5. Barrett
Chapter 5
Barrett
“ H orny. That’s what honorable gets you,” I grit out as I glance at my reflection in the mirror. Underneath the towel tied at my waist is a serious hard-on. It’s been there since the moment I met my sweet girl. But it got worse after last night. After she approached me—more than a little tipsy—looking for a midnight fling, I let her know in no uncertain terms that wasn’t happening.
She marched off my porch and down the dirt path. I tried to tell her I’d drive her back to town, but she was having none of that. She stormed around, cussing me under her breath and calling me something that sounded a whole lot like a big, crazy cowboy.
I followed her without her knowing. I was half-amused by how adorable she is when she’s drunk and half-tempted to spank her cute little ass for wondering around in the dark by herself.
Eventually, she had the good sense to call her friend and get a ride back to town. Good thing too. I was about five seconds away from scooping her up and carrying her back to my place. I’d have tied her to my bed if it meant keeping her safe.
Fuck, definitely don’t need those images in my head. At nearly thirty, I’ve never had a woman catch my eye. Sure, a few girls in town flirted with me. But I didn’t pay attention. I was too busy helping my brothers run the family farm after our adoptive father’s death and cracking jokes to ease everyone’s grief.
Then I met Sadie, and all I want is to slide a ring on her finger and give her those O s she was craving. If last night proved anything, it’s that my girl is trying to protect herself. But I’ll be the cowboy who knocks down all of the walls guarding her heart. I’ll show her it’s safe to let herself be loved by me.
As soon as I finish my morning chores, I plan to let her know that too. Fortunately, I manage to rush through them before stopping at mom’s shop. I promised her I’d package more inventory.
I’m always the first of my brothers she texts when she needs something, and that’s a fact that I’m damn proud of. The way I look at the situation is it’s an honor to care for the woman who gave me and my siblings so much love. She rescued us from a system that kept moving us around like little chess pieces instead of tiny kids with big traumas.
But today is my lucky day because when I enter mom’s shop, the first person I see is Sadie. She’s rearranging the front window display, looking good enough to eat in her little black apron with her shop logo on it and those skin-tight leggings.
She glances over her shoulder when the bell above the door rings, announcing my arrival. I can’t help smirking at her as I ask, “Still in the mood for those O s?”
She sniffs, wrinkling her nose in an adorable gesture. “Not with strings attached.”
My smirk doesn’t fade. I’m in this for the long-haul, and I’m glad she’s not making this easy on me. “Let me know when you change your mind.”
Her grin makes my heart rate speed up, and my groin tighten painfully. I want her to look at me like that when I’m deep inside of her. “I’m not going to be the one that breaks.”
“Game on, sweetheart.”
She chuckles, the noise filling my chest with warmth. “I have to go. I have donuts in the proofer.”
I keep standing in the doorway. She’s not backing down. She just squeezes around me, our bodies brushing in a way that makes me groan with need. I can feel her big tits against my chest as her sweet vanilla scent makes my mouth water. I can’t wait to taste her all over.
As soon as she’s gone, mom is rolling up to me. Her expression is filled with suspicion, the same way it is when I sample some of her fresh chocolate cake before it’s served. “What are you up to?”
I shrug. “Nothing.”
Her frown only deepens. “Oh, no, you don’t. You tell your mama what’s going on right now, Tiny Bear.”
I don’t want her worrying. Stress isn’t good for her condition. Besides, she should know the truth. “You see that beautiful woman?” I jerk my head toward the door that Sadie just exited. “She’s your future daughter-in-law.”
She chuckles, her features relaxing. “From what I saw, you’re going to have a heck of a fight ahead of you.”
“She’ll be worth it in the end,” I answer, already knowing the truth of my words. It doesn’t matter how hard she fights, we’re inevitable. Every cell in my body knows her soul is intertwined with mine.
“I like her. She’s a sweetie. You be good to her.”
“I plan to be very good,” I reassure my mama, barely able to keep the smirk from my face.
Mom is dressed in her favorite cardigan today, the blue one with the big white buttons. She usually only dresses up when she goes to see her friend. “Am I driving you to Carol’s again?”
They used to play bridge every three weeks. Lately, she’s been playing with Carol a few times a week. It makes me think the two of them are up to something together.
She nods to the bag on the floor. “Can you take that for me? I’m spending today and tonight with Carol. But you can pick me up tomorrow morning.”
She seems more nervous than usual, which only fuels my suspicion. There’s something going on here but if I ask her about it, she’ll tell me to mind my own business. Still, I don’t want her thinking she can’t talk to me if she needs help. “If you need me, you can always call me. You say the word and I’ll come get you. You’re never a bother.”
