by J P Books
“Yeah.” Carter steps up behind her and wraps his arms around her slight frame, cradling her against his chest as he grabs her hands and grips the mallet with her. He can feel the length of her pressed up against him, the perfect curve of her ass pressing against the already tight crotch of his jeans. He swears he felt her lean into him, pressing closer.
“Now what?” Paisley asks innocently.
“Now we swing,” he murmurs into her ear. He sees her bite her lip. Then, his arms still around her, he guides her swing up over their heads and then down in one smooth curve. “Feel the difference?” he asks.
“Definitely,” she replies, shifting her weight so that her ass is even more firmly pressed against his growing erection. “I see what you mean.”
Carter swallows. This is going to be a difficult summer.
CHAPTER 3
One morning, Chris discovers something that shocks him.
“What do you mean you can’t ride a horse?” he says, gaping at Paisley. “You’ve been here a week! Why didn’t you say something?”
Paisley shrugs, toying with the hem of her t-shirt. “Well, I didn’t want to make you guys feel like you had to teach me. I know that takes a lot of time. And besides, I figured since most of the work was done in trucks now…” She looks up at Chris, feeling a little silly.
The truth is, Paisley is worried about how stupid she’ll look while learning to ride. After all the work she’s done on the ranch over the past week, she doesn’t want Chris and Carter to think she’s an idiot because she can’t stay on a horse.
“No way. We still use horses all the time. Come on,” Chris grins. “You’ve gotta learn. You’ll love it, Paise. I promise.”
I certainly love that smile, Paisley thinks as she grins back at Chris. His happiness is infectious. “Okay,” she says, trying to sound as certain as he felt. Here goes nothing…
Chris takes her by the arm and leads her down the barn toward the end of the stables. “I’ve got just the horse for you,” he tells her. “She’s a sweet mare. Never thrown anyone. Really lovely.”
“Do the other ones throw people?” Paisley asks hesitantly.
Chris hears her uncertainty and laughs. “Not often. Just some of the younger males before Carter gets them nice and trained. He’s got a magic touch with horses, I swear.”
Paisley can believe that. She remembers the feel of his hand running down her arms as he taught her to swing the mallet. If she were a horse, she’d be putty in his hands. Well, you’re already putty in his hands, she tells herself.
“Here we are,” Chris smiles, leaning over the door of the stall. Out of the corner of her eye, Paisley admires the lines of his muscular arms pushing against his tight t-shirt. “Paisley meet Mabel.”
Paisley tears her gaze from Chris and looks at the horse. She has to admit that the horse is beautiful. “Hey girl,” she whispers. The mare is slender, her coat a deep chestnut brown. Her large, dark eyes glitter like jewels. Paisley holds out the back of her hand for the horse to snuffle, giggling as the silky soft nose nuzzles her skin.
“Do you like her?” Chris’ voice is warm and low and when Paisley turns, he’s watching her intensely. His eyes glitter too but in a very different way.
Warmth thrums through Paisley’s body and she breaks out in goosebumps. God, when he looks at me like that…She bites her lip. “Yeah,” she smiles. “I do.”
“Good. Then let’s get you up on her.”
Paisley can think of other things she’d rather be getting up on, but she just nods. “Okay,” she says. Then she hesitates. “Can you ride her with me? Just the first time?” She knows she’s pushing a line, even though having Chris up on the horse with her would probably help her. But she’s not thinking about improving her riding. She’s thinking about having his body wrapped around hers. His muscular chest rippling against her back. His hot crotch pressing against her ass. Maybe even his—
“Of course,” Chris smiles.
Paisley swallows. “Great,” she replies, her voice just a little bit hoarse.
Chris shows her how to ready the horse, how to fit the bit of the bridle into her mouth, how to make sure the saddle won’t slip when she gets on. Then he holds the stirrup for Paisley and grins up at her. “Now’s your time to shine,” he tells her.
Paisley makes a face. Here goes nothing… She slides her left foot into the stirrup and swings her right leg up and over the horse’s back, grabbing the pommel of the saddle in fear as she goes.
