Page 26 of Ace of Spades (Hidden Creek Ranch #1)

“I’m here for it,” Chance shrugs. “You guys got any baby oil or anything? I wanna make these bad boys stand out for the video,” he says, flexing his toned abs.

Weston rolls his eyes, Beau shaking his head.

“Of course you would want a bunch of ladies running around the ranch,” Rafe says.

“Oh, and you wouldn’t? Come on, big picture here—think about the money!”

“Right, and I’m sure the money is exactly what you’re thinking about right now.”

“Hey, don’t come at me trying to be business-savvy.”

“Will you guys quit bickering and just take your shirts off already?” Chelsea cuts in.

“You don’t have to if you really don’t want to, I’m not going to force you guys to do anything. But trust me on this, I really do think this would be worthy of grabbing people’s attention and showing them that a ranch retreat doesn’t have to be only for business-y trips, it can be fun!” I add.

“How about after this we get one of you girls washing the horses in bikinis? That would really grab attention,” Chance asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No,” Beau and Weston state in unison, both turning to glare at their friend.

“Oh my gosh, can we please just get this moving? Come on, guys. Take one for the team! ”

“Fine,” Weston says, standing up to remove his shirt. “Let’s get this over with.”

I can’t unglue my eyes from him as he pulls the t-shirt over his head, mentally tracing every single one of his beautifully toned muscles. He isn’t bulky by any means, but his athletically defined body is a testament to all of the physical labor he does around the ranch on a daily basis.

My thoughts stray to last night and the way those same veiny arms had been wrapped around me, those calloused hands so rough yet tender as they had explored every inch of my skin.

I could practically feel them all over me, warmth blooming in my belly as I remembered the sensation of his lips on mine as he moved inside of me.

“Earth to Hailey, please,” Chelsea’s voice cuts through my thoughts, breaking me from my trance.

My cheeks flush as I realize I’d zoned out while staring at Weston, who now regards me with an extremely amused grin.

I turn to face the rest of the group, who now all stare at me like I had grown two heads, only to realize that Rafe had already pulled his shirt off and that they were just waiting for me.

Wonderful.

“Um,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear as I try to regain some composure. Chelsea hides her smirk, the rest of the guys looking between me and Weston in confusion.

“Right, let’s just get one of you guys moving bales?”

Nobody moves for a moment before they finally walk back to the stack that they were bringing in, throwing their hats and gloves back on as they get to work .

I hand Chelsea my phone, letting her record me with the guys in the background.

“Here at the Hidden Creek Ranch guest ranch,” I start, giving my most welcoming smile to the camera.

“We offer more than just your basic weekend getaway and corporate retreat packages. Want something fun and new to spice up your next girl’s trip?

Imagine having a mimosa brunch at the lodge, with the fresh mountain air, or spending the day on horseback at the river.

We’ve got amazing views all around, as you can see,” I say, winking as Chelsea pans to the guys.

“Ow!” Chance suddenly exclaims, dropping his bale and scratching at his back. “Something bit me!”

“Wow, It’s almost as if we weren’t meant to be moving bales shirtless,” Rafe deadpans.

“Hey, you agreed to it too!”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t shut up about it until I did.”

“Oh, please. You’re just intimidated by my god-like body, I bet that’s the reason you didn’t want to do this in the first place!”

“Anyways,” I interject, bringing my attention back to the camera.

An arm wraps around my shoulders—a very shirtless, very beautiful arm.

“Come down to Hidden Creek Ranch. We sure know how to have a good time around here, and we guarantee you will too,” Weston charms the camera, offering a smile worthy of dropping panties .

“That was golden,” Chelsea laughs, stopping the recording and handing me my phone as Weston removes his arm. “You have to post it!”

“Wait, no—I want a redo,” Chance whines. “That’s not fair!”

“Well, technically we’ve only got six followers so far, if that makes it any better,” I chuckle, posting the video on the Ranch’s social media page and adding a caption about bookings being open.

