by Tonya Kappes
Sounds of laughter was coming from the last stall of the barn and I had my sights set on getting there. With each step, getting closer, my airway seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.
“Shh.” A hand wrapped around my mouth and an arm wrapped around my waist, drawing me into an empty stall about three down from the laughter.
I kicked my legs and fought as the person brought me down to the ground and held me in their lap. My eyes darted down to the boots. Clay’s boots.
I jerked my head to the side to find the most welcomed blue eyes.
His lips formed an O. A silent “sh” left his mouth. He kept his hand on my mouth and the other wrapped around me. Silence lengthened between us and the laughter continued as Grace and another farm hand walked down the center aisle, stopping right in front of us.
The young farm hand embraced Grace and after a big kiss, she giggled and ran off. The farm hand gave her a couple minutes to get out of there before he left, leaving Clay and I alone.
Sadness filled my heart. I had been wrong about Grace’s feeling for Clay. No wonder she questioned me about the made up rule about no dating co-workers. She and the farm hand had obviously met more than this one time.
My mind wrestled with the jealous feeling I had about her. It was something I had never experienced and made me embarrassed of my behavior. I didn’t like the way it made me so angry, so hurt, so aggressive toward Grace. I was going to have to apologize to her for my behavior. Not only was I out of line, I was out of line as her boss and the ridiculous on-the-spot rule I had made about no dating co-workers.
Clay’s lips seared down my neck creating hot pulses in parts of my body that I’d almost forgotten could feel that way.
“Fuck you,” I jumped up to put distance between me and him.
“What?” He was suddenly next to me. His brows furrowed in confusion.
“You. . .” I poked my finger in his chest. “You. . .” My chest heaved up and down as I tried to catch my breath. “You are dangerous. You made me think you were in here with Grace.”
“Me?” His face softened. “You are jealous, darlin’.”
“I’m not jealous.” I took a step back as he took a step forward. I pressed my back up against the closed stall door. I tried but couldn’t control the spasmodic tremble inside me. “I’m mad that you have come here and disrupted everything I have worked for.”
“You weren’t complaining a few hours ago.” He leaned into me with his hands planted on the door on each side of my head. “I’m exactly what you need, darlin’.”
“You are dangerous.” I spat. A pulsing knot within me demanded more. He made me feel like a breathless girl of eighteen. I didn’t care. The desires were too hard to resist.
In one forward motion, I threw my arms around his neck. Putting a large hand on the small of my back, he drew me close to him causing my body to tingle from his contact. My trembling limbs clung to him as he swept me airlessly into his arms. I nuzzled my face into his neck, knowing what was coming. I was his.
He carried me over to the hay bed in the far corner of the stall and laid me down. He slid his hands across my belly, bringing my polo shirt over my head. He pulled his shirt off and lowered his body down on mine, causing me to gasp out in desire.
His demanding lips caressed my body as he peeled off my boots and jeans, leaving me vulnerable and wanting. His hand seared a path down my abdomen and rested on my thigh, leaving me begging him for more.
“Oh,” I gasped as he lowered his body on me.
“Are you okay?” he asked as our bodies were in exquisite harmony with each other.
Unable to talk, I let the waves of ecstasy throb through my body, soaring higher and higher until our peaks were reached.
I shivered with chill and fatigue.
“Are you okay?” he asked once more, carefully wiping the stray strands of hair away from my face.
“Perfect,” I whispered as I molded into the curves of his body.
Chapter Eleven
“Where did you go?” Rosemary asked when I had walked back into the office.
“I had to run back to the cottage to grab something.” I took the messages out of the bin with my name on it.
“We tried calling your phone and I think Leonard sent Grace to your cottage.” Rosemary eyed me suspiciously.
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” I shrugged and continued to look down at the messages, flipping through them one-by-one, trying to keep my shaking hands steady.
Images of what had just taken place in the barn flipped through my mind. I would never forget a single detail. Pure joy ran through my veins and nothing was going to take that away from me.
“What’s so urgent?” I finally asked.
“Leonard said you have to leave for Texas in the morning. The Sheikh has changed his plans to come to the states today.”
“Shit.” The idea of leaving Clay made my heart ache and I wasn’t even gone yet.
“Are you okay?” Rosemary asked.
“Yes,” I gasped. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
I tilted my head to look out the window when I saw Clay enter the ring with Brilliance again.
“Because you haven’t been on your game for a couple days now.” Rosemary glanced out the window. “Especially since Clay Preston showed up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I tucked the messages in my back pocket. “I’m just amazed at how good he really is.”
Little did she know that I meant he was great in bed.
“You better get back there to see Leonard,” she warned.
I didn’t let myself look out the window again. The down-low approach of me trying to keep my secret little love affair with Clay didn’t seem to be working. I was going to have to get better at having a game face.
“Were you looking for me?” Gently I knocked on Leonard’s door.
He looked up. The stress on his face showed in the depths of the lines on his face.
