Page 30 of Don't Trust the Cowboy

I can’t help but chuckle. “No. I just...” I can feel my cheeks heat. “I’ve never been around a man before you. I met them. I’ve talked to them. And even when Crystal slept with a few in college, I saw a thing or two, but I’ve never been around one before. So, I’m sorry if I’m not taking so well to this.”

He blinks. “You’ve never had a boyfriend before?”

I shake my head no.

He chuckles without a trace of mirth. “Jesus Christ. How in the hell is that even possible?”

I don’t know if I should be offended. “What do you mean?”

“Well, dang, Piper. You...God. You’re goddamn beautiful. There is no other way to put it, darlin’. How is it that nobody came wanting to...scratch around your post...if you will.”

I can’t help the smile. “You think I’m beautiful?”

“Honey, you are painfully beautiful, and that’s my point.” He shakes his head, eyes set on me. “You can’t go walking around in just a T-shirt around me. Like I said earlier. I don’t want to mess up a good thing. You have an excellent work ethic. You’re determined, and you’re independent. Plus, from what I can tell, you’re not the dramatic type. All these things are what I want in an employee. And if anything gets messed up there, right when I’m trying like hell to get this ranch off the ground, well, that would be a shame.”

I nod. “I understand. And I’m sorry.”

He purses his lips into a smile. “I’m sorry, too, darlin’. For keeping you up so late. What’s say we get on to bed then, hm?”

“Okay.” I nod. But I have so many questions. None of which I can ask him. I make up my mind to ask Crystal or Jade tomorrow. I’ll ask Crystal to come for lunch, since Jade has classes. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Piper.” He says, walking to his room.

And the minutes tick by as my mind races.

Crystal walks into the ranch, carrying a bag that smells wonderful. Billy was up already, getting supplies and food, while I did some work, this time in the office. I’ve almost got it organized enough to move in there permanently, even though I really don’t want to. I like to see Billy when he comes in the front door. And I like to sit with him while he eats or chats on the phone. Just being in his presence makes me smile, despite the fact that I don’t quite understand everything about him.

“So, how’s it going?” She asks, pulling the food out of the bag, while I close the office door. There is just enough space on the desk for us to eat at it, and I need privacy for this conversation, so I peek outside first, to make sure that Billy is busy, and he isn’t coming back into the house anytime soon.

“It’s going great. Can I ask you a question without you flipping out?”

“Sure. What’s up?” She asks, popping a French fry into her mouth.

“So, I heard Billy in the shower in the middle of the night, and he said my name. I thought he was in pain, but he told me to go back to bed.”

She’s half confused, half intrigued. “Back up a bit here. What was he doing in the shower in the middle of the night? Did he get in late or something?”

“No, and he also told me to stop wearing my night shirt around him, too.”

Her facial expression is cocky. “Honey, any man who’s going to tell you what to wear...” She trails off, letting me fill in the blank.

“No, he’s right. It’s that T-shirt I always wear to bed. That one where you even told me to cover up when Jade’s boyfriend came to the dorm that time.”

Her eyes bulge. “That one? Oh, good lord, of course! Hell, you might as well be naked, Piper!”

“Alright, fine. I’ll stop wearing it around him. I’ve already agreed to that, anyway. But why do you think he was saying my name in the shower, if he wasn’t actually calling me?”

“Are you sure he was saying your name? Could that have been your imagination?”

“I don’t think so.” I say, unsure now. “He didn’t deny it.”

“If you spoke to him about it, why didn’t you ask what he was doing showering so late at night, calling your name?”

“I think he was embarrassed. He had a...you know...he was hard.”

Her face changes. It cracks into an amused, but still intrigued, smile. “He was jerking off.”

“Is it normal for him to be doing that and then get hard? Because he wasn’t hard when he first came out of the shower.”

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