Asha King (8 page)

Saturday

NEW POST: Draft Mode

The last few days have been a perfect example why it’s probably best I haven’t had access to social networks, because it would’ve been TMI. There has been good. Bad. And VERY good.

What I’ve been doing, well, I can’t say if that falls into good or bad.

Maybe somewhere in between.

Chapter Ten

The rain hit hard Sunday morning, much needed after several days of sunshine. Despite the gloom, Dani woke in a good, albeit nervous mood. She stretched in bed, grinning to herself, body sated sexually but with a ghost of craving still there. Rain hammered her window as she yawned and crawled out of bed.

She’d discreetly slipped out of Adam’s place the night before, expecting everyone downstairs to somehow know what was going on, but no one had glanced in her direction. People were pleasantly buzzed on alcohol, engaged either in dancing or in conversations about horses, and paid no notice to her.

Dani dressed in her work clothes, stopping to brush her teeth and wash her face, but not bothering with a shower—she’d found it best to shower in the afternoon
after
most chores were done, so she could get all the sweat and horse smells off of her. The kitchen already boasted a tantalizing aroma of coffee and sizzle of cooking pancakes, and she padded toward—

Wait. Breakfast already?

She stopped just outside the kitchen, gaze darting for the clock, lips parted when Adam barked out, “You’re late.”

Shit
.

He sat on a stool at the breakfast bar drinking coffee, glowering. Dewey flipped a pancake high in the air and caught it in the cast iron pan.

“I’m sor—”

“Six o’clock, you turn out the horses with him. Is that so hard to remember?”

“I must’ve forgotten to set—”

“That’s no excuse—you have responsibilities.”

Wait, was this really the same guy she saw naked the night before? A blush touched her cheeks at the memory—she definitely hadn’t just imagined it. And he looked just as good this morning despite being clothed, in another white T-shirt and old blue jeans, hair looking smooth and silky to the touch, and dark blue eyes smoldering.

With effort, she picked her jaw off the floor and closed her mouth, grinding her teeth. “Is there any particular reason you’re being such a dick this morning?”

“Is there any particular reason you think you suddenly no longer have to work around here?”

“Okay!” Dewey declared, turning around to place a stack of pancakes on the breakfast bar. He ran his hand back through his straight blond hair and seemed to force a smile. “It’s not a big deal, as Carlee was up and gave me a hand, and now I’m tired of the yelling so
I
am going to see if there’s anything else she needs, then get Gus into Stirling so we can run some errands before church. He’s already waiting in the truck for me.” He bowed deeply. “Have fun, clean up the blood when you’re done, bye.” Dewey skirted the table breakfast bar, scooped his hat off the dining room table, and exited out the front door.

Dani glared at Adam, fury threading through her veins. “What the hell was that about?”

“You have to carry your weight around here, princess,
just
like the rest of us.”

“Once. I have slept in
once
. I’m sorry. I’m sure everyone does it once in a while so please try to untwist your panties and chill the hell out.”

He rose, his eyes darkening.

She planted her hands on her hips, undaunted. “Do you
really
think I did it on—” Suddenly the connections started forming in her brain and she couldn’t help but grin. “Oh my God. What, you thought I was going to lounge about doing nothing because I all but got in bed with the boss man’s second in command? Oh please.”

Adam said nothing, and the longer he stayed silent, the more her brain started spinning.

“Were you sitting here thinking I didn’t show up to do chores
because
I just decided to slack off due to last night, or were you sitting here thinking last night even
happened
so that I could slack off on stuff?” Her heart was thudding hard, face flushing, hurt and anger welling, and she started to back up. “You know what? Just don’t even answer that. If you think I’m a
whore
as well as a princess—”

He was moving around the breakfast bar and caught her in the doorway, his large, strong arms trapping her against him. When his lips came down, she met them with her own, still angry but completely forgetting why. Her arms circled around his neck and she leaned into him, losing the sense of everything around her except him and his exquisite mouth. His face was soft against hers, freshly shaven, and he smelled like the coffee he’d been drinking.

“I didn’t mean to imply anything.” He pulled his face back but didn’t let her go, and she might’ve remained clinging to him if he’d tried. “I’m sorry.”

