“Thank you again for tonight, Mav, and for your attempted donation.”
“We can try again tomorrow,” I said. “I can bring over a donation so I don't have to jerk off in your bedroom—I mean, bathroom.”
She bit her lower lip. “Well, you're welcome to come get yourself off in my bathroom whenever you need to. And, yes, tomorrow night. But maybe we should ease into it, instead of you just coming over and running into the bathroom.”
“How do you mean?”
“I don't know. We're not strangers; we don’t have to act like it. So why don't you bring a bottle of wine or some beer, and maybe we can just try to do this like normal people.”
My heart damn near beat out of my chest. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? That she wants to fuck me? My dick liked that idea a whole hell of a lot.
“I mean, I guess if that's what you want. We can have ourselves a little date tomorrow night, work our way up to the big moment, I guess. That'd be real nice.”
“You don't think it'll be weird?”
“Do you think it'll be weird?”
“I just haven't done it in a long time. Maybe I forgot how.”
I couldn’t fight my smirk. “Oh, darlin’, don't worry, it'll come back to you. From my experience, it's not something you really forget how to do. You just got to go with your instincts. Trust yourself, and do what feels good.”
She smiled and nodded, then surprised me by leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek before whispering in my ear, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mav.”
She got out of the truck, and I watched her walk up the stairs, this time noticing every single curve of her body in a very different way. How had I resisted her and this attraction between us for so long? Why had I forced myself not to see her? Because that was precisely what I'd done.
There was no denying it. I wanted her, and I had always wanted her, but she was under some kind of veil of friendship. Something that disguised her so I didn't cross the line. Not anymore.
When I finally got home, I was dog tired after a long day at work plus the excitement of everything that had happened today and the promise of what would happen tomorrow. I stripped out of my clothes, fishing in my pockets for my phone and the keys to the office I’d forgotten to hang up on the hook in the main house. My fingers brushed up against something lacy, and a fresh wave of arousal rushed over me. I pulled out the black panties I had spilled my come onto. I needed to wash these and somehow get them back to her before she noticed. Maybe tomorrow I could put them back where they’d been, and she wouldn't be any wiser.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, when I fucked her hard enough to put a baby inside her.
Jesus. Why was that so hot? Why did I like it so much? My cock was a length of steel, but I knew I couldn't waste a drop of what she needed. So I started a load of laundry, tossing her panties in with my boxers and socks. Then I showered in cold water, trying desperately to get my dick under control before forcing myself into bed. I tented the sheets as flashes of her taunted me throughout the night. Every time I rolled over and my cock brushed the mattress, sparks of pleasure shot through me.
At this rate, when I finally got inside her tomorrow, I’d last all of two seconds. Oh well, I’d just have to make sure she got off before I let myself fill her up. There was no denying it now. Clara Barnes had been trapped in the friend zone for the last two years. But now, she was so far out of the friend zone I didn’t think there'd ever be any going back. I might have to let her go eventually, but until I did, I was going to spend every minute I had giving her exactly what she needed. Me.
5
Clara
“Yeah, that hoof needs some work,” I said, gently releasing the heifer’s leg after assessing her sore hoof. “There's an abscess, and it looks pretty deep.”
Clint Ryker grumbled from his place next to me. “How bad? Are you gonna be able to fix her?”
“I think so. Give me a while, and I'll let you know when we're done.” I patted him on the shoulder and offered a sympathetic grin. “Go on. Love on your wife and daughter. I've got this.”
He offered me a soft smile and tipped his hat at me. “Thank you, Clara. Mama wanted me to let you know there's a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen waiting for you when you finish up.”
My heart swelled with the warm comfort of belonging somewhere. Mama Ryker treated everyone like they were part of her family, me included. It was a big part of why Ryker Ranch's reality show was such a huge success.
“I guess I'd better hurry it up then. There's nothing like Mama's chocolate chip cookies.”
Clint left me with a ranch hand for help and a cow who was still in pretty serious pain to tend to. It was sweet how much he worried about his cattle. They weren't just money makers to him. Just like at Wilde Horse Ranch, their livestock was more important. They cared about them and what their lives were like.
“Okay, girl, let's get this foot feeling better,” I said, running my hand over her rump. I glanced at the ranch hand, Justin Ross, a frequent flyer in Nell Langston's bed. “Keep her calm, will you? I have to go grab my stuff from my van.”
He nodded and double-checked the cow's enclosure before moving to replace me.
When I was finally done, her hoof scraped and treated, then wrapped for healing, I headed for the main house. Mama Ryker sat on the back porch with a mug in her hands and a pair of pink headphones over her ears. Her cheeks were blazing red as she rocked in the rocking chair and listened to whatever was in her ears.
“Mama?” I called, waving my hands to get her attention.
Her eyes went wide, and she fumbled with her phone before turning off whatever she'd been listening to. “Oh, Clara, honey. You all done for the day?”
“Yep. That heifer should be fine. I got the abscess all taken care of. You can tell that son of yours to settle down and stop worrying.”
The smile on her lips made me laugh. She knew as well as I did, as we all did, that Clint was as grumpy and serious as they came. “That's about as likely to happen as our bull Lucifer is to let anybody ride him.”
Hanging the headphones around her neck, she cocked her head. “You hungry? I'll make you a sandwich.”
Shaking my head, I grinned. “I've got a dinner date tonight.”
Her eyes lit with interest. “Tell me it's Trent? That boy needs a good woman like you.”
As handsome as her nephew was, Trent Ryker wasn't my type. A former military man and absolute playboy, he had fuckboy written all over him.
“No. Not Trent.”
She waved me into the kitchen, and I dutifully removed my boots before walking to the sink to wash up. The smell of melted butter and chocolate overwhelmed me, making my mouth water. I took a deep breath and sighed. This place always brought back memories of my childhood. Of me and my mama baking cookies together, spending time trying out new recipes, before I lost her.
Mama Ryker pushed a plate of fresh cookies toward me. “One for now, and a bunch to take home. Maybe your date would like some for dessert?”
Nodding, I took a treat and bit into it. The groan I let out was borderline obscene. It was still warm and absolutely perfect. “You seriously won't share that recipe?”