Page 2 of Labor of Love

“Always, sweet girl.” And there he goes with the childhood nickname.

“Sweet?” It’s not like I’ve been sweet since he’s returned home.

“Okay, you’ve hit me with a dose of spice since we’ve started hanging out.” His thumb rubs back and forth on my outer thigh.

I need release pronto. Not that we’ve gone far. Timing hasn’t been on our side.

Stetson and I have collected countless late-night chats in his family’s living room. I don’t remember half of what we talked about the first few nights. All I remember are his grey sweatpants and the way his abs looked in the reflection of the TV light. He listened and cared about my day, made me laugh harder than anyone could, and for the first time, he hadn’t treated me like his little sister’s best friend.

“Did you really leave Parker’s birthday to see me?”

“Like I said, everyone was getting wasted, and that’s not my scene.” He shrugs. “They probably won’t even remember most of tonight anyway.” His calloused hand laces with mine, and we set off under the West Texas sky. “Tell me more about your night.”

“The ladies realized painting a goat wasn’t as difficult when I showed them how to use the grid method.” Painting has been a sanctuary for me, and hosting paint night parties has helped bring the community together.

“I love how you've made a career out of your passion.”

This man.

“Back at ya, Mr. I Ride Bulls For A Living.” But his is anything but relaxing.

“Layla, your passion gives back. Your art makes people feel.” Stetson smiles, my heart nearly bursting. “People trust you enough to commission portraits of their beloved animals.” Pausing, he looks out at the setting sun. “The love you put into what you do is admirable.”

Falling this hard for my best friend’s brother is dangerous—his future is up in the air. I’m thankful for the memories we’ve made over his time back home. An unsettling feeling that we aren’t even dating hits me. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. Once the doctors clear him, he’ll be right back out there on the circuit.

But no matter how this ends, he’ll take part of me with him.

“What’s tonight’s adventure?” I ask, changing the subject.

“A surprise.” He turns into the driveway but veers off with a smile that I match. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Once he parks at the ridge of his family’s property, Stetson opens his door, and I hop out. I’m too eager to wait for him to open mine. Following him to the back, he opens the liftgate door. The third-row bench is removed, replaced by a mattress with cozy blankets and pillows. A little cooler is off to the side, and fairy string lights hang, waiting to be brought to life.

“Are we…camping?” Finally, a night with no worries about someone catching me straddling him during a heated make-out session at two in the morning.

This sounds fan-fucking-tastic.

“We haven’t stargazed in years,” he says, and I can see the thought he put into this. It was a regular occurrence to lie on the trampoline until we were told it was past bedtime.

“It’s perfect, Stetson.” Taking his hand, he helps me climb into the back, and I remove my flip-flops.

“This time, it’s a cozier setting.” He kicks off his shoes and climbs in with me. “Though, the string lights might interfere with seeing the stars.”

“Agreed, but they’re cute.” And romantic...My stomach growls, which is anything but. “Did you bring snacks?”

“I picked out something special from the bakery.” With a grin, he reaches into the cooler. A plastic container of chocolate-covered strawberries greets me, and my mouth pops open with an excited gasp. “I was hoping that would be your reaction.”

“The most perfect night of my life,” I say with a sigh. He holds the strawberry to my mouth. “Mmm.” Sweet fruit lights up my senses, and I can’t help but moan. “Delicious.”

There’s heat in his gaze that sends an electric current straight to my clit.

“Hearing you moan over food makes me want to make a living out of feeding you.”

“Definitely time for a career shift.” I giggle, but to be honest, there’s a hell of a lot of truth behind it. Everyone seems to be steering clear of his return to rodeo.

“I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t crossed my mind, sweet girl.”

His confession has my heart stuttering.