Page 6 of Barn Burner (Love The Game #2)

Jesse

After I was left standing speechless in the barn, I haven’t seen Brayden since. Granted, I missed out on dinner again last night. Something my mom was not best pleased about and made sure I knew about it when she saw me this morning, but it wasn’t even intentional this time.

The afternoon trail ride got off to a late start, so we ended up getting back later than planned, and then one of the bridles needed repairing, so I hid out in the barn to fix that up instead of leaving it until today.

Frankly, I needed some time to clear the fog from my head, too.

I was in this weird mood where I was physically present, but my mind was elsewhere.

I kept replaying our interaction over and over.

The way he got me all hot under the collar.

The feel of his hand on my hip, his fingers digging into my skin.

A promise of what his touch might be like while I drove my cock inside him.

I’m no stranger to acting in the heat of the moment. The times I venture into town at night, it’s always been about that quick connection. Whoever gets my blood simmering in that hot, needy way.

But there’s something different about this instant attraction I have to Brayden.

Something I can’t quite put my finger on.

I can’t quite get him out of my brain. There’s this constant prickle of awareness during the day.

The scent of his orange-and-bergamot body wash following me around whenever I go.

At night, he’s there on the back of my eyelids. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is the image of him, with that playful glint in his rich brown eyes. The quirk of his full lips. Lips that I bet will look downright sinful wrapped around my cock.

Then there’s the number of times his name has fallen from the tip of my tongue as I’ve spilled over my fist.

Four times I’ve said his name like a prayer since he whispered teasing words in my ear and left me hard as steel.

Yeah, Brayden is dangerous, and I’m teetering on the edge of breaking point. It’s not going to take much for me to snap, and I’m not sure if either of us is ready for what might come from all this pent-up lust.

“He’s trouble,” I mumble to Prince, running my hand up and down the side of his neck as he munches on the carrot I just gave him. “I tell ya. He’s trouble with a capital T .”

“Talkin’ to that damn horse again?” Cooper snickers at me, appearing at my side.

He feeds Prince a big marshmallow that he retrieves from his pocket and turns his attention to the animal.

“You should start charging him for these talks, Prince. You could be rollin’ in cash in your stall instead of hay. ”

“You’re such a dick,” I grunt, flipping him my middle finger, which only causes him to crack up laughing.

“Tell you who wants to see your dick, though,” he says quietly and jerks his chin toward the door behind me before he lifts his hand in a wave and addresses over my shoulder. “Hey there, Brayden! How are you doing today?”

My head snaps toward the door, and I inwardly groan at myself. Could I be any more eager?

Brayden stands at the entrance to the barn, looking good enough to eat in his short-as-fuck shorts and a tightly fitted T-shirt that shows every ridge and groove of his body.

“Good! It’s so bloody hot today, though,” Brayden chuckles.

Then, to prove my earlier point that he’s trouble, he lifts his T-shirt and uses the hem to wipe over his face.

I swallow my damn tongue at the sight of his six-pack rippling with the movement.

Sweat drips down the center of his sculpted torso, disappearing into his belly button.

I trace the lines of his V with my eyes, licking over my suddenly dry lips when my gaze reaches where his shorts sit low on his tapered waist.

What I’d do to rip those scraps of material off his body to see what’s underneath…

“Right, Jess?” Cooper’s voice snaps my attention back to the present, and the shit-eating grin on his face tells me he caught me in the act, ogling Brayden.

“Mhm,” I hum noncommittally, because I didn’t hear a word he said. I turn back to Prince when he nudges my shoulder with his muzzle, eager for more carrots.

“Oh, have you been to the petting barn yet?” Cooper asks Brayden.

“No, I haven’t. I saw the donkeys in the field the other day, but I didn’t want to go mooching around unsupervised. Didn’t want to get in trouble,” he replies with a bashful laugh.

“Jesse! Go take Brayden to the red barn.”

I twist my head to glare at my brother.

“Mom’s probably about to feed the chaos kids, so it’ll be fun,” Cooper says to Brayden, then glances over his shoulder at me, but my eyes are fixed solely on the man whose tongue darts out to wet his lips as his eyes travel the length of my body, eating me up inch by inch.

He knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

Shaking my head, hoping it’ll clear the lust-filled cloud my head has disappeared into, I wipe my hands down the side of my jeans and grumble, “You wanna see the zoo my mom’s keeping?”

“Damn right I do.” He nods, grinning.

I step around my brother, thumping him in the shoulder as I pass before leading Brayden over to the petting barn.

