Waking up in Merritt’s bed, he’s lying next to me, watching me sleep and has the sexiest grin on his face. “Morning,” he says through a smile and kisses me.

“Morning. What time is it?”

He grabs his phone and says, “Nine thirty.”

“You been up long?”

“Yeah, for a little while. I handled some fires at work and thought we could get out.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“You ever been horseback riding?”

“No, why?”

“Wanna give it a try today?”

“Merritt, are you a cowboy deep down?” I tease him. “Hidden beneath all those sexy layers is there a man that craves the open range?”

“No, ma’am,” he shakes his head and hops out of bed, completely naked. His ass cheeks flex with every step.

“I’m calling your bluff!” I holler out, and he walks out of his closet only wearing a cowboy hat as he struts to the shower.

“I knew it!”

He smirks over his shoulder at me, getting in the shower, and I step over his hat that he tossed on the floor to follow him.

After a very thorough washing and fucking, I think I might have to skip horseback riding. My pussy is sore from so much sex. He’s an animal; there really are no limits.

On the drive, I ask him, “So, are these horses yours?”

“Kinda. They were my mom’s. They were her pride and joy before she passed.”

“I’m sorry, Merritt, I had no idea she was gone.”

“It’s okay; she passed when I was a teenager. Sometimes, I feel like I know the horses better than I knew her.”

“How did she pass?” I hate to ask but have to know.

“Cancer, it came fast and took her quickly. That’s when my dad changed. Without her, he became a prick. So cold and closed off to the rest of the world. I thought it was his way of grieving and that as time went on it would get better, but it didn’t.”

“Is that also why you didn’t pursue your basketball dreams?”

“It is; I was hoping if we worked together that things would get back to how they used to be…but that never happened. We grew further apart and honestly seeing him with our intern the other night disgusted me. My mom would’ve been appalled had she caught him with someone so young.”

“Well, I’m sure she’d be proud of the man that you’ve become.”

“I hope so, Quinn.”

He pulls down a dirt road. The dust morphs around us, and I can feel the sun heating me through the windshield. We have the air on low, and in Colorado, you wouldn’t imagine running your AC this time of year.

Up ahead is a large barn surrounded by acres and acres of open land. There are quite a few horses all over, and as he parks his car in front of a barn, he says to me, “There they are.”

Looking inside, I see two white horses peering out at us. “The white ones?” I ask and point.

“Yes, ma’am.” He hops out of the car and places his hat on his head. I laugh at his polite Texas boy “ma’am” and follow behind him, loving the way his ass looks in his jeans.

“Merritt!” an older man exclaims, riding up on a horse himself.

“John, how are you, sir?” he asks, and they shake hands.

“Very well, son.”

“Good. This is Quinn, my…” he trails off, introducing me and I jump in, the words spilling from my lips. “Girlfriend, I’m his girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you, John.” The man tips his hat, leaning down to kiss my knuckles as I extend my hand up to him.

“Likewise.” His lips are dry, but I can see there is no harm in the interaction.

Merritt’s eyes are all over me, and I’m sure it’s because of what I just said. We haven’t really spoken much more about what the future looks like, but when I think about it, I want to be his and I want him to be mine. “The girls are all suited up and ready for ya,” John says.

“Great, thank you.”

Then he turns on his horse, and Merritt and I walk into the barn.

“Girlfriend?” he asks me.

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

“No,” he blurts out, “No problem at all.”

The horses are so curious to see us, like two children meeting new friends.

“This is Bell, and this is Tink.”

“Like the Disney characters?”

“Yup, my mom was a huge fan.”

Merritt opens the half door to their stall, and I follow him in. He pets both of their noses, and you can see right away they know him very well, and I stand not sure what to do. He takes my hand and places it on Bell’s nose, her eyes look deep into mine, so trusting and loving. Gently I begin to pet her the way he is.

“Here, touch Tink, too. We’ve gotta see which one you connect with.”

As I stand with both of my hands planted firmly on the horses’ noses, I rub between their eyes and Merritt moves behind me, holding my body close to his.

“What do you think, girls?” he asks talking to the horses. “Really, you sure?”

“What did they say?” I ask, acting concerned as I play along with him.

“They both agreed…that you’re gonna need to ride me.”