Big Man’s Wife (Big Men Big Hearts 1)

He tasted like whiskey and desire. His tongue sweet, his lips rough with need. The strength of his touch made my stomach swarm with butterflies, and my entire body come alive like a wildfire that's out of control.

Even now, I can still feel his mouth against mine. The sensation is lingering there on my swollen and tender lips. Lifting my fingers to my mouth, I touch my lips, softly running the pads over the surface.

I can't believe he did that. Where the hell did that come from?

Between the kiss and Melody's outburst, I'm not sure what to think. All I know is that kiss turned what little sleep I had into dirty, heated dreams. Every time I dosed off, my mind kept going back to that moment.

Only in my head, he never stopped. Our kiss became an entangled explosion of tongues dancing, and our bodies rubbing together. His hands never stilled, continuing to glide and explore every inch of my body. The Ryder in my dream only pulled away to run his tongue down my neck and across my shoulder.

And then I'd wake up soaked in sweat and wet between my legs. The short bursts of erotic fantasy would rouse me awake every time. I couldn't have gotten more than an hour or two of sleep.

“Hey, wake up in there,” he says loudly, knocking on the door again. “The farm isn't going to run itself.”

“I'm up, I’m up. I'll be down in a couple minutes.” My voice is horse because my throat is dry as the desert.

“Ten minutes, that's all you get.”

“Or else what?” I ask, twisting my legs off the bed and sitting up reluctantly.

“Or I come back with a jug filled with ice water.”

I hear him walk away, his feet heavily moving down the stairs. Forcing myself to stand up, I go in the bathroom and wash my face. The warm water helps to clear the fog on my brain.

Throwing on the only other outfit I have, I pull my hair back into a ponytail, and head downstairs.

“Wow, seven minutes, that's pretty good,” Ryder says, keeping his back to me as he scrambles eggs in a pan.

“I said I only needed a few.”

He plates the eggs and turns around. I'm leaning against the doorway, my arms folded over my chest. Ryder looks me up and down in disbelief. “You're kidding me right?”

“What?” I ask as he sets the plates on the table. Standing up straight, my arms hang at my sides as I look down at myself. “What is it?”

“You're not really wearing that are you?”

Scanning my clothes, I let my eyes drift back up to his. “It's all I have with me. Working on your farm wasn't exactly part of my plan. I shouldn't even be here. I should be on a plane going home.”

“No one's stopping you.”

Cocking my head, my lips pull taut. “This is your idea remember?”

“I didn't forget. But just remember, no one is forcing you to stay. You agreed to this.” Ryder chuckles, looking me up and down again. “You might be the only girl who's ever ruined designer clothes by working on a farm.”

“I don't have another option. I definitely can't do it in heels and a skirt.”

“I wouldn't mind watching you try. It'd be interesting for sure.” Laughing, he shakes his head. “Hold on, I'll be right back.”

Ryder disappears upstairs. I'm in shock he hasn't said anything about the kiss yet. Not an apology, not an explanation, nothing. I thought it would be the first thing out of his mouth, but he's acting like it never even happened.

Maybe that's not a bad thing.

If he doesn't remember, then we can avoid the awkward explanation and any tension or apprehension after. Except I can't ignore the small sting in my chest that the kiss was something he could forget so easily. With every blink I see his face rushing to mine, and I feel his hands on my body.

I'm still having trouble controlling my breathing. My chest is heavy and tight as my heart speed up. Taking in slow breaths, I calm myself down. I can't lose it like this. I can't let this man steal my self control.

I'm here on business, simple as that.

“Here,” he says coming back with a small pile of clothes. “I can't do anything about your sneakers, my sister doesn’t have any, but here are some clothes you can borrow.”

“You don't think she'll mind me borrowing her clothes? I mean, she already hates me.”

“We can keep this secret between us, no reason to poke the bear. Besides, she's working most of the day at the hotel, she won't even know they're missing.”

Eating quickly, he taps the watch on his wrist. “We're already running behind. Go change and meet me out at the barn.”

I quickly change my clothes, and head outside, the screen door slamming shut behind me. There's a chill in the early morning air. Rubbing the outside of my arms, I head to the barn.