“No,” I said, heavily feigning my innocence.
A brow elevated as his lips pulled to the side in an adorable sleepy manner. “You totally were, Country. You wanna feel them?” I hadn’t a clue as to what he was referring to until I realized I was staring directly at his nipple piercings.
My cheeks suddenly felt like they had been set on fire, and I quickly adverted my eyes away from the shiny balls.
Darn him for being so disgustingly attractive!
“You wish.”
“Maybe,” he replied with a mischievous grin.
“Look, Addie…I can’t sleep with her. There is just no possible way—”
“And you want to sleep with me again?” He looked amused. “Just say it. Last night was the best sleep of your life. I won’t hold it against you.” He smiled, tilting his head.
He wants me to admit that to him? Well, he can kiss my ass from now to high moon, because I didn’t want to admit it to myself.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Okay, suit yourself,” he mumbled callously. “You can’t sleep with me.” He simply laid back onto his pillow, closed his eyes and draped his arm back over his face. My jaw dropped open, dumbfounded.
What? Was he serious?
“Are you joking?” I frowned.
“Nope. Lay over there.” He motioned toward the empty half of the couch with a feeble wave while his sickeningly gorgeous face was still hidden beneath his other arm. He really was serious. He wanted me to admit I liked sleeping in his arms before I could do it again.
Ain’t happen’. He was out of his mind if he thought I was crazy enough to admit something like that.
“Fine! I could care less either way.”
I plopped down, irritated and pulled the throw blanket over my body with great haste. Huffing heavily in frustration, I turned my body over, away from him. I heard him stifle a laugh at my noticeable irritation. I closed my eyes and meditated to relax and calm my nerves before I went to the other side of the couch to slap him then snuggle up beside him.
Soon I was able to force my stubborn body to quit fighting sleep and finally fall victim to the unrelenting dreams where Trevelin Knight invaded every one.
♪♫♪♫♪♫
I was so warm and comfortable that my body forbid me to move. I felt like I was cradled, swaddled in a blanket of strong arms. I had to be dreaming, but soon realized it was all too real when I opened my eyes to the sight of a tattooed covered arm wrapped around my waist. I could feel slow, heated breaths on the back of my neck each time he exhaled.
Chills swept across my skin as my own breath hitched. I didn’t know whether to jump up like last time or lay there and enjoy it like my body desperately wanted me to. Yeah, so what, I basically asked for him to hold me like this the night before. He turned me down. I loathed that I felt like I needed his warmth to sleep. I hardly knew him, yet everything in me wanted him.
My stubbornness prevented him from letting me sleep next to him last night, and in a way it ticked me off. I never expected to wake up and have him lying behind me and to be cocooned in his art covered arms with his masculine scent flooding my senses. But I’m glad I did.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” he breathed softly against my neck. A fluttering feeling ignited in the pit of my stomach at the sound of his raspy morning voice. If I could kick myself in that fluttery stomach right now I would, but instead a smile crept across my lips.
“What is that?”
I felt him smile. The light stubble of growth on his face touched the skin on the back of my neck, followed by the clicking sound of his tongue ring against his teeth. That sound, for some ungodly reason, was as sexy as his voice.
“You grew up on a farm. I thought you would recognize the sound of a rooster crowing when you heard one.”
I rolled my sleepy eyes and basked in the cadence of his voice. It made my heart skip every time I heard it. “Whatever. What happened to your ‘no sleeping with me’ thing?”
“It’s harder to tell you no than I thought it would be. Plus,” he said, “I couldn’t go back to sleep seeing you lying over here, curled up in a huffy, puffy, sulky position.” His voice sounded baby soft, laced with sleep and amusement.
My cheeks grew warm. I could only imagine how stupid I looked laying over here, sulking like a child. If anything I was mad. Not because he turned me down, but because he was here period and I was starting to enjoy his presence a little—and that was way too much.
