"Yes," he breathes, "So much."
I can't ignore the slight tremble in my lips as he closes the distance between us and places a soft kiss on my lips. Shivers go crazy through my body, and all I really want is more, more,more.But as his hand reaches up and tangles in my hair, I find myself pushing in the opposite direction, my hand landing on his chest and keeping him at a distance where I can look up and study his eyes.
"But why?"
He pulls back slightly and knits his brow. "Why?"
"Yeah. Why? Why do you want to kiss me?"
He doesn't move back, but his eyes do lose that lustful quality they had only moments ago. "Because I'm attracted to you."
"How?"
Hayes takes a deep breath and looks down at his feet for a moment before answering. "I don't know, Kym. I noticed you immediately when you were standing out in the field trying to get Miffy to herd the sheep with you. There's just something about you that calls to me. The way you smile, the way you laugh—"
"The way I smashed you in the dick and head butted you in the chin..."
He chuckles lightly and brushes his fingers along the curve of my cheek. "Those things don't bother me, Kym. It's the other things that mean something—the way you look at me, the light in your eyes, they make me feel...I don't know..."
"Terrified?"
"Interested."
"Fearful?"
"Curious." He lifts his other hand so he's cupping my face on both sides, his fingers in my hair and his thumbs brushing lightly against my cheeks. "I want to know you. I want to know all of you."
I take a deep breath, trying to stop my heart from racing, and then lift my chin up so I'm looking directly into his eyes. "All of me? Even the parts I don't really like?"
"Especially those parts," he murmurs as he leans forward, his mouth capturing mine in a fierce, hungry kiss.
I melt against him, my tongue tangling with his as my hands dig into his shoulders and my body reacts in a way that has my mind silencing as I give into whatever this thing may be without further question.
And there are so many more questions. Like, is his interest in me temporary or permanent? And what happens when the shearing season is over? Am I an itch he needs to scratch? Or is this something more like destiny where his life just won't be complete unless I'm in it?
Deep down, I'm desperate to know it all. But right now, with his mouth on mine and his hands roaming all over my body, all I can do is surrender. It's like he has some kind of control over me—which isn't far from the truth.
I have absolutely no control over the way I feel when I'm around him.
His mouth is a drug. His body is my addiction, and I'm addicted to him. I just hope the comedown isn't going to be too rough when these two weeks are over and he has to leave...
HAYES
"What was it like growing up in a place like Cedarwood Valley?" I ask Kym as we walk along one of the farm’s many pathways, heading toward the pond, where she said they used to go swimming as kids.
"I don't have a lot to compare it to. I mean, I want to travel and see more of the world. But I’ve always been needed here," she says, plucking a wildflower from the side of the path and twirling it between her fingers. "And I like it here. It’s my home, you know? I've got loads of great memories. A bunch of shitty ones too. But all in all, I'd say it was OK. What about you?"
"I couldn't wait to get out of my town," I say, pausing when I take the flower from between her fingers then reach up and tuck it behind her ear. "The town I grew up in was so small it felt suffocating. I wanted to be anywhere but there. I wanted to see the world too."
"Did you?"
"Get out? Well...yeah."
She laughs. "I meant see the world. You mentioned you've traveled a lot as a shearer, but have you managed to see more than small town after small town?"
"Oh yeah," I say, taking her hand as we resume walking again. "I've seen plenty. A lot of us head to the city for some downtime."
“What do you prefer? Big cities or small towns?"
