by Jess Bryant
His lips curled up at the edges, “A little bit, yeah.”
“What?” She snapped, but Hunter was back in her personal space before the word was even out of her mouth.
“I said, yeah. That makes me kind of happy, Mills. Maybe I’m a possessive bastard. I never knew I was. I never have been with anyone before you but damn if the idea of being the first man to give you an orgasm doesn’t make me want to beat my chest like a caveman.”
She snorted, “You haven’t actually given me one yet, so don’t get your cart in front of the horse.”
Hunter tipped his head back and laughed. The sound was deep and throaty and despite her annoyance with him she caught herself smiling. She slid her arms around his waist and his laughter turned into a hum of happiness. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her against his chest. Hunter nuzzled her hair and simply held her for a minute or two.
Finally, he sighed, “I’m sorry I get all caveman when it comes to you.”
“I shouldn’t find it endearing but despite my feminist streak, sadly, I do.” She felt his answering smile in her hair.
“Thank God, because I’m not sure I can help it. You make me crazy. You always have. From that first day when I came for my interview and I saw you in that sexy little pencil skirt and heels, I’ve thought of nothing but how to win you over, about what it would be like to touch you, to kiss you, to take the pretty, perfectly put together girl to my bed and make her come apart beneath me.” He nipped at her earlobe and she shivered, “Knowing no other man has given you that kind of pleasure? That caveman inside me wants to make you come so many times you pass out from the bliss of being with me.”
She hummed, tilting her head back and letting him kiss her throat, “Is that a promise?”
“Damn right it is.” He growled.
“But…”
“But,” he finished for her. “That’s going to take time and a bed and maybe even some candles and we don’t have any of those things out here in the barn so…”
“So, we wait.” She finished for him, pouting just to see him grin again.
“It’ll be worth the wait. I swear.”
“I know.” She tiptoed up and brushed their lips together before repeating his words back to him, “From that first day when you came to interview and I saw you in that sexy black suit and you flashed those dimples at me, I think I knew being with you was inevitable. That’s what scares me. I think I’ve been waiting to be ready for you too, Hunter.”
He groaned, “God, when you say stuff like that…”
“I know.” She smiled softly, brushing their lips together one more time before stepping out of his embrace and giving them both some much needed air, “We’re waiting so, come on. Let’s go for a ride. I had Hank ready the horses before breakfast so they’re probably raring to run and if we don’t go now, we’ll have to hurry to make it back in time for the rehearsal.”
Hunter gave her a pointed look and then glanced down at himself. Millie followed his gaze and bit her cheek to keep back a grin. His erection was thick and heavy and fully defined through the tight denim he was wearing. She felt oddly… proud. She’d done that to him. He wanted her that badly. Her smile broke free because it was clear just how much he wanted her, right here and right now, but for her, because he wanted to give her something special and sweet, he’d said they should wait.
“Stop grinning like that.” He snorted.
“Sorry.” She tried to rein herself in but it was pointless.
“And Lordy woman, stop looking at it. Trust me. As long as he has your attention, he’s not going to give me any peace and I’m guessing it’s hard enough to ride a horse without a steel beam in my pants.”
Millie squeaked out a laugh and covered her mouth as his words sank in, “You’ve never ridden a horse?”
“Not since I was a kid and only at the carnival.” Hunter shrugged, breathing evenly, obviously attempting to forget about the situation in his pants and distract himself and her. “We never had the kind of money for horses and stables. The only time I got near a horse was when the rodeo or carnival came to town. I’d pay my five bucks so the guy could walk us in a circle but it wasn’t much fun and I gave up and went to ride the roller coasters instead. Never much liked horses. Never figured they’d like me much either.”
Millie shook her head in amazement, “Why didn’t you say something earlier? We could’ve gone to do something else.”
“Because you said you always ride when you’re here and you seemed excited about it. I may not love the idea of being up on a horse but you do. That’s obvious. So for you, I figure I can give it another go.”
For her, he was willing to brave getting on the back of a powerful beast of an animal. Her heart did that fluttering thing again. He wanted to do it, just because it was something she enjoyed. Then her stomach tightened as she thought about all the things she’d liked doing that she’d given up over the years because Joshua refused. She was an idiot for ever thinking Hunter was anything like him.
Hunter was a good man. He was a kind man. He was gentle and caring and he turned her insides to mush he was so sweet.
She crossed the distance between them and kissed him soundly. It was the first time she’d been the one to initiate a kiss and she felt his surprise a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and took control of the kiss. She smiled against his lips and he pulled back to look down at her.
“What was that for?”
“Everything.” She smiled and then took his hand and led him into the barn.
She could tell he was still confused by her answer but as they found their horses and she introduced him to Hank, the man that had cared for the animals since she was a little girl, Hunter let it go and focused on the present. That was exactly why she’d kissed him too. Because he made her forget about her past, made her want to move past it, not just bottle it up inside her and try to contain it. He made her look forward to a future, one that most definitely had him in it. She didn’t know how to put all of that into words. Not yet. But she thought that one word might do until she could find a way to sort out all the others.
