Beautiful Distraction (10 page)

“As far as I see it, we’re adults,” he says, his voice
slightly hoarse. “Consenting, sexually active adults who should have a bit of
fun.”

Wicked fun sounds about what I’d like to have with him. If
it just weren’t for the fact that I’m way too into him, and I get easily
involved. Too easily, which makes for a dangerous combination.

He laughs at my gloomy expression. “I was talking about
having a bit of fun outside. The livestock? Remember?”

Oh.

“Of course.”

He points to my shoes. “You cannot wear those.”

I look down at my boots. “Why not?” Okay, so they have heels,
but they’re not stilettos.

“Tell me, Ava, have you ever been on a farm or climbed a
mountain?”

“No,” I admit. “But they’re way more comfortable than you
think, and I’m willing to learn.”

And I didn’t have time to pack sneakers.

His gaze is quizzical as he regards me and points to the
food on the table. “Dig in. You’ll need the energy.”

“Why? A horse isn’t exactly hard work.”

He cocks his head, and slowly, a grin breaks across his
face. “Who said anything about horses?”

Last night’s rain has stopped, but a strong gale is still
blowing. Mud cakes my boots and sticks to my jeans as I trudge after Kellan for
what feels like miles. The ground is one giant bucket of sludge that seems to
slow down my pace and make my usual walks around Central Park seem like an
afternoon stroll through the backyard to water the plants.

My legs have never hurt so much in my life. In fact, my
thighs are burning, and I consistently feel like I won’t be able to take
another step. But somehow my groans and huffs keep me going.

Or is it my ego that just doesn’t want to admit defeat?

Or is it the fact that he warned me my boots weren’t
suitable for hiking, yet I wanted to prove him wrong?

Sure as hell, Kellan doesn’t seem to break a sweat. It’s
frigging cold outside, but he’s adamant he doesn’t need a jacket. From behind,
his shoulders look magnificent—broad and strong, the muscles barely
contained by his shirt. His thighs are built like tree trunks, and for a
careless moment, I imagine myself sitting on his lap, my legs wrapped around
his narrow waist, his green gaze piercing mine as he cradles me against him.

But the sexiest thing about him is his tight ass. I wonder
if it’s as hard as his biceps. It sure looks like it’s been carved out of stone.

“Ava?” His voice pulls me back to reality. I clear my
throat, thankful that his back’s still turned on me and he can’t see the
telltale heat of a major blush creeping up my face.

“Yeah? What did you say?” I manage to croak.

“I asked whether you’re from NYC, too, or just your friend.”
He seems to be having a great time, all cheerful and buoyant as he strikes up a
conversation.

“Yep.” My voice sounds so strangled, I might just be on the
verge of having an asthma attack.

“What really brings you to this part of the world?” He says
it like Montana’s the Antarctic.

“A road trip,” I say because that’s about all I can squeeze
out through my taxed lungs.

Kellan shoots me an amused look over his shoulder. “Just
finished college?”

As if.

I’ve worked my ass off since I turned sixteen.

I roll my eyes. “No, I finished college two years ago. Like
I said, just a road trip.”

His laughter rings through the air, taking me by surprise.
It’s so deep and rich and full, I trip over my feet and barely manage to avoid
taking a tumble facedown into the mud—which I’m sure he’d very much
enjoy.

“Okay, if you
must
know,
we’re here to see Mile High.” He stops and turns around, waiting until I catch
up to him.

“Really?” he asks, resuming his walk.

“Yeah, really,” I say in the most bored tone I can muster.

“You don’t sound excited.”

“Sorry, I can’t help myself. I’m not really a fan.” I shrug,
feeling the need to apologize. “I just don’t get all the hype about this band.”
I peer at him sideways, surprised to find that he’s listening intently, holding
my breath as I try to catch his expression. There’s nothing on his face.

“So I gather the trip wasn’t your idea.”

I shake my head, more out of irritation with Mandy for
coming up with her grand plan than out of need to confirm Kellan’s statement.
“I’m just doing my best friend a favor. If it were up to me, I would have sold
the tickets and enjoyed this road trip, but Mandy is a big fan. She’s like a
sister to me. And then there’s my job.” He glances at me, and I feel the need
to clarify. “I’ve been offered an investigative position with a business
magazine. That’s been my dream for ages. But it’s demanding work. There won’t
be much time left for friends and family. Mandy had it all sorted out, you
know, see a bit of the world before we get stuck behind a desk for the rest of
our lives, so I went along with her plan.”

