Page 9 of Daddy's Grumpy Cowboy
“I need you to shut your face,” Erin whines, pouting into her cushion.
Miming zipping my lips, I tip my head to my brother and make my escape. Erin is not a happy hungover person, but I mean, who can blame her? We aren’t in our twenties anymore so getting a little too tipsy hurts a helluva lot more in the morning than it used to.
And sure, it’s after lunchtime, but anything before 3 pm is the morning when you’re hungover as fuck.
The weather is pretty fucking phenomenal out today with the sky bright blue and slightly cloudy. There’s a decent cool breeze that floats around just often enough to take the bite out of the sun’s heat too, which will hopefully make hiking much less sweaty.
Having already dressed in my cargo shorts, hiking shoes, and T-shirt, I strap my little bag to my back and head over to the meeting point. I’ve got a little first aid kit, a knife, and a water bottle in there just in case.
I’m not too bummed about Abel and Erin skipping out on this but I’m even less bummed when I notice who’s waiting for me.
“Well, well, well,” I tease, approaching Caleb from behind. “Did I luck out and get the hottest tour guide in the world or do you just happen to be standing here?”
When he spins around to meet me, I grin. Under the shade of his cowboy hat, I can’t tell if he’s blushing or a little red from the sun. Either way, I like that pink shade on his freckled cheeks.
“I’m your guide,” he answers, voice husking on every word. “Where’s your brother?”
“Helping his wife nurse a nasty hangover,” I answer honestly. “They’ve abandoned me to sit around the TV and recover. How rude, huh?”
I get half a chuckle out of him before he dims his smile, returning to his attempt at a grumpy demeanor. I have no doubts that he’s able to be closed off easily with other people, pushing them away with sarcasm and bored expressions, but not with me. Even the grumpiest of the grumps can’t withstand my sunshiney nature.
“I’ve done this hike before,” I tell him. “Last year, were you not doing them then?”
He shakes his head. “I only do them when someone else can’t.”
“Why not?”
Caleb shrugs those broad shoulders. “Not really the tour guide type, people find me off-putting and unapproachable.”
Well, that’s not very nice.
“I find you very approachable and not the least bit off-putting,” I note sincerely.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
And you aren’t complaining, now are you, cowboy?
“You ready?” he grunts the question.
For an hour of being alone with you? Hell yeah, I’m ready.
Smirking, I nod to the path nearby. “Lead the way, stud.”
Halfway into the hike, Caleb starts to swear. It’s not profusely or anything overly noticeable, but it’s catching my eye for sure. The way the dew beads ever so slightly on the back of his sun-kissed neck… fuck, it’s obscenely sexy. All I can picture is dotting my lips around the thick space, peppering him with kisses while he moans before silencing him with a salty kiss.
Unfortunately, staring at him and thinking about him like this is making my dick hard. So hard that it hurts and I would love to know how he feels about kissing it to make it better. I mean, he’s responsible for it, so he should tend to it, no?
“So, are you gay?” I ask casually, sipping on a bit of water as the altitude begins to get higher.
Caleb’s eyebrows jump to his hairline and he coughs in surprise. “You just say whatever is on your mind, don’t ya?”
“Oh I have a filter,” I assure him. “Trust me, I’m keeping the truly unhinged stuff locked up.” For now, anyway.
Unable to help himself, he chuckles and sways his head from side to side. “Yes, I’m gay.”
“Me too,” I reply smiling. “There were rumors there for a while that I’m bisexual and my brother and I share his wife, but I assure you, that is not the case.”
I couldn’t handle Erin even if I was into women. She is chaos personified and I need to be the ridiculous one in my relationships. No one should steal my thunder and be more goofy than me, it would be a catastrophe for my attention-loving brain.