10
Riding a horse wasn’t so bad, at least once his erection let up.
Millie had been sweet about his aversion to horses. She’d taken the time to show him around the barn and introduced him to Hank, the horse trainer, and each of the half dozen horses her family owned. He’d been nervous and when the first horse flinched away from his touch, she’d calmly told him that horses could sense agitation and responded in kind. She’d let him take the time to get used to being around the big beasts and only once he was calm had she moved on to their next lesson of the day.
He’d had no idea she knew so much about horses but he’d loved listening to her talk about them and show him the ropes. It was clear the animals were like pets to her. She moved amongst them with ease and familiarity and even the wildest of the bunch seemed to calm when Millie came near.
He knew the feeling.
Eventually she’d led him to the old man of the group, a gorgeous silver and gray spotted horse aptly named Silver. Millie had laughed when she told him the horse used to be called Quicksilver, but with age he’d slowed considerably and now he was the tamest of the bunch. Since Silver was the only horse to let Hunter get close to him, something sweet Millie had seemed to know would be the case, he’d been saddled and ready for Hunter to ride.
They’d taken an easy path through the woods at the back of the Turner acreage. Millie had talked and he’d found himself smiling and laughing with her. She pointed out landmarks and told him stories of her childhood, about swimming in the creek and finding Colin and Reed’s fort when they were teenagers. She’d distracted him so completely and so thoroughly that he’d almost completely forgotten he was atop a horse that could bolt, throw him, or trample him at any moment.
Millie practically glowed with happiness as they finished their ride and headed back towards the stables. He loved the way she looked up
on her mount. Her braid bouncing and coming undone Her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. Her cheeks flushed from the cool day and the wind on their faces. He wished he’d thought to bring his phone with him when they left the house so he could take a photo so that he would never forget anything about this day.
It was everything he’d always dreamed of having with her.
“It wasn’t so bad, right?” Her sweet voice pulled him out of his reverie and he grinned.
“It was fun. I liked getting to ride with you as my tour guide.”
“Yeah?” Her grin spread wider and he wondered what it was about the simple statement that made her so happy.
“Yeah of course, I’ll try anything with you, Mills.” He shrugged, “Maybe once we’re back in the city I can show you something I like to do for fun. That can be our thing. Riding horses and…”
“And?” She pressed, looking almost giddy at the idea.
“Shooting maybe? I like to go to the range on my days off.”
Millie’s eyes went wide, “You want me to learn to shoot a gun?”
He wrinkled his brow, “You don’t already know how?”
That surprised him. He was near certain most southern girls grew up around guns. God knew Vaughn had made certain their little sister knew how to handle a weapon properly. Besides, hunting was basically the national pastime in Tennessee. Millie must know how to shoot a shotgun or a rifle at the very least but she only laughed and shook her head.
“God no. What part of my family treated me like a little princess did you miss, Hunter?” She made a clicking noise with her tongue as she guided their horses back through the wide-open barn door. “My father and brother would be aghast at the very thought of me holding a weapon let alone using one. Guns are for men, not girls.”
“Damn.” He rubbed his chin, hating that tone she took when she talked about her father “Okay, well if you want to do something else, we can, or…” He caught her looking at him and grinned, “Or we could horrify the both of them and you can let me teach you how to shoot.”
Millie stopped her horse and looked at him, “You’d do that?”
“Of course.” He stopped his own horse beside her, “If anything, knowing that you’re properly trained on how to use a weapon would make me feel a hell of a lot better about you living alone in the city.”
Millie slung her leg over the saddle and dismounted gracefully, “I live in a high rise, Hunter. With a doorman. I don’t need to know how to use a gun to be safe.”
Hunter dismounted as well though not nearly as easily. He stumbled but caught himself before he fell. Millie was grinning at him when he straightened and turned back to her. That look on her face made heat sear through his chest and he instantly stepped into her personal space.
“The world is a dangerous place, Millie, and I can’t always be at your side to protect you, even if I’d like to be.”
“You’re pretty good with the sweet words, St. James.” She teased, her lips curving as she let him back her against one of the wooden stall doors.
“For you, I try.”
Millie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to accept the kiss he intended to give her. God, the taste of her drove him crazy. Sweet and a little bit salty, he licked at her lips and she opened, letting him in. He groaned as her tongue teased his and he pulled her closer, melding their bodies together.
It had been too long since he got to kiss her. Even if they’d only been out on the horses for a couple of hours, it had been too long. Hours of being near her, hearing her laugh, letting her tease him, earning her smiles, it had all made him want her back in his arms where she belonged. He’d waited so long to kiss her that first time and now it seemed impossible to exist without the taste of her on his lips.
