Chapter 27
In my current state of half-asleep, I feel the bed dip. Little hands land on my shoulder as I don’t let on that I’m awake yet. “Daddy,” Suzy whispers loudly, giving my arm a solid shake. “Daddy, wake up!” The bed dips again, and when I peel an eye open, I see Mabel lying on the bed, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she watches me. I drag my gaze from the dog over to my daughter, and a smile splits her face. “You’re up!”
“Not really,” I grumble, rolling onto my back. “Morning, princess.”
“Morning, Daddy. Can you get up now?”
“What’s the hurry?” I ask as I scrub a hand down my face.
“Wanna watch Moana with you!”
Reaching over, I grab my phone off the nightstand. I unlock it and note that it’s after eight. When Grady and I got home last night, I promised Suzy I’d watch a movie with her today. I have a few days before Stampede Days starts, and while sleeping all day sounds amazing, I want to spend as much time with Suzy as I can before I hit the road again. It’ll be another two months before I come back home. So, even though my body is screaming at me and my eyes sting with exhaustion, I throw the covers off my body and climb out of bed.
I pull on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and follow Suzy and Mabel downstairs. As soon as I’m on the main level, my eyes are scanning the area. I don’t see Grady or Jade, but I know they’re both down here. Padding across the cold, hard floor, I wish I’d put socks on before coming down here. Why is it so cold in here? Jesus Christ, my nipples could cut glass.
The kitchen comes into view, as does Jade, as she’s washing the dishes. She throws me a look over her shoulder when she hears me approach. “Hey,” she says, a smile tugging on her lips.
“Hey, why is it so cold in here?”
“Uh, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” I reply, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. “It’s like Antarctica in here.”
Jade sighs. “Boone, it’s like a comfortable sixty-seven in here.”
“Sixty-seven? Who needs a house that cold?”
“Boone’s right,” Grady says, waltzing into the kitchen and effectively raising my heart rate. “It’s an icebox in here.”
“Oh my gosh, you two.” Jade turns off the water, dries her hands, and turns around to face us. “Put on a sweatshirt then. It’s summer, and it gets hot. I’m not turning it up, so deal with it.”
She storms out of the kitchen after tossing the dishrag on the counter. Well, she’s in a mood this morning.
“Jesus, what is her problem?” Grady grumbles.
“Hell, if I know,” I reply with a shrug. “I just got up.”
Grabbing a bowl out of the cabinet, I fix myself some cereal before taking a seat at the table. My eyes track Grady as he grabs a banana out of the fruit dish and pulls out a seat across from me. I try my hardest to not watch him—I really do—but I’m mesmerized as he pulls the peel back and pop the end of the banana into his mouth. It shouldn’t be erotic…but it sure fucking is. My cock twitches and my blood heats as images float through my mind of him on his knees for me. The way his eyes watered. How spit dribbled out the side of his mouth as he took me all the way into his throat. The feeling of him moaning around me, clearly getting off on pleasuring me.
I’ve gotten plenty of blow jobs in my day, but never one as enthusiastic as the one he gave me.
It’s not even just the blow job I want more of. We both agreed that it can’t happen again, but fuck me, if it hasn’t been on my mind every single day since. It’s like the longer we’re on the road together, the more I want to be near him. I don’t understand the feelings swimming inside me. I don’t understand where they’re coming from because, before the last, like, nine months, I never even looked at him twice. He was just Grady, Jade’s younger brother. Maybe that’s why, though. Maybe I didn’t notice him in that way because I was married, and I truly didn’t look at anybody but Jade in that way the entire time we were together.
I can’t help but wonder if this same discovery would’ve happened with somebody else, another guy if Grady simply wasn’t in the picture. Looking at all the guys I know, I don’t find any of them attractive in that way. Sure, I can recognize that they’re attractive men, but I certainly wouldn’t be foaming at the mouth watching them eat a banana, nor would I want them to suck my dick.
Grady scrolls on his phone while he eats, completely oblivious to the filthy thoughts running rampant in my mind. Probably for the best. I’m so lost in my head, I don’t even realize I’ve finished my entire bowl of cereal until I get another spoonful and come up with only milk. I need to get it together.
After I rinse my bowl and put it in the dishwasher, I find Suzy in the living room, and we turn on Moana as she curls up with me on the couch, Mabel at our feet. She squeals and gets excited when the music plays like it’s the first time she’s ever seen it, as opposed to the hundredth. She also explains every little thing to me like I, too, haven’t seen it an absurd number of times. I end up dozing off for a bit until my phone rings on the coffee table in front of us, startling me awake.
A quick glance at the screen shows it’s Conrad calling, and he normally doesn’t call unless it’s important. Grabbing it off the table, I hit accept, bringing it up to my ear. “Conrad.”
