Beats of Life (Perception Book 5)

by Shandi Boyes

  “It’s fine,” he replied softly. “But I take it they don’t know about your tattoo?” he questioned with his eyebrow cocked into the air. My eyes instantly darted towards the house, praying that we were far enough away that my parents’ didn’t hear what Slater said. When he noticed my reaction, he chuckled loudly before declaring, “I take that as a no.”

  “Shut up,” I instructed firmly, clasping my hand within his and walking briskly towards the barn. The closer we got to the barn; the more Slater’s smile enlarged.

  “This isn’t the barn I mentioned earlier,” I advised, wiping the smile right off his face.

  I giggled softly at his disappointed face before I walked him up to one of my greatest loves. “Slater met Misty, Misty this is Slater,” I introduced. Misty moved towards me and rubbed her beautiful nose right down the side of my face, her breath out of her nostril felt warm against my cheek.

  “Nice to meet you Misty,” Slater said kindly. He ran his hand down Misty’s nose, causing her to buck up and rear.

  “She has some jealously issues,” I advised. Misty was my beautiful light grey mare that I had been the proud owner of since I was ten years old. She was the one thing I miss the most about not going to a local college. I use to ride her every opportunity I got. Back then, I was lucky to get on her back once or twice a month.

  “Do you want go for a ride?” I questioned excitedly, peering down at my watch.

  We should have been able to ride out to the old barn and back before dinner if I could convince Greg to help me saddle up Misty and another horse. Greg was the leading hand on the ranch, he has been working with my dad since the day I was born. He is like an uncle to me, he is also Dominic’s dad.

  When Slater remained quiet, I turned to face him. He was shaking his head and his face appeared more panicked than what it did when I jokingly suggested that we should get married.

  “I’m not getting on a horse,” he informed mortified, looking at me like I had suddenly grown another head.

  “Why not?” I queried, just as I noticed Greg walking into the barn.

  I quickly made my way to Greg and requested for him to saddle up Charlie. Charlie was a few years older than Misty and he was also a lot more timid, so he was perfect for a first time rider. I made my way to the store room and grabbed a pair of chaps and riding helmet for both Slater and I. When I walked back out of the storeroom, Slater smiled brightly.

  “I’ve seen those before,” he advised, his eyes darting down to the chaps. “Just not in any movies you have probably watched,” he continued chuckling softly, triggering me to screw up my nose in disgust. I threw a large pair of chaps and a helmet to him, before moving to Misty’s stall to clip a lead onto her bridle.

  He watched me place a rug on Misty before gently placing her saddle on her back. When I tightened the straps under her belly, she reared up and kicked, forcing him to take a step backwards.

  “She gets cranky when she hasn’t been ridden in a while,” I informed.

  “Sounds like someone I know,” Slater replied cheekily, forcing me to smile brightly.

  Once I had finished saddling up Misty, Greg entered the barn with Charlie. “Slater this is Charlie,” I introduced, walking over to Charlie and running my hand down his white nose. Charlie is black in color, bar his white nose. “Charlie this is Slater. You need to be nice to him as it’s his first time on a horse,” I advised, staring into Charlie’s black eyes. Charlie nodded his head and neighed like he could understand me.

  When I turned my eyes back to Slater, he was shaking his head sternly. I walked towards him, nodding my head. “I’m not getting on a fucking horse,” he declared loudly, causing Greg to cough over his explicit language. Greg has three sons, but I’m pretty sure none of them would have ever swore in front of him. If they did, they would have gotten a whooping.

  “It’s just like riding your bike,” I informed quietly, standing in front of him.

  “No, it’s fucking not,” he replied, his eyes flicking back to look at Charlie. I couldn’t help but giggle over the fact that Slater, the big bad boy biker, seemed so scared of a little innocent horse. When he heard my giggles, his non-amused eyes darted back down to mine.

  I fisted his shirt with my left hand and used my right hand to pull his lips to mine. His lips were stern and dry to start with, but as the kiss intensified they became smooth and silky. When I pulled away from our embrace, his eyes slowly popped open. “We are going to the barn I told you about earlier,” I whispered quietly, trying to ensure that Greg didn’t overhear our conversation.

  Slater remained quiet, like he was considering my request. His eyes flicked between mine and they occasionally lowered down to my lips. When my tongue darted out to moisten my lips, a sly smirk morphed onto his face. He grabbed the chaps and helmet I threw at him earlier and handed them back to me.

  “I don’t wear protection,” he informed, making me wonder if he was still talking about the riding equipment. When he noticed the expression on my face, he winked before he made his way towards Greg and Charlie. Greg lowered down and assisted him in throwing his leg over Charlie and I used the stirrups to mount Misty. When I looked at Slater sitting on Charlie, it was like seeing two worlds collide. Country and Rock N Roll all rolled into one, and it was a mighty spectacular sight.

  The harshness of a pillow being roughly slapped across my right cheek momentarily breaks my fond memories. When my daze and confused eyes lift, I see the amused face of Melanie.

