Free Craze by Anne Conley

long, a herd of deer wandered into Ryan’s yard, and they watched them silently.
    So majestic. Their sleek pelts shone in the early morning sunshine as the deer munched on the dewy grasses. This was one of his favorite times of day—watching the purity of his surroundings before heading into the chaos of the city to start his work day. He could feel the calm seep into his pores and embraced it. This was something he could wrap his head around—his surroundings now gave him peace to deal with situations.
    He stole a glance at Krista, who was watching them, spellbound. After they’d grazed their fill, they wandered off into the woods to their next spot. When they were gone, she turned to him.
    “Are they regulars?”
    He nodded. “Yup. I watch them every morning while I have my coffee before I go in to work.”
    “It’s so peaceful here. I can’t believe this place is so close to the city.” She leaned back in her chair and stretched her long legs out, resting them on the porch railing.
    He couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face. “I couldn’t imagine living in the city. Too much damn noise. I love it out here.” Austin was a great place, but the city made him restless, unable to focus. He went there for work, but this was home.
    “I can see why.” Her smile met his and Ryan felt something flutter in his chest. He had to tamp that shit down.
    They sat there in silence while the forest woke up around them, the cardinals and blue jays fighting over the bird feeder while the hummingbirds swarmed around the mimosa tree. Squirrels chattered while they munched on the pecans in the trees around the house, and Hank and Johnny snored peacefully at their feet.
    It was so comfortable, and Ryan found himself enjoying her company. She wasn’t a super-chatty woman; she seemed to enjoy the silence, and he liked that. Not that he didn’t need her to talk sometime, but right now, he was enjoying their quiet.
    She finally broke the silence with a question. “Can I use your phone? I need to call my parents. I’m supposed to go to my sister’s today.”
    “You can’t tell them where you are,” he told her firmly.
    She nodded. “I know.”
    He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her, ignoring the warm tingly feeling when their fingers overlapped.
    He watched as she dialed their number, chewing on her lip as she waited for them to answer. When they did, her relief was palpable. What was she so worried about?
    “Daddy? How are you guys?” A pause while she chewed on her lip, then her face paled. “Really?” Her eyes looked at Ryan and they were frantic. “When?” She put her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, “They’re coming down to visit.” Ryan made a cutting motion with his hands, telling her to get them to change their plans. She spoke back into the phone. “Now’s really not a good time, Daddy. I’ve got this huge project at work, and—” Her eyes stared at Ryan and he nearly got lost in their depths. “Non-refundable? Uh-huh… yeah…” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, exposing a long, elegantly smooth neck, covered with porcelain, unblemished skin that Ryan itched to taste. “Um, I’ve moved, Daddy. Yeah, I moved in with this guy.” Ryan’s attention snapped back to her face, and he watched her blush as she fumbled for words, his dick going crazy at the implications. “Yeah, it’s pretty sudden. Yeah… Okay… See you then… I love you, too, Daddy.”
    She hung up the phone and closed her eyes as she handed it to Ryan, who grinned at her like a loon. He didn’t know why the fuck that pleased him so much. It was practically blowing their cover, or it would when they got here. But it tickled him to no end to know he’d have to pretend to be her boyfriend for her parents.
    “They can’t wait to meet you,” she choked out, embarrassment etched on her features. His dick exalted before he mentally told it not to get excited. This was for appearances