Chompin' at the Bit (Horse Play #2) (18 page)

While I continued to look after breakfast, Madison poured our coffee before taking hers to the table and sitting in her seat. One look over my shoulder told me she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent yet, and I couldn’t help feeling the deep-rooted desire to usher her back to bed to sleep it off.

“I’ll be fine, Jensen,” she said, pulling her foot up onto the chair so her thigh rested against her chest. “As soon as the pills kick in, I’ll be right as rain.” Her voice sounded a little hoarse to me, as well, and I worried she might be getting sick.

When our omelets were ready, I plated them and took them to the table where we powered through them before I went and got dressed for work.
Our morning was no different than any other as we cleaned out the stalls before going our separate ways. After doing a walk-through of the grounds, checking the troughs, I grabbed straw from the shelter. I slipped on my work gloves, grabbed the twine that held the bale together, and lifted it with ease before taking it about forty feet to my left and into the new barn. According to Wayne’s huddle with us this morning, we had several new boarders showing up in the next couple of days, so he wanted me to make sure the stalls were ready for when they arrived. 

After laying the straw on the floor of four of the thirty stalls, I grabbed another bale for four more to restock. With the eight stalls we expected to fill padded with fresh straw for the horses, I ran over to the other barn for a couple bags of oats for storage as well. Madison was nowhere to be seen as I walked from one barn to the other, so I assumed she was either busy with Jillian or maybe in her father’s office doing some paperwork. 

The main barn was empty, and as I passed by the arena door, I could hear Jillian’s loud voice as she disciplined one of her morning riders for trailing to close to another rider.

I walked the length of the barn aisle toward the feed storage room, and just as I rounded the corner, I gasped sharply. I didn’t mean to, but it caught me off guard to find Madison in there. Finding her there wasn’t the reason I responded the way I did, though. To be honest, my reasoning was actually pretty ridiculous and the product of an as-of-late under-sexed brain. 

There was nothing overtly sexual about Madison standing up on the stepladder, her body stretching long as she reached for a nearly empty bag of alfalfa pellets, but I was on the verge of sporting major wood, regardless.

I stood there, staring at her as she struggled to reach that damn bag. A gentleman would have offered to get it for her, but I was frozen in place, my eyes moving up her lean, denim-clad legs, over her tight little ass until my gaze locked on a two-fucking-inch sliver of skin between her jeans and tank top. Depraved thoughts of licking the exposed flesh suddenly crossed my mind, and it wasn’t until she spoke that I snapped out of it. 

“Are you seriously just standing there?” she snapped.

Shaking my head and forcing my eyes to hers I apologized. “Sorry. I, um … No, there’s no excuse for that. I’m just sorry. Here, hop down, I’ll grab it.” I held out my hand for Madison so she could step down carefully, the gentleman in me finally bitch-slapping the horny pervert into submission—for the time being, anyway. 

“We’re going to need more. That’s all we have left,” Madison said as I stepped up onto the ladder and snatched the bag from the top shelf. “Oats too.” 

“I’ll head out to the feed store before lunch. Can you think of anything else we might need?” She shook her head. “Okay, if you think of anything, let me know.” 

“I will.” She took the bag of pellets from me and smiled. “And thanks for helping me. Even if it did take you away from ogling my ass.” The little vixen was trying her hand at being a tease again. Well, two could play at that game. 

Impulsively, I pulled her toward me, turning our bodies until I had her sandwiched between me and the wall. “I mean it, Madi. If you think of
anything
you might need … You let me know.” 

Her big eyes widened as they danced between mine, the light picking up the flecks of green, and her breathing quickened. With my body pressed right against hers, I could feel her heartbeat—or maybe it was mine. “Jensen, what are you doing? I was just teasing. We can’t …” 

I smirked before leaning down and kissing her softly. “Maybe not today,” I whispered, my lips ghosting over hers. She exhaled a shaky breath as I parted our bodies. I was pretty sure her knees were trembling as she flattened her empty hand against the wall, bracing herself. 

Feeling pretty satisfied with myself—and pretty damn frustrated at the same time—I smiled. “I’ll head into town now. Maybe I’ll stop at the diner and grab something for lunch. Will you see what the guys want and give me a call?” 

“Sure. But this isn’t over.” 

Chuckling, I stepped forward and kissed her. “Wouldn’t be any fun if it was, now would it?” 

I climbed into the truck since I knew my bike wasn’t the best option if I had to load up on feed. I missed riding my bike and decided to see if maybe Madison might want to go for a ride sometime. The drive to town was quiet due to the stereo not working—I’d have to remember to take a look at the wiring later and see if I could figure it out.

My shopping trip didn’t take long since I already knew what I needed. After paying the cashier, I loaded up the truck, and just as I climbed behind the wheel, my phone rang.

“Hey, Madi.” 

“Hey. Just talked to the guys. My father would like a cheeseburger with fries—he’s trying to clog his arteries, I swear. Tom and Jeff both asked for a turkey club on white with a side of fries. And I’ll have a spinach salad. If you could ask them to throw some egg and a little cheese on there, that’d be awesome.” 

“Sure. I’ll see you in a bit then. Love you,” I told her, unable to contain the goofy grin on my face; people walking by had to think I was absolutely certifiable.
 

“I love you, too. See you soon.” 

