by CP Smith
“I need to get back,” Bo said hoarsely as she recovered. “All the men, except two, have taken off. Devin’s headed this way to help until Natasha gets back.”
Sienna turned in his arms and rested her forehead in his neck, still panting from her orgasm. “And I need to get a change of clothes to Natasha.”
Bo cupped her ass and pulled her to him. He was hard again, aching to slip inside her heat. He knew until he did, she wouldn’t truly belong to him.
“Tonight,” he said—sucking in a breath when she rubbed against him—“you’re mine.”
Sienna tipped her head back and looked at him with hooded eyes. When she licked her mouth, he claimed her lips, pouring his need for her into the kiss, showing her without words how much he wanted her.
“Be good,” he mumbled against her lips, then kissed the tip of her nose and left the shower, looking back once to wink at his Wallflower.
A knock on the bedroom door pulled my attention away from the window. Bo had left after our shower to help Troy and Brantley with the chores, and I was watching him work. I was still a riot of emotions as I stood there drinking in the sight of him. The strongest being hot and bothered. What had transpired in the shower left me wanting, for lack of a better word, greedy for more of what Bo could teach me.
Poppy opened the door before I could reach it and poked her head inside. “I figured the coast was clear since Bo was outside. So . . . how did it go?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m still a virgin.”
“Did you tell him?”
“In a roundabout way . . . I thought he was you when he came into the bathroom, and I asked him what he thought his reaction would be to my bein’ a virgin.”
Poppy’s eyes grew wide, then she threw her head back and laughed. “What did he say?”
“Nothin’. He ripped the shower door open and then let it be known how much he liked the idea that I was unsoiled by another man. I guess bein’ a virgin is a bonus for some men.”
Poppy’s eyes dulled suddenly, and her face fell, pulling into a mask of anger. “Men are such hypocrites,” she spit out. “They screw anything with two legs, but they want to marry virgins. How are there supposed to be any left if they can’t keep their you know whats in their pants?”
Her abrupt change in attitude caught me off guard. “You don’t have to sleep with a man if you don’t want to. It’s just as much our responsibility to check our behavior as it is theirs.”
“Even when they throw out pretty lines of love and happily ever after? Isn’t that what’s happenin’ between you and Bo? You want him, so anything he says that sounds like a lifelong commitment has you ready to give up somethin’ you’ve held sacred for twenty-five years.”
I’d never seen Poppy like this. Her anger was palpable.
“Why are you so angry? Earlier you were all for me losin’ my virginity,” I questioned. “Wasn’t it you who called me a ‘sad little hymen lover’?”
Her eyes flared for a brief moment, then her bottom lip began to tremble. “I thought Blake was like Bo,” she cried out. “I thought I’d found the man who’d be my happily ever after, but he lied. I’d saved myself like you have, and he took that from me on a bed of lies. While I was dreamin’ of a white picket fence with two point five children, he was screwin’ anything with two legs.”
When she burst into tears, I followed suit. Her heartache filled the room as much as her anger. I wanted to find this Blake and cut off his third leg for using my friend that way. But she needed something to calm her down, not revenge on an appendage, so I ran to my bag and pulled out my bottle of green magic fairy potion and handed it to her. “Take a really good swig.”
She took the bottle, then wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. “I hate cryin’,” she said as she unscrewed the top. “And I swore I’d never cry over a man again.”
“You’ll feel better in a minute,” I promised, pushing the bottle of Absinthe toward her mouth. “Trust me.”
She looked skeptical but took a long pull on the bottle.
Then she choked on the green fire.
Then she went in for another swig.
“Good, right?”
Her eyes seemed to soften as the Absinthe worked its magic, and her mouth tugged into a grin. “Amazin’,” she breathed out. “You’re right. I feel like I could take on the world.”
When she tried to take another sip, I pulled the bottle from her hand. “We have to head to the hospital and cook dinner,” I explained as I screwed on the top and put the bottle back in my bag. “I can’t have you loopy.”
“I forgot about that. What should we cook?”
“We’ll worry about that in a minute. I want to know why you never told me about Blake. I just thought he was a guy you dated for a short time.”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, moving to sit on the bed. “I guess I didn’t want to admit I’d been an idiot.”
“So he cheated on you?”
She looked down and began to play with a thread that had loosened itself from the quilt.
“Poppy?”
She sighed. “I caught him about a week after you and I met, with his ex-girlfriend. It was the typical trope; I stopped by his apartment and found him in bed with her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, honey?” I asked softly.
She shrugged. I could feel the wall she’d built around her heart as if it were a tangible object.
“Jesus, you build walls just like Cali does,” I pointed out.
Poppy nodded. “It’s probably why I never told you.”
I sat on the edge of the bed. “Well, it’s not like I’ve been completely honest with you.”
“That’s true,” she sighed. “I don’t know why you didn’t share your virgin status with us. It’s not like we would have judged you.”
I looked at my hands to avoid her prying eyes. “That’s not the only thing I haven’t told you.”
“What else is there?” she asked softly.
Not once since I found out about my mother’s affair had I told anyone the truth. I guess in a way I thought if I didn’t speak the words, then the truth about my father was just a lie I could ignore.
