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Ivan saw Rory approach the chicken coop with the egg basket in hand while Tyler and Owen stood off to the side with their heads together. Definitely shenanigans afoot. They were probably wagering on Rory’s success. Those two fools were each other’s constant shadows and caused trouble nine times out of ten. Ivan was determined that Rory wouldn’t become a victim of their chaos. Most of the hens were docile animals who didn’t mind them reaching into the nesting boxes, but two of them would sooner peck your eye out than let you take their eggs.
Rory was sporting safety goggles, so Owen and Tyler had at least warned him about the vicious hens. Once Rory approached the coop, it became obvious the guys hadn’t told him which hens had the propensity for violence since their names were painted above their nesting boxes. Rory gingerly reached into Helga’s little house like she might attack him at any minute. His lips were moving, but Ivan couldn’t hear what he was saying from his hiding spot. Sweet, docile Helga sat there like she did every morning. Ivan had seen her savagely devour a worm in the hen yard, but she was a total sweetheart the rest of the time. Helga clucked and shifted her wings just as Rory would’ve reached the egg. He jumped like he’d stuck his hand in a mousetrap and jerked his arm out of the nesting box.
Owen and Tyler looked at each other and fought back laughter for a few moments before calling out encouragement to Rory. Damn those assholes for their troublemaking. Rory reached over and gingerly stroked Helga’s breast feathers, and Ivan imagined him sweetly talking to her like he did the cats. Ivan had noticed the treat bag was considerably lighter, and his felines were as enamored with Rory as Helga seemed to be at the moment. Rory reached back under the hen, cautiously removed the egg, and gently placed it in the basket. He didn’t immediately move to the next hen, though. Rory took a few moments to stroke Helga’s feathers, and Ivan found himself jealous of a chicken for the first time in his life.
He could almost feel Rory’s long fingers brushing over his skin. And yeah, he’d noticed the length of the man’s fingers, eyelashes, and other things he never paid much attention to on other men. Ivan didn’t allow the image of Rory’s cock to fully form in his brain. He wouldn’t let himself imagine how smooth Rory’s bare skin would feel against his lips. He hadn’t needed an Only Fans subscription to see Rory in all his glory. Ivan reached the coop before Rory reached Bloody Mary’s nesting box.
“Hey, Rory,” Ivan called out. “Got a minute.”
Rory turned around and smiled at him. “Sure.”
Owen and Tyler exchanged a glance, and Ty slipped his best friend a folded bill. Did they assume Ivan was going to haul Rory off for midday sex? Ivan thought he’d hidden his attraction to Rory from the rest of the ranch crew. There was no way in hell they could know he’d googled everything he could find on Rory or that he’d started watching his YouTube channel at night. They weren’t privy to Ivan’s raunchy, nightly dreams, where he explored every inch of Rory’s body. They sure as hell weren’t in the bathroom when Ivan eased the ache in his balls in the shower while the rest of the house slept. Something in Ivan’s demeanor must’ve tipped Owen and Tyler off, though. Ivan never considered them to be exceptionally intuitive or observant, so if they recognized Ivan’s interest, the others had as well. Had Harry read more into Ivan’s insistence that Rory get extra protein and complex carbs in his lunch?
Knowing everyone was watching and discussing Ivan made him queasy. His love life had once been violated and exploited just as fervently as Rory’s relationship with his father. Ivan couldn’t bear the thought of being the subject of such intense scrutiny ever again, even if on a smaller scale vis-à-vis the gossiping crew, and to think he hadn’t thought his nerves could get worse.
“Ivan,” Rory said softly.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ivan looked into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. They studied Ivan with the kind of curiosity that made him want to strip down and stretch out. The tip of Rory’s tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip before the plump flesh ended up between his teeth. Ivan had caught Rory doing that a few times and realized he was nervous or worried about something. He balled his hands into fists instead of reaching up to rescue Rory’s lip.
“Where’d you go just now?” Rory asked. “You were standing right here with me, but you weren’t really here.”