“That was great!” Chris grins up at her. “You’re a natural!”
Paisley very slowly loosens her grip on the pommel. “You think?”
“Definitely. Now, grab the reins and I’ll pull myself up, okay?”
Paisley nods, gripping the reins tightly in both hands while Chris grabs the pommel and springs up onto the horse’s back as if it were nothing.
Chris chuckles. Scooting forward until his body is cradling hers, Chris reaches around her and gently pries the reigns out of her white knuckles.
Is it just me or is he closer than he really has to be?
“You don’t have to strangle the reins, sweetheart,” he tells her. “Just hold on with one hand and keep your grip loose. The horse knows what to do, you’re just guiding her. Really, the reins are resting in your hand more than anything.”
“Right,” says Paisley, though between the height of the horse and the heat of Chris’ body seeping through her thin shirt, she’s having a hard time concentrating. Maybe asking him to come up with me wasn’t such a good idea.
“Now, dig your heels into her ribs. Not too hard. You don’t want her to break into a gallop. Just enough that she knows it’s time to get moving,” Chris instructs.
Paisley squeezes her thighs and, to her surprise, the horse starts moving. “Oh my gosh!” she gasps, grabbing the saddle and making Chris laugh.
“That’s great,” he says, laying a comforting hand on her thigh. Paisley bites her lip, her eyes flicking to his fingers on her jeans. “Now we’re just guiding her out. There you go, that’s great.”
Despite the distraction of Chris’ presence, Paisley enjoys riding Mabel. They go out into the fields, leaving the ranch buildings behind. And the further they go, the more comfortable Paisley feels.
“This is actually pretty fun,” she says.
Chris laughs at her tone of surprise. “I think so,” he replies. “Though your inner thighs are going to be very sore tomorrow.” As he says this, his thumb strokes her leg and Paisley is once again hyper-aware of his body next to hers.
“Yeah, I bet,” she answers. “I don’t suppose there’s, like, a good masseuse in the neighborhood, is there?”
Chris chuckles. “If you’re lucky, Carter might give you one. He’s pretty good at massages.”
Paisley doesn’t ask how or why Chris knows that. Just the idea of Carter massaging Chris is enough to make her feel wet. Carter’s long, strong hands on Chris’ broad, muscular back…
Paisley clears her throat, trying to dislodge the image of her stepfather and his work partner coming together in a passionate embrace.
“You guys are so different,” she says. “It must be nice to have that balance.”
“It is,” Chris agrees. “I’m definitely the more excitable outgoing one, but Carter is my rock. He keeps me from going off the deep end.”
Paisley nods, remembering Carter’s cool hazel eyes watching her when she first arrived. She’d gotten the impression that he hadn’t been quite as excited about her arrival as Chris was. But she feels pretty confident that’s all in the past. This last week, she’s made him smile more times than she can count and his beautiful tawny eyes have only looked at her with warmth.
“It’s funny how you even sort of look like opposites too,” she says. While both men were tall and fit, Carter is definitely taller and thinner with blond hair and delicate features, while Chris is more compact, with dark eyes and hair and thick, sensual lips.
“We do, don’t we?” Chris murmurs, shifting behind her. “People thought we were a little bit crazy becoming business partners so soon after having met. But I knew from the start that I could trust Carter. Even after—”
“Even after my mom?”
Chris sighs. “Yeah, even after your mom.”
“Chris, I’m so sorry. She’s—”
“It’s not your fault, Paise,” Chris hugs her from behind and Paisley feels herself melting in his arms. “She has nothing to do with you.”
“Thank you,” Paisley whispers, feeling tears suddenly spring to her eyes. “Thank you for not hating me.”
Chris laughs softly. “I could never hate you, sweetheart,” he says and presses a kiss to her hair.
Paisley leans back against his chest. “I’ve missed you,” she says, letting her emotions get the best of her.
