Bouquets and Buckles: An Age Gap, Snowed In, Cowboy Romance (Crimson Ridge)
Bouquets and Buckles: Chapter 16

I could die a contented man if I never have to leave this damn bathtub.

The sweetest, most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met is wrapped against my chest, and time feels like it has gone into hibernation while we’ve been soaking in here together.

“Don’t you need to go take care of the horses this morning?” Skylar plays her fingers over my forearm, sending tiny sparks swirling beneath my skin as she does so.

“Already done.”

“What? When?” She tries to tilt her head around to look at me.

“Earlier… I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Oh my god. I could have at least come and helped out, you know.”

I shake my head ruefully, quietly laughing to myself at how pouty she sounds. “Sweetheart, it’s freezing outside, and everything is buried under three feet of snow. I’ve done that routine what feels like a million times, it’s easy for me. The fact I could climb back into bed and have you soft and warm and moaning my name… now that’s the best gift you could give me.”

Skylar makes a little noise, part protest and part embarrassment. Fuck, she’s so cute, the way she starts to squirm.

“I still can’t believe this is real.” Her voice is quiet.

How much do I tell her?

How much do I dare admit?

“Why wouldn’t it be?” My hands roam freely because there’s every chance I’m more than addicted to the way her delicate skin feels beneath my rough palms.

“I didn’t think Lucas Rhodes would ever notice someone like me.”

Fucking hell. If only this girl knew…

“I’ve always noticed you,” I speak against her hair. Sitting like this, it’s impossible to ignore the way she fits so perfectly, nestled into my chest.

“Really?”

“Look… not when you were younger, of course. Not in that kind of way back then.” I’m quick to add, while painfully aware of the fact I now have my son’s best friend naked in my bath.

She can’t help but giggle a little. “It would be way too easy to tease you about that right now.”

Pinching her thigh makes her jump and let out another laugh. The kind of sound that roams straight through my chest, breaking through years of self-imposed guards and walls that have existed there for too damn long along the way.

“Joke all you like, sweetheart, but let’s just make it abundantly clear. I never looked at you that way when you were younger. The reason I always noticed you was because Brad was able to be himself around you.”

I rest my lips against her pink hair, inhaling deep lungfuls of her scent. Shampoo and soap and sweetness that is so undeniably Skylar.

“You know, Brad came out to me when he was about twelve, I think… he asked me if I liked boys as much as I liked girls. If I ever had trouble choosing between the two. Which at the time he asked was outta left field, but we were right in the middle of grooming the horses together, so all we did was chat about it while we worked, and he was just so certain. As a parent, there wasn’t ever a doubt in my mind that he was bisexual. It’s just who Brad is. But I know not every person in the world can see past their own prejudices and bullshit. So I always worried about him. I always worried about who he was hanging out with… and yet, I always knew if the two of you were together, he would be ok.”

A wistful sigh comes out of her. “I don’t want to hurt him, and I don’t want to do anything to mess up your relationship with him either.”

“I know you never would.” This is also why I know this girl will never jeopardize their closeness or friendship, no matter how good it might feel to temporarily indulge in whatever this is together. “It made me sleep better at night knowing he had you as a friend, Skylar.”

“You’re a good dad, you know. The best.”

I groan. “Can you maybe not remind me about that while I’ve got you naked.” Right now, I definitely don’t feel particularly responsible in the father-figure department.

Her silent laughter rolls through her body, making her shake a little against my chest.

“Ok, funny girl, laugh all you like. I’ve told you when I first noticed you.” Dropping my head down, I brush my lips up the side of her neck. “Now you have to confess… when did you first notice me?”

She makes a sinful little noise as my lips explore the side of her throat, and even though Skylar arches her neck to give me more access, her hands fly up to cover her face.

“Ohhhh… it’s like that, is it?” I tease.

Skylar continues to squirm.

I’m enjoying this much more than I should. My dick is, too.

“You can’t torture me on Christmas. That’s not fair.” She whines.

“I think I can. Maybe denying you any more orgasms might work?” My fingers play over her inner thighs, taunting as I dip close to her pussy, without making any contact.

Skylar’s hips try to chase my touch, and I have to stifle a groan. All I want to do is lift her up and settle her back down over my cock, but we both need to actually leave this bathroom and eat something, considering we’ve done nothing but fuck since last night.

“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have hearts in my eyes whenever I saw you.” She twists so that she can meet my gaze, tilting her chin to look up at me. “How you didn’t see that, I’ll never know.”

“You must have been pretty good at hiding these baby blues,” I murmur. Wondering how, in all those years, I never noticed her looking at me like that.

“I would have been nothing more than a silly little girl to your eyes.”

Bringing one hand up out of the water, I tuck her hair behind her ear and brush wet fingers along the softness of her cheek. Once again, I take my time to study her, to look my fill, and really, truly savor looking. To commit to memory the swirling, endless, azure blue-filled orbs with tiny flecks of silver.

“Sweetheart, even if I had noticed back then, it wasn’t my place to look at you…” I brush my thumb along her bottom lip. “But now? I’m selfish and greedy, and I’m gonna want you naked until that snow clears so I can look at you all I like. How does that sound?”

Her teeth catch her bottom lip, and she looks like a goddamn dream.

“As long as I get to do the same with you, cowboy.”