Page 91 of Beat around the Bush
After she caught her breath and I was sure we were both done, I slowly slid out of her. I watched as some of my release dripped out of her, but instead of cleaning her up, I situated her panties, then helped pull up her jeans.
“I need to go take care of this,” she said after turning around, waving her hands in front of her thighs.
I shook my head as I pulled up my pants and buttoned them, then pinned her with my eyes. “Not happening.”
Confusion marred her features. “What do you mean?”
I backed her up a few inches until her back hit the wall, then placed my hands on either side of her head, palms flat on the wood. “You’re going to walk around with our mess between your legs like the good girl I know you are, and once we’re done in this barn, we’ll go home.”
She arched a brow. “Do I get to clean up then?”
“We’ll take a bath, and I’ll scrub every inch of your body. Then after, I’ll rub your feet, maybe play with your hair.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why?”
“I want to take care of my girl.”
Her gaze darted between my eyes, like she was searching for something. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to find it. I was being honest.
“Okay,” she said.
I cupped her face in my hands, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth, then one to her forehead.
“Now let’s get back to work.”
Oakley was all mine, and I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the feeling of that.
34
Lennon
Winston trotted circles around me in the round pen, working out his energy before I decided to get on him. The winter weather always made him grouchy, and I really wasn’t in the mood to battle him today.
In the covered arena to my left, Callan was teaching a lesson to one of his students. The teen seemed to know the basics, but Callan was working on getting him more comfortable in a lope.
The sun was beating down, reflecting off the snow still clinging to the ground around the ranch. It was bitter cold, so I wasn’t planning to work Winston too hard. The last thing I wanted was him getting cold from sweating too much.
Easing him into a walk, I let him cool down a bit as Callan exited the arena with his student.
“Hey, why don’t you go untack and I’ll meet you in the barn?” Cal told the boy.
“Yes, sir,” the boy said, giving me a nod in hello as he passed.
Callan approached the round pen, resting a boot on the bottom of the fence.
“Having fun?” Cal asked.
I shrugged, bringing Winston to a stop with a low, “Woah.”
I turned to Cal, letting Winston do his own thing. “Beats being at the store.”
Cal’s brows pinched a bit. “Not loving work anymore?”
I shook my head, kicking at the dirt. “It’s not that.”
He draped his arms over the top of the fence as I approached him. “Talk to me.”
Wrapping a gloved hand over the cool metal, my eyes drifted off to the pasture beyond the barn. “Would it be weird if I said I found something else to love, and that makes the store less enjoyable?”
