Page 34 of The Outlaw and the Heir

"No."

"You sure about that? Because you definitely seemed to be interested a little bit ago."

"I'm not responsible for what my body does. Because the rest of me is still thinkin' about drowning you in this river."

I grinned. “I don't mind things a little rough, but that might be too much."

He rolled his eyes. “Would you just...quit screwin' around? You were managin' a decent conversation, and now you're just bein'—"

"What?" I asked with a shrug. "You're not the only one feeling pent up. I have zero privacy, and as much as I don't mindcertainpeople watching me release that tension, those two aren't on that list."

Something flickered in his face. “You've...had people watch you?"

"What, are you telling me you've never watched a guy take care of himself?"

"No?"

"So, you've had sex with at least one, but you've never seen him...really?"

"No."

He was clearly getting uncomfortable again, but I could see the way his eyes were darting down to my groin before he cleared his throat roughly and turned to face away. “Are you done?"

"You're so stubborn," I said with a laugh. It was funny that he bothered to fight it so much, but then again, I wouldn't have expected much else. The man seemed intent on draining every bit of fun from everything.

"Let's try to be quiet for a little while. It might do you some good," he grumbled.

Smirking, I pushed to my feet and watched as he refused to glance over with such staunchness I would have bet he was fighting like hell with his head to keep his attention so resolutelyturned away from me. I could practically feel the strain of his attempts to keep his eyes forward and not flick the smallest amount in my direction.

I could have lacked subtlety in continuing to tease him by walking in front of him, but instead, I simply walked toward the edge of the lazy river and dropped down onto a rock. It put me in the same position I’d been in before, but a little further away. All he had to do was look over, and he would get the eye full. I was still willing to bet he wanted to see.

It struck me then how contrary people were, and I wondered if that was something wrong with us or simply built in. Two different, seemingly contradictory things could exist in one person, yet the conflict between the two could be kept to a minimum. I managed to tolerate his generally foul attitude, but I didn't like it, and I despised that he was holding the other end of my chain and yet...I was still willing to seduce him. Meanwhile, he could barely abide my existence, let alone consider liking me, and yet here he was, having to fight his urges not to take in the sight of my naked body.

After the conversation we'd just had and my previously mentioned lack of release, I found myself with a rather interesting and slightly devilish idea. A glance toward him told me he was still staring forward, but I could sense him watching me out of the corners of his vision without actually moving.

So perhaps he noticed as my hand slipped down to my groin and?—

AMBROSE

People liked to claim God existed, had all the power, knew everything, and was purely good. If that were the case, I would like to have a conversation with him about those supposed facts because it seemed to me that one of those things had to be wrong. There was no other explanation I could see for why I had been forced to deal with such an unbearably frustrating, nerve-wracking, confusing man like Samuel.

I honestly didn't know what the point of trying to get me all riled up and frustrated even was, especially when I was the one who was supposed to be in charge of his safety and well-being. He wasn't a stupid man, but it seemed pretty stupid to piss off the man in charge. Except today it had taken a new turn that...well, I wasn't thrilled about it.

I never thought I’d find myself missing Samuel poking and prodding my nerves, trying to get an angry or frustrated reaction. Still, it seemed the day had come because his new form of getting under my skin was attempting to...well, I couldn't tell if he was faking trying to seduce me or was actually trying. The worst part was, I hoped it was fake because him being genuine was a terrifying and unnerving thought.

Now that he’d finally decided to shut up and move away from me, I could focus on getting through the rest of the day. If we could do it with the same silence, perhaps I could get through with my sanity and some of my dignity intact. I still didn't know what was worse, that I was genuinely attracted to him and tempted to take him up on his offer or that I knew he had figured out I wanted him in return.

From now on, I needed to make sure I was not alone with him like this so I wouldn't have to?—

Understanding shot through me with the same harsh, jarring feeling of a sudden kick to the head as I realized exactly what was happening to my right. Despite trying my hardest not to pay him any attention, I couldn't help but snap my head to the right to gape at him in shock. Yet the ice-cold feeling of shock was immediately at war with an intense flame of desire flaring to life in my gut.

He had stepped out of the water, which I’d thought meant he was going to enjoy the sun for a while without needing to fear being baked alive. However, he’d stretched out on a rock on his back, one leg bent. Of course, the leg that was bent didn’t obstruct my view. So I could seeeverything.

Samuel had not been joking about being pent up...or about his interest in me. He had only been lying on the rock for about a minute, but he was already hard enough that it looked a little painful. The dry heat had already taken most of the water off his body, but it still shone in the sunlight as he gripped himself, slowly pumping. His free arm was curled under his head as a makeshift pillow, propping his head up as he watched himself through half-lidded eyes.

My stomach flipped repeatedly, and all the blood in my head traveled down as I stared at him with a mixture of shock and lust. I had technically been around men when they’d done this sort of thing, but it was when I’d been bunking with otherworkers on the ranch. The general rule of thumb was that if something like that happened, it was covert, and if someone else noticed...they didn't.

For the most part, that was fine with me; I could pretend something wasn't happening. Unless the cabin mate in question was one my eyes drifted over more than once in discrete interest. Eventually, it got to a point where I knew it would drive me crazy, and it was after that realization I decided to bunk by myself. Not only could I take care of my needs in private, but I didn't have to put myself through the torture of temptation at the same time.

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