Page 49 of Butter You Up
“Aside from looking like a hot mess this morning? Sure.”
“A beautiful hot mess,” he amends, and my insides melt again. Alex steps all the way inside the room and bends down, gently pressing a kiss to my lips. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
And what do you know, my outsides melt, too. I’m just a puddle of feelings inside this tiny bathroom with a man who smells like sweat, morning dew, and barley.
* * *
The balance in my bank account grows, and the days keep warming up. I spend less and less time in Vaniel, to the point that Alex picks me up and drops me off with the milk every Saturday and Sunday for the strawberry pickings.
I bring my white eczema gloves and ointment with me to his house for our sleepovers. When I put them on at night and make Mickey Mouse jokes, Alex casts me a bemused look and kisses me.
We don’t outright say anything to the Bedds, but we spend Sunday night dinner with Alex’s hand on my thigh under the table and knowing looks from everyone else.
The clock is ticking, though. I only have a few more weeks left committed to the farm shop, and while we haven’t talked about the end of us, he mentioned that one of his former shop managers who is home from college for the summer could pick up some shifts when I leave.
Other changes come, too. Someone named Diane moves into the house with Ethel. She’s a friend of Colleen’s, and she and Ethel talk about seeds and plot out Ethel’s new raised bed. Over the next week, another van and an RV are parked near Vaniel, but they leave by the weekend. The late-season strawberries dwindle, replaced by blueberries and blueberry milk.
I decide that I’m missing Vaniel. We haven’t stayed the night in my van for size reasons, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do something in him.
Actually, thinking about having sex in Vaniel makes me regret ever personifying my van. I’m going to have sex with AlexinsideVaniel of the he/him pronouns? Ugh, what am I doing to myself? Not that having sex inside a female van is any better.
Or worse?
Whatever.
When Alex comes by Sunday morning, it’s the first time he’s setting up the calf pen for petting. He’s got a baby cowin his truck's backseat, and let me tell you, watching him lift her out and set her on the ground is flipping adorable. He waits for Perry to hop out and take over with the calf before he finds me.
I’m still setting up the tables and buckets, but we meet in the shadows of the pole barn for our usual quick kiss.
“Wait,” I say, tugging on Alex’s sleeve before he can pull too far away. We’re tucked into a corner by the bathroom door, and Alex settles his back against the wall. I reach into the pocket of my shorts and pull out a condom.
Alex’s eyes go big when he sees it. “Here? Now?”
I laugh. “No.” I slip the condom into the pocket on his pec and pat it. “Just a little reminder for you today. Think of me and then we’ll slip away before dinner.”
Alex groans, rolling forward to press his forehead against mine. “You kill me, sweetheart.”
I smirk and flounce away, leaving Alex to deal with the erection I felt growing against my hip.
I keep an eye on Alex and Perry setting up. We didn’t advertise that we were bringing a calf today, hoping to keep expectations low in case it doesn’t go well. Eventually, Perry heads back to Udderly, leaving Alex to manage by himself.
We were worried about nothing. It’s a hit. They chose the calf, Mootilda, because she’s calm and sweet-tempered, and she delivers. Sometimes, she’s out of the pen, with Alex holding on to her halter, and sometimes she’s in the pen for a break, so the kids can look at her with wonder on their faces and the parents can take pictures when Mootilda sticks her tongue through the wire gaps.
At the end of the day, everyone’s in a good mood. Perry swings by to pick up Mootilda, and it’s easy for us to slip away to Vaniel.
CHAPTER29
MOLLY
Getting situatedin Vaniel isn’t exactly sexy, but once we get Alex seated on my bed and me in his lap, things get much hotter.
“Did you think of me today?” I ask breathlessly between kisses.
Alex’s chest rumbles in a quiet laugh. “Ethan asked me if I was having a heart attack.”
I pull back in confusion. “Why?”
“He thought I was having chest pains since I kept touching my pocket.”
