Page 15 of Pretty Little Scars

With a nod, I push my hand through my hair and then stand and shove my hands in my pockets. “You’re right. Thanks for the fire. And the conversation.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

I saunter away because if I stay by that fire with that woman, I’ll tug her into my lap and kiss the hell out of her, and I’m not allowed to do that.

CHAPTER FOUR

DARBY

Ididn’t want him to leave last night. It felt so good, sitting by the fire, talking with him. And every single time he calls me Duchess, I swear to God I get the tingles.

I’ve never had tingles a day in my life, and all this man has to do is say one little word and I’m a mess.

This is bad.

It’sreallybad.

Because I work for him. If he was simply an employee here, maybe something could happen. But he’s the boss, and I’m sure there’s a proverbial line in there somewhere that we’re not allowed to cross.

Damn it.

After I’ve checked on Tom and her little ones and see that they’re all sleeping peacefully, I get to work mucking out stalls and laying fresh bedding. I’ve got one stall cleaned when Tucker strolls in, looking like sex on a fucking platter in those faded jeans and a black T-shirt that molds over the muscles of his chest. He has a red plaid shirt, unbuttoned, thrown on because it’s chilly in the morning, but I know all about the muscles beneath it.

Those muscles do things to me.

Those goddamn muscles.

For fuck’s sake.Maybe I need to suck it up and go downtown to a bar one night soon and hook up with a stranger. Scratch this itch.

That’s what I’ll do tonight.

“Good morning,” he says and digs right in to work with me, as if we’ve been doing this together for years. “Do you ever sleep, Duchess?”

“Not much,” I admit and pick up the wheelbarrow to take the old hay to the compost, and when I return, he’s already shed his flannel, and his muscles are front and center.

Why does he have to have so many muscles?

“Why don’t you sleep?” he asks.

Because nighttime was always the worst when I was a kid, and I had to be on high alert at all times to make sure the monster didn’t hurt my sisters.

But I can’t tell him that.

I wouldn’t admit that toanyone. Not even my siblings, who lived through that hell with me.

“I’m an insomniac.”

He hums behind me, and then we settle back into that quiet rhythm once more. Tom pokes her head out to say hi and get some back scratches before she returns to her litter.

“Are you ready to ride?” Tucker asks, breaking through the silence.

Shit.My stomach rolls at the thought.

“Are we really doing that today?”

Tucker’s lips tip up into a half smile. “Unless you have other plans.”