Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Cassidy
T alking was mostly a lost cause because every time Trey got within three feet of Cassidy, there was no way to keep his hands off and his clothes on. The day before, Trey had stayed up on the ranch in Cassidy’s cabin. Cassidy had cooked them a meal after the three hot sweaty bouts of mind blowing sex. He could almost believe he was coming into his heat with how he was behaving.
When he’d cooked, had they talked then? Absolutely impossible when Trey had his hands wrapped around Cassidy’s dick the whole time, encouraging him to work faster. Had they talked when they were eating? Another nonstarter when they had eaten in bed, and mostly off each other’s bodies.
Cassidy’s ass was aching, and he worried that there might be something wrong with him. When he’d woken Trey to kiss him before heading out this morning—after showering—to get on with his daily routine, he had none of his usual enthusiasm for his work.
Could a mating change a personality?
“What’s with the long face?” Ethan leaned against the fence around the paddock Cassidy was working in, resting his forearms on the top, looking at him.
A black jacket hung open over a gray T-shirt, and Ethan’s Stetson was the same color as his jacket. It shielded his eyes, but Cassidy picked up his unease all the same.
“Do you think mating changes who you are?” he asked, voicing what was on his mind, knowing Ethan wouldn’t take offense that he hadn’t answered his question. They had worked together for seven years, and Ethan was someone the ranch hands could talk to, regardless of him being the boss.
Dark brows arched as Ethan pushed back his Stetson to scratch at the side of his head. “I heard there was a ruckus in the bunkhouse yesterday. So it’s true then, you an’ Trey are mates?” There was nothing about his stance that suggested it could be a problem.
Yet…
Cassidy dusted off his hands and grabbed a rag from his back pocket to rub the sweat off his face. Today he wore a backward baseball cap to hold back his bangs. Tucking the rag back into his pocket, he grabbed his water canteen to take a drink, thinking about what Ethan could have heard. “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“Nothin’ happened, did it?”
Cassidy shook his head. “Nah, not the way you mean.”
A palomino stallion on the other side of the paddock took notice of them. Anywhere Ethan was, if there were horses nearby they would trot over.
“What way is that?” Ethan asked, digging a hand into the bag Cassidy had on the fence holding apples and carrots. He held up a carrot, his gaze remaining on Cassidy.
“Trey was upset with me.” Even as he said it, Cassidy remained disconcerted at how he had hurt Trey’s feelings. It was not in his nature to be careless like that.
A loud whinny was accompanied by the thump of hooves as Hero came to a stop and nipped the carrot out of Ethan’s hand more delicately than one would expect. “There’s my boy.”
Ethan’s voice held all the affection he had for the animal when he reached up and stroked the shining mane. The horse’s head flicked towards the hand nibbling him.
“What did you do?”
Ethan’s question made Cassidy refocus. “I left without kissin’ him or leavin’ a note.”
A deep bassy laugh got Hero’s head bobbing and his tail flicking. Ethan divided his attention between the horse and Cassidy. “I never had Trey down as… the clingy kind.”
Cassidy’s brow furrowed, not liking how Ethan said the word ‘clingy’. “He’s my mate.”
“I get that.” His eyes gleamed with amusement. “Is this why you’re thinkin’ a matin’ changes ya?”
“Not really, I was meanin’ me.”
“So Trey’s always clingy when you fuck in the bar's restroom?”
Blushing hard enough to make sweat gather on his top lip, Cassidy found it hard to hold Ethan’s gaze. “That ain’t none of your business.”
“Then maybe you should have fucked some place no one could hear you,” Ethan said matter-of-factly. “I ain’t mated, so it’s hard to say what changes and what doesn’t. Though to my thinkin’, everything changes ‘cause you got someone else to consider, whether you like it or not.”
Cassidy frowned once again at how Ethan made mating sound like an inconvenience. It most definitely wasn’t that.
“It ain’t like that,” he muttered in frustration. “And I’m not bein’ clear.”
“Then explain yourself.”
“I’m not sure I know how to,” he confessed, when none of his thoughts made sense.
“Is this where you’re hiding?” Jupiter’s smooth, sexy voice interrupted them.
