Of Winged Creatures & Nesting Grounds: (A Quirky, Sexy, Dirty Doctor Romance)

by A. Wilding Wells

“This here is Hildegarde. She’ll eat your fingers off if you let her. She likes salt. All horses do.” He clutches my arm, his lips curling into a smile as he tucks my hand inside his shirt, onto his drenched, hard chest. After a few seconds, he removes it. “She likes the taste of me.”

  “I’ll bet she does.” My heart zips, and I open my palm for Hildegarde.

  Her wet, flat tongue scrapes my palm while I study Tuck’s face. One side of his grin slides up, his tongue twirling the toothpick. My god, look at that tongue go.

  “You want to ride? She’s real easy.” A thick space falls between each word as if he’s exhausted from speaking.

  “I don’t ride.” I ball my hands into fists then slide them in my overall pockets. “I mean, horses. You know.” I can’t even look at the guy. My sweat is sweating.

  “Oh, come on, girl. Don’t be shy.”

  I shake my head. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”

  “It’s all in the hips, sweetheart. Once you’re on, you’ll know how to move.” He grips my hips then moves against me.

  I slurp. An actual slurp sound comes from me. It was that or my saliva was going over the edge. I don’t want to drool on him, just over him.

  “I’m, uh, thirsty. My mouth is dry.”

  “You seem wet to me, girl.” He stares at my lips as he licks his. Holy shit. “You a virgin?”

  My whole body blushes as heat smacks me like a fireball. Is it that obvious? “What? Am I a—”

  “You a virgin? Never been on a horse?”

  “Yes. I mean, I’ve never been on a horse.” I clear my throat, hopeful I can assemble a coherent string of words. “In a saddle. Oh god, just… Okay. Let’s do this. I want to do it with you.” I cover my face with both hands and mumble, “I’m going to shut up now.”

  “I’m honored, ma’am. I love virgins. They always get nervous on their first ride. You might be a little sore after, but I promise, once I show you how to ride, you’ll be back for more.” He places two fingers under my chin. “Hell, you’re blushing, aren’t you? Well, you tell all your girlfriends back home a real cowboy popped your cherry. That’ll get ’em laughing, won’t it?”

  I clear my throat. “Yeah. They’ll laugh, all right.”

  “I’ll get you saddled up, then.”

  Minutes later, Tuck lumbers out of the barn, his muscles bulging with the weight of a saddle, which he throws onto the fence rail like it’s a doily. After placing a blanket on Hildegarde’s back, he hauls the saddle off the fence and positions it on her. Mid-ogle, while I fan myself, I break out in a nervous sweat. Guilt pools in my belly as I picture Hunt. Hunt, whom I just added to my list. Hunt, whose dirty talk makes my heart skid. Hunt, who isn’t safe, because he’s already breaking into everything I’ve worked hard to build up.

  “All right, girl. You ready?”

  “I’m uh…”

  As I hesitate, Tuck scoops an arm around my waist and inches me to the side of the mare. He places my left hand on the saddle horn and my right on the saddle back. Then he slides his hands down my sides, brushing my breasts along the way.

  His hands settle on my waist, and my stomach tightens at his touch. “Wait. I need a second.”

  With his face against my neck, he answers me. “Relax now. You’re gonna love it.”

  I push back a step, and he stills me.

  “No, I don’t think so,” I say. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Tuck? The fuck are you doing?”

  I snap my head to the left upon hearing Hunt’s deep voice. His gaze narrows on Tuck then on me.

  “Just helping a beautiful virgin ease into her first ride.”

  “Did you hear her? She said no.”

  Tuck drops his hands, and I spin and face Hunt.

  “You okay, Happy?”

  “He was just—”

  “Yeah. I got what he was doing. Are you okay?” His voice vibrates with concern.

  My nerves frazzle. He doesn’t trust me.

  Hunt rakes my body with his eyes, and my spine stiffens when he says, “He’ll take it from you. Just be careful. He will take it. You be gentle with her, you got that, Tuck?”

  “I was only going to take her for a little ride, something harmless.” He laughs down low in his throat.

  “Yeah, and we both know what that means.”

