Page 16 of His Wilde Little (Saddle Up #2)

I’d only been living on the ranch for a month, yet I seemed to know everyone’s schedules pretty well.

It’s why I was able to get away with stealing kisses from Jace in those blind spots where people would never come, and especially when we were at the fence looking at the horses, people didn’t come by the stables, so why would they come to see the horses as they get some well-needed playtime and fresh air in, after so long cooped up in the stables rehabilitating them, they needed this time to socialize.

We were secretive about the relationship and romance blossoming between us for a couple weeks, and in that time, cameras were fitting in the stables, and I was able to get more time at the guesthouse.

Jace would sneak out of the family home at night, climb into bed with me, and over those weeks, he’d slowly introduced me to a series of teddies which now called my bed home.

Jace woke early, seemingly earlier than me, although I always told him I’d been awake before him but pretended to keep my eyes closed. It was playful and almost competitive for him, but secretly, I think he knew I was still sleeping.

“Coffee and eggs,” he shouted.

My eyes snapped open to see him standing over me with a plate in one hand and a mug in the other.

Jace was dressed in a onesie with red and blue stars all over them.

Looking like an adorable snack, which was nice to have on hand if breakfast wasn’t filling.

“Oh wow. I told you; you don’t have to make me food in the morning. ” I said, shuffling to sit up in bed.

“I know, but I want to, and I have to eat myself,” he said, putting the plate on my lap and the cup on a coaster on the nightstand. “I also toasted some bread. One second.” He skittered off, nearly slipping on the linoleum with his feetie pajamas.

I sipped the black coffee, just the right amount of bitter.

Not burned, but truly brewed. It was almost like he knew me better than I knew myself when he would surprise me with things like this.

And the eggs too, he’d added something to them that changed their flavor, chili flakes, I wondered after a taste.

Jace came back with his plate and another mug of coffee. There was another smaller plate on top of his eggs with the toast, squishing down his otherwise fluffy scrambled eggs. “I already buttered them,” he said. “Also, you should’ve let me make bread, rather than buying this stuff from the store.”

I tapped the tip of his nose with my finger and then pulled him in for a kiss. “You should be relying on me, not the other way around. I’ll buy the bread, and all the things I need, and one day I’ll make you food.”

“Well, you’re actually out of bread, so you might need me to make you some,” he said, batting his lashes and smiling.

“Looks like another trip into town is on the cards then,” I said. “Which reminds me, I have a list of things I need to buy.”

“Today?”

“You have time today?”

He puffed out his cheeks. “I should, but I thought you were going to get me riding one of the horses today.”

I was, and that was still the plan, but since I had to go into town, I was searching for something I could get for him.

In the small spotlights of time when he allowed his little side out, I’d seen how truly pure he was, and what he wanted.

It was going to be my pleasure to give him something for his little space, and to cement myself in his life as a rewarding Daddy, especially after he was now able to feed the horses without flinching or pulling his hand away in recoil.

“We can do many things in one day,” I told him.

“Besides, if I can get you all booked up with things, you won’t spent the entire day worrying about getting on the back of a horse.

” Ashwind was the horse that came to mind since he’d allowed me to saddle up and get his bridle on, and for short periods of time, he submitted to being ridden.

All I wanted was to get Jace on the back of one, he didn’t have to go further than a couple yards.

“That feels a bit manipulative,” he said with a big pout. “You wouldn’t manipulate me, would you?”

“Of course, I absolutely would,” I confessed, it was hard to lie to his adorable face, and it wasn’t like I was manipulating him into something horrible.

“Especially for something that benefits you. And I think this definitely benefits you. Plus, I’ve felt the way those thighs grip me when you’re on top. I know you’ve got the muscle to ride.”

He giggled, biting his lower lip away from a pout. “Don’t get me started on thinking about those naughty things,” he said. “We don’t have time to play.”

We had all the time in the world to play. I kissed him. “Another reward for later then,” I told him.

“Another?”

“I have something for you when you show me you can get on one of the horses and not panic,” I whispered and kissed him again.

