by A. D. Ryan
“Where are we—?” he started to ask as I tugged him to his feet before trailing him behind me.
“We’re going to go have a shower.”
He froze behind me like a stubborn stallion, stopping me in my tracks as well. “Madison, I think that both of us being naked together could lead to something neither of us is prepared for right now.”
Turning to him, I offered him a calm smile. “I promise I won’t let it go any further than me taking care of you.” I stepped into him, my still-pert breasts pressing against his naked chest. “Let me take care of you, baby,” I purred. “The way you just took care of me.”
Nodding slowly, he acquiesced, and I moved backward down the hall, keeping our eyes locked as I stepped onto the cool tile floor and walked to the tub.
After starting the shower, I turned back to Jensen and unbuttoned his jeans before letting them fall over his narrow hips to the floor where he stepped out of them. Locking my sights on his brilliant blue eyes again, I slid my hands into his boxer briefs just above his ass. Slowly, I worked them over the muscular curve before moving them around front, brushing his length as I released it. Even though I had seen Jensen naked on a couple of occasions, and held him in my hand that very morning, I still felt my cheeks warm as my eyes dropped between us to stare for what was probably an inappropriate amount of time.
The bathroom started to fill with fog. Jensen lifted his feet out of his boxers, removing his socks one at a time, and I let my bra fall to the floor. Together, we moved to the edge of the tub where he offered me his hand, and I stepped over the edge. He joined me a half-second later, lowering his face to mine and kissing me softly as he backed me under the warm spray of water. I rested my hands on his waist, tickling the skin there. It quivered under my feathery caresses, and I smiled against his lips having just found out he was ticklish.
“It’s not that funny,” he said, unable to contain his own smirk as I continued to tickle his sides. All humor dissipated when he kissed me again, pulling me roughly against him until his erection was pressed between us.
Shifting away from him while our lips and tongues moved enthusiastically together, I slid my right hand between us and wrapped it tightly around him, pushing down to the base before making my ascent once more.
“Oh, shit,” Jensen moaned around my tongue, resting his forehead to mine, but parting our lips as I continued to stroke him firmly. Warm streams of water flowed over us as I pumped him, hopefully bringing his body the release it needed.
When his steady breaths turned to the familiar pants I heard in the kitchen that morning, I knew he was close. With my left hand, I cradled his face, coaxing his gaze to mine as I continued to pleasure him. “God, Jensen,” I whispered, our lips just barely touching as I spoke. “I want you. I wish we didn’t have to wait. I want to feel you inside me the next time you make me come.”
Just as I’d hoped, my confession was his complete undoing as his eyes fought the urge to close. He pulsed in my hand, the water washing away the physical evidence of his orgasm. I moved my left hand down over his neck, and I could feel his quickened pulse as he planted his lips firmly on mine.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Madison Landry …” The corners of his bright, sparkling eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled wide, his happiness absolutely radiating off of him. His confession shocked me a little, but I chalked it up to the bliss one feels after an orgasm and nothing more.
Feeling playful, I winked at him. “Well, I don’t know that you deserve me just yet, Mr. Davis. You may need to work just a little harder,” I teased.
“Mmm … I think I can do that.” He kissed me softly, causing another blast of desire to erupt beneath my skin. He must have sensed this, because he quickly pulled away and pushed me back under the water, running his fingers over my hair to dampen it completely. “We should get cleaned up before we run out of hot water.”
I kept my eyes trained on him as he squeezed my shampoo into his hand and worked it between his palms before massaging it into my scalp. Those same delightful tingles that worked their way into my head from his fingers earlier were back, and I found my eyes lulling shut before he rinsed my hair and applied my conditioner in the same manner.
Letting my conditioner sit in my hair for a few minutes, I switched spots with Jensen and repaid the favor by washing his hair. I knew that offering to wash each other’s bodies would just lead to trouble, so we opted to take care of that ourselves before we rinsed off and climbed out of the shower.
