by A. D. Ryan
“I suppose,” Jensen mumbled.
I put the reins in my left hand and reached out with my right to run my fingers through his hair as he kept pace with Starla and me. “Look, she took the jump, and more importantly, I didn’t fall off. I’d say that’s a pretty successful day, wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah,” he conceded, an impish grin quirking the left side of his lips up. We moved to the center of the arena where I dismounted and stood before him. “I have to go out to the far paddock to check on the horses out there. Your dad said there’ve been a few coyote sightings and he wants to make sure the horses out there are okay and that they aren’t coming near the grounds.”
I nodded. “Okay. Be careful.”
He pressed his lips to mine. “You too. See you in a bit.”
The rest of the afternoon was pretty humdrum. I taught the afternoon lessons as agreed upon by Jill and me while she worked on her invoicing for the last week. Time seemed to fly, and before I knew it, it was five and we were beginning to bring the horses in for the night.
By seven, the stalls were full of happily feeding horses and Jensen was just tightening Halley’s girth for me. I stopped by my dad’s office before we headed out and knocked softly on the open door.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, raising his eyes from the computer screen. “What’s up?”
“Just wanted to let you know that the horses are in and feeding. Jill is in with her seven o’clock lesson, and Jensen and I are going to take Halley and Ransom out on the trails,” I informed him. “You okay with that?”
Dad smiled. “Yes. Thanks for letting me know. You two be careful.”
“We will.” With one last wave, I walked briskly to the end of the barn where Jensen was waiting for me.
He handed me Halley’s reins, and we stepped out into the cool evening air, mounting our horses before hitting the trails. The breeze was nice on my bare arms, and it wisped through my loose hair as we found the farm’s first marked trail.
“So, you really don’t want anything for your birthday? We could invite Willow and Brandon over and—”
I shook my head before cutting him off. “Nope. I’m quite content to just have a quiet dinner with you and Dad, and go on my father-daughter trail ride.”
He didn’t protest, merely looked at me like I was crazy and nudged Ransom into a trot. We walked the trails as the sun began to set, talking about the possible coyote problem.
“Did you see any signs that they were close to our land?”
Beside me, Jensen shrugged, seeming a little unsure. “Well, I think the prints I saw could have been from a coyote or a large dog. I can’t be too sure. I got all the horses moved to the paddocks within the grounds in hopes we can keep them safe through the winter. Have you ever had a problem with coyotes or even wolves before?”
I shook my head. “Not that I can recall, but we had a dog up until a couple years ago. I think it’s an Alpha-male thing, and it kept the wild dogs at bay.”
“What happened to the dog?”
“Oh, he was ancient. He was my grandfather’s. Best dog ever,” I said, fondly remembering Shadow. “He was this gorgeous Doberman/German Shepherd cross.”
“Have you ever thought of getting another dog?”
I hummed contemplatively. “Um, sure. I would love another dog; I guess we’ve just been so busy around here that I never really thought about it. I always wanted a German Shepherd. They’re so loyal and are by far one of the best guard dogs out there, based on my experience.”
Jensen grinned. “I had a shepherd as a kid. She was the best.”
“So yeah, maybe when things settle down, I’ll start looking for a dog,” I said with a shrug. “Hopefully it’ll help with the wild dogs loitering about.”
A smile slowly crept across Jensen’s face, but before I could ask him what he was plotting, he nudged Ransom into a gallop. With a laugh, I urged Halley forward with a squeeze and chased him through the trails until we came to the river and slowed to a walk, laughing.
The sound of the river flowing was soothing. We allowed Ransom and Halley to lower their heads for a drink before we walked along the bank, talking and taking in the scenery. It was all so peaceful and serene. It was the perfect end to a pretty great day.
Chapter 15. The Perfect Gift
Madison groaned, pulling the blanket up over her face to block out the sun that was starting to brighten the room.