“Boone, hey.” His gruff, deep voice fills the line. “Sorry to bother you, but I need to ask a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“My neighbor just called me, saying she saw some of the bulls roaming outside of my property line. I think they broke through the fence again. I’m currently out in Chester, so what would normally take two hours to get home is going to take me much longer because of the storm rolling in earlier than predicted. I hate to ask, but you’re the closest to my house; is there any way you and Grady could head over there and herd the cattle back onto my property and into the pasture without the busted fence?”
“Oh, shit.” Sitting up and moving Suzy beside me, I raise off the couch. “Yeah, of course, we can. I’ll go let Grady know, and we’ll head over there.”
“Thanks,” he grunts. “And if I were you, I’d hurry. The storm looks like it’s heading that direction earlier than expected too. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to herd a bunch of bulls in a thunderstorm on top of spooked horses.”
Breathing out a laugh—because yeah, that would not be good—I say, “Got it. We’ll leave right away, and I’ll shoot you a text once we have them all safely secured.”
I hang up with Conrad, pocketing my phone. “Suzy Q, Daddy has to go run and do something real quick. Keep watching the movie, and I’ll watch another one with you tonight, okay?”
She nods, too enthralled with what’s happening on the screen currently to care about what I have to say. I leave the living room, heading toward Grady’s room. Rapping my knuckles on the door, I wait for him to open it. After filling him in on what’s happening, I hurry upstairs and let Jade know we’ll be back. I run to the guest room really quick to change out of my sweats and into a pair of jeans before I slip my boots and hat on.
Grady’s waiting by the door for me as I reach the bottom of the stairs. “Ready?” he asks.
“Yup, let’s go.”
The clouds have started to roll in, and the wind has picked up, but it hasn’t started raining yet. Hopefully, it stays that way, at least until we’re home. By the time we park at the ranch, the sky is even darker than it was before, and at this point, it’s pretty clear it’s going to start raining soon. The only thing I can hope now is that the thunder and lightning holds off. Before we get out, I reach into the back and grab the spare hat I’ve got back there.
“Here.” I hand it to Grady. “It’s a hundred percent going to rain, so wear this.”
He hesitates for a second before he takes it and places it on his head. “Thanks.”
Climbing out of the truck, I try not to focus on how fucking good Grady looks in my hat, but it doesn’t work. We run into the barn and grab a couple of horses before we’re off. I was right, and not even ten minutes later, the rain starts. The bulls are stubborn as hell, but eventually, we get them all corralled into the pasture. A handful of them are still in the one with the busted fence, since they apparently didn’t notice their buddies escaping, but we end up moving them over too.
“Is that all of them?” Grady shouts over the sound of the downpour. The white t-shirt he’s wearing is completely soaked and see-through now. I can see his hardened nipples through the material, and it’s distracting.
“I think so. Let’s head back.”
Just then, thunder sounds in the distance. It’s not too loud yet, just a rumble, but I’m sure it’s working its way here. The mare Grady is on snorts and takes a few steps back—a warning that she’s probably going to spook if it gets any louder. Grady has been around horses since he was a kid, and has his fair share of experience riding them, but even the most experienced cowboys sometimes have a hard time handling a horse when they spook, especially if they’re on horseback. I give myself a few moments of thinking before I make a judgement call.
Holding out my hand, I say, “Hand me the reins and climb on behind me.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What?”
“Your horse is acting like she’s going to spook, and if she does, she could buck you off and you could get seriously hurt, G,” I explain. “So, hand me the damn reins and climb on behind me now.”
Hesitating for only a beat longer, he hands me the reins with a sigh, and when I move her closer, he slides on behind me. It’s a tight fit, his hard, wet body clinging to mine as he wraps his arms around my middle. I don’t have time to relish the electricity passing through us where we’re touching, because we need to get back before the storm gets worse. Keeping the other horse beside mine, I start toward the barn, keeping a steady pace.
Grady’s hands spread and flex against my abdomen, and I can feel the heat of him through my shirt. He’s holding me tightly, but every once in a while, when the ride gets extra bumpy, his hand will drop a little lower, and it sends a spark straight to my core every time. The blood is whooshing in my ears the longer we’re connected like this, my body lighting up with our proximity. Goosebumps cover me, and I’m chilled from the rain coming down and drenching us, but I’m burning up from the inside out because of him.
Thankfully, we’re able to make it back to the barn and get the horses put back in their stalls before the storm gets worse, but just barely. As if on cue, a bolt of electricity zig-zags across the darkened sky moments before a deafening clap of thunder makes us jolt. The rain comes down in sheets, so heavily, I can barely see the truck parked out front.
“Shit,” Grady breathes, coming to stand beside me as we both look out into the yard.
I pull out my phone, texting Conrad to let him know it’s done. He responds immediately.
Conrad: Okay, thanks. I’m still about an hour and a half away, parked at a rest stop to wait out the storm. Feel free to do the same if you don’t feel comfortable driving in this. The house is locked, but you can wait it out in the barn.
Glancing over at Grady, I shove the phone back into my pocket. “You okay waiting this out in here before we go home?”
