by Rye Hart
“Stephanie!” I said.
“What?” Stephanie laughed. “I’m serious, Caroline. You are the smartest, most talented person I know and yet, your mother is constantly beating you down. You can’t let her hold you back anymore. You just can’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“I know,” Stephanie sighed and reached across the table to take my hand. “In our world, it never is.”
There were so many reasons I hated my parents. They rode my ass about everything, always pushing me toward perfection. Nothing I did was enough and yet, I still wanted to please them. Deep down, I just wanted to be the daughter they could be proud of. But, I knew that would never happen. In the world of the Austin wealthy, the Michaelson family was at the top of the food chain. If I did anything to jeopardize that status, I would be ostracized without a second thought.
Dating the stable boy was definitely against the rules, but I didn’t care. As Stephanie and I ate our dinner, my mind drifted once again to thoughts of Dean. I pictured his strong body as he bent over to retrieve my water bottle. His ass was fit and when he turned around, I could see the outline of his six-pack through his shirt. Just the memory was enough to make my mouth water with desire. I shook my head and tried to force the thoughts away. I couldn’t stop myself from daydreaming about pulling that shirt over his head and licking the sweat from his glistening abs.
“There he is,” I said suddenly. Dean had just walked past the window behind Stephanie. She jerked around in her chair, her eyes wide. We both stared at him as he walked by, alluring and casual at the same time. His shoulders were broad, and his biceps bulged from cuffs of his tight white t-shirt. The dusty jeans sat slung low on his narrow hips and hugged his perfectly sculpted ass. I pressed my knees together as a tingle started in my core.
“Damn,” Stephanie said with a low whistle. “If you don’t, I damn sure will.”
I laughed and kicked her under the table. “Seriously Caroline, that hunk of perfection needs to be your first,” she said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’s real interested in a girl who has zero clue of what to do in the bedroom,” I retorted.
“Oh, I bed he’d love to teach you,” she said with a smirk.
My heart thumped at the thought of it. What would it feel like to be underneath so much manliness? To have him touch me in places I’d only touched myself? To feel him spread me open and possess me? I shook my head.
Just imagining my parent’s reaction if I were to bring Dean home was enough to make my skin crawl. I could already see my mother look down her nose at him, glaring at him as if she could smell the poor on his skin. My father, always regal and composed, would simply ignore him. Either way, I knew they would never approve, and yet part of me didn’t care. I was attracted to Dean. More than attracted.
As I finished my dinner, I let my mind wander freely. Dean would be working at the country club all summer. That would put us in the same place more often than not. I smiled at the thought, imagining a few chance run-ins in the barn. It was enough to make my legs tingle and my nipples harden.
Stephanie and I charged our meals to our family accounts and said goodbye. As I walked to my car, I glanced around me, hoping to see Dean one last time before I left. It was no use, my car was parked on the opposite side of the stables, so I knew he wouldn’t be anywhere around. Still, my desire to see him again was so strong that it almost knocked me off balance. I couldn’t believe that, after one meeting, I was already so enthralled with him.
Still, the entire drive home consisted of thoughts of him. I pictured his face, his dark blue eyes and cocky grin. I saw his dark hair fall in his face and I grinned to myself. My mind was so busy that I barely noticed when I pulled into my driveway. I was halfway up the stairs before I even realized I’d made it home.
“How was your ride?” my mother asked from the first floor. I stopped on the steps and turned to face her, my smile still firmly in place.
“It was lovely.”
CHAPTER THREE - DEAN
The weekend had passed and, for the first time, I looked forward to showing up to the stables. Unfortunately, I’d had no sightings of Caroline all day, and after a long shift, I was tired. Tonight, the club house was hosting a party of some kind, and I could hear the sound of music floating from the event hall. I wasn’t sure what the occasion was and, in all honesty, I didn’t give a rat’s ass. I tuned out the music and high-pitched voices to focus entirely on my work. The faster I mucked out the stalls, the faster I could get home. My brother was waiting for me. He called during my lunch break to tell me my mother was on yet another bender. I wasn’t eager to get home to that, but I knew my brother needed my help. Without me, he would be forced to endure my mother’s tirade all on his own and I was afraid it would push him even further into the shady shit he was doing these days. I made a mental note that I would have to have a serious man-to-man talk with him soon.
I shoveled out the last of the stalls and went to dump the wheelbarrow. When that was done, I cleaned the wheelbarrow and checked that all the horses were safely locked up. I patted their flanks and nuzzled their noses. God, I loved these animals. I promised myself that one day, I’d own my own ranch with horses and I would ride whenever I damn well pleased. As I rattled the final lock, soft footsteps echoed behind me. I spun around, surprised to find another person in the stables.
“Hey,” Caroline said to me as she smiled with that coy look.
How can she hell can she look hotter than I’d remembered?
