Chapter 29
29
AURORA
Something hard prodding into my ass has me blinking awake, my mouth dry and crusty. The puddle of drool beneath my chin, pooling on the pillow, has me scrunching my nose and attempting to pull away. I sniff and grow more alert as the scent of cologne and aftershave registers, along with the crushing weight on my back.
Licking my lips, I attempt to shove the weight off, but it doesn’t budge. That’s when I notice the steady, hot breath in my hair and the hand cupping my belly.
I tense up momentarily before remembering where I am and who it is lying almost entirely on top of me. Johnny being such a clingy cuddler is no surprise. If anything, I expected it. And quite frankly, I like it. I’ve never been held like this before, so tightly it’s like he’s expecting me to be plucked out of his arms and hauled away at any given moment.
The opposite happens. I reach out with the only piece of me not trapped and touch his arm, feeling the warm skin and the way it makes my fingertips tingle. The same sensation happens every time we touch, like an omen or something. I’ve put it off, my stubbornness keeping me sure nothing like that exists, but I’m beginning to get worn down. If there was another explanation for all of this, I’d think twice. But now?
I blow out a breath and shut my eyes. The dry space on the pillow is a welcome change to the wet spot, and I bury my face in it.
“I can almost hear you thinkin’,” Johnny rasps, sleep deepening the tone of it and intensifying the slight drawl.
I throb between my legs and scowl at myself. “You’re a pretty intense cuddler.”
“Mm, can’t say I’ve ever woken up to find myself wrapped around a woman like this before. Must just be you.”
“You’re incredibly hot.”
He shoves his nose into my hair and chuckles. “Thank you.”
“I meant you feel hot. You’re a full-blown heater when you sleep. I prefer to sleep in the cold.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t ducked out and left yet, then.”
“You trapped me beneath your body before I could.”
“If I hadn’t, would you have left, Rory?” he asks softly, the hint of a tease over the curiosity.
“No. You smell good.”
He shifts back just enough that I can breathe properly before starting to play with my hair. “That’s it, eh? I owe my sisters a thank you, then.”
“Do they force you to shower or something?”
“Look on my dresser. I’m pretty sure they’ve bought me every single cologne known to man.”
He’s not wrong. Directly across from the bed, there’s a grey wooden dresser with two rows of cologne that stretch from one end to the other.
“Have you ever asked them to maybe fixate on something else?” I ask.
“That’s the problem with sisters. They assume they know what’s best for you at all times. Oftentimes, they do, but not always. Clearly, I don’t smell as bad as I did when I was a teen when they started this little tradition of theirs. ”
I shrug as much as I can with him still splayed over my back. “Maybe you do.”
“Oh, is that so? Do I need to ask you to check for me? It isn’t polite to shove a woman’s face in your armpit, but I’ll do it, darlin’. Don’t antagonize me,” he warns.
A blast of warmth hits me dead centre in my chest as I laugh, attempting to wiggle out from beneath him. He doesn’t let me get far before he’s sliding his arm around my front and rolling me beneath him. I don’t stop laughing, my mouth cracked open in a wide grin that he stares at, a matching one brightening his soft expression.
He drops his head and kisses the tip of my nose. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“If you put your armpit in my face, I’ll pinch your nipples really hard,” I threaten, poising my hands in front of his chest.
“Do it. It makes my dick hard.”
I’m reminded then that we’re both still completely naked. The hard length of him presses into my groin as he drops his head forward and covers my neck in the soft sound of his laugh.
“I don’t think you need any help in that department,” I croak.
He’s hard, and I’m wet already. It would be so easy for him to part my legs and slide inside of me, but he makes no move to. I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed when he flops onto the bed beside me, his arm falling over his face.
The bulge of bicep in this position is obscene. But it hides his eyes as I drag mine down the length of his naked body, shifting with aroused discomfort at the beauty of it. The sheer strength and muscle stretching beneath his skin. Even his thighs are thick with it, straining as he rotates his ankles, the bones cracking.
“Feel free to explore with your fingers rather than your eyes,” he offers, the little shit.
“What time is it?”
“Late enough Wade’s goin’ to kick my ass when I get to work.”
“Oh, shit.” I jerk up in bed and throw myself off it before hastily reaching for my clothes and slipping my shirt back on. “Get up, Mr. I Never Sleep In.”
His smirk threatens to sweep my feet out from under me. “I knew you were paying attention to what I told you about me, even weeks ago.”
