by A. D. Ryan
“You sure? We don’t mind—”
Before I could finish, Dad interrupted. “Yeah. It’s fine. Take a couple extra hours. We’ll manage.”
“All right. Thanks.” I wrapped my arms around my dad’s neck and hugged him. “I missed you, too, old man.”
Dad chuckled, hugging me back. “Okay, smart aleck. You get to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
“‘Night, Daddy,” I said sweetly, kissing his cheek.
After saying goodnight, I closed and locked the door before turning off the lights on the way to my room to change into something a little more comfortable. My suitcase was on my bed when I arrived, and I smiled, knowing that Jensen was likely waiting for me in his room. I suddenly found myself debating my wardrobe choices for the night before realizing that there was really only one option.
I approached my dresser and opened my underwear drawer, moving everything around until I found … nothing. I opened several drawers before moving over to my suitcase and opening it to see if maybe I absent-mindedly packed it on Friday. Nope. Nadda.
“Madison?” Jensen called from across the hall.
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to think back to where I could have put it; I was sure I put it in its usual hiding spot in my underwear drawer. “Yeah?”
Deciding to wait until morning to continue my search in favor of being in Jensen’s arms, I grudgingly pulled on a tank top and a pair of shorts before rushing across the hall. With wide eyes I stopped in his doorway, instantly recognizing the light blue shirt he wore. He sat on top of his duvet with his back against the headboard and his hands behind his head. My eyes moved up to his face—only to find him grinning cockily.
“That’s mine,” I growled, stalking toward him with narrowing eyes. If I was being completely honest, it looked good on him; the fabric wasn’t too tight, but I could still clearly see his muscular upper body beneath it. I liked seeing him in it—but I still couldn’t believe he’d snuck into my underwear drawer and took it back!
I crawled up onto the bed, moving slowly to straddle his thighs as he continued to smirk and eye me smugly. “You want it?” he asked, moving his hands from behind his head to the tops of my bare thighs. I nodded sharply, and Jensen’s fingers squeezed delightfully before he forced himself upright.
Our faces were inches apart and my breathing increased as I yearned for his kiss … his touch … My breasts brushed his chest with every breath I took, and I found myself aching for him in every way. “Then take it,” he demanded before crushing his lips to mine.
I wasted no time in ridding him of my shirt before fisting his hair in my hands and kissing him again. Hard. My hips moved against him, feeling every solid inch of him between my legs through the thin fabric of our pajama bottoms. A familiar warmth expanded in me, stretching outward as his hands moved over my hips and slipped into the back of my shorts to grip my ass firmly, and I rocked against him eagerly.
Needing to take a breath, I pulled my lips from his, smiling and meeting his burning stare. I reached for the hem of my tank top and lifted it over my head. It confused me when I lowered my face back to his and he pulled back slightly.
“What are you—?”
His head shifted to the right slightly, and he smirked. “Just making sure there’s no knocking at the door … no phones ringing. It seems we’re prone to being interrupted,” he joked.
Shifting my hips softly, his eyes fluttered, and his fingers dug into the flesh of my backside. I laughed, leaning forward and pulling his earlobe between my teeth before whispering, “I assure you there will be no further interruptions. Make love to me, Jensen. In our bed.”
Jensen sat up slowly while simultaneously pulling my hips forward. When my mouth opened in a breathless moan he kissed me, his tongue sweeping over mine in a way that left my body quivering. As we kissed, Jensen was working really hard to shove my shorts down over my ass, trying to get me naked. His attempts were futile given our current position. In an effort to keep our bodies close while getting into a position that we could work with, I wrapped my arms around his neck and shifted to the right. He followed, removing his hands from my shorts and pressing himself between my legs.
My head touched the cool pillows behind me, and I moved my hands down his body until I reached the waist of his pants and slipped them in the sides. I was able to force them down a couple inches, and from there, I hooked my feet in and pushed them the rest of the way. Never breaking away from my lips, Jensen kicked his pants off frantically, and I slipped my hand between us until it was wrapped tightly around his solid length.
