by Riley,Alexa
“So, you’re in school?” I ask, thinking about how I’m so glad to be done with classes. Only clinical hours left, and then taking my certification for my license.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what you’d call it. I’m taking a couple of classes to keep my brothers off my ass, but between me and you.” She looks up and we lock eyes. I give her a nod, telling her she can trust me. “I haven’t signed up for next semester. I don’t want to be in school. I want to do what I’ve wanted to do my entire life, work the farm and raise a family like my ma did.”
I smile, thinking she’s a lot like Fernanda. I can get that. If it’s what she wants, it’s what she should do. My sister is beyond happy and I wouldn’t take that away from her for anything in the whole world. “My sister was the same way. When we were growing up, I had big dreams of leaving home and working. Wanting to go to school and then have a career. My sister was the complete opposite. She fell in love with her husband at sixteen, and as soon as they could get married they did. Then they started making babies, and she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her. She’s an incredible mother.”
Dolly sighs and puts her chin in her hands. “That sounds wonderful. I just need to convince my soon-to-be-baby daddy that he’s the one.” I think it sounds wonderful, too. I never thought that I could have both those things, a family of my own and my work but being here with Blake has me thinking differently. Maybe I could have both. Have it all. It all seems too good to be true.
“Baby daddy?” I ask, smiling. Wonder what her brothers would think of her using that term. I also wonder who this man is.
“Yeah, he doesn’t know it yet. But he’ll come around.” She winks at me and goes back to cooking.
I pull out some ingredients I need for homemade tortillas and get to work. We’re making Tex-Mex buffet-style so we can all pick what we want. It’s an easy meal, one Dolly and I seem to know by heart, so we work well in the kitchen together. It reminds me of home and makes me feel at ease.
I felt it all day with Blake. The peace of the land and being beside him. Something about this place seems magical. I’ve never felt so calm and at home in a place I’d never been before. Seeing him out on his land and showing me the place, it was like I was meant to come here. I could see how much he cared about his animals and how easily he trusted me with them. It’s as if I’ve been working towards this place all along. It’s all new, yet so familiar. I have dreamed about this a thousand times, and recently he’s started to appear in the dreams, too. How is it possible that it’s all coming true so fast?
“So you and Blake?” Dolly asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I’m working here until I get my farm hours.” I shrug noncommittally. I don’t want to jinx it. It’s so new and I don’t have it fully in my grasp yet. I could lose it at any moment. The thought makes a rock sit deep in my stomach. “Once that’s over, I’ll see about working out this way full time. Blake told me that your family has a lot of land and a need for a vet out this way.”
“We sure do. Ty has the most animals, but Blake seems to get the sick and injured ones the most. I think that man has a soft spot for the more delicate ones.”
Warmth spreads in my chest. I’ve seen how tender and sweet he can be. But there is an undercurrent of strength there, too. I catch it every now and then when he looks at me. I get a sense he’s holding something back, and I’m curious to see what would happen if that full intensity was unleashed. Has it ever been before?
“I’ve got dairy cows on my land. I’m a sucker for their big brown eyes. Think Blake might be, too.” She winks at me, and I can feel myself blush.
We talk about movies and books, and I find myself laughing with Dolly. We have a lot in common with our trashy romance tastes, and when she puts on some music, we start dancing as we cook in the kitchen. It’s a happy place here, and I’m falling more in love every second.
“Hey, we should go dancing in town. There’s a place with a live band and it’s a lot of fun. We could have a girls’ night.”
“That sounds like fun,” I say. I can’t remember the last time I went out for a girls’ night. If ever. If my sister and I ever went anywhere special, it was always something with the kids. Whenever she got free time she spent it with her husband, which I totally got. I’d want that too if I was married to Blake. The thought hits me hard, almost taking the breath from my lungs. It’s too overwhelming, so I push it aside.
“How about tomorrow night?” Dolly asks excitedly.
I get the feeling she is as starved for girly fun as I am. Living with my family, I never got to cut loose a lot, and I was always so focused on school I never took the time to party. This might be exactly what I need.
“I’m in,” I say, and we clink our tea glasses together. It sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I can pull some more stuff about her brother from her.
We’re getting out our plates and making our food when the front door bangs open. We both turn and see Blake nearly running in, almost out of breath.
“Jesus, dude, did you run all the way home?” Dolly asks in surprise.
“No,” he says, looking over to me. “Just hungry is all.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, wondering if his brother is okay.
“Don’t know. He was acting strange when I went to the door, and then he wouldn’t let me inside. It was weird, but I didn’t push it. I said I’d check on him again tomorrow, and he seemed even more mad about that. I finally left after he threatened to throw me off his land. It’s not like him, but he didn’t look hurt or anything.”
“That’s odd,” Dolly mumbles around a mouth full of food as she studies Blake.
I fix Blake a plate, and we sit down together at the table. He scoots his chair as close to me as possible. So close we are touching. But I don’t complain. I like having him with me. I keep telling myself that this can’t be real. No way is this guy so perfect and trying to give me his attention. Maybe he likes to flirt with everyone. I wasn’t in town long enough to hear any kind of talk about him, but I bet if I asked the right people next time I went in, I could find out some things. They may be things I don’t want to hear, but I may need to hear them right now. Before I get in way over my head.