His jaw clenches and he swallows, my eyes tracking the way his Adam’s apple rolls in his throat. My mouth waters, and the urge to lean in and rake my teeth over it hits me hard. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he finally mutters.
The inside of Conrad’s barn is massive. It’s broken up into four sections; the first is where the stalls are, then on the other side of the wall is where he keeps all the hay and the supplies needed to take care of the horses, then beside that is an office that houses a desk, a filing cabinet, and a couple of chairs, and then there’s a staircase that leads up to the loft apartment that Sterling occupies when he’s not staying with Shooter. I tip my head toward the office in question, and Grady nods. As soon as we enter, another round of thunder hits, and a second later, the power goes out.
“Well, this is great,” I mutter as I take a seat on the corner of the desk.
Grady sits in the chair behind the desk. “Wonder how long it’ll last.”
We gaze at one another for a moment as the sound of the storm surrounds us. The rain pattering, the thunder roaring, and every few minutes, the sky lights up with another bolt. The very last thing we need to be doing together is be stuck in a place where we have nothing to do but wait. To kill time.
“Thanks for helping with this today,” I tell him, blowing out a breath.
“No problem.”
“It would’ve taken a hell of a lot longer had you not been here.”
“Happy to help,” he replies with a nod, a small, unsure smile tilting his lips.
This small talk is excruciating. The longer we sit here, the more tense it becomes. It feels like I’m suffocating in the silence between us. It never used to be like this with me and him.
“Grady…” His dark gaze darts to mine. “Is this as awkward for you as it is for me?”
Huffing out a sardonic laugh, he says, “Well, let’s see, I’m wearing soaking wet clothing with nothing to change into, my teeth won’t stop chattering because I’m so cold, and I’m stuck in a barn with no power with my sister’s ex-husband, and I can’t stop thinking about him and all the ways we could warm up together if only the situation was a little different. So, yeah, I’d say they’re just as awkward for me.”
After he gets all of that out, in what seems to be only one long breath, he snaps his lips shut, smashing them together as he winces, like maybe he didn’t mean to say all of that out loud.
I can’t contain my grin as I arch a brow. “You can’t stop thinking about me?”
Grady rolls his eyes, looking away but not answering.
I don’t know why, but that little piece of knowledge ignites flames in my veins. It sends a spark of desire down my spine, the desire I’ve been trying to tamp down. And blame it on our proximity, the storm—which always breeds bad decisions—or simply this connection I feel to Grady that makes it impossible to ignore, but in this very moment, I don’t give a shit about all the reasons I’ve given myself on why I shouldn’t live and breathe in these wants and needs I feel with Grady.
“What do you think about?” I ask him, knowing I’m walking a dangerous line. He very well may shut me down completely, because he seems to be the most level-headed when it comes to whatever this is between us.
Head flicking in my direction, I watch as Grady swallows hard, his throat muscles flexing. “Boone, don’t,” he warns.
I stand up and round the desk, coming to a stop in front of him. We’re close enough that I can see the clench of his jaw, but not close enough that we’re touching in any way. “Don’t what? You tell me you can’t stop thinking about me, and I just want to know what it is, exactly, that you think about.” Taking a small step toward him, I add, “So, go on, G. I’m listening.”
His eyes narrow on me, and he chews the inside of his cheek. A thrill zips through me as I watch his eyes dip down to my mouth before coming back up. “What do you think?” is all he says.
Another single step toward him puts me between his spread legs. His knees brush up against the outside of my thighs and he has to crank his neck back to look up at me. I lean in, palms resting flat on the desk on either side of him, lips going to the shell of his ear, my pulse kicking up a notch as his breath hitches at our new proximity. “Maybe,” I whisper, lips brushing against his earlobe, “you’re remembering what I looked like in my room that night you watched me stroke my cock.”
A shiver rolls through Grady’s body as his hot breaths come out quick and shallow.
I press my lips down on his neck, just below his ear, before switching to the other side. “Or maybe you’re wishing you could be on your knees for me again.” A groan vibrates from my throat at the memory as he stands stock still before me. “God, you looked so perfect down there. Your big, hazel eyes looking up at me, your tongue sticking out and teasing me. I’ve never had someone suck my dick like that. So eager.” I press my lips down on his neck again. “So hungry.” Another kiss. He trembles under my lips. “Sloppy.” Another kiss. “And so fucking enthusiastic.”
Pulling back enough to look Grady in the eye, my arms still boxing him in on this desk, I say, “Or maybe you’re thinking about all of that, and how you desperately wish you could do it again. I know I do.”
Our faces are a mere few inches apart; it would take next to nothing to seal our lips together. We’re both basically panting, there’s a heavy pounding in my ears, and my body is completely keyed up for him.
“Come on, G,” I breathe. “Tell me I’m right, baby.”
Licking his lips, he nods, bringing his hands up to my face. “You’re right,” he whispers before closing what little distance there is between us.