Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Gabriel
Despite doing Eris’ two favorite things, horseback riding and walking through the adult play area, Gabriel could tell she was down. Even hot sex across the table in the cabin couldn’t quell her worries.
He remembered, vividly, when things had fallen apart last time.
He didn’t want to take calls during this vacation, and he even had someone routing calls and emails while he was out.
His cousin Zeke wasn’t impressed with the busywork during his vacation.
Then again, Zeke also wasn’t going to complain since Gabriel was taking some time to himself.
Watching Eris as she walked through the play area, admiring the wide array of hedges that mapped out the maze on this end, he wondered how much he could pay his cousin to keep doing this.
Zeke was more tech savvy than he was, but Gabriel managed pretty well.
If he could somehow convince her that they should see each other more often, that this didn’t have to end with her vacation week, he’d pay his cousin whatever he had to in order to keep doing this.
But what could he offer to a girl who had a life for herself back home?
She had a job, one she could talk about endlessly, and a knowledge of plants that far exceeded anything he was familiar with.
Her eyes lit up each time they came over here, and he knew she was already anticipating the games they could play tonight.
He had a plan, but a different twist on their game of chase.
Primal was fun, the hedge maze made it better, but he had plenty of other ways he dreamed about fucking her.
They had tonight at the Ranch, and tomorrow, but he hadn’t even asked her when her flight was scheduled the day after that.
Did he get most of a day with her, or would she flee in the early hours of the morning?
Gabriel desperately didn’t want to let her go. Not again.
As Eris kept rattling off thoughts about plants, and what she believed would make the maze even more amazing, he studied the way her long hair draped down her back.
The way her leggings fit her snugly today, and how she had opted for light sneakers over her boots after going riding.
She had a baseball cap on to shield her eyes from the sun, and they never had found the sunglasses she’d lost.
He studied every little detail of her, wondering if he’d have to find a way to bring her back to the Ranch again.
Maybe he could go and see her in Virginia, but he didn’t know how she’d feel about him appearing in her life out there either.
For all he knew, and he wished he knew more, Eris might want to keep her everyday life and her time at the Ranch separate.
They had been out there for close to an hour, wandering between the trees, when he finally spotted someone else in the area. As they got closer, stepping out of the thick of the trees, he wasn’t all that surprised to see Lucas.
Lucas nodded as he approached, and Gabriel vaguely recalled his lack of interest with in-person meetings.
He knew how Lucas felt about flowers; they weren’t his favorite, but they were part of the Ranch life, and as the designer behind the maze he had to deal with an assortment of plants for this fantasy.
Flowers weren’t necessary for a maze, but thus far Eris had filled him in on plenty of flowers that could bloom with the moon.
“Hi!” Eris said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Gabriel shot her a bemused glance through the corner of his eye.
Her excitement was so palpable, he understood then that he hadn’t realized how much she craved talking to the head landscaper.
At least when she chatted about plants Lucas would understand it.
“Hi, Eris, Master Gabriel.” Lucas nodded his head before gesturing to the hedges. “What did you think of your adventures?”
“I loved it,” she gushed, clasping her hands together.
“Virginia Creeper is such an interesting choice for the spots where you had to add fencing for the maze. Did you twist the vines so they would naturally grow through the fencing like a lattice? It would help hold the vines in place and cushion people when they crash into it in the dark. It still kind of hurts since it’s a barrier, but if you don’t come into contact with the actual lattice, it’s not bad. ”
Lucas blinked, his green eyes jumping between the two of them. “I’m glad you like the maze edition to the play area, Eris. I didn’t expect you to analyze it.”
“She’s an agriculture major,” Gabriel said, a note of pride in his voice. He loved that she’d gotten a degree in something she cared about, and later, much later, he hoped to learn even more about her passions. “She’s been talking about the maze design since we found it.”
That did make Lucas grin. “Well, I’m glad you approve.
It’s going to be a labor of love with upkeep, so we might have to alternate when it’s in use.
I can’t spend too long on the vines individually with everything else around the Ranch, but general maintenance isn’t a big deal.
The maze is going to be open to anyone who wants to try out and experience primal play after this week, so if you have any other notes, I’ll gladly take them down.
My wife, Georgie, is keeping a little list for me so I don’t forget anything. ”
“This would be so cool to take care of,” Eris sighed, looking longingly at the hedges.
“You could do so many things with the maze. Create more paths, maybe add bars or monkey bars so people can climb up into the trees. That might be a bit of a safety issue, but I mean, caution is the name of the game out here, right? Oh you could plant some flowers out here, ones that bloom with the moon would be super cool for night play. I can make a list…”
Eris started tapping at her phone, and Lucas shot him a bemused look.
As much as Gabriel wanted to keep Eris here in Montana for selfish reasons, he couldn’t imagine there being enough out here to keep her states away from her family.
They didn’t talk a lot about her family, and from the sounds of it she was close to everyone back home.
But there was passion flaring in her eyes as she kept rattling ideas off to Lucas, and an idea formed in his mind the longer she spoke.
He didn’t know if it would be necessary, or even approved, and how Eris would feel if he mentioned it.
Thinning his lips as he thought on it, one thing rang clear in his head.
Before he jumped the gun and tried to convince Eris to stay with him this time, for longer than a week, he needed to show her his home.