Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Even more of a shocker than Adler having a bratty side was that I liked it. I’d always been drawn to a certain amount of spunk, but up until this very moment, I couldn’t say as I’d found it appealing in a guy before.
I also couldn’t say as I’d found a guy appealing period, but with an armful of Adler, wet, slippery, and naked, I was hard pressed to deny my body’s reaction, cold water be damned. The restlessness I’d felt all week suddenly had a name: desire.
Huh. I’d always been one to keep sex simple—the occasional hookup, mainly. Sure, I knew what I liked in the bedroom, but I kept encounters as uncomplicated as possible. My attraction to Adler was the definition of complicated, yet here we were, and I was far more curious than I ever could have predicted.
“Who’s going to make me?” Despite being trapped, Adler radiated defiance. However, something more than disobedience lurked in his eyes. Want—no, need—to be brought in line. I’d seen similar expressions from stubborn horses plenty. They wanted to please, but they needed a firm hand and plenty of inducement to cooperate. The trick was to harness that feisty spirit, not break it.
“Splash me again, and I’ll show you,” I threatened, not entirely sure what I was doing here, only that further play needed to be Adler’s call. I wasn’t a stranger to providing some…direction in the bedroom, yet this particular situation was far outside my usual wheelhouse. It would be easy to say this was simply two dudes engaging in harmless horseplay, but nothing about this felt harmless or ordinary, and my half-hard dick underscored the erotic energy zooming between us.
I had Adler trapped in a bear hug, but I loosened my grip to see what choice he’d make. To be fair, I wasn’t sure what choice I was making. I had strict rules for fooling around on ranch property or during working hours. Technically, I wasn’t working now. Break time. I further rationalized my curiosity about whatever Adler was trying to accomplish as being a one-time deal. It wasn’t like Adler was a hand or someone I’d have to see more than a few more days. Maverick had said Adler was scheduled to leave soon, having extended his original plan of only staying a week because of Faith’s accident.
And maybe that was playing a role too—I’d been on edge ever since Faith and Maverick argued about the future of the ranch. Maverick said he wanted to give ranching a try and not sell the place as planned, but I wasn’t sure I trusted his decision to stick. If I were about to be out of a job, would it be so bad to let this little game with Adler unfold a bit?
Adler grinned, a wide, mischievous smile that transformed his face from ordinary to rather attractive. He was tall but rail skinny, no muscles to speak of, with wild red hair that seemed to defy the rules of gravity, freckles and pale skin that made him look far younger, and soft blue-green eyes not unlike the color of this pond. I was far from an expert on what made men sexy, but Adler Kelly was hardly movie star material. Until he smiled, that was.
Seconds after he smiled, Adler drew back his arm in slow motion, gaze locked on mine the whole time as if I didn’t know how deliberate his defiance was. Continuing to grin, he sent a wall of water in my direction. I wanted to make a point, not drown the guy, so I didn’t go for another dunk as he probably expected. Instead, I picked him up, threw him over one shoulder, and marched out of the water to deposit him on the bank of the pond.
“Hey!” He made indignant into an art form, all pouty lips, wide eyes, and upturned hands. “What was that?”
“Playtime is over,” I said sternly, looming over him.
“Is it?” Adler cocked his head, considering. He also made no attempt to hide his blatant appreciation for my nakedness, eyes raking over me every bit as slow and deliberate as that splash had been. “Your dick seems rather hard for someone who wants me to quit taunting.”
“Maybe my dick’s hard at the notion you might actually behave,” I countered. I remained uncertain as to what was up with my body’s sudden decision to cross the tracks, so to speak, but that was a problem for me to sort out later. Right now, I wanted to see what would happen next, the sort of reckless urge I hadn’t known since my rodeo days. Also, it wouldn’t do for me to project anything other than the sternness Adler seemed to crave.
“What do I get if I’m good?” Rising from his untidy heap of limbs, Adler kneeled in front of me, reaching out to place a hand on my thigh. His touch seared my damp skin like a brand.