“I don’t know.” I chewed on my lip.
“You don’t have to be in a ‘let’s get married’ type of relationship with Walter. You just need a palate cleanser from Hunter. That was always your problem: you didn’t have someone intense and sexy enough as a rebound to fully get over Hunter, so you’ve been stuck in a sexual purgatory. You need to break free!”
“I can’t believe you’re trying to set me up with your father-in-law. Am I that hopeless?”
“Yes,” Kate said, pressing her hands together. “But we love you anyways.”
I flopped on the couch in the office. “Why is my life a disaster?”
“Because you’re horny, and it’s taking up an outsized portion of your brain. I know I think better about your campaign after going back to Manhattan and jumping Grant’s bones,” Kate mused. “I didn’t even realize how horny I had been until we did it like five times in his office. He finally was like, ‘Look, I’ll eat you out all day, but I’m afraid my dick is going to fall off.’”
“Jeez.”
“Yup.”
I shifted. Sex did sound nice.
“Free your inner sex goddess,” Kate instructed. “You need to let her out so you can banish Hunter and his sex demons once and for all.”
I groaned, curling up on the couch.
“Okay, fine.”
“Perfect!” she texted furiously on her phone. “He is very excited.”
Even I was actually excited, though a part
of me wished it were Hunter.
“And do some landscaping,” Kate coached me. “Also, wear that thong I bought you that I know you never took out for a spin.”
“They feel weird,” I complained.
“Yeah, but you’re not going to have it on that long!”
My phone rang. I grabbed it, needing a distraction from thinking about getting laid.
“This is Harrogate High School,” an irritated-sounding secretary said. “You need to come pick up your sisters.”
When I walked into the office, Hunter was already there. He looked at me a little too long. His younger brothers Bruno and Nate were slumped in chairs in the beige conference room of the school, holding packs of ice to their various bruises.
My sisters were sitting opposite them at the table, arms crossed, glowering.
“Deputy Mayor,” the principal said, shaking my hand. “I understand you all are going through a difficult time, what with all the financial turmoil.”
I narrowed my gaze at Hunter.
“But your sisters cannot start fights.”
“I didn’t start it,” Rose said stubbornly. “He did!” She pointed at Bruno.
“I was just telling the truth,” Bruno shot back. “Your sister is going to lose the election because…” He glanced apprehensively at Hunter. “She called you a bad word! I was defending you!”
“What did you say?” Hunter asked his younger brother. “Never mind, don’t repeat it.”
“It’s true!” Bruno argued. “You are going to win.”
“You don’t need to be rude.”
“And I don’t need you two to defend me,” I told my sisters.
“We’re family; we stick together,” Minnie said hotly.
“She broke my nose!” Bruno cried.
“It’s not broken,” Hunter hissed, taking the ice pack off his face.
“Bruno was going after her, so I had to stop him,” Rose insisted.
