Chompin' at the Bit (Horse Play Series Book 2)

by A. D. Ryan

  Her voice was still a little rough, but she assured me it was just a cold. She’d been drinking tea with honey, hoping to soothe her throat, but as she pressed her forehead to mine, I wondered if it might be a little more serious.

  “You’re hot,” I told her.

  Smirking, she hummed and rolled closer to kiss me again. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, the rasp in her voice lending an added air of seduction.

  Before she could kiss me, I sat up and placed the back of my hand to her forehead. “No, love, you’re burning up.”

  “Jensen, I’m fine.”

  Using both hands, I cradled her face and used my thumb to check her lymph nodes; growing up with a doctor for a mother taught me a few of the basics. “Your glands are swollen. Open your mouth, please?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “You’re overreacting. It’s just a little cold.”

  “Does it hurt when you swallow?”

  She quirked an eyebrow, and went to pull the sheets back from my legs. “Let’s find out.”

  “Damn it, Madison, just answer the question.”

  With a huff, she rolled her eyes. “Yes, doctor. Sometimes—though not always—it feels like I’m swallowing glass.” She paused. “But it’s been better.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed her. “Please open your mouth.” She did as I asked, and I immediately saw the white spots on her tonsils. “I can’t be sure, but it looks and sounds like you might have strep.”

  Madison released a heavy breath. “Figures.”

  “It’s highly contagious, but if your dad will let me take you in to see my mom, we should be able to get you on antibiotics right away.”

  I flew out of bed and got dressed while Madison slipped across the hall to her room and did the same. Catching this early would require a far less aggressive antibiotic. I only hoped we hadn’t let it incubate too long.

  Wayne was just leaving his place when we strolled up the walkway, and he understood once I explained my suspicions. He handed us the keys to his truck, and I ushered Madison into the passenger seat before we flew down the highway.

  I called to see if my mother was in the clinic, but she wasn’t. She was actually in the city with my father. Madison suggested just going to a walk-in clinic, and while I was hesitant, I figured there’d be no harm in that.

  We had to wait over an hour before Madison’s name was called, and then we were in the exam room for another twenty minutes before the doctor finally showed up. He was an older man, standing around five-six, with a rounded belly and gray hair. His wire-rimmed glasses sat low on his nose as he looked down at the file in his hand.

  “Miss Landry,” he greeted. “What seems to be the problem?”

  “My boyfriend thinks I might have strep,” she replied, clearing her throat with a wince.

  The doctor looked toward me, then at Madison before feeling her throat. She winced when he asked her to swallow, and she seemed just as reluctant to open her mouth as she was when I asked her earlier. He asked her if she’d been coughing, to which she replied no, and he took her temperature, shaking his head when he read the thermometer.

  “Well, Miss. Landry, your boyfriend was right. You’re scoring at a four.”

  “Out of?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

  “Five. Your temperature is sitting at one-oh-one, your lymph nodes are swollen, there’s white exudate on your tonsils, and lack of a cough. I want to run a rapid-strep test just to confirm, though.”

  Confused by the list of her symptoms, Madison said, “Okay?”

  The doctor took a swab of Madison’s throat and did what he had to with it. Waiting for the results was agonizing, but finally, the line appeared, signaling a positive for strep.

  “I’m going to prescribe an antibiotic,” he informed her, writing down on his prescription pad. “Take them until the bottle is empty. You on the pill?”

  Madison blushed. “I am.”

  His light blue eyes glanced up over his glasses at the two of us. “Be sure to use a backup method of birth control if you’re engaging in sexual relations. Antibiotics can hinder the effectiveness of the pill.”

  “We use condoms as well,” I spoke up. “But good to know. Thank you.”

  He tore the scrip from his pad and handed it to Madison before leaving the room. We followed shortly after, hitting up the pharmacy right next door and picking up the pills.

  “Sorry I was so resistant,” she said, after taking her first dose.

