Page 79 of Holding The Reins

“Thirty minutes,” he says from the living room, and I smile wide because there’s nothing I’d rather do today than spend the whole day with Nash.

Like I said, I’m done pretending. The fact of the matter is that something is going on. I can pretend it’s just sex, but I’m not going to pretend for one more second that I don’t want Cecilia Ashby with every fiber of my being in more ways than I’ve ever wanted a woman.

So, I made my mind up. She’s with me today and she’s going to like it.

I hear the shower shut off and fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door opens. I already took a shower in the other bathroom before I cooked her breakfast this morning, leaving her to her own private quarters in my bedroom, and she looks good there. In my bed, on my side of the bed.

I strive to hold it together as CeCe emerges in the outfit I chose for her, her blonde hair damp and freshly brushed down her back. She’s looking hotter than a two-dollar pistol. Just knowing she has those black panties on under those shorts makes my dick twitch but I will be patient.

As badly as I want to rip her clothes off, I have plans for her. She’s going to pay for what she put me through last night. I’ve never had to restrain myself like that in my life. I’ve never wanted someone more that I couldn’t have, but I’d never sleep with a woman that drunk.

Today, she’s going to want me. In fact, she’ll be begging for me and I can hardly fucking wait.

“Did you braid my hair last night and tie it with dental floss? Or did I dream that?”

“Nah, you definitely dreamed that.” I wink as I grab my tackle box. “Let’s go, darlin’, we’re burning daylight.”

She laughs and follows me out the door.

I look over from my end of Cave Run Lake to see CeCe casting just the way I showed her this morning from the water’s edge. She’s laughing with Rocco Pressley, the old man I bought my bar from. We fish almost every Saturday together and talk about business and life. He was downright smitten to see CeCe with me this morning. Since then, he’s barely talked to me and has spent every second with her, showing her what lures to use, how to reel and telling her all sorts of bullshit stories about how he always catches bigger fish than I do.

Laughter ring’s from the other side of the river and I just stare at CeCe in a complete fucking trance of her beauty. Her hair is wind dried now and high on her head in a ponytail, not a stitch of makeup and she’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.

“Oh my God!” CeCe yells. “Rocco!” She’s reeling and her pole is bent in a nice curve that says she’s got a good sized fish on the other end.

“Just like I showed you, dear, reel it in smooth and steady.”

She does as he says, concentration lines her face as I make my way over to her and grab the net on the way by.

“Not too fast, he could snap the line and take your lure, just go slow,” Rocco tells her, excitement etched all over his face for her victory.

“She’s got one on,” he calls as I approach, clearly smitten. “She’s a natural.”

We both stand and watch with bated breath as she works the reel until finally, a good sized, small mouth bass is flopping on the shore at her feet.

“I did it!” she yells. The giant smile she’s wearing is taking up her whole face as my chest twists into knots.

“Atta girl,” I praise her. “Now you gotta do three things. First, we take the lure out, then you get the picture for proof, then we let him go.

“We don’t keep him and like, eat him?” she asks, her face puzzled.

“No, darlin’, we let them go.”

“Wait, you want me to touch its mouth?” The thought dawns on her and she’s already shaking her head. “Nope, I’m not doing that.”

Rocco chuckles at her.

“I assure you, you are,” I say matter-of-factly. “And hurry, we don’t have a lot of time.” I see CeCe panic but I move closer and look her in the eyes, settling her and speaking low. “You’ve got this, babe.”

She nods, a little fire returning to her eyes with determination. “I’ve got this,” she tells herself.

We bend down and I show her how to remove the lure so it doesn’t hurt the fish and she does it.

“His teeth are prickly but he won’t cut you. Grip him hard, it won’t hurt him,” I say

We get the lure out and the fish is calm now.

“Okay, grip that bottom of his mouth and hold him up tight.”

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