I raised my arm and turned over slightly to slap the snooze button before resuming my previous position, enveloping her warm body. “Good morning, love,” I whispered, placing a soft kiss just behind her ear. “Did you sleep well?”
“Mmm hmm.” Her voice was muffled beneath the thick comforter.
Kissing her again, I hugged her a little tighter, her ass coming into contact with my groin. There was a brief moment where I contemplated ravaging her, remembering once the fog of sleep in my brain cleared that we couldn’t. “How are you feeling?”
With another groan, Madison pulled the blanket from her face, causing her hair to stand on end due to the static electricity of the down duvet. I chuckled, raising my hand to tame her flyaway hairs. “My lower back is killing me, actually.”
Slowly, I lowered my right arm down her body, stopping just above the curve of her backside. Then I slipped my hand beneath my shirt that she was wearing, pressed my thumb into the muscle there and began to rub in a circular motion. It never once occurred to me that my overwhelming need to take care of her in whatever way she needed would backfire on me and torture me further—until she started moaning and telling me how good it felt. I really had to fight the urge to thrust my hips forward against her ass with everything I had.
“Do you need any Advil?” I rasped, suddenly eager to get out of bed, yet not easing the pressure or stopping because I needed to be touching her. Like I said: torture.
She turned her face to me and kissed me quickly on the lips. Her cheeks were pink, and I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she was getting herself a little worked up a moment ago as well. “You’re sweet. I have some Midol in my medicine cabinet. I’ll grab some when I go to get ready,” she assured me.
“Okay. What do you want for breakfast? I’ll go and get started on it,” I offered as she pulled herself out of my arms.
I smiled as she stood, watching my T-shirt fall over the tops of her thighs. Even though I bugged her about wanting it back—because I did—I definitely loved seeing her in it. I wasn’t sure if it was just the fact that she was completely wrapped up in something that belonged to me, or if it was because she loved that it was both mine and a nerdy Trekkie shirt. Whatever the reason, I would gladly give it to her for keeps—but would never willingly tell her that.
“Omelets?” she suggested quietly.
Nodding, I sat up and swung my legs off the bed to pull my flannel pants on. “Okay. I’ll go brush my teeth and get started on them.”
Not wanting Madison to have to wait, I grabbed my toothbrush and snuck into the ensuite washroom that the spare room had and took care of my morning needs before breakfast. As I looked around the half-bath ensuite, I could tell it was added on after the initial construction of the home. Usually, a one-story farmhouse as old as this one was pretty basic.
In my time living here, I could tell that Madison had likely put a little bit of money into the home to make it hers. The newer hardwood floors and carpet would attest to a renovation in the last five years, as well as the addition of this washroom and the fully renovated basement suite.
As I stood in front of the mirror looking around, I found myself wondering why Madison never took this bedroom upon moving in. Not only was it bigger and brighter due to the two large windows on the walls that formed the outer corner of the house, but it had a private washroom.
I kissed Madison on my way to the kitchen where I placed the frying pan on the stovetop and turned the burner on to warm. I gathered all the ingredients for our breakfast, took them to the island, and began to prepare everything
in a mixing bowl.
I had just poured the egg mixture into the frying pan when Madison emerged in jeans and a tank top, wearing a zip-up hoodie overtop to guard her from the morning chill. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she smiled as she reached for the coffee. It had just finished brewing, so I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to pour it for her.
While I continued to look after breakfast, Madison poured our coffee before taking hers to the table and sitting in her seat. One look over my shoulder told me she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent yet, and I couldn’t help feeling the deep-rooted desire to usher her back to bed to sleep it off.
“I’ll be fine, Jensen,” she said, pulling her foot up onto the chair so her thigh rested against her chest. “As soon as the pills kick in, I’ll be right as rain.” Her voice sounded a little hoarse to me, as well, and I worried she might be getting sick.