“Oh really? Well, aren’t I the lucky one? Trevelin Knight can’t tell me no. Should I find that to be a good thing or a bad thing?”
“A little of both.” He tightened his grip around my waist. During that movement, I felt a certain body part he’d been holding discreetly last night under the blanket when I was indiscreetly examining him while he slept. I didn’t know if it was the regular manly morning wood or if lying next to me like this had him aroused. Either way, it was poking me in the back, and it was a total turn-on.
Oh no, feeling his penis against my back is turning me on.
My breath caught for a moment before I moved slightly, pulling my back away from the probing object. Many different feelings swirled inside my body, taking over my mind in a way it was terrifying. Heck, I didn’t even know if he was wearing any underwear. And that too was a horrid turn on.
“How is that?” I asked, trying to take my mind off of his possible nakedness.
“Well,” he said, thinking, “good, because you know I’ll never turn you down.” He chuckled against the nape of my neck. His rough stubble prickled my skin, washing it in goose-bumps. “And bad because I’ve only got two more nights to do this.” His voice was low, and if I was hearing it correctly, he sounded saddened by that thought.
“You’re wrong. You turned me down last night. And what makes you so sure you’re going to be doing this the next two nights?” I scoffed cynically.
“Technically, I didn’t turn you down. I’m holding you, aren’t I?” he whispered way too close to my ear. My body trembled in a funny way from the warmth that breezed across my skin while my stomach gave a few unneeded flips. “And I’ll hold you again, because I want to, and because I’ve done spoiled you.” He started tickling my side, making me squeal out. He stopped and added, “And you’ve spoiled me. So will you please spend the last two nights with me?” His voice had a tenor of child-like adorableness, along with some toe-curling seduction, and I could feel his bottom lip fold down into a pout. Just thinking about how cute the lip-roll was the last few times I saw it had done me in.
I waited a few seconds, as if pondering over my answer, adding suspense to the moment before telling him, “Since you said please so politely…” I smiled to myself. “I reckon.”
“See, you can’t tell me no either.”
“Uh, yes I can. I just don’t want to sleep with Addie. I would rather go sleep in the chicken coop with a bunch of crapping fowl rather than sleep another night with her – but you’ll do. What’s it matter anyways, Hollywood? I’m sure you can’t wait to get out of the country and back to your high profile city life.”
He huffed. “Psst, this has been like a breath of fresh air. No psycho fans following me around screaming my name. No. ‘Trevelin, you need to sign this...Trevelin, you’re on in five...Trevelin, get your shit, we gotta go,’ yada, yada, yada. I kinda like it here.”
He actually sounded sincere, and I sort of felt bad for him. He’s famous. Someone that everyone wanted at least a small piece of. He had no private life at all with the constant rotation of people that no doubt help run his life, and by the sounds of it, it was pretty hectic. The kind of life Addie and I were working so hard to acquire.
“Whelp, can’t stay past Monday...Daddy’s rules.” I put a little more pep into that statement than I intended to, but honestly, I couldn’t wait for things around here to go back to normal.
I also couldn’t hide the swamp of agony that came along with the thought of Trevelin’s departure. What is wrong with me? I h
ate him, I can’t stand him. Maybe Addie was right. I needed to get out, let loose and get looser with a hot guy. Am I really considering taking her advice? I mean, the floozy suggested I ‘get looser with a hot guy.’
Reeling my head back in from my swarming thoughts, I glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall and leapt off the couch when I noticed how late it was.
“Shit!” I yanked up the blanket, quickly folding it.
Trevelin eyed me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m late.”
“Late for what?” He laughed, observing my frantic shuffle while he laid there looking fabulously delicious in nothing but tattoos, piercings and...red boxers. Thank God.
“Chores, Mr. Hollywood. We ain’t got servants around here,” I explained haughtily. “Animal’s don’t feed or clean up after themselves, ya know,” I stated loudly as I made my way up the stairs.
