Page 13
MATT
“ H urry up, dude,” Hunter yelled from the backseat. It was way too early to deal with him and his shit, but I’d agreed to drive Chloe into town. She needed to go to the Cotton Jin to make final arrangements for the open bar. I was tired and grumpy, having to get up earlier than my usual time to get my morning tasks done before I could take off. Hunter was egging me on just to bust my balls.
I climbed behind the wheel, my mood already improving at the sight of Chloe’s gorgeous smile and a travel mug filled with coffee. She was an angel. I grabbed the cup and gave her a kiss to show my gratitude, then took a huge sip before pulling down the driveway. Once we hit the road, Hunter happily chatted with Chloe, letting her pick up the bulk of the conversation about the different things she had left to do. Her to-do list was never ending, and I couldn’t even try to envision event planning as my job, but she thrived in the craziness of it all. I loved seeing her happy and in her element.
Turning into the Cotton Jin, I parked in the shade, not knowing how long we’d be here. I didn’t want Chloe to be uncomfortable if the truck got too hot, especially if this wasn’t our only stop today.
I jogged around the front of the truck and opened the door for Chloe. She placed her hand on my arm as she hopped out.
“Thank you.” She squeezed my forearm and intwined her hand in mine. I could feel my chest puff as we walked hand in hand to the front doors where Hunter waited for us.
He opened the door, and we were blasted with the air conditioning as it fought to ward of the midday heat. Chloe released my hand as she stepped through the door, smiling at Hunter.
“Thank you.” She ran her finger across his chest as she passed him. My gut clenched only for a moment before it was completely wiped away by the goofy grin on Hunter’s face. He followed her as she started to weave through the tables, making her way across the room.
“Hey, Oliver,” Chloe called when he popped up behind the bar.
“Hey, Chloe.” He waved her over. Once there, she plopped on one of the stools, took her tablet from her shoulder bag, and fiddled with it.
“So, the final details.” Chloe paused and waited for Oliver to grab his notepad.
“I got the payments from the Kingstons.” Oliver tapped on his pad, concentration furrowing his brow.
“Great.” Chloe tapped at her screen, likely checking things off.
“The wedding is April 9th. When do you need me for setup?”
“Not until the morning of. I don’t have a time for when the tents will be ready, but Gavin said you could bring your inventory to the ranch anytime, and we can store it. Then the morning of, the guys can load them on the trucks and bring the cases to the wedding location.”
“That’s perfect. The delivery window for their order is set for this Thursday, so I can bring a few cases over on Monday. If I think I need to drop more stuff off before the wedding, I’ll give you a call.”
“I’ll let Gavin know when to expect you.” Chloe typed away, adding notes as they spoke.
I glanced at Hunter, who looked just as out of place as I felt. Did we really need to be here for this? No, but we both wanted her to know we supported her. I leaned against the bar top, letting my elbow brush against Chloe’s arm. Hunter took the seat on her other side and scooted closer to her.
“You mentioned a signature drink last time. Did everyone have time to think about it?”
She shook her head. “They told me they trusted us and to choose something fun.”
“What’s a signature drink?” I asked.
Chloe lay her hand on mine, interlacing our fingers. “Sometimes at parties, people want a signature drink—something that’s themed to whatever the event is. Weddings might have a drink to do with love or something specific to the couple. I went to a wedding once where the drink was a mango mojito because it was the drink the bride had on their first date. It was cute. At the horse show in New York where I met Hunter, they had a signature cocktail called The Winner’s Circle .”
Hunter winced. “Oh, I remember that. It sounded horrible. It was something fruity, right?”
“Well, we can’t just have rum and Coke.” Chloe bumped her shoulder with Hunter’s.
“Aww, you remembered.” He smiled and kissed her temple.
My stomach clenched at his blatant sign of affection. Jealously unfurled in my stomach, trying to beat its way out. We were in town—where everyone could see. Where everyone had already seen her with me over the past few years.