Ethan groaned, just loud enough for Cassidy to hear it, despite the smile he offered Jupiter as he wandered from the direction of the big house. Those who stayed on the ranch for the team building experience usually bunked in the cabins. Cassidy had heard that Jupiter had moved up to the big house.
“I ain’t hidin’, just runnin’ a ranch is all,” Ethan offered affably. Cassidy didn’t miss the tightness of his jaw or the slight narrowing of his eyes.
“Seems like hiding to me,” Jupiter replied, striding closer, his hand lifting for Hero to sniff. “Cassidy, looks like the experiment worked for you.”
“Experiment?” Ethan asked, his eyes narrowing further as they moved from Cassidy back to Jupiter. “What’re you talkin’ about?”
Hero nudged at Jupiter’s shoulder, nuzzling at his immaculate button-down. Jupiter’s head tilted and rested against Hero’s in a relaxed move.
Cassidy glanced at Ethan, who wore the same expression of surprise as Cassidy did. Horses were sensitive creatures, very empathic and able to pick up things that other animals couldn’t sense. Jupiter had an affinity with most of the animals on the ranch, which Cassidy had witnessed firsthand, despite how much he had complained while doing the team-building activities.
Hero was Ethan’s horse, and he rarely paid attention to any of the visitors to the ranch. Ethan couldn’t miss the special attention Jupiter was receiving.
“Cassidy believed that Trey and he were just fuck buddies, but it was easy to see that was not the case.” The devilishly handsome smile Jupiter aimed at Ethan brought with it a rosy glow to his cheeks. “It only took me placing my hands on Cassidy’s…” he paused long enough to gain a frown from Ethan, “hips to get Trey to vault the bar.” He winked at Cassidy. “A hot move I’m sure he followed through on.”
“Am I interrupting somethin’?” Trey drawled.
Cassidy glanced to the side and tried to work out what he was picking up from Trey. He looked a bit rumpled in the clothes he’d arrived in the night before, which had spent the night lying on the floor in a heap. His damp hair curled around his hat, with the brim sat low enough to shield his expression. “No.”
Trey came to the fence, grabbed the post and in a move Cassidy would absolutely never tire of seeing, vaulted it to stand next to him. Trey’s freshly showered scent didn’t disguise Trey’s arousal, which automatically triggered Cassidy’s. Not that it took much these days.
Hero glanced at Trey and whinnied in disapproval.
Jupiter chuckled and scratched Hero’s neck. “I think that’s my cue to leave.” He tipped his hat at them and strolled off.
“Trey… we don’t want no trouble, ya hear me?” Ethan’s stance changed as he stood to his full height, giving Trey a warning look.
“I’m not looking for trouble as long as folks understand who Cassidy belongs to,” he asserted in a low growl.
Cassidy didn’t feel conflicted. Maybe he should, given how Trey was behaving, but that would be a double standard because Cassidy felt the same. When he looked at Trey, he wanted others to know that the wolf was his. He’d pined for this and now he had it, he would not be shy about it. Though that didn’t mean there wasn’t a conversation that still needed to be had.
“That good for you, Cass?” This was what made Ethan a good boss.
“It is,” he asserted, turning his attention to Trey. “‘Cause same goes.”
The smile that slowly spread as Trey stepped to Cassidy meant that was all he could focus on. Heat warmed his body and his heart beat harder.
“You finished?” Trey asked.
“Shouldn’t you be askin’ me that?” Ethan muttered through his sniggers.
Trey continued to hold Cassidy’s gaze. “Is he?”
Hero trotted off, head flicking, when Ethan laughed. “It seems so.”
“Let’s go.”
Guided out of the paddock, Cassidy shut out Ethan’s continued laughter, glancing sideways at Trey. His brain became scrambled, much like the eggs he ate for breakfast, by the sexy smell coming from Trey.
Once more in his cabin, the door shut, Cassidy eyed Trey, whose fingers went to the buttons on the rumpled shirt. Only then did he notice a couple were missing.
“Is mating all about sex? Not that I’m complainin’.” He wasn’t, but at some point they needed to talk… didn’t they ?