  “Stop fantasying about him,” she requests with her eyebrow cocked. “He is right next door if you want to go and jump his bones,” she continues cockily, moving off my bed and walking back towards the door.

  Just as she is about to exit, she turns back to face me. “Do you still love him?” she questions with her eyebrows slightly pulled together and a look on her face I have never seen before.

  Small tears spring into my eyes, before I gently nod my head. I have never stopped loving him.

  “Then go and get him,” she informs like it is the simplest thing in the world to do.

  If only it was that easy.

  Chapter 17

  Slater

  “What did you do this time?” Nick questions when he sits in the empty seat next to me in the press conference room.

  I smile at him, while shaking my head. I don’t kiss and tell. Well, I don’t anymore. Today, Kylie is back to wearing a light purple cotton dress and her little black cowboy boots. She is still wearing make-up on her face, but it isn’t as heavily coated as it has been the past week. Her hair is pulled up high into a ponytail. She looks full on country and it is the hottest I’ve ever seen her.

  Even a freezing cold shower wouldn’t have been able to touch the piercing erection she gave me after our kiss last night. It was warm, sweet and one hundred percent Kylie. Her kisses demand nothing but perfection and that is exactly what you’re given in return. When she pulled back from our embrace, her eyes slowly flicked between mine. They were reflecting back a mixture of confusion, lust and sadness. I hated the fact that our kiss made her feel sad, where I was feeling nothing but euphoria. She then suddenly declared that she forgot to put out the pretzels and quickly jumped back onto her feet and darted into the kitchen. I sat back down on the carpet, dumbfounded at the fact she decided to flee. At least this time it was only to the kitchen.

  Once Melanie successfully gained my attention, she nodded her head in the direction of the kitchen, silently telling me to go after her. I shook my head. Half of the emotions that were running through my head at that point in time scared the living shit out of me. But the other half was even more petrified that the instant I let Kylie back in, she will run again.

  My internal battle continued throughout the night as I watched her from the corner of the room. I knew she could feel my gaze on her as our eyes would constantly meet. When she advised Melanie that she was going to bed, I made my way to my room. I stopped halfway through the entrance and the first pair of eyes I spotte
d were hers. She had never been shy at making the first move and I stared at her, silently praying that she would walk towards me, to take that first leap, to prove that she was planning on staying around this time. But she didn’t move one step, she just stood still, staring at me. I ended up smirking at her before I went to sleep in an empty bed, where the first time in years I spent the night dreaming about hay filled barns……

  The instant my leg hoisted over the large black horse, I felt the most out of place I had ever felt in my entire life, and I have felt out of place on many occasions. It was even more awkward than the meeting with Kylie’s parents a few minutes before. It was only when my gaze lifted from the brown leather straps the guy handed me to look at Kylie did it make it all worthwhile. She had a beautiful smile plastered on her face and her eyes were full to the brim with lust.

  She winked before she pulled on the reigns and turned her horse around to exit the barn from the other side. My horse stayed standing firm. “Go,” I requested quietly, feeling like an idiot, since I was talking to a horse. “Move,” I requested more firmly. The guy that assisted me on the horse chuckled loudly behind me, before he slapped the horse on its hind, forcing it to move forward at a pace quicker than I had expected. Kylie had said riding a horse was no different than riding a bike, but she was full of shit. My ass was bouncing all over the place that I was certain I was going to have bruises on my backside the next morning.

  “Gently kick him with your boots,” she informed when my horse eventually caught up to hers. I looked at her mortified. I was not kicking a fucking horse. When she noticed my expression, she laughed softly and demonstrated what she meant on her horse. When she gave her horse a little nudge with her boots, she started galloping a little faster. I gave my horse a gentle nudge with my boots, but he didn’t attempt to go any faster than his slow grandma pace. I grimaced before I kicked him a little harder. This time he moved closer to a trot.

  “You got it,” she praised with a beautiful smile on her face.

  My horse sluggishly followed behind Kylie’s, occasionally stopping to eat some of the greener grass on the way. Kylie said I needed to teach him who was boss, but I was happy for him to eat the occasional blade of grass if it guaranteed me that he wasn’t going to buck me off. By the time we made it to an old wooden barn the sun was already setting. I somehow managed to get myself off the horse without breaking my leg in the process. Kylie moved towards me and grabbed the horses’ reigns and placed them both into a stall inside the barn. The barn was massive in size and the instant I walked inside, I understood why Kylie always smells like hay. The outer walls of the wooden barn were full to the brim with bales of green hay. I stood at the entrance and used my hands to massage my ass since it had gone numb around half an hour ago. Kylie’s soft giggles echoed around the barn when she noticed what I was doing.

  “Come on,” she instructed softly, nodding her head to the side of the barn. I followed closely behind her until we reached a wooden ladder that was attached to a side wall.

  I needed to adjust the front of my jeans after watching her climb up the ladder. She was wearing a pair of jeans, but her perfect little ass was enough incentive for my dick to react. The room at the top of the ladder reminded me of a kids tree house, except it was around three times larger and had a bedding of hay on the ground instead of carpet. Kylie moved over to a small window and opened it to try and rid the old musty smell that was filtering through the air, before lighting a few small candles around the room. I moved around the room taking in the space, noticing that there were several small pencil drawings of a little girl riding a horse tapped to one of the walls.

