Horse Play (Horse Play #1) (18 page)

Willow hopped down from the counter, her mood suddenly mirroring my own. “You know what? Never mind. I’d rather hang out with you. Forget I said anything.”

“Nah,” I said, waving my hand at her. “It’s fine. You should ride. It’s not often you’re here. I’ll find something to do.” Jensen shot me a look. “Something
boring
.”

“You’re sure?” she asked; it was evident just how much she wanted to ride while she was here, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. She so rarely got to ride, and I knew how much she loved it, having practically grown up here with me.

I nodded. “Yup. Come on; let’s take your things to your room.”

I took Willow down the hall and set her up in the other bedroom on the main floor. It was ridiculous because I knew she’d likely just pass out in my bed after we stayed up late, catching up.

It took Willow an hour to unpack her bag. It shocked me just how much she had brought with her for only a few days. The girl was insane—though, she preferred to be called “eccentric.”

“So, what’s his story?” Willow asked, hopping onto her bed beside me. “He’s cute. You like him, right? I mean, it seems like you like him. Plus, you’re wearing his shirt. That’s his, right?”

So many questions came flying out of her mouth at once. I had almost forgotten how quickly she spoke when she was excited. “Uhhhh,” I said, still trying to think of what to answer first. “Yes?”

“That’s all I get?
Yes
? What the hell is that?” she screeched, louder than I’d have liked.

“Willow—”

“Oh, don’t you ‘Willow’ me, missy. I saw the way you looked at him. The way
he
looked at you. Have you boned him yet?”

“Willow!” I was mortified. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

A sly smirk played at the corners of her mouth. “No, but I could tell you a few things that I—”

“I’ll pay you to stop,” I interrupted with a laugh, not interested in hearing what she did with her mouth. “Fine! Yes, I like him. Happy, now?” She shook her head, and I rolled my eyes. “No, we haven’t slept together, yet … well, actually we have—slept, that is. On the couch. But we haven’t—you know. Naked—no, wait, there was naked, too …” Willow’s eyes continued to widen as I rambled like a fool. “Ugh! See what you’ve done? It’s like verbal diarrhea.”

“So,
you
naked, or
he
naked?” she inquired in a language all her own, eyebrows waggling suggestively.

“Him. Oh God, him,” I said, sighing my words as I remembered the first and second times I had caught a glimpse of Jensen in the buff. “Twice.”

“Twice?” she squealed, giggling manically. “Tell. Me. Everything! Oh, wait. First, I have to pee.” She hopped off the bed and ran to ensuite bathroom.

“Hey, Willow?” I called out, hoping she could hear me through the door. “I’m going to go and grab a glass of water. You want anything?”

“Sure! Water would be great,” she responded.

I climbed down off her bed and jumped in shock when I opened her door to see Jensen in the hall. “Are you eavesdropping?”

He took my hand and pulled me toward his room before wrapping his arms around me. “Is it my fault your friend’s voice carries?” he asked, his lips finding that sweet spot on my neck that made me weak in the knees. “I’m going to head out. You should spend some time with your friend.”

I moaned as his lips trailed up, kissing the shell of my ear before peppering light kisses along my jaw, finally landing one super-soft one on my lips. I’d have traded my soul to deepen that kiss, but he pulled away before I could follow through.

“Breakfast was delicious. Thank you. Come find me later while Willow’s riding. I’ll try to sneak away and keep you company,” he offered.

“Yeah? What if my dad finds out?”

“We’re two consenting adults just … having a good time, Madi. There’s not much he can do,” Jensen responded confidently.

I laughed. “You mean besides fire you, or worse, shoot you and bury you out back.”

He contemplated what I’d said, even though it was meant as a joke. “Hmmm, you make a compelling argument, Miss Landry. I guess we just sneak around a while longer. What do you say?”

“Sounds deeply dangerous. But it’s your only chance for survival,” I teased.

“Madi?” Willow called from her room.