Her eyes fill, and she blinks to keep from letting the tears fall. “I remember saying that to you a million times when you came to live with me. You’ve grown up into such a nice boy.”
I don’t want her to cry. The past was a long time ago, and I’m not that scared kid anymore. “Ma, come on. We can’t have you ruining your fancy makeup.”
She manages to compose herself. “When you pick me up, we’ll go straight to Ginger’s place. I want to be there first thing.”
I forgot about our plans for tomorrow. Our whole family is going up the mountain to be with Ginger, our little sister. She’s married to Grizz, a grumpy mountain man.
My brothers and I will be helping him add on to their cabin in preparation for the baby that Ginger is carrying. It’s still crazy to me to think that my little sister is pregnant. Seems like it was only a few days ago that she was trailing after Greer, my older brother, and begging him to let her ride the small ponies.
I nod to my mom. “I’ll get you there as soon as the sun rises.”
True to my word, the next morning, I’m pulling my truck into Ginger’s driveway just as the sun is beginning its ascent for the day. Ginger races out of the cabin, hugging my mom around her big bump and talking a mile a minute.
“You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in six months,” I grunt to Grizz.
He smiles—the man who had a scowl permanently etched on his face before he got married—actually smiles. He unloads mom’s motorized wheelchair with ease. “I’m glad she’s here. Don’t know if I can handle another discussion about the difference between golden yellow and sunset yellow.”
I chuckle. I know from all the time I’ve spent helping Mom at the candle shop that women love to sit around and invent new colors.
We help Mom into her chair then she’s rolling inside Ginger’s cabin, the two of them already working through accent colors that match sunset yellow.
We watch them go, just as a car I don’t recognize pulls into the driveway. Walt, from the town bookstore, ambles out of his car. He’s wearing his Sunday best and carrying a case of sodas. “I heard y’all could use some help up here.”
I’m not sure how much help Walt is going to be. He has an arthritic hip that needs surgery, but Noah probably invited him. After all, he’s dating the guy’s granddaughter.
I greet Walt and direct him inside where the girls are chatting. When he’s out of hearing range, I turn to my friend. “He’s always around lately. He was over at mom’s candle shop twice last week. Said something about needing new candles for his book shop then he came back and did a return because he got the wrong ones. The whole thing seemed kind of weird to me.”
Grizz shrugs. “The guy is probably just lonely. Come on. We have breakfast food.”
My stomach rumbles at the thought. I’ve been working since before dawn. Even though my brothers and I are here to help Grizz with the cabin, we still had our own farm to tend to. When we get back late tonight, we’ll check on all the animals and do the same chores again.
The two of us round the back of the cabin where we’ll be getting the framing done for the new rooms. Greer and Noah already poured the foundation earlier this month.
Zac, my little brother and the youngest one of us, has spent the last few weeks on the road. He couldn’t even get time off to come help with this project. Not that it matters. We have more than enough bodies to get the work done.
As I step behind the cabin, I stop in my tracks. Standing at a long folding table, wearing a pretty dress and a smile, is my girl. Sadie looks radiant as she passes out donuts to the guys. Her tan chihuahua circles her feet, barking occasionally when it seems someone is getting too close to Sadie. Good little guard dog.
She laughs at something Greer says and the sight of my brother making her laugh fills me with an inexplicable rage. That’s my job. I’m the one that makes her laugh. I’m the one that gets her to throw back her head, exposing the pale column of her throat.
I stomp up to the two of them, and she smiles sweetly at me. She’s up to something. I don’t know what the game is just yet, but I can feel it. Barely able to hold back a growl, I demand, “What are you doing here?”
She puts a hand to her chest, the motion drawing my attention to the freckles right at her cleavage. I want to bury my face between her huge tits and trace every little dot on her body with my tongue. “Little ol’ me? I’m not doing a thing, sweetheart.”
Greer notices that something is going on and takes his donuts, shuffling off somewhere else. Good thing too. I’d hate to throw a punch this early in the day.
I narrow my eyes at the curvy woman that I’ve been fantasizing about since the moment I met her. “You’re up to something.”
She reaches into the pocket of her dress and pulls out a long, narrow lollipop. I need to pull that dress off of her and keep her naked. I never want her luscious body hidden from my view again.
She unwraps the candy and gives me a cheeky grin as she runs her tongue up and down the sweet treat. The only reason that every man here still has eyesight is because I’m standing in front of her, blocking their view.
“I’m just here to enjoy myself,” she says before she wraps her lips around it and sucks it deep, making a quiet moan at the back of her throat.
That’s when I realize what this is. I told her the game was on, and now my good girl has come to play. Well, she’s not the only one who can play.