Page 45 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

He gets up and leaves and I stare after him in total disbelief. Katia is not going to believe any of this.

* * *

It’s been a long two days at the farm. There was lots of cleanup. Then there was getting back on track with my plans for the farmstand re-opening. I had to explain to Buck and Earl three times that we aren’t closing and re-opening, it just means it’s all brand new. I’m not sure they believe me, but at least Kingsley is on board and has started to help move stuff in his downtime.

I’m prepping an update on the lamb for our social media when Eric comes into the office. Pricilla and her kittens are in here sleeping along with Barkley and I just fed Thor again and put him in his box next to my desk so I can keep an eye on him. Joy and Lennox have left for the day along with everyone else. Poor Lennox has been out of school for a few days because the storm knocked a power line and the elementary school isn’t getting power restored until tomorrow.

“Come on. Finish up. Let’s have dinner,” Eric says as he walks toward the hallway.

“I’ll be right there,” I say as I focus on my screen. I turn and my eyes bulge. “You should shower first. What happened?” Eric is caked in mud. It clings to his hair, it’s wiped on his face, and don’t get me started on the state of his clothes.

“Petunia might have knocked me over in her pen,” he says as he tries to run his fingers through his hair, but fails miserably.

“You look like Petunia just trampled you,” I state as I continue to take in his appearance. I giggle.

“You think it’s funny, huh?” he asks stepping toward me. I shriek and jump up from my chair. We play a game of chase around the desk and then he grabs me and pulls me against him.

“You better pay for my dry-cleaning bill,” I protest with a glare, trying to be mad but failing terribly.

He laughs. “OK, I can do that,” he says as he scoops me up and carries me upstairs. I squeal as mud gets slung on my top.

“Ewww!” I cry out.

He sets me down in the middle of his bathroom and makes surprisingly quick work of taking off his dirty clothes. Then his hands are on me, unbuttoning my top and sliding my pants down my legs. He turns on his shower and leads me into it, letting the warm water run down my body.

“This is why I like you here,” he says as he palms my breast and kisses me.

“Right now, I can’t argue with your reasoning,” I reply in between kisses. “Come here, you’re a mess,” I add as I turn us so the water begins washing away the mud from his hair. I pour some shampoo in my hand and reach up to attempt to wash his hair.

“Here,” he says gently as he sinks to his knees and kisses my belly as he grips my hips. It is easier but also very distracting to have him kissing me while I’m trying to clean him.

“Eric,” I scold as I try to rinse his hair with the handheld attachment.

“I’m busy,” he grunts as his kisses get dangerously close to the apex of my thighs.

I grab his hair and force him to look up at me. Fuck. Wrong thing to do. He looks up at me with equal parts feral desire and adoration and I want to sink down next to him.

“We should finish up and eat,” I urge. “We have all night,” I remind him.

“I’m not sure I like you bossy. You make too much sense,” he grumbles as he stands and begins to soap his body. When I try to soap mine, he bats my hands away so he can do it. In another five minutes, we’re clean, dry, and dressed.

“Come on, let’s make some baked chicken,” he suggests as he takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen. He sets some vegetables on a cutting board, and as I begin to chop them, he starts prepping the chicken. It’s like we’ve done this a thousand times. No words need to be spoken. It’s just happening.

I smile at the familiarity of it. “So, tell me, why exactly did you hire me?” I ask, making small talk. I realize my mistake immediately when he stops moving.

“Eric?” I ask, turning to look up at him.

His gaze finds mine. “There are many things you don’t know yet. And for that, I’m sorry. I should have been more honest with you.”

I frown. “Like what things?”

He leans against the counter and wipes his hands on a rag before tossing it on the island. “The farm hasn’t been doing well. We had some crop failures in the last two years. We lost a lot of money. You see…I took over the farm when my parents retired a few years ago. I love it here and wanted to make it work. I could keep trying to pump my…savings into it, but I want…er…need it to be financially successful on its own.” He stammers over some words and I wonder why, but I suppose it’s because it’s hard to tell me this. “I don’t want it subsidized. Lately, a few developers have been offering to buy it. It’s near town and less than two hours from a major city. It’d be a lucrative place for a development. But I don’t want that. If I can afford to keep it, I will, as long as I can start righting the ship.”

I turn my face away because I know I’m blushing. When he said “developer,” my mind went to my dad. That’s what he does. Or at least, a big part of his empire is development.

I spin to face him. My resolve quickening. I place a hand over his and he looks down at me. “We’re going to fix it. I can do this. I can help you. Wewillright this ship.”

He smiles and leans down, planting a slow, sexy kiss on my lips. “That’s my girl. I know you can. I had a feeling about you the first time I saw you.”

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