Jensen kissed the tip of my nose before releasing his hold on me. “Okay, go, have fun. I’ll see you later. Be safe.”

“Always am,” I told him with a wink, tripping on my feet as I backed out of his room. Jensen moved fast, catching my right arm in his hand before I toppled over. “Errr, pretend that didn’t happen?”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he told me as he slowly released me, making sure I wasn’t going to fall over again. “No more walking backwards, okay?”

“You really suck the fun out of everything. Live a little.”

Jensen chuckled as he followed me down the hall. He veered off toward the front door while I headed to the kitchen to grab water for Willow and myself. The front door closed, and I watched Jensen through the kitchen window as he sauntered off toward the barn.

Chapter 13. Letting Go

A
s we sat around the table, I told Willow about the day I walked in on Jensen in the bathroom as he was getting out of the shower. Her mouth dropped open in shock, but soon she was face down and pounding her fist into the wooden table top as I told her the rest of the fiasco. “Classic, Madison. Classic!”

“Huh,” I grunted with realization. “I guess it was three times.”

“
Three
? Oh my God! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!” Her excitement was contagious, and soon I found my own enthusiasm rising as I told her about Dane stopping by.

“Bastard,” Willow grumbled.

“Well, he heard the shower shut off and was immediately pissed that there was another man here. Claimed I was ‘fucking someone else.’”

“Hah! Coming from him, that’s rich. Asshole,” Willow muttered.

“Right?” I agreed. “Well, Jensen came out into the kitchen in a towel. At first I didn’t think anything of it, I mean, I’d already seen him naked, so a towel was nothing to sneeze at.” Willow nodded her head, listening intently. “Until he kissed me.” I could feel the goofy grin return to my face as I remembered how amazing it felt when Jensen’s lips were pressed against mine that day.

“He kissed you?”

I nodded, my entire body starting to warm as I remembered his hands on me, running up along my right side until his thumb grazed the swell of my breast. “At first, I figured maybe he just couldn’t take the tension between us—we had been teasing each other a lot over the first few days. God, Willow, I have never felt anything like that before. I just felt so safe in his arms, like we were the only two people in the world.”

“At first?” she questioned, placing her chin in her palm, her elbow resting on the tabletop.

“Yeah, in reality, he had heard Dane say he wasn’t going anywhere and wanted to show him there was nothing here for him anymore.”

“Hot,” Willow said, nodding her head in approval. “So, when do we get to the naked part?”

I blushed again. “Well, as we were kissing, I got so wrapped up in it that my hands started moving all over his body until they rested at his waist—”

“You totally de-toweled him, you little hussy!” she exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement.

I shook my head. “Not intentionally. But his towel
did
fall off all on its own.” Willow’s eyes continued to widen as I, embarrassingly, told her how turned on Jensen was—how turned on we both were.

“But …” Willow’s ears perked at that, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion.. “He’s not ready for a relationship. And to be honest, neither am I. I need, I don’t know, some time after Dane. I need to figure my shit out before I just hand my heart over to another man.”

“So, you’re just messing around?” I waited for her to judge me, but she just shrugged. “He seems like a good guy, Madison.”

I nodded, but shrugged at the same time; I knew he was, but it still didn’t stop the fear that Dane had left in his wake. After Dane, I had put up these walls to protect myself, and I wasn’t ready for them to come down—for anyone. “Even though we’ve agreed on what this is, I guess I’m still a little apprehensive about the whole thing. I mean, he’s been great. Taking care of me and being so protective, but—”

“But what? Madison, he’s
not
Dane.”

“I know that.” I started to pick at my fingernails, avoiding Willow’s eyes completely. “Jensen has been great, and I’ve learned just how much he cares about his family, which is admirable, but what Dane did—how he always apologized for his behavior while telling me that I shouldn’t get him worked up like that—it’s so burned into my memory that I sometimes wonder if he was right. Maybe it is me that brings it out in people.”