In my room I changed into my work clothes without waking Addie, skipping the shower because I would need that after I fed all the animals, then commenced in scooping up the aftermath of those feedings. It was freaking disgusting, but this ranch was my momma’s pride and joy. Who was I to crush that? So to be the good daughter that I was, I helped work the ranch for her. It wasn’t that bad considering I got paid to do so, which in return gave me money to put in my pocketbook, and it allowed Addie and I free time to play at local bars and small shows to build our name and hopefully get noticed.
Dashing down the stairs, I took notice that Trevelin was no longer on the couch, and upon entering the kitchen I saw he wasn’t in there either. I was glad and disheartened all at the same time. My dislike for him seemed to be flipping the switch on me, and I was desperately trying to hold my ground on the dislike part. But I could feel it slowly slipping away the more time I spent around him.
Throughout the next several hours, while feeding the goats, pigs and chickens, I kept reminding myself why I disliked guys like Trevelin in the first place. Furthermore, guys like his irritatingly boisterous friend, Reed. Some of the things that came out of his mouth made me want to kick him where the sun didn’t shine for better practice. He’s like a really cute baby-faced bigot with Howard Stern’s brain and vocabulary. Attractive men with extremely high egos put a damper on my attraction odometer by making it fall flat along the lines of zero.
Drew Bailey was one of those guys. He wasn’t a well-known rock star by any means, but he was a very valued player on our schools football team. I didn’t have too many boyfriends in high school, and nothing that ever went along the line of serious. Thus being why I was still a virgin.
I had only started dating Drew the beginning of our senior year, and after graduation a group of our friends decided we should all go on a summer getaway to celebrate at the beach. That was when things started going downhill. Addie and I left after being there only two days. I’ll just say he thought since he was some amazing football player and was offered a scholarship to play at some big league college—not to mention his good looks—he could have anything he wanted. That included my v-voucher.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t ready to give it away, and when he continued relentlessly, being somewhat aggressive, he found out the hard way what no meant. My knee made perfect contact with his reproductive organs, probably shutting their purpose to function down for his entire life. He didn’t traumatize me or nothing. He just simply turned me against potential egotistical guys like him. I guess you could call me old-fashioned and picky when it comes to who I dated. So picky, in fact, Addie now said I was going to become the creepy neighborhood cat lady—minus the neighborhood. We lived in the middle of nowhere. Our nearest neighbor was a cow!
Was I a psycho for enjoying the look on my ex-boyfriend’s face when I kneed him in his goods? And the fact my family believes I will become some weirdo? Maybe I already am.
I laughed at that thought, picturing myself in a room full of furry felines. Then I laughed, remembering what I had said to Reed the other night about puking a hairball in his face. Classic.
“What’s so funny?” A deep husky voice startled me, causing me to jump and drop the whole bucket of chicken feed I was carrying.
Turning toward the voice, I become motionless, glued to the shamefully erotic sight before me. Within seconds, all my mental activity heaved to a grinding halt, completely dead in its tracks. All thoughts of Drew Bailey’s balls and my potential weirdness forgotten for what I was gawking at had me going stupid.
Trevelin was standing in the open doorway of the barn, dressed in a checkered button-down shirt with the top several buttons undone, giving me a peek of his smooth skin and the top portion of his sculpted chest. A piece of straw stuck out of his mouth that was beaming a megawatt smile.
The light from outside that shone behind him made him appear like he had been sent straight from heaven. That was until you caught a glimpse of his black earrings and tattoos that were visible from his rolled up sleeves.
I couldn’t fathom if he portrayed a graceful angel breaking through the lights of heaven or an evil demon seeking darkness for refuge. Either way, he looked downright irresistible with the florescent glow highlighting his perfect facial features, showing off his light dusting of facial hair and a cowboy hat that was perched on top of his head.
My goodness, lightning would strike me dead if I denied that he was absolutely sexy as hell.
Heck, I might get struck anyhow for comparing him to Heaven and Hell.