“Ditto,” he smiles, taking the reins from her hand. The hand on her thigh lifts as he wraps his free arm around her waist and rests his chin on her head.
Paisley sighs happily as the scenery slow passes. Can we just stay like this forever?
CHAPTER 4
Chris sips a beer, watching Paisley and Carter goof around together while making dinner. It’s the end of Paisley’s first month on the ranch and things couldn’t be going better. Paisley is a natural with animals. Strong but gentle, and not afraid to get her hands dirty.
Even more importantly, Carter likes her. Chris knows that Carter had reservations about his spur-of-the-moment idea to invite Paisley up for the summer. And while he appreciates that Carter kept those concerns to himself, he’s still been worried about whether or not the two of them would get along. They are both so important to Chris that the last thing he wanted was for them to feel uncomfortable together.
But there is nothing to worry about. Carter and Paisley get along like a house on fire, laughing and joking together like they’ve known each other for years. As he watches, Carter balances a cut radish on his nose, crossing his eyes and pulling a stupid face, making Paisley laugh hysterically, until she has to wipe tears from her eyes.
Chris smiles. Paisley is so different from when he last saw her. From the awkward, insecure, gangling tomboy he once knew, she’s transformed into an open, confident, not to mention gorgeous young woman. He can’t believe what a difference a year can make. After all, they call each other regularly – he doesn’t understand how he didn’t notice the change.
But I guess seeing someone’s face on a tiny screen just really isn’t the same as seeing them in person.
It used to hurt him to see her so ground down by her mother and he’s thrilled to see her come into her own like this. On the other hand…
Her newfound beauty is causing him a different kind of pain. Whenever she swings her ass in those tight jeans, or bends over to pet the dogs, or picks things up and lets her shirt gape, revealing the lush curves of her breasts, Chris can’t help himself. His body responds even as his mind cringes.
How can I possibly lust after my stepdaughter like this? he’s asked himself every day since Paisley arrived on the ranch. I helped raise her! I was a father to her! She would be horrified if she knew how I felt. God, what if she thinks I was ogling her before when she was a kid? She’s going to think I’m a total pervert!
While it’s true that Chris and Paisley aren’t biologically related, Chris isn’t sure that’s enough of an excuse to be lusting after her. What he had thought was going to be a happy, uncomplicated summer of father-daughter bonding time, has become fraught with guilt and poorly-timed erections. God, it’s like being in high-school again!
“Chris, catch!”
A tomato comes flying through the air, interrupting his thoughts. Automatically, Chris reaches out and grabs it in his free hand.
“Wow!” Paisley grins. “You’re good!” She comes around to where he’s standing.
“I’m not that old yet,” he replies, with a grin. “Jeez, Paise.”
“You’re not old at all!” Paisley replies, looping an arm around his neck and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She used to do that all the time when they lived together, but not quite in the same way. Or is it his imagination, or these days does she go out of her way to press herself against him, her breasts tight against his arm or chest?
“Yes, well, they always say that love makes you blind,” he retorts.
Paisley laughs, her fingertips lightly grazing his neck as she retracts her arm. A shiver runs through him. “Well, then, let me stay blind,” she replies. “You gonna help us cook or just watch?”
“What? Help?” he jokes. “I’m the manager! Managers don’t help, they manage!”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Carter laughs, grinning at Chris.
Chris smiles warmly at his partner. “Well, someone’s got to make sure you stay on task,” he teases. Carter is notorious for starting several different projects and then leaving half of them unfinished.
“What? Me? Never!” Carter replies indignantly. Then he laughs, shaking his head. “God, it’s so true, isn’t it?”
Chris chuckles, putting his beer down on the table. “All right, just for tonight. In honor of you being here,” he smiles at Paisley. “What can I do to help?”
“Pass me my phone so I can record this momentous occasion, first of all!” Carter replies with a grin.
Chris throws a baby carrot at Carter. “Asshole,” he laughs.
“Boys!” Paisley breaks in, putting her hands on her hips and looking at them sternly. But she can’t keep her poker face for long and a smile peeks through. Soon they’re all laughing – until smoke starts streaming out of the BBQ.
