10. Flynn
10
FLYNN
I have to smother my smile when Abigail accepts Katie’s offer to go riding.
I covertly watch Abigail from the corner of my eye while we eat lunch and she makes slightly awkward small talk with us. Everyone is welcoming, of course.
I didn’t expect anything less from them. Everyone wants Abigail here, for Sadie’s sake, and also for Olivia’s, because we all know she needs more hands.
When Abigail compliments Violet on her muffins, Violet regales us of her history of baking fails and as Abigail laughs along with everyone else, her head tipped back and her eyes bright, I feel like I can finally relax.
It’s then that I remember what my big, stupid mouth said to Abigail on my bike.
I can’t believe I told her she was hot as fuck and my wet dream fantasy.
Good one, Flynn. Way to make things fucking awkward .
It’s true though. She looked so fucking good perched on my bike, her bare legs pressing against mine and her arms around me, palms splayed across my body.
I’ve got to put a stop to the thoughts in my head about this woman. Since I can’t rid myself of them fully just yet, I push them to the back corner of my brain and refocus on the room.
Abigail has finished eating and is fiddling with the end of her fork. Everyone else is still chatting away like they have all afternoon. Which they kind of do, there’s nothing pressing on the schedule today.
“Right, I better get back to it,” I say, pushing back from the table. I snag Abigail’s plate along with my own and stack them in the dishwasher. “I’ll give you a ride back,” I say to her.
Olivia opens her mouth, to protest and suggest Abigail hangs out a little longer, but I can see the tension creeping back into Abigail’s shoulders as she glances at the clock on the wall more and more often, so I cut Olivia off.
“Some of us have work to get back to.” I ruffle Olivia’s hair and she bats my hand away.
“Yeah, work,” she mutters, her eyes briefing closing, and her shoulders slumping slightly. “Yay.”
I bend down and wrap an arm around her in the briefest hug. “You got this, babe,” I whisper in her ear, low enough so no one else can hear. Then I stand and gesture to Abigail to follow me as I stride from the room.
Olivia is doing her damn best, but the girl never got a chance to grieve her dad passing away before she got thrust into full-time running of the farm. Sure, Violet is still technically in charge. She’s the owner of the place, but she doesn’t have the same understanding of the farm’s operations as Olivia does. The plan was always for Olivia to take over eventually, but Henry was supposed to be around for years yet.
I know Olivia loves this place with all her heart, and she’s surrounded by people who love it just as much, but I understand sometimes you just need a break. With the first wedding since Henry’s passing happening this weekend, she’s probably feeling an extra layer of pressure.
I get outside and slip my feet back into my boots, then swing my leg over my bike, fiddling with the handlebars while Abigail puts her shoes back on. She approaches the bike with a fraction more confidence than last time, but still takes a deep breath before sliding her leg over the seat, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder to steady herself.
I have to close my eyes at the contact, and squeeze them tighter when her body settles against my back, her arms snaking around my stomach.
“Good to go?” I grit out, willing myself not to get hard when she sighs and presses her cheek against my shoulder.
She takes a shaky breath, but agrees, and we head back to the events centre. I spend every second of that ride thinking about horrible, boring things, like responsibilities, and absolutely not thinking about Abigail’s soft hands and long fingers, with fingernails perfectly painted. Today they’re a dusky pink colour and I definitely don’t think about what that colour would look like tangled in my hair, or running over my bare skin.
I don’t think about the way her bare thigh felt under my palm, or the way she trusted me by getting on the bike in the first place .
Instead, I think about tractor maintenance and how I need to get the power harrow ready to go for next week.
I park my bike outside the events centre and switch off the engine while Abigail carefully climbs off. When she’s clear, I swing my leg over, coming to stand beside her.
“Thank you,” she says, looking up at me with nervous eyes. “That was … less scary than I expected.” She gives me a small smile.
“We all want you here, Abigail.” I hover over her name for a brief second, wondering if, when she told Katie she could call her Abi, she meant I could as well. She doesn’t correct it though and I refocus on my point. “We want you here, for Olivia’s sake, for Sadie … and aside from them, I like having you here.”
“That’s sweet of you,” she mumbles, looking away as she blushes.
I want to tell her there is nothing sweet about the places my brain goes to when I think of her.
Abigail blows out a breath, fluttering the strands of hair hanging around her face. I reach a hand up, slowly, giving her the chance to move if she wants to. She doesn’t. She stays frozen under my gaze as I run my fingers through her hair, smoothing out the tangles caused by the ride.
My fingers reach the end of her hair and my eyes lock with hers. I reach up, without thinking, without taking my eyes off hers, and slide my fingers through her hair again.
She lets out a tiny gasp as the pads of my fingertips brush her scalp. Her hair is like silk and my fingers slip through the dark strands like I’m trailing them through water.
The anxiety leaves her eyes and instead I see a flash of something darker, hotter. She catches her plush lower lip between her teeth and it drags my attention away from her intense gaze.
God, I want to kiss that mouth. I want to kiss her. I want to know what her skin feels like. I want to slide my hands up her legs, beneath the skirt she’s wearing today. I want to explore every inch of her.
My dick throbs and the spell breaks. Holy shit. I cannot be thinking things like this about Abigail. I just can’t.
She’s my boss’s ex.
She’s Sadie’s mum.
We work together.
I clear my throat and take a step backwards.
It takes her a moment to catch up, to realise I’ve ruined the moment, then that heated look fades from her gaze and she looks at me with something akin to horror on her face.
“Right, well. Good luck with your meeting. I’ll see you around,” I stammer. “I’ll be here on Friday to help you set up. Let me know if you need anything before then.”
“Okay,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “Bye, Flynn.”
She doesn’t move, she just stands there, staring at me with captivating eyes. I spin on my heel and swing my leg back over my bike. I need to get out of here before I do something reckless and so, so stupid.
I stomp on the kickstart and the bike flares to life. The vibration of the machine under me steadies me somewhat, until I glance back up at Abigail who’s watching me, one arm crossed over her chest, the other elbow propped on it while her hand rests against her throat, those dusky pink nails dragging across the delicate skin there.
Nope, nope, nope. Not thinking about that.
I release the clutch and twist the throttle. The bike shoots forward and as I race away from Abigail, I will the ache in my pants away.
I wish I didn’t have to. I wish I could turn around and go straight back to her, wrap my arms around her, slide my hands along her skin, drag my lips across her throat where her fingers were stroking.
But I can’t.
Because Abigail doesn’t need more on her plate. Her priority is Sadie, and I love that kid with all my heart, so there’s no way I’m getting in the way of her reconnecting with her mum.
I shove all thoughts of Abigail away and think about my plans for the afternoon. That power harrow needs a service.
But first I might go take care of something at home. Then maybe when the pressure in my dick is gone, I’ll be able to focus on reality again.