My jaw clenched so tight I was lucky I didn’t chip a tooth. It wasn’t like people around here didn’t know about the Cosland relationships. If they didn’t, they soon would, since we were all planning a wedding between Alex and the Kingstons. Everyone Chloe worked with was being as accepting as we could all hope for. Alex was the town’s local vet, and so far, no one thought twice about her unconventional relationship… or at least didn’t say it to her.
“What kind of drink are you thinking, Clo?” Oliver asked. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the conversation.
“I don’t know. I want it to be fun. Maybe even a little sexy, given their relationship.”
“We can work with that.”
“What about a sex on the beach?” It was the first thing that popped into my head.
“Maybe something less typical. Though I see where you’re going.” Chloe squeezed my hand.
“What about a blow job?” Hunter smirked.
“Better than sex,” I said.
“Between the sheets.” Oliver pointed his finger at Chloe, and I wanted to jump across the bar and knock the smirk right off his face. Was he flirting with my woman?
“Ménage-a-trois,” I narrowed my eyes at Oliver. I hoped he got the hint.
“Multiple orgasms.” Hunter smacked the bar.
“Quickie.” Oliver snapped his fingers.
“Red silk panties.” I knocked my knuckles on the wood.
“I know we said no to sex on the beach, but there’s also sex under the sun,” Oliver added.
“We need something you can make with the liquors you’ll have there. It will be the signature drink, and with less than two weeks to the wedding, I wouldn’t want to have to special order something.” Chloe plucked a maraschino cherry from Oliver’s fruit tray.
“What about a tie me to the bedpost?” Patricio, the manager, called from the other end of the bar where he was stocking the second well for the dinner shift.
“Shut up, Pat. Let the adults figure this out,” I yelled back, and he shook his head, laughing. Patricio was my neighbor growing up, and even though I hadn’t talked to him in what felt like years, the easy friendship was still there.
“Actually, I kind of like that one. What’s in it?” Chloe leaned against the bar top.
“Malibu, Soco, Midori, sour, and sprite,” Patricio listed off.
“That sounds good. Can I try one?” Chloe asked, and Oliver immediately set to work.
“Kitten, if you want to try it, you’ll have to wait for us to get home.” Hunter’s voice was low but not enough that I couldn’t hear. I rolled my eyes, but Chloe giggled, pushing at his chest.
“Out of all of those, which one do you think sounds the best?” Chloe’s attention was fully on Oliver as he handed her a small green drink. She took a sip, and I watched as a drop of green liquid spilled over her lips. I swiped the droplet from the corner of her mouth. When her tongue poked out to lick my thumb, I nearly moaned. Shit. Chloe was going to make me hard in the middle of the day, in town, in front of everyone here. It wasn’t helping that we were listing sex drinks too.
“The red silk panties we would do since we will have those liquors on hand, but it’s a layered shot, so it’s not quick, but it’s pretty. Same with the sex under the sun. It’s a good fruity drink, similar to a rum runner or a hurricane. Not as exciting. The tie me to the bedpost is actually a good one. It looks unique with the Midori and is still sweet. You can do that on the rocks or not, so it makes it versatile.” Oliver gave her a little more to work with besides the names we threw out.
“Perfect. Let’s do that as the signature drink. I don’t know how rowdy it’s going to get, so I don’t want a shot. The last one is okay as a backup. You said you’d already have those ingredients there.”
“We can do that. I’ll make sure to bring extra.”
Chloe let out a deep breath and smiled. She jotted notes on her tablet before standing.
“I’ll let Gavin know about the delivery so we can make sure the space is available. Just text me when you think you’ll be dropping by and how many cases we should make room for.”
“Sounds good. I’ll text you when the shipment comes in and give you an idea of what time I’ll be by.”
“Thanks, Oliver,” we all parroted when we got up to leave.
“Pat.” I waved to him as we walked out. He lifted his chin in goodbye in return. I really should come into town more often to catch up. I seemed to eat, breathe, and work on the ranch these days. And spend time with Chloe.
“Are you going to let me see your red silk panties, kitten?” Hunter teased when we got in the truck.
“Hunter, you know I prefer lace.” She winked.
Thank goodness we were still in park, or I might have run us off the road. I snapped my mouth shut and tried my hardest not to picture Chloe in her red lace panties while I drove us around town to finish errands. How was it that Hunter’s teasing could turn me on?
