“That’s the plan,” Patrick said. “He really is a great guy, Xander. He’s a great addition to the family and I’d like to see you two hanging around for a while. Can’t have one of my best employees leaving me for the city again.”
Xander rolled at the playful ribbing. He didn’t want to move to the city either, but they couldn’t continue with how they were. If both of them were going to be working full-time, he’d want a place that was truly their own. “If we’re going to be around for a while, we can’t keep living in the guest house.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, okay?” Patrick clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. “Just enjoy this with him and we’ll work it all out when we need to.”
Xander eyed his big brother. He knew him well enough to understand that that tone of voice and his choice of words meant he knew something that Xander didn’t. Patrick didn’t give him a chance to interrogate further and got in the truck and started it. Bailey came out then, finished with all of the horses.
“I left your baby in the grooming stall,” she said as she loaded her things into the back of the truck.
“Hope you didn’t call him that to his face,” Xander said. “He gets offended easily.”
“He knows I think he’s a baby. He’s a good horse though. Muddy, but good.”
“That’s why he’s still there,” Xander said. “We’re about to clean him up and get them all back in for food.”
Wright joined him back in the barn. He wrapped his arm around Xander’s waist and for a moment, they just stood there together. The conversation over lunch was another step to them being together. Xander hoped that Wright was ready for that.
“You’re not having any regrets are you?” Xander asked. Wright pulled his head back and looked up at him, brows furrowing.
“What brought that on?”
“I just want to make sure,” Xander said. He turned to face Wright and took his face in his hands. Wright was young still, just living a life he wasn’t given the opportunity to. He didn’t want to be five years down the road and Wright startedregretting any decisions he made when he was so young. He laid all his cards on the table. “Baby, you went from a house where you weren’t allowed to do much to here, where you’ve spent ninety percent of your time. There’s a lot out in the world that you can experience. I just want to make sure that you’re sure about this. Taking on a job like this is a lot of work and it requires commitment.”
“I know, Xander.” Wright held on to his forearms. He smiled softly. “I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate it. I love it about you, but I can make my own decisions. I love your family. I love the work. I love you. And I’d like to give us a real shot.”
“I’d like to give us a real shot too.” Xander leaned down and kissed him, smiling the entire time. It was more teeth than anything, but Xander didn’t care. He loved this man. Wright was the one that pulled back first. His face was serious.
“If we’re going to do this, I need you to trust me fully when it comes to my progress and what I can handle, though. I know you want to keep me safe and I appreciate it. I love that you take control in most everything, but this is one thing I need to lead on, okay? My healing is my process and when I say I’m ready for something, I need you to accept that.”
“I can do that,” Xander promised.
“Good.” Wright smiled. “That being said, show me how to work with these horses. I’ve been admiring them for weeks and I think it’s finally time to meet them all properly. I’ve only briefly met Benito.”
Xander smiled and led him over to where Benito was waiting impatiently. He properly introduced them, giving them a minute to bond and get used to each other. Xander was pretty sure Wright’s smile never left his face. As much as he loved the mud, Benito loved the water hose too. Wright won him over byholding the hose near his nose and letting him play for a few minutes while Xander got the supplies ready.
The rest of the day, Xander showed Wright how to work with the horses. They gave Benito his bath, Wright getting soaked in the process. While neither of them seemed skittish around each other, he only let Wright help wash the main part of his body, assuring him that even Paxton had to use the step ladder from time to time depending which horse she was bathing. Xander focused on his face and legs. He promised Wright that once he had more experience and both him and the horses knew each other better, he could work on them alone. It was all about building trust between them. Wright nodded and continued to do each task Xander gave him with a smile. Wright spread out the fresh bedding before they brought the horses back one at a time to groom them as well. None of the others needed a bath yet, but Xander was full of pride watching Wright give them a thorough brushing.
He was a natural. He took to the horses, wasn’t scared when they towered over him. He also followed every one of Xander’s directions. It was just the first day, but already Wright was comfortable with grabbing the ropes and leading the horses to where they needed to be. He had fun but stayed safe. That was all they needed to see. When Xander commented on it as he walked beside him, making sure the horses stayed calm, he just shrugged.
“I think it’s because I have the control,” Wright said. “I mean, a creature this big and amazing and I have the control all because of this in my hand. It’s like an immediate trust between us.”
“It’s not quite like that, but I get where you’re coming from.” He continued talking, warning him that although their horses were all well-tempered and used to strangers coming and going for summer activities, they can still get spooked or reactsuddenly. He needed to stay aware, no matter how well he knew the horse. The weather was a bit humid, but it was definitely drying up. All of the horses were in their stalls for the evening and happily munching on fresh hay.
“I now understand why Tracy makes so much food for supper,” Wright said when they finished with the horses and barn for the day. Xander eyed him as he leaned against the doorway of the tack room. He didn’t enter, but his posture seemed relaxed. It was a complete one-eighty from the first and only time he’d seen this room. He handed off the halter they’d used for Willow and didn’t seem to be scared or anything. Xander reminded himself of the promise he made; he would let Wright decide what he was ready for or not. “I’m so hungry.”
“You did amazing today,” Xander said. He locked up and they headed to their house to clean up. “The horses like you too.”
“Of course they do,” Wright said. “What’s not to like?”
“You know, I love how humble you are sometimes.” Xander pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the basket in their room. Wright was also stripping out of his clothes. “Seriously, though, you did great. And you handled yourself well around the supplies.”
“Does this mean we could revisit the little conversation we had before? About you tying me up?” The way Wright asked the question was optimistic, hopeful, but hesitant still. Xander had been hesitant to agree the first time because he didn’t think Wright was ready. But like they agreed earlier, if this was going to work between them, he had to trust Wright that he knew what he wanted. He didn’t miss the way Wright looked at him when he described the trust the rope held between him and the horse. Wright trusted him to not hurt him, knew he was safe to explore and take back the power he lost over the years. The thought of tying him up and using him how he wanted had gone straight to his cock, but he’d been hesitant because he didn’t want himto push himself. Now, though, there was no reason they couldn’t try. He’d been more than willing to keep his hands trapped the last time and that had been beyond hot.
“We can talk about it,” Xander said. “But let’s not have a repeat of last time. Shower and food, then we’ll come back and talk it out. Tomorrow is Sunday and outside of cleaning the stalls and turning the horses out, we can have a few hours of downtime.”
Chapter Twenty
~ Wright ~
