"Let them."
He kisses me again, hard and claiming, and for a second I forget why stopping was important. Forget everything except the heat of his mouth and the solid weight of him against me and the way his hands feel on my body.
Then Chace's voice cuts across the pen.
"Jesus Christ, can you two not do that where I have to witness it?"
Eli pulls back with a sigh, but he doesn't step away. Just turns his head enough to look over his shoulder.
"Little busy here, Chace."
"Yeah, I can see that. It's traumatizing."
I duck my head, laughing into Eli's chest, and feel the rumble of his answering chuckle.
"Go away," Eli calls back.
"I’m trying to work."
"And now you're leaving."
Chace mutters something I don't catch, but I hear his boots retreating across the packed dirt. Addie's laugh follows him, bright and clear.
Eli looks back down at me, eyes warm, mouth curved.
"Where were we?" he asks.
I push at his chest, still grinning. "We were stopping."
"That doesn't sound right."
"It's not. But we should anyway." I reach up and tip his old hat back into place. "For now."
Something flickers in his expression. Heat. Promise.
"For now," he agrees.
Then he leans in close, mouth brushing my ear. "But tonight, that hat stays on."
My breath catches. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
He steps back, finally giving me space, and the loss of his warmth feels like a shock. He looks at me for a long moment—taking in his hat, the flush I know is in my cheeks, the way I'm still leaning against the fence like my legs might not hold me.
"See you tonight, Clark," he says.
Then he's walking away, back straight, hands in his pockets, looking for all the world like he didn't just promise me something that's going to make the rest of this day feel about ten hours too long.
I watch him go, heart pounding, and shake my head.
***
I text him after dinner.
Me:You still expecting me tonight?
The response is immediate.
