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“You play your way, I’ll play mine.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “Am I just going to lay here while you eat?”
His eyes roamed over her, heating her body just the same as if he’d touched her with his bare hands. “Hell, yeah, you are.”
She realized her choice of wording may not have been the best, but the thought of Ryan between her thighs only made her all the more anxious.
“What else do we have here?” he said, glancing over at the trunk. “Oh, a little bit of chocolate sauce. This could be fun.”
Piper stared at him as he placed one marshmallow at a time in a heart shape on her abdomen. The urge to squirm consumed her and he’d barely touched her. But she had to remain firm.
He popped the top of the chocolate sauce and slowly drizzled it in the outline of the heart.
“Hard to remain still, isn’t it?” he asked, a naughty smirk spreading across his kissable mouth. “I promise to make it worth your while.”
Piper shivered. She may just lose this little challenge, after all. But with the way his hands and mouth were roaming over her, she knew she’d still be coming out a winner.
Thirteen
“That’s it,” Ryan said encouragingly. “You’ve got him.”
Will, a senior in high school, was just one of the boys participating in Ryan’s program. He needed to get a feel for what worked, what didn’t and what he could improve on before fully opening his school. This was a win-win for both him and the boys he had coming after school for a few hours a day.
Ryan climbed down off the chutes as Will headed for the gate. A ranch hand had herded the bull out of the arena already and was off to take care of the animals. Will had been trying his skills on several of the horses and broncs for the past week. From Will’s performance today, Ryan was impressed by what he’d seen. This was a young boy who had been brought up learning the ropes and knowing how to handle most animals.
Ryan almost felt like a proud papa.
“You did really well,” Ryan told the boy. “You’re more than welcome to come out tomorrow even though it’s Saturday. I’ll be around if you’d like to continue your work.”
Will nodded, adjusting his hat lower on his head. “Thanks, Mr. Grant. I’d like that.”
Ryan slapped him on the back. “I’ve told you to call me Ryan. I really think you’ll be a great asset to this school and I’d like to offer you a full-time position here for the summer once you’re done with school.”
Will’s eyes widened. “That would be great, Mr.—uh, Ryan.”
Ryan headed toward the tack room in the barn as Will moved toward the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, Will.”
Once he was alone in the barn, Ryan set his music to Metallica and attempted to unwind and relax. Nothing like a little vintage hard rock to round out his day. He usually didn’t play music with anyone else here because no one appreciated his fine selection.
Well, he would play it around Piper, but she was special. She hated his music, and he found it amusing to drive her out of her mind as often as possible. And now that they’d shared a bed, numerous times, he’d found a new way to drive her out of her mind.
Barely a week had passed since the storm and since he’d brought her to his house to stay. Having Piper in his bed was exactly where he wanted to keep her. He wanted that extra layer of bonding and he knew she’d felt a connection being on his turf, too. She wanted to hide from any stronger emotions, but he wouldn’t allow it.
As he was putting the rest of the equipment away, his cell vibrated in his pocket. Ryan pulled it out and checked the screen.
“Hey, Joe,” he greeted his former roping partner.
“Ryan. What’s up, ol’ buddy?”
Taking a seat on the edge of the tack box, Ryan smiled. “Not much. Just got finished working with a boy who’s helping with my school. There’s some potential. Reminds me of me when I was a teen.”
Joe sighed. “So you’re really settling down there, huh?”
“I really am.”
“I was hoping you’d be home for a bit and get the itch to get back out into the action.”
Action? Yeah, he was getting all the action he could handle with Piper. The circuit didn’t even compare.
“I’m staying in Royal,” Ryan confirmed. “I’m pretty excited about opening the new school and settling roots in my hometown.”
