Page 3 of Laken's longing

I know.

Laken pinched the bridge of his nose, his steps dragging at the sight of the lit up cabin he shared with Isley. He had more pressing things on his mind than having a pointless conversation with his animal side, who had an opinion on everything to do with that tiny devil these days.

It’s because you aren’t listening to reason.

Whatever.

His work boots dragged on the wooden stairs like he’d aged in the space of the last two minutes at thoughts of facing thetiny terror. He whimpered under his breath as his thigh muscles protested the journey to the top step. A scowl formed as he entered the minute cabin. The stink of horses clung to his sweat stained clothes, his irritation level creeping up to an all-time high at the sound of water running in the shared bathroom. He was glad that the week was almost done, he wasn’t sure how much more he could tolerate.

His mood plummeted further as he dragged his weary ass towards the beds that looked to have been pushed closer together. His gray eyes hardened as they measured the space between the single beds that hardly managed to hold his six-four frame.

“What did I do to deserve this?” The urge to kick the bed until it was against the wall was resisted when all that would do is block the door. Instead, he half stomped, half limped to the bathroom door to pound on it.

“Hurry up, I need a shower,” he ground out.

“I got here first!” Isley shouted back. “You’ll wait your turn.”

The snarl he aimed at the door was entirely pointless, but it made him feel marginally better. It didn’t last when, on his next breath, he inhaled Isley’s citrus scent, which had an undertone of cinnamon. It was everywhere, seeping into his pores until it drowned out every other scent. Laken smelt it clinging to his skin. When Isley showered, it was so much worse. Having that wet, naked skin within a few feet of him was fucking intoxicating. It drove him nuts. Made his cock throb. He hated it. It was maddening when it said he was also getting hit by some romantic shit he didn’t want or need in his life. He also didn’t want to be like his brothers. When was it going to end? When they were all mated to their PAs?

A shudder ran through him, but it wasn’t all fear, and that scared him more than anything when his past was never too far from his thoughts of late. The press were digging into all of theirlives. Taylin had taken most of the flak, to an extent. It wouldn’t last, and Laken had heard Isley talk about his ‘perfect parents’. They wouldn’t want a throw away like him with their son, with more shade than a lamp in his past.

You did those things so we could survive.

He didn’t need reminding.It doesn’t make them any less seedy. You know there’s enough dirt out there on us to bury us in a big fucking hole. Those pictures they took when…

Laken had to swallow hard past the lump that formed in his throat while a thin layer of sweat coated his skin, sending chills through him despite the warmth in the cabin. It didn’t matter how respectable he was now, it didn’t change the fact he was once a prostitute.

Isley will understand—

Don’t. Just don’t.

He limped to the bed on the farthest side of the small room and plonked down on the too soft mattress. The frame squeaked and his knees knocked against Isley’s bed, his fragrance making it impossible for Laken to take an untainted breath. His nose filled with the scent, pissing him off even more.

He placed his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands, working on not breathing too deeply.

Only one more night.

Only one more night.

Only one more fucking night.

You can do this.

He wasn’t so fucking certain anymore, when his animal side was persistent in its demands that he didn’t want to be just work colleagues with Isley. The more barricades he put up, the more Isley worked to remove them with his sweet nature. A smile that could melt butter, a sunny disposition and an inquiring mind that challenged Laken in a good way. Add in his stellar work ethic, and Laken was fucking doomed.

No, I’m not,he assured himself for the thousandth time since Isley had become his permanent PA. Laken laid the blame for this at Hollis’s feet. He had been fine with the way things were before Hollis had switched everything around.

“It had worked fine!” he groused quietly, aware of how good Isley’s hearing was.

In a moment of weakness, he could acknowledge his problem stemmed from his admiration of men who worked hard. He valued this trait far more than good looks and blow job lips. He wasn’t Jupiter! Only, Isley was also extremely attractive and had those gorgeous blow job lips.

Fucking hopeless!

The sound of the water shutting off didn’t fill him with joy but trepidation, despite his desperate need to get clean. The thoughts in his head drifted off to the temptation of wet skin, flushed and smelling like a summer garden, all on their damned own, leaving him much too close to losing his grip on his control. Working in the office fortified his ability to use and manage his professional boundaries, though manage might not be the correct choice of word. Surviving was more like it.

Being on the ranch, everything felt loose, like a piece of thread unravelling a beautiful garment. He felt out of control, and that wasn’t at all helped by the fact that the far too tempting sugar glider was about to appear wearing next to nothing.

Laken ran his hands over his face, tugging at his beard and willing himself to keep quiet when the door opened. A cloud of billowing, scented steam wafted into the room. His body responded, uncaring how tired his muscles were. One muscle was more than up for the challenge.