“The Sheikh threw a curve ball and you will be leaving in the morning.” Leonard dropped his head back down to the desk. He held up the paper before him. “It’s not a secret that we haven’t gotten new clients. These new farms have the latest equipment, new technology, things we don’t.”
“We can get those things.” I walked in and eased myself into the chair.
“Not if we aren’t bringing in clients.” His eyes were hollow. “It takes a lot of money to run a farm like the Lady B and a whole lot more money to get the latest technology.”
“I’ll be ready to go.” I pushed myself up to standing. The thought of Clay in my bed alone made me sad. “We will get this all worked out.”
“I hope so,” Leonard murmured when I walked out the door.
The rest of the afternoon, I had a hard time getting my little afternoon love-making session out of my head to wrap my head around work and what I needed to do about the big meeting tomorrow. Rosemary had given me the airline tickets and I was going to be gone for twenty-four hours. Still it was a night away.
I went to grab the lighter out of my back pocket, but it wasn’t there. I patted my hands around the top of my desk, but didn’t find it there either.
“Come in,” I said when there was a knock at the door.
“Is there anything I need to do for you before you leave tomorrow?” Grace asked when she opened the door.
I pulled open the drawers of my desk to find another lighter. I had to light the Zen candle to help get my head in the game. I walked over to the bookshelves and scanned them.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“A lighter. I was going to do a little office yoga and think about the meeting,” I lied. My mind was completely warped with images of Clay’s eyes soaking in my body beneath his. The way his eyes desired me danced in my brain, making me tingle all over again.
“I’ll get you one.” Grace walked out and was back in no time with someone else’s lighter.
“Thanks.” I lit the candle
and gave the lighter back to her.
“So?”
“So what?” I asked.
“Do you need me to do anything for you to get you ready for your trip?” She stood with her hands on her hips. I could tell she was annoyed by my lack of attentiveness. “Are you sure you are okay?”
“You know what.” My eyes grew and I walked over to her and placed a hand on each of her arms. “I’m better than okay. I’m great. In fact, I’m giving you the next couple of days off since I won’t be here. Maybe catch up with a boyfriend or something.” I dug a little to see if she was going to tell me about the secret love interest with the young farm hand.
“Thanks!” Excitement escalated in her voice. She turned on the balls of her feet and darted down the hall as if I was going to change my mind.
Happily I sighed and shut the door behind her.
The smell of the candle was already calming my senses. I pulled the yoga mat from my closet and laid it on the floor in front of my desk.
I had all the intentions of doing a few moves Millie had taught me to help with focusing, but my mind wasn’t having any part of it. My memories danced around, bouncing from last night and today’s tryst with Clay.
“Get it together,” I mumbled and threw my arms over my head, resting them on the floor. I elongated my legs and took a few deep breaths in my nose and out my mouth.
“Come in,” I said with my eyes still shut when there was a light tap at the door.
I heard footsteps and the door shut behind them.
“I guess I should join you?” The shadow of Clay stood over me when I opened my eyes.
A smile crossed my lips. I kept my pose.
“I was just trying to get you out of my head.” I sighed and kept my eyes closed.
“I can’t get you out of my head. That is why I’m here.”
I opened my eyes and my brow raised.
“I thought that we could grab a bite to eat.” He held his hand out and I took it for him to help me off the ground, though I was more than capable of getting off the floor myself.
“Aren’t we going out to dinner later?” I asked, wondering if he changed our plans.
“We are.” He pulled me closer. With his hand on the small of my back, he brought his body against mine. He tucked his lips next to my ear and whispered, “I just can’t wait that long, so your momma fixed us up a little picnic snack to enjoy by the pond.”
I pulled back and tapped my finger on his chest.
“Don’t get used to my pond.” I put my hand up on his neck and drew his face down to mine, giving him a sweet kiss.
“I need your signature—” Grace let herself into my office. Her hand fell and the papers tumbled to the floor, scattering all over. I jerked away from Clay. “Clay.” Grace pinched her lips together, her face reddened from embarrassment.
“Grace.” He nodded.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” I swallowed hard.
Clay knew I was talking to him. He nodded and walked past Grace. They exchanged a glance that sent chills up my spine. Grace bent down and picked up the pile of papers, trying to straighten them as she stacked them.
“I’ll help.” I went to bend down next to her, but she stopped me.
“I’ve got it.” There was an irritated tone in her voice. “Really, I’m sorry I walked in without knocking. I just thought. . .”
“No. I’m sorry you walked in on that.” I took a deep breath. “I know better than to bring my personal life in here. I’m sorry.”
“No,” Grace held her hands up in front of me to stop me from talking, “It’s your office. And I should know better than to walk in. You are my boss.”
“We are friends.” I assured her to help ease the embarrassment from both of us.
“You are my boss.” The sideways smile on her face told me everything she ever thought about me had just changed. She walked past me without looking at me and put the papers on the desk. “You can leave those here after you sign them and I’ll pick them up before I go home.”
“Grace,” I tried to stop her before she walked out the door.
“Yes?” she turned and asked.