“I need to kick Dane in the balls,” Willow announced, shaking her head dramatically. “Madi, what Dane did to you—how he treated you—was not your fault. The bastard was gas-lighting you in order to maintain the power in your relationship by stripping your self-confidence. I mean, you’re gorgeous and have legs for days—”

“I’m only a few inches taller than you,” I said, smirking at her as she tried to validate me.

“All of which is leg. Just shut up, okay?” Doing as she asked, I listened instead. “You’re funny and smart. And I’d guess an animal in the sack considering the mouth on you at times.” I blushed again as she winked and giggled. “Try to see what I see in you. What Jensen
and so many others see in you. You’re amazing and strong, and you’re so much happier with him gone.”

With a roll of my eyes, I stood up to get another glass of water. “You’re only saying this because you’re my friend.”

Willow’s laugh carried through the kitchen. “I guess now’s a good time to tell you I never really liked you then, huh?” she teased, and I retaliated by tossing a dishtowel at her face across the kitchen. “All I’m saying is: live a little. Have some fun. He’s not asking you to marry him … yet.”

“Thanks. No pressure, or anything, right?” I asked sarcastically, glancing at the clock and frowning when I realized it was half-past one and the guys hadn’t stopped by for lunch.

“What’s wrong?” Willow asked.

“The guys aren’t here for lunch. We usually eat at one,” I pouted. I knew Dad wanted to see Willow, so it was strange that they weren’t here.

Willow shrugged it off. “Maybe they got busy. I’ve seen this place in the summer. It can get pretty crazy.”

“Maybe,” I said, reaching for the phone so I could call Jensen. “I’m going to call and see what’s up, though.”

After dialing Jensen’s cell phone number, I waited for him to answer; it only rang once. “What’s wrong?” he answered frantically, causing me to laugh.

“You’re so paranoid,” I told him. “Nothing’s wrong. Well, except you guys aren’t here. Did you get busy or something?”

“Oh, uh,” Jensen said nervously, and I could hear a chair shift on his end before the background noise suddenly quieted. “We’re eating at your dad’s. We thought you guys would want a little girl time. Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” I said, the pout in my voice audible.

“Have you eaten yet?” he inquired.

I shook my head and spoke simultaneously. “Not yet. I’ll make something for us now, though. I’ll, uh, see you in a bit?”

“You bet.” He paused for a minute, and I heard my dad calling for him. “I should go. See you soon.”

We hung up, and when I turned back to Willow, she was standing on the other side of the island, elbows on the countertop, face-in-hands and smiling a smile that rivaled my own dorky grin. “You may be
having fun
, but you’re going to fall hard, Madison Landry,” she stated, her voice melodious as she almost sang the words. “You’re not exactly the casual sex kind of girl.”

“What do you want for lunch?” I asked, trying to ignore her, because, deep down, I knew she was right.

Willow shrugged. “What do you have?”

“Well, I could make soup, or sandwiches, or both?” I paused to look in my pantry. “Tomato and grilled cheese?” It was Willow’s favorite.

Not moving from her spot at the counter, Willow made yummy noises as I started lunch. Within fifteen minutes we were back at the table and eating. “I swear, Madi, you make the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich. If I weren’t straight—or in a relationship—I’d marry you.”

“Over grilled cheese? Brandon hasn’t mastered this sandwich yet? Does he not know you at all?” I joked.

“He’s got his talents, none of which are in the kitchen—well …” she paused to contemplate something before I recognized the filthy glint in her eyes “… sometimes he’s talented in the kitchen.”

“You two are never allowed to be alone in
my
kitchen,” I warned, taking the last bite of my sandwich.

Willow smirked, avoiding my eyes, and I knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth. “You mean, again, right?”

Speechless. Willow had rendered me completely speechless. My mouth opened and closed as I tried to think of something to say. Finally, I just laughed. “Willow!”

“You weren’t home,” she said with a shrug as she stood up and cleared the table for me.