Millie rocked her hips forward, rubbing her body against his and he growled as he jerked his mouth from hers. He pinned her to the wooden stall door. She only smiled. The little minx knew she was pushing him. She knew what she did to him now and he loved that she seemed to revel in the knowledge. He’d let her revel all she wanted, but not right now, not when he was barely containing the urge to lay her down in the hay and make love to her.
“Not here, babe.” He kissed the soft spot beside the corner of her mouth, “Not now.”
“Hunter.” She gasped his name when he ran his tongue along her throat.
“We don’t have enough time for me to touch you everywhere I want to touch you and kiss you everywhere I’ve dreamed of kissing you.” He nipped at her ear, his voice low and husky with desire, “I promised that I’d have you spread out for me, begging for me to make you come and I don’t break my promises Mills. Not to you.”
She shivered at his words, even her voice was shaky when she found it, “Nobody’s ever said things like that to me before.”
“Well you better get used to it babe, because I love the way your pretty skin turns pink when I tell you what I want to do to you. Love the way your beautiful eyes get all glassy with desire when I talk dirty to you. Love the way your lips part, all pink and full, as you try to breathe through the need I make you feel.”
Millie groaned, “Hunter, please…”
“Later, baby. Right now, I think there’s somewhere you’re supposed to be.”
“Ah, crap.” Millie pouted adorably, “Is it noon already?”
Hunter glanced at his watch and nodded, “Yep, and you better hurry. I don’t want your brother blaming me for you being late to rehearsal.”
“What if I said I don’t want to go? That I want to stay here with you and force you to fulfill all those dirty promises instead?”
He grinned, loving the way she was opening up to him more and more, showing him these new facets of her that he’d never seen before, “You don’t have to force anything with me, Mills. I come willingly and so will you.”
“Such a tease.” She sighed, leaning up and pressing a quick kiss to his chin, “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone while I go to this stupid rehearsal?”
“I’ll miss you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He motioned to the horses, “I’ll find Hank and help him get these guys all sorted out and then I’ll head back up to the house too. I’m sure there are emails and calls to return since I left my phone upstairs. Come find me when you’re done with rehearsal?”
“I will.” She gave him another soft kiss and then another and before he knew it her hands were in his hair, pulling him down for more and he was sliding his tongue back into her mouth.
He nipped at her bottom lip and pulled away, “Go Millie. Now. Before I break all my pretty promises and take you in the hay like a madman.”
That made her grin and a light flush colored her cheeks as she stepped away from him, “See you in a bit.”
“Find me or I promise, I’ll find you.” He winked.
Millie was still grinning as she turned and jogged out of the barn. Hunter watched her go until she disappeared out of sight and then he let out a sigh of contentment like he’d never known. That girl drove him absolutely crazy. Just yesterday she was pushing him away, keeping him at arm’s length, telling him that she had secrets he wouldn’t like, and today she was kissing him and begging him to take her to bed and opening up enough to tell him about her childhood and making plans for when they got back to the city.
He could only hope that with a little more time, she’d also feel like she could share whatever those secrets she was still keeping were too.
“You should feel special.”
Hunter whirled at the sound of the deep male voice. He’d thought he was alone in the barn but the sound of someone behind him had him searching the shadows. He’d let his guard down and someone had snuck up on him. He hated that Vaughn’s reminder to be careful took that opportunity to resurface, accusatory and correct, in his head. It took a second for his eyes to adjust but when they did, he saw the man that had spoken move between two wooden slats before stepping out into the light, making his presence known.
Whether he was a threat
or not remained to be seen.
Chuck Turner leaned a big shoulder against the side of the barn and peered at Hunter over the top of a tumbler filled with brown liquid. Considering it was barely noon, he’d have liked to give the man the benefit of the doubt that it was simply tea but he’d heard enough of the rumors about Millie’s father to know it probably wasn’t. Hunter figured it was safe to assume it was the Tennessee whiskey the man preferred but there was no telling how many glasses he was up to for the day, so Hunter tread lightly.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He apologized.
“I figured, otherwise you wouldn’t have been sticking your tongue down my daughter’s throat.” Chuck made a sound somewhere between a harrumph and a snort. “I wasn’t expecting you either. I was looking for my daughter. Thought I’d find Millie hiding out down here alone. She likes to ride by herself. Always has. Says it gives her time to think… but she took you out riding with her today. Like I said, you should feel mighty special.”
“I do, sir.”
“Don’t, sir me.” The elder man took a big swig of his drink and waved the comment away with his free hand, “My Pop was Sir. I’m just Chuck. Call me Chuck.”
It wasn’t that he was slurring, not really, but Hunter had a feeling the man had been drinking for a while already. His tolerance must have been high though. He gave almost no outward signs of drunkenness. He didn’t stumble or sway. But Hunter knew an alcoholic when he saw one and Chuck Turner had to be the most high-functioning one he’d ever met if he’d been drinking since breakfast.
“Chuck.” Hunter offered a smile, “I don’t know if you remember me or not but I’m Hunter St. James. I’m Millie’s…”