Page 17 of Undone

“I want you so bad, Josh,” Zoe whimpered against my mouth. “Touch me, please. Make me feel good. You were always so good at that.”

The way her voice trembled fueled my desire, and I almost shot off in her hand. But I needed to pace myself, so I could give her what she was begging for. I traced my hand down her body, teasing my way over her breasts. I was surprised to see that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples strained against the thin fabric of her T-shirt. I cupped her breast and let my thumb glide over her hard nipple, causing Zoe to shiver. I moved to strip her shirt off of her but momentarily lost myself in the rhythm she had going on my cock.

I thrust against her hand and felt her grip slide away. I wanted to growl in frustration as I waited for her to close her hand around my hard length again. I thrust into the air. Why was she teasing me like this?

I finally reached down to guide her back only to wake up and find my dick in my own hand. I was just seconds from coming.

I threw my hands on the bed on either side of my body and shut my eyes. It was bad enough that I’d slipped up and kissed her in real life, now here she was giving me a nocturnal hand job and making me feel like a thirteen-year-old? I needed to get the ridiculousness under control.

But did I? We were both adults now, and Zoe was going to be at the ranch for a while, so why couldn’t we have a little fun together? It was the first time in forever that I actually wanted to consider getting involved with anyone, even temporarily. I was sure something had passed between us when I helped her off Indigo, a spark that jolted both of us. And she hadn’t hauled off and slapped me for the kiss so…

I felt my dick pulsing at the thought of kissing her again—harder this time, longer, and with her enthusiastic participation.

No.Down, boy.

Zoe was only going to be around for a month, and there was no way I was going to end up in the same situation as before. She’d broken my heart once already, saying that she couldn’t do long-distance and that our summer romance had run its course. But what if I didn’t let my heart get involved this time around? What if it was just…physical?

I felt the stirring start again so I hopped out of bed. Too late, my boxer briefs were already tented out in front of me. Zoe had always had that effect on me. Just thinking about being with her in the vaguest terms was enough to get me hard. I certainly wasn’t celibate. I’d dated since Zoe and had sex with other women. But it had been different with Zoe in ways that I still couldn’t articulate, beyond knowing what a strong sense of loss I’d felt once she was gone.

I sighed in frustration. It was only five a.m., would it make sense just to take care of myself quickly, before starting the day? I let my hand wander down my torso and slip under the elastic. I gripped my cock and closed my eyes.

And saw Zoe’s face.

Nope. Dreams were one thing, but if I consciously got off to the thought of her, I wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye later.

The only solution was a nice, cold shower, to freeze the steamy thoughts before they took over. I stripped off my briefs, ignoring my raging hard on, and headed for the shower.

Ten minutes later I had my brain in order again so I could focus on the day ahead. I felt like I had a million things to do to get ready for the trail riding expansion since Zoe was charging full speed ahead with the marketing for the website. First up was connecting with Eli Carter, the friend of a friend I’d heard was looking for work. I had always been impressed by both his knowledge and easygoing nature. He’d gone to high school with Fiona, and the one time I’d mentioned Eli’s name around my sister, she’d scoffed, but it wasn’t like it mattered if the city girl liked my new employee or not. She hardly spent any time at the ranch and certainly didn’t have a say in who I hired.

If I could get Eli to come on board, I’d be one step closer to launching the program that could help save the ranch. I wished it was the only thing I had to worry about as Zoe’s face flitted through my thoughts again.

THIRTEEN

ZOE

It felt good talking to Allie again, even if she was pushing me to make decisions about the grad program. I’d felt like Shannon was my only friend since arriving back in Poplar Springs, so reconnecting with my old colleague on video chat made me feel a little less alone. Allie was one of the few people who really got me, from my jokes to the lingo I used, even to the way we both dressed.

“I’m telling you, you’re a perfect fit,” Allie said. “You just have to pursue a certification through the Elizabeth Curtis program.”

“I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right for me. I want an in-person program,” I replied, staring out the window at the setting sun. I’d spent the day working in the kitchen again and even though it was a central location, I had only seen Josh in passing since the trail ride the day before. My thoughts drifted to what had happened between us at the end of the ride, but Allie kicked up the badgering.

“At least consider it,” Allie was saying. “I don’t think you should miss out.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll ponder it,” I answered to placate her. “Anyway, I need your advice about this website update I’m working on. Do you have any experience incorporating maps and drone footage on a portfolio site?”

Allie laughed. “Whatare you up to? FBI crap?”

“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically. “I just want users to get a feel for what the trail riding experience will be like, plus, I want to differentiate the site and the ranch from all the ones already out there.”

“Well, that’ll do it. And I haven’t done that sort of thing myself, but I can probably help you figure it out.”

“Perfect,” I said, scooting closer to the computer. “Let’s get to it.”

Half an hour later I was feeling happy with my progress. I wanted to run to Josh’s office and show him what I’d accomplished, but then I remembered how he’d reacted to me that morning when our paths had crossed. He’d barely looked at me, to the point where I’d worried I had some of my spinach omelet caught in my teeth. My other thought was that he was embarrassed about kissing me after the trail ride. That had to be it. Why else would he keep backing away from me? He’d accidentally kissed someone he equated to a sister, and now he was trying to revert to the way things were before.

I crossed my legs on the uncomfortable bench and leaned back against the wall. That kiss. It had been so quick that it couldn’t really be counted, but the moment was enough to dredge up all the old sensations from when we were together.

The feeling that the ground was giving way beneath my feet and then the pull to get as close as possible to him. I’d been so caught off guard by the shock and giddy sensations that all I could do was stare at him in silence afterwards—until the notifications on his phone derailed the moment. I frowned. I could tell by the way he was acting that he felt like he’d made a mistake.

---