Dani blinked. “Did you just apologize? For real?
Again
?”

Adam rolled his eyes and tried to disentangle himself from her but she wouldn’t let go. “I don’t intend to make it a habit.”

“Of course not. That would be adult of you.”

This time he succeeded in removing himself from her embrace but not without dropping another heart-stopping kiss on her lips. He sat at the breakfast bar and moved a stack of pancakes onto his plate.

Dani went for the coffee pot. “So what chores are there to do in the rain and mud?”

“Still stalls to be shoveled—the usual.”

She made a face but didn’t grumble. Much.

“And you’re to be at my place at one.”

Dani glanced sharply over her shoulder. “Excuse me?”

He held her gaze as he lifted a cup of coffee to his lips. “I won, remember.”

That, he did. Heat rolled over her cheeks, down her neck. A deal was a deal, after all, and she was not-so-secretly thrilled at the prospect of finding out what he had in mind.

****

Danyiah couldn’t tell any longer if she still smelled like a barn or clean—she’d all but given up worrying about it. After showering and freshly moisturizing her hair, she called Therese and left a message. What she really needed was some stereotypical girl talk but her friend didn’t answer, so she gushed excitedly about Needing to Talk About Boys, and left it at that.

It wasn’t that she thought, realistically, anything would come of them. She had a life in the city. A job. A persona to return to when any threats were taken care of—she wasn’t a ranch girl permanently. He probably thought it was a fling as well. But she loved the nervous turn to her stomach and giddy giggle threatening to leave her lips as she walked toward the house’s exit—those bubbly, exciting feelings were familiar yet foreign, gone too long from her life. Sure, she’d dated here and there, some long term and usually quite fun, but
this
... This felt like a high school first crush and she loved it.

She slipped on a hoodie hung just inside the door, pulled the hood over her head, and jogged out onto the porch, down the steps, and along the path toward Adam’s building. Water sloshed around her feet, thankfully not leaking into her boots, and rain pelted her head hard. She ducked fat drops falling from the awning, skirted puddles, and raced for the sanctity of the building. Gus and Dewey were in the office discussing camp for the week, so she didn’t worry about them seeing her. And Carlee—

“Dani!”

Damn it.

Dani paused, squinting and holding the hoodie closed over her chest as she glanced around. Soon she spotted Carlee waving over by the indoor arena, apparently needing help with something.

Dani wasn’t wearing a watch but she already knew it was almost one. She muttered under her breath and jogged over.

Carlee had her horse on a lead, both of them a bit damp after coming from the barn. “He gets antsy when it rains—would you mind holding him while I get on?”

“Um, sure.” Dani tried not to sound irritated. There really wasn’t anything particularly
bad
about Carlee—nothing that deserved her ire. But she was pretty and perfect and a horse person and got googly-eyed with Adam.

Which, come to think of it, maybe
was
reason enough to be bitchy with her.

Rain struck the metal roof loudly, hammering a steady beat. Sand dusted Dani’s boots, clinging to their dampness, as she walked in the arena. Pylons were bright spots of color in an otherwise drab setting, set up to mark the positions of barrels for racing.

Sweet Pea stood off to the side, and Dani went to stand in front of him. She’d seen others do it the day before—stand in front of a horse while a rider hopped on—but she hadn’t done it yet herself. Her fingers grasped the sides of the bridle gently, holding on while Carlee checked the saddle.

“I hope the rain’s done by tomorrow,” she said as she moved to the right side, flipped up the stirrup to check the cinch. “I’ll feel bad for the kids if they’re stuck inside the first day.”

“Yep.”
Just get on your horse. I have a sexy appointment with a hot guy and don’t have time for idle chat.

She circled the horse, patting his nose lovingly, and smiled at Dani. “I’m really glad you’re here. I think we’ll have a lot of fun tomorrow. Gus has the usual camp instructor coming but it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to.”

Great. They were going to talk. Fun times.

Carlee moved to check the cinch on the left. “Last year it was just me, Adam, and Dewey when I stayed here after the show. And Gus. Never a chance to talk to another girl.”

