Page 25 of Fairground (Whitewood Creek Farm #3)
Colt, who I’d almost forgotten was sitting there with his quiet, tree-like presence, nods at his wife. “Yeah. Something definitely happened. And it’s not just about them working together on the fair.”
“Uh… maybe we’ve been getting along better?” I offer weakly. “Maybe that’s why you think something happened?”
“Nah,” he says, his voice as calm as ever. “When I got home from the distillery Wednesday night, there were two blankets tossed down by the creek. Cash always cleans up after himself if he’s been there. He’s courteous like that. He’d never leave behind a mess.”
Of course he is.
Of course, my thoughtful, annoyingly perfect rival didn’t clean up after we left because we’d left in such a rush. He'd been flustered, I'd been shocked, neither of us had thought about the mess we were leaving behind as we walked to the golfcart to escape the awkwardness.
Damn him for being the best brother ever. And for having the best cock that got me too caught up to suggest we clean up after ourselves.
I clear my throat, cheeks burning. “Okay. Maybe something happened.”
“I knew it!” Molly shouts triumphantly as she slams her palm down on the table dramatically.
“Keep your voice down!” I hiss, darting glances around the room. “I feel like I’m breaking some kind of trust even telling you this.”
Colt’s lips twitch, and then—oh my God, is he smiling? At me? It’s the second time I've ever seen him smile, and it’s like seeing a glacier crack open. He’s handsome, and dare I say, looks just like Tom freaking Hardy. For a moment I’m star struck and forget what we were even discussing.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look like Tom Hardy in Mad Max?"
He grunts. "Yes, but don't try to distract us."
Molly leans forward. "People tell him that all the time. Tom Hardy was one of my first crushes."
Colt rolls his eyes. "Stay focused, babe. I’m going to enjoy this. For all the years Cash has given me shit about women, turns out he’s finally fallen for one.”
“He doesn’t like me , like me,” I whisper-shout, my hands flailing and feeling childish even saying that sentence out loud. “It’s not like that. We’re rivals, competing for the same exact job and got... you know... we got caught up. I was tired, he fed me. You know, things happened.”
Molly arches an eyebrow. “Define caught up?”
I chew on my lip. “He… kissed me. That’s it.”
Colt’s eyes narrow. “That’s it?”
“Well…” My voice dips to barely a whisper. “Then there was, uh, some… humping.”
Molly’s brows shoot up. “Naked humping?”
“No!”
“Clothed?”
“Yes!” I hiss, practically ready to crawl under the table as their grins widen like conspiratorial cats. I don't think I could possibly be more uncomfortable right now. “Unless you count my shirt being off, we were clothed.”
"Wait," Molly says, blinking. "Your shirt was off?"
I nod, feeling heat creep down my neck. "Yeah. It just... happened."
"Did he take it off or did you?"
"I think it was mutual. I honestly don’t remember. One second, I was sitting next to him and the next I was on his lap.”
Colt lets out a deep, booming chuckle and pushes to his feet. “And that’s my cue. I’ll go check on Jenni.”
Molly stays behind. She folds her hands easily in front of her on the table and smiles. “So, you two dry-humped… to completion ?”
"Completion for me! And then he didn’t kiss me again.
He still had a boner and everything. He just kissed me on the forehead and then I left.
” I lower my voice. “ What the hell does that mean? I don’t get him.
I don’t get the men in this town. I shouldn’t have even done it.
I mean, we’re freaking competing for the same job!
I don’t do this.” I lower my voice again.
“I haven’t dry humped since high school. ”
“At least you weren’t in the backseat of a pickup truck in high school.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Okay, calm down. It’s going to be okay,” she says, her tone soothing like I’m a perp that she's trying to coax into a police car.
I draw in a few deep breaths, but the panic’s still bubbling out of me.
“Is it, though? Because I have to face him tomorrow. We still have two more weeks of working together before the fair, and then there’s the vote.
I feel like I’m dying of sexual tension every time I’m around him.
He smells so good it should be illegal and now that I’ve felt his big dick through denim, I can’t stop thinking about it. ”
She leans back, a sly smile spreading across her face. “So… you like him?”
