12. Lennon #2
At the very least, I should demand to know what the hell they think they're doing—in our stable, in the middle of a workday, with Dean and all the hands only a few steps away. But for the life of me... I can't find a single word.
Don't stand there like an idiot. Say something.
"What the fuck do you two think you're doing?" Great. Good start. My voice is rough and hoarse—thick with anger. And with lust. Reed meets my glare with a defiant one of his own, his chest still heaving.
"What does it look like we're doing?" he pants. "Playing checkers?"
She looks mortified—cheeks blazing, trembling slightly.
Despite myself, I want to comfort her, tell her it's no big deal. Tell her not to do it during work hours next time, sure—but that it's not the end of the world. That would be the reasonable thing. The mature thing. But the painful, burning want inside me turns all that good sense to ash.
Instead, I lash out. "If this is what you came over to this ranch for, then you're wasting your time," I say, my voice now stable and cold. I feel a fiery storm raging inside. "You could have fucked him for free, without having to clean horse stalls."
Her face turns red as a tomato with embarrassment, then goes white with anger.
"I wasn't going to fuck him." She starts wiping her hands on her jeans frantically. "I mean I didn't mean to–"
"I don't care what you did and didn't mean to do. That's between you and him." I only spare Reed a momentary glance when I say, "Get back to work."
"Yes, boss." He says it sarcastically because I'm not his boss. He and I are equal partners in this ranch, both of us under Dean who originally bought the place with his own money.
There's a part of me that wants to stay and apologize to them.
Start again, but less angrily, more considerate in my tone of voice and choice of words.
Another part of me is itching to smack that stupid look off Reed's face, if I'm honest. But in the end I do neither.
I leave, ignoring the fire still licking underneath my skin.
I wonder if I should relay this whole episode to Dean.
That would be the easiest way to get her out of here and out of my hair, but I recall what my daughter said about me being mean to Princess Ice Cream.
No, it's not my place to tell Dean about this.
It's not like they're not consenting adults.
In any case, given how careless she and Reed seem to be about it, he's probably going to find out soon enough anyway.
I ignore the hard-on in my pants, the boiling feeling in my gut that tells me that even if she's gone, I'll still be haunted by the sight of her giving in to her ecstasy.
It's only much later that I remember why I'd gone to the stable in the first place. I'd meant to warn her about Buggy.
I sigh, put down what I'm doing, and head back to the stable. But when I get there, she's nowhere to be seen. Anxiety prickles at me as I head toward the small blue stable in the distance.
"Hailey," I call out when I get close. "Are you in there?"
There's no response. Just then, a loud, aggressive neighing tears through the air—and I break into a run.
By the time I tear through the door, I find Hailey standing frozen, arms outstretched, trying to ward off the large black stallion rearing up in front of her.
Buggy slams his front hooves against the door, trying to kick it open.
He rears upwards, his front hooves high in the air.
A mighty crash, a second kick, and the stall door lies in splinters.
Hailey is still frozen in place, her face a picture of fear and horror—and then, thankfully, she regains her senses enough to push herself against the wall as Buggy sweeps past her.
Thank God! I think. But the danger isn't over.
The bad-tempered beast aims a nasty kick as he flies past, that catches her in the thigh and sends her screaming to the ground.
It looked like only a glancing blow from where I'm standing, but Buggy is a powerful stallion, and even a glancing blow from one of his hooves can be serious. Shit!
I don't think, I simply move. As her scream echoes through the stable, I dash forward, hands in the air, shouting at the top of my lungs in a frantic effort to force Buggy away from Hailey, who is now lying huddled on the ground practically beneath him.
I manage to throw myself on top of her, shielding her with my body.
Thankfully, Buggy isn't interested anyway.
Instead of trampling us, he seems to decide he's done enough mischief.
Freedom is calling him. He spies the still-open stable entrance and in a few short strides he pushes himself past me and bolts into the yard, galloping straight for the easily jumped fence and the open fields beyond.
Okay, that's a problem—but right now, the main thing is Hailey.
I breathe a shaky sigh of relief, then realize I'm still sprawled on top of her, feeling the warmth and softness of her body beneath me, the flutter of her heartbeat.
Despite the circumstances, my cock stirs again, pressing insistently against my jeans.
This will not do. Quickly, I roll off her and rise to my knees a little shakily, gripping the side of the stall to steady myself.
That was a very close shave for both of us.
Buggy is a thin column of dust in the distance by now. Meantime, Hailey looks shell-shocked. Her eyes are wide, her breathing fast and shallow.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Uh-huh," she says, her voice small and shaky. Her shirt is torn, and I can see her heart pounding against her ribs, her whole chest heaving with every breath. She's crying, but at least she's conscious.
"You sure? That was a nasty kick. Can you move your leg?"
"I... I don't think so." She swallows. "It all happened so fast."
For a moment, we stare at each other, close enough to feel each other's heat. I notice how soft and round her lips are, how easy it would be to lean in and kiss her.
Almost without thinking, and as gently as I can, I reach down and scoop her up into my arms.
She squeaks in surprise, clutching my shoulders as I stagger to my feet. Her soft, earthy scent fills my senses, sending lust crashing through me all over again.
"What are you doing? Where are we going?" she asks, breathless.
"To the hospital," I tell her firmly.
"But... what about the horse?"
"The others can get him. He won't get far. Right now, you need to get checked out."