Chapter Five
Finley strode toward the horse barn like his ass was on fire.
Then again, based on the heat Kieran had seen in the blond man’s eyes, his delectable backside might’ve been smoldering.
If Kieran hadn’t kept his back turned in the general store, his new boss would’ve seen the semierection pressing against his underwear.
It had been a dumb move to strip down in front of Finley, but Kieran couldn’t resist pushing him.
He’d seen sympathy shimmering in the younger guy’s pale green eyes and wanted to discourage his interest with crude behavior.
It was a tactic that had served him well in jail, and Kieran didn’t want to make friends and form bonds on the ranch either.
But his rash decision backfired when his boss’s empathy had turned to hunger.
Finley’s fiery gaze felt like a caress, and Kieran’s body reacted.
He’d wanted Finley on his knees with those pillowy lips wrapped around his cock.
Kieran had stymied his natural urges and resisted any form of physical pleasure for nearly two years.
Everything a person did or said in lockup was weaponized against them, especially sexual gratification.
Kieran had refused to let anyone see him at his most vulnerable and use it as leverage against him.
He figured if monks and priests could abstain for their lifetimes, he could hold out during his sentence.
Ignoring the physical and mental ache had been difficult, but he’d learned ironclad control over his mind and body.
He wouldn’t have been successful if he’d served time with Finley Ashe.
The awareness was enough to light a fire under his ass and cool his ardor.
Kieran would’ve outpaced Finley to the barn if not for the fit and feel of his new boots and his work clothes.
Though the items were all excellent quality, they were much heavier and tighter than what he was used to wearing.
Lagging behind gave Kieran an excellent view of Finley’s ass and long, toned legs.
His upper body was lean, but his dark shirt hugged him snuggly, showcasing tight muscles.
Ranch work had been good to Finley’s physique, and Kieran wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Several heads swiveled in the blond’s direction as he walked by, but Finley seemed unaware of the attention.
It stirred uncharacteristic feelings, making him want to mark and claim a man he didn’t even know.
Where the hell had the urge even come from?
Kieran forced his focus, visually and mentally, away from his boss’s physical assets and increased his pace.
If they were going to work together, he wanted to get past this weird tension between them.
“You never asked why I was in jail,” he said. Reminding Finley that he was a felon should throw some ice water on his attraction. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Not really,” Finley replied. “I trust Cash’s instincts.”
“Are you two fucking?” Holy shit, Sullivan.
What the actual fuck? Now that the question was out there, he was dying for an answer.
If they were a couple, Kieran felt sorry for Cash because Finley had looked ravenous when they’d locked eyes in the store.
Finley stopped suddenly and whirled around to face Kieran.
His green eyes blazed hot enough to scorch the entire ranch.
That’s right, sexy. Get mad. You don’t want a guy like me.
“Don’t do that,” Finley bit out.
“Do what?” Feigning innocence had never been Kieran’s strong suit.
“Do not disrespect Cash or me.” Finley inhaled a deep breath, then released it slowly.
His anger seemed to dissipate with his exhale, and his gaze softened.
No, no, no. Kieran started to panic. He wanted this guy mad enough to keep his distance.
“Look,” Finley said. “I get it. You’re going through a stressful time right now, and it’s hard to let your guard down and trust people.
I know you don’t believe it now, but you will realize you’re safe here, and more importantly, you’re wanted and valued. ”
Kieran searched Finley’s gaze, looking for any signs of manipulation, but he only saw sincerity. Instead of calming him as Finley had intended, it made him madder.
Kieran caught movement in the corner of his eyes and adjusted his angle to assess the person approaching him.
The guy was four to five inches taller than Kieran and carried an extra hundred pounds or more on his frame.
The auburn hair peeking from beneath his cap was several shades lighter than his full beard.
Kieran recognized the aggressive look in the man’s amber eyes.
He’d seen it in the yard more times than he wanted to remember, though he’d avoided any major incidents by keeping a cool head.
Something about Finley short-circuited his wiring, and Kieran turned to face the threat fully, pulling his shoulders back and pushing his chest out.
He might not be built like a ginger version of The Rock, as his opponent was, but Kieran was fast and built for endurance.
“Just great,” Finley grumbled. “Another banty rooster in the barnyard.”