“Oh shit!” Carter yelps, leaping for their dinner. “The steaks! Goddamit, Chris, I thought you were managing!”
“Exactly,” Chris replies as Carter saves their meal from becoming charcoal. “See? This is what happens when I’m put to work. All hell breaks loose. Managers must manage!”
Carter chuckles as he puts the plate of meat on the table. “You’re never going to let me forget this, are you?” he asks Chris.
“Nope,” Chris grins boyishly. “Never.”
Paisley breaks down into giggles again and soon they’re all clutching their stomachs and laughing.
Maybe this is part of why she’s so attractive to me, Chris wonders as he laughs. She makes me feel young and carefree again. Like I did before Megan broke me.
Without warning, the memories surge and Chris feels a wave of sadness for lost times – for their home in L.A., where he thought he was going to live forever. For Megan, wild and beautiful, whom he foolishly thought he could tame.
But then Carter throws a cherry tomato that hits Chris squarely on the nose and Chris is jerked out of the past and brought back to the present. And the present is where I want to stay, he thinks as Paisley laughs.
“You were zoning out, man!” Carter grins.
Chris squints, aiming at Paisley. With surprising accuracy, he gets her on the forehead.
“Blech! Gah!” Paisley’s laugh turns into a surprised cough. “You jerk!”
“Oh sure, when it happens to me it’s funny, but I do the same and I’m the jerk!” Chris retorts, grinning.
“Obviously,” Paisley teases. She picks up the bruised cherry tomato from the deck floor. “I guess this one isn’t going in the salad.”
“No,” Carter laughs, setting out plates for everyone. “It’s lived a full life already. Let it rest in the compost bin in peace.”
Still chuckling, Paisley tosses the tomato into the bin and pulls up a chair, eyeing the plate of steaks hungrily.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Carter looks across the table at Chris as he serves him a juicy slice of meat. “You were totally glazed over!”
Chris shrugs, finishing his beer. “Just thinking about how lucky I am,” he smiles.
Carter mimes vomiting. “You’re going soft in your old age, man,” he teases, as Paisley holds h
er plate out for her own slab of meat.
“Hey, I have it on good authority that I’m not old!” Chris replies, grinning at Paisley, who smiles back.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” she says, tapping her chin doubtfully as she passes the salad to Carter.
“You did! You can’t take it back now,” Chris replies, sliding a piece of corn on the cob onto his plate. He looks down at his food. “Guys, this looks delicious.”
“It’s down to all that good management,” Carter teases, nudging Chris’ foot under the table.
Chris snorts. Grabbing another beer, he lifts the bottle in a toast. “To us!” he says.
“To us!” the other two cry, raising their own drinks and clinking his.
To the present, Chris thinks. I hope it lasts forever.
CHAPTER 5
Paisley hums to herself as she brushes down Mabel’s soft, chestnut coat. She can’t believe she only has two weeks left on the ranch.
“It feels like I only just got here, doesn’t it, girl?” she murmurs to the horse. Mabel just keeps munching her oats in response.
But thinking back on all she’s learned and done over the last few months, Paisley can hardly believe she’s managed to cram it all into so little time. She looks down at her hands, tanned and calloused by the hard work of the ranch. She knew her classmates’ would be perfectly manicured when they got back in September, but Paisley wouldn’t trade these callouses for the world. They’re memories of all her good times.
A noise at the other end of the stable startles her out of her thoughts and she cocks her head. It’s Chris, riding in on his big bay stallion, Lonestar. While Paisley might feel confident riding around the ranch on Mabel these days, Lonestar is the kind of horse she would never dream of riding. Tall and broad, with a fiery temper and a tendency to rear up on his hind legs, she’s always amazed when she sees Chris swing confidently into the saddle.
Sticking her head out the stable gate, she watches Chris walk Lonestar slowly down to his stall. She has to admit though, as scary as the thought of riding Lonestar is, watching Chris ride him makes her wet.