  “Did you draw these?” I questioned, trying my hardest to hold in my laughter. Kylie didn’t appear to have an artistic bone in her body. I’m not joking when I say her pictures were hideous. She slapped my bicep playfully before pulling me away from her Van Gogh inspired disaster pieces.

  She grabbed an old picnic blanket off a hay bale and shook it out until it covered a large section of the hay on the wooden floor. She pulled off her boots and laid on her back on one side of the blanket. My dick instantly re-stiffened when she tapped her hand on the spare side of the blanket, requesting for me to join her. I quickly removed my boots and my shirt, triggering her to giggle softly. I hadn’t had her in a week and I couldn’t wait any longer. I kneeled down next to her and slowly glided my body along the top of hers until our eyes met. Just as I was about to lower my mouth down over hers, she pushed roughly on my shoulders and sent me toppling off her.

  “Stars first,” she giggled softly, looking at me. My eyebrows pulled together tightly; her gaze turned to peer up at the ceiling. When I followed her gaze, I saw millions of sparkling stars in the blackened sky. It was one of the most brilliant sky’s I had ever seen. I moved to lay down next to her and clasped her hand within mine. The only audible noise for the next several minutes was the small pants of Kylie as we looked out at the sparkling sky through a large hole in the roof of an old wooden barn. It was the most peaceful I had ever felt in my entire life. I instantly understood why Kylie loved the ranch so much.

  I repositioned myself so I was leaning against my hip, my eyes slowly roaming over the beautiful side profile of her face. She smiled before she eventually turned her head to look at me.

  “You’re supposed to be looking at the beautiful sky,” she whispered softly.

  “I found something more beautiful to look at,” I replied, causing her to smile brightly. She rolled onto her hip and placed her small hand tenderly on my cheek. Her eyes leisurely roamed over my face before she lowered down her pouty lips to give me a soft and gentle peck.

  “You were supposed to be a bit of fun, an adventure, I wasn’t supposed to fall in love,” she whispered softly, her confused eyes darting between mine. I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face since she just admitted that she loved me. We had only been together for three months, but I felt like we had already created a lifetime of memories. Our next kiss was even more heated than the first and it took all of my strength to pull away from her delicious mouth.

  “Hand it over,” I requested, holding my hand out palm side up. She looked at me confused, her eyes darting between mine. “The list,” I continued, forcing her to smile brightly.

  “Don’t act like you don’t have it, I know you carry it everywhere,” I informed. She rolled over to lay flat on her back before her hand dug into the small pocket on the front of her jeans. She bites down on her bottom lip, trying to hold in her smile, as she handed me the tattered old piece of yellow lined paper. I sat up on the blanket, Kylie copied my movement.

  “Do you have a pen?” I questioned, carefully opening the folded up piece of paper, ensuring that I didn’t rip it. Kylie dove up from the blanket and moved towards her hideous drawings to collect a coloring in pencil.

  Once I had the paper carefully open, I leaned it against my jean covered thigh. My eyes darted up to Kylie, who was standing in front of me. “Cross it off,” I instructed. She hesitantly knelt down next to me, chewing on the end of the pencil. Her scared and nervous eyes stared directly into mine before they dropped down to the piece of paper. She placed her hand down on my thigh to hold the paper still as she used a red coloring in pencil to cross out the very first item on her list.

  Fall in love.

  Kylie had had that list for years. She wrote it after she watched a movie called ‘The Bucket List’. She explained that she wanted to have a list of things to achieve in her life to ensure that she had a life full of adventure and fun. We had managed to cross a few items off her list already, but scratching that one off was by far the most rewarding one for me. I carefully folded the paper back together and handed it back to her.

  “That’s not fair,” she whispered softly, placing the paper back into her jean pocket. When my confused eyes looked up at her, she stated, “You don’t have a list,” causing me to smile largely.

  I gently pulled her down onto the blanket and when I glide
d my body over hers, she didn’t push me off. Her shallow excited breaths fanned my heated cheeks as I stared directly into her pretty hazel eyes.

  “I l…l…like you too,” I replied jokingly, causing her to push me harshly off her again for the second time that night.

  “Do you still have your list?” I question Kylie when she hands me the paperwork for today’s press conference. She smiles largely before softly tapping on a small pocket that is hidden in the side of her dress.

  Now, I’m curious to find out what other things she has managed to cross of her list the past two years.

  Chapter 18

  Kylie

  “What are you doing?” I question mortified when I realize Melanie has my bucket list and a black pen. I’ve just gotten out of the shower and am in the process of drying my hair when I spot her sitting at the desk in my room with my list open in front of her.

  “It was all so boring,” she emphasizes like she is currently in the process of dying. “I just added a little more sparkle to your list,” she continues, her eyes flicking up from the piece of tattered old paper to look at me.