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His comment cuts through the tension I was feeling. Looking into his eyes, I see there is a fierce determination in them. When he turns to go inside, I allow the smile that was fighting to come through. Deep inside, his saying sounds familiar, like I’ve heard him say it before. Apparently, I like his cocky attitude.
“You and Maxever race those pigs with you on their backs?” I’m spraying water into their water trough during our chores.
“No.”
“Why not?”
Romeo stops what he’s doing and lifts a seemingly annoyed eyebrow. “Believe it or not, this farm isn’t my life goal.”
“Then why are we here?”
Indecision fights in his eyes, and I’m prepared for him to ignore my question and to keep working. “For now, it’s a means to an end.”
“What is the goal?”
He rubs at the back of his neck, watching the pigs. Max’s whistling is heard in the background, signaling he’s heading into the butcher shop.
“Hey, Max,” Romeo calls. His brother lifts his head, turning directions to come toward us.
“Gia wants to race a pig against me.”
Max looks to the pigs, then to me, laughing. “Why am I not surprised?” His smile is big, and no doubt I’ll be forced to get onto the back of one of those dirty animals. “Let’s saddle her up!”
My feet take a step back. “All I asked was if you two have raced. Not that I wanted to.”
“Gia, let’s face it. You need to let go of your city side and embrace the farm,” Max replies, climbing up on the fence, and Romeo does the same.
“Which one are you picking?” Romeo glances over his shoulder, giving me his annoyingly handsome, cocky smile.
“Do I need to remind you that I almost had my hand eaten off by one of those things?” I’m not getting on the back of a hairy, smelly beast. No way. I would rather stitch up a dying man than that.
“I can’t decide if I should get that sleeping one over there, or just say fuck it and jump on that mean one there,” Romeo informs me.
I take a step closer, straining my neck to see which two he’s talking about. “What do I get out of it, if I do this?” Before Romeo can say a typical arrogant comment, I add, “Do not say anything sexual.”
Both he and Max chuckle at my expense. “Get your head out of the gutter, Rossi. I know you’re always thinking about me in that way, but control yourself. My brother is right here.” He makes a play to cover Max’s ears. “He has virgin ears, you know.”
Max pushes Romeo off the fence, and he lands on a sleeping pig. The pig tries to shake him off before he’s up and running around the pen like a crazy hog.
Climbing onto the fence, I hold on to the top metal bar while my feet climb their way up, wanting a better, unobstructed view. “He’s showing off for you. But don’t tell him I told you that,” Max says in a low voice while looking at his brother. I climb up higher, sitting on the top part next to him. “He fucking hates this place, but he’s roughing it for you.”
I turn to ask what that even means, but he pushes me off and into the dusty pen. My heart rate jumps like a rocket. All I can see are the pigs’ eyes on me. Then they’re running around me in a circle. Refusing to think about a death by pigs, I jump onto the back of one running past me and hold on for dear life. The squeal coming from it makes it sound like it’s dying.
I can hear Max laughing. Romeo is yelling curse words, but I can’t see either of them. I focus all of my attention on holding on for dear life. It’s almost impossible. My feet are dragging behind, and all I can imagine is one of those pigs trying to eat my toes. My arm muscles burn from my tight grip before the pig tosses me into a large mud pit beside a sleeping pig. I open my mouth to scream, but mud assaults my taste buds before I can make any sound. I’m covered in the goo from head to toe.
My arms are being pulled to help me stand. Mud hangs off my eyelashes, making it hard to see. Warm hands wipe at my face before I chance opening my eyes once again. Romeo is in front of me, removing the mud from my cheeks. He’s smiling in a way I had yet to see. Max is no longer on the fence, leaving Romeo and me surrounded by pigs.
“I think we just found our reason why we never did that before,” he says, his hands brushing down my arms. A layer of mud falls off me, but I’m still covered.
My heart is pounding, but now it’s for an entirely new reason. The way Romeo is looking at me has my body wanting him to touch me. His green eyes are light and look hooded. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”
He holds my hand, leading us out of the pen. I allow our fingers to stay interconnected, not wanting to lose the connection. Instead of leading us toward the house, he walks toward the back of the barn, where I see what looks like a very open, outdoor shower.
“We’re not tracking mud into the house.”
As he takes off his shirt, my mouth turns dry. He is a sight to behold. His stomach muscles flex beautifully as he twists to turn on the water. I watch, frozen as he undoes his pants and pushes them down to his ankles.
His boxers are snug around him, highlighting the outline of his cock. When he lifts his head, he catches me staring at him.
