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Before I can scare her away, I change the subject to lighter matters. And half an hour after that, when we reach our picnic spot, she is sitting far more easily on the horse. We all dismount, Jessa managing to do so without help. She steps away from her horse when Trey takes the mare to tie her to a post we’ve set up for just that purpose.
Jessa turns to take in the view and lets out a small gasp. “Oh my God. It’s
beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” I reply, but I’m looking at Jessa, not the view.
I go stand next to her and stare at the view myself. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it, it never fails to take my breath away. The whole valley can be seen from the spot. The ranch and all the outbuildings, with our livestock and horses dotting the landscape. The spot itself has a stream running through it with a small waterfall. Jessa spins around, three hundred and sixty degrees, to take it all in.
“Why am I just seeing this now?” she says, flabbergasted. “I mean, there’s not exactly any part of the ranch that’s ugly. But this is really gorgeous.”
“It’s where our dad used to take our mom,” Clay says quietly.
Without saying anything, Jessa reaches out and squeezes his hand.
I look at their joined hands and wait for a surge of jealousy. But it doesn’t come. Instead, I find myself happy that Clay—that all of us—have found some comfort in her. She’s been like an antidote to everything that’s happened, to all of us. Healing our hearts somehow even as we all try to keep this purely physical.
I have my doubts as to how long any of us can keep Jessa at any sort of distance.
We have a small picnic table set up, and Trey and Joshua spread out the food. Before long, we’re all sitting around the table joking and talking. Once we’re all full, I reach for Jessa and start stroking her thigh. On the other side of her, Joshua’s stroking the small of her back. A few minutes later, after our food has had a chance to settle, I turn to Jessa and kiss her.
It feels like the most natural thing ever. When I pick her up, she wraps her legs around my waist. I kiss her and hold her while Clay spreads a blanket on the ground. I’m the first to take her. Unlike the first time where I only got her mouth, I make love to her slowly. The eyes on us, touching her, stroking themselves, don’t bother me. If anything, the audience just intensifies things, and turns me on more. Not something I ever thought I would say.
Somehow, it all feels perfectly natural. It feels right.
Jessa reaches for Joshua after me, then Trey and Clay take her together. But they aren’t gentle. Watching Joshua and I take her has added urgency to their need.
Once we’ve all been sated, we lay on the blanket together for a while. Jessa dozes off, and we all watch over her.
Once the sun starts heading toward the horizon, we dress and rouse Jessa. Then we head for home. Together.
Chapter 16
Trey
A deep satisfaction settles into my bones when I watched Jessa mount her horse without help—even though it takes her two tries. Her hair is going every which way, and her lips are swollen. My dick twitches in my pants at the very sight of her, despite the way she satisfied me less than an hour earlier.
And my heart feels full.
No. I can’t let my brain go in that direction. I’ve loved once, deeply. Losing Claire almost killed me. Jessa has her own life, in another city far from Wyoming. Getting attached to her right now—falling for her—that’s about the dumbest thing I could ever do.
I lead the way as we head down the trail toward the ranch. Jessa rides behind me, with Clay, Tyler, and Joshua bringing up the rear. We hit the steepest portion where we have to go down in single file. There just isn’t enough room on this part of the trail for more than one to go down at a time.
“Take care, here,” I call back to Jessa.
“You’re talking to an expert, now,” she jokes. “I’m practically ready for the rodeo.”
I know she’s kidding, but something fills my chest with warmth at the idea of Jessa getting comfortable on the back of a horse.
A scream sounds behind me and the shrill noise of a horse crying out. I’ve gotten far enough down the trail to spin my horse around, and I do so.
Shit. Jessa.
I jump off my horse, tossing my reins to the ground. All the horses I brought with us are trained to be ground-tied. So he stays where he should.
I run toward Jessa. In the two seconds since she spoke, she’s been thrown from her horse. Cupcake—the horse in question—hasn’t gone anywhere. And thankfully she’s a few feet away from Jessa. I get to her side the same time as Clay. And Joshua and Tyler right beside him.
“Are you okay?” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “Did you hit your head?”