  “It’s okay. I’m just glad we got you in and on some antibiotics now rather than later.”

  We arrived home around eleven. Wayne saw us pull into the drive and came over to see us as we turned toward the barn.

  “How you doin’, Madi?” he inquired.

  “Jensen was right,” she told him. “It’s strep. The doctor gave me antibiotics to take for ten days.”

  “Well that’s a relief. Hopefully they kick in soon and you can get back to feeling like your old self,” he said, placing a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Tom said you can forego training today, and I think it would be best if you take it easy for a few days until your throat feels better. There’s some paperwork I can leave for you if you need something to do.”

  A smirk toyed at the right side of Madison’s lips, and she glowered at him while shaking her head. “Gee, you’re a peach.”

  Wayne laughed. “Anything for my little girl,” he teased.

  “Is there anything left to do in the barn?” Madison asked.

  Wayne shook his head. “Everything’s been taken care of.”

  Madison looked at her father, then me. “I know you both want me to take it easy, but would either of you object to me riding Halley for a bit?”

  Wayne glanced my way, and I shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” I responded. “Just take it easy. Don’t over-exert yourself. I wouldn’t want you to exacerbate the issue.”

  “Sounds good.”

  While Madison went off to catch Halley, I made the rounds to ensure that the troughs in all of the paddocks were full. The sun rose high in the cloudless sky, and by noon, it was obvious that we were in for another scorcher.

  On my way back to the barn, I saw Madison on Halley in the outdoor arena. She’d shed the sweater she put on that morning before we went to the doctor, and then nudged Halley forward, circling the arena. I waved and then left her to the rest of her session.

  When I got back into the barn, Jillian came out of her session looking for someone to help her bring a few extra standards inside for her next lesson. We walked outside together toward the back of the barn where the extra standards were kept and we each took one and hauled them to the arena door. The task effectively killed a little more of my morning, and by the time I helped Jillian move the standards inside, it was almost lunchtime.

  Madison was already at her dad’s, cooking some soup. The guys hadn’t arrived yet, so I approached Madison and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “You know, this whole ‘being infected’ thing is a total drag,” she grumbled in a hoarse voice. She sounded worse than this morning.

  “I agree, but if you just take the antibiotics and rest, you should be better in a few days.”

  She set the spoon down and turned to face me, pouting. “I sure as hell hope so.”

  With a smile, I nodded. I was just about to say something completely inappropriate when the front door opened, and the guys came sauntering in. So, instead, I kissed her on the forehead and got started making sandwiches.

  Chapter 17. Logical Next Step

  By Saturday, Madison was starting to feel a little better. She had about seven days left of her antibiotics, but even after two days of rest and drugs, she was starting to sound better.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I told her, my hands moving up to her hips and gripping them before I quickly rolled toward her. Madison squealed in surprise as we unexpectedly fell off the bed and onto the floor, where I pinned her beneath me. My lips quickly descended on her
s, tender kisses quickly turning frenzied as my hands traveled under the shirt she wore to fondle her tits.

  That got her attention—but not in the way I had hoped. Laughing, she struggled beneath me, pushing on my arms to remove my hands from her chest. I had no intention of abandoning my post, though.

  “Hey now,” she breathed. “We should save all of this energy for tonight. There’s no time this morning.”

  I released her chest from my hands and flattened them against the cool hardwood on either side of her head. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  Her laugh echoed in the small room as she shimmied away from me before pushing herself to her feet. “Last I checked no one died from blue balls.”

  “Maybe not,” I replied dryly, standing up after her. “But it doesn’t make it any less hard.” Yeah, she heard it; apparently her Freudian slips were contagious. “Forget I said that.”

  “Mmm,” she purred, her eyes drifting down my body and her lips twisting into a cocky smirk. “Wish I could.”

  If I didn’t put a stop to this conversation—and fast—I knew that it would make it even more difficult to wait until tonight. It was already five-forty-five in the morning, and if we didn’t grab a quick bite to eat, we would be late.

