Authors: A. D. Ryan

Horse Play (Horse Play #1) (35 page)

With a crooked smirk of my own, I leaned forward and used my right hand to grip his jaw, squeezing his cheeks together just a little. “You need to learn how to behave yourself.” I looked over his naked upper body. “Besides, you’re wearing far less than I am.”

“Touché,” he responded, finally allowing me to make my way over to my side of the bed. “Okay, you win.”

“Yup,” I concurred energetically as I turned away from him, lying on my left side as I waited for him to gather me in his arms. “And don’t you forget it, either, mister.”

Warmth surrounded me as soon as I had settled in, Jensen’s body pressed flat against my back as his lips kissed my neck where I knew the mark he left was visible to him. A smile spread across my face as I let the feeling sink in, soon imagining the two of us like this years from now when we’re old and gray.

I shivered as a shocking revelation hit me like a hoof to the chest. The butterflies in my belly awakened with a vengeance and a shot of adrenaline zipped through my veins.

It was then I realized why I’d been so hurt every time he reminded me what this really was. Without really realizing it—thank you, denial—I’d fallen for him. My feelings had gradually moved past friendship and casual orgasm-buddies to deep and meaningful. I must have been projecting this onto him, misreading him this whole time. Every time I thought he was about to confess his feelings, it was because I was denying my own. Because we had an agreement.

Jensen and I had agreed to keep things between us casual and fun when he first showed up on the ranch, but I was afraid I just messed it up.

I had been in denial the entire time, and I didn’t even realize it. But as we lay in bed, his arms around me and his lips brushing the bare skin of my shoulder, it became all-too clear that I had unexpectedly developed feelings for him. We hadn’t even had sex yet, and I found I craved more than he was ready to give. How could I not? He had been there for me when I was hurt, he helped me get over what Dane had done, he protected me. I fell faster than I thought I ever could, and it scared me. Not because I didn’t trust myself, but because Jensen didn’t want this. He’d sais so repeatedly.

“Goodnight, Madison,” he whispered against my shoulder, pulling me out of my silent torment.

“Mmm,” I hummed, tamping down the fear and nerves for just a moment. “G’night, baby.”

When his fingertips danced over my lower abdomen, exhaustion took over, but my mind was still racing with my sudden discovery. I just couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering how long it would be before Jensen found out how I was starting to feel. Or what might happen when he did.

He shifted behind me, and I worried he might have picked up on my anxiety, but he inhaled deeply, and then exhaled with a soft moan. He had fallen asleep.

And I had fallen in love.

Jensen released another soft breath as I hunkered down and tried to shut my brain off, resolving to deal with everything in the morning. Exhaustion had just started to wrap around me like a warm blanket straight from the dryer on a cold day when Jensen started mumbling in his sleep.

He groaned, almost sounding a little distressed, then followed it with random words I couldn’t quite piece together. Trying to solve the puzzle of Jensen’s sleep rambling pulled the last shroud of exhaustion over me, and I was just succumbing to sleep when I heard, “Can’t feel the same way. Not ready.”

My heart sank, but my mind was made up. I would keep my feelings to myself for now. Sure, it would probably complicate things and set me up for heartbreak, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him.

Not yet.

“This is incredible,” I said breathlessly. The walls were painted a very pale blue with white trim and crown moldings. There were two windows along one wall with floor-to-ceiling dark brown curtains that were closed. The bed was huge, dressed in fluffy white linens that looked sure to be down-filled, and pillows just as light and fluffy looking that took up half the bed. A sturdy, intricate looking wood headboard with a matching dresser and nightstands completed the room.

I just started to turn to Jensen when I heard a soft thump right behind me and his hands ensnared my waist, completing my rotation before throwing us down onto the bed. I squealed playfully on our descent, and just as I suspected the blanket was so delightfully downy that it nearly swallowed us both.

Once on the bed, Jensen’s mouth found mine, his tongue tracing the line of my lips as his left leg found its way between mine. Basking in the feeling of finally being in his arms like this again, I complied more than eagerly. I moaned as I opened my mouth and our tongues met, slowly gliding against each other as my fingers wove into his soft hair. Jensen’s left hand moved down my body, a tremor of desire tingling in its wake until he gripped my ass and rolled us over until I was straddling him.

A strong feeling of longing settled between my legs, begging for an overdue release, so I pushed my hips forward in an effort to quell the ache for his touch. Both of us moaned at the friction—even with the two layers of denim between

us—and continued to writhe against each other. I slipped my hands between us and started to unbutton the shirt he was wearing as he continued to guide me on top of him, setting the speed. With his shirt now open, my fingers danced over the hard lines of his chest and abdomen until I found his belt and started to unbuckle it. I moved fast, really hoping he wouldn’t stop me this time, and had it open, along with his pants button and fly, only seconds later.

Jensen followed my lead, moving his own hands to the hem of my shirt before raising it up my body. I sat up once he reached my shoulders and finished pulling my shirt off before tossing it behind me. Jensen eyed me hungrily—like he wanted to completely devour me—and my body shook with exhilaration.

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

A.D. Ryan resides in Edmonton, Alberta with her extremely supportive husband and children (two sons and a stepdaughter). Reading and writing have always been a big part of her life, and she hopes that her books will entertain countless others the way that other authors have done for her. Even as a small child, she enjoyed creating new and interesting characters and molding their worlds around them.

To learn more about the author and stay up-to-date on future publications, please look for her on Facebook and her blog.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/AD-Ryan-Author

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