Love on the Free Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  Dousing a cotton pad in the alcohol, she swiped it over both palms, blowing gently to help it dry.

  His soft groan caused her to raise her head in alarm. “I’m sorry. Did that hurt?” Alcohol could sting like a son of a gun, but his gaze didn’t reveal pain, but heat. She couldn’t help her eyes widen with shock. That same raging fire she remembered from so long ago burned from his dark brown eyes. All of it aimed right at her.

  Oh no. No, no, no, no!

  “Th-there. You’re all set.” Ducking her head, she busied herself with putting away the first aid supplies, hoping he’d leave without saying anything.

  “Jamie.”

  So much for hoping.

  “We need to talk about—”

  “No.” She cut him off, raising her head to glare. “We don’t need to talk. About anything.”

  His brow furrowed, gaze darkening. “Yes, I think we do. What happened between us—”

  “Is in the past,” she interrupted once again. “Let’s leave it there.” Heaven knew she sure as heck didn’t want to wade through that heartbreak again. “I’m your boss, and you’re my employee. For now, we’re just coworkers.”

  His jaw clenched, battered hands curling into fists. Rising from his chair, he leaned down until he was inches from her face. Warm, coffee-scented breath caressed her cheeks, teasing her lips, making her ache to feel his mouth on hers again.

  “Fine, you are the boss, but we are more than just coworkers. We have a past, Jamie, and you can’t pretend it never happened. Pretend we never happened.”

  He rose then, and she could finally suck in a deep breath.

  “Here’s a list of the things you need for the minor repairs I found.” Pulling a slip of paper from his back pocket, he placed it on her desk.

  She didn’t reach for it, couldn’t. Not with his fingers still on it. She couldn’t risk touching him again. Her body and mind might shut down if she did.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow after breakfast to help with the cleaning.”

  With that, he turned around and left her office without another word. It made her think of another time he left her. That terrible night all those years ago. Only then, he left her brokenhearted. Tomorrow, he’d be back, back to help her with her dream. Her brain could not wrap itself around what was happening right now.

  Covering her face with her hands, she screamed, the sound muffled but cathartic. “What the heck is going on?”

  The boy who broke her heart had grown into a very sexy man. He was helping her with her business, driving her hormones wild, and spinning her brain like the zipper ride at a carnival.

  Tugging her bottom desk drawer open, she grabbed another chocolate bar. Unwrapping the fun-sized candy, she sank her teeth into it and let the gooey caramel and sweet chocolate soothe her frazzled nerves. She should be able to deal with this. Heck, her job—the one she’d spent years studying and training for—was to help people overcome situations just like hers, but for some reason, when it came to Tony, she couldn’t put her profession into practice.

  Some psychologist she was.

  An image of topless Tony, glistening with sweat as he pulled the axe free, popped into her mind. She groaned, thunking her head down on her desk. Shoving the last bit into her mouth, she sighed. “I’m gonna need a bigger bar.”

  Chapter 9

  The wind whipped Jamie’s hair into her face. Brown strands tangled together, flying into her mouth. She laughed through the silky filaments, not caring if it took an entire bottle of detangler to tame the wild locks. The ride was more than worth it.

  Sitting atop the beautiful Grey Appaloosa, a sense of freedom, long missed, enveloped her entire being. Her worries floated away on the breeze passing by as she bounced up and down, clutching the reins tight while the horse beneath her galloped around the property.

  “Whoa now,” she cooed to the animal, pulling back to slow the gait. The slower pace allowed her to reach down a hand and stroke his mane. “Good boy, Bay. You are such a smart horse.”

  Bay made a small whinny sound, shaking his head as if to agree with her praise. Dang, she’d missed this. Nothing better in the world to soothe a troubled soul than a good ride on the back of a beautiful animal. The freedom of the outdoors, the connection to nature, and that wonderful mountain air could cure just about anything.

  She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. “Mmmmm, no way to bottle that.”