“I’m going back to the trailer, I’m going to work on the website some more as soon as I get all of these posted.”

“Sounds good, let me know if you need anything else,” Chelsea tells me.

I worked through the evening, skipping dinner entirely to get the website up and running after a long video call with Ava, where she spent half of the time bugging me with questions about Chance. At least I would get to see her at the rodeo next weekend.

I shut my laptop, satisfied with the work that I had done tonight.

Other than a few minor details, I have everything set up, complete with an aesthetic landing page showcasing the scenery around the ranch and a details page highlighting the different packages, advertising the possibilities for any occasion.

I even added a section listing photos and fun facts about each of the horses that would be available to ride during their stay.

I had to give myself a pat on the back for how it came out, especially considering that it was my first time ever doing so for a business.

Advertising a business was different from showcasing my own brand, and I loved everything about it.

More than anything, I wanted to show the world the potential that this place had.

Dread left a sinking feeling in my gut as I thought about my dad’s plans for the resort, undoubtedly with a much higher marketing budget.

The only thing that worked in our favor was the fact that they hadn’t even begun development on their facilities yet, but once that happened, I knew the competition would have a massive impact on the ranch.

Even worse, I had yet to tell the guys about my dad’s plans to tear down the trailer park.

I knew that they all fully planned on buying it back at some point, and hearing that it would be demolished in the near future would not be easy on them.

I knew that I should be the one to tell them, to at least give them a heads up.

I just hadn’t found the right time, and I didn’t have it in me right now.

They had just started to see me as one of their own. I was still my dad’s daughter, after all, even though I hadn’t spoken to him since moving into Hidden Creek Ranch. I didn’t have anything to say to him right now, not until he was willing to hear me out. That is, if he ever would.

I let out a sigh, dropping down onto my bed and pulling out my phone, opening it to the video I had posted earlier. The views were piling in, and it was pretty close to going viral even just after a few hours. I mean, I couldn’t really blame the people—who didn’t love a couple of hot cowboys.

I lay the phone on my chest, closing my eyes as I think back to earlier.

Weston had been a sight to behold in the dim bedroom last night, but in the light of day?

There weren’t enough words to do him justice, the way the sun had glinted off of the sheen of sweat coating his skin, and the way he had thrown those bales around as if they had weighed close to nothing.

I wondered what it would be like to be thrown around by him like that…

The throbbing growing between my legs tells me that my body would be completely on board with the idea. Up until last night, I had always found sex bland and unsatisfactory. With Brad, I had faked orgasms more often than not just to get it over with.

But with Weston? He had gotten me off not once, but twice, one time with nothing but his fingers. That had never happened to me before. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, but I didn’t have the courage to admit that I wanted to do it again.

We had said it was a one-time thing, so why did I want more than anything to do it again? It hadn’t even been a full day and I was already craving more, like he had somehow wedged himself under my skin and I couldn’t get enough.

The problem was, I refused to admit that to him. I knew I was stubborn, but I used it as a way to save face. I hated admitting defeat, it wasn’t in my nature. My competitive side made it to where I always needed to stay on top, to be the one in control.

But if there was ever a time that I had been tempted to give in, it was now. Maybe I could just settle for the next best thing…

I sit up, scooting my way across the bed and into my bedside storage compartment, digging through it until I find what I’m looking for.

“Gypsy, I’m going to need you to get down for a minute please,” I tell her, the little princess just staring at me from her spot on my pillow without moving an inch .

“Gypsy, get down,” I tell her, pointing to the steps leading down to the main living quarters.

Again, nothing.

“Ugh, you’re such a diva,” I mutter, getting down from the bed and walking to the couch. I can still feel Gypsy’s curious little eyes on me as I get settled.

“Oh my gosh, look away!” I tell her, getting back up to shut the curtain to the makeshift bedroom, hiding my vibrator behind my back as if she knew what it was.

When I’m certain I have some privacy, I lie back down on the couch, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over me as an added security measure.