When our omelets were ready, I plated them and took them to the table where we powered through them before I went and got dressed for work. Our morning was no different than any other as we cleaned out the stalls before going our separate ways. After doing a walk-through of the grounds, checking the troughs, I grabbed straw from the shelter. I slipped on my work gloves, grabbed the twine that held the bale together, and lifted it with ease before taking it about forty feet to my left and into the new barn. According to Wayne’s huddle with us this morning, we had several new boarders showing up in the next couple of days, so he wanted me to make sure the stalls were ready for when they arrived.
After laying the straw on the floor of four of the thirty stalls, I grabbed another bale for four more to restock. With the eight stalls we expected to fill padded with fresh straw for the horses, I ran over to the other barn for a couple bags of oats for storage as well. Madison was nowhere to be seen as I walked from one barn to the other, so I assumed she was either busy with Jillian or maybe in her father’s office doing some paperwork.
The main barn was empty, and as I passed by the arena door, I could hear Jillian’s loud voice as she disciplined one of her morning riders for trailing to close to another rider.
I walked the length of the barn aisle toward the feed storage room, and just as I rounded the corner, I gasped sharply. I didn’t mean to, but it caught me off guard to find Madison in there. Finding her there wasn’t the reason I responded the way I did, though. To be honest, my reasoning was actually pretty ridiculous and the product of an as-of-late under-sexed brain.
There was nothing overtly sexual about Madison standing up on the stepladder, her body stretching long as she reached for a nearly empty bag of alfalfa pellets, but I was on the verge of sporting major wood, regardless.
I stood there, staring at her as she struggled to reach that damn bag. A gentleman would have offered to get it for her, but I was frozen in place, my eyes moving up her lean, denim-clad legs, over her tight little ass until my gaze locked on a two-fucking-inch sliver of skin between her jeans and tank top. Depraved thoughts of licking the exposed flesh suddenly crossed my mind, and it wasn’t until she spoke that I snapped out of it.
“Are you seriously just standing there?” she snapped.
Shaking my head and forcing my eyes to hers I apologized. “Sorry. I, um … No, there’s no excuse for that. I’m just sorry. Here, hop down, I’ll grab it.” I held out my hand for Madison so she could step down carefully, the gentleman in me finally bitch-slapping the horny pervert into submission—for the time being, anyway.
“We’re going to need more. That’s all we have left,” Madison said as I stepped up onto the ladder and snatched the bag from the top shelf. “Oats too.”
“I’ll head out to the feed store before lunch. Can you think of anything else we might need?” She shook her head. “Okay, if you think of anything, let me know.”
“I will.” She took the bag of pellets from me and smiled. “And thanks for helping me. Even if it did take you away from ogling my ass.” The little vixen was trying her hand at being a tease again. Well, two could play at that game.
Impulsively, I pulled her toward me, turning our bodies until I had her sandwiched between me and the wall. “I mean it, Madi. If you think of anything you might need … You let me know.”
Her big eyes widened as they danced between mine, the light picking up the flecks of green, and her breathing quickened. With my body pressed right against hers, I could feel her heartbeat—or maybe it was mine. “Jensen, what are you doing? I was just teasing. We can’t …”
I smirked before leaning down and kissing her softly. “Maybe not today,” I whispered, my lips ghosting over hers. She exhaled a shaky breath as I parted our bodies. I was pretty sure her knees were trembling as she flattened her empty hand against the wall, bracing herself.
Feeling pretty satisfied with myself—and pretty damn frustrated at the same time—I smiled. “I’ll head into town now. Maybe I’ll stop at the diner and grab something for lunch. Will you see what the guys want and give me a call?”
“Sure. But this isn’t over.”
Chuckling, I stepped forward and kissed her. “Wouldn’t be any fun if it was, now would it?”
I climbed into the truck since I knew my bike wasn’t the best option if I had to load up on feed. I missed riding my bike and decided to see if maybe Madison might want to go for a ride sometime. The drive to town was quiet due to the stereo not working—I’d have to remember to take a look at the wiring later and see if I could figure it out.