Ginger Rock reached them in a few strides. “Is there a problem, Finley?” he asked without taking his eyes off Kieran. The man’s soft voice was jarring. Kieran had expected something deep and rumbling, but he had to strain to hear him.
“Not at all, Ivan,” Finley said, moving into Kieran’s periphery. “Everything is fine.”
The big man’s expression didn’t falter, and his gaze remained locked on Kieran. “Why don’t I believe you, Fin?”
Kieran had several replies ready to unleash, but Finley beat him to the punch.
“Because you’re a suspicious bastard.” Finley’s voice was light and laced with humor, undercutting the sting of his words.
Big Red’s lips twitched, and he finally broke eye contact with Kieran to smile at Finley. “This coming from someone who is way too trusting.”
“Touché.” There was a wistfulness in Finley’s voice that intrigued Kieran, and he wanted to see if his expression matched the tone, but Red’s calculating amber eyes were back on him.
Finley snorted. “Ivan, this is Kieran Sullivan. Cash assigned him to work in the equine program.” When neither man acknowledged the introduction, Finley huffed out a sigh.
“I’m just going to let you two pound your chests like alpha gorillas and get it out of your systems. Make it quick, Kieran.
We have a lot of work to do.” He pivoted on his heels and headed back toward the barn, leaving Kieran to square off against the bear-sized man.
“Ivan Gallagher,” Ginger Rock said after a few awkward moments. “I’m the foreman around here. I answer to Cash, but everyone else answers to me.”
“Explains the swagger,” Kieran replied.
Ivan blinked twice but didn’t react otherwise. “If you do one thing to upset Finley, I’ll bounce you off this ranch so fast and hard your ass will leave potholes in the gravel. And I won’t care who protests or tries to intervene. Keep your nose clean and your hands to yourself.”
Heat rushed to Kieran’s face as he bristled with anger.
This asshole didn’t know the first thing about him but had already pegged him as a threat to Finley.
Kieran wanted to push back, to get in his face and insult him, but he couldn’t blow the opportunity.
He gave Big Red a curt nod and followed Finley, but the foreman held out his arm like a crossing gate.
Kieran jerked to a stop and glared at the man.
“I need to hear the words, Sullivan.”
Kieran counted to five and tried to throw a fire blanket on the flames of his rising fury, then calmly said, “Heard and understood.”
Ivan studied him through narrowed eyes. Had he wanted a pinky promise instead? After another intense stare-down, the burly man relaxed a little and said, “Get back to work.”
Kieran fought off the urge to salute him as he turned to follow Finley. He was surprised the blond man hadn’t made it too far, considering his earlier gait. Maybe he wasn’t as indifferent to the standoff as he’d pretended to be. Kieran quickened his steps and caught up to him in a few strides.
“Who won?” Finley asked.
Kieran glanced over and saw a smile flirting at the corner of his mouth. “Excuse me?”
“The pissing contest,” Finley clarified.
Kieran snorted. “It was a tie.”
Finley sighed heavily. “Guess I can expect more chest-thumping in the future.”
“The foreman seems mighty concerned about you. Warned me off and everything.” Kieran wanted to take the words back because they implied he cared about their relationship. He didn’t. It was just an odd conversation to have right out of the gate.
Finley stopped and whirled on him again.
Fucking great. Ginger Rock was probably storming toward them.
He was surprised the earth wasn’t shaking with the man’s fury.
“Are you going to accuse me of screwing Ivan too?” Kieran tried to respond, but Finley hadn’t finished his tirade.
“Because we’re not. And just to be clear, I’m not fucking my way through the staff. ”
Son of a bitch. Why did the hurt shimmering in Finley Ashe’s eyes bother Kieran so damn much? Shit. He’d have to triple his efforts to keep an emotional distance from this guy, but he wanted to do it in a way that wasn’t cruel to someone who’d only shown him kindness.
“What I said about you and Cash was crude and rude. I was out of line.”
Finley arched a brow as his mouth ticked up at one corner. “That’s a lazy apology.”
Kieran fought off the urge to smile. “It’s more a statement of fact.”
“Apology accepted,” Finley said before turning back toward the barn. Once inside the structure, he turned and looked at Kieran again. “Aren’t you going to ask what I did to get locked up?” Kieran snorted and shook his head. “What? I could be dangerous.”