Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
I took her hand and brought it up to my mouth and kissed it. “Thank you for that, Em. You’ve been something good and positive in his life.”
“Okay, I’m really leaving this time.”
Leaning into the window, I kissed her once more. “Drive safe, sweetheart.”
“I will.”
I stepped back and watched her back down the long drive…and tried like hell to ignore the sudden emptiness I felt.
Emeline
There was nothing better in this entire world than the smell of hay and horse manure. That was a hill I would die on. I whistled as I mucked out Apollo’s stall. Nothing made me happier than being around the horses. As much as I loved the camps, this was my one true passion.
“Need some help?”
I smiled and glanced over my shoulder to see Levi leaning against the door of the stall. He looked so handsome it took my breath away. He was dressed in black cowboy boots, jeans, a light blue T-shirt, and his ever-present black cowboy hat.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” I said with a wink. “Did you come ready for hard labor?”
He held up his hands. “Put me to work.”
A deep pull of desire in my lower stomach nearly caused me to drag him into the stall and have my way with him. Instead, I dropped the rake and walked over to him. Lifting his hat some, I stretched onto my toes and kissed him.
The kiss quickly turned passionate; it was all I could do not to crawl up his body. When we broke apart, Levi closed his eyes.
“Fuck, Em. I want you.”
I smiled. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Has the guy come to look at Apollo yet?”
“He came first thing this morning. And by first thing, I mean by the ass-crack of dawn, he was buzzing the front gate. My father called me and told me I’d better hustle to the barn. When I informed my father he wasn’t supposed to be there until 2, he asked who was going to be the one to tell him to come back.”
Levi frowned. “You didn’t meet him alone, did you?”
“No,” I said, running my finger down the side of his handsome face. “Marshall was already here, starting his workday. He met him at the gate and drove him down to the barn.”
“How did it go?” Levi asked, moving toward the fork and picking it up. He headed to the wheelbarrow and got a fresh bunch of hay and tossed it into Apollo’s stall.
“I think it went well. He was impressed with the horse and his lineage, and also our setup. He’s going to ship his mare down here to stay for a few months.”
“Here?”
“It was part of my deal. My horses don’t leave the ranch. Ever.”
Levi laughed. “Guess he wanted the old guy’s sperm pretty badly.”
“Oh yeah, he did. I told him I would handle it myself, as I always do. He wants the foal as close to the first of the year as possible.”
“You don’t have many thoroughbreds on the ranch. Why not?”
I shrugged. “I’m not interested in breeding racehorses. My heart belongs with all horses, but it favors the quarter horses.”
After getting enough hay in the stall, we both walked out and shut the door.
“When can you take a break?” Levi asked in a lowered voice. His eyes were smoldering, and even if I had a million more things to do, I was immediately free.
“I can take a break now. All my stalls are done, and I just have some paperwork to catch up on.”
Levi took hold of my hand and tugged me in the direction of my office. “Is your mom in her office today?”
I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped free. “She isn’t right now. She and my father ran into town to do some stuff at the store.”
Turning the last corner, Levi headed straight to my office. Once we were inside, he shut and locked the door, then pushed me against it and kissed me like it was the last time he would ever get to do so.
“The dreams I had about you last night, Em. I woke up jacking off. I came so fucking hard, I nearly blacked out.”
The pulse between my legs grew stronger. “Is that so?” Lifting his hat off his head, I tossed it onto the small loveseat I had in my office, while Levi placed hot kisses up and down my neck. “I had dreams about you, too.”
He drew back and looked at me, a twinkle in his brown eyes. “What did you dream about?” My cheeks instantly heated, and Levi grinned. “Something naughty?”
I nodded as he reached down and pulled my shirt over my head. He tossed it to the floor, then cupped my breast with his hand and started sucking the nipple through the fabric.
“Levi,” I gasped, dropping my head against the door.