Chompin' at the Bit (Horse Play #2) (22 page)

“Is it me, or is it hot in here?” I asked, opening the freezer and grabbing an ice cube. It wasn’t a total lie; it was hot in here, what with the unseasonal warmth outside and the rising temperature from the oven being on—among other things raising the heat in our kitchen.

“Yeah, I guess a litt—”

By the time he turned around, I had already started running the ice cube over my neck. I had seen this in a movie once and wondered how it was supposed to be sensual. I mean, didn’t one take cold showers to essentially turn
off
their arousal? The expression on Jensen’s face seemed to be telling me otherwise, only encouraging me to continue to run the melting ice over any exposed flesh I could.

It wasn’t until my body registered the chill of the cube that my nipples reacted strongly to the cold. Jensen definitely noticed, his stormy eyes lowering to focus on my perky breasts. That was when I understood the connection.

“You okay, baby?” I asked, my voice soft and—hopefully—seductive. “You’re looking a little …
warm
.” Smiling, I held out the half-melted ice cube. “Would you like to borrow this?”

He was across the room in a flash, his chest heaving and grazing my hardened nipples with every breath he took. My heart pounded harder than before—I wasn’t even aware that was possible without needing to seek medical help. The way his eyes burned into mine—almost like he was staring directly into my soul—made my knees tremble, almost buckling underneath me.

Soft and slow, the fingers of his left hand moved up my right arm, barely touching yet leaving goose bumps in their wake, until he cradled my face in his hand. My eyes darted between his and his soft pink lips, my tongue poking out to moisten my own as I anticipated a kiss so torrid and frantic it might make me spontaneously combust. Capturing my eyes once more, his thumb stroked my cheek and he moved forward until his lips were a hairsbreadth from mine. The innocent gesture sent my body into full-on hormone overload, and I was half a second away from pulling his face to mine …

Until the oven timer went off.

Knowing exactly what he was doing (because Jensen Davis was the master of all things cockblocky) he smirked, his lips still so close to mine I felt him do it. “I think the bread’s ready,” he whispered, stepping away and leaving me wanting him even more.

The cocky smirk on his face told me he was entirely aware of what he was doing to me as he pulled on an oven mitt and removed the garlic bread. After he turned off the oven, I watched through my periphery—still unable to move from where he left me—as he cut the loaf into slices and plated them.

“What’s wrong, Madi?” he inquired, his voice dripping with mock-sincerity.

My resolve had been completely obliterated, but that wasn’t to say I couldn’t piece it back together in time to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Forcing a smile to my face, I turned to him. “I’m fine, baby. Just …
hungry
.”

The sexual tension between us was thick, and the time spent silently eating didn’t seem to help ease it. As we ate, Jensen sang his praises about my lasagna, and I thanked him, unable to take my eyes off his mouth. The things I imagined him doing to me were extremely vivid, making it hard for me to sit still.

Hoping to at least get the kitchen clean before we lost ourselves to blind passion, I jumped up from the table after dinner to put a little space between us. I worked quickly putting the dishes into the dishwasher, and as soon as I closed the door, strong hands were on my hips. He turned me around so quickly that I likely would have kept going—or fallen over—had he not stopped me just as suddenly.

Plunging my fingers into his soft hair, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him. As our tongues swirled with one another’s, his fingers curled and clutched at my back in an effort to pull me closer. Breathless moans filled the kitchen as pleasure rolled through me, and his hands began to move over my body, memorizing every swell and every curve. Moaning softly into his mouth, I shifted my hips forward, feeling the solid bulge not-so-hidden by his flannel pants.

Slowly, I moved my hands down his back, my fingers dancing over every muscle covered by the soft cotton of his shirt until they found the hem. Jensen’s lips left mine just as I started to pull the shirt up his body, and I had barely gotten it past his ribs before he scooped me up in his arms and rushed us to his room.

Setting me back down on my feet, he finished removing his own shirt before pulling me back to him, his mouth descending on my neck and shoulders.

I moaned in response to his touch, my hands now pressed flat on the naked planes of his back as they moved downward. When I reached the waist of his pants, I slipped my hands in and pushed them down over the curve of his ass, gasping when I realized he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Why, Mr. Davis,” I started to say as his pants fell to the floor, “you seem to have forgotten something.”

Jensen kept his hold on me, raising his face from my neck to look at me, grinning impishly. “I figured it was just one less thing for you to take off,” he quipped, stepping out of his pants, the forward momentum of his body backing me toward his bed. His hands rested above the curve of my ass again, fingers slipping into the back of my yoga pants and squeezing until his short nails bit deliciously into my own bare skin.

Smiling slyly, I looked up at Jensen. “I guess great minds really do think alike.”

Groaning, he slowly pushed my pants down my legs and his fingers trailed lightly back up over my backside as I stepped out of them. His hands didn’t stop there, though; they continued up my body until they were under my shirt, raising it over my ribs and tossing it to the floor before kissing me again.

A ripple of pleasure worked its way through my body, settling between my legs, and I deepened our kiss. My tongue was insistent against his as he lowered our bodies to the mattress and grabbed a condom from his nightstand. I whimpered when he stopped kissing me (again) and watched as he sat back on his heels to roll the latex down his length. I was suddenly all-consumed by my own eagerness of being with him like this again. It had been a long fucking week.

