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His quick laugh, rumbled through me and activated a giggle. It felt like it had been days since I’d laughed, and Beckett had pulled half a dozen out of me in the space of a few hours.
“That you did.” He tugged at my nipple then slid his hand back down to my middle and left it there, holding me lightly. “Now, I have to pay attention or Storm will dump our ass in the woods.”
I straightened, finally noticing the heavier foliage that had encroached. The dappled sun left a creative design on the underused path thanks to the heavy tree cover. We weren’t in the actual orchard anymore. These trees were a mix of pine and larger, burlier types I couldn’t name.
I shivered as the shade and light breeze crashed into my already chaotic system.
He brushed his bearded chin against my temple and settled me against his chest. “We’ll be back in the sunshine in just a minute.”
“I’m okay.”
His thumb glided against my midriff in a gentle back and forth motion that eased me as much as it stirred me up. I wasn’t used to being touched so much. Both Clay and Reid had been relatively hands off with me. Which should have been my first clue that we weren’t exactly meant to be.
Reid had been a little more intense during the chase, but then his attention had cooled to arctic levels.
Both of them had been so very opposite of this earthy, overwhelming man.
Then again, I’d seen Clay with Rachel and there had been no cool and reserved between them. Evidently, it had just been with me.
“Hey. What’s going on in that thinky brain of yours?”
“Nothing.” I forced my muscles to relax one by one as I’d learned over the years to avoid a tension headache, or worse—migraine.
“Are you rethinking this afternoon?”
“No.” I twisted enough to look at him. “Not in the least.”
“Good. Then relax and enjoy the ride.”
I faced front and let myself drift with the easy pace of the horse, the way our hips moved together, and the delicious warmth that lingered inside of me. Of course I would get twisted up after my first orgasm in months. Could I ever just relax and enjoy a moment in my life?
Determined to do just that, I focused on my present moment, not anything in the future or even what would happen next. I pushed aside the wedding and the complicated relationships that had made up my last few years. The air held the heavy sweetness of wild berries and the buzz of bees doing their jobs. I often ran in and around Central Park in the city, but it had nothing on the freshness of the air here.
Moss, ivy, and baby trees encroached on the large, sturdy trees. Leaves crunched under Storm’s hooves as we maneuvered along the path until it suddenly cleared. A rock formation came into view and the scent of water overpowered the hint of decay in the shadows.
The closer we got to the rocks, I could hear rushing water as well, but I only caught glimpses of rocks and water from where we were. “Where are you taking me?”
“An old natural spring. We sneak away to swim here during the hot summer days.”
I looked up at him. “Skinny dipping with the girls?”
He grinned. “More so when I was young and dumb. I don’t get much time to enjoy the springs these days. Too much to do with the orchard and the add ons we’ve been doing.”
“Rachel told me about the taproom and the concerts.”
He hummed out an affirmative. “I’m also working on a few other things this summer before we get ready for harvest. Diversifying the orchard keeps us growing.”
“Must be hard to compete. There’s a lot of orchards out this way.”
“There sure are. We had to work our asses off to stand out. I don’t want to put all my apples into one bushel basket so to speak. So, we have the taproom and the concerts that have done well for us. We’re looking into some additional spirits this winter or next—the timelines are fuzzy there. My brother Hayes has an affinity for moonshine and it’s not the easiest to produce.”
I didn’t know anything about it, other than the fact that it was high octane alcohol. “That sounds dangerous.”
“You’d be correct. We’ve made our version of Fireball a few years ago and it was a moderate success. However, the hard cider brewing has been steadily growing ever since we brought on Ronan Parrish last year. We just got a distribution deal to start selling to grocery stores in the tri-state region.”
I could hear the pride in his voice. I was mildly jealous that there was such passion in what he did. Foundations and charities consumed my time when I wasn’t planning or attending events. They were important, of course, but they’d been more of a legacy obligation than a vocation for me.
Every Danbury and Eldridge had been on the board for the Children’s Hospital. I loved that I helped kids, but nothing had ever driven me to dig in for a career. My parents were more worried about who I’d marry than me getting any satisfaction from a job.
