And every night, we fall into bed together. A perfect ending to a perfect day. The work is hard, but something about it is fulfilling. I can't explain it. I feel good when I'm on the farm.
The more I do, the more I remember. It's like riding a bike. The memory is there, the skills are there, it's just a matter of digging them up.
Standing on a ladder, I'm brushing the side of the barn with a new coat of paint. The sun is hot against my back.
“I like this view,” Ryder says.
Looking down, he's staring up at my ass. “I bet you do.”
He bounces his brows and bites his lip. “I do. I'm tempted to tear you off the ladder and drag you upstairs.”
“What's wrong? Too afraid to fuck me out in the open?”
He smirks and looks around. “That's not a bad idea either.”
Laughing out loud, I look back at the wall and continue painting as I say, “Did you just come to tease me? Because I have work to do or the boss is going to get upset.”
“Yeah, he might punish you. Maybe a spanking is in order.”
“You're bad.” Shaking my head, I'm smiling.
“Actually, I have some cold drinks and lunch if you want to take a break.”
“Sounds good to me.” Dropping the brush in the bucket, I climb down the ladder.
His hands grab my ass, holding me firm. “Don't want you to fall,” he says, giving my ass a squeeze.
As I jump off the bottom rung, Ryder spins me around, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.
“You can pitch me again. We can see how this one goes.”
“This one might get you actually, I have faith in it.”
Crooking his jaw, he tips his head side to side. “We'll have to see, I guess.”
Ryder has let me try to change his mind every day at lunch. It's become this game with him. He nods along, oohing and aahing with interest. Each time I think I'm swaying him to sign, he says no. But he smiles like he appreciates my effort, and kisses me after like I'm his girlfriend.
Today is no different. I give him my best pitch yet. Telling him that the sale of the farm could provide enough money for him to put Melody through college and still leave him with enough to buy a small piece of land for himself.
He strokes his jaw in thought for a few moments. Peering up at the sky, he looks like this time I might have a point. I'm waiting anxiously in front of him, wondering if this is it. Bobbling back and forth between both feet, I can't stand still.
“As great as that sounds, the answer is still no.”
“Another no? What a shock.” The strange thing is that I'm not disappointed in his answer. The little voice that's been begging him to agree is now taking a back seat to the voice that's begging him to say no.
Standing up, he takes a long stride in my direction. “I have a pitch for you, though.” He reaches out and softly rubs the underside of my arms with the tips of his fingers. “What do you think about me throwing you over my shoulder and taking you upstairs?”
“I was right.” Smiling up at him, I gently nibble the tip of my tongue.
“Right about what?”
“You're afraid to fuck me out here.”
Growling, Ryder grins as he lunges forward. Grabbing me around the waist, he tosses me over his shoulder as if I was a bale of hay. He doesn't struggle at all as he carries me down the hill toward the barn.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask with a giggle.
“A place I always wanted to fuck you but never had the chance.”
I wobble and bounce on his shoulder as he walks with determination. Throwing the barn door open, it slams shut behind him as he walks inside. Ryder moves to the ladder that leads up to the loft, climbing it easily despite me hanging on his shoulder.
Swinging me over, he drops me onto a giant pile of hay. “I remember coming up here when we were kids.”
“Yeah, me too. It was our fort. We'd come up here and read comic books, do homework, and just hang out.” He lays down next to me, softly tracing the shell of my ear with his fingers. “Every piece of this place reminds me of you. I've never been able to erase you from it.”
Looking over at him, his eyes settle on my face, and instantly I see the hurt I’ve caused him. The green in his eyes is dark, shaded like a pond under an oak tree. The pain is visible, the loss is visible, all of it is written in his eyes.
“I never meant to—” I start to speak, but he quickly shoves my voice back into my throat as he kisses me.