  Chapter 26

  Five-letter word that means peachy

  *ducky

  HUNT

  Maybe she’ll get what she wants after all. God knows Tuck can deliver. He’ll give it to her, just like he did Luella. And Sela. Dammit, he’s willing to give her something I can’t: a one-time thing. Just like she wants. No strings, no relationship, nothing but a fuck. I wanted to believe something else about Happy. After Sela, I don’t know how I can trust any woman. Maybe I can’t.

  A stray chicken chases a bug in front of the corral gate as I unbolt it. So much for a sunset ride and a picnic. Wishful thinking on my part. After freeing the horses of their tack and filling their water buckets, I meander toward the tent. Clouds rage across the darkening sky, and moisture builds in the air. The earthy scent of the meadow as it undulates draws me to it. Bottle-green grasses mingle with wildflowers at my fingertips, and I saunter into the depths of the field. Minutes later, cracks of thunder explode in booms and silver jags of lighting lance the sky. With a handful of vivid, powder-covered flowers, I dash to the tent. Drops of rain scatter across my face.

  Upon grabbing a mason jar from my tiny kitchen, I fill it with water then add the mismatch of flowers. I scoot outside and place the jar in front of Happy’s door. The wind whirls around in feral gusts, taking the flowers along with it.

  “Shit,” I mutter as I squat and gather them from the soaked deck to arrange them again. Hell, I may as well put them in her tent.

  Trying her door, I find it unlocked. After looking over my shoulder, I roam inside. The questions I’ve conjured up about her quadruple when I set the flowers on her nightstand. Who was he and what did he do to her? Her fiancé? Is he the one that left skid marks all over her heart? Broken. I know I could help her with her heart. But what does she think of me, if anything at all, beyond a non-option?

  Selfishly, I inch her bed closer to the canvas dividing our mattresses. As I straighten the quilt, her open journal peeks out from under a pillow. I need to know more, anything at all. After a glance to her door, I snatch it up, and with my heart beating in a combination of unease and excitement, I read the page it’s open to.

  Fall in love. Lose virginity. Hunt.

  Fear will no longer be my cage. I’m enough.

  Forgive him. Forgive me.

  Conquer fear of rejection. Abandonment. Failure.

  Ride a horse.

  Skinny-dip.

  Sing and rap in front of a crowd.

  Off-Road.

  Get naked in front of a man.

  Get pregnant.

  Don’t forget to be awesome.

  “A work in progress,” I whisper as I reread her words. And I’m in her plan.

  So maybe the one-time fuck thing is just a charade she’s living while she tries to figure things out. Okay, Happy. You are not mission impossible after all. Doors open in my mind as I imagine making my way into her heart. Seconds later, a flash of light catches my sight along with the squeak of her screen door. I bound off the bed. My hands move of their own accord behind my back, her journal still in them.

  “Hunt?”

  Her drenched, blond hair, which is plastered to her head, drips. And her skin prickles with goose bumps as she crosses her arms over her chest. Her teeth chatter as she stares at me with a stunned expression.

  I sit on the edge of her bed and pat the spot next to me with one hand while sliding the journal under her pillow with the other. “C’mere.”

  “What are you doing in here?” Her cheeks blush.

  My heart thuds at her reaction to my presence. Especially now that I’m part of the plan. She wants to conquer me? Fear will no longer be my cage.r />
  Taking the mason jar in my hand and thrusting it toward her, I say, “I brought you flowers. Picked them in the meadow.”

  “Oh, wow. Thank you.” She saunters over. Brow arched, cheek sucked into her teeth as if biting back a smile.

  When she plunks down next to me, I hand her the flowers. Immediately, she brings them to her face. Closing her eyes, she inhales deeply. And I exhale simultaneously. Is her stomach fluttering like mine? What I wouldn’t do to kiss her right now in this dimly lit room. Amid this raucous thunderstorm. Christ, not just kiss. What I wouldn’t do to lay her down and strip her of everything. Her clothes. Her fears. Her inhibitions.

  “Sweet,” she whispers when she gazes at me with the flowers still at her nose. “They smell like everything clean and wholesome.”

  “Like you,” I say as I stroke the seam on her thigh. “Just like you.”

  “Hardly.” She laughs shyly. “I don’t know about that.”

  “What don’t you know?”