My shopping trip didn’t take long since I already knew what I needed. After paying the cashier, I loaded up the truck, and just as I climbed behind the wheel, my phone rang.
“Hey, Madi.”
“Hey. Just talked to the guys. My father would like a cheeseburger with fries—he’s trying to clog his arteries, I swear. Tom and Jeff both asked for a turkey club on white with a side of fries. And I’ll have a spinach salad. If you could ask them to throw some egg and a little cheese on there, that’d be awesome.”
“Sure. I’ll see you in a bit then. Love you,” I told her, unable to contain the goofy grin on my face; people walking by had to think I was absolutely certifiable.
“I love you, too. See you soon.”
We hung up, and I drove to the diner to put the orders in. While I waited, I decided to walk along the sidewalk of the strip mall where the quaint little restaurant was located.
Next to the diner was a card shop, next to that, a small, independently owned bookstore, then a small children’s clothing store. After passing the last window of the kid’s clothing store, I stopped, staring directly into the window of the next little shop. A wide smile broke across my face and my mind was made up. Closer to Madison’s birthday, I would be coming back to buy her birthday gift.
Chapter 16. One Thing After Another
The next few days were … long. The monotony of the everyday didn’t help either. Madison and I would wake up—me extremely turned on from the way she would sleep against me. The first and second nights she slept with her back to my chest, and I thought that was bad enough. Well, the third night, she rolled over sometime in the night and draped her leg over my body. That wasn’t enough to wake me, however; it wasn’t until she started sighing breathlessly and moving her hips that I awoke with a start.
I wanted to believe it was an innocent dream, but once she started saying my name, I knew it was more. She was going to be the death of me. I tried to ignore it, but the longer I waited for her dream to end, the more aroused I became.
It was common knowledge that you weren’t supposed to wake a sleepwalker. But what was the rule for sleep … um, sex? No, what she was doing wasn’t sleep-sex; it was grinding and moaning and touching … Oh, God. Her soft hands started moving over my chest, my skin breaking out in goose bumps even though I was anything but cold.
“Madi,” I whispered, pressing my lips into the top of her head and running my fingers along her back. “Baby, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”
With a quiet snort, Madison�
��s head lifted from my chest. Even in the dark, I could see her blink a few times as if trying to fully breach the surface of consciousness. “Jensen? What time is it?” Propping herself up on her right arm, she used the back of her left hand to rub her eyes.
“It’s about two in the morning. You were sort of talking in your sleep,” I explained, kissing her temple before easing her back down onto my chest.
I could feel Madison’s forehead furrow against my lips. “I was?” Then she gasped.
Laughing, I rolled onto my side, gently forcing her head to the pillow as my eyes captured hers in the dark room. “I figured I should wake you before my brain was no longer in control,” I explained, trailing my right hand along her face, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.
Her eyes fluttered before locking on mine again. “God, I want you so much. I hate this.” I had to laugh again because she was adorable when she pouted.
“Soon enough.” I brushed the end of her nose with my own before leaning in to kiss her. I kept the kiss short and sweet in an effort to keep our mounting sexual frustration from escalating any further. If it did, I couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t spontaneously combust.
“We should get some sleep. We have to be up in a few short hours,” I whispered against her lips.
Madison hummed moving forward and snuggling into my body as my arms encircled her. “I love you too, Jensen.”
The next morning I awoke to Madison staring at me. She was lying on her side, her head propped up by her left hand.
Closing my eyes, I stretched my body. “Good morning,” I groaned. “How was your sleep?”
“Pretty good.” There was something in her eyes that intrigued me. I was about to ask her what was going on when she leaned forward and kissed me. She tasted minty fresh, telling me she’d been up for a bit. “I’m happy to report that tonight you’d better be prepared to have your world rocked, Jensen Davis.”