Hell, who am I kidding. I’m already starting to fall for this guy.
“Time to go, Dolly,” Blake says after we finish eating and he’s cleaned up the dishes. I helped him as Dolly was picking at what was left of the food.
“Fine,” she huffs as she grabs her bag and heads to the front door. “See you tomorrow, Luciana,” she throws over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her.
“Why is she coming back tomorrow?” Blake asks, then shakes his head. “Why am I even asking? It’s probably to eat.”
I laugh, but decide not to tell him about our planned night out. I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s kind of our secret. Girls’ night with no boys allowed. It feels fun and sneaky.
After the kitchen is cleaned up, I have to stifle a yawn with the back of my hand. Blake watches me, then laces his fingers with mine, leading me down the hallway.
When we get to my bedroom, he leans against the doorframe as I step in. This moment feels so intimate, like he’s walking me home after a date. I guess in a way, he is.
“So I’ll see you in the morning?” I say, then I feel dumb. Of course I’ll see him in the morning. This is his house.
“As soon as the sun comes up.” He reaches out and brushes a stray lock of hair from my cheek, and for a moment I think he’s going to lean in and kiss me.
But to my disappointment he takes his hand away and steps back.
I don’t want this to be over. I know we are just a door apart, but I still don’t want to break this moment.
“Sleep sweet, Lucy.”
As he closes the door, I fall back on my bed and put my hands over my face. I’ve never wanted a man to grab me up and kiss me so bad in my life.
I lie there for what feels like forever. Sleep doesn’t come as my
mind churns with thoughts of Blake and this day. I’ve never had a more perfect day in my life. I’m scared if I close my eyes I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream.
I toss and turn to no avail. Giving up on sleep, I pull myself from the bed and open my bedroom door to see Blake standing there. His eyes widen with surprise.
“I was just going to check on you,” he tells me, making me smile. I’ve been noticing he’s always worried about me. It’s nice to be someone’s sole focus. It’s different.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I admit.
He grabs my hand, pulling me from my doorway and down the hall and into the kitchen. He lifts me up, taking me by surprise as he sits me on the counter. Then he starts pulling stuff from the fridge and cupboard.
“My ma used to make this for me when I couldn’t sleep,” he tells me, taking the cup he prepared from the microwave. “It’s pretty much the only thing I know how to cook being as I don’t sleep that well. My mind doesn’t want to shut off when it gets going about things.”
I take the cup from his hand and bring it to my lips. A warm caramel taste fills my mouth.
“Wow. That’s wonderful.”
He leans up against the counter across from me, his hands gripping the edge like he’s trying to keep himself in place.
“What’s your mind going about tonight?” I ask, taking another sip of the comforting drink. I look at him over the rim of the cup. He’s only got on a pair of low-riding pajama bottoms, and it takes everything in me to not run my eyes all over him. Or throw myself at him. ’Cause while he’s said flirty things and implied a few others, he still hasn’t acted on anything. Only a few small touches here and there, nothing more. I’m starting to think I’m going insane.
“I was worried you weren't sleeping all right, wanted to make sure you’re good here.” He pauses for a moment and I see him swallow. “You’re good here, right? You’re not going anywhere?” I can see the tension in his body.
“Blake, I’m perfect. Today was wonderful. I felt a little homesick for a moment, but you and this place wiped that away. This place is more than I could have dreamed of.” I watch the tension leave his body. “You sure I’m not taking up your space or something? I know you might have other things you need to do besides watch over me.”
“There is nowhere else I need to be,” he says, letting go of the counter and standing to his full height. I can tell he wants to say more. I want him to say more, but his jaw is locked.
“Okay. Than that’s settled. I’m staying and I’m good. That mean you can sleep now?” I tease, but I like the idea of him so worried about me leaving it was keeping him from sleeping.
“For tonight,” he replies, taking the cup from me and finishing my drink before putting it in the sink. “I have a feeling I won’t be sleeping tomorrow night for a whole other reason.”
Chapter 7
Blake
I wrap my rough hand around my cock, wishing it was Luciana’s soft hand instead of mine. I start to pump, and it’s almost sad that it only takes three pumps and I’m cumming. I moan out her name, thinking about her on her knees in front of me in the shower. I’d been fantasizing about that image all day.
What it would be like if we were really a couple. We’d spend our days out in the field, and afterwards I’d bring her home and wash every inch of her. Along with her dark, silky locks. Then I’d make love to her in the shower before we made dinner. I’d take her to bed and fuck her until she passed out. Dirtying her up all over again, only to wash her again in the morning to do it all over again. Thoughts like that have been running through my mind all day, and I can’t seem to control them anymore. But maybe it’s because I’ve stopped trying to. Fuck, I don't know how much longer I can last doing this.
