“Promise,” I say.
“We will,” Isla adds.
He huffs like he doesn’t believe it, but the sound is drowned out by a phone bleating like an alarm. It’s coming from the driver. He whips it from his pocket. “Lennox here.”
There’s a pause as he listens. Isla shoots me a curious look.
“I’ll be right there,” Noah says.
When he hits end, he turns to us, his expression stoic. “I need to help my brother. He’s out, but one of his patients needs a shot. Allergic reaction.”
“Go, go,” Isla says, shooing him off.
“Can’t leave you here alone,” Noah says.
“Oh, right. We can take off,” Isla says, but she sounds disappointed. That won’t do. If Isla wants to spend time with a horse, she should damn well be able to.
“I’m good with horses,” I offer.
Noah scoffs. “You need to go.”
Fair enough. I’ll have to punt on this one. I nod and wrap an arm around her right when Hank strides into the barn, tilting his head, his Santa cap tipping to the side. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Hang out with Honey. She’s my good girl. I’m just making some s’mores by the fire pit with my wife.” He winks, and his cheeks are ruddy. The dude is just giving Santa Claus vibes.
Noah holds up his hands in surrender. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You always do,” Hank replies.
With a gruff nod, Noah trudges off.
Hank pats Honey again. “You’re in charge, girl.” Then to us, he says, “She’s fine in here, and we’re not far off. You’re the last ride of the day. Enjoy.”
For a few seconds, I wonder if my teammates are in on some kind of prank. But when he leaves, his boots growing fainter, I decide I don’t care.
I saw the house when we drove up. The fire pit is easily two hundred yards away. The sleigh is ten feet away.
I make a game-day decision and scoop up Isla and carry her back to the seat. “Rowan, what are you doing?” she asks, high-pitched and hopeful.
“What you want,” I say.
She licks her lips. “What you want too,” she counters.
“I always want you,” I say, and that feels more true by the goddamn day.
I set her down on the seat again, then head to the barn door. I shut it without a second thought and return to her.
“Rowan,” she says, but my name’s full of excitement, brimming with the thrill of getting caught as I climb in next to her, then cover her mouth with mine. I slide mythumb along her chin as I kiss her, swallowing her sighs, nipping the corner of her mouth, then biting her ear where I stop to whisper, “Love your mouth, sweetheart. But that’s not where I’m going to kiss you.”
A staggered breath escapes her lips, something like anohmixed with anoh yes.
“Bet you’re already wet for me. Are you?”
She bites her lips, then nods. Her eyes are so big, so filled with dirty desires.
I get down on my knees in the back of the sleigh, then slide my hands up her sweater dress. “You and your sweater dresses. It’s like you fucking wanted me to eat you on a sleigh.”
Her head falls back as she nods. “I did, Rowan. I really did.”
She sounds so desperate, so needy, and it sends a hot spark of pleasure down my back and right to my cock.
