Page 85 of The Wounded Warrior

“I’m at your disposal, honey. Point me and shoot me.”

“Rock on.” Luke slid into Pickle’s personal space, watching her closely. “Hey, sweet lady. I need to clean your hooves.”

She gave him the side-eye, judging whether she was going to kick the shit out of him or not.

“Now, don’t get all mad, girl.” He stroked her, making her skin shiver. “We can be friends. I know we can. Poor baby. Everyone’s not an asshole. Everyone’s not bad and you can learn this.”

He felt her relax, breathe, her chest bellowing.

“That’s it, lady. That’s it. I just need your foot.” Now was danger time. She lifted her foot after a couple of stomps, yielding to his gentle pressure. “Good girl. Good girl. This won’t hurt a bit.”

Luke rubbed the hoof pick over her hoof before digging in, letting her feel it. Then he chipped away at the crusty stuff in there, knowing she would eventually be free of it. Tim the farrier said she was doing great.

He noticed as he finished that Rory had gone quiet, and didn’t that feel good? That his lover got it, understood that this was a bit of a trial.

Once he was out of the stall he held up his hand for a high five. “That was the best she’s ever been. Woo.”

“Rock on, honey! I’m proud. You’re damn good with them.”

“I’m learning every day.” He shook his head. “It’s never been in my life to be gentle and patient, you know. I was a human weapon.”

“It is weird that I find that hot—the patience, I mean.”

“Nope. Just like I find your unaccountably freaky sense of humor and weird death wish sexy as hell.”

“Fuck you, honey.” Rory cracked up, then came to sit on his lap, just like he belonged there.

“Hey.” Luke wrapped both arms around Rory, tickled pink that his legs were getting strong enough that they didn’t ache when Rory did that.

“Hey. I like riding you, you know? A lot.”

“I like it too. Are you trying to distract me, babe? Matt will beat us if we get busy in his barn.”

“As tempting as that is, you’ve just tipped my kink scale. I’m not a sharer.”

Luke paused to digest that. “Ew. You are nuts, you know that?”

“You brought it up, cowboy.”

“Not that way.” Luke made sure Rory’s feet were up before starting out of the barn. Rory would get up soon but this was a game they played. How far before the weight made Luke’s arms give out.

“You’ve got the body of a Greek god.” Rory said the most wicked things.

“If you mean one of those damaged statues…”

“Nah, they have teeny tiny weenies.”

He hooted. “That, at least, was undamaged.” Though he did have a few tiny shrapnel scars. Those fascinated Rory’s tongue and Luke loved it.

Hell, there wasn’t much he didn’t love about Rory.

“I thank God for that every day, Mr. LeBlanc.”

“Horndog.” He stopped and took a kiss. “Your turn to push me. I just pooped out.”

“Good deal. You made it damn near to the drive this time.”

“Did I?” He glanced around. Damn, he had.

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