  I wavered briefly between being responsible and accepting whatever punishment Wayne might dole out for us being late. Responsible won out—barely—and I smiled wickedly at Madison before standing up and throwing her over my shoulder.

  She laughed, lightly slapping my ass as I carried her down the hall toward the kitchen. “I can walk, you know!” she exclaimed, not relenting her assault on my backside. Her weight shifted on my shoulder and her hands flattened on the small of my back briefly. “Actually, never mind. I think I like this view. I think this should be my regular mode of transportation from now on.”

  “And let you get lazy?” I teased, slapping her ass and making her squeal again before I sat her on the island and started looking for something quick to make for breakfast.

  As the eggs cooked, I diced some watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew into a bowl and added some sliced strawberries and grapes. When it was done, I turned and put the bowl next to Madison as she remained on the island and returned my focus to the eggs. After plating them, I turned around to find Madison popping a grape between her lips. It really shouldn’t have been as fucking sexy as it was, but that horny bastard inside of me sure as hell thought it was.

  Madison smirked slyly, chewing slowly as I cleared my throat and walked our plates to the table. Behind me, I heard Madison’s bare feet hit the ground as she padded across the kitchen floor and set the bowl of fruit on the table before taking her seat.

  Breakfast was mostly quiet—save for the soft moans Madison made every time she would slide a piece of fruit into her mouth. She was doing it on purpose to torture me further; to build anticipation. Little did she know it was unnecessary, and if she continued to do so, there would be a very good possibility that I would have to pull her aside at some point in the day and do things to her that were probably illegal in parts of the world.

  Once we met up with Wayne and Tom in the barn, it didn’t take long to muck out the stalls. After our regular chores were done, Madison went to work with Halley, freeing up her afternoon to train with Tom.

  I had just finished when my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. Wiping my hands on my jeans, I reached for it and smiled when I saw it was my sister. “Hey, Lilah. How was Greece?”

  “Amazing! You were right.” Lilah and Kyle had asked my opinion on where to go for their honeymoon early into their engagement, and since I had done quite a bit of travelling around Europe after graduating high school, I thought that Greece would suit them perfectly.

  “Is Madison around?” she asked.

  I frowned. “You mean you’d rather talk to her than me?”

  “Pretty much,” she teased, giggling. “Nah, you know I love you. I was just wondering if I could see if she was doing anything this afternoon. I want to get to know her a little better, and Kyle got called to work, so I have the afternoon free.”

  “She’s out riding right now, but I’ll get her to call you as soon as she comes in, okay? I’m sure she’d love it if you came over.”

  “Sounds good. I guess I’ll talk to you in a bit. Thanks.”

  When I stepped out of the barn after hanging up with Lilah, I was shocked at just how stifling it was. Using the back of my arm, I wiped the sweat from my brow as I rounded the corner of the barn after finding the outdoor arena empty.

  The sight before me didn’t help my rising body temperature—or cock—at all. I stopped dead in my tracks, completely stunned into silence as I took in the sight before me.

  There, on a patch of grass about mid-way down the outer wall of the building, was Madison and Halley. Halley was tethered to the old hitching post and Madison’s back was to me as she held the hose over the large mare’s back. The sound of her laughter rang out whenever the spirited horse would throw her head up and splash her. Of course, because I was a man, I immediately noticed that the white tank top Madison was wearing was absolutely soaked through. It reminded me of our water fight in the wash stall a couple weeks ago, and was just as physically stimulating as it was then.

  Something primal stirred deep within me, and I found myself behind her in a matter of seconds.

  “Oh!” she cried, startled, when my hands found their way to her hips and turned her around. I clearly hadn’t thought it through entirely before acting, because I was suddenly drenched as well. I couldn’t be disappointed, though, because the cold water washing over me on such a hot day was refreshing.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, giggling as I backed her against the outside wall of the barn and kissed her neck. The hose fell from her hands as she wound her arms up around my neck, teasing the short hairs there while I continued to kiss the soft skin of her neck.