  Laundry detergent companies could try, but there was no way to recreate the crisp, clean, woodsy scent of fresh mountain air. The smell was one of the things she’d missed most when she left home.

  Making her way back to the barn, she passed by the driveway and glanced at the dirty, silver pickup she knew belonged to Juan Ortiz. The owner of the vehicle made her think of the man currently driving it…Tony. Her stupid brain chose that exact moment to remind her the heavenly mountain air hadn’t been the only thing she missed about Peak Town.

  Okay, fine.

  Yes, she’d missed Tony, even when the stupid, sexy cowboy baker had broken her heart. For weeks, she’d waited at school for an email, phone call, text…heck, she even hoped for snail mail. But nothing ever came, no apology, no frantic claim of making a mistake, nothing. And she’d wished for months that he had made a mistake, been too hasty in his decision and come to realize he couldn’t live without her. Every sappy movie she ever watched promised her he would see the error of his ways and come running out to beg her forgiveness and reunite.

  At the tender age of nineteen, she learned happily ever after was just a myth. Girl doesn’t get boy in real life. Boy breaks girl’s heart and gives her a complex so bad she can’t even—

  No, she wouldn’t think about her issue right now. She had a business to focus on. So what if she had some…intimacy issues to work out. Who didn’t? From the headlines on every magazine in the rack at the grocery store, everyone did. She had worked on them a bit in her own therapy sessions—school required for her degree—but that didn’t mean she’d fully gotten over her struggles. As one of her professors once said, “Saying is easier than doing. Don’t be surprised if your patients seem healthier than you at times.”

  Besides, she didn’t have the desire to contemplate men or their reasons for being bastards. She’d given up on figuring out the jerkier sex after her last disaster of a boyfriend.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Shifting in the saddle, she pulled it out to see a text message from…

  Speak of the devil. Gag reflux rising in her throat, she read the text from her ex.

  —Jamie I’m sorry. Please call me back. We can work this out—

  No, they really couldn’t.

  Another text popped up.

  —I miss you—

  “Then you shouldn’t have screwed your TA in your classroom you asshole!”

  Refusing to respond to the fifth text he’d sent that week, she shoved her phone back in her pocket. Perhaps the time had come to block his number. Her ex wasn’t dangerous, but the charming professor wasn’t used to being told no, and his persistence was getting annoying. She’d send him an email explaining they were over and if he kept contacting her she’d take more extreme measures.

  The earlier feelings of freedom and elation officially squashed, Jamie guided Bay back to the barn. She needed to brush him down and put him in his stall. More horses would be coming later, but Bay was hers. A beautiful Appaloosa she’d purchased from the Denning brothers. He would also be available for therapy when needed, but she’d bought him for herself, not her business. Even psychologists needed therapy now and then, and Bay was balm for her soul.

  When she arrived back at the barn, she wasn’t at all surprised to see Tony leaning against the paddock fence. What did surprise her was the way his eyes brightened and his lips quirked up at the sight of her.

  Her stupid heart started to race in her chest. She was not eager to see him. Not, not, not.

  “Hello, Jamie. How was your ride?”

  “Great. I really needed it. B
ay and I already seem to have clicked.”

  “He’s a beautiful creature. Much like his rider.”

  Oh dang it. She’d forgotten how charming Tony could be. Forgotten, or buried the memories because they hurt too much?

  His lips turned up into a full fledge, double cheek dimple revealing smile. At the sight, she gripped the saddle horn tight, fearing she might melt into a puddle and fall right from the horse’s back.

  Oh heavens.

  Tony’s smile could melt a woman’s panties at fifty paces. Those dimples should be classified as lethal weapons. They had always killed any working brain cells she possessed when he aimed them at her.

  “I must admit, I haven’t ridden in years.” He gazed at the horse with longing, and obviously unaware of her internal hormonal combustion. “Not much chance to ride a horse in New York City.”

  “You still ride?” In all the time they spent together, none of it had involved riding horses.