“My mother had an affair twenty-six years ago. My father isn’t Stephan Miller.”
Poppy blinked. “Then who’s your father?”
I shrugged. “My mother never told me. She said it was a guy who worked at her gym. That’s all I know.”
“Do you want to know?”
I nodded then shrugged again. “I was always the odd man out in my family. After my dad left, it got worse, so I let it go. It’s not like I’m ten and need a father figure in my life.”
Poppy nodded. She knew better than anyone what it was like to be fatherless. “We’re two peas in a pod keeping stuff hidden. But I’m done bein’ closed off, startin’ today. You and Cali have taught me that there’s strength in admittin’ your shortcomin’s.”
“Wallflowers don’t have shortcomin’s,” I snorted. “We just see the world differently. And because of that, we need a certain type of man.”
“You mean a blind man who’s unable to see our faults?”
“Nope. We need heroes. Only the best type of men will do for Wallflowers like us.”
“I need a hero, huh?”
A twinkle of humor had returned to her eyes.
“You’re gonna start singing that damn song, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she deadpanned. “But now that you mention it . . .”
I slapped my hand over her mouth and dragged her off the bed. “Let’s go see what Natasha has in the kitchen before you break the glass with your voice.”
“I’m not that bad,” she groused.
“You aren’t that good, either,” I laughed, dragging her toward the stairs.
The kitchen was located on the first floor just off the massive dining room. Like the rest of the ranch house, the downstairs was decorated with a western flare. Bronze sculptures of c
owboys riding horses and bulls graced end tables and sofa tables around the great hall. The walls were covered in a log veneer, filled with family photos, giving the space warmth and a sense of home.
We headed to the back of the house where the kitchen was located and stopped dead in our tracks. Where the rest of the house was warm and inviting, the kitchen was stark and efficient. It was a chef’s dream, filled with high-end stainless steel appliances, every innovative gadget a cook could dream of, with granite countertops in a warm taupe.
But no matter how efficient the kitchen seemed, it wouldn’t help me. I sucked at cooking.
“Please, tell me you can cook?” I asked. “My culinary skills are limited to Lean Cuisine and microwave popcorn.”
Poppy’s head shook rapidly. “I can make sandwiches and soup like a pro, though.”
I moved to the oversized, Sub-Zero refrigerator and opened the door. Inside was a huge plate of hamburger patties Natasha had already formed.
“Looks like hamburgers were on the menu tonight.”
“Then we’re set. Men deem grills as their territory, so all we have to do is handle the condiments.”
I looked at the clock. “We have three hours before we have to light the grill, so let’s grab some clothes and head to the hospital.”
Ten minutes later, we were in Poppy’s car heading toward town. We found the hospital and parked, then asked reception where ICU was. We found Natasha sitting on a couch, watching the afternoon news.
“How’s Boris?” I asked, handing her the bag we’d packed.
“Orderin’ the nurses around,” she chuckled.
“He’s that alert?” I asked, surprised.
She bobbled her head. “I should say, when he’s coherent he’s orderin’ them around. But that’s a good sign in my book. Means he has no intention of leavin’ me.”
The waiting room door opened on a whoosh of air and a man walked in, then stopped dead in his tracks. We looked up at him, and he stared back at the three of us, then said, “Need coffee,” before heading to the kitchen area set up for visitors. He was medium height, decent looking, and had tattoos peeking out from under his shirt sleeve. I watched him walk into the kitchen, then turned my attention back to Natasha.
“When are they doin’ the bypass?” Poppy asked.
“Not soon enough for me. I want him fixed now, but they’re waitin’ to see if he’s stable through the night.”
“Well, just know that Poppy, Bo, and I will make sure the ranch keeps goin’ ‘til you can get back. Our good friend is comin’ up to help as well, so you’re in good hands.”
Natasha’s brows pulled in confusion. “Why is your friend comin’?”
I looked at Poppy then back at Natasha. “Your seasonal workers took off, and they’re short help.”
Natasha closed her eyes, then cussed softly. “Of all the times for this to happen. We can’t afford to lose a day of work,” she bit out. “Is there no loyalty anymore? No sense of honor? In my day, we would have rallied around a family goin’ through this. But not today.”
I grabbed her hand. “Poppy and I were plannin’ to stay the whole week, so you have us.”
“You need muscle,” she replied, standing up. “I need to run an ad in the paper.”
“There’s no rush. Bo and Troy have it covered for now,” Poppy said.
“Excuse me,” the man from the kitchen called out. “I didn’t mean to overhear, but I’m lookin’ for work.”
Natasha turned and looked at him. “You from around here, Mr. . . .You seem familiar to me.”
“Clint Black,” he stated putting out his hand. “And no, ma’am. I’m passin’ through on my way from Florida. I lost my job, so I’m headin’ north hopin’ to find somethin’ permanent. Got an aunt the county over whose been hospitalized with a broken hip. I stopped in to see her.”
“You don’t say. How do you feel about shovelin’ manure?”
He shrugged. “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.”
Natasha snorted, and Clint looked at me and winked.
I blinked at his behavior.