By the time we returned to the ranch, I’d had long enough to recite all the mundane daily chores I did just to get my dick to stop trying to escape my jeans. Completely unaware of the heightened state I was in, Chloe hopped out of the truck and ran around to my side as I opened the door to get out.
“Thanks for taking me today. I had a good time.” She ran her hands up my chest.
Her touch electrified my body. “Anytime, Greene. It was enlightening. I could never do what you do.” I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
She snuggled in closer. “Just like I couldn’t do what you do every day.”
I wanted to stay like this forever. “You have time to help me study?” I rubbed the back of my neck. I hated asking, but it made it easier. I was able to focus in a way I struggled to do by myself.
She bounced on her toes. “Absolutely. I just need to get all my notes sorted, and then I’ll be all yours.”
I groaned. I definitely wanted her to be all mine.
“I like the sound of that. Is it bad that now all I can think about is tying you to a bedpost?” I said, my voice dropping low so no one else around us could hear. Chloe sucked in a breath, her eyes dilating.
“You and me both,” Hunter said, stepping behind Chloe so she was sandwiched between the two of us. What the hell ? The muscles in my body tightened, and I held Chloe a little closer.
Yet… when a shiver ran down Chloe’s body, my body tightened for an entirely different reason. She loved having both of our attention. Sparks flared in my chest when she fisted the front of my shirt. “Maybe you can both do it.”
I nearly choked on my spit as I imagined Chloe tied to a bed, her body on display, dripping as I teased her… and Hunter watched. My cock hardened, surprising me.
Knowing how much Chloe would enjoy the two of us worshipping her wasn’t as off-putting as I thought it would be. In some ways, it felt natural, like an extension of providing Chloe pleasure. I said I would keep an open mind, but I hadn’t thought I’d truly be able to picture myself like that.
Chloe went on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before turning around and doing the same to Hunter.
“See you in an hour.” I tugged on a loose curl before Hunter stepped aside, and Chloe headed to the big house. Hunter watched her walk away, just like I did. Her backside swayed with each step, and I had a deeper appreciation for those tight jeans.
Clearing my throat, I headed for the second barn, leaving Hunter still standing at my truck. I needed to check in with the guys to see what was left to be done for the lunch work, and I needed a few minutes alone to deal with my conflicting thoughts.
The guys had pretty much finished everything, so I went to my room and retrieved the note cards I needed to study. My EMT certification exam was in three more weeks, and I was nervous. I already had my Emergency Care Assistant license, since the Kingstons had asked me to get it, but I wanted to be prepared and get licensed at the next level. In case an emergency occurred, I wanted to do my part.
By the time Chloe found me in Willow’s stall, I had my colorful mare washed and pampered. I even had time to shampoo her so I could make her white spots shine. It wasn’t a normal occurrence, but I gave her extra time when I could.
Chloe stroked the mare on her velvety muzzle and then settled on the hay bale while she quizzed me. I didn’t have any chores, so I sat on the stack next to hers, leaning against the wall so I didn’t automatically pace when the questions started.
“Are you ready?” She nudged my shoulder with hers.
I nodded. “Lay it on me.”
“What are examples of open wounds? Compound fracture, bruise, dog bite, simple fracture, impaled object.”
“Impaled object and dog bite.” That one was too easy.
“Correct. Now your reward for a job well done.” Chloe grinned and kissed me.
“My favorite.” I ran my hand over her cheek before letting it fall to my lap.
She flipped to the next card and read the question. “What is the best option to open the airway of a patient with a suspected spinal injury?”
“A jaw-thrust maneuver.” I playfully cupped her jaw.
Chloe’s dazzling smile told me I was right again. She leaned in and gave me another kiss. This time I held her longer, feeling the zing working its way down my body to my awakening cock.
A chuckle had us separating, and I looked up to see Kyle and Hunter standing nearby.
I glared at the two of them, annoyed they’d interrupted my time with Chloe.
Hunter, the jerk, just winked. “This is how you study? Kitten, I know you can do better than that for every right answer.”
“Oh really?” she asked, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.