Being this close to her is slowly driving me insane. Smelling her, touching her, listening to her laugh and talk. It’s taken everything in me to not grab her and take her to the ground. I feel like one of the wild horses.
After rinsing my release from my body I turn the shower off and step out to dry myself. My cock swiftly comes back to life when I hear Luciana singing in the other room. She does that a lot, I’ve noticed. I close my eyes and listen, wondering what she’s doing right now.
My phone rings, breaking me from the spell. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I walk into my bedroom, grabbing it off my nightstand when I see it’s my brother Ty.
“Hey,” I say placing the phone to my ear.
“Trace canceled all his shit this weekend and was MIA again all day.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter. I don’t want to deal with this. I know he’s fine. I saw him last night and it seemed like he wanted to be left alone. Not my job to make sure he’s doing what he needs to be doing.
“Yeah, well, MJ isn’t feeling too good, and Dolly said she had plans, so that leaves you.”
“You try to call him?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah,” he sighs, and I can hear he’s tired by the tone of his voice.
“All right. I’ll run over there again and check in,” I tell him before saying my goodbyes. I’m sure Ty has his hands full tonight with a sick pregnant wife and a little one. Going to check on my brother should be no big deal. Maybe Luciana can come with me. We can go to town and grab dinner or something.
I quickly get dressed and make my way to her room, knocking softly on her door. It swings open on its own, and her scent fills my lungs. God, I can’t wait for that smell to be all over this house. All over my bed and me.
Not seeing her in the room, I hear her singing again and follow the sound into the kitchen. She’s sitting at the kitchen island, her bare tan feet swinging away. She’s dressed in a robe. The sight has me stopping in my tracks. She looks so comfortable and at home. She stops singing, a small smile pulling at her lips. Her hair is out of its braid and hangs in wet locks all around her. It looks even longer when it’s down, I think absently.
She stares back at me for God knows how long before she breaks the silence.
“You hungry?” she asks, her eyes roaming over me.
Yeah, but probably not for what she’s thinking. I can’t help but wonder if she’s completely bare under there. If I could drop to my knees and feast on her. Finally fill the hunger that’s been eating me alive for months. But I have a feeling that won’t sate it either.
“Yeah, I need to run over to my brother’s.” I walk over to the other side of the kitchen island, wanting to hide my erection. “Was thinking you could come and we could grab something to eat in town after.”
“Dolly is coming over,” she reminds me. As much as I like that Dolly is trying to make Luciana feel welcome, I want her to myself. But I can tell Luciana isn’t the type to break her plans.
“All right,” I tell her. I know I’ll get to my brother’s and back as soon as possible. I’ll have dinner with them, then push Dolly out the door as fast as I can. After that maybe I can talk Lucy into a movie or take her down to the pond or something. Anything. It’s Friday and we don’t need to be up early tomorrow. I smile, liking that idea.
I come around the island, making it clear I’m coming for her. Her feet stop swinging, and it’s then I notice her toenails are painted a bright red. Jesus, even that’s hot. I’ve never noticed polish on a woman before. Her eyes get big as I crowd into her space. The smell of her melon body wash hits me, and I lean down, wanting to breathe more of it in.
“I’ll be back in a little bit,” I tell her before I place my lips to hers in a soft kiss. Her mouth opens in surprise, and I let my tongue slide in for a moment. Getting a taste of her to hold me over until I get back. When she moans, I pull back fast, knowing this would only go one way if I stayed even a moment longer.
Without another word, I grab my keys and head out the door. I don’t turn back to look at her because I know I wouldn’t be able to close the door behind me if I did. I turn and lock the door before heading to my truck and hopping in to drive to my brother’s place.
; I feel like I took a shot of whiskey, and the buzz doesn’t lessen by the time I finally make it over to Trace’s.
When I pull up, he’s out his door before I can even exit my truck.
“What’s the problem?” he barks, coming down off his porch and straight to me.
“You tell me,” I toss back at him. Movement at one of his windows catches my eyes, drawing them there. But Trace steps into my line of sight.
“I can take days off if I want. It’s my ranch. I can do whatever I like.”
“Not saying you can’t, just saying you’re not acting like yourself is all.”
“Well, I’m telling you I’m fine.” His words are final, and I know he wants me to leave. It’s written in his stance. Then it hits me. I see the possessive glare in his eyes.
“That a woman you got in there?” I nod towards the window his big frame is blocking from my view.
“It’s best you mind your own business and head back out. I’ll call you if I need something. Until then, I’m busy.”
“All right,” I tell him easily, not wanting to fight with him. I want to be here right now as much as he wants me here.
“All right?” he repeats, shocked that I’m not pushing.
“You’re a grown man, Trace, and I don’t give two shits what you’re doing over here,” I tell him as I turn to leave. “Doesn’t mean Dolly will be so inclined.”
“Fuck,” I hear him mumble.
“I’ll tell them you’re fine, but you can only stay off the radar so long before Dolly comes poking. You know how she is. You’re lucky she’s busy poking me right now or she’d already be on you,” I tell him before I close my truck door. Trace shakes his head and turns to head back into his house.