Opening my legs to him, he nestled between them, his erection resting against my warm, sensitive flesh. I groaned with need, pushing my hips up to his and forcing our bodies to finally surrender to passion. He reclaimed my mouth and started moving in time with me; every downward move of his matching my upward one and vice versa. Occasionally he would tease my entrance, causing my entire body to hold steady and await the sensation of him inside me. It was just that though—a tease.
Fucker.

He knew what he was doing to me; his devious smile against my lips wasn’t belying that. Eventually, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

He broke our kiss and locked eyes with mine. “I love you, Madi,” he whispered softly, brushing my hair off my forehead.

“I love you, too.”

Raising my head off the bed and cradling his face in my hands, I pressed my lips to his as he slowly eased his hips forward, entering me. As soon as we were joined, his slow pace increased until we were both teetering on the edge. Breathless moans, dirty affirmations of pleasure, and whispered declarations of love filled the room as our bodies continued to move with one another, seeking out the euphoric bliss we had both been without for the last several days.

My abdominal muscles started to tense as my release became imminent. Sensing this, Jensen shifted his body slightly and slipped an arm between us until his thumb started using varying degrees of pressure to stimulate me externally. It was then that I let go, crying out as my body stiffened and shuddered through my orgasm.

His actions were his own undoing just as much as they were mine, and soon he collapsed most of his weight on me, refusing to separate us just yet.

Not a word was spoken for several minutes, our tender caresses and loving glances speaking volumes more than any words could express. Jensen was the first to break that silence when he brushed the sweat-dampened hair from my forehead, tucked it behind my ear and kissed me sweetly.

“I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, Madison. I wanted you to know that.” My lip quivered, and happy tears formed in the corners of my eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you now that I have you.”

Smiling, I ran my right hand over his slightly stubbled jaw. “Lucky for us you’ll never have to find out.”

Chapter 20. Happy Birthday … to Me?

“
H
appy birthday.”

My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the sunlight streaming through the window, and I turned around to see Jensen coming into the room. In his hands was a tray with a small vase of flowers, a glass of orange juice, and what looked like a very tasty stack of chocolate chip pancakes.

“What’s this?” I asked in that raspy morning voice that (I hoped) everyone got, sitting myself up. I had a few days of antibiotics left, and I’d hate to get sick all over again.

“Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl,” Jensen replied excitedly, setting the tray over my lap. The smile on his face was wider than I’d ever seen. My cheeks hurt for him.

“Jensen, I asked you not to make a fuss,” I reminded him, only mildly serious because this was actually the sweetest thing any guy had ever done for me. As I looked over the tray of food, my eyes fell upon an envelope perched against the small flower vase.

“That better be just a card,” I warned, my tone low and menacing as I reached for it.

Jensen chuckled but didn’t say anything to inform me otherwise as I opened it. The front of the card was simple with
“Happy Birthday”
written in big colorful font against a white background, and I smiled when all I saw was his handwriting on the inside. The cheeky bastard was starting to show me that he knew his way around a loophole. It only made me grow increasingly suspicious.

Technically I’m not breaking any rules with this

card. I couldn’t let you start your birthday off

without telling you again just how much you mean

to me.. Happy birthday, Madi.

Love, Jensen

 “Thank you,” I gushed, setting the card on the tray as I contemplated what to eat first.

Jensen joined me on the bed and watched as I dug into my food. “You’re not eating?” I asked, covering my mouth so as not to show off the bite of melon I’d just taken. Classy, I know.

“I’ll eat in a bit. I’m content to just sit here with you.” He winked at me and clasped his hands in his lap as he leaned back on the headboard.

It was weird—him watching me. “You don’t expect me to share, do you? It’s my birthday.”

Jensen laughed. “Oh, so
now
you’re okay acknowledging your birthday. When my pancakes are involved.”

“I never said I didn’t want you to acknowledge it. Just no parties or gifts,” I clarified before taking a bite of pancake.

“Don’t forget the cake,” Jensen teased.

Nodding, I quickly amended myself. “Right. Mustn’t forget the cake.”

There was a devious gleam in Jensen’s eyes as he continued to watch me, and a part of me suspected he was up to something. Over the last week, I’d walked in on many-a-phone call only to have him quickly say goodbye and hang up. I never questioned him about it though, because I was probably just being paranoid. At least I
hoped
I was; I’d hate having to castrate him.

“That was delicious,” I told Jensen after swallowing my last bite. “Thank you.”

Pleased, he hopped off the bed and took the tray. “Okay, you should get up and get ready. It’s almost ten-thirty, and your dad will be here within the hour to take you on your trail ride. I’ve taken the liberty of packing the two of you a lunch and have several bottles of water in the fridge for you to take as well.”

“That was really sweet, but Dad and I should be back in a few hours. I doubt we’ll be gone long enough to need lunch.”

Jensen shook his head. “Nope. Me, Tom, and Jillian have everything covered here. You and your dad are going to spend the day together. You’ll be home for dinner.”

I was fairly certain I was no longer being paranoid. “Jensen Davis,” I said, climbing out of the bed and narrowing my eyes at him. “What are you plot—”

“Baby,” Jensen crooned, pulling me into his arms—probably in an effort to throw me off the scent. “You and your dad work so hard. The two of you deserve some time off to just enjoy the day. Consider this my gift to you.”

“Ah-ha!” I cried, pushing out of his arms. “I said no gifts! You
are
up to something!”

Rolling his eyes, Jensen shook his head. “Whatever you say, love.” It was neither an admission of guilt nor denial. He was deflecting. “Go on. Get ready.”

Jensen left me in the bedroom, my mind still reeling with thoughts of him having bought me something so extravagant that he needed to get me out of the house.