  He chuckled, stroking the horse between its eyes. Bay—et tu, Brute?—preened under the attention. “Not as much as I’d like. Most of the horses in the city pull carriages, not cowboys.”

  Watching him stroke Bay, muttering soothing words to the animal, made memories pop into her brain. Her skin warmed as she remembered the feel of those strong hands caressing her body, the deep timbre of his voice whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

  Chills raced over her, lighting every single one of her nerves on end. Heat gathered low in her belly, and she shifted in the saddle, trying to alleviate the long-missed, pleasurable discomfort.

  How the heck was she going to survive all summer with this man?

  “Here.” He gave Bay a final stroke then came around to the side of the horse. “Let me help you down.”

  She didn’t need help to get off a fifteen hand high horse, but with those tempting arms stretched out to her, and memories of the last time she felt white hot pleasure bouncing around in her brain, she couldn’t remember the reason why she shouldn’t touch this man.

  Swinging her right leg over, she released the saddle horn and reins. His hands grasped her waist as she slid down the saddle; she placed her own hands on his deliciously broad shoulders for balance. Her feet touched the ground, body inches from his. Bay—now free of his rider—shuffled his hooves, nudging her slightly. The movement caused her to bump into Tony.

  All that yummy, hard male pressed into the softness of her body. She bit back a moan. Good lord. Simply touching this man made her teeter on the edge of completion. Was she that desperate?

  Embarrassment flooded her until she raised her gaze to see unmasked heat burning in deep brown eyes. His hands gripped her tighter, pulling her closer. She gasped as the thick swell of an erection pressed against her belly. Her heart pounded in her ears, blood boiling so hot she feared she would combust if she didn’t do something, right now.

  “Jamie.”

  Her name came from his lips on a deep groan. The rough sound only serving to amp her already jacked hormones. His head tilted down, lust-filled gaze zeroing in on her lips.

  “Yes.”

  She needed this. At the moment, she didn’t care if it wasn’t the smart thing to do. She’d been doing smart her whole life. Wasn’t she entitled to a little stupid every now and then? Kissing Tony would be the epitome of stupid. They had a history. One that had ended badly. Not to mention, he was her employee now.

  Temporary employee! her inner voice screamed—the hussy.

  His length of employment didn’t matter. Nothing about this situation screamed good idea. But she didn’t care. Or rather, her body didn’t care. It wanted to feel Tony’s lips against hers once again, and she found she wanted that, too.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, arms slipping around his neck. Arching up on her toes, she threw caution to the wind. His hot breath fanned across her lips…almost there; she could almost taste the sweet heaven she knew they promised.

  Riiiiiiiiiiiing

  Startled by the loud sound, she snapped her eyes open. Her gaze fell upon Tony, inches from her, who looked equal parts frustrated and confused.

  Right there with you.

  What the heck had she been thinking almost kissing him?

  I was thinking I needed a release, and he’s just the man to do it.

  Telling her inner voice to shut the heck up, she dropped her arms from Tony’s neck, stepping out of his embrace. Whew—she could breathe again.

  Hot damn, but the man was a potent keg of sexual temptation.

  “I think your pants are ringing.”

  He pointed to her pocket where, indeed, her cell phone chirped out its loud ringtone.

  Saved by the bell.

  But she hadn’t wanted to be saved…had she?

  Pushing the confusing emotions warring inside her aside for the moment, she pulled her cell out, grimacing at the caller ID.

  “Something wrong?”

  She glanced up at his question. “No, nothing wrong.” Just her jerk of an ex who couldn’t take a hint, badgering her with calls and texts. Meanwhile, the man she’d wanted to contact her so very long ago, but didn’t, currently stood in front of her, having almost kissed the ever living daylights out of her. What could be wrong?

  I need a drink.

  “Okay.”

  But it wasn’t. She could tell by the suspicion on his face he didn’t believe her.

  “I’m going to test out the kitchen today. Do you have any special requests for lunch?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to cook me anything. I planned to make a PB and J later or something.”

