“You…”
Her little growl, the splat of her hands as they hit my shirt, then slid across my chest. It made clear that she was fine. I’d take that win, but now I needed to get us up and out of this mud/shit pit, and that was a whole lot harder.
“Stop wriggling!” I snapped, because we were both trying to clamber free at the same time. “You’re just digging us deeper.”
The cows watched in incomprehension as we clawed at the muddy ground, not getting anywhere for our efforts.
“But I…!”
“You need…”
We both paused, staring at each other, then her eyes slid down the front of my body.
“Are you…?”
Her peeling her body away from mine was a welcome thing and a loss I felt deeply. Particularly my dick. It throbbed like a sore tooth, making clear Mr. Happy would be content to wallow in the mud all day, if it meant Mackenzie kept wriggling against me.
“If this is some weird farmer scat fetish, I am getting on the next plane home,” she said.
“What?” I shook my head. “God no. It’s not the damn mud and cow shit…” My eyes met hers, seeing the fear, the revulsion there. “That’s disgusting, it’s just when…” There was a huge lump in my throat, trying to stop myself from talking, but this wouldn’t be pushed down. “It’s just when a pretty girl is pressing her body against mine, I start reacting.”
“You think I’m pretty?” That vain little flush in her cheeks had me laughing, because a mud encrusted lock of fair fell with a slap across her face. She recoiled, moving like lightning and jumping to her feet. “No, you can’t. I’m covered in mud and hay and shit…”
A dramatic gag had me struggling up into a standing position.
“This is a farm, Mackenzie. If I let a little mud get in the way of things…”
My hand was moving of its own accord, wanting to push that strand away, but she shrank back.
“Nope, no way. I don’t care how hot you are. I draw the line at being touched with crap covered fingers.”
“So you think I’m hot?” I asked, echoing her previous question.
“Of course you are.” She flapped a hand in my direction. “My mom said to find me a Hemsworth and then you jumped over a fence and swept me into your arms like a hero from a movie. You’re big, strong…” That had me edging closer, because all of my concerns from this morning evaporated in that moment. “And covered in disgusting mud.” Flicking her hands, she made a small sound of distress. “Can we just shove the rest of the hay out and call it a day? I need a hot shower, stat.”
“Of course.” Striding over to the ute, I saw there wasn’t much hay left. I dumped the remainder onto the ground, then kickedthe bale to separate it into sections, making it easier for the herd to get to. “But we might have to wait for the shower.”
“What? No! I’m disgusting.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at me. “You are too.”
“And you’d be surprised just how often we farmers get in this kind of state,” I replied. “We either climb back into the car and smear shit and mud all over the seats or…” I nodded to the path that led down the hill. “We can wash up in the watering hole down below. Get clean enough to pull on my spare sweats and then have a proper shower at home.”
“Water…” she panted. “Clean. Now.”
“As you wish, milady.”
I offered her my arm, willing to escort her down the hill, but for some reason she knocked me back, instead stalking off in front. That was OK. Her butt might be covered in mud, but Mr. Happy didn’t care at all. He was about to get up close and personal with a beautiful naked girl and that was all that mattered.
Chapter 14
Mackenzie
“Ugh…” I groaned as I sank down into a squat by the water’s edge. Any other time I would’ve been transfixed by the beautiful sight, the massive white barked eucalyptus trees creating a wall around the water hole, but right now, all I could focus on was getting my hands clean. With some scrubbing, they emerged crap free.
Which only made clear how bad everything else was.
“Oh my god…” I’d tried so hard not to be a whiny city girl, but that evaporated now. Shovelling excrement was different to being covered in it. “This is so freaking gross.”
“Strip off.” I stared at the muddy boots that appeared in front of me. “I’ll turn around and give you some privacy, then once you’re in the water, I’ll jump in too.”