“And I’ll have another reward for you because you’re the sweetest boy I know, and you’re exercising such restraint from Daddy right now. Even when I’ve got some morning wood.”

“Oh my god, are you teasing me?” Coffee and his plate of food began sloshing and spilling droplets on the bed as he wiggled around, trying to kick the comforter back to reveal my chubbed cock beneath.

“Good boys get rewards, remember. If you stain these sheets, I can’t say you’ll fall into that category anymore.”

Back to a pout, I wouldn’t hold it against him.

He was absolutely adorable, and the bedding was easily cleaned.

It was nice to wake to his smiling face, and even nicer to wake to food.

I definitely wanted to do this for him, but it brought him a lot of joy to present what he made for breakfast and he could make one heck of a pot of coffee.

Each morning, after waking at my house, Jace would be ready first and present himself as if he was coming to me early in the morning so that I could help him with the animals.

Keeping up the rouse was half of the fun, and I enjoyed pretending we were just seeing each other for the first time each and every day.

The more time I spent with Jace, the more I discovered about him. His obsession with rewarding himself with stickers was just one of the cute things I’d uncovered, and so glad I had because I opened my eyes to the universe he lived in, and the universe I wanted to find myself living in with him.

On the ranch, we tended the chickens in the coop and as the weather grew colder, they all mostly spent their time in the barn, and harassing the goats, jumping on their backs and riding them, which the goats seemed happy about, like they’d developed their own transport system from one end of the barn to the other.

I was knelt by the goats’ milking step, and waiting for them to be forced my way where I could demonstrate to Jace that I was getting better at it.

“Remember when you tried to do this without me and you nearly jerked one of the billies off,” he giggled.

“At least now I know the difference,” I said with a shudder.

“It still surprises me, because you must’ve worked on ranches with goats before.”

“Nope. Just cattle, and I was not milking them. I’ve always worked on horses; I thought you knew that. And I think the only time I’ve been around so many other animals that aren’t cows are at the livestock events.”

Jace let out some giddy applause. “Speaking of, I’m gonna need you on my side when I try and get my folks to invest in more alpacas. They’re herd animals. Two of them is a little sad, which is probably why they spit all the time.”

One thing I’d discovered was Jace’s love for alpacas. It hadn’t been completely obvious, but I was introduced to his alpaca stuffed teddy, made from the alpaca fibers. I think he cuddled that thing more than he cuddled me at night.

“You’re gonna have to do most of the heavy lifting with that,” I told him.

“They won’t want me interfering in their business.

I’m just here to work.” I was never asked my opinion on anything, and if I was, it was always to enforce the ranch owner’s opinion.

I didn’t want to call it a downside of this dating thing I had going with Jace, but it made things difficult.

“However, I actually support more alpacas because like you said, herd animals, and more of them means more of an attraction to the folks coming up for the petting zoo.”

His giddy applause started up again, startling the goats coming around to me for milking, but they didn’t move too much.

I think the barn cats were almost like bodyguards and security, keeping them all in check and well-behaved.

I was also well-behaved around them. Large beasts full of fur, they should’ve been reclassified as big cats and put up amongst lions and leopards.

“I think if I got into crochet or knitting, they might get more, but my fingers are not made for all that finicky shit,” he said, leaning against the inside barn wall and sighing. “So, I know you told me not to panic about the horse stuff, but I am panicking.”

“I’ll be there, every step of the way,” I reassured. “And just like you’re there for me with these goats, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

He nodded. “Ok.” He pushed out his lips into a pout. “Can I have a kiss?”

“Come here, and make it quick before anyone comes in.”

He gave me a kiss, throwing his weight around me with his hands around my shoulders.

He lingered, swaying with me, unable to do much from where I was sitting on the small stepstool.

I just kept on kissing him. At this point, I don’t think he cared if anyone found out, and I wished I had that same confidence, I wish I did, but this place was his home, he should feel confident to express himself here. I was still a guest.

“Ok,” he said, pulling away and gasping for air like I’d sucked it out of his lungs. “For a cowboy, you sure do have a passionate soft side, don’t ya?”