  He chuckled, the sound rolling over her like soft silk.

  “Technically, it is my job. What kind of chef would I be if I didn’t make lunch for my boss?”

  The man has a point. “Oh, right. Um, I’m not picky. Just make whatever you like.”

  He stared at her, dark chocolate eyes gazing deep. She shifted on her feet, too many emotions roiling around in her gut to deal with at the moment.

  “All right. Come by the kitchen in half an hour. I’ll have something prepared for you.”

  With that, he turned and headed toward the house. Jamie sucked in a large breath of air.

  Holy moly, the man’s potent.

  And he broke your heart.

  Right, no forgetting that. She had to remember he was only here for the summer.

  Grabbing Bay’s reins, she guided the horse to his stall, removing his saddle and brushing him down. After giving him some hay and a few carrots she kept on hand for treats—she was going to spoil him but didn’t care, he was such a sweet horse—Jamie made her way back to the house. Slipping in through the front door, she washed up in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen.

  Delicious smells wafted from the room, tantalizing her taste buds before she even entered. As she made her way in, the yummy aromas finally registered in her brain.

  “Is that fettuccine alfredo?”

  Tony turned from the stove, a pot in his hand. He walked over to the table where two places were set. Hovering near, he ladled out the creamy white-sauced covered pasta onto the plates. With a nod, he placed the pot back on the stove and grabbed some green stuff she assumed from the smell was parsley. Twisting a few sprigs off, he sprinkled it over the dishes.

  “Lunch is served.” He pulled out a chair, indicating for her to sit.

  Awed by not only the meal, but also the visually stunning delivery, she sat. The creamy dish looked positively sinful, and the aroma made her stomach cramp with anticipation. Twirling her fork in the noodles, she brought them to her lips. Steam rose, and she blew on the bite before sliding it into her mouth.

  Heavenly flavors exploded on her tongue the moment the food hit her taste buds. “Sweet mother of pearl, this is amazing.”

  He chuckled. “Glad you like it.”

  Like it? She wanted to marry this meal it was so darn good.

  “Fettuccine alfredo is my favorite.”

  He sat in the chair across from her, gaze never o
nce leaving her face. “I know.”

  The fork paused on the way to her mouth, tempting bite dangling in the air. He remembered her favorite food? What did that mean?

  Unable to process the complex emotions this man brought out in her, she dug into her meal, but she feared, much like the delicious food in front of her, she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation Tony offered for long. And she feared if she did give in to him again, he might not just break her heart this time, but kill it all together.

  Chapter 10

  Tony shifted in his chair, pants growing increasingly tighter with each sensual little moan escaping Jamie’s lips. His brain tried to tell his body she was simply reacting to his food, but damned if his erection would listen. It liked the borderline erotic noises coming from her lips and wanted more.

  People often made appreciative sounds when eating his food. He wasn’t a cocky bastard like some of the chefs he’d come across in his years in the industry, but he knew his talent and skill. Food, good food prepared the right way, could be the strongest aphrodisiac in the world. A finely skilled chef could make a meal that engaged every one of the senses.

  First came the visual appeal. Plating was extremely important. No one would eat something if it looked like it came from a microwaved dinner box. Next, one had to make sure the aroma of the dish was just right, not overpowering, but strong enough to salivate the mouth and make the stomach growl with anticipation. Texture was an element often overlooked by amateur cooks. Pairing ingredients together so their consistency complemented each other was key. You wouldn’t want to see a delicious, fluffy cake on your plate and bite in only to discover it to be dry as a bone.

  The auditory stimulation coincided with the last sense, taste. Once the flavors of the meal reached a person’s taste buds, the sounds made by the eater sealed the food fate. If the dish failed, sounds of gagging and retching. If it succeeded, moans of ecstasy.

  Much like the ones currently coming from Jamie’s sweet lips.

  To distract himself from the erotic images of him eating pasta off her naked body, he dug into his own meal.