As Eris kept rattling off thoughts about plants, and what she believed would make the maze even more amazing, he studied the way her long hair draped down her back. The way her leggings fit her snugly today, and how she had opted for light sneakers over her boots after going riding. She had a baseball cap on to shield her eyes from the sun, and they never had found the sunglasses she’d lost.
He studied every little detail of her, wondering if he’d have to find a way to bring her back to the Ranch again. Maybe he could go and see her in Virginia, but he didn’t know how she’d feel about him appearing in her life out there either. For all he knew, and he wished he knew more, Eris might want to keep her everyday life and her time at the Ranch separate.
They had been out there for close to an hour, wandering between the trees, when he finally spotted someone else in the area. As they got closer, stepping out of the thick of the trees, he wasn’t all that surprised to see Lucas.
Lucas nodded as he approached, and Gabriel vaguely recalled his lack of interest with in-person meetings. He knew how Lucas felt about flowers; they weren’t his favorite, but they were part of the Ranch life, and as the designer behind the maze he had to deal with an assortment of plants for this fantasy.Flowers weren’t necessary for a maze, but thus far Eris had filled him in on plenty of flowers that could bloom with the moon.
“Hi!” Eris said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Gabriel shot her a bemused glance through the corner of his eye. Her excitement was so palpable, he understood then that he hadn’t realized how much she craved talking to the head landscaper. At least when she chatted about plants Lucas would understand it.
“Hi, Eris, Master Gabriel.” Lucas nodded his head before gesturing to the hedges. “What did you think of your adventures?”
“I loved it,” she gushed, clasping her hands together. “Virginia Creeper is such an interesting choice for the spots where you had to add fencing for the maze. Did you twist the vines so they would naturally grow through the fencing like a lattice? It would help hold the vines in place and cushion people when they crash into it in the dark. It still kind of hurts since it’s a barrier, but if you don’t come into contact with the actual lattice, it’s not bad.”
Lucas blinked, his green eyes jumping between the two of them. “I’m glad you like the maze edition to the play area, Eris. I didn’t expect you to analyze it.”
“She’s an agriculture major,” Gabriel said, a note of pride in his voice. He loved that she’d gotten a degree in something she cared about, and later, much later, he hoped to learn even more about her passions. “She’s been talking about the maze design since we found it.”
That did make Lucas grin. “Well, I’m glad you approve. It’s going to be a labor of love with upkeep, so we might have to alternate when it’s in use. I can’t spend too long on the vines individually with everything else around the Ranch, but general maintenance isn’t a big deal. The maze is going to be open to anyone who wants to try out and experience primal play after this week, so if you have any other notes, I’ll gladly take themdown. My wife, Georgie, is keeping a little list for me so I don’t forget anything.”
“This would be so cool to take care of,” Eris sighed, looking longingly at the hedges. “You could do so many things with the maze. Create more paths, maybe add bars or monkey bars so people can climb up into the trees. That might be a bit of a safety issue, but I mean, caution is the name of the game out here, right? Oh you could plant some flowers out here, ones that bloom with the moon would be super cool for night play. I can make a list…”
Eris started tapping at her phone, and Lucas shot him a bemused look. As much as Gabriel wanted to keep Eris here in Montana for selfish reasons, he couldn’t imagine there being enough out here to keep her states away from her family. They didn’t talk a lot about her family, and from the sounds of it she was close to everyone back home.
But there was passion flaring in her eyes as she kept rattling ideas off to Lucas, and an idea formed in his mind the longer she spoke. He didn’t know if it would be necessary, or even approved, and how Eris would feel if he mentioned it. Thinning his lips as he thought on it, one thing rang clear in his head.
Before he jumped the gun and tried to convince Eris to stay with him this time, for longer than a week, he needed to show her his home.
Chapter Twenty
Eris
Eris knew there was something different between them the next day. Sex was amazing between them, and when she woke up in the middle of the night with Gabriel’s face buried between her legs, she knew it was going to be a good day, too. She managed to squirm away from him just long enough for him to chase her into the kitchen and fuck her over the back of the couch.
But now, midmorning on her fourth day there, Gabriel seemed to be collecting things around the cabin like he intended on taking them somewhere. The Ranch had a lot of different places to explore, and she hadn’t been back to the main lodge much, so she eagerly waited for him to fill her in on what the hell was going on.
She texted with Vivian and Tara, trying to quell the nerves burning in her stomach. Her desire to stay in this fun little bubble was strong, and her bestie all but encouraged her to never come home again. A life with Gabriel might be fun, but wasn’t that moving faster than the speed of light?
Between her last visit and this one, they had spent all of nine days together. Less than two weeks, and a fuckton of yearning inbetween, didn’t amount for enough time to really know how she felt about him, right?
But all that time spent imagining what it would be like to encounter Gabriel again, she’d never pictured it would be this good. He even started talking to her about work, adjusting his hours because she was there…
Eris gulped. She was getting ahead of herself.
“I thought we could do something different today,” Gabriel said, smoothing back his hair. He looked nervous, and it was kind of cute. “You’re going to be heading home to Virginia soon, but I live out here in Montana.”
She perked up immediately. They hadn’t ever directly talked about his home, just that he lived nearby. “Close by?”
“I come here regularly,” he explained, a smile tugging at his lips. “It’s about an hour out.”
“An hour isnothing,” she replied, peering around. She loved the little cabin, loved Rawhide Ranch, but she could do with something new. Last time she visited, she’d had no desire to leave the Ranch, but now, if Gabriel was willing to show layers of himself, how did she deny that?
Besides, if they were off the Ranch for a bit, that meant she could possibly get in some primal play in a different terrain. She still didn’t know the maze very well, and she hoped her masked man decided to hunt her in the dark one more time. It was early enough in the day still that even if they had to drive for a while, they could be back with plenty of time to still play.
She shoved away thoughts of how little time she had left here. That would only sour her mood, and Gabriel was going through the effort of trying to give her peeks of his life.
“Could we go now?” she asked excitedly.
He smiled, setting aside the bag he had grabbed collecting a few things. It wasn’t his luggage, and she hadn’t quite figured out what it was. “Yes, of course.”