Daddy's Virgin (A CEO Boss Romance Novel)

“Yep. I’m a regular old dud. Anyway… You want a beer?” I asked, even though I didn’t want to get drunk with him when he was in this state.

Over the course of the night, we got progressively drunker, though, with some stupid show on as background noise on TV.

“Dude, so you’re really not going to do anything about the Vanessa thing?” Brent asked a little while later.

“Can’t you let it go?” I asked as irritation stung my chest.

“If you’re not going to fuck her, maybe I want to,” he said, leering over at me. “I mean, if she’s as hot as you say she is.”

I scowled at him, feeling an irrational surge of anger. I doubted Vanessa would ever go home with him, even if he did make a pass at her, but I couldn’t push down the feelings of jealousy. “Don’t you fucking dare go near her,” I spat. “If you touch her at all, I’ll beat your ass. Hear me?”

Brent raised an eyebrow at me and then turned back to his beer, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “And, you say you don’t have feelings for her. Fucking liar.”

I shoved his shoulder, realizing he’d only been trying to get me to admit that all along. “And you’re a dickhead,” I muttered.

“Sometimes.” He smiled like a tomcat.

“All the time.” I smiled back. Asshat.

Chapter Eight

Vanessa

I didn’t want to take over the ranch, but I couldn’t deny that the place was beautiful, especially on these early mornings in June. A little bit of mist hung over the place, giving it an ethereal quality. I ran my hand through some of the long grasses as I wandered away from the house. A couple ponies whickered and stuck their heads over the fence to my left, looking for treats. I laughed and moved over to pat their noses, giving them a couple sugar cubes that I’d put in my pocket just in case.

Then, I turned and strolled aimlessly on through the ranch.

So many memories were tied to this place. I remembered having picnics out by the little artificial lake in the summers with my parents, back before Mom got cancer. I remembered learning to ride horses in the ring over to my right, my dad cheering me on and proclaiming that I was born to be a rodeo queen. I remembered their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We’d set up tents, and it had been a day of happiness with family, friends, and half the town gathered for dancing, drinking, and fun.

I smiled a little to myself, remembering those days.

To be honest, I hadn’t been out on the ranch much since Mom had gotten sick. There were too many good times to remember and reflect on, and I hadn’t been able to summon the courage to face all of that. It was good to come out here, now, though. It felt like laying those memories to rest.

I watched an early morning jumping class for a while, smiling. Maybe I should go for a ride later. The weather was supposed to be nice and sunny, a good day to head up to Crawford Lake and go for a swim.

As I turned toward the stables, I caught sight of Trethan, already working in one of the pastures. He had a bale of hay up on his shoulder and was carrying it out to feed some of the horses. I couldn’t help staring at him. His muscles strained beneath his t-shirt, and the sight of it made me hungry to touch him, to trail my fingers down those strong biceps and along his muscular chest. I could only imagine the way his powerful body would thrust into me, his hips snapping back and forth with piston-like strength.

When he turned away from me, I could see how perfectly his jeans hugged his ass, snug around the curves of his full cheeks. I wanted to dig my fingers into that flesh, to cling to him, to feel him fucking me and using me for release.

A hot blush stained my cheeks, and I shook my head, forcing myself to look away.

He wasn’t the boy I used to know. He was a lot more built now, much more of a man. And, I wanted him. Hell, if he had asked me to take a tumble in the hay with him right then, I’d consider it. My skin felt prickly, and I could feel the dampness in my cotton panties just thinking about the things that he could do to me with those strong hands.

A soft breeze picked up, knocking his hat askew for a moment and then blowing it clear off his head as he adjusted the bale over his shoulder. The hat fluttered and rolled across the ground. It came to rest at my feet. I stared dumbly down at it for a moment, glancing back at him, and then bent down to pick it up. I slowly walked over to where he was standing, having deposited the bale on the ground.

He reached out to take the hat back. “Thanks,” he said. He jammed it down on his head, tapping the brim in a quick salute.

“No problem,” I said, embarrassed by how breathy my voice sounded. I only hoped he hadn’t caught me staring at him before. With my luck, he most certainly had.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he considered me. “You’re not thinking about getting back to work around here, are you?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course not,” I said.

“Phew,” he said, putting a hand over his heart as though he were truly relieved to hear that. “Was afraid you were after my job!” He grinned crookedly at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You probably wish I were after your job,” I said, doubtfully eyeing the bale of hay that he’d been hauling. “Those things are heavy.”

Trethan shrugged and flexed his muscles. I wondered if he did it consciously or not. Either way, the movement drew my eyes to his biceps. I blushed again and forced my gaze back up to his eyes. To my surprise, his expression was soft, and when my eyes met his again, he said seriously, “I’ve missed you, Vanessa.”