This became my mom’s passion project when she was told by her doctor that she needed to cut back after being diagnosed with spondylosis.

Ever since I was a kid, I always remember my dad mentioning her back pain.

She couldn’t always pick up my brothers and sister when they were young, but it wasn’t until I was older that I understood why.

But being the stubborn woman she is, she ignored the advice to give up riding and carried on until four years ago, when she ended up being bed-bound for three weeks due to the pain.

So, the riding school was passed over to Cooper, but instead of retiring, she started the petting farm.

It isn’t as physically extensive, and I’ve made accommodations that everything is at the right height for her so there’s no bending or lifting.

Although sometimes I wonder if having the petting farm is more of an excuse so she can have a bunch of animals as pets.

As we get closer to the newest building on the ranch, Brayden lets out a loud gasp at the sight of the long-haired, reddish-brown cows currently lining up at the fence, vying for his attention.

“Oh my God! You have Highland cows? Or should I say, coos .” He snickers.

“Coos?”

“Yeah,” he replies, making a beeline for where they’re waiting. “In Scots, coo means cow, and with them being from the Highlands, they’re often called Highland coos, but maybe it’s more of a thing back home.”

“Mhm, maybe. Mom always wanted some, but these are purely for pets.”

He rears back, as if I’ve struck him. “Wait, you’re saying people eat Highland cows?”

I nod. “Yeah. Due to their coats, Highland cattle produce lean, tender meat.”

“But… they’re so cute. How could anyone eat these?

” he asks in despair. He walks over to the one who is watching us curiously from beneath the long hair partially covering her eyes and scratches her head between the horns.

Mom appears a moment later, because of course she does, and hands him a chopped-up apple.

“See, Jesse? Brayden gets it,” she says in mock annoyance. “They are too beautiful to eat.”

I roll my eyes, propping my hip against the fence post. Bonnie makes a beeline for me, and I take a step back just in time to avoid getting impaled by her horns. She lets out a huffed breath, jerking her large head at me. Her way of asking me to rub her horns.

“We have a small herd, but it’s slowly growing as Mom keeps adopting more that need homes so they don’t get sent to slaughter,” I tell Brayden while running my hand over the base of Bonnie’s horn. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll need to expand the field soon to accommodate.”

Brayden’s laughter rolls over me like a warm blanket. So rich and smooth.

“This is like my dream,” he announces, holding his palm out flat to feed Bessie another piece of apple. “Honestly, this place is just like heaven to me.”

My mom gives me a proud look over his shoulder, and I know exactly what she’s thinking.

People have been in my life before, and they have always tried to change me. They don’t understand that this is my life. This ranch. This land. It’s the air in my lungs. The blood in my veins. It’s everything I’ve ever known, and it will continue to be my everything until my very last breath.

Huxley Creek Ranch is my life’s purpose, and it’s difficult for most people to understand, especially those who haven’t come from this life, and it’s why people always leave.

And regardless of this simmering chemistry between us, I’m old enough to know better that Brayden is here purely for a vacation.

A break from whatever it is he’s running from in his life.

But knowing that the place that makes my heart beat is bringing him so much happiness, even if it’s only temporary, means the fucking world to me.

My mom makes a heart with her fingers behind Brayden’s back, and I click my tongue, turning my attention back to Bonnie.

“What other animals do you have here?” Brayden asks.

“We also have Pygmy and Anglo-Nubian goats, along with some call ducks, a couple of donkeys, and a Shetland pony called Sheila.”

“Sheila! That’s epic!” He snorts.

“I want to get some Valais Blacknose sheep, but this one won’t let me.” Mom jabs her thumb my way.

“We are not getting sheep, Ma,” I grumble.

She glares at me, her lips pursed in that stubborn pout that works on my dad and Cooper but not on me.

“What do they look like?” Brayden asks her.

Mom gets her phone out and shows him a photo of the fluffy-looking sheep with black faces.

“Holy shit!” He laughs. “They almost don’t look real.”

“I know! Aren’t they so cute?”

I groan, rubbing my face with my hand. “Please don’t encourage her.”

“People would love them,” she argues.

“I’m sure they would, but the answer is still no.”

She clicks her tongue, then turns to Brayden. “He’s no fun.”

“Oh, I dunno.” He tilts his head, his eyes trailing down the length of me in an appreciative way. “I’ll bet Jesse is a lot of fun in all the ways that count.”

I can feel the tips of my ears heat, and I’m thankful they’re hidden by my hat.

Jesus Christ. I’m definitely in trouble with this one.