I was speechless, unable to answer his question. I’d even forgotten what I had found funny in the first place, because I couldn’t take my eyes off Trevelin.
“Howdy, ma’am, I’m here at your disposal. Don’t reckon ya might need a strong, manly hand? Or we could just fool around on that there bale a hay instead?” Trevelin feigned the most ridiculous southern draw I had ever heard. A foreigner that didn’t speak a lick of English could have faked a better southern accent than him.
What a dweeb.
I laughed uncontrollably, from his fake accent right down to how he was dressed. Don’t get me wrong, he looked great. Unbelievably great. But I would have to say his leather jacket and messy hair suited him better.
“You look like an idiot,” I flat out lied, laughing and pointing to the hat. “Where did you even get that?”
He did the sweet, pouty, puppy-dog face where his bottom lip rolled down, looking like I had genuinely hurt his feelings, and the swift shift in his pale eyes had me thinking that maybe I actually had.
“Addie said you have a thing for cowboys; said you find them irresistible, and that the hat would be the definite topping on the cake. You know, because it would turn you on.” He winked. “I have to ask though, is it working? Because I feel completely ridiculous,” he said as he stalked his way toward me, twirling the piece of straw in his mouth, and giving me a good show of the jewelry in his tongue.
I bet that would feel good against—
I shut off my unladylike thoughts before they could finish. I didn’t even know where that thought had come from. Wait, yes I do – him. The guy exuded wild, hot and steamy sex like a contagious infection. And it was an infection that had my betraying immune system killing off its own blood cells to weaken my resistance in order to contract him.
“Did she now? Well, that’s a big negative. A cowboy you are not, Mr. Hollywood. You are just sporting a faux exterior. So lose the hat. I like your funky blond hair better anyways.”
A cocky, roguish grin corrupted his lips. “Ahh, so there is something about me that the difficult country flower likes,” he gloated.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I was trying to be nice.” I squatted down and started shoveling the spilt feed back into the bucket. “Now grab a shovel and let’s put those strong manly hands to work.”
“My hands are valuable appendages you know. I make sweet music with these magical hands, and they’re pretty magical in other ways too. I can show you if you’d like.” He smirked, arching a dark brow.
The innuendo behind his words slid
down my spine, leaving behind a blustery mess as I worked my way over to fork the hay into a wheelbarrow for the horses, letting my over-imaginative mind cool, because what he’d said had my body wondering and aching at how good he would actually feel...along with that tongue ring...
“If I were you, I’d watch what I say. I am holding a pitchfork.”
♪♫♪♫♪♫
The rest of the chores went by rather quickly considering Trevelin stayed with me the whole time and helped with every single one. Even cleaning out some of the horse stalls. I couldn’t begin to say how much I had laughed. My stomach muscles were now sore from how hard he had me bursting with laughing fits. It felt like I had done a million sit-ups.
One of those laughing moments was when he first started the task and he gagged – numerous times – to which I called him a sissy. One of the other moments was when he tripped and fell in a fresh heaping pile of the manure he was supposed to be scooping. It was beyond hilarious. I told him that’s what he got for laughing at me the morning before when he saved me from eating cow crap. I did feel sorry for him though, and I thought it was very thoughtful for him to offer to help me without me asking or him complaining. Addie had never even done that.
We made small talk throughout most of the day. He told me some about the band and how it got started, but I could sense he was leaving out huge chunks. At one point he brought up how much Addie and I looked alike. I explained the whole story about her mom and dad. When I was finished he seemed really moved by the story, offering his condolences and how lucky Addie was to have had such a loving family.
In that time, refined sadness seemed to radiate off of him, making me wonder what was behind his pensiveness. I wanted to ask, but felt it was none of my business, even though I had a Herculean empowered urge to comfort him in some way, and to wipe that forlorn look off his face so I could continue admiring his beauty. That was when I sprayed him with the water hose, making him run after me for revenge. As hard as it was for me to say it, I was really glad he had come out to help me.
Surrounded By Knight Page 8
