Page 19 of Fires Creek

“Hannah, hurry up!” I called from the next room. I swear to God, we were already running late for book club, and she had barely started her makeup.

The boys had insisted on accompanying us this evening. They said it was because there was a game on at the diner, but I knew they just wanted an excuse to get out of the manor.

The last few months had been insane. The boys had just finished a huge muster with the cattle and there was another one coming up.

Since I couldn’t ride confidently yet, I stayed home with Scout and Lenny.

Don’t ask about the foal's name – Teddy thought it ‘matched Uncle Teddy’s name.’ Jonas and I both rolled our eyes at that one.

It only took a couple of days to clean up after the storm; we were actually pretty lucky. The Hartford’s copped the brunt of it, so the whole town joined forces to help them out. Brenda and her husband, Alan, were getting on, and there’s no way in hell those two could have done it alone.

We had taken shifts and designated areas of the property to make sure everything was cleaned, fixed, and ready for business.

Honestly, with the number of volunteers, it only took a few days to return the Hartford Farm to its glory.

I hadn’t seen it before, but Teddy assured me we’d actually improved the place.

“Can I borrow that little leather skirt thing?” Hannah asked, snapping me out of my daydream. She was still curling her wild blonde hair.

“You mean this one?” I questioned in reply, holding up the skirt I had worn my first day here.

“That’s the one! Thanks, darlin! Link’s gonna looooove it!”

“Link? The fucking realtor?” I exclaimed. “The guy you’ve been telling me about is LINK?”

“Shhhh! If the boys hear you, they’ll never shut up about it!” she retorted.

“Is he not gay?” I asked, my voice rising in pitch slightly.

“River, honey. Surely, by now, you would have realised that it’s all just a sliding scale when you’re attracted to someone. Besides, where do you think your toyboy learned his tricks?” she giggled hysterically.

Teddy chose that exact moment to stride into the room – without knocking – and shoved Hannah’s shoulder playfully with his usual devilish smile plastered to his face.

“Miss Jensen, I’ll have you recall that you were not concerned by my tricks when you were the receiver of them, now were you?” He bowed to her as he placed a kiss against her delicate hands.

I scoffed and continued getting dressed. “Good God, Teddy, is there anyone in this town you haven’t fucked?” I asked, throwing a nearby pillow at him to assert my dominance. It was pink and fluffy. Mission unaccomplished.

He feigned shock.“Of course there is, Peach! ”

“Oh really?” I said, taunting him.

“Our dear neighbours, Brenda and her beloved husband, said no when I asked.” His smile was wickedly cheeky as the words came out of his mouth.

He lunged at me, tackling me onto the bed and pinning my hands above my head.

I laughed as I instinctively curled my legs around his waist, pressed my lips to his, and kissed him deeply.

Our bodies were made for each other. He caught my lower lip between his teeth and bit down on the soft flesh.

I could taste his last cigarette that lingered on his tongue as it swirled against mine.

I broke away from our kiss, and my eyes lingered gently on his.

My hands wrapped lazily around his neck and held his face.

At this point, I was so lost in him that I completely forgot Hannah was still curling her hair several feet away from us.

“Alright!” she announced, stepping into our space. “You two love-birds need a minute, or can we get the cranky one and go?” She wiggled her perfectly sculpted eyebrows towards us before she turned on her heels and headed for the door.

As she left the room, I couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful she was.

Her height far-surpassed mine. Her hips dipped deeply against her ass, her belly round and soft beneath the waistband of my skirt.

Honestly, after seeing her in my clothes, I knew there was no way in hell I could ever wear it again.

“We better go, Peach. If I have my way with you, you won’t be all pretty for your book club.”

He lifted himself from me, extending his hand to mine and helping me from our bed.

As I started walking towards the door, following Hannah downstairs where Jonas was waiting – no doubt a few whiskeys in – Teddy caught my hand and pulled me back.

He invaded my space in one fluid motion, pressing me against the doorframe.

The feeling of his body against me intensified the heat pooling low in my belly.

“I love you, River,” he confessed. “I love every fucking inch of you. I love your stupid sense of humour. I love how you see me. See us . I love you, and I fucking LOVE your sweet little ass!” He smiled, his cock pressing into me as he ground his hips against my centre.

The way we fit together was visceral. We were like an extension of each other – completely connected.

“Do you have to bloody ruin everything?” I squealed, pushing him off me and gesturing to the surprise guest in his jeans.

“Peach?” He said, though it was really more of a question. His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.

“I love you too, Theodore. Always.”