We hung up, and I drove to the diner to put the orders in. While I waited, I decided to walk along the sidewalk of the strip mall where the quaint little restaurant was located. 

Next to the diner was a card shop, next to that, a small, independently owned bookstore, then a small children’s clothing store. After passing the last window of the kid’s clothing store, I stopped, staring directly into the window of the next little shop. A wide smile broke across my face and my mind was made up. Closer to Madison’s birthday, I would be coming back to buy her birthday gift. 

Chapter 16. One Thing After Another

T
he next few days were …
long.
The monotony of the everyday didn’t help either. Madison and I would wake up—me extremely turned on from the way she would sleep against me. The first and second nights she slept with her back to my chest, and I thought that was bad enough. Well, the third night, she rolled over sometime in the night and draped her leg over my body. That wasn’t enough to wake me, however; it wasn’t until she started sighing breathlessly and moving her hips that I awoke with a start. 

I wanted to believe it was an innocent dream, but once she started saying my name, I knew it was more. She was going to be the death of me. I tried to ignore it, but the longer I waited for her dream to end, the more aroused I became. 

It was common knowledge that you weren’t supposed to wake a sleepwalker. But what was the rule for sleep … um, sex? No, what she was doing wasn’t sleep-sex; it was grinding and moaning and touching …
Oh, God.
Her soft hands started moving over my chest, my skin breaking out in goose bumps even though I was anything but cold. 

“Madi,” I whispered, pressing my lips into the top of her head and running my fingers along her back. “Baby, you’re dreaming. Wake up.” 

With a quiet snort, Madison’s head lifted from my chest. Even in the dark, I could see her blink a few times as if trying to fully breach the surface of consciousness. “Jensen? What time is it?” Propping herself up on her right arm, she used the back of her left hand to rub her eyes. 

“It’s about two in the morning. You were sort of talking in your sleep,” I explained, kissing her temple before easing her back down onto my chest. 

I could feel Madison’s forehead furrow against my lips. “I was?” Then she gasped.

Laughing, I rolled onto my side, gently forcing her head to the pillow as my eyes captured hers in the dark room. “I figured I should wake you before my brain was no longer in control,” I explained, trailing my right hand along her face, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes fluttered before locking on mine again. “God, I want you so much. I hate this.” I had to laugh again because she was adorable when she pouted. 

“Soon enough.” I brushed the end of her nose with my own before leaning in to kiss her. I kept the kiss short and sweet in an effort to keep our mounting sexual frustration from escalating any further. If it did, I couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t spontaneously combust. 

“We should get some sleep. We have to be up in a few short hours,” I whispered against her lips.

Madison hummed moving forward and snuggling into my body as my arms encircled her. “I love you too, Jensen.” 

The next morning I awoke to Madison staring at me. She was lying on her side, her head propped up by her left hand.

Closing my eyes, I stretched my body. “Good morning,” I groaned. “How was your sleep?”

“Pretty good.” There was something in her eyes that intrigued me. I was about to ask her what was going on when she leaned forward and kissed me. She tasted minty fresh, telling me she’d been up for a bit. “I’m happy to report that tonight you’d better be prepared to have your world rocked, Jensen Davis.”

Her voice was still a little rough, but she assured me it was just a cold. She’d been drinking tea with honey, hoping to soothe her throat, but as she pressed her forehead to mine, I wondered if it might be a little more serious.

“You’re hot,” I told her.

Smirking, she hummed and rolled closer to kiss me again. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, the rasp in her voice lending an added air of seduction.

Before she could kiss me, I sat up and placed the back of my hand to her forehead. “No, love, you’re burning up.”

“Jensen, I’m fine.”

Using both hands, I cradled her face and used my thumb to check her lymph nodes; growing up with a doctor for a mother taught me a few of the basics. “Your glands are swollen. Open your mouth, please?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “You’re overreacting. It’s just a little cold.”

“Does it hurt when you swallow?”

She quirked an eyebrow, and went to pull the sheets back from my legs. “Let’s find out.”

“Damn it, Madison, just answer the question.”

With a huff, she rolled her eyes. “Yes,
doctor.
Sometimes—though not always—it feels like I’m swallowing glass.” She paused. “But it’s been better.”

I wasn’t sure I believed her. “Please open your mouth.” She did as I asked, and I immediately saw the white spots on her tonsils. “I can’t be sure, but it looks and sounds like you might have strep.”

Madison released a heavy breath. “Figures.”

“It’s highly contagious, but if your dad will let me take you in to see my mom, we should be able to get you on antibiotics right away.”

I flew out of bed and got dressed while Madison slipped across the hall to her room and did the same. Catching this early would require a far less aggressive antibiotic. I only hoped we hadn’t let it incubate too long.

Wayne was just leaving his place when we strolled up the walkway, and he understood once I explained my suspicions. He handed us the keys to his truck, and I ushered Madison into the passenger seat before we flew down the highway.

I called to see if my mother was in the clinic, but she wasn’t. She was actually in the city with my father. Madison suggested just going to a walk-in clinic, and while I was hesitant, I figured there’d be no harm in that.

We had to wait over an hour before Madison’s name was called, and then we were in the exam room for another twenty minutes before the doctor finally showed up. He was an older man, standing around five-six, with a rounded belly and gray hair. His wire-rimmed glasses sat low on his nose as he looked down at the file in his hand.