“Sounds like an optimistic outlook. What happened?”

I grimace. “She took a shortcut.”

“In the middle of a storm? In your old car?” He sounds
incredulous, which is an understandable reaction, given that he doesn’t know
Mandy, or how durable my car was…before we entered Montana and the engine
failed.

“In her defense, I’ll have to stress that it wasn’t raining
when she decided to cut through God knows where. But she definitely knew that a
storm was on the way.” I cannot help but feel a bit defensive of her.

“Now you’re stuck here.” Kellan stops and turns to regard
me. To my surprise, I find that his smile is genuine, maybe even kind, as
though he understands that the trip hasn’t been a pleasant experience so far.

It’s been scary and dangerous and pretty unpredictable.

Just like him.

Kellan reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from my
face. The gesture is slow and innocent, but because he’s standing so close, it
almost feels intimate.

“I’m glad we met again,” he says.

“Yeah?” I frown. My voice is low and slightly hoarse,
probably from the cold wind that’s left a cotton ball sensation in my mouth.

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m just surprised. After all, you didn’t seem particularly
happy to see me.”

“I might have overreacted a bit.”

“Well, I put a dent in your precious Lamborghini.”

He lets out a laugh. “Yeah, you did, but it’s just a car. I
guess I’ll survive the shock.” Another gust of wind. It’s so strong, it almost
knocks me over. Kellan wraps his hands around my waist to steady me.

The gesture is too intimate.

I take a step back to put some distance between us. “What
are you doing here, Kellan?”

He frowns. “I grew up here. I enjoy the countryside. Don’t
you?”

“It’s not so bad.”

“No?” The skin around his beautiful green eyes crinkles, and
his expression softens even more. “So you’re not such a big city girl after
all.”

Which is kind of not true.

I am a city girl. I love shops. For the life of me, I cannot
imagine living far away from civilization.

However, my mouth clamps shut.

It’s the nicest thing he’s ever said to me. His words please
me, probably because he’s been a jerk so far.

He’s warming up to me. For the first time, I’m enjoying our
conversation. He sounds like a decent guy when he’s not trying to rip off my
clothes with his spectacular eyes or verbally bring me to orgasm.

Or so I think…until he turns around and starts walking,
calling over his shoulder, “Well, let’s see how much you can handle. It’ll be
interesting to see if you still think the same once the farm work begins. Now,
let’s hurry, woman, before the next storm catches us and we have to spend the
night in the barn, naked and huddled together for warmth.”

“You didn’t just say that.” I lunge forward to smack his
shoulder, but he’s faster, almost two steps ahead of me. “Speaking of farm
work, where are we going?”

He throws me a glance over his shoulder. “Why are you
asking? Are your feet hurting? Do you already need me to carry you?”

My chin juts out defiantly. “No. I can perfectly carry
myself. Thank you.”

That’s so not true.

“It’s not too far. We’re almost there.” He grins and then we
walk some more.

He remains silent as we ascend the hill. Once we stop, I see
what he’s so excited about.

At the foot of the hill is a huge barn with open fields to
either side. A tall fence stretches around it. The red-painted wood panels
build a beautiful contrast to the gray-blue sky and the dark woods behind it.

Woods the color of a storm intermingled with magic.

Just like Kellan’s eyes.

A tingle shoots through my abdomen, settling in a delicious
pull between my legs. Suddenly I’m reminded that I haven’t been laid in way too
long, and all I want is for him to touch me.

Oh, fuck, what is it with this guy and my sexual attraction
to him?

It’s not like I haven’t been attracted to others before. It
must be the setting—cut off from the world with what looks like a guy who
knows how to survive out here. It’s all so primeval, it probably talks to me on
a primitive level.

I roll my eyes at the strange direction my imagination’s
taking and recall the chick-magnet sports car he drove back in NYC.

Primeval, my ass.