  “So much. Jesus. There’s so much.” She rolls her eyes then shoots off the bed, crossing the room. She approaches the kitchen counter and sets the flowers down.

  “How was the ride? Are you going to cross something off your plan today?” Tuck could convince a celibate to fuck.

  “I didn’t do anything with him.” She spins on her heel, pinning me with a look of repulsion.

  “It’s not my businesses if you did.” I shrug and stand.

  “Then why would you ask me that question?”

  I take three long steps to reach her. A smile spreads on her face when I say, “Because I’m curious about you. I care. I like you, dammit. So fucking much.”

  “And why is that, exactly?”

  “Can’t a man be curious about a woman? Can’t I care? I’ve been curious about you since the night we met. I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.”

  “What do you want to know?” Her eyes narrow as her brow pinches.

  “Every last thing you’re willing to tell me. And everything you won’t.”

  “You think I have that much hidden away?” She backs against the counter.

  I meet her there. Then I cage her hips with my thumbs and pin her in place as I lean in and whisper, “I don’t think you do. I know you do.”

  Chapter 27

  Eden~ A pleasure off the map

  Happy

  My cheeks burn, and my breathing quickens. Would he abandon me too? Like all of them?

  Hunt traces a finger down my hairline, jolting me from my trance. “You’re freezing. You should change out of these wet clothes. Got a suit? We could go in the hot tub.”

  “No, but a hot tub in the rain sounds great.” My teeth chatter.

  He wraps his arms around me. Warm, big Hunt. I could melt into him.

  “No suit? I’ll go naked if you will.” He waggles his eyebrows and a ghost of a smile brushes across his lips.

  “I’ve never gone skinny-dipping. I might be the only person my age who hasn’t, right?”

  “I don’t think so. But there’s a first time for everything. You game?”

  “Yes, I’m game.” I’m crossing something off my list today. At least one thing.

  I thought it would be riding a horse. I thought I could do that. But it wasn’t going to happen with Tuck, not once I saw that look of rejection on Hunt’s face. It chipped away at my heart, it said I took something from him. Something important. His eyes said other things had been taken before me, more than a woman. Something bigger; something from his soul.

  “Let me just put on a robe. I’ll meet you out there.”

  “Bring your towel and your talent.” He grins while scratching his thickly whiskered jaw.

  “My talent?”

  “Yeah. You must have a special talent? Bring more if you want. But you have to bring one, bare minimum.”

  “Okay, Mr. Goodtime. You’re on.”

  Hmm. Maybe I’ll cross two things off my list tonight. Maybe three. Am I tricking myself into believing he’s safe? That he would never be a liar or a cheat? That he really wouldn’t be affected if my skin condition worsened? Could he be trusted with my heart?

  When Hunt leaves, I do a happy dance and a gut check. Then I reach under my pillow for my journal. I could have sworn I left it open to the page I was writing on earlier when I went for my walk. Did Hunt see it? What temptation. A journal filled with someone’s private thoughts. Someone you’re intrigued with but haven’t figure out.

  Five minutes later, after reading my list, and despite the knot of nerves forming in my stomach, I march out the door, my robe on, a towel under my arm, and my chin up. “Strut and sparkle, peacock,” I mutter and cross the deck while shivering, my bare feet slapping the wet, cold wood. My shivers form goose bumps for a whole other reason when I turn the corner.

  Sweet baby Jesus. That smirk on his face when he says, “Hey, I’m glad you came.”

  I freeze and gasp, one hand covering my open mouth. His bare, tanned chest and arms are distracting me from his lips and eyes, which look ready to eat me. I’ve seen him shirtless, but now that I’m about to be naked in a tub with him, he seems bigger. Harder.

  “Swimmer?” I ask, ogling him. He’s strong but not brawny. Sculpted but not hulking.

  “Surfer.” He hooks his thumbs into his black board shorts. “You okay if I drop these?”

  “Off?” I ask, watching his throat bob.

  “Yes. Off.” His tongue rests at the corner of his lips for a few seconds while his eyes dip to half-mast. Then he continues, one eyebrow cocked. “We did say skinny-dipping, correct? That’s naked in my book.”

  I inhale a breath then force it out. “Yeah, we did.”

