7. Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Grayson
I left River alone for over an hour while I went and vaccinated some of the new cows that came in this week. That smile she seemed willing to give me was right there on her face when I found her with the horses. She’d already brushed each one but was back with Rocket, examining his legs and gait.
I hadn’t even told her he had a problem with his legs, but she figured it out. Talking to him as if he were one of her patients, while relaying the treatment regimen she would put him through. I could only lean against the stall door, watching in awe as this woman loved on one of my horses.
When she finally noticed me there, she didn’t hesitate to follow me out to the cow fields. I swear she made a point of talking to each one, petting them, and then hugging them.
I admit I spent more time watching her than I did checking the fences and feeding the little troublemakers.
The River I met in the med room was so different. She was cold and authoritative.
Then, there was the version from the bar. The one who let her guard down when she saw how much we were the same. The both of us exhausted from always having to prove ourselves to or against someone else.
But this version is something entirely different. This River is free and fun without a single care in the world. Oddly enough, as much as I loved witnessing this, I’m jealous, too. I haven’t felt that way, ever, maybe.
We’ve been sitting out on the back porch swing for an hour now. Chores are done, and the sun is still high in the sky. A wink of warmth peaking through the early spring breeze.
“What time do you work today?”
“Surgery got canceled.”
“What? Why?” I’m not sure why I sound so panicked. Things like this happen all the time, I would assume.
“A1c was too elevated. Puts the patient at too high a risk for infection. He’ll have to wait until it’s under control.”
I’m in awe. Though I’ve been a vet tech since I was a teenager, it’s amazing hearing her talk about medicine. The way her eyes lit up when she told me about her favorite surgeries while we walked back in from the fields was inspiring. “So what do you have planned for the day, then?”
“Shower. Food. I don’t know. Kill some time until I have to be back at the arena later. I guess I should probably get my car from the bar, too.”
“I didn’t know you’d be back at the rodeo this season.”
“Cecil went and retired, so I’m it through October.”
My insides hum with excitement. I’d hoped to have more reasons to see her besides asking her on a date. I’ve never been so taken with a person before. The desire to be around her all the time and listen to everything she has to say is a foreign concept. One I’m not sure how to handle.
“Well, we’re lucky to have you, then.” I hug her into my side, her nose wrinkling.
“As hot as it was watching you throw bales of hay, you smell.”
“Yeah, sorry. Ranch work will do that.” Standing from the swing, I extend my hand to her. “Come on. Let’s get cleaned up, and then I’ll get you some food.”
She smiles, slipping her hand into mine.
It doesn’t take long to toss her clothes in the wash and show her where everything is in my bathroom. I figured she’d prefer that shower to the more basic tub shower combos in the other bathrooms.
Disappearing into one of the bathrooms on the first floor, I let the heat sink into my aching muscles. I know I’ve been in here way too long, the water pounding into the back of my head and my shoulder blades. Just standing here, my hand braced against the wall, all I can think about is her.
It’s odd to feel like someone sees me. The many times River has told me I don’t have to try to impress her or prove something puts me in a state of turmoil. I’m so used to being on the opposing side to my brother, no matter who I’m interacting with, that it’s foreign to just relax and be myself.
That single thought about Tate grinds my molars. The fact that I am going to have to see him again tonight riling me up in all the wrong ways.
But then I think of her again. My eyes pressing shut while my cock swells. The feel of her had been out of this world. It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone I wanted to see again. The last was Stacy, my long-time girlfriend. A five-year relationship that ended with her walking out the door without notice. Yet another thing Tate ruined for me.
But River… she’s different.
My fingers grip my length. A slow pump is all my still-aching hand can tolerate.
I’d promised I’d go get checked today, but I hadn’t. I’d forgotten when I woke up next to that beautiful woman curled around my body. Then, seeing her walk out into the fields in my clothes, I didn’t have a single logical thought left.
My fist pumps faster. The suds from my soap slippery enough I can pretend it’s her wet pussy I’m inside again. Fuck , nothing has ever felt like her. My chest heaves, my release building. A release I’d prefer to shoot inside her tight…
A knock cracks at the door. “Gray, you good?” River calls out.
“Yeah.” The word croaked as if I’d suddenly become a dying frog. “Coming out now.”
Her palm taps the door, the clap of bare feet on the hardwood just loud enough I know she walked away.
