Page 24 of Coiled Tight

He hated me, didn’t he?

Well, not now. Now he’d feel guilty or whatever, but once everything cooled down, he would hate me. For the age plaything, or the diapers, or the ranch hands pestering him about my lack of social skills. Maybe even because I hadn’t let him stay to make shit better.

Not even my most secret fantasies could’ve guessed at how he would’ve managed that one, though, so it was for the better I’d cut it short.

nine

saúl

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

No matter where I went or what I did, I couldn’t get that tear-streaked face out of my head.

What the fuck.

“What’s up with you, boss?”

Dwight.

I whipped around just as he leaned against the head post of the stable. “Even Swiftheart is keepin’ her distance. Didn’t know that mare of yours understood personal space.”

I scoffed. “Clearly, she does.”

And I didn’t blame her. She had tried to approach me, but my steps had been too rough, too abrupt, and none of her usual scenting had helped, which had made her nervous in return.

I really should step out of here, but after the horses didn’t help, and leather didn’t help either, mostly because I couldn’t bear staying inside the house, but also because I didn’t have the patience to shape the material, I figured I could expend some of the energy with some good old manual labor.

The horse stables had been the closest.

I wiped some hay off my breeches.

“What did you want?”

“Nothin’, boss.” Dwight grabbed another rake as he spoke. “The guys were wonderin’, is all. You’re not the type to lash out at work.”

“I’m not lashing out.”

It was mostly pride that had me replying. Of course I was lashing out. What the fuck was wrong with me, having zero manners like that? Sure, Cam had been extra vulnerable because he’d been wearing?—

But I might’ve as well caught him jerking off or doing anything else I hadn’t had consent to witness.

Fuck.

All because I didn’t think straight when it came to him, and one of the ranch hands had opened his mouth and hit a bit close to home, to scars that hadn’t clearly healed after all these years.

“Sure. So is it the new vet?”

“The fuck do you mean?”

Dwight shrugged. “Your dad was around today. Kept talkin’ about how it was about time you got close to someone or somethin’. Figured it wasn’t a secret if he’s talkin’ to us about it.”

I finished cleaning up one of the hay beds, huffing up the hay, before I could even think of a way to answer. “You and I know Da is full of shit. There’s no getting close to no one.”

Definitely not now.

I’d really done it, hadn’t I? Cam had only started opening up. He’d only started to be more relaxed and not act as if every movement was a fucking threat to his well-being. And now, even if he decided to stay—because I still was of half a mind he’d wanted me to leave so that he could make a run for the hills—it would be back to square one. Except now I’d have theconfirmation that he was a Little, but one I couldn’t help the way he might want from someone.