Arching her back, she hooked her bra in place. “I did, didn’t I?” She tried to be nonchalant about it, but remembering the circumstances under which she’d made those threats caused her to throb with longing. Moisture gathered between her thighs, and her n**ples ached.
“So what I want to know is . . .” He paused to tuck his shirt into his jeans. “Were those idle threats or serious ones?”
“Very serious ones.”
“Thank God, because if you want to know my overriding fantasy, it involves your mouth and my cock.”
She sucked in a breath. “You’re a terrible tease, Fletcher Grayson.”
“So they say.” He didn’t seem worried about it.
“We’re headed down to the barn to check on your mare and her foal. You know damned well I’ll think about that the whole time we’re down there.”
“You will? That’s awesome. And, bonus, you won’t be called upon to operate any heavy machinery.”
She grabbed her shirt and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Wow, a preview. Now I’m really excited.”
She finished buttoning her shirt and started toward the door. “Not me. I’m cool as a cucumber.”
“Liar. Even though you’re wearing a bra and a shirt, I can see your n**ples poking out.”
She glanced back at him. “And I can see the bulge in your pants, hotshot. Shall we go, or can you walk?”
“I can walk just fine.” He winced, but he kept his stride steady as they left the house and stepped outside. The afternoon had been cooled a little by the rain, but some late sunshine had made the air muggy.
Astrid glanced around as they walked the short distance from the house to the barn, which was three times the size. Fletch had put the bulk of his money there, which made sense because he was only one guy who didn’t need much space, and his future success was tied to the horses he housed in the barn. “Where is everybody?” she asked. “The place seems deserted.”
“We feed early on Sunday so everyone can take off and have time for personal business.”
“That’s a nice thing to do for your hands, but I’ll bet you stick around and keep an eye on things.”
“It’s my ranch.” He said it with pride.
“Guess I’ll need to come out and visit you on Sundays, then.” That would suit her better, anyway. Better for her to hang out with him than the other way around.
His glance was quick and intense. “You’ll do that?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
His smile took her breath away. “Good.”
She felt a pang of guilt. No telling where this was going, but she could tell they were both becoming invested very quickly. Maybe eventually she’d be able to tell him about her background, and maybe he’d be okay with it. Maybe her parents would understand that he was not a fortune hunter, and they wouldn’t subject him to the third degree.
And maybe none of that would work out, and the relationship would crash and burn. But she couldn’t give him up. Not yet. They might tire of each other, and that would solve everything. Fat chance. She was as likely to tire of Fletch Grayson as Janis was likely to win the Kentucky Derby.
He fished a key out of his pocket and opened the padlock securing the double doors into the barn. He left the doors open so the late afternoon sun could light their way as they walked back to the foaling stall. Astrid thought of all that had happened since she’d left this barn mere hours ago. She couldn’t regret any of it.
Mother and son lay in a bed of clean straw. Janis was awake and alert, and Buddy was curled against her side, fast asleep. His coat looked good, and his breathing was even.
“Hey, girl.” Fletch spoke to Janis. “Nice kid you got there.”
Janis nickered, but she didn’t get up, as if she didn’t want to disturb her sleeping baby.
“I have the feeling she’s ready to settle in for the night,” Astrid murmured.
“Me, too.” Fletch slipped his arm around Astrid’s waist and drew her close to his side. “Messing with them now seems wrong. Janis has it under control.”
“She looks calm. No signs of distress.”
“That’s what Herman said, but I like seeing for myself. Look at those identical white socks on her and Buddy. I’m stoked about that.”
“They’ll be a photogenic pair.” Wrapping her arm around his waist, Astrid snuggled against him and enjoyed the shared moment of contemplating mother and foal. “I’m surprised you haven’t piped rock tunes into the barn.”
“Don’t laugh. I thought about it. But the hands are into country. I could get away with some crossover tunes, but they’d rather have Johnny Cash than Fats Domino. I decided to scrap the concept for now.”
“Except you’re the boss. You could pipe in whatever you wanted.”
“Well, yeah, but what’s the fun in that? It’s tough to get good work out of unhappy ranch hands.”
“So your goal is to make everyone happy, so they’ll perform better?”
“Yep. Not very complicated. But you have to remember that my parents were both teachers. I grew up on behavior modification techniques.”
“It’s a smart approach, Fletch. I predict great things for the Rocking G.”
He glanced down at her. “That means a lot to me.”
She met his gaze, and the atmosphere crackled. Maybe one day they wouldn’t look at each other and feel this sexual tension, but that day hadn’t arrived yet. His lack of inhibition had made her bolder, and she licked her lips. “Hey, there, gorgeous. Any dark corners in this barn?”
His throat moved in a slow swallow. “Could be.”
“Care to direct me to one?”
“I’d be a fool not to.” With his arm securely around her waist, he pulled her away from the foaling stall and guided her down the aisle to an empty stall shrouded in darkness. “Will this do?”
“Looks perfect.” She reached out and unlatched the stall door. “Come with me, cowboy.”
Moments later, she knelt in the fresh stray and drew his zipper down. “About those threats . . .”
His breathing rasped in the silence broken only by the restless movement of horses. “Lady, you’re full of surprises.”
“Gonna stop me?”
“Not on your life.”
Seven
Among the new experiences Fletch had discovered with Astrid, getting a bl*w j*b in the privacy of his barn was high on his list of favorites. He’d never look at this particular stall the same way again.
But the ecstasy he’d enjoyed in the barn was short-lived. As they walked back to the house, arms around each other, cozy as could be, he asked her what she wanted him to cook for dinner.
“I should probably go home.”
The joy seeped right out of him. “Why?”
She laughed. “Because I live there.”
“I know, but why not spend the night here? I’ll drive you back in the morning. We can leave as early as you want.”
Even though she’d alluded to coming back to visit him on Sundays, that was a week away, and so much could happen in a week. She could change her mind, for example. He didn’t want her to leave yet. One more night in his bed would solidify their relationship a little more.
“I’m tempted to stay.” She snuggled closer as they reached the steps leading up to his front door. “But tomorrow will be crazy. I’ll have to rent a vehicle, cancel the appointments I can’t keep, get the insurance paperwork rolling, order new sup—”
“I have a truck you can borrow. In fact, you can take mine and I’ll drive the clunker until you get wheels.” Wow, was he a genius or what? Loaning her his truck would keep them connected.
“That’s extremely generous, Fletch, but there’s a small problem. My driver’s license is somewhere downstream.”
“Oh. Right. You’ll need someone to take you down to the DMV tomorrow. If you need—”
“I’ll ask my friend Melanie to take me. She can also drop me off at the rental place later.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to borrow my truck instead?” It was a last-ditch effort, and he knew she didn’t really need the truck. Her insurance would cover a rental.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I just need a ride home. I hate to make you go all the way to my clinic and back, especially because you’ll have to take the long route, but I don’t have much choice.”
“I don’t mind.” He turned her to face him. “But I sure wish you’d stay tonight. You won’t be able to accomplish anything until tomorrow morning, anyway. Like I said, I’ll take you back nice and early. Nobody has to be the wiser.”
She sighed. “I realize that, but I still think it’s better if you take me back now.”
“Why? Who will know when you pull in?”
“Me.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m beginning to understand. If you leave now, you can explain your activities with a clear conscience.”
“Exactly. I’ll make the obligatory calls to family and friends tonight. I’ll say it took a while for me to recover from almost drowning, which is true. Then you drove me home. I won’t be telling the whole truth, but I won’t be lying, either. If I stay tonight . . . well, I can’t make those calls, and explaining where I’ve been all this time would be . . . awkward.”