I smiled back, unsure of what to say. She was wearing a short green dress that hugged her chest and fanned out around her waist, showing off her long legs. Her hair fell down her back in cascading blond ringlets. I raked my eyes over her body while she moved through the stables. Swallowing hard, I followed her slowly, imagining what it would feel like to slide my hands under that dress.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked.
“I had to get out of there,” she said, jerking her head behind her.
She walked up to the closest stall. The horse she’d ridden just a few days earlier poked his head out. She smiled at him and ran her hands over his face. He whinnied and nuzzled closer to her hands.
Easy there, sport. This one’s all mine.
“What’s it for anyway?” I asked, stepping up beside her. Close enough for her to feel my body heat.
“Oh, that?” She seemed aware of our closeness and I enjoyed watching her blush. It was incredibly sexy.
“Well, to be honest, it’s a pretentious charity affair,” she said. “They’re all just a ruse to blow up everyone’s already overinflated egos. Every single person in that event hall could cough up thousands of dollars for whatever cause they wanted, but they don’t unless there’s a glass of champagne in their hand and a hundred pairs of eyes on them. It’s nuts.”
I watched her with wide eyes. Yes, she looked gorgeous in the moonlight and any man would struggle to stop from scanning her body, but I was more stunned by her words. I’d never heard someone of her class speak in such a way. It was sexy as hell.
“And here I thought every one of you trust fund kids were the same,” I teased. “Aren’t these events what you live for?”
“Hardly.” Caroline gave a stern look. “My parents live for them. I’d rather be out here, with these beautiful creatures.” She said as she motioned to the horses.
“And me?” I asked with a grin. She glanced at me and laughed. I took that as a good sign so I took another small step toward her.
We both stroked the animal gently, not speaking. It was nice out here with Caroline. The sounds from the party were muffled now and there were crickets chirping around us. Moonlight was seeping through the open barn doors, illuminating Caroline’s figure in a soft glow.
“Won’t your parents wonder where you are?” I asked. My voice was low, gruff.
“No,” she snorted. “Not at all.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“They’r
e too busy schmoozing the important people,” Caroline said with a sigh. “When I left, my mother was discussing marriage options with the Vanderwalts.”
“Marriage?” I raised my eyebrows.
“My parents have been trying to find me a suitable match since the day I turned sixteen,” Caroline said. “They arrange dates with their friends’ sons and expect me to win myself a proposal.”
“That sounds—”
“Disgusting?” Caroline offered. “Medieval? Patriarchal? Yeah, it is.”
“And you aren’t interested in any of the guys?” I asked. “I mean, they all have money and come from great families. What more could you want?”
“Everything,” Caroline sighed. “I’ve known these guys since I was five. They are all the same: egotistical, spoiled, and entitled. They lie to get what they want and they throw money at any problem that arises. It’s not what I’m about.”
“I understand,” I said with a soft laugh. “Why don’t you just tell your parents that?”
“Yeah.” Caroline scoffed. “Like I haven’t tried.”
“They don’t listen?” I asked.
“That can’t be so strange, can it?” Caroline asked. “How many parents actually listen to their children? I mean, do your parents listen to you?”
I shook my head and glanced down at my feet. She was right. My mother never listened to anything I wanted, especially when it came to her getting sober.
“My father died when I was young,” I said. “And my mom…well, she’s not usually in the right frame of mind to listen to anything. She’s too busy drowning herself in vodka.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry to hear that,” Caroline said as she lowered her head.
“Thanks. It really does suck,” I said.
I’d never told any girl about my parents before. My conquests were always too short-lived to ever discuss the important things. I met a girl, I fucked her, I moved on. That was my routine. Caroline was already different. She spoke openly about her life. It was refreshing and strange at the same time.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” Caroline said softly.
I shrugged. “I’ve been taking care of her for so long. I’m not sure what I would do if she actually got sober.”
“Have a life of your own?” Caroline offered kindly.
“What does that feel like?” I laughed.
“I don’t know.” Caroline laughed back. “Let me know if you ever figure it out.”
“I will.”
We smiled at each other and suddenly, it felt like the entire world disappeared around us. I couldn’t hear the noise from the party anymore and even the horses had fallen silent. Caroline’s eyes flickered from mine down to my lips and then back again.
I wanted to wrap my fingers around her waist and pull her petite body against mine. I was working up to the moment when I could finally kiss her and I felt a burning in my stomach that propelled me forward. Before I knew what I was doing, my lips were only inches from hers.
Before I could act on my impulse, I hear footsteps approaching behind me and I whirled around to find, my boss had rounded the corner and fixed me with a surprised look. “Still here, Dean?” he asked suspiciously.
“Just finished up,” I said. “I’m walking out now.”
“All right,” Trevor said but his eyes were still watching me closely.
I hurried out of the barn and half-ran toward my waiting truck. I hopped into the cab and fired up the engine, ramming my foot on the gas and peeling out of the parking lot. I didn’t calm down until I’d made it home and slowly crept through the front door.
