“Me either,” she admits.
“You’re a fan of those alpha-male personas?” My sister reads some colorful literature, and I made the mistake of asking her about one once. Never again.
“I won’t ask how you know that term.” Her melodic laugh tickles my hardening length. “And I had no clue it would spark something until you suggested it. That strategy seemed to work in the haunted house well enough.”
“Noted.” I nip her pierced lobe before pulling away. “We gotta go. Quit distracting me.”
Audria’s eyes shimmer with a cloudy glaze. As if my words finally register, she blinks, and the fog clears. “Don’t blame this on me.”
I reach for her hand, taking another newfound liberty. She doesn’t protest as I tow her to the truck. “Stop being so sexy, and I won’t.”
She gestures down her form. “I’m afraid that’s just not possible.”
I give her a long, lazy once-over. How does she make overalls look so damn arousing? On anyone else, those denim bibs would be lackluster at best. The fantasy she’s building strokes a desire I didn’t realize was waiting to be pushed.
With a sweep of my arm, I usher her to the passenger side. I open the door, and she takes the opportunity to move extra close to me. As she brushes by to get in, her fingers dance across the sculpt of my abs. The contact sends a zap straight to my cock. How can I resist her teasing? Perhaps a better question is why didn’t we discuss sex when we struck this deal?
I step around the hood and settle in behind the wheel. The engine roars to life with a quick crank. “Ready?”
She claps a palm to her thigh. “As I’ll ever be.”
I back onto the road, beginning our journey to the south end of Bam’s limits. “You’re cool with skydiving, right?”
Her head whips in my direction so fast I’m surprised her neck stays attached. “What was that?”
Masking a smirk requires biting my tongue. “It’s the ultimate adrenaline rush. Get all strapped in, jump out of the plane, open your parachute, and land on the ground.”
Audria seems to curl in on herself while reaching for the door handle. “You better be messing with me.”
“And if I’m not, are you going to tuck and roll?”
She straightens, pinning me with a glare. “Absolutely.”
A sinking sensation drops my gut. That might’ve been a shitty prank. I reach over and thread her fingers with mine. “A bad joke, babe. Don’t fret. I see no heights or haunted houses in your future. Not with me at least.”
Her lips twist to one side. “Or anyone who cares about staying in my good graces.”
“Yikes,” I hiss. “Don’t mess with the city girl.”
Audria bobs her head. “Spread the word.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not taking you anywhere scary.” I squeeze her hand. “Do you trust me?”
Audria squints at me, no doubt studying my earnest tone. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“Just don’t take that for granted,” she adds.
“I wouldn’t dare.” Does she have such little faith in me? Can I blame her?
“Then we’ll continue getting along swimmingly.”
“You’re so chill, babe. I really like that about you.”
“After I nearly dove from a moving vehicle?” Her tone is chock-full of disbelief.
I smooth a finger along her jawline. “I take full responsibility for that. It doesn’t reflect my feelings for you.”
She bats her lashes at me. “Aww, thanks. I guess you’re not so bad either.”
“There’s room for improvement,” I admit. Especially when it comes to properly pampering the opposite sex. I almost lost my shit over a bouquet of flowers earlier. This trial run will be riddled with mistakes. Here’s to hoping Audria doesn’t mind having her patience tested.
“Well, I like your pickup.” She pets the dashboard with a gentle caress.
How fucked up is it to be jealous of my own truck? I slouch lower to hide the growing reaction she always seems to stoke. “She’s my baby.”
“Why do guys always make their cars female?”
“I’m not sure about anyone else, but I don’t wanna ride a dude all across town.”
Audria nods. “Fair point.”
The pavement ends with a bump, changing into gravel without warning. I merge onto the much-narrower lane without fanfare, more than accustomed to the back roads.
Her eyes stray to the view beyond her window. “If this isn’t what people refer to as being in the sticks, I have no clue where that might be.”
“We’re definitely in the boonies. Without a doubt,” I confirm.
She has her nose practically pressed to the glass, missing the sight in front of us. “Where are you taking me, farmer?”
“See for yourself.” I jut my chin forward as we approach the property.
Audria twists to face me. “Thayer Dairy?”
I glance at the large sign hanging above their driveway. “That’s right, city girl. You’re gonna milk a cow.”
The air in my lungs turns stale as I gaze at the spacious pastures. Countless spotted cows roam across the grass, munching away without a worry in the world. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this definitely wasn’t it. My mind instantly wanders to being perched on a little wooden stool with a metal bucket.
Reeve drives at a snail’s pace so I get an ample view of the sprawling acres. The lazy crawl also provides me with a chance to prepare myself for what lies ahead. Numerous buildings spread across the landscape, separated by wire fencing and metal gates. Why are there so many? That reminds me of our purpose for traveling down this winding path.
I shake off my initial shock. “Um, care to repeat that?”
He pulls alongside a metal pole barn. “You heard me, babe.”
“Are you smoking oats?”
“Never tried that,” he drawls.
I huff and roll my eyes. “Are you ever serious?”
“Of course,” he retorts. “I take this task very seriously.”
A wiggle of doubt worms beneath my skin. “You can imagine my skepticism. Is this an elaborate ploy to push my boundaries?”
“Or cross off items