I snag his jeans from the floor, ignoring the alarming gnaw of pain coming from my thighs and whipping them at him. “I’ve always paid attention to you. That’s how I know that you’re trying to get more responsibility at the ranch, and you won’t get anywhere with that if you start slacking off.”
My underwear is absolutely not going back on, so I leave them on the floor and start to tug my jeans up commando-style. It’ll be a long day of having a scratchy ass, but it’s better than the alternative.
Eliza’s going to know exactly what I was up to last night the moment I walk into work. Not to mention the horses are still outside—shit! The pain that blooms on my inner thighs when my jeans rub along them tears a hiss from me.
Suddenly, a pair of hands are covering mine, guiding them away from my legs. Johnny crouches in front of me and presses his fingers softly into my thighs, avoiding the painful spots.
“Is it normal to hurt this bad after riding?” I ask with a wince when he brushes his thumbs along the edges of my sore spots.
“For beginners, yes. You’ve chaffed a bit, and you’ll probably bruise up today. Don’t finish putting these jeans back on. I’ll get you something else to wear.”
“I’ve got work,” I protest as he goes off in search of these supposed clothes. “And I won’t fit your clothes.”
He doesn’t reply. I huff and shake my jeans off again before moving toward the bed and lifting my leg to the edge of it, inspecting the bright red marks and splotches on the inner area. This is absolutely not what I had planned for my day, and as I slide my phone from the back pocket of my jeans, I get hit with a bolt of guilt .
Mom: No kidnapper would be able to match the sass of my daughter. I miss and love you, Aura.
“What’s wrong?”
I lift my eyes to Johnny as he strides toward me, his stare brimming with concern and hands full of clothing. Feeling too exposed with my text conversation still open and half of my body still naked, I shrink back from the question and lock my phone.
Understanding my feelings without needing to hear me say it, he offers me the clothes and sits on the edge of the bed, not saying anything else. I look at the tag inside of the pair of black joggers and relax a bit at the size before tugging them on. They fit perfectly.
“They’re Josette’s. You’re similar in size, and all of my sisters have clothes here in case. Daisy stays here a lot so she doesn’t have to answer the line of questioning that always follows a surprise visit home. I think they all stay here for the same reasons,” he explains.
“Thank you.”
He smiles. “You’re welcome, darlin’. Eliza’s bringing ointment for your saddle chafe.”
“What? You called her?”
“I did. She’s bringing ointment. And another member of my family you haven’t met yet.”
I blink at him slowly, processing his words. “Eliza can’t see me here like this. And neither can your family.”
His smile drops. “Why can’t Eliza see you? Because you’re here with me?”
“No. Because I look like a mess. I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet. I’m in no state for introductions.”
“There’s a handful of spare toothbrushes beneath the bathroom sink.”
Alright.
When I head out in search of said bathroom, I have to waddle to avoid my thighs rubbing together. It’s like a bad case of the sweat chafing I get when I wear shorts in the heat for a long period of time. In addition to that, the sharp pain that throbs from within my muscles makes me gasp every few steps.
“I can’t possibly ride Frost back to the ranch,” I say when I step into the hallway.
“You won’t have to.”
Johnny moves quickly, taking my arm and sliding it over his shoulder. He takes some of the weight off my legs as we slip into the bathroom.
“Sit on the toilet lid,” he urges, guiding me down onto it.
I look around the room as he digs beneath the sink for a toothbrush. The first thing I notice is how modern it is.
A stand-up shower with soft brown tiles and two shower heads sits in one corner of the room, and a claw-foot tub that looks like I could sink my entire body beneath water and bubbles rests on the other. The vanity is long and has a matching-coloured countertop to match the tile in the shower. A mirror with LED lights around the edges hangs above it.
“Did you do all of this yourself?” I ask, finding myself staring at the tub with longing in my chest. I’ve never seen one so big.
He stands and starts cracking open the plastic packaging on the toothbrush. “Yes. Wade had me pay next to nothing for this place, so I put my money into renovating it. The bathroom is the first room I did. What else was I to spend my money on? There wasn’t anyone else in my life yet, so I figured why not dump it all into my house.”
“Well, it’s beautiful.”
When his smile returns, I’m relieved. He shouldn’t have lost it in the first place.
“Thank you. There’s more to it I want to show you.”
He takes the tube of toothpaste from the cup on the counter and covers the bristles of the toothbrush with it before running it under the tap and handing it over.
