“Alright, alright,” Evan said, waving his hand. “I’ll be ready when you have some hot gossip for me. I can’t wait to hear all about the woman who finally caught Marshall King’s heart.”
Marshall walked his friend to the front of the stable, where Evan’s horse, Bayard, was tied up waiting.
“You’ll be waiting a while,” he said, untying the horse as Evan slid his foot into the stirrup and hopped onto its back.
“Wanna go for beers tomorrow?” Evan asked, staring down at Marshall from the saddle.
“Maybe. Or wait, I might have plans. I’ll get back to you.”
Evan signaled the horse to get moving and waved at Marshall as they left the stable yard. Marshall wiped his hands absently on the dirty towel, satisfied that his tractor was working now. Looking at the time on his watch, he wondered where Colette would be this late in the afternoon.
He tucked the towel in his back pocket and checked the ranch office, which was empty. Closing and locking the door as Colette instructed him to, he debated knocking on the guest house door, but didn’t want to give her the impression he was looking for a repeat of the other night. His body tingled at the memory. He licked his lips, thinking of how delicious she had tasted, coming apart on his tongue. Marshall placed a hand on his chest, his heart racing.
His dreams that night were filled with Colette, her mouth wrapped around his cock, the way his hands smoothed over her heavenly curves and the sounds she made that destroyed him. Reality was infinitely more satisfying than his fantasies.
He’d spent his entire day trying to focus on work and getting his jobs done, but his mind kept drifting… Was she working at her computer, eyes narrow and watching her precious charts and finance tables? Was her blouse all buttoned up, or did she undo the top button because she got warm? Or was she wearing a pair of pajamas he hadn’t seen yet? He wondered if she was as distracted as he was, if she hungered for more.
Leaning against the stable wall, he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
This woman was a complete disaster to his productivity.
Maybe if he focused on her, he could settle his mind and get back to his actual job. In keeping with his desire not to repeat his old patterns, he wanted to treat Colette the way she deserved. Fuck the gossip and screw those damn rules he made up to protect himself.
If he was interested in Colette, he wasn’t going to angst away when they were both consenting adults. No one would give a shit if they had some fun.
To put his mind at ease, he called his grandfather.
Clarence King was less than impressed and warned him not to do anything to mess with their new hire. The old man begrudgingly accepted, telling Marshall to only go for it if he was serious. Marshall breathed a sigh of relief.
That wasn’t going to be an issue.
He was serious. Serious as a punch in the face.
Before jumping in his truck, Marshall checked in with the guys on duty to ensure the rest of the evening’s work would go off without a hitch. He needed to go into town.
The bells dangling from the door jingled as he entered The Buttercup Bakery. It was later in the day, and their stock of treats would be low, but Marshall knew Edna, the owner, and her daughter Imogen would help him find something special.
Ever since Colette had baked him cookies, he couldn’t get the desire out of his mind to treat her, to give her something sweet in return. Watch her eat it and lick sweet sugar from her mouth. He wanted to be nice, yes, but he also had an ulterior motive. The act of watching her eat was extremely arousing.
Marshall studied the menu behind the counter. There were so many delicious pastries to choose from.
The original owner, Edna had gradually stepped away from the business, letting her daughter take over the job of running the place. If the older woman appeared in the shop, it was to help out, take orders, and gossip with the locals. The Buttercup Bakery was a town hub, where people came to be seen.
Marshall wanted to be seen.
He would make his intentions clear.
Discourage any other guys in town from moving in on his territory.
If she was willing to become his territory, of course. Something about Colette appealed to some primal need to possess her.
“How can I help you, Marshall?” Imogen asked, standing behind the till with her hand on the cash register. Her blue apron brought out the blue in her eyes, and her tight ponytail was all business. At one time, he had entertained the idea of dating Imogen, but things had never worked out for them. Was she cute? Yes. Did she heat his blood into a raging inferno of passion that needed to be satisfied? No.
Edna came to the till and pushed her daughter over with her hip.
“Marshall, it’s been too long!” she said, a giant smile coming to her red painted lips. Her earrings, giant slices of cake, drew his attention. Her straight gray bob tucked behind her ears. “What can I get you? Something for your pretty new co-worker, perhaps?”
Marshall rolled his eyes as a wave of heat colored his cheeks. News traveled so fast in town.
