Page 161 of Dove
“Brat,” he huffed out when he saw my smile that was too big to hide.
Contentment buzzed under my skin. The days might have been long and tiresome, but this time with Josh was a gift. It was still easy to remember the ache his absence had caused, but it was slowly ebbing, becoming a distant memory, like a fading bruise.
I capped the now empty water bottle and walked to the edge of the wagon, about to leap down, but Josh intercepted me.
“You know I’m capable of jumping off this thing myself, right?” I asked as his hands cupped my waist, helping me down easily. My boots hit the floor, my body swaying toward his. What a pair we made, both sweaty and covered in hay dust. It didn’t seem to bother him one bit as his arm wrapped around my waist without thought, pulling me closer.
“Yeah, Dove. I’m aware.” He bent down, brushing his lips across mine sweetly. “Doesn’t mean you have to do it yourself when I’m here.”
My heart gave an extra little beat. He was too damn good at making it do that.
I could think of no words in reply, so instead, I pressed my lips harder against his, enjoying the way his arms tightened around me, his mouth meeting mine eagerly. A breathy sound left me as he walked me back until my back hit the wall, his mouth moving more insistently against my own. I discarded the empty water bottle still in my hand to the floor to be picked up later as my arms rose to rest on his shoulders, a hand creeping up to the back of his neck to pet at the short hairs there as I opened my mouth in invitation. One he took instant advantage of, tongue licking into mine with vigor.
His large body over mine was the sweetest cage—one I had no desire to escape from. We didn’t have much time lately to do more than kiss goodnight, too tired to do much else at the end of these long days. The last time he touched me had been in the cab of the tractor, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. Even worse, I hadn’t been able to reciprocate, so I knew Josh was just as hungry for this as I was.
His large arms wrapped around me until our bodies were plastered together, his hands roaming across my curves. My hand crept up, nudging his hat off until it fell forgotten to the floor, letting me comb my fingers through his hair as he kissed me like he’d been deprived for far longer than the few hours it had taken us to finish unloading. A moan escaped me, and I racked my nails down his scalp to the nape of his neck, urging him closer still, because despite how hot it was in this barn, I couldn’t help but enjoy his closeness.
His mouth tore from mine with a curse, “Fuck.”Resting his forehead against my own, our panting breathes mingled.
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, happiness radiating from the pit of my stomach. I loved that I knew what got him going. That with one simple touch I could have him losing control.
With that thought, an idea struck me, and I moved so fast Josh had no time to argue—his back hit the wall where mine had been a moment earlier. My knees met the floor a second later, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, and I winced.
“Dove, what are you doing?” Josh gazed down at me, the furrowed jet of his brow making his face look even more handsome.
“If you don’t know...” I trailed off playfully. My hands went for his waistband, fingering the button of his jeans. “I guess you’ll figure it out pretty soon.”
“That’s not what I meant. We have work to do.”
“I doubt this will take long.”
Josh frowned, my joke clearly not amusing him. “I’m sweaty and gross.”
I wasn’t about to tell him how much that didn’t bother me. Instead, I rolled my eyes. “You’re really arguing your way out of a blow job right now?”
“No. I mean, yes. I mean—” His nostrils flared as he huffed. “You don’t have to, Dove,” he said, clearly flustered.
“I know that,Josh.Stop thinking so much and just let me make you feel good,” I murmured, glancing up at him from under my lashes. “Please?” My fingers migrated up under his shirt, flirting with the warm, damp skin of his toned stomach. Nails that had once been painted a pretty pink—but were now chipped from hard work—scratched at the trail of hair below his belly button, and he sucked in a breath, muscles flexing under my touch.
“God, there’s really nothing I’ll say no to when it comes to you, is there?” His voice was a low revelation, more for himselfthan for me. A large hand cupped the back of my head, just under the band of my ponytail. It rested there for a moment before his wrist twisted and his fingers threaded through to fist the dangling strands, using them to tilt my head back until my eyes met his.
“You want to suck me that bad, huh?” His other hand came up to cup my jaw, a calloused thumb stroking along my bottom lip. The rasp of his skin against mine raised goose bumps across my body, a flash of desire so potent it zapped through me and left my nipples painfully tight.
I swallowed, my throat strained from the angle, then moved my head into a subtle nod.
“Alright, then. Go ahead.” He released me, and my chin dipped, my eyes fluttering shut at the cadence of his voice, a deep, permissive rumble.
As much as I hated being told what to do, I loved it when he did it in moments like these.
This time, he let me open the button to his jeans without argument, unzipping his fly and tugging at his jeans and boxers just enough until I could palm him in my hand.
Nerves coursed through me for a brief moment, a flashback to Dr. Sterling walking in on us, however innocent, last week making me hesitate until I realized I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone spotting us here in the barn. It was set farther back on the property and angled away from the driveway, meaning we’d hear anyone coming before they got the chance to see us. Remembering that, my shoulders relaxed, the tension melting away as I gave him a quick, tight stroke.
His groan was all the encouragement I needed to continue, swaying forward to give a teasing kitten lick to the head before diving in, swallowing him down as far as I could without gagging.
I heard his head thunk back against the wall as his hips punched forward before withdrawing, his breathing turning ragged as I sucked, popping off with a wet sound.
“Careful,” I cautioned lightly, mocking. “You need those brain cells—at least until we’re finished baling.”