Girl talk. With
Carlee
. Not precisely what she’d been hoping for when she called Therese earlier.
I just am
not
making friendship bracelets with her
. “Sure.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” she gave the saddle another tug and seemed satisfied with its placement, “we can go out, the four of us. Like...a group date.”

“That sounds”—
like a nightmare
—“great.”

Carlee grinned brightly. “Awesome.” She turned back to Sweet Pea and grasped the horn, put her foot in the stirrup. Dani held onto the bridle as the horse shifted, then Carlee heaved herself up onto the saddle. She got her right foot into the other stirrup, took the reins, and nodded. Dani stepped back and left her to trot about the arena.

A group date. So...
was
she dating Adam? Or sort of angling for him still? He had a bit of a temper and could be a jackass now and then, but she had no doubt otherwise of his integrity. He wouldn’t actually have something going on with her
and
Carlee.

Would he?

She tried to quell the nervousness in her stomach as she stepped back into the rain and toward the other building. She’d be late for their “appointment”—maybe that would give her an opportunity to ask him, point blank, if he was seeing anyone else. Her heart sank hard at the thought, but no amount of fun was worth getting entangled in that kind of bullshit.

She dashed onto the porch and checked the door—it was open. Maybe he was already waiting for her. The lights were off and the room was swathed in shadows, the dark gray day making it seem almost night. Dani pushed off her hood and slipped through the curtain hiding the stairs.

The steps creaked under her cowboy boots—which she was loath to admit, but actually were comfortable now. She knocked on the closed door at the top but no one answered, so she tried the knob; it was open.

Adam’s place was dark like the downstairs, so she hit the switch on the wall to her left and bulbs sparked to life overhead. Without his
naked
presence this time, she allowed herself a leisurely gaze around the large room. The floors were worn wood faded gray, and walls white painted wood paneling. The place had a lived in feel—not a speck of dust on any surface though shelves of books were in slight disarray, dishes washed and sitting in the drying rack, floor swept. Her boots made decisive clicks on the hardwood with each step and she raked her gaze around, taking in everything.

It was a framed photo on the dresser that got her attention. Small, four-by-six maybe, of a smiling white woman with dark hair. Dani moved closer to get a better look at the face behind the silver frame and thankfully found it at least wasn’t Carlee. The woman’s upper torso could be seen, and it looked like someone had his arm around her; the photo was awkwardly cropped, as if someone had been cut out.

Old girlfriend, maybe? Couldn’t be a current one if Carlee had her eye on him so obviously. Perhaps she could ask Dewey later. Or even Gus.

And then she remembered Dewey’s comment about some trauma in adulthood. Did his wife, like, die or something? She shivered at the thought and hoped nothing so horrible happened to him.

She glanced around for another picture or something that might better explain the mysterious woman. And then it wasn’t a sound that told her he was there; no, it was a feeling. A prickle up her spine, the air charged with awareness. Dani glanced over her shoulder to see Adam in the doorway, taking up the space with his height and broad shoulders.

“I was just—”

Adam closed and locked the door behind him. “You’re late.”

“Had to help Carlee for a minute. Got talking.” She waited, but his expression didn’t change at all—didn’t faze him. So maybe that situation was one-sided?

He didn’t give her the opportunity to ask. “Get undressed.”

Dani blinked. “What?”

He cocked a brow. Didn’t move. “I won. My rules. Take. Off. Your. Clothes.”

Shivers danced over her skin and heat pooled between her legs.

Not a big deal—I’ve stripped for a boyfriend before. And I did last night
. But then usually stripping in front of a lover was a way to exert control—not
be
controlled.

A nervous thrill tickled her—regardless, she
liked
this game. She eased her hoodie off first and cast it on the dresser, over the photo she’d been nosing around. Next she slipped off her boots, socks. She grasped the hem of her tank top and eased it up. Perhaps, she thought, she could’ve been doing it seductively, but then he hadn’t asked her to. If he wanted to be alpha, he’d have to get real specific about things.

“That’s good,” he interrupted right when she reached for the button of her jeans.