“I’m so sorry about my behavior. I shouldn’t act that way in my office.” I didn’t have to say why I was sorry, but it was the right thing to do as her boss.
“You are human, right?” she asked. Her eyes bore into me waiting for my answer.
A moment went by as the silence hung between us. There was no need to explain. She turned back around and before she made it out the door, she glanced back at me.
“Tell me.” She put her hand on her hips and cocked her leg to the side, leaning on it. “Did you put that ‘no dating employees’ rule in for me or for you?”
“Grace.” I gasped and watched her dart down the hall and around the corner. I wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to hide her secret relationship with the farm hand, but it was too late.
I couldn’t sign the papers fast enough. I had to get out of that office before Grace told everyone about what she had seen. I wasn’t too far off the mark when I walked past Rosemary to leave. She couldn’t even look at me.
It wasn’t like no one would be happy for me to have a boyfriend, whether it was Clay or not, but not at work. I had a strong work ethic. I had morals. Unfortunately Clay had some sort of control over me that threw all of that out of the window.
“Have a nice trip,” Rosemary said.
“Thanks.” I smiled. “You know how to reach me.” I patted my butt where my cell was in my back pocket.
“Vivian.” Rosemary stopped me shy of the door. She waved something in her hand. “Clay is going to need his ticket too.”
“Clay?” My head tilted to the side.
“Leonard wants Clay to go with you to make sure you stay safe.” She smiled from ear-to-ear. “And he also booked him a room at the same hotel, but I thought you’d only need one.” She winked. “So I upgraded your room to a king suite.”
I felt the blood rush to my face. I gulped.
“What?” she asked. “We all think it’s about time you let someone other than this place in your life.”
I walked back over to her desk and took the envelope from her.
“Does Clay know about this?” I asked and opened it to see his name was clearly on the airline ticket.
“No, but your momma called over to let me know that your snack that Clay has for you is going to ruin if you don’t hurry down to meet him.”
“Thank you.” I left the office in a full trot.
My heart fluttered. I couldn’t get to Comet fast enough.
The thought of all of my dreams coming true were almost too much to handle.
The dream job of being a manager of the Lady B along with a man who understood how I felt about the job and the passion we shared for not only the job but for each other.
Clay was waiting and I couldn’t wait to jump back into his arms. Comet could feel my joy as he galloped to the pond without me having to guide him.
“Are you kidding?” Clay asked when I told him about the airline ticket.
“No. Why? Don’t you want to go away with me?” I couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious.
The pond was particularly blue today. The sun beat down, giving a little twinkle to the still water. The flowers surrounding the water’s edge were vibrant with all the colors colliding like one big oil canvas. It was spectacular to see.
“Of course I want to spend all my time with you.” Clay sat the picnic basket that Momma had made on my favorite rock. As he continued to talk, he peeled off his Lady B work shirt, exposing the beautiful chest I had rested my head on all night.
He was unaware of me staring at him, almost drooling over the fact that he was here with me.
He looked back at me with the bottle of wine in his hand. He put the wine down and held out his arms. “I can’t wait, darlin’.”
The touch of his hands ran up through my arms. He rested them on my shoulders.
“Y
ou are amazing. And I didn’t like the fact you were going to be somewhere alone without me to protect you.” He kissed the tip of my nose. He ran his hands down my waist and grabbed the edge of my shirt, bringing it up and over my head. “Plus it’s only right next to my hometown. I want you to meet my family.”
“Family?” I asked and swallowed hard.
“Yes. You are important to me.” His eyes scanned down my body, hungry before he drew me in for a long kiss. “The more I think about it, the more I couldn’t bear to stay here thinking about this place without you.”
Before I could even catch my breath, Clay was already stripped down and in the pond.
“Come on, darlin’.” His teeth sparkled underneath his all-out grin. “I’m lonely in here.”
It didn’t take too long for me to join him and find my place in his arms. It was the happiest I had ever been. I looked at him, taking it all in.
I smiled. All of my dreams were coming true and I wasn’t going to let Infiniti Farms shatter any of them.
“We are going to show the Sheikh how amazing you are.” I had a great idea. “I want to have Grace film you before we leave. Can you work with Brilliance this afternoon while I get ready for the trip?”
“Anything for you.” Clay laid my body back on top of the water and floated me to the edge.
I got out, not caring what he was staring at and texted Grace to ask her if she wouldn’t mind taping Clay and Brilliance before she left for her couple days off. Immediately she texted back and said she didn’t mind at all.
I slipped back into the water and right back into Clay’s arms for the short time we had left. Needless to say, nothing was eaten out of the basket. Our time was precious and we didn’t waste it on eating food.
Chapter Twelve
“I hope you are getting all of this.” I walked up behind Grace as she was filming Clay and Brilliance in the ring.
“It’s really good too.” Grace sounded pleased. “Brilliance sees Clay and he just gets so calm.”
“He does.” My eyes danced around the ring watching Brilliance follow Clay around without a rope.