My mother was passed out on the couch. I sighed with relief at the sight. The last thing I needed was to deal with her drunken antics tonight. On my way to my room, I peeked in on my brother to make sure he was home. He was sound asleep. Good.
When I reached my room, my mind was still so focused on Caroline that I threw myself on the bed and ripped my jeans from my body. My hand was wrapped around my rock-hard cock in an instant.
I could still see Caroline’s body in my mind, wrapped so tightly in that little green dress. I imagined spinning her around and shoving her tits against the horse stall while I hiked up that dress and took her from behind.
She would cry out with pleasure as I pounded into her, begging me not to stop. My hand pumped my dick with ferocity as I closed my eyes and pictured her perfect little ass bouncing with my penetration. I could hear her cries of ecstasy and see her red face. When I finally released into my hand, I grunted and her name fell from my lips.
“Caroline.”
I was panting and my chest felt tight. I laid on my bed for a second longer, waiting for the orgasm to work itself out. When the waves of pleasure had finally subsided, I hurried into the bathroom and jumped in the shower, thinking about Caroline’s naked body the entire time.
I had to have her.
CHAPTER FOUR - CAROLINE
Dean worked on Fridays, so I knew exactly where I was going to be that day. We’d only seen each other in passing since our almost-kiss in the barn. I tried to talk to him but his boss always appeared at his side or my mother popped up behind me. It felt like the universe was conspiring to keep us apart but I didn’t care. Today was Friday and I was going to see him.
As I parked in the club’s parking lot, I immediately began to scan the area for Dean. I’d never felt so excited about a guy before. Usually, I was desperate to just get away from them. With Dean, I longed to be near him, to see his blue eyes lock on mine. There was something about him that drew me in like a magnet, and it was both incredibly exciting and frightening all at once.
“Miss Michaelson!” I spun around at the sound of my name. Trevor, the manager of the barn and grounds, was hurrying toward me.
“Hello, Trevor,” I said with a polite smile. “How are you today?”
“I’m doing just fine, Miss Michaelson,” Trevor said. “I saw you coming and realized I didn’t have your name down for a ride today. Was that an oversight?”
“Oh no,” I said, waving my hand. “I’m not here to ride. Just to enjoy the nice weather.”
“Very good,” Trevor said with a nod. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thank you.” I smiled again and watched as Trevor hurried away.
I sighed and slowly followed him toward the barn. The last thing I needed was for word to get back to my parents that I was hanging around the stables for no reason. If Trevor suspected anything, he would be sure to whisper in my father’s ear with the hope of getting a nice handout for his trouble. I rolled my eyes at the thought as I rounded the corner and stepped in front of the barn.
My eyes immediately fell on Dean. He was spraying down a horse, the water ricocheting off the animal and hitting his face and shirt. I swallowed hard as I watched. Dean’s shirt was white and now, completely transparent. From where I stood, I could see the outline of every single one of his muscles. My mouth was dry and I felt my stomach clench with desire.
Shaking myself, I slowly walked over to him.
“Hey there,” I said.
Dean looked around and when his eyes fell on my face, he grinned widely and turned off the water hose.
“Miss Caroline,” he said with a sarcastic bow. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Just going for a walk,” I said, shrugging. “Thought I’d stop in to see the horses.”
“The horses?” Dean raised his eyebrows.
“Among other things,” I said playfully, my eyes scanning his chest.
“Well, since you’re here…” he said, trailing off. He looked down at the water hose in his hands and held it out to me.
“You want me to help?” I asked with a laugh.
“Unless you don’t want to mess up your flawless outfit,” Dean said, glancing down at my body. I felt my cheeks flush from his attention.
His eyes contained a challenge that I refused to back down from. I grabbed the hose from him and turned toward the animal with auth
ority. This wouldn’t be the first time I’d cooled down a horse, nor would it be the last. Still, I enjoyed the impressed look that crossed Dean’s face when I showed that I knew what I was doing.
“You’re a natural,” Dean said. “You’ve got this handled. I think I’ll go take my break now.”
I spun around and pointed the hose right at Dean. The water washed over his face, soaking his hair and dripping over his already wet shirt. He laughed and lunged for me, grabbing the hose from my hand and quickly turning it off.
“Not funny,” Dean said, though he was fighting back laughter as he spoke.
“On the contrary,” I said. “Very funny.”
Dean shook his hair, spraying me with water and making me giggle. I jumped away from him to avoid getting sprayed. Just then we’d been joined by someone I knew all too well.
“What’s this?” Eric Vanderwalt asked as he stepped purposefully between Dean and me.
“Hello, Eric,” I said with a sigh. “This is Dean. Dean, this Eric Vanderwalt.”
“Hey,” Dean said with a nod. Eric just eyed him with poorly masked disdain before turning his attention to me.
“Can I escort you to the dining room, Caroline?” Eric asked.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not here for lunch.”
“I see,” Eric said, glancing at Dean. “Well, I’m heading along the trail in a few minutes. Would you care to join me?”
