Page 65 of Enticed
Aside from our secret rendezvous in the barn, Gabe and I went about our business as usual. He did his job, and I did mine. On Friday evening, I expected to see Rory for her riding lessons. When she didn’t show at her normal time, I texted Gabe. No response. I told myself he might be busy and that Celeste couldjust be running late. Fifteen minutes passed and there was still no sign of Rory. I began to panic, worried they’d had an accident, so I called Gabe, frantic, my voice cracking despite my attempt to stay calm.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you she’s not coming until Sunday,” he said.
“She’s not?” I asked, unable to hide the disappointment in my tone. Gabe explained that since school was out for the summer, he would now have her for two weeks at a time with her arriving and leaving on Sunday. During the week, she’d spend a couple days at the ranch with him and the remaining few attending a summer enrichment camp.
Celeste had agreed to take her anytime one of my races fell on a weekend he had her so he could continue to travel with me. Luckily, it wasn’t an issue for my upcoming race the following weekend. It was only a couple hours away—just outside of Pigeon Forge—and was a single day event, so Gabe brought her with us.
She had a blast. She got the full behind the scenes experience. From loading Juniper in the trailer to warming up and preparing for the race, she was there absorbing it all like a sponge. When I won, she cheered louder than anyone else in the entire arena. She was so tired when we finally headed for home, she fell asleep in the back seat of the truck. It gave Gabe and I a chance to let our guard down. We held hands and kissed for the first time all day.
We’d gotten so used to daily contact, it had been hard having to pull back this past week. When Rory was at the ranch, we couldn’t risk her seeing us together, so our lunchtime romps were out of the question. When she was at camp, though, that was a different story. We came together in a frenzied tangle of limbs and clashing of lips.
The following week was much of the same. I started eating lunch with Gabe and Rory on the days she was at the ranch. She loved to help me with my chores and was so good with the animals. You would never know she didn’t grow up on a ranch.
When Friday evening rolled around, we began our riding lessons a little earlier than usual. Since Rory had been helping me most of the afternoon, I was ahead of schedule. When Gabe was finished with work, he came to watch from the sidelines, admiring her progress. She had become quite the proficient rider and was itching to start racing. She wasn’t quite ready for that just yet, but she was getting there.
“I have something fun planned for us tomorrow if you’re up for it,” I announced when Gabe strode into the barn while Rory untacked Petunia.
“I wanna go,” Rory replied excitedly without hesitation.
“You don’t even know what it is yet,” Gabe said with a chuckle.
Rory shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I get to hang out with Jasmine.” The sweet statement was a balm to my soul. It meant so much to me that she enjoyed our time together.
“That’s fair,” Gabe agreed, offering me a panty-dropping smile that melted me on the spot. He leaned in close to speak into my ear. “I don’t care what we do either as long as I’m with you.” Butterflies took flight in my belly at his sweet words, but his hot breath on my neck made my pulse race. The effect this man had on me was dizzying. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
“What are we doing tomorrow?” Rory asked, skipping toward the door.
“I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise,” I said.
“I like surprises!”
“Make sure you wear something you don’t mind getting dirty,” I instructed.
“Okay,” she agreed before bounding out the door and heading for Gabe’s truck.
“I wouldn’t mind getting you a little dirty.” Gabe’s low, husky voice sent a shiver down my spine. He watched as Rory climbed into the truck, and once she was safely inside, he shut the door and pressed me against it. His lips met mine in a fervent kiss. He gripped my waist possessively as his tongue probed inside my waiting mouth.
“I wish I didn’t have to leave. I wish I could have you all to myself again,” he whispered against my lips.
“I know,” I groaned in commiseration. “Soon,” I promised.
“What time should we pick you up in the morning?”
“Nine thirty.”
He gave me one final parting kiss before walking out the door. The ghost of it lingered on my lips long after he was gone.
Jacek: I don’t know which one of you assholes gave my kid this rubber chicken, but when I find out, I’m going to make your life a living hell
Jacek: He even sleeps with the damn thing. You can’t take it from him, or he cries and squeezes it aggressively. And I just got rid of the kazoo.
Rowan: I don’t know why you would assume it was one of us. It could’ve been anyone.
I snorted a laugh,imagining my big brother’s feigned offense and innocent expression as he typed that out, especially since he was the one who gave Asher said kazoo.
Jasmine: My money is on Gigi. I’d take it up with her.
Rowan: Gigi has too much dirt on him. He’d rather listen to Asher squeeze that chicken all day, every day than confront her.