“Can you follow the girls back now?”
“Yes, ma’am. I just finished visitin’ with my aunt.”
“Good. Payday is Friday. We take out taxes, so I’ll need your social security number and a forwarding address for when you move on. We can settle all the paperwork when I get back.”
“Appreciate it, ma’am. Workin’ on your ranch is exactly where I need to be right now.”
“You can call me Natasha. None of that ma’am stuff. You’ll make me feel old.”
Clint smiled, then turned to Poppy and me. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Um, sure. We’re parked in the front. You can follow us down,” I replied.
We hugged Natasha then left. Clint followed us to the parking lot, climbing into a truck, and then waited for us to lead him back to the ranch.
“Clint seemed nice,” Poppy stated.
“He winked at me.”
She snorted. “He’ll stop flirtin’ the minute Bo catches on.”
“Am I supposed to tell Bo about that?”
“About the man winkin’?”
I chewed on my lip. “I’m not exactly sure how this works.”
“How what works?”
“This whole relationship thing.”
Poppy thought about it a minute. “My experience is limited, but what I know about Bo, I’d say no. If you tell him about every man who winks at you or stares at your boobs, he’ll develop a permanent eye twitch.”
She had a point.
“You’re a wise grasshopper,” I chuckled.
Poppy’s phone began to ring, so I picked it up. “It’s Cali.” I swiped ‘Answer’ then put it on speaker. “Miss us already?”
“Bo Strawn drove all the way up to the ranch, and you didn’t call me?”
Whoopsie. “We’ve been kinda busy.”
“Wallflower code specifically states that if a man drives through the night to declare his feelin’s, you must inform all party members.”
“I’m thinkin’ there’s a codebook out there I don’t know about,” I mumbled under my breath.
“You can apologize when I get there,” Cali announced.
“You’re comin’ with Devin?”
“He enticed me to come.”
“The hell I did,” Devin growled.
“. . . He asked me to come.”
“Jesus,” Devin sighed.
“. . . He ordered me to come. Said I’d end up dead without his supervision,” she groused.
“That’s not all I said.”
“I can’t repeat the rest,” she whispered. “And they don’t need to know about our sleepin’ habits.”
“Baby, there’s no sleepin’ involved in what I said.”
Cali gasped.
Poppy and I snorted.
Devin chuckled low.
“Ignore Devil, I certainly do when he’s not bein’ a gentleman.”
They were like an old married couple after less than a week.
“How soon ‘til you arrive?” I asked.
“We’ll be there in thirty. We just stopped to top off the tank,” Devin replied.
“Got it,” I returned. “We just pulled into the ranch. See you then.”
Bo was in the corral with Troy and Brantley when we pulled up. He was manning some sort of an enclosure with a cow inside. When I climbed out of the car, he turned and smiled at me. The effect was heart-stopping.
“Pinch me,” I mumbled
“You’re droolin’,” Poppy chuckled.
“Give me a hundred years, and I’ll stop.”
“Lordy, you’re gonna be worse than Cali.”
I shrugged. If I ended up as happy as Cali, she could rib me as much as she wanted.
“Is that the boss man I need to talk to?” Clint asked from beside me, making me jump. I’d forgotten about him.
I turned and looked at him. He was staring down at me with
a wolfish grin.
Hmm.
A piercing whistle broke through the air, and my eyes shot to Bo.
He crooked his finger at me.
Hmm again.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, heading for Bo. “I’ve been summoned.”
I dodged cow patties as I made my way over to Bo. He kept his eyes trained on me as I approached, with his warrior’s mask in place.
“You crooked—I mean called?” I snipped.
Bo raised an arrogant brow. “Climb up here,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“Climb. Up. Here,” he repeated low.
I wanted to say no because he had a funny look on his face, but dammitalltohell, I obeyed.
Once I reached the top, I started to snap at him for calling me over like a dog, but Bo snagged me around the neck and claimed my mouth roughly, cutting off my retort.
“Who’s the guy?” he whispered against my lips.
Holy cow! Poppy was right. Bo clocked the guy’s flirting from fifty paces.
“Natasha hired him when she found out all the men disappeared.”
“For what?”
“Natasha said somethin’ about shovelin’ manure.”
Bo loosened his grip on my neck, then ran his hand down my back so he could pull me closer. “I can still taste you,” he whispered low. “Best fuckin’ taste in the world.”
“Oh, my God,” I whooshed out.
“Plan on tastin’ even more tonight.”
“You’re tryin’ to kill—”
“Then I’m gonna bury myself so deep—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth.
“I’m gonna go chop condiments now. I’ll be in the house if you need me.”
His eyes crinkled at the side, and he kissed my palm.
“You’re a very bad man,” I whispered, then tried to move out of his arms. He snatched me back and kissed me soundly again.
“Now you can leave.”
“You’re also a very bossy man.”
He grinned.
“Bossy and naughty.”
He grinned bigger, and my foot slipped from the effect.
“Turn that thing off,” I huffed, then climbed down and headed back to Poppy and Clint.
“He wanted me to tell you to start in the barn,” I lied.
Clint looked back at Bo, then down at me. “I take it that’s your man.”
