Page 77 of Wrangled Love

I sigh. I swear that was the quickest twenty minutes of my life.

“I owe you three more orgasms tonight,” Jensen promises, a devastatingly handsome smile on his face.

“Three? How do you figure that?” I ask, intrigued.

Jensen lifts a finger. “You gave me the best damn blow job I’ve ever had.” He holds up another one. “We were rudely interrupted this morning, and I don’t believe in leaving a woman high and dry before starting her day. And last, I’m dying to taste you again,” he says, raising a third finger as he leans in, brushing his lips against mine.

“I suppose denying you would be bad manners, and we can’t have that,” I tease, giving him a quick kiss.

We’re halfway to the exit when Heath walks inside the barn. “Where the hell have you two been?” He gives us a once-over, arching a brow. “Seriously? You couldn’t wait a few more hours? I swear, Jensen, if this ends with you as a dad of two, you can count me out of babysitting ever again.”

“I second that or I’m charging double for emotional damages,” Walker adds as he steps up beside Heath.

“Don’t we have a dinner to get to?” I quip.

Jensen leans in and whispers in my ear, “I’m starving.”

Butterflies stir in my belly as heat rises to my cheeks, and I find myself slipping further into his orbit with each passing minute.

“This game is rigged,” Briar mutters as she tosses a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

“You’re the one who shuffled the cards,” I tease, leaning back against the couch.

“Guess we can’t all be blessed with Caleb’s winning streak,” she says, grinning at him.

He’s sitting beside me with Briar across the coffee table as we play our third round of Candy Land. When I got back to the cottage earlier, I found him in the living room setting up the board game. He found it in the toy chest at the ranch house, and Julie was delighted to let him borrow it. The way he expertly arranged the cards and set up the gingerbread men at the starting spot made it clear he knew what he was doing. It made me wonder how often he played with Amelia, and if they had regular game nights.

Despite my initial negative feelings about her keeping Caleb from me, I’m doing my best to preserve her memory for his sake, giving him pieces of her to hold on to that feelfamiliar. The last thing I want is for him to carry the weight of my frustration.

We’ve already played Candy Land twice tonight, and Caleb has won both games. That’s why Briar broke out the popcorn and jelly beans to power through round three, saying she needed snacks to prepare for another inevitable loss.

She’s still frowning at the peanut card that sent her back to Peanut Brittle House.

Caleb’s blue gingerbread piece is seven spaces from winning, and his eyes dart between the card pile and me, silently willing me to pick a bad card.

I draw a double yellow, moving ahead of Briar, shooting her a smug look as I pass. After a string of unlucky draws, including being sent back to the Peppermint Forest, I think my luck is finally turning around.

“Better watch out, Caleb, I’m catching up.”

He shoots me a mischievous grin and sticks out his tongue before drawing a single green and moving ahead one space. Only six away from winning it all.

“Here goes nothing,” Briar sighs, flipping her card over and groaning when she’s sent back to the Molasses Swamp. “Seriously? You both have all the luck. This game is out to get me.”

Caleb shifts onto his knees, reaching over the table to rest a hand on Briar’s arm. She covers it with her own, patting him.

“Thanks, little man. I’ll be alright. Just make sure you beat your dad, okay?” she says, winking at me.

“We’ll see about that,” I reply, my tone playful.

I draw a double purple from the stack, closing the gap between Caleb and me. But when he pulls a double blue, it’s game over. He slides his piece into Candy Castle, then leaps to his feet, arms raised in the air as he dances around in triumph. Briar andI erupt in applause, cheering him on like he just won the Super Bowl. He ends with a dramatic bow that has us both laughing.

This right here is everything I’ve wanted for him—a home filled with laughter and love where we celebrate his wins, no matter how big or small. He’s opening up more with each passing day, and I couldn’t be happier.

When he yawns, a glance at the clock confirms it’s well past his bedtime. No wonder he’s tired. It’s been a long day for everyone, myself included.

It turns out that hauling hay is a lot harder than I remember. After more than a decade behind a computer, even daily workouts can’t hold a candle to the exhaustion of tossing fifty-pound bales in the summer heat. My back has already filed a formal complaint, and my hands are starting to show the beginnings of calluses, which, according to Briar, are sexy as hell.

Caleb rubs his eyes, stifling another yawn, the excitement of winning three times in a row finally catching up to him.

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