Dani waited, hands loosely at her side, struggling to breathe normally. The demi-cups of her bra thrust her heavy breasts high and she was acutely aware of her nipples hardening under his steady gaze.

“Lie on the bed.”

As she sat down, she realized with a nervous feeling that they’d never set out any rules. Last night, the agreement was no touching and no sex. Now, she had no idea what was on the table and what was off.

Or
if
anything is actually off
.

Dani settled down on her back, the foam mattress reaching up to hug her, comforter soft beneath her. Deep, calming breaths weren’t so calming after all and her heart hammered erratically against her ribcage.

Adam stepped closer, each thud of his feet on the floor sending a tremor to her marrow. “Grab the headboard.”

Oh, shit
. She forced her hands up, over her head, noticing the way it seemed to extend her torso and thrust her breasts up. She locked her fingers around the cool, wrought iron bars as he stepped closer—

And produced an old black tie from the top dresser drawer.

Immediately she tensed. “Cooper—”

He paused just above her, gazing down with dark blue eyes that seemed to peer right through her. “Do you want to back out?”

She licked her dry lips. “No.”

“Do you trust me?”

Dani grinned wickedly. “Not in the least bit.”

A sexy half-smile curved the corners of his lips. He looped the silk around her wrists then around the bars of the bed, so she could let go but still be bound. It rubbed her skin but not painfully, silk smooth and loose enough that there was some give—he clearly didn’t intend to hurt her.

But she was definitely bound to his bed.

Arousal flushed her skin. She waited for more bindings, but they never came. Adam peeled his T-shirt off and threw it aside, then the bed dipped under his weight as climbed onto the foot of it.

She hissed in a breath as he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, then peeled them down her legs in one swift movement. Chill air touched her bare legs, goose bumps rising fast and hard.

His gaze dragged over her with a near physical force, studying her appreciatively. His fingers skimmed her ankles. “Spread your legs.”

The commands sent heat straight into her pussy. She immediately followed his instructions, letting her thighs fall apart.

Adam leaned down, settling on his stomach between her legs. Her thighs brushed the tops of his shoulders and he gazed up at her, giving a long, hot look before his mouth descended in an open mouthed kiss against her panty-covered slit.

Dani moaned, hips rising to meet him. He drew his lips languidly over her mound, grazing her clit and sending her back arching in ecstasy. She needed more—really needed him to peel down her panties and taste her, but he abruptly pulled back.

She blinked, gazed at him through lust-hazed eyes. “Um—”

With a cocky grin, he climbed up her body, settling his hips between her thighs and putting her chest at eyelevel. His fingers wrapped around her bra and lifted the underwire cups up and over, letting her breasts tumble free as he drew the bra over her head to tangle about her bound wrists. Both hands came down to touch her, thumbs flicking over her nipples.

She braced her feet on the bed and lifted her hips, desperate to feel some contact, but he moved out of reach.

“I will tie your ankles if I have to,” he said in a husky voice.

Dani all but growled as she tried to settle back down. “I want you. I have trouble with prolonging things.”

“You want what?” His eyebrows rose in question, daring her.

Daring her to say it. Daring her to beg. Just like she thought he would. “You. I want you to lick me until I come.”

“Hmm.” He shifted like he was considering it, then returned his attention to her breasts. “Not yet.”

She started to let out a frustrated noise when his mouth locked on her right nipple and she forgot precisely what she was whining about. His tongue darted back and forth, teasing it to a hardened, ultra-sensitive peak. Teeth grazed her flesh next and white hot stars played behind her eyes as she let out a pleasured cry. His hand worked her left breast, molding, massaging, wringing another moan from her lips.

Dani flexed her fingers, hating the bindings—she wanted to reach for him, touch him. Run her fingers back through his hair, drag her nails over his skin, flip him on his back and trace his body with her lips. She pulled on the bindings but they didn’t budge and the slack wasn’t enough that she could work her hands free.

“Adam,” she managed with a breathy gasp. She forced her lower half to remain still but it was a losing battle—her hips wanted to rise, wanted to feel how hard he was, wanted some relief against the persist thrum of craving between her legs.

He let her nipple pop free of her lips and cool air brushed her skin, hardening it further. “Yes?”