Page 68 of Enticed
“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” Jasmine announced and stood from her spot next Rory. “Are you enjoying the view?” she asked with a smirk as she walked by, her hand brushing my shoulder for the briefest moment. That simple touch sent a jolt of electricity sizzling over my skin.
“I am now,” I replied as I turned to watch her, hips swaying and ass drawing me in like a beacon. The tinkling sound of her laughter disappeared into the house along with her.
I waited for a beat and, satisfied Rory would be okay in my fenced-in yard by herself for a few minutes, stepped inside. When Jasmine emerged, I grabbed her and hauled her to me. She let out a surprised yelp, but I quickly swallowed the sound with my lips. I kissed her long and hard, wrapping my arms around her waist and tugging her close.
“I’ve been waiting all day to do that,” I confessed, fighting the urge to strip her bare and fuck her against the door. My erection strained against my zipper, begging to be released. The only thing keeping me from acting on that impulse was the fact my daughter was here.
“Was it worth the wait?” she asked
I huffed out a laugh. “You’re always worth the wait.” It was right there on the tip of my tongue to tell her I loved her, but I refrained. “Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to Rory,” I said instead, tucking a rogue lock of hair behind her ear. “It means a lot tome.”
“I like hanging out with you guys, especially Rory,” she said, letting me know exactly where I stood on the hierarchy.
“She adores you.” I swiped my thumb over a smudge of dirt on her cheek. “Almost as much as I do.” Cupping her face, I kissed her one last time before reluctantly releasing her. “We better get back out there before she comes looking for us.”
“Right,” Jasmine agreed. “Wouldn’t want her to catch her dad playing hide the sausage with her riding instructor,” she said, gripping my hard cock and giving it a squeeze.
“You’re a menace,” I growled and pulled open the door. “Get out of my house.” The command held little authority when I was trying so hard to suppress a grin. She cackled and threw her head back before disappearing out the door. I had to take a minute to gather myself and get rid of my hard-on before following her out there.
She and Rory spent the rest of the afternoon perfecting their fairy garden. When Rory asked her to stay for another movie night, I was sure she’d say yes. All the hope deflated from my chest when she gave Rory a sad smile.
“I can’t. I promised Jace I’d pick Asher up from his mom’s house and bring him back to the ranch.” She explained that Jacek was working at the fire department and his ex had picked up a night shift at the hospital, so she was babysitting Asher tonight. That was why she’d started our day early. She wanted to spend as much time with us as she could. Rory’s face fell and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. I shared in her misery. I didn’t want Jasmine to leave either.
“But,” Jasmine continued, injecting optimism into her tone, “I’ll see you tomorrow for riding lessons.”
That perked Rory up. “Okay!” With the assurance she’d get to see Jasmine tomorrow, she skipped to the truck when it came time to head back to the ranch.
Me, on the other hand? I wanted to draw out every last second I had with her. I wanted to make it count, to hold her and kiss her, to tangle my fingers with hers as I drove her home. But all I could do was send her off with a wave and count down the minutes until I could see her again.
CHAPTER FORTY
JASMINE
“What the hell is going on with you and Gabe?”
I jumped at the sound of Nash’s voice and whipped around to find him leaning against the tack room doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. My first instinct was to go straight to denial, but my little brother was too perceptive. He’d sniff out the lie.
“What do you mean?” I asked instead. I needed to gauge what he already knew so I could answer without incriminating myself.
“I saw him pick you up and drop you off yesterday.”
“Yeah,” I drew out like he was grasping at straws. “We went out to Lily’s farm to pick blackberries. I thought Rory might enjoy it.” All true.
“You were gone all day,” he probed, the statement dripping with speculation.
“We had lunch, then I helped Rory build a fairy garden,” I explained nonchalantly as I hoisted the saddle Rory used on Petunia off the hook. It was something I’d done with my mom every summer as a little girl. Nash had even helped a few times, collecting stones from the creek and sticks to build a little housewith. He knew how time consuming it was and why it would account for my long absence.
He narrowed his skeptical gaze on me, compelling me to explain further. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“She’s a cool kid, and I like hanging out with her. She wants to learn to barrel race, so I’ve taken her under my wing. None of that has anything to do with Gabe,” I added dismissively, heading to the door with Petunia’s tack in tow. He stepped aside so I could brush past him.
“Then why have you been sneaking into the rescue barn in the middle of the day when Gabe is the only one down there?” I froze, and my entire body stiffened at the accusation in his tone. That had been going on for nearly three weeks now. How many times had he seen me?
Schooling my features, I turned with a sardonic chuckle. “Sneaking? Is that what you call me riding my very recognizable horse down there in broad daylight where anyone can see?” I scoffed. “Give me some credit. If I was going to be sneaky, I’d be a lot stealthier than that.” It was a total bluff.
“Look,” he said, exasperated, “I don’t care what you two do. It’s none of my business. But Dad is going to go nuclear if he finds out you two have been fucking around behind his back and lying to him.”
I swallowed hard, refusing to confirm or deny anything. Then his eyes narrowed on me, and I fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny.
