Page 57 of Protector Daddy

“Our pleasure. I’d say tell your friends but the season is ending soon, no matter what bribes are on the table. Tell them to look us up next fall if they want a hayride.” She laughed and clapped him on the arm before telling the rider that he was all set to start the ride.

The wagon rolled over the uneven ground yet somehow the ride was mostly smooth. I let out a sigh of pleasure as I glimpsed the sliver of moon above between the trees and leaned back against Christian. “This is wonderful, thank you. I have no idea how you pulled this off, but it’s so perfect.” The breeze skittered the remaining leaves on the trees and blew through my hair, bringing on another shiver.

“Laverne pulled it off, not me. I just asked and sweetened the request with a box of Tabitha’s baked goods and a carafe of Macy’s richest blend.”

“They make their own baked goods here.”

He seemed affronted. “Not as good as Tabitha’s.” He wrapped the soft, snuggly blanket around me and nuzzled my jaw. “Or yours.”

“You just like my croissants.”

“I do. Warm, flaky, buttery.” The wagon dipped in a rut, and I jolted back against Christian violently enough to realize his “problem” had not abated. If anything, he was even harder.

“Are you getting aroused talking about baked goods?” I whispered.

His laughter flowed over me, making me smile. I was quickly becoming addicted to his laughter. “No. More like the feeling of your perfect ass snug against my cock.”

“Oh. Okay.” I wiggled against him. “Carry on then.”

“You’re something.” He wrapped my hair around his hand as he loved to do and gently tugged back my head so he could kiss me with only the moonlight and the wind bearing witness, out here amidst the endless miles of trees and every kind of nocturnal creature hiding in the shadows.

His kisses were flavored with a hint of mulled spices and cider and the richness of the coffee he drank at the station. Not quite a Macy blend but not the usual cop shop swill either. I slipped my fingers through his short hair to the back of his neck, scraping my nails over his skin until he hissed.

And I smiled, because I’d never affected someone like I seemed to affect him.

Maybe we were just some kind of magical alchemy together. I’d heard of such things before, but I’d never experienced them.

I’d never cuddled up under a blanket with a man who made me feel…everything.

We rode through the forest and ate delicious warm cider donuts while we laughed about stupid things, and he crept closer and closer to impropriety under the security of the blanket. As I subtly taunted him, spurring him on.

The ride seemed to go on forever, but eventually, we returned to where we’d started. Christian thanked the driver of the hayride and tipped him extra then led me back to his truck. I was definitely chilled now, despite the blanket I hated to give back and the man who’d cuddled with me so thoroughly.

The parking lots were even more deserted now, and out here in the country, the stars were plainly visible in the inky dark sky.

“You up for more?” Christian asked, holding my hand on the walk back to his truck.

I smiled sleepily at him. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

He unlocked his truck and opened my door for me. “I made reservations for us at The Hummingbird’s Nest.”

After I climbed in, I gazed at him across the front seat as he turned on the engine. “Reservations? Like a room?”

“No. We can spend the night at my house or your apartment. Or alone, whatever you wish.”

“I definitely don’t wish that.”

His mouth curved. “I just thought we could have a fancy meal together, late enough for no prying eyes. If you’d like to.”

“I’d love to.” I waited until he reversed out of the lot and signaled back on to the main road, then I reached over to grip his hand on the gear shift. “Having a fancy meal sounds positively decadent. But you know I don’t need that, right? I’m good with a bucket of chicken.”

“Exactly why you deserve so much more. You don’t expect it, but you’re worth the world.” He squeezed my hand, holding it lightly through the ride back into town.

“You overwhelm me. No one ever has before.”

He rubbed his calloused thumb over my knuckles. “Same.”

“I told my brother tonight I dropped out of college.”

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