  “Do you have any idea how damn sexy you are?” I growled, lifting my head to look her in the eyes. “Seeing you like this—”

  Madison’s lips twisted up into a knowing smirk. “Oh, I get it. It’s the wet shirt, right?” She briefly looked down at her chest, her bra clearly visible before raising her eyes back to mine.

  I shrugged one shoulder and chuckled quietly. “Maybe just a little.” I kissed her again, meaning for it to just be a gentle peck on the lips, but as soon as our lips were pressed together, Madison’s fingers twisted into my hair, holding me in place. Her tongue slipped out, tracing my lower lip until I complied with her tacit request.

  We soon got caught up in the lust that shrouded us, tugging and pulling at one another after days of very little physical contact. The entire world didn’t seem to fucking matter as I moved my hands down her torso and up under her wet shirt until I was groping her tits again. She moaned against my mouth, rocking her hips forward to meet mine.

  There was a soft nicker to my left before cold water briefly splashed our legs, reminding us where we were. Madison and I looked over at Halley who was pawing the ground, hitting the hose every once in a while and splashing us again.

  “Cockblocker,” Madison muttered to the mare with a headshake.

  “She must be in cahoots with the rest of them,” I said with a laugh, pushing myself away from Madison and the wall. “So, my sister called and wanted to talk to you. Says she has a free afternoon and wanted to know if you were free to hang out?”

  Madison looked a little shocked as she picked the hose back up. “Uh, yeah. I have to meet with April for a certification class, but after that? Totally clear.”

  Smiling, I pulled out my phone and dialed Lilah’s number, handing it to Madison.

  She looked a little nervous, which was understandable, given what happened last weekend. Soon, her eyebrows relaxed, and she sighed with what looked like a small breath of relief. “Hey, Lilah!” A pause where I assumed Lilah spoke. “Um, yeah. I could free up some time. Did you want to go for that trail ride I promised? Yeah? Great! Okay, I’ll see you
then!” She hung up the phone before beaming up at me. “Your sister’s coming over, and we’re going to go for a trail ride. I thought I’d take her down by the river.”

  “Good,” I said, smiling back at her as she handed me my cell phone. “I’ve actually got a few errands to do in town today, so I’m glad you’ll be busy with Lilah.”

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What errands? We have enough feed. It can’t be an errand for the ranch, which can only mean it’s a personal errand, in which case I feel compelled to know—what with my birthday coming up this week and all. A birthday I specifically told you no party, no cake, and no presents for.”

  The woman was good at reading the situation and the people around her. However, I wasn’t ready to give up my plans for my afternoon, so I laughed it off, bending over to plant a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You’re being paranoid. I’m getting the oil changed in my bike.”

  “Oh. Well, okay then. Glad we came to an understanding,” she said, nodding her head once as if to affirm her point.

  Little did she know …

  “All right, I’ll let you finish up here so you can meet up with April before Lilah gets here. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  Two hours later, Lilah’s red mustang pulled into the driveway. She parked in the parking alley on one side of the barn and climbed out. Smiling, I rushed over and pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you,” I told her, setting her back on her feet and noticing how tanned she was.

  “Lilah,” I heard Madison say behind me. “I’m so happy you came by today. Are you ready to go pick out your horse?”

  “Okay, you ladies have fun. I’m going to head into town for a bit. Call if you need anything.” Placing one last kiss on Madison’s lips, I jogged toward the house and hopped onto my bike. Her birthday wasn’t for another five days, but I planned to make it her best one yet.

  I made a few stops around town before the one little shop I came across earlier in the week. Smiling as I looked in through the window again, I pulled the door open and walked through the main foyer. I knew that it was a smaller, independently owned shop, and that was actually what I preferred. Had I gone to one of the bigger, well-known chains for this sort of thing, I would have been paying out the ass, and Madison would have none of that. She would prefer no money to be spent on her, but that wasn’t going to happen.