Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Of course,” I reassured her. “Don’t even stress about it.”
I told Caitlin all about the building progress at the silo, and about grooming Mercy, leaving off the bit about Dr. Barnes as well as Kerry, even though I was practically dying to talk to someone about these feelings I was having. It’s only a summer fling, I reminded myself. It can’t be anything more, even if I wanted it to be. Kerry wouldn’t even entertain the idea.
Besides, we lived on different sides of the country.
“You sound…different,” Caitlin said as I slid beneath my covers.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know…more settled. Even, dare I say it—happy?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. But holy shit, she might’ve been right. Firefly Farm had been good for me in many respects, and I’d miss it when I was gone.
“I’m just…feeling more like myself, I guess.”
Whatever the hell that meant. Less sad, tormented, and aimless?
“Awesome. You know you’re going to hear an I told you so from Mom, right?”
“Yeah…yeah, I know.”
“Night, Jules.”
“Night, Cait.”
The next morning I poured myself a steaming cup of coffee, then headed to the barn to help milk the cows, my pulse ticking up at the prospect of being in close proximity to Kerry again. Alone.
“Did your fence hold up?” I asked him as I slid through the narrow sliver of the barn door. He liked to keep it propped open to let fresh air inside.
“Yeah, but I’ll definitely need to reinforce it again.” He looked sleep-rumpled and sexy as hell even as he cleaned Maisy’s teats and cooed to her to be patient.
Without thinking it through, I stepped into his space as he stood to reach for the pumping machine. My fingers clutched his waist, and it was gratifying to feel him tremble. “I can’t stop thinking about that kiss last night.”
“Yeah?” He glanced uneasily toward the door. Seemingly satisfied that we were still alone, his fingers latched on to my nape, and he brought our foreheads together. “Well, I can’t stop thinking about the night of the rodeo.”
“Fucking hell.” I felt his soft breaths against my lips right before I took his mouth in a heated kiss. He groaned as our tongues met and tangled in a desperate dance.
His fingers wound around my back and slid down to my ass as he pulled me against him, letting me feel how stiff he was. I tilted my hips forward, and our cocks ground together in an infuriatingly good way. I’d regret it later when I had to go back inside for breakfast with an uncomfortable boner. But I didn’t have a care in that moment. That was how good it felt to be this close to him again, with barely a sliver of space between us. Seemed an eternity had passed since the rodeo.
I looked over his shoulder, making sure the barn door hadn’t blown open, and palmed the front of his jeans.
“Fuck, Julian. What are you doing to me?”
At least one of us could be relieved of this burden.
When I sank down in front of him, he gasped. “Your knee is gonna get fucked up on the hard—”
“Don’t give a damn. Would get on my knees for you any day,” I said, even though I was definitely feeling the strain. I hid my grimace as I looked up at him and met his eyes. “Please tell me I can taste you.”
“What if someone comes in?” he murmured, but it was only a halfhearted objection. He licked his lips as if his throat was parched, and his eyes were already glossy with need.
“I’ll be quick.” I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. “You just work on staying quiet.”
“Holy Christ,” he said as I pulled him out, and I marveled at the feel of him in my hand. Smooth and long. Finally. Fucking finally. “You put your mouth on me, and I’m a goner in one-minute flat.”
“Then let’s make it an awesome minute.”
He moaned shamelessly as my tongue circled the head, then swiped across the slit, where a bead of precome had escaped.
“Just look at you down there,” he said, forking his fingers through my hair. “Like a goddamned angel.”
Hopefully an angel about to sing to the gods.
I hummed as I licked down his length to the base, where I buried my nose in the dark, wiry hair. And there it was. Musk and spice and man. So goddamned perfect.
“Julian, that’s so…” He trailed off as I used my tongue and lips to make my way back, then sucked the head and licked the underside of the crown.
He gasped as I swallowed him all the way down to the root, his body trembling.
He clutched a fistful of my hair as if to anchor himself as my mouth moved up and down his cock. His hands tightened when I drove down to the base, and he held me right there for an elongated moment before releasing me and letting me suck in air. So goddamned good.