  “How about this? I’ll distract you if you distract me.” He flashes me a toothy grin. “On the count of three?”

  I twist a corner of my robe. “As in get naked?”

  “Yes. If you don’t want to, it’s okay. But I’m going to be naked in this tub in the next ten seconds.”

  “This is in my plan,” I say, biting a fingernail.

  “Good. Then you’ll be crossing it off later.”

  “Okay.” My towel lands in a thud at my feet. I untie my robe as he pulls the string on his shorts and nudges them down the smallest bit, showing me that sexy, hair-dusted V.

  Fuck. Now those are some cum gutters.

  Then, oh god. The shorts are off, but he’s on. Turned on. Hunt Hard Dick.

  “I’m not doing this alone, am I?” He lets me look. It would be impossible not to.

  Of course he’s attached to that. Beautiful, stiff, thick, long cock. For the second time today, I slurp. When my gaze makes its way up his body, he smiles.

  “You’ve seen a man naked before, right?” he asks.

  “I’ve never seen anything close to this. I mean, you. You’re hard. And whoa, all over.”

  “Does it bother you that I’m hard for you? Again?” He steps toward the edge of the hot tub and dips one foot in, his thigh muscle fit to burst. When he pulls it out, he spreads his legs shoulder-width apart then grabs the root of his cock.

  I can’t stop looking. Or drooling. Or avoiding the walloping free-for-all going on in my gut.

  “Not in the least. Should I be worried?”

  “About what?” He tilts his head and continues stroking.

  What is he planning on doing with that enormous cock? Is it as impossible for him to avoid touching as it is for me to avoid ogling? I guess, if that beautiful appendage were mine, I’d want my hands on it too. It’s not mine though, and fuck, do I want my hands on it.

  “That I’m not worried. That this isn’t bothering me. That I’m staring at your erection and I’m about to drop my robe and skinny-dip with you. That I’m…um.”

  “That you’re what, Happy?”

  “That I might be as turned on as you are.” I swallow and barely get spit down. The flip then flop of my guts and my deep breaths make me dizzy. Am I seriously drunk just looking at him? Hunt Hard Dick lusting.
>
  “So come on. You want to get wet?” he asks as he steps in the tub, immersing his body inch by sexy-as-fuck inch. His hand strokes away, his thumb moving across the wet bead at the top.

  Then, all that beautiful disappears under the bubbling foam and rising steam.

  “That’s what I’m saying, I already am.”

  Chapter 28

  Clue~ remarkable as a coincidence *weird

  HUNT

  It’s one thing to examine a beautiful woman under the sterile confines of an office. Generally speaking, it’s not sexy, regardless of what she looks like. But, with Happy, it was erotic in the many ways it turned me on. Sweat dripping down my back. My pulse quickening along with the rise and fall of her chest. Impossible lust. My craving to touch her everywhere evident by my aching, stiff cock as I touched her with care so as not to indulge in my want to finger-fuck her off the table. Then whip my dick out and take her hard. Then she came back and I did indulge. A little.

  But to have her now, as she is, freely admitting she’s turned on, unafraid, and, no question, wet? How will I keep my hands off her? Maybe she won’t want me to. Maybe this is her moment to cross off that trifecta. Or some of it. Patience.

  “Are you coming?” I ask. Maybe not for the first time tonight?

  “You look hot. I mean, it looks hot,” Happy answers, pressing two fingers to her forehead as her chest fills with color. “Well, there you go. I’m speaking my mind. Yes, you’re hot. I said it. Shit.”

  “Would you rather I look away? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” I edge toward her, close enough to touch her leg.

  She clears her throat. “No, I want you to look at me. Again.”

  Her nipples stand at attention after she opens her robe. In a whoosh, it sweeps down her body, silk meeting silk. She shudders from the blast of cool air, her small, downy breasts shaking. I hold a hand out, and she steps her long, shapely legs into the tub. My god, her blush, her wet eyes, her lips being chewed, and her trembling fingertips dancing across her undulating belly. She’s twisting my insides into something I may never be able to undo. It isn’t a knot. It’s a map of them, endless miles of beautiful knots. Every one uniquely tied to her. Impossible puzzles I plan on solving.