The days had begun running together since Sloane had started staying with me. I no longer remembered them by their titles, but rather in terms of what we’d done. Monday was sixty-nine in the library; Tuesday was ice play in the kitchen; Wednesday was blow job under my desk. If I had a different sexual situation every day for the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly fucking happy.
Today, the day before Christmas Eve—also known as woke Sloane with my tongue in her pussy—the estate was almost eerie in its silence. The full staff I’d hired for the mansion were off with their families, and the additional employees working on the mixed-use facility were on vacation until after the new year. Which meant it was just Sloane and me.
Exactly what I wanted.
I checked my phone to verify our evening plans before glancing at my watch. We needed to leave in thirty minutes to make it to Silver Quarter Farm by the designated time I’d set up with Grady. Recalling something Sloane had said months prior about her love for horses, I’d called in a favor to arrange for exclusive use of the property. Grady wasn’t too happy about it. Though, to be fair, I hadn’t found anything he was happy about at all in the years I’d known him.
After shutting off my laptop, I walked across the hall to Sloane’s office. There she sat, her hair pulled back in a bun, sexy as hell glasses perched on her nose. She still wore her suit jacket, beneath it a bright red camisole I knew to be nearly as soft as her skin. I knew because I’d slipped it off her this morning as soon as she’d put it on and then dragged her back to bed.
She stared at something on her laptop, pen bouncing on her full lower lip. It was the same sight I’d seen a hundred times before, and it never failed to turn me on. In everything she did, she commanded the room, and it was hot as fuck. Especially when she relinquished that control in the bedroom.
I leaned against the doorjamb, my hands in my pockets, suit jacket hanging over my forearm. “Didn’t you get the memo, Ms. McLaren?”
Her head shot up, her lips parted in surprise. She did a quick scan of me, letting her eyes drop to take in every inch. Many inches perked up when her gaze rested near my zipper. Then she met my eyes. “What memo?”
“It’s quitting time.”
“Colin.” There was a note of exasperation in her tone. “It’s barely six o’clock.”
“I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but in most places, five is actually when people call it a day.”
“Your office has never worked on the same rules as most places.”
“Your dedication is duly noted and will be reflected in your next review. Now finish up and get your sweet ass over here. I want to take you somewhere.”
“But…” Her brows drew down. “I thought George was off for the holiday.”
“He is. I do know how to drive, spitfire. I think I can manage it.”
“Fine. But I’m working tomorrow whether you like it or not. We still don’t have steel at the port.” She stood, smoothing her skirt as she walked toward me…didn’t stop until she pressed her soft curves against me. Jesus, I wanted to fuck her against the doorway. Wanted to say screw the plans, no matter the thousands of dollars I’d spent on the evening, just so I could get inside her pussy. Again.
“Do I at least have time to change?”
I reached down and gripped her ass, hauling her up even higher than she stood in those hot-as-hell heels. With a hand cupping the back of her head, I kissed her, sliding my tongue against hers without preamble. Groaning when she met me stroke for stroke. Groaning even louder when her moan got lost in my mouth.
I finally forced myself to pull back. “You can change. Just wear panties you won’t mind me ripping off later.”
“Always so demanding.”
“You love it.”
Though she didn’t respond, her answering smile said everything I needed to hear.
Sloane wasn’t good with surprises. That much was clear as we traversed the short route to the northern tip of the island. Though that wasn’t a shock. She liked being in control and was no doubt feeling itchy as she sat in the passenger’s seat. She’d asked a dozen times where we were going. When I’d refused to tell her, she’d sent me a glare that would’ve had the balls of lesser men shriveling in their pants. Unfortunately for her, that glare had the opposite effect on me, my cock hard and begging for some of that aggression.
“Why can’t you just tell me where we’re going?”
“Why can’t you just sit there, look pretty, and wait for me to show you?”
“Sit still and look pretty isn’t really my style.”
I slid her a look out of the corner of my eye. “Humor me.”
Snow had begun to fall, just a light dusting but enough to make the drive take longer than planned. Even so, we were only five minutes away. And as far as I could tell from the crease between her brows, she had no idea where we were headed.
“You passed the bridge.” She gestured out the window.
“I’m aware.”
“If we’re not going into the city, where are we headed? There’s hardly any island left, unless your intention is to drive us into the lake.”
“Jesus, woman. Would you just wait for your Christmas present to come into view?”
She spun toward me, her eyes bright. “You got me a present?”
“Yes. Now stop ruining it.” I brought our clasped hands to my mouth and pressed a kiss against her hand.
Now that she knew this was her present, her excitement was palpable, her gaze darting around as she tried to puzzle out where we were going.
When I pulled off on the winding road that led to Grady’s farm, her eyes widened, her gaze catching the large sign proclaiming Silver Quarter Farm. “You’re taking me to…a horse farm?”
I glanced over as I entered the code on the gate, hoping the tone present in her voice was awe and not disgust. An evening at a farm wasn’t a typical gift, but then again, Sloane wasn’t a typical woman. “Not just any farm. The only Foundation Quarter Horse breeder in the state. There are stallions with Oklahoma Star and Three Bars lineage in that barn.” Once the gates opened, I drove us another quarter mile down the path toward where Grady would be waiting. “They should have everything set up and ready for us.”
“How…” She shook her head. “Colin, how did you manage this? I didn’t even know there were horses on the island.”