With a heavy sigh, I finish rinsing, my hard dick throbbing and pissed I’m not finishing what we started.
My mood only darkens as I stalk to my bedroom, wanting nothing more than to fuck River again. Right here. Right now. As many times as she’ll come for me.
It’s a pain in the ass searching for the biggest dark sweatpants I own. Anything to hide my raging hard-on for the woman somewhere in my house. By the scent of herbs wafting through the space, I’d wager the kitchen.
Water droplets still drip from the ends of my hair as I enter the kitchen. Each one making my cotton shirt cling to my warm skin.
I’d told River to wear whatever she wanted, and fuck, I wish I’d said otherwise.
Her long legs are on display, thick but toned in a pair of navy blue boxer briefs and nothing but one of my white t-shirts. Her dark nipples are visible through the thin fabric. Hardened peaks staring straight at me. The sight does nothing to control my erection, her eyes darting down to my crotch before averting her gaze.
“You were taking a long time, so I cooked. I’m not pleasant to be around when I’m hangry.”
Knowing she already saw exactly what she does to me, I don’t hesitate to slide up behind her. My arms cage her against the kitchen island. River is taller than most of the women I’ve been with, but still just short enough that her ass doesn’t hit my pelvis. Yet, she finds a way, her round behind pressing against my hard length.
“I could definitely eat.”
“I hope steak and home fries are okay?”
“Not very healthy for a doctor,” my nose runs up the side of her throat. Her breaths quicken, lips parting, that ass still grinding against me.
“I never said I was a health freak. I’m a surgeon, not the calorie police.”
My lips brush over her jaw, her back flush against my front. “If you keep moving like that, I’m going to nut in my pants, and then we’ll need another shower.”
A choked gasp leaves her before she ducks under my arm. She moves quickly, opening every cabinet before closing each one again. She finally finds the plates, pulling out two before haphazardly transferring our food. Her eyes never find mine again, so I just watch. I like the way River looks in my kitchen. In my clothes. In my space.
Being this drawn to someone so quickly can’t be normal, but according to most, I’m not normal.
I’m insane. A man who enjoys riding those merciless bulls for a living must also be one with a death wish. Like River with my cows this morning, it’s the only place I feel free.
“Come on before it gets cold.”
River carries both plates to the breakfast nook table just off the kitchen, setting them side by side instead of across from each other. Yet, she doesn’t sit. Those vibrant eyes bounce between the two chairs as if she can’t decide which one is the least offensive.
Choosing for her, I slide out the chair she’d put one of the plates in front of. “Sit.” She doesn’t hesitate, allowing me to push it in for her.
“Thank you.”
Bending low, I press a soft kiss to her cheek. “‘Course.”
Sitting in the seat beside her, we eat in silence. Not the kind that makes you itch. The kind you find with someone who matches your energy. You can share an entire conversation without actual words. Companionship I didn’t even know like this with Stacy.
“Do you cook a lot?”
River stops mid-chew, her fork dropping to her half-empty plate. “Yeah, I do. My grandmother lives near me and so I like to make sure she eats right.”
“What about your parents?”
A heavy sigh leaves her, eyes focused on her plate before they find mine. “Unlike me, they got out of here as soon as they could. I’m the youngest of four, so when I left for college, they left for Florida beaches.”
“Brothers or sisters?”
I know by the glint in her eyes she’s going to say brothers. And if they are as tough as her, they might kick my ass for taking their baby sister home the first night and fucking her the way I did.
“I’m the only girl. Kane is the oldest. Maybe forty-five now. Jaxon is next. He turns forty this year. And then Warner is thirty-eight. Jaxon is my favorite, though.”
“Wait! How old are you?”
Her eyes search mine. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s worried about telling me her age or if it’s because she knows mine. “Thirty-five.”
“I’m thirty-two.”
“I know,” she whispers, her focus tracking back to her food.
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like there’s some huge cavern of time between us. Does my age bother you?”
A soft huff of laughter leaves her. “No. Does mine?” Her question spoken soft enough, I wonder if she’s concerned about my answer.
“River, look at me.” Those beautiful shining fields of green find mine again. “I don’t care if you’re fifty. I like you.”
A flush creeps up her cheeks, so faint I can pretend I imagined it. “Yeah, I like you too, cowboy.”