Page 5 of His Little Pumpkin
It’s a perfect moment, suspended in time. The last few seconds of my life that I don’t know what it feels like to kiss this breathtaking girl.
When our lips meet, the kisses are gentle at first, then a force takes over my body, making me push the chair back and pull her into my lap. The feeling of her arms circling my shoulders is just as satisfying as the sensation of my hands roaming over her hips and her hot ass resting on my thigh.
Our kiss turns feral, our moans combining as we breathe into each other. Her soft lips feel just as delicate as the rest of her. By the time I finally manage to pull away, my entire body is humming with electricity.
Laura’s eyes glow, her breath shallow as her fingers come to rest on my shoulders. I’m glad that this wild connection flows both ways, but I need to remember my primary goal is to care for her.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur with a smile, settling her back in her chair. “You need lunch. You need three square meals a day until your system rebalances.”
Her bottom lip wobbles. I grasp her hand. “What is it?”
She exhales slowly. “Nobody has ever been so concerned that I’m eating. It’s… I don’t know… It feels really nice.”
I kiss Laura’s forehead gently, then stand up. “Good. Because it feels really nice for me to take care of you, pumpkin.” I busy myself in the kitchen to give her some space to eat.
Pumpkin. I’ve never called any woman by a term of endearment before. Just another of the many signs that have been bombarding my mind.
I already know I need Laura to be my woman. Forever.
4
LAURA
If I hadn’t been sitting down, that kiss would have knocked me on my slightly flattened ass.
I’ve never felt wanted like this. After a lifetime of feeling like I didn’t belong and was just being shuffled around, I honestly feel like I’m in the right place at the right time now. Like there’s a chance that Eldon and I belong together.
The logical part of my mind keeps screaming at me not to get my hopes up. Yet there’s one little green flag waving in the back of my brain, full of hope and eager to be a cheerleader.
After a delicious lunch, Eldon agrees to let me come with him to help out in the ranch mess hall – though he makes me promise to rest this evening.
Eldon gets me set up in a corner where I can peel potatoes and carrots. It’s quiet, pleasant work that gives us a chance to chat about everything under the sun. From movies to TV shows to books, it feels like our tastes are pretty similar. We both enjoy cooking shows and police dramas. We both enjoy reading spy thrillers and watching big dumb action movies while acknowledging that theyarebig dumb action movies.
When I come over to scrub my hands after a round of chopping parsnips, I notice Eldon giving me a strange look. “What is it?”
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I really need to ask. How old are you?”
I burst out laughing. “Twenty-one.”
He nods. “Yyyeahhh… I’m thirty-five. Is that…you know. Too far apart?”
“Well, if we were taking a quiz on movies from ten years ago, you’d have an unfair advantage,” I smile. “But other than that, it doesn’t bother me.” I step closer, looking up into his incredible deep eyes. “Unless that’s a problem for you? We do seem to have a lot in common…”
He reaches his hands out to me before realizing his fingers are covered in onion juice. His eyes dart toward the door before he leans in to kiss my forehead. “I just want you to be comfortable, pumpkin.”
My insides turn to happy jelly from the use of that word again. It’s not just that it’s charming he’s got a nickname for me already. It’s that this big, rough guy is apparently having sweet feelings about me – better yet, he’s not afraid to show them.
After I’m done with the potatoes and carrots I keep helping him prep dinner, mainly by doing small tasks that keep me out of his way like setting the table and washing things when he’s done with them.
When I hear heavy boots stomping into the dining area, a sudden wave of shyness hits me. How is Eldon going to explain that he picked up some random girl who was hiding behind the pumpkin patch at the grocery store?
Luckily, Eldon senses my discomfort instantly. “I often eat here in the kitchen if I’m busy getting ready for tomorrow. Why don’t you eat here with me, pumpkin? We’ll get you home to the couch for your official rest time in about an hour.”
“Sounds great. Thank you.”
I giggle when it hits me about halfway through dinner. “I’ve loved everything of yours I’ve tried so far. But I just noticed – you manage to put extra vegetables into everything.”
To my surprise, Eldon laughs too. “The guys all think they’re meat and potatoes men. But they need real fuel for tending the horses, mucking out stalls, and repairing stuff around the ranch. For that they need nutrients. Which means vegetables. So yeah…the stews, the soups, hell, even their burgers are stuffed with veggies anywhere I can hide them.”
