Page 94 of Dark Horse

“Her pancakes were fucking amazing.” I smile, remembering her making them in the kitchen on Saturday mornings, smothering them in butter and pure maple syrup. “Hazel still has the family cookbook. You should see if they’re in there someday.”

“Someday.” She reaches out and brushes her fingertips down my arm. “And you weren’t a shitty guardian. Honestly, that speech alone probably saved me from a couple of bad relationships.”

“You still dated a couple of guys whose jaws I would have loved to crush under my boot for the shit they said.” I roll my eyes and shake my head.

“Did you really threaten Chris’s life?” she asks. “You said you didn’t, but he swore that you put him in a chokehold and told him you’d rip off his balls and let him bleed out that way.”

“I might have done that.” I laugh as I remember the look on his face. He embarrassed her once at the bar, being a loud dick and talking about her like she was his property to play with.

“I defended you!” She punches my shoulder lightly.

I open my mouth to say something, but there’s a loud feminine moan from above us, and I hear the sound of the bed rocking against the wall. We stare at each other in the dark, and then Dakota descends into giggles.

“I guess he finally convinced her to end the dry spell since they postponed the wedding,” she giggles in amusement.

“What dry spell? I didn’t think those two went a day without fucking.”

“She put him on time-out the week before the wedding. Said she wanted the wedding night to be extra special.”

“Fuck… no wonder he was so cranky all week.” I laugh a little too loud, and Dakota’s eyes widen. She covers my mouth with one hand and presses her finger to hers.

“Shhh. If we can hear them. They can hear us,” she warns.

The bangs of the bed against the wall start to take on a rhythmic quality, and I hear the sound of Ramsey’s sharp, demanding voice, but I can’t make out the words. There’s another moan, and a series of soft begging sounds out of Hazel. It fills the air around us, and the tension we managed to dissolve talking about our past is back in full force. Maybe even thicker for it.

“It’s kind of hot… Hearing them, I mean.” Dakota’s eyes search mine, and her tongue slides slowly over her lower lip, wetting it and making it glisten in the low light.

“If I forget who they are.” I shrug, but I’ve forgotten anything but her. I’m just imagining the sounds Dakota makes for me now, and fuck if I don’t want them. “We should go to sleep. We both have a long day tomorrow.”

Their sounds have quieted, and I’m hoping it means they only needed a quick fuck before they fell asleep. Can’t blame my brother if she really made him wait. I don’t know how long I’m gonna survive without Dakota now that I’ve had a taste of her.

“You’re right.” She lets out a soft sigh and turns over, facing the window, giving me her back. “Goodnight, Grant.”

“Goodnight, Dakota,” I answer, closing my eyes and resettling myself on the pillow.

I’m drifting off, trying to think about anything else other than sex right now. No matter how much I might want it, I’m worried about her head injury.

“Oh fuck… yes… Right there. Ramsey, please.” Hazel’s begging pierces through the night.

Dakota doesn’t say a word, but I can tell she’s awake, and she shifts on the pillow.

“Cowboy,” she whispers.

“The doctor said no vigorous activity for at least a week,” I protest immediately because otherwise, I’m going to give in.

There’s a frustrated sigh on her part. One that creeps through my mind and down to my cock telling me where there’s a will there’s a way.

“That’s the other thing they don’t warn you about when your whole house burns down—it takes your toys too,” she mutters under her breath.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly.

“If you were truly sorry, you’d fuck me.” She scoots back, and her ass brushes over my cock and then nestles up against me. I might have my own head injury soon, an aneurysm from trying to resist her.

“We could go slow,” she adds in a whisper.

“I’m trying to look out for your health,” I grumble back.

There’s another loud groan from upstairs, this time from Ramsey, and the sound of him permeates the room. I see her shoulder move, and the covers shift subtly in front of me.

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