Jensen wrapped my towel around me, securing it tightly beneath my arms before tightening his own around his waist. “So, your room or mine tonight?” he asked as he led us from the bathroom.
“Yours,” I told him, still struggling with the idea of sleeping on my bed. “I like yours.”
Nodding his approval, he kissed me quickly. “Okay, go and put your pajamas on. I’ll be waiting.”
After a moment of deliberation, I opted for a pair of short-shorts and a fitted tank-top. Using my towel, I dried my hair a little before hanging it on the back of my door and heading across the hall where I found Jensen beneath the blankets already. His upper body was completely bare. It was unlikely that the nakedness continued below his waist where his comforter rested, but a girl could dream—and it was likely I would.
With a bounce in my step, I headed for his bed and hopped on, climbing over him to get to the spot he had tacitly designated as mine the night before. I had only made it as far as having one leg on either side of him before he ensnared my barely-clothed hips in his hands.
“I said pajamas. Not your underwear,” he groaned, his eyes growing dark with desire.
“Down boy,” I said with a devious smirk, not just talking to him. “I didn’t want things to get too hot beneath your fluffy blankets.” Yeah, I was teasing him. It was cruel, really.
Jensen chuckled, releasing my hips and lightly slapping both sides of my ass. “You’re evil. By you dressing this way, it almost guarantees things getting … hot.”
With a crooked smirk of my own, I leaned forward and used my right hand to grip his jaw, squeezing his cheeks together just a little. “You need to learn how to behave yourself.” I looked over his naked upper body. “Besides, you’re wearing far less than I am.”
“Touché,” he responded, finally allowing me to make my way over to my side of the bed. “Okay, you win.”
“Yup,” I concurred energetically as I turned away from him, lying on my left side as I waited for him to gather me in his arms. “And don’t you forget it, either, mister.”
Warmth surrounded me as soon as I had settled in, Jensen’s body pressed flat against my back as his lips kissed my neck where I knew the mark he left was visible to him. A smile spread across my face as I let the feeling sink in, soon imagining the two of us like this years from now when we’re old and gray.
I shivered as a shocking revelation hit me like a hoof to the chest. The butterflies in my belly awakened with a vengeance and a shot of adrenaline zipped through my veins.
It was then I realized why I’d been so hurt every time he reminded me what this really was. Without really realizing it—thank you, denial—I’d fallen for him. My feelings had gradually moved past friendship and casual orgasm-buddies to deep and meaningful. I must have been projecting this onto him, misreading him this whole time. Every time I thought he was about to confess his feelings, it was because I was denying my own. Because we had an agreement.
Jensen and I had agreed to keep things between us casual and fun when he first showed up on the ranch, but I was afraid I just messed it up.
I had been in denial the entire time, and I didn’t even realize it. But as we lay in bed, his arms around me and his lips brushing the bare skin of my shoulder, it became all-too clear that I had unexpectedly developed feelings for him. We hadn’t even had sex yet, and I found I craved more than he was ready to give. How could I not? He had been there for me when I was hurt, he helped me get over what Dane had done,
he protected me. I fell faster than I thought I ever could, and it scared me. Not because I didn’t trust myself, but because Jensen didn’t want this. He’d sais so repeatedly.
“Goodnight, Madison,” he whispered against my shoulder, pulling me out of my silent torment.
“Mmm,” I hummed, tamping down the fear and nerves for just a moment. “G’night, baby.”
When his fingertips danced over my lower abdomen, exhaustion took over, but my mind was still racing with my sudden discovery. I just couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering how long it would be before Jensen found out how I was starting to feel. Or what might happen when he did.
He shifted behind me, and I worried he might have picked up on my anxiety, but he inhaled deeply, and then exhaled with a soft moan. He had fallen asleep.
And I had fallen in love.