He hissed a sharp breath between his teeth as I began to move my hand up and down his shaft, varying the pressure I used on each pass and running my palm over the head. In a flash, Jensen sat up and started tugging my shorts down until the position of my spread legs wouldn’t allow for any more.
Smiling slyly, I lifted my legs straight into the air between us. The way his eyes traveled down my lean legs before him, settling on my ass—which was completely exposed to him—made my breath shudder every time I inhaled.
I had just begun to drop my feet back to the bed on either side of him when he reached out and slapped his hands around my ankles, holding them firmly in place. “Wait,” he rasped. Whenever his voice sounded like that—all deep and commanding—my body reacted very, very positively. Without saying another word, he leaned over. My gaze followed as he opened his nightstand and grabbed one of the condoms he must have pilfered from my suitcase, quickly rolling it down his length before aligning us.
All it took was a shared look between us, and he placed my legs on his shoulders and pushed his hips forward slowly. The sensation of him filling me caused my eyes to close for a moment, and I moaned long and low.
When his hips rested against the backs of my thighs, he pulled out before thrusting in rapidly. I cried out as he triggered that delightful little hot-button that was very rarely stimulated during sex prior to now. Seeing just how much I enjoyed how that felt, he pulled away before burying himself inside me once more. A new profanity escaped my mouth every time he moved, bringing me closer and closer to the heights of pure ecstasy I yearned for, but instead of biting my lip to silence myself, I cried out to encourage him.
He grunted, slowing his pace before allowing my legs to fall to either side of him. His blue eyes were wild with passion as he leaned forward and kissed me deeply, working his arms beneath my body until he lifted me off the bed and onto his lap.
In this new position, our bodies were mashed together, my legs practically wrapped around him as he thrust up into me, meeting the gentle rocking of my own hips. Feeling my orgasm approaching quickly, I threw my head back, panting and gasping for air. Torrid kisses littered my glistening neck before his breath caressed my skin.
“I love you,” he sighed against my neck, wrapping his arms around me tighter and pulling my body down onto him again. “I love you.” He repeated his affections with every upward movement, and my abdomen tensed with my impending release.
“I love you, too,” I said breathlessly, dropping my face to stare deep into his eyes as my climax closed in on me. I pressed my forehead to his, locking eyes as we quickened our pace. With a moan, my eyebrows knit together as I clung desperately to his body.
My body trembled, and I unraveled in his arms. “Jensen!” I gasped as his arms tightened around me and he threw me back down to the bed.
My body was still numb, my skin all tingly and warm as his hands moved up my torso, his movements more manic as he raced to join me in post-orgasmic bliss. I watched as his eyes locked on mine, his lids hooded in lust as he came.
His arms and legs shook against me before he collapsed more of his weight on my chest, both of us breathing heavily. “That was …” he panted. “Wow.”
I laughed. “Yeah. That about sums it up,” I responded, taking in one shuddering breath after another.
Once our breathing returned to normal, Jensen excused himself, kissing the
tip of my nose sweetly before exiting the room to discard of the condom. It wasn’t much longer before he was back in bed, his chest pressed to my back. We had every intention of going to make a light dinner before turning in early, but before we knew it, we both passed out. It wasn’t surprising after an emotionally turbulent day.
Chapter 13. Officially Outed
The smell of breakfast pulled me from sleep just enough to realize I was lying in bed alone. Sitting up, I pulled the white sheet tightly to my chest and ran my fingers through my hair as I searched for my tank top and shorts. When my eyes fell on my shorts hanging half-off the end of the bed while my top was in a heap at my feet, I smiled fondly at the memory of the night before.
My happiness was short-lived as I stood, and felt a dull ache in my abdomen. It didn’t last long, but I knew instantly it wasn’t the last of them; being a woman sucked for three to five days out of the month. At least I could be thankful it held off until after our weekend away. I quickly changed and went to the bathroom to clean up before joining Jensen in the kitchen.
