Page 92 of Truck Off

I grab the pillow from his side of the bed and press it over my face to muffle my groan. His deep throaty laugh gets louder, then is followed by the rustling of clothes. When I remove the pillow from my face, he’s already covered that gorgeous body of his with an old, tattered pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.

I immediately miss seeing him bare. Without thinking or really knowing where the thought comes from, I blurt out. “I want to put some ink on you.”

His eyes snap to mine with raised brows. “What?”

I swing around until I’m up on my knees and crawl to the edge of the bed so I can reach him. His eyes darken as he takes in my naked form. But unlike him, my body is covered in ink.

“You don’t have any ink. Ever considered getting a tattoo?”

He shrugs. “Not really. Not sure I’d even know what to get.”

I run my hands up his chest and then around his neck. His hands find my hips and his fingers dig in like he’s struggling to maintain his control.

Leaning in close to his ear, I whisper, “Would you let me give you a tattoo?”

He’s silent for a moment, and I’m not sure if it’s because he’s trying to find a way to gently tell me no or if he’s seriously considering it.

I pull back and look into his deep brown eyes. He presses a kiss to my lips, then says. “I don’t know. Will you stop fighting me and let me help you?”

My brows furrow. “Are you bribing me?”

His smile grows, then he slaps my ass. This time so hard it stings, causing me to yelp.

“If it works as well as the orgasms, you better believe it.” He releases me, grabs his boots, and then heads toward the doorway through his kitchen. Just before he passes through the door, he turns around to face me, taking the last few steps backward, and calls out. “Baby, I just might do whatever it takes to get you to accept my help. Even let you cover my entire body with your art.”

He disappears before I can respond. I want to be angry. I want to argue with him and tell him no way. But I can’t deny the warm and fuzzy feeling I feel in my chest.

Chase Mutter has officially gotten under my skin and worked his way into my heart.

I know I’ll still fight him on helping me—I won’t be able to stop myself—but it won’t be with the same level of conviction as before.

* * *

I ignore Chase’s orders to stay in bed to get more sleep. There’s no way I can miss an opportunity to see him work. He loves this farm and the animals, and I’m aching to learn more about it. Growing up in a small town surrounded by farmland, it’s impossible to not to know a little bit about farm life. But I’ve never experienced it firsthand.

As soon as he leaves, I get out of bed and throw my clothes from yesterday on. Aside from being wrinkled from where I tossed them on the floor, they’re still clean. I’d only had them on for a couple of hours before I arrived at Chase’s apartment.

I stop by the bathroom to freshen up before I head outside to find him. I really want a cup of coffee but I’m afraid if I make coffee first, I’ll miss seeing the animals.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I poke my head around the open stable doors. A broad smile immediately covers my face. Nothing could have prepared me for what I see.

Chase is running in circles while two goats chase after him. One of them catches up to him and playfully bumps him on the leg. Chase laughs and the goat makes some kind of noise that almost sounds like he’s laughing too.

“Ramsey! Chill out, dude. If you keep acting like this, we’ll never make it outside.”

Chase scratches the goat he just called Ramsey behind the ear and a second one nudges his way between them like he’s jealous. The chuckle that leaves Chase warms my insides and makes me a little jealous. I like it when Chase touches me behind my ear too.

“Come on, boys. Let’s get you outside. I’ll come back for Hugo and Tilly in a minute.”

Chase takes a few steps toward the stable doors before he looks up and sees me. His smile grows and the playfulness in his eyes turns to desire. Gawd. When he looks at me like that I melt inside.

He steps up to me and looks down at me. I can’t tell what the look in his eyes means. Either he wants to punish me for not listening to him or press me up against the wall right here and fuck me. Maybe both.

Then he lifts his hand to my cheek and presses a chaste kiss to my lips.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed,” he says softly.

I shrug and lean into him. “Wanted to see your animals. I really like animals.”

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