Jensen released another soft breath as I hunkered down and tried to shut my brain off, resolving to deal with everything in the morning. Exhaustion had just started to wrap around me like a warm blanket straight from the dryer on a cold day when Jensen started mumbling in his sleep.
He groaned, almost sounding a little distressed, then followed it with random words I couldn’t quite piece together. Trying to solve the puzzle of Jensen’s sleep rambling pulled the last shroud of exhaustion over me, and I was just succumbing to sleep when I heard, “Can’t feel the same way. Not ready.”
My heart sank, but my mind was made up. I would keep my feelings to myself for now. Sure, it would probably complicate things and set me up for heartbreak, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him.
Not yet.
“This is incredible,” I said breathlessly. The walls were painted a very pale blue with white trim and crown moldings. There were two windows along one wall with floor-to-ceiling dark brown curtains that were closed. The bed was huge, dressed in fluffy white linens that looked sure to be down-filled, and pillows just as light and fluffy looking that took up half the bed. A sturdy, intricate looking wood headboard with a matching dresser and nightstands completed the room.
I just started to turn to Jensen when I heard a soft thump right behind me and his hands ensnared my waist, completing my rotation before throwing us down onto the bed. I squealed playfully on our descent, and just as I suspected the blanket was so delightfully downy that it nearly swallowed us both.
Once on the bed, Jensen’s mouth found mine, his tongue tracing the line of my lips as his left leg found its way between mine. Basking in the feeling of finally being in his arms like this again, I complied more than eagerly. I moaned as I opened my mouth and our tongues met, slowly gliding against each other as my fingers wove into his soft hair. Jensen’s left hand moved down my body, a tremor of desire tingling in its wake until he gripped my ass and rolled us over until I was straddling him.
A strong feeling of longing settled between my legs, begging for an overdue release, so I pushed my hips forward in an effort to quell the ache for his touch. Both of us moaned at the friction—even with the two layers of denim between
us—and continued to writhe against each other. I slipped my hands between us and started to unbutton the shirt he was wearing as he continued to guide me on top of him, setting the speed. With his shirt now open, my fingers danced over the hard lines of his chest and abdomen until I found his belt and started to unbuckle it. I moved fast, really hoping he wouldn’t stop me this time, and had it open, along with his pants button and fly, only seconds later.
Jensen followed my lead, moving his own hands to the hem of my shirt before raising it up my body. I sat up once he reached my shoulders and finished pulling my shirt off before tossing it behind me. Jensen eyed me hungrily—like he wanted to completely devour me—and my body shook with exhilaration.
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
A.D. Ryan resides in Edmonton, Alberta with her extremely supportive husband and children (two sons and a stepdaughter). Reading and writing have always been a big part of her life, and she hopes that her books will entertain countless others the way that other authors have done for her. Even as a small child, she enjoyed creating new and interesting characters and molding their worlds around them.
To learn more about the author and stay up-to-date on future publications, please look for her on Facebook and her blog.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AD-Ryan-Author
http://adryanauthorblog.wordpress.com
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Table of Contents
Horse Play
Chapter 1. Upside Down
Chapter 2. Thrown
Chapter 3. Been There, Done That
Chapter 4. Maybe I was Wrong
Chapter 5. Just my Luck
Chapter 6. Talk About Awkward
Chapter 7. Grounded
Chapter 8. Jensen’s Orders
Chapter 9. Playing House
Chapter 10. Uninvited Guests
Chapter 11. Past Meets Present
Chapter 12. A Happy Surprise
Chapter 13. Letting Go
Chapter 14. Close Call
Chapter 15. Girl’s Day Out
Chapter 16. More to the Story
Chapter 17. Revenge: Best Served Wet
Chapter 18. Fight or Flight
Chapter 19. Trying to Forget
Chapter 20. The Truth Comes Out
Chapter 21. Smile, You’re on Candid Camera
Chapter 22. I Never Saw it Coming
Chapter 23. Oops . . . I Did it Again