“Hey,” he said, turning to me with a smile. “I was just about to come wake you. The eggs are just warming in the oven while I finish with the toast.” The toaster popped, and he put the two slices onto an awaiting plate and buttered them.
I stepped farther into the kitchen, stretching up onto my toes to kiss his cheek before moving around him to grab the cup of coffee he had waiting for me. “Thanks for cooking.”
“My pleasure, love.” Jensen grabbed one of the oven mitts and grabbed the eggs from the oven, placing them on the potholder next to the plate of toast. “Okay, breakfast is ready. Dig in so we can get to work.”
Jensen and I dished up and took our places to the table, eating our first few bites in silence. As we ate, I thought about our weekend away. The way his parents seemed to welcome me with open arms definitely put my mind at ease—even if there was a miniscule part of me that was initially afraid to even compete with Kaylie in their eyes. Upon meeting them and seeing how they were around her, I soon realized that there was something missing in that dynamic entirely.
From Henry’s forced smirks when she would say something during photos, to Janet’s occasional eye-roll she didn’t think anyone would see … It was obvious that they didn’t think very highly of her at all. They also didn’t seem very shocked by the revelation that Kaylie had aborted their grandchild, and I had to wonder why.
“Babe?” Jensen said, placing his hand on my knee and pulling me from my thoughts.
“Hmm?” I smiled and looked up at him.
His eyebrows pressed together, almost curiously, and he smiled. “What are you thinking about so intently?”
I set my fork down. “About the weekend.” Jensen smiled happily … until I continued. “Your parents didn’t seem too shocked about what happened.”
Jensen didn’t say anything.
“It just sucks, you know? They’d have been great grandparents,” I whispered with another small shrug.
Jensen bobbed his head up and down a few times in agreement. “In time. Lilah wants babies as soon as possible. They’ll get their chance.”
He turned back to his food and picked up his fork, seeming a little down again. I wanted to kick myself in the ass for even bringing it up without thinking how it would affect him. I was so damn nosy.
Knowing I had to fix it, I reached across the table and placed my hand on his forearm. When his eyes met mine, I winked. “Well, I’m still bound by an oral contract to supply you with three children and a dog, so, there’s always that.”
The corners of his blue eyes crinkled as his smile stretched across his face, and I sighed in relief when he laughed. “Thank you,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss me softly. It was likely he was thanking me for lightening the mood more than he was for agreeing to give him the kids his ex wouldn’t. “Okay, we should finish up here and get out to work. You have a session with April this morning, right?”
“Mmm hmm,” I mumbled around my most recent bite of eggs.
“Do you know who you want her to ride yet?”
I nodded, having given this a lot of thought the week before. “Yeah, I want to try her out on Max. Having trained him, I have a feeling they’ll be good together.”
“Do you want me to bring him in while you prep for your session with her?” he asked, scooping another bite of eggs onto his fork.
“Sure. That would be great. Thanks.”
After cleaning up, we quickly got dressed and headed out to the barn hand-in-hand. We had no reason to hide.
“Good morning, you two!” Dad exclaimed, drawing the attention of Tom and Jeff to our arrival. “You ready to work? There’s still quite a bit to do before our new boarders show up in the next few days.” He noticed our joined hands, but all he did was smile.
“Okay, well you boys have fun with that, I’m going to go and see if Jill is using the indoor arena for her lessons so I know where April and I will be.” I looked up at Jensen. “I’ll see you later.”
The dull cramps returned, and I winced before turning away. Of course Jensen noticed it. “Are your ribs bothering you again?”
“No,” I told him honestly. “They feel great. It was nothing to worry about. I promise.”
A look of understanding seemed to flash in Jensen’s eyes, but being a gentleman, he didn’t ask for any more clarification. “All right. I’ll see you at lunch. Have a good morning.”
