Mudding is the perfect way to de-stress. I still can't believe Kayla has never been mudding. I thought it was a rite of passage for every Texas teenager, even those living in the city.
"What? I spent my free time working with my dad. Instead of football games, I would attend business dinners, and instead of school dances, I went to charity galas and networked."
It's not the first time I’ve realized how far apart our worlds are. But today is about having fun, so I push it away once again and try not to think about it.
"Well, this place is on Jason's family ranch. Many of us would come up here on weekends and hang out with them. They had a shower in their barn and we used it, and then his mom would feed us dinner on the back porch before we went home."
"That sounds perfect," she sighs, a faraway look in her eyes.
I pull up at the ranch and pass Jason's parents’ place. His mom waves from the porch, so I slow and put my window down.
"How's Bill?" she asks.
"I got the call this morning that he woke up, so things are good. He’ll stay a few days in the hospital before he heads home. After he heals, he’ll need some physical therapy before he’s back to full speed," I tell Helen.
She rests a hand on her belly and lets out a sigh of relief."It's every ranch wife's nightmare, you know," she tells us with a frown. Waving us off, she adds, "You kids have fun."
I continue to the mudding pit that is set up near the creek. When we get there, Jason and his brother already have the four-wheelers out and music going.
When I park, Jason meets us. "Mom took the kids so we’re all here. The pregnant ladies can sit on the tailgate. Have fun. The yellow one is yours," he says, nodding toward the four-wheelers.
"Ready?" I ask Kayla, turning to see her with a big smile on her face.
One thing I really like about her is that she makes it easy for me to forget everything else so I can just pay attention to her. Right now, I’m focused on the day and the fun ahead.
Hunter and Megan are already covered in mud, and Jason and Ella are getting ready to go in. Lilly and Mike are here, as are Maggie and Nick, and Blaze and Riley. It will be a fun day.
"Guys drive first, then we’ll switch and let you girls have a bit of fun," I tell her, taking her hand as I lead her to the four-wheeler Jason said we could use.
I swing a leg over and start it up, but Kayla just stands there staring.
"Come on, City Girl. Don't chicken out on me now."
She hesitantly climbs on behind me and lightly places her hands on my hips.
"You need to hold on tighter than that." I pull her arms tight around me. I’m not going to lie, a big draw of mudding today was to get her arms around me and her chest pressed against my back. I really can't wait until we switch, and I can wrap my arms around her.
She holds on tight, and we take off. I start slowly, letting her get used to it, but once I feel her relax a bit, I speed up. When the other guys spray mud our way, she buries her head against my back but is soon laughing nonstop. Every time I look back at her, there’s a big grin on her face. The tension from the last few days fades away by the time the girls are ready for their turn to drive.
Stepping off the four-wheeler, I get my first good look at Kayla. She’s covered in mud, but she looks so damn beautiful. Her smile lights up her face as she takes her seat on the four-wheeler, and I slide in behind her. I don't leave an inch of space as I press my chest to her back and wrap my arms around her.
"Don't go easy on them City Girl, and I’ll have a special reward for you when we get home," I whisper in her ear, and a shiver runs through her body.
Knowing I have that kind of effect on her is a huge turn-on, a fact I don’t hide from her as I press my erection into her back. She freezes for a second, then wiggles against it. That small amount of friction feels so good that I can't hold back a groan.
"Better get a move on," I tell her before I give in to the temptation to drag her back to the truck and take her home to ravish her.
She lets out the sweetest giggle and takes off on the four-wheeler like she's been driving them her whole life. She is slow at first, and everyone seems to be giving her space to learn what she’s doing, but as soon as she sprays Blaze and Riley with mud, it seems all bets are off. By the time the girls call it quits, the sun is starting to set.
"Best go get cleaned up so we can eat dinner. Brice and Kayla, you guys rinse off at the barn by my parents. We’ll take care of the four-wheelers," Blaze says.
"The goal is to get most of the mud off, and we’ll shower back at the house. So make it quick," I tell her.
I let her have the shower stall, but I strip to my boxers behind the barn and use the hose to rinse off. I want to get her home and to myself as quickly as possible. Thankfully, she steps out about the same time I’m done switching out the towels in the truck.
The drive home is quiet, and the entire way she holds my hand. We both know what's coming as we weren't shy about teasing each other today. When I park the truck, I finally look over at her.
"If you want to stop or take a pause, now is the time to do it."