I shove it into my mouth and start brushing as he grabs his toothbrush and does the same. It feels incredibly domestic to be brushing our teeth together in his bathroom. His eyes glitter as he watches me, our stares holding in a ridiculous way.
By the time we’re done and he’s rinsing both of our toothbrushes off, then sliding them both into the holder, there’s a knock on the front door.
“Do you want to come or stay?”
“I don’t think hiding in the bathroom would look any better than me waddling out like this.”
“You’re perfect regardless,” he says, helping me up off the toilet and out of the room.
My cheeks flush. “Thank you.”
I was too focused on being in pain and needing to get dressed earlier to take a good look at his bedroom, but I don’t make the same mistake as we walk down the hallway and turn into the living room. In the light, when I’m not in a lust haze, the space looks completely different. I’m drawn in a million different directions. From the sleek brown hardwood floors, the neutral-coloured walls, and the black-rimmed, wide windows, the house feels open and inviting.
For a man, the furniture looks incredibly well chosen, all of it matching with colours and patterns. There’s even a rug tucked beneath a rustic wooden coffee table.
“How old are you again?” I mutter.
“I’ve never paid much attention to my age, Rory. You shouldn’t either.”
“That’s easy for you to say when you aren’t the one robbing the cradle.”
He chokes on a laugh, shifting in front of me and tucking a finger beneath my chin. “You haven’t robbed any cradles. I’m older in maturity than age. And I’m not that young. You’re not fuckin’ old either.”
I nod, trying to convince myself of that. I’ve never felt like I’m too old for him or that he’s immature. Maybe that’s why I forget sometimes that we’re not the same age .
There’s another knock on the door, and after stealing a quick kiss, Johnny moves to answer it.
“I was about to search for a spare key! Let me in, I’ve brought some goodies,” Eliza demands, pushing her way past him.
She smiles immediately upon seeing me and rushes to close the space between us. An aluminum container covered with tin foil in her arms presses to my chest as she collects me in a tight hug.
“Come with me, my love. I’ve brought some cream for your thighs.”
Before I can thank her, she’s shoving the silver container toward the man now towering us in the hallway. Wade Steele takes it from his wife and offers me a half-smile.
“Mornin’, Aurora,” he says, voice low but not mean. His eyes drift to his wife once I’ve returned his smile and greeting. “You brought too much food for a man who didn’t show up for work this mornin’.”
She scoffs, offended. “Don’t be such a grizzly. Bring that food to the kitchen before it gets cold. These kids need to eat.”
The front door shuts a beat before the sound of nails clacking on the floor erupts through the hallway. I tense up a second too late.
“Oh Lord, here we go,” Eliza mutters as a fluffy dog comes bounding for me.
It rams into my legs, and I jolt back a step before regaining my balance. A long, slobbery tongue reaches for my fingers, and I offer the thing my palm before petting it once on the top of its soft head.
“Tracker, where the fuck did your manners go?” Johnny asks, following behind it. “Be gentle with her. You aren’t a linebacker.”
“Tracker?” I bend to get a closer look at the dog without being able to squat. The dog’s tail swats the air and thumps against the floor. With a quick look around the entrance, I ask, “Are you the family member I was supposed to meet today?”
“Don’t tell me you had the poor girl stressed about meeting family this morning, Jonathan,” Eliza scolds, patting her thigh to call Tracker over.
He—I looked this time—abandons me just like that, and I straighten instantly, pulling in a breath.
Johnny smirks. “She never asked me to clarify.”
“I didn’t know you had a dog,” I tell him.
“He spends most of his time at the ranch, keeping guard. Like he was last night.”
“He’s sweet.”
It’s an understatement. The brown, white, and black dog rolls over onto its back in front of Wade in a silent demand for belly rubs, its tongue flopping onto the floor. Wade rolls his eyes and leaves him lying there before Johnny drops to his haunches and rubs his belly.
Eliza turns to me, blocking everyone else out. “Cream?”
“Yes, please.”
“Start dishing up breakfast, Johnny. You and Wade can chat while I take care of my girl.” She doesn’t wait for a response before giving me a gentle tug and helping me waddle back to the bathroom.
This time, not only do I know where I’m going, but I feel different. The feelings swimming inside of me are responsible for that. As are the two people that just arrived.
I feel comfortable. Taken care of. It’s jarring, but as Eliza takes hold of my arm and steps with me into the bathroom, I accept it all without fear.