When she finishes with the gelding, she finds me in the stable sweeping the main walkway. “Do you mind taking me into town now?”
Her blond hair was in a tight French braid before breakfast, but some of the shorter hairs around her face have pulled loose and are hanging in pretty wisps. Not able to stop myself if I tried, I lean the broom against the wall and stalk up to her. Those blue eyes watch every move I make, her chest lifting higher with each breath, and I stop when my toes bump into hers.
“I’m going to kiss you.” I say.
Her eyes are bright and the corners of her mouth tip up. “Okay.”
I pull her to me and press my lips to hers with a fiery passion that expresses only a fraction of what I’m feeling right now because I’m barely holding back what I want to give with a weak fucking dam that is cracking. But she gives itright back in spades. Her hands slide up my arms, the tips of her fingers dig into the skin on my shoulders.
Her tongue dances with mine sensually. There is years of pent up sexuality, expression, and love behind her kiss, all of which I plan to explore when the time is right.
Gripping her hips, I push away from her, and she looks at me in confusion. Her eyes volleying between mine. I take a deep breath and say, “I don’t want to scare you.”
Confusion turns to playfulness, a lively sparkle in her eyes, before she smiles and shakes her head, looking at me through her eyelashes. “I’m not scared of you.”
Cupping her face in my hands, her fingers curl around my wrists, I slowly give her another kiss, letting my lips linger on hers for a few seconds before pulling away. “Come. Let’s go get what you need.”
The feed store is right on the edge of the center of town, the old building obviously one of the original buildings of the little town. It’s situated right next to an older neighborhood that has been revitalized, the quaint little houses look like they were all refurbished recently.
Across the street from the feed store is the original train station and next door to it is a newer strip-mall, which includes a store called Tech Emporium.
As we pull into one of the narrow parking spaces that barely fits Marley’s enormous truck, I turn to her. “Do you mind going with me to the tech store after so I can get some batteries?”
She turns and looks at the store that is walking distance to the feed store and shakes her head, “Go on over there now if you want, Chuck is right there,” she points at an older man helping a customer load bags of feed in his truck from the loading dock. “I’ll be a few minutes because I want to ask him about special ordering some stuff for me.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No, I’m not leaving you. I’llwait.”
She waves her hand at me. “Really. I’ve been coming to this store my whole life, Chuck’s like an uncle to me. It’ll be fine.”
Looking past her through the window at the store that’s less than a block away, I turn and look at the older man in the feed store and then look around the area, nothing is suspicious. I’ve been wanting to look at some GPS equipment.
“Really, go. I’ll be right here.” She says and pulls the handle to open the truck door.
Getting out, I meet her at the front of the truck, my nose just inches from hers, and grab her hip. “You don’t leave this store. Wait for me inside.”
She smiles like an ornery teenager when she says, “Is this your ‘do as I say or else’ persona?”
One corner of my lips pulls up and I dip my head to brush my lips across hers. “Yes, it is.”
As she walks away, her round little ass swaying in her shorts and her boots tapping on the sidewalk, she turns her head to say over her shoulder. “I like it.”
My dick springs to life in my pants. Never in a million years did I expect her to say that.
Fuck me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
MARLEY
I SMILEto myself as I look at the nutritional supplements on the shelf. I’ve never in my adult life been so forward with a man. If this is what it feels like to be normal, I’ll take it. For the first time, a man makes me feel normal.
And alive.
Jax makes my heart beat fast and hard, but I feel safe and protected. When he kissed me this morning before breakfast, I almost asked him not to go. But there was my family to consider. I would be so embarrassed if my brothers knew I was making out with someone in my room, they would probably make a fuss. To put it lightly.
Holding two plastic containers of supplements, I’m comparing the ingredients and uses when my neck starts to tingle, and the hairs stand up. The feed store shelves are just tall enough that I have to stand on my tiptoes to look across the store, but I don’t see anyone.
Glancing at the doorway to the little room full ofherbicides and insecticides, I listen for any signs of life. There is only silence.
