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“My brazenness has reached new heights,” Rory told Harry several hours later as they toiled in her greenhouse.
Even though Ivan had been considerate enough to give him the weekend off, the last thing Rory wanted to do was sit with his thoughts. He’d hardly slept the night before because he’d spent too much time reading the media coverage on his dad’s campaign. Charles was doing his best to divert attention to the issues the state was facing, but all the reporters wanted to discuss was Rory’s troubled teenage years after his mom had died. They were having a field day with Rory’s stint in rehab from when his underage drinking to dull his ache became a full-blown addiction. According to their sources, Rory had turned to the bottle when he couldn’t find the solace he’d needed from his father. The truth hurt worse than lies, and that particular blow hit him hard. Rory had felt adrift with no anchor. His father had felt the same, but instead of turning toward each other, they’d grown apart. They were good now…or at least they had been. Rory feared they would revert to the bad habits that had ripped them apart the last time as the media sharks circled looking for anything they could use to poke holes in his dad’s platform.
So he’d been primed to find trouble when he stepped out of the shower and saw Ivan clad only in his underwear. The man’s muscles had muscles for heaven’s sake. But seeing his long, thick erection jutting from the opening in his boxers had stirred Rory’s imagination, among other things, and produced some additional nicknames that could just as easily apply. Ivan the Blessed, Ivan the Gifted, and Ivan the Hung were among his top three new favorites.
Harry looked up from planting carrots. “Is that a good or bad thing?”
Rory straightened up and set his trowel on the soil. He wiped his brow with his arm and grimaced when he realized he’d probably just smeared dirt all over his face. “You saw the thundercloud at breakfast this morning. What do you think?”
Harry snorted and went back to work. “Ivan is all bark and no bite. He’s just not used to people challenging him the way you do.” She stilled and looked over her shoulder. “I am dying to know what you did to him.”
Rory worked his bottom lip between his teeth. He was only at the ranch because he’d trusted the wrong people. Then again, he already knew Harry was a much better person than his so-called friends from home. “I’m afraid you won’t like me anymore.”
Harry snorted. “You’ve met my mother. Nothing you can say will shock me.”
So Rory told her most of what had occurred in the hallway outside the bathroom. He left out the part where he asked to watch or listen to Ivan jerking off. Harry opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound escaped.
“I lied,” she said finally. “You’ve shocked me.” Then she burst into a fit of giggles. She paused every few minutes to look at Rory before laughing harder. Harry waved her hands in front of her face as if she couldn’t breathe, so Rory stood up and fetched her water bottle. Harry had to turn away from him so she could drink without choking. Rory would’ve felt self-conscious, but he knew she wasn’t laughing athimjust at his antics. “So sorry about that,” she said when she finally settled down. “Dude, you’ve got some serious cojones.” Harry tipped her bottle back and took another long drink.
“Nah, they’re just average.” He waggled his brows. “Ivan, though…Those things must be the size of boulders to balance out that monster—”
Harry sprayed water like a hose, blasting the front of his shirt. Her eyes widened in horror, but it was his turn to laugh raucously. “What happened after that?” Harry asked. “I know you didn’t just strut down the hallway without some parting remark.”
Heat crept up Rory’s face, and he fought the urge to cover his cheeks like a blushing maiden. “I won’t be sharing that part. It’s too personal.” Harry’s eyes bulged, and he realized the conclusion she’d jumped to erroneously. “No, nothing like you’re thinking,” Rory said. “I just said a few things that are too…slutty for me to admit after knowing you for only a day.”
Harry clapped her gloved hands and squealed. “Oh, Rory, I’m so glad you’re here. You’re just what we needed, especially Ivan.”
Rory wasn’t so sure about that. Tyler and Owen seemed pretty guarded around him, and Rory was pretty sure Ivan was ready to send him packing. Nicky hadn’t told him much about the ranch during their drive, so Harry had filled in the blanks while he helped her in the kitchen and greenhouse. He could understand why some of the guys weren’t eager to embrace his presence. Hopefully, the media firestorm would blow over soon, and he’d be out of their hair. Rory wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to living in his father’s pool house, but he could start fresh on his own somewhere else.