Kellan is a player who’s probably had more dips in the
dating pool than there are fish in the sea.

That’s
what
attracts me to him. He’s standoffish, bordering on rude.

Taming the bad boy is probably every woman’s secret fantasy,
and I’m most certainly no exception. But my head’s screwed on pretty tightly.
He’s more Mandy’s caliber anyway.

Whatever happens, I’m not going to let him sink his hook
into me—even though I know I might have trouble stopping myself from
thinking about it whenever he’s around—particularly after three months of
obsessing over him and seeing him taking care of himself.

“Still want to help?” Kellan asks as we reach the barn.

I stare at the bright, red-painted building with white trim.
Up on the hill, the barn looked big, but standing in front of it, it looks huge—much
larger than his house, almost as large as an airplane hangar. I definitely know
now what he meant when he said I’d need extra energy.

The hike has already drained me, and we haven’t even started
work yet—whatever that may entail.

God, a waffle would be delicious.

In spite of the mud caking my boots and my aching muscles, I
set my jaw and peer all the way up into his striking green eyes. “What do you
think?”

A soft smile tugs at his lips, and his brows shoot up with
what I
know
is the slightest hint of
admiration. The knowledge makes me smile, proud of myself. Kellan’s still
looking at me, and for a moment, he opens his mouth, as though to say
something, but swiftly changes his mind.

“We’ll have to inspect the damage first,” he says casually,
turning away from me. “Storms around here aren’t particularly kind.”

I nod, even though this is news to me.

He continues, “Do you really want to help?” I nod my head,
and his gorgeous smile widens a little. “Okay. Then stay close to me and don’t
do anything rash.”

I frown because I’ve no idea what the hell he’s talking
about. What could I possibly do rashly?

But there’s no time for asking because Kellan takes off. I
follow behind, watching him as he opens the main door to the barn, the muscles
straining his shirt. The tendons in his forearms flex and stretch while a sexy
groan swooshes past his lips.

At last, the door opens with a groan, and he motions me
inside.

The interior is divided into huge stalls with top and bottom
opening doors and halls to the left and right. To my left, there are cows. On
the right, there are stalls with horses. At the far end, there’s the storage
area where he keeps the feed and the hay. Dust is flying as we walk.

 
“The barn’s over
one hundred years old,” Kellan says. “The land has belonged to my family for
generations.”

“Wow,” I say, impressed, and peer up, spinning in a slow
circle.

The morning light is spilling in through the high windows,
and the pungent scent of hay, dust, and manure hits my nostrils. It doesn’t
smell bad, just earthy—different from the city.

I keep close to him as he opens the stalls and inspects one
horse after another, then guides them outside with a smack on their haunches.

I don’t know much about horses, but these ones are huge and
well groomed. Even I can tell that Kellan takes great care of them.

“Are you afraid of them?” Kellan asks.

“What? No.”

It’s not the entire truth. I’m not afraid of horses, per se.

But these look like something out of a gladiator
arena—the kind that could trample you to death.

“Good. Maybe I’ll teach you to ride them, if you’re up for
it.”

“What makes you think I cannot ride?” I ask in a bold moment.

He cocks his head, his eyes running over my body. “I can
tell.”

I don’t bother with a reply. There’s no point in telling him
that he’s wrong because he isn’t.

But damn, coming out of his mouth, I never know whether to
feel insulted or not.

For what feels like an eternity, he works in silence,
swiftly moving from stall to stall, inspecting the wood panels and the large
windows, opening more doors, refilling food. An hour later, he’s done,
seemingly pleased, and we head back outside.

“This is it?” I ask. It wasn’t so bad.

“No, we still have to take a look at the bulls. Their barn’s
about a mile away.”

A mile?

I’m not sure my legs can carry me that far, and yet I force
a smile to my lips. “Sure.” I point at the barn. “Shouldn’t we do a bit of
cleaning first?”

“I don’t usually have my guests cleaning out the stalls,
unless they ask me to.” He winks, and my breath hitches in my throat.

In the sunlight he’s so gorgeous, it’s unreal. His green
eyes seem to catch and reflect the golden light. The wind ruffles his hair,
blowing a strand into his eyes. I want to brush it aside, but refrain from
doing so.