Free Read Novels Online Home

Beautiful Distraction by J.C. Reed (12)

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.

He beats me to it anyway and rakes a hand through his hair, the motion slow and sexy. I look away and wrap my arms around my waist, not because I’m cold but because I need to put something between us, even if the wall is imaginary.

“Can I stroke the horses?” I ask. My glance travels to them. They’re feasting on the grass, their muscular bodies strong and majestic.

“No, but you can ride one, if you want,” Kellan says. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Without waiting for my reply, he grabs my hands and guides me while telling me their names and recalling how he got each one of them.

I try to listen, but all I can think about is his fingers on my skin, the heat of his body, the strength emanating from him.

“This is Brenna,” Kellan says. “She’s the quietest, most patient quarter horse I’ve ever had.”

“She’s beautiful.” I stroke her muzzle, almost expecting Brenna to bite or otherwise express her displeasure. To my surprise, she seems to like it.

“You should ride.”

“I can’t,” I say.

“Can’t or won’t?” Kellan asks.

“I can’t ride,” I say dryly. “You, being the expert, have already figured that out.”

“You’ll pick it up in no time.” He looks up at the sky and frowns. Dark clouds are gathering in the distance, but it doesn’t look like it’ll rain soon. “Wait here while I get a saddle.”

I wait until he’s out of hearing distance before I turn to Brenna. “You seem to know him well. You won’t tell me too that I should sleep with him, will you?” She gives a snorting sound, and I laugh. “Exactly my opinion. He’s hot, but just because someone’s hot, that’s not enough of a reason to bed him.” I reach over the fence to stroke her neck when I notice something moving.

The barking carries over too late.

I turn around the moment Kellan yells from a distance, “Sniper, no!”

But it’s too late. All I see is the blur of a rich black and tan mutt before paws settle on my shoulders and I tumble backward, landing on my backside. The impact is softened by the blanket of mud reaching up to my calves and now covering half of me. But I don’t have time to digest the fact that I’ve just landed on my backside in front of the hottest guy in history – oh, the mortification.

“Sniper, no,” Kellan commands. “Get off her now.”

I stare into the softest brown eyes. Sharp, exposed teeth are barely inches away from my face, but there’s also a pink tongue that hangs out.

“Ava, don’t move,” Kellan whispers, the undercurrents of his voice filled with worry and—

Fear.

From the corner of my eyes, I watch him inch closer very slowly, palms slightly raised, his voice whispering soothing words to the German Shepherd.

Oh, he can’t be serious.

I roll my eyes and struggle to sit up as I push the large dog aside. “Good boy,” I praise and pat his oversized head.

“No, don’t touch him,” Kellan says.

Seriously, he really sounds panicky.

“Why not? He’s such a sweetie.”

And he is.

The dog licks my wrist and leans into me, almost throwing me back into the mud. His enthusiasm and excitement are contagious, and I find myself laughing.

It takes me a while to rise to my feet and look up all the way into Kellan’s eyes. His gaze is strange, filled with a heat so scorching hot it burns my skin.

No one’s ever looked at me like that.

“He likes you,” Kellan says, taken aback. His voice carries a mix of admiration and respect, but his face shows something else. “Do you have a dog?”

“No, my parents never let me have one.” I look at Sniper, who’s jumping up and down, begging me to rub him in his dog language. “Why?”

He shrugs. “I was just wondering. This dog doesn’t like anyone but me.”

“And me.” I run my hands through Sniper’s coat, then begin to rub his ears.

“It took me half a year to get him to let me touch him,” Kellan remarks, watching me with a strange expression. “He’s a military dog with PTSD. I adopted him. So no, it’s not normal.”

“Everyone likes me,” I mumble.

His brow shoots up, his usual arrogance returning. “Not everyone.”

His statement hits me like a slap in the face. My head snaps to him. “What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs and moves closer. His fingers curl around my upper arm, and before I know it, I’m back up on my feet again, Sniper instantly forgotten.

Kellan’s standing close, looking down at me, his hot breath warming my lips.

“I don’t like you,” he whispers, his expression dark, his eyes hooded.

What. The. Fuck?

As I stare at him, I realize he’s probably jealous.

Jealous that his dog likes me.

“Are you always this blunt?” I shake my head and yank my arm out of his grip. “Wait, don’t answer that. I think I know the answer.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

The air around us seems to have cooled down a few degrees.

What’s with this guy, blowing all hot and cold? Why can’t he just be like a normal human being and at least pretend to be charming until he’s deceived his way into my panties?

“I don’t like you either,” I say and turn around to leave. His grip on my arm holds me back.

“Ava?”

“What?” I snap at him for no reason. It’s such an immature reaction, but I can’t help feeling hurt. Hurt that he doesn’t like me. Hurt that he’s jealous when it’s not even my fault. Hurt that he can’t be happy that his dog likes me.

“I don’t like you,” he says again.

“You made that part perfectly clear.”

“No, you don’t understand.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “You’re not unlikeable. I don’t like you because I want you. You should take that as a compliment. The women I didn’t like were always the best lays.”

My mouth opens and closes.

“You’re such an asshole, you know that?” I say through gritted teeth.

“Why? Because I just told you that I want you?”

“No, because you’re implying that I could be just another one of your conquests. That’s all I am for you, right?” My eyes are ablaze as I step forward and poke a finger into his hard chest. “Did you ever ask those women whether they liked you?”

He steps back and smiles at me, the kind of smile I wish I could smack right off his face. ”No need to. Their screams always said it all.”

With that, he heads back to the horses, whistling for Sniper to follow after him. The dog doesn’t. Panting, he sits on his haunches and looks up at me, waiting.

“Now, that’s a good boy,” I say, smiling, and pat his head. “I don’t like him. And I bet you don’t like him either.”

Search

Search

Friend:

Popular Free Online Books

Read books online free novels

Hot Authors

Sam Crescent, Zoe Chant, Mia Madison, Flora Ferrari, Lexy Timms, Alexa Riley, Claire Adams, Sophie Stern, Amy Brent, Elizabeth Lennox, Leslie North, Frankie Love, Jenika Snow, C.M. Steele, Madison Faye, Jordan Silver, Mia Ford, Kathi S. Barton, Michelle Love, Delilah Devlin, Bella Forrest, Alexis Angel, Dale Mayer, Amelia Jade, Eve Langlais,

Random Novels

Baz (CAOS MC Book 5) by KB Winters

The Perilous In-Between (The Chuzzlewit Chronicles Book 1) by Cortney Pearson

True Love (Love Collection Book 2) by Natalie Ann

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

Committed (Rockstar Romance) (Lost in Oblivion, 3.7) by Cari Quinn, Taryn Elliott

Tempted by the Wolf: A Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Romance (True Mates Book 6) by Alicia Montgomery

Those Whose Hearts (Vampire Assassin League Book 34) by Jackie Ivie

Beautiful Potential: A Contemporary Romance Novel by J. Saman

The Wild by K Webster

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Ashes (Men of Hidden Creek Book 1) by HJ Welch

Godspeed (Earls of East Anglia Book 2) by Kathryn Le Veque

Burned (Viking Bastards MC) by Christina Phillips

Strum Me: A Rockstar Romance (Rock Chamber Boys Book 2) by Daisy Allen

Silent Love: Part 3 (Forbidden Series) by Kenadee Bryant

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

Dark Wish (The Starlight Gods Series Book 1) by Yumoyori Wilson

The Phoenix Project by Jacquelyn Frank

Gage (The Player Book 6) by Nana Malone

Refrain (Stereo Hearts Book 3) by Trevion Burns