Telling Rory the truth wouldn’t do them any good. Rory might see that as an invitation to amp up his flirtations, and Ivan wasn’t sure how much longer he could resist him. The tone of Rory’s teasing had transformed over the past four days. He hadn’t bared his skin or blatantly invited him into his body, but there was an undeniable something extra when Rory looked at Ivan or spoke to him. Rory had claimed he didn’t flirt shamelessly with anyone else, and Ivan had witnessed that firsthand. Rory engaged, chatted, and laughed with everyone on the ranch, but he reserved the special sparkle in his eyes and coy tilt to his lips just for Ivan. And hell if he didn’t like it too fucking much. It was a damn good thing he was heading to Denver soon. He’d screw this frustration out of his system and return a new man.
“I guess my mind wandered to the meeting I have this afternoon,” Ivan said. “I’ve contracted with a few upscale restaurants to sell my honey, but this meeting is the most important one yet. This chef is Michelin-starred, and being able to claim the partnership on my website would be an enormous deal.”
Rory released his lip to smile at Ivan, and damn, what a beauty it was. Either his maker had blessed Rory with incredible genetics or his folks had paid a small fortune to accomplish a smile so perfect. “I have every confidence you’ll land the deal.”
“Thank you.” Ivan checked his watch and noted the time. He needed to shower and hit the road soon, but he didn’t want to postpone this conversation.
“You wanted to talk to me?” Rory prodded.
“Um, yeah. I need your help.” Ivan swallowed hard and told him about the interview. “I’m really anxious about it, and Cash suggested you could give me some tips and tricks to help settle my nerves.”
“Roberto is a really nice guy. I’ve met him a few times at various events and fundraisers. You have nothing to worry about, but I’ll happily give you some tips.” He tilted his head to the side. “I wonder if we could agree to a trade-off. A little quid pro quo.” Ivan quirked a brow and Rory smiled. “That wasn’t a come-on. You’ve seen enough of those to recognize them by now.” Ivan tried really hard not to think about Rory’s gleaming, naked body.
“What do you suggest?”
“I’ve researched many sustainable farming sources, but I’ve never explored honey making. Would you consider teaching me some things? You don’t have to do anything on camera,” Rory rushed to say. “It doesn’t have to be for my channel. I just see your passion for it, and I’m curious.” Rory placed a hand over his heart. “I promise to mostly be good.”
“Sure, I can show you a few things,” Ivan said, surprising both of them.
“When do you want to get started?” Rory asked. “I’m watching aDatelinemarathon with Cash and Harry tonight, but I could work with you instead.”
“I might be staying over in Denver tonight. I haven’t decided for sure. Depends on how things pan out, I guess.” He really needed to get laid because being so close to this man was driving him slowly mad. Rory’s eyes darkened, and Ivan suspected he’d read between the lines and didn’t like what he’d discovered. Ivan refused to feel sorry about putting his needs first for once. “My queen bee is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll definitely be back in time for that.”
Rory tilted his head to the side. “Beyoncé?”
Ivan chuckled. “My newest queen honeybee. She doesn’t have a name yet, but I have big ambitions for her. I want to be here to ensure she gets settled in.”
“Sounds like the perfect time for me to shadow you and learn what honey making entails.”
“It would. We can work on tips afterward.” Ivan took two steps backward. “Enjoy yourDatelinemarathon.”
Rory raked a knowing gaze over Ivan’s body. “Enjoy…whatever you get up to tonight.”
Since Ivan nearly tripped over his own feet, he forced himself to turn around and head to the homestead to clean up and head out. Ivan stopped for gas halfway to Denver and heard several stupid news headlines regarding Rory and his dad when he restarted his truck. It was the same regurgitated bullshit with the latest polls thrown in to emphasize how much the scandal was hurting Charles Snyder’s candidacy. Ivan switched over to his favorite agriculture podcast to catch up on the new episodes. Bob Harlow had the type of personality that took sometimes dry subjects and made them fun. Ivan figured it had to be exhausting to be so positive all the time. There were several memes circulating that called him Bob the Farmer and compared him to the kid’s show character Bob the Builder. Instead of “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” Harlow’s lines were, “Can we grow it? Yes, we can!”
To his shock, Ivan couldn’t even escape Rory halfway to Denver because he appeared as Bob’s guest on the very next episode. Rory came across as laid-back and humorous when he told a story about an encounter with wild boars during one of his excursions. But then the conversation morphed into why he was so passionate about conservation and preservation.