“I don’t know him,” I argue back, though my voice sounds weak, even to me.
She tilts her head. “Tell me everything you know about him.”
I groan, but the words spill out anyway.
“He’s the middle child in the Marshall family.
He’s supportive, loyal, loves this town more than anything, loves his chickens, loves his dad, loves helping his family with their businesses and anything else they need, loves pie.
” I stop to catch my breath and run my fingers through my hair.
“God, that’s a lot of loves in one sentence. ”
She grins knowingly. “He loves a lot of stuff, doesn’t he?”
I nod miserably. “Yeah, he just… loves life. Like he’s high on it all the time, and I’m just… not.”
“Seems like you know him pretty well actually.”
“There’s gotta be more to him, though. Like he has to have a dark streak. An evil side. Some skeletons in his closet,” I mutter, though even I’m not sure if I believe he could.
She shrugs. “Not really. He’s a happy guy. He lives at home with his dad and sister still, doesn’t date seriously, but he does love women.”
I groan, dropping my head into my hands. “Why does everyone keep bringing that part up? That seems like the only downside to him.”
She smirks. “There’s nothing wrong with it.
He’s single. Also, don’t you want to be with a guy who loves women?
It’s the ones who hate women and pretend that they don’t that you have to watch out for.
Those guys are scary. He’s probably an incredible fuck.
Not like Colt of course, but you get my drift. Bet he could break a bed frame.”
“Oh, I know,” I say, my voice dry thinking about Cash fucking me while he snaps my bed frame in half with his strong thrusts. “ Painfully. ”
She leans forward, her grin turning wicked. “So just… fuck him. Get it out of your system. If you’re like any other woman to Cash, once he fucks you, the game’s over, and he’ll move on with his life. Y’all will go back to being rivals and the best person for the mayor position will win.”
I sit up, my stomach twisting. “Is that why he didn’t kiss me again? Because it’s just a game?”
She shakes her head, her expression thoughtful. “No. That makes me think he has a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Yeah, like… he’s playing the long game with you.”
“Oh no. What does that mean? What’s with these small town men and their games?”
Her smirk deepens. “It means he might actually like you.”
“What if I don’t want him to like me?” I panic, my words tumbling out too fast though I’m not sure I believe them.
She shrugs, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Then get him to fuck you. If he’s like he usually is, he’ll get bored and move on. Or…” Her voice trails off, her gaze shifting to the doorway behind me like she sees someone she recognizes.
“Or what?” I demand, my panic escalating because I need Molly to finish that thought or I’m going to spiral.
I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about it.
Tonight, I'll lay in my head, replaying this conversation repeatedly until my eyes dry out from staring at the ceiling fan and then I’ll wake up tomorrow with an anxiety hangover.
She doesn’t answer, just smiles wider. “Or that’ll make him work even harder to keep you because he thinks you’re the one .” Her brows raise as she nods with her head to whoever just walked in the center.
Confused, I whip around, and that’s when all the breath leaves my lungs like I’ve been kicked in the chest. Cash freaking Marshall is standing in the doorway of the center looking like every girl’s bad decision she makes right before she falls in love.
Black jeans, no rips, and a black T-shirt that clings to his chest just right. He’s dressed more like Colt today, darker and mysterious. And while I miss the light-washed, ripped-jeans, always-smiling version of him, damn if he doesn’t look good with this edge.
“I’ve gotta get out of here,” I hiss, grabbing my purse and pushing back from the table erratically.
Molly’s smile doesn’t falter. “I’ll cover for you.”
“What are you going to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
I shake my head frantically. “That I can’t look at him and not think about his dick.”
She tosses her head back and laughs. “Damn, that sounds like me with Colt. The Marshalls just ooze sex appeal. You’re in trouble. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”
I don’t wait for more. I bolt for the exit on the opposite side of the building, my heart pounding the whole way. I don’t dare look back, but I can feel Cash’s eyes on me, hot and heavy, all the way to my car.
When I finally make it home and slip under my covers, I stare at the ceiling, my heart still racing like I just ran from a wild bear, mind spiraling over Molly's words just like I thought it would.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?