Chapter 19
Roni
The charred wood and leather remnants of Phoenix’s cologne lingers on my skin as I pull into work, two weeks of late nights leaving dark circles under my eyes I can't bring myself to care about.
Last night, he traced my collarbone with his fingertips while slowly dragging the head of his cock across my clit while reciting Shakespeare from memory.
The recollection of it makes my hands tremble slightly as I unlock the coffee hut.
My phone buzzes, his morning text right on schedule, and I catch myself smiling at the screen like some lovesick teenager before I've even read what it says.
Phoenix: Good morning, gorgeous. Still feeling you everywhere.
I blush, tucking the phone away as I flip on the espresso machine.
The familiar hiss and gurgle fills the small space, but my mind is already drifting back to his bedroom.
The way his broad shoulders looked hovering above me in the moonlight.
How his firm hands, so much larger than mine, gripped my hips with a perfect pressure that walked the line between gentle and possessive.
I absently wipe down the counter, remembering Tuesday night when he bent me over his kitchen island after making me dinner.
And Sunday morning when I woke to his beard tickling the inside of my thighs.
Then there was Thursday in his shower, my back pressed against the cool tile as his strong arms held me up effortlessly, water cascading down his back while I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He's almost twenty years older than me, and the thought of someone old enough to be my dad still feels a little weird.
But I'm starting to care a lot less. Especially when he unravels me the way he does.
Guys my age have all been terrible to me.
And maybe that was the problem. They're all just boys looking for fun, and as much as I love fun, Phoenix makes me feel seen. Sexy. Valued. And I’ve never had that.
It's been unusually slow this morning here at the hut, not that I'm complaining. But Chloe starts soon. She hit me with that nugget the morning after our first sexcapade. I was too giddy not to call her and recount all of my orgasms in graphic detail. She told me to stop, but I refused. I like it when she’s the jealous one for a change. That’s when she told me she sold most of her belongings and was on the road headed to town.
She claims she just needed a change of scenery, but there’s no way.
I do wonder, though, if she’s here to deal with Brad.
I check my phone out of habit, looking for more whimsical words from who is quickly becoming the man of my dreams. I'm a little sad when I see I don't have anything new from him, despite having just received his “good morning” text.
It's not right to expect him to be so obsessed with me that he would be stopping what he's doing in the middle of his workday just to say hi. Doesn't mean I can't tease him back.
I open the text window and hammer out a little message.
Roni: I can still feel you pulsing in my throat.
A customer pulling a horse trailer with a massive truck pulls up, and I light up immediately. I love horses. I almost start dancing in place when I see a tail swishing out the back, though it's too far away for me to see much more.
“Hey there,” I say, opening the window and giving a gentle wave to the middle-aged man behind the steering wheel.
“Good morning,” he says with a cracked voice. He's got dark smudges on his face and his hands look dirty, like he's been busy laboring away. “Can I just get a large black coffee, please?”
“Sure thing, give me just a sec. In the meantime, what kind of horse is in the back?” I turn and grab a cup, quickly dispense the hot dark roast, and grab a lid.
“I'd be happy to pull over and show you, if you're interested.”
A couple minutes later, when I'm sure there are no other customers, I exit the shack and walk around the back of the trailer. The gentleman exits and descends from his truck. I hand him his coffee, but my eyes are fixed on the brown hide of the animal caged in front of me.
“What do I owe you?” he asks me, and I wave him off.
“Don't even worry about it. You're letting me look at this beautiful creature.”
He gets closer to the rear, pulls pins out from the hinges of the door, and gently lowers the gate to the ground.
“He’s secure in there. If you want to go in and take a quick look, you can pet him. And you can ask me any other questions if you want.”
“Really?” I ask, elated by the idea.
I don't hesitate to climb in and walk down the side of the horse, gently stroking his mane. He's calm and lets me pet him without making a fuss.
“He's beautiful,” I say. “Where are you taking him?”
“Just off to a buddy's ranch upstate, nothing too crazy. We've run out of room, and he's been wanting to take on a horse, so we thought we'd bring one up. A pretty decent deal.”
Stepping back out of the trailer, I reach out and shake his hand. “Thank you so much, sir. It's just made my whole day. I hope the coffee's not too hot and you get where you're going safe. It's a beautiful creature you've got there.”
“Mighty kind of you, ma'am. Thank you very much,” he says, climbing back into his rig.
We don't exchange any other words before I head back into my little coffee station. Just as the next customer comes rolling up to the window, I check my phone again—still nothing. I can't wait for him to see what I sent. I can't wait to tell him about the day I've just had.