I turn the toy to a low setting, closing my eyes as I lift the waistband of my athletic shorts and slowly lower it inside.

I let the images of Weston flow through my mind, his chiseled features as his face hovered over mine, his soft lips as he kissed down my body.

His talented fingers, and how he had managed to find that spot inside of me with expert precision.

My breathing hitches as the low vibrations reach my clit, his name sitting on my lips as my hips buck at the sensation. I imagine his body on mine, how his massive shaft had driven me to a pleasure I hadn’t thought I’d ever be able to reach.

I’m already so close as I sink the toy inside of me, imagining it was him. I can feel my own slickness, proving just how much my body reacts to as little as the mere thought of him.

“Wes…” I whisper, driving the toy deeper as I chase the high. But it isn’t enough—it isn’t the real thing, and subconsciously, my mind knows it .

A knock at the trailer door startles me, and I instinctively yank the toy out of my pants and chuck it across the room like it’s on fire.

“Shit,” I mutter, falling off the couch as my legs get tangled in the blanket.

Gypsy, the little rascal that she is, jumps off of the bed to greet whoever just interrupted, before changing her mind and deciding to chase after the pink phallic-shaped toy that’s now buzzing its way across the room instead.

“Stop!” I yell at her, getting to my feet only to trip over a box of clothes. Damn these tiny living spaces.

“Everything okay in there?”

Of course the person knocking at my door just had to be Weston. With my luck, who else could it possibly be?

“Just a second!” I call out, army-crawling to where Gypsy had now caught the toy and held it in her mouth, the little shithead taking this to be playtime and running past me to jump on the couch in the world’s most mortifying game of ‘ catch me if you can ’.

“Hailey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing!” I yell breathlessly as I manage to lunge at Gypsy and grab at the toy, only for the new game to become a tug of war.

“Gypsy, give it now!” I whisper-yell at my dog.

“Alright, I’m coming in,” Weston announces, the trailer door squeaking open.

“No!” I yell from my spot on the ground, releasing my grip and causing both Gypsy and the toy to go flying .

“What the hell is going on in here?” he asks, his eyes darting between me, the dog, and the toy that is still—to my horror—buzzing across the carpet.

His eyes widen in horror, my face blanching as I silently beg for the earth to open up at this very moment and swallow me whole.

“Get out!” I yell, finally getting my feet under me and racing to shut the door in his face.

“You know,” he says from the other side. “You could have asked for a hand.”

“Go away, Weston!”

I hear his laugh, embarrassment washing over me.

“I actually came to get you because I have some news. Care to let me in?”

“Ugh,” I seethe, cracking the door ajar just enough to stick my head out. “What do you want?”

“Well, I figured you might be excited to hear that we just got our first booking, but if you’re busy, I can come back—”

“We got a booking?” I exclaim. “Like an actual booking for the retreat? But it’s only been a day!”

“Well, it turns out you know what you’re doing after all.

That video you posted earlier in the barn?

It got the job done, we just got a call half an hour ago from some famous yoga influencer in Los Angeles.

She saw the post and wants to come up here with a group of friends to teach some classes and film some content. ”

“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!” I yell, opening the door fully as I jump up and down.

“Thought you might be happy,” he smirks, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Beau and Chelsea just ran to town to get us a bottle of champagne and some beer, we figured we’d run down to the creek to do some night swimming and celebrate.”

“Night swimming?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell me you’re scared of the dark too?”

I slap him playfully on the chest, a smile still plastered on my face.

“Let me just grab a swimsuit,” I tell him.

“Want me to wait out here? I wouldn’t want to leave you with any unfinished business…” he teases, a cocky grin showing off a single dimple in the moonlight.

“You’re the worst,” I roll my eyes.

“What did I say about rolling your eyes at me, Sorrels?”

I swallow down a gulp, his warning from earlier waking up the spot between my legs.

“I’ll be out in a second,” I manage to choke out.

His eyes are vivid, his expression predatory.

“I’ll be waiting.”