“Good thing you have me along, then.” I shot her a wink as I pulled up and parked, glimpsing Grady and another man standing next to a horse-drawn carriage piled high with blankets, the canopy strung with twinkling white lights.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, then the men caught her attention. “Who’re they?”
“The grumpy fuck on the right is Grady Drake, owner of the horse farm and the guy I sold my balls to to make this happen.”
“Really?” She reached over to rub my cock through my pants, sassy smile on her face. My feisty girl. “Huh, they certainly seem to be attached.”
“If you want to go on the tour and the carriage ride, you’d better stop.” I held her hand against my quickly hardening cock. “Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for what I do. Even if they’re watching.”
“Fine.” She leaned over and kissed me. “But I’m going to want to get up close and personal later. Make sure your balls are still intact.”
“I would expect nothing less.” Once out of the car, I strolled to her side, offering my hand to help her out. With her tucked into my side to absorb some of the chill of the night, we walked the short distance to where the two men were standing.
“You’re late.” Grady stood with his arms crossed, just a flannel covering his upper body. Apparently, the cold didn’t affect jackasses. Between his plaid shirt and his full beard, he looked more like a lumberjack than a billionaire.
I shrugged. “You get paid either way.”
“Paid, yes. Standing out here in the cold, I’m not fond of.” He glanced at Sloane, a move that had me pulling her closer. “So you’re the infamous Sloane McLaren.”
“I’m not sure I’d go with infamous, but yes. I’m Sloane.”
“I pictured you as some intellectual type. Can’t be too smart if you’re hooked up with this asshole.”
I checked my watch. “Not even two minutes, and I already want to strangle you. I think that’s a record.”
“So, you two have a really warm relationship, then,” Sloane said. “How’d you meet, anyway?”
“We own a resort in the Caribbean with another partner. Grady’s the one who told me about the mall property for sale.”
“And now that we’ve gone down memory lane, are you ready to get this evening started?” Grady asked. “My balls are about to shrivel up from the cold.”
I leaned closer to Sloane, not bothering to lower my voice. “It’s past his bedtime, so he’s exceptionally pissy. But if you want to ask him anything about running the farm, he’s happy to answer.”
“I said I’d answer three questions. Three.”
“For as much as I’m paying you, you should write her a damn book.”
“For as much of my time as you’re taking up, you should—”
“Okay, boys.” Sloane patted my chest as she looked at Grady. “I appreciate the offer, and I’d love to take you up on that. May I email you after the new year? Give myself time to think about what I want to ask.”
Grady grunted. “Fine.”
The other man standing off to the side cleared his throat, getting our attention. “If you’re ready, sir, I’ll be your coachman this evening. I’ve got everything you requested prepared and in the carriage.”
I squeezed Sloane’s hip. “You ready?”
“Of course.” She nodded to Grady. “It was nice to meet you. I look forward to speaking with you again.”
Without another glance to Grady, I led Sloane to the carriage and held her hand as she climbed inside. Waiting for us was exactly what I’d requested—lots of blankets, spiked hot chocolate, and extra mittens and a hat in case Sloane hadn’t brought hers.
I grabbed one of the thermoses and handed it to her before taking mine and settling back in the seat, my arm across her shoulders. “Can’t have a carriage ride without hot chocolate.” I brought my lips to her ear. “Plus a little something extra to make sure I get lucky tonight.”
She tilted her head back, her smile lighting up her whole face. “I never realized that wasn’t a sure thing.”
“I didn’t become a billionaire by counting on a sure thing.”
It was a perfect night for this—the temperature hovered at thirty degrees, making it comfortable under all our gear and blankets. Snow fell softly, giving the whole ride an ethereal quality I couldn’t have paid for. And then there was the company. Sloane’s interest never waned as the coachman took us down several paths, pointing out the stables we’d tour later. After a while, he brought us to the edge of the property—a high point that overlooked the lake—and then took his leave to give us a bit of privacy.
I pulled Sloane into my side as she stared at the view, mouth parted. Resting my lips against her temple, I asked, “So how’d I do on the whole Christmas present thing?”
She shook her head, then looked up at me. “Amazing. I can’t believe you did all this.”
I shrugged. Honestly, I wished I could’ve done more. “You mentioned how much you loved horseback rides. I know there’s a little more snow than you’re used to, but I wanted to make sure you spent the holiday happy since you’re stuck here with me.”
“I wouldn’t say stuck.” She slid her hand inside my coat, resting it over my stomach. “I can’t believe you remembered what I said. That was…what? My first week on the island? You asked my holiday plans, and I was feeling nostalgic. I assumed you’d forgotten.”
“From anyone else, I probably would’ve.”
She hugged me closer, and I couldn’t resist anymore. I leaned down and kissed her, letting my hand slip under the wool coat and sweater she wore. Wanting to strip her down right there or take her home and have my way with her. But there was more in store, and I wanted her to experience it all.
After the coachman took us back to the stables, we toured the farm by foot, Sloane’s eyes lighting up with every new thing revealed. Her entire demeanor changed—going from in-charge, hardass Sloane to inquisitive, excited Sloane. Both were amazing, but she seemed so happy here. I loved the other part of her, the commanding version I saw in the office, but there was something to be said about this softer side of her. Something I wanted to see a lot more of.
But Sloane was a contracted employee, only with me until the mixed-use facility was complete. And then she’d be on her way to other projects, kicking ass and taking names.
The problem was, I wanted her by my side for the foreseeable future—not just working for me, but being with me.
And, if I was honest with myself, I wanted her for the not-so-foreseeable future, too. I wanted her as long as she’d have me.