In the meantime, he needed to lay off the big guy and stop harassing him. He’d take a page out of Ivan’s book and avoid the foreman as much as possible. Later that night, when several of the crew went to the old homestead for poker, Rory joined Harry for facials and movies at the main ranch house. Aside from mealtimes, he steered clear of Ivan most of Sunday too. He didn’t face his first real challenge until answering a summons to the barn after breakfast on Monday morning. Ivan wanted to assess his skill set to see where he’d fit in best around the ranch.
“I’m not as blue-blooded as you’re thinking,” Rory told him. “I spent summers at my grandparents’ farm in Oklahoma as a kid.” He’d also dedicated his life to conservation studies, which included traveling to countries with rudimentary farming. He helped sow fields with horses and mules instead of the fancy equipment Redemption Ridge used. There was a doubtful look in Ivan’s eyes that challenged Rory. Ivan the Hung didn’t think Rory could keep up with the rest of the crew, and there was only one way to prove just how wrong he was. “Take off your kid gloves and put me to work,” Rory urged. The air seemed to crackle around them, their ever-present sexual chemistry leaching into other parts of their dynamic. “What are you afraid of, Ivan? Worried I’ll prove you wrong?”
A responding challenge sparked in Ivan’s amber gaze, holding Rory spellbound for a few moments. “All right. Just remember you asked for it. Tap out if the going gets too tough.”
Rory wouldn’t tap out if it killed him. The only satisfaction he wanted to give Ivan would come from his hands, mouth, or ass.Tap out if the going gets too tough.That wasn’t the Snyder way. Rory had heard that sentiment from his dad a hundred times. When he was little, it bolstered his confidence. But those words had the opposite effect once Rory had become a sullen teenager, especially when applied to Rory’s grief after losing his mother. Though Charles had never been that callous with Rory, others in their circle had been, but that old fighting spirit returned tenfold when standing in front of a smirking Ivan Gallagher, who didn’t think Rory could hang with the big boys. Rory wasn’t so mad he wouldn’t take Ivan to bed or the nearest surface that could support their weight. He’d ride that glorious cock, but he’d just be damn stingy with his compliments before, during, and after.
Ivan’s first task was to unload the seed they’d soon plant in the fields. Someone had backed a flatbed truck into the barn. Rows of stacked bags were waiting to be lifted and stored along the back wall. Tyler, Owen, and a few others were there to pitch in, but Rory decided he would pack and stack the most bags if it killed him. And it damn near did. He grinned victoriously through the discomfort once they finished and waited patiently for Ivan to heap praise upon him. But the foreman barely glanced in his direction.
“Damn, Rory,” Owen said, leaning against the side of the truck. He wasn’t full-on panting, but he was definitely winded. “Was there some kind of prize on the line I didn’t know about?”
Rory glanced over at Ivan, whose glare warned him to keep his mouth shut.Or what?Rory really didn’t want to fuck around and find out, so he plastered a good-natured smile on his face when he replied to Owen. “Nah. Just carrying my weight. I appreciate all of you putting up with me.”
Owen slapped him on the back, and it was his first friendly overture toward Rory. It made all the extra effort worthwhile and made his aches feel less achy. “Tyler and I watched a few of your videos last night. They really impressed us.” Owen smiled sheepishly and rubbed his chin as if embarrassed about something.
“Dude, it’s not an Only Fans account. Why the angst?” Rory figured he knew, but he’d let Owen tell him instead of putting words into the guy’s mouth.
Owen grimaced. “Honestly?” Rory nodded because there was no other way. “When I’d heard you were a social media influencer, I assumed the worst.”
“What did you expect?” Rory prodded. He felt Ivan’s interest and knew he was listening, even if he was staring at the clipboard in his hands like it contained the secrets of the universe. Maybe answering Owen’s questions would put some of Ivan’s concerns to rest too.
“I figured your videos would be a sequence of Jackass-style stunts. Those accounts seem to rake in all the money.”
Rory nodded because it was true. “I didn’t start my conservation channel to get rich, although I appreciate the income. It allows me to travel and expose myself to more possibilities, which I then get to share with my large audience. It amazed me when I got my first ten thousand subscribers. I never expected that even a thousand people would tune in to my channel and watch my videos on conservation and preservation, let alone a million.”
“That’s really amazing,” Owen said.
“I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that you’re a cute guy and often travel around without a shirt on,” Tyler tossed in.
