It’s after ten by the time I wake up. The last few days must be catching up with me. I pull on my jeans and head downstairs. Aunt Molly is in the kitchen with one of the ranch hands, Cody.
“Morning, sleepy head,” she says with a smile.
“Morning,” I say as I eye the remainder of some fresh pancakes. “Any of those left or did this guy eat them all?” I pat Cody on the back.
“I didn’t get no pancakes,” Cody grumbles. “Only for guests, apparently.”
“Cody Jessop!” Molly says as she gives him a slap around the ear. “You had four eggs and half a pack of bacon, you ungrateful ass.”
“Sorry, Molly,” he chuckles as he stands and takes his plate to the sink.
“Lucia and Matthias are up?”
She smiles at me. “Yep. Up with the birds, those two.”
“And where are they now?” I frown because I don’t hear Matthias and that kid is always laughing or chattering.
“They went off exploring.”
“Exploring?” I frown. “Where?”
“Beats me. They took a backpack with water and some fruit and said they’d be back for lunch.”
“You just let them go wandering off on their own?” I snap as my heart starts racing in my chest.
“She’s a grown woman,” Molly snaps back, “and she seems pretty capable of taking her son for a walk if you ask me.”
I shake my head. I shouldn’t have snapped at her like that. “She’s in danger, Molly. Why did you think I brought her here?”
“What?” Her hand flies to her face. “When you said she was in some trouble, I assumed…”
“What?” I frown.
“I don’t know, maybe she was pregnant and wanted to hide it from her father or something? Or she had a bad break up?”
“Fuck!” I run my hands through my hair.
“I’m sure she’s fine. We could take a couple of horses and go look for them?” Cody offers.
“Yeah. They’re just out exploring. We’ll go find them.”
As our horses stroll through the fields, I see the outline of two unmistakable figures up ahead and my heart starts to pound in my chest. Matthias is holding onto his momma’s hand as she limps beside him.
Fuck. She’s hurt.
I squeeze my thighs and give Bastian a nudge with my heels and he picks up his pace as we head toward them. Cody spots them too and he follows me.
Lucia looks up as we approach, squinting in the bright mid-morning sun. I jump off my horse and walk over to them.
“Jax.” Matthias squeals.
“Hey, buddy. What happened?” I direct my question to Lucia but Matthias answers.
“Momma fell over.”
“Let me take a look,” I say.
“I’m fine,” she snaps as she hobbles on.
“Clearly not. Now sit your ass down and let me take a look.”
She rolls her eyes and I shake my head at her stubbornness, but she sits on the floor and I crouch down and take hold of her calf. I pull off her sneaker and she winces.
“It’s just a sprain,” she insists as she tries to jerk her foot away but I hold her in place.
I run my hand over her ankle. “Hmm. It doesn’t feel broken, but we’ll get you checked out anyway. We should head back to the house.” I stand up and wipe the dust from my jeans. “You fancy a ride on a horse, little guy?” I wink at Matthias and ruffle his hair.
“Yeah.” He grins at me. This kid is fearless—just like his mother.
I hold my hand out to Lucia but she ignores it, fixing her shoe back on before she pushes herself up off the ground.
“You fancy a ride, Lucia?” Cody says with a grin as his eyes roam over her perfect body.
“Sure.” She smiles back as she goes to limp toward him, but I put my arm out and stop her.
“Not a fucking chance,” I whisper, my eyes narrowed as I glare at her. There is no way I’m having her pressed up against him for the ride home. She glares back at me but she doesn’t disagree.
I turn to Cody. “Your horse isn’t as jumpy. You take the little guy.”
“Sure. Come on, sport,” Cody laughs as he lifts Matthias up by his waist and plonks him on top of his horse.
I offer my hand to Lucia but she ignores it. “You ever climbed on a horse before?”
“No!”
“Then let me help you.”
“I’m sure I can figure it out, Jackson,” she snaps. Damn! I hate it when she calls me that. I pick her up by her waist, hoist her over my shoulder and plonk her on my saddle.
“There,” I snarl at her and she glares at me. It should make me pissed but all it does it make me want to put her over my knee and spank her ass until she begs me to fuck her.
I climb on behind her. She bristles at my touch, but there isn’t much place for her to go. I take hold of Bastian’s reins, my arms encasing her and we start to head back to the house.
She keeps fidgeting in the saddle and it’s driving me fucking crazy.
“Will you sit still?” I whisper in her ear.
I know she’s doing it because she can’t stand me touching her, but her ass keeps rubbing over my groin and my cock is becoming painfully hard.
“Fine,” she sighs but she stops squirming.
Beside us, Matthias asks Cody question after question about riding horses and Cody answers them all good-naturedly. Cody is a good kid, but if I catch him looking at Lucia like he just did again, he’ll be looking for a new job.
“How is your ankle?” I ask her.
“Fine.”
“Is that the only word in your vocabulary today?”
“Fuck you! How’s that?” she hisses.
“I’ll take it for now,” I growl in her ear. “But you ever speak to me like that again and I’ll put you over my knee and spank your ass.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she growls but I hear the breath catch in her throat and see the heat flushing over her neck.
“Take Matthias back to the house,” I nod to Cody. “And don’t take your eyes off him for a second.”
“Sure thing,” Cody replies.
“Be careful with him. Please?” Lucia says and Cody smiles at her.
“I’ll take good care of him for you. Promise.” He tips his hat and then gives his horse a nudge until she canters off in the direction of the house.
I hold onto Bastian’s reins, my arms squeezing around Lucia as she sits between my thighs. There’s no disguising the fact that my cock is as hard as iron sitting this close to her, so I don’t bother even trying to.
A soft breeze ruffles through her hair. Almond and cherry. She always smells so fucking good. I bend my head to her ear. “You want to come for a ride with me?”
“No,” she snaps. “Why don’t you take Shannon for another ride instead?”
Wow. That fucking hurt. But what did I expect when she thinks I spent last night fucking another woman.
“I might ask your permission sometimes, Lucia, but I don’t need it,” I growl.
“What does that mean?”
“Hold on.” I grip the reins tighter, making sure she is caged in by my arms, before I give Bastian a sharp nudge in the flanks, signaling he should run like the fucking wind. She gives a yelp of surprise when the horse bolts but then she leans back against me, smiling, resting her hands on the top of my thighs.