“You too.” Outside the arena entrance, I did a quick check of the lesson board and saw that Jillian was in a session. I gripped the handle to the large sliding door and opened it a crack, yelling “Heads up!” before opening it enough to slip through.
Jillian looked over to me with a weak smile while her two students trotted around the arena. “Hey, Madi. How’ve you been?” Her voice was uncharacteristically monotonous.
“I’ve been good. You okay?” I inquired as I moved next to her.
She shrugged. “Yeah. Remember that guy I told you about?” I nodded. “Well, he broke up with me this weekend.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I really was.
“Meh. Sure, it sucks, but everything happens for a reason, right?” Jill laughed lightly, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Blah! Enough of that.” She turned to her students for a quick second. “Okay guys, you can slow to a walk and change direction on the diagonal.” With a smile, she looked at me again. “What’s up?”
“Oh, I have my first private with April today, so I was just wondering if you were using the indoor arena for your next lesson?”
“I can. April loves riding outdoors, and it’s gorgeous out there. Take advantage of it.”
“Heads up!” a familiar voice boomed, and I noticed Jillian’s eyes brighten.
I turned to see Jensen slip into the arena, closing the door behind him before he jogged toward us. Jill leaned into me and nudged me with her elbow. “He’s so hot, huh? I realize I just broke up with Tyler and all, but I think there was something betwe—”
His eyes were on me as he approached, the blue of his irises absolutely captivating as he reached out for my hand. “Hey, I forgot something,” he whispered softly as he tilted his face down and kissed me sweetly. My entire body felt tingly, and I hummed appreciatively as our lips parted
It was like we were alone in the arena as the entire world slipped away around us. Nothing else mattered when his lips were on mine.
Beaming, he released his hold on me. “Good morning, Jillian. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He smiled at me again. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Yup.” Jensen exited the arena as I turned to find Jillian gawking. “Um, Jill?”
She shook her head and blinked a few times. “Sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to … Holy crap!” I laughed at her inability to string a sentence together. “How? When?”
“A couple weeks, actually,” I confessed with a warm blush creeping up my face.
Jillian’s eyes and smile widened. “Good for you!
” Her smile instantly transformed to one a little more devious. “Does he have a brother?”
I shook my head. “Brother-in-law. Sorry.”
“Too bad.” We both watched her students for a moment as they rode around at a steady walk. “Okay, you guys can pick up a trot. Good job, Vicky!”
“Well, I’ll leave you to this. I’ll talk to you later,” I said, making my way for the exit.
Jill waved. “Sounds good. Have a good lesson!”
When I stepped back into the barn, I heard nothing, which could only mean the guys had all gone outside or to the other barn since they were beginning to get it ready for new boarders. While all the time we had spent on the new expansion was extremely exhausting—and very expensive—it didn’t quite feel real until now. It was all very exciting to know that our successful little operation here was beginning to blossom again.
I started setting up a jumper course in the outdoor arena for April to practice on, and by the time I had the jumps set up, she showed up with Max. He was a ten-year-old chestnut gelding, and one of the best I had trained. If today went as I’d hoped, I would let April and her mother know that he was for sale.
As they approached the arena, the deep caramel color of his coat gleamed and his flaxen mane bobbed and shone in the sunlight. “Good morning, April,” I greeted as I opened the gate for her.
“Hi, Miss Landry!” she replied enthusiastically before stopping in the center of the ring and tightening the girth behind Max’s front legs.
“Please, call me Madi,” I told her with a laugh. “How are you today?”
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, gracefully mounting the large Thoroughbred gelding. “So excited! When I told my girlfriends I was training with Madison Landry … O. M. G. They were totes jealous!”
Oh, to be fourteen again.
I watched April warm Max up around the arena. It didn’t take long before April’s mood shifted from giddy to professional. She took instruction well, always nodding and accepting my constructive criticism on her posture or how she corrected Max’s form.