Free Rodeo King (Dustin Lovers Book 1) by Cheryl Yeko, Char Chaffin

cleaning up their mess.
    Twenty sloppy minutes later, they sat
down to surprisingly delicious, fluffy pancakes packed with apples and
cinnamon. Carson crammed them in as fast as his fork could cut them, and
Rosemary sighed at the taste.
    “Yummy. I’m impressed, Caleb. Where’d
you learn to make pancakes like this?”
    “It’s the beer,” he replied casually,
swallowing a huge bite.
    She almost dropped her juice glass. “You
put beer in them? You can’t feed beer pancakes to a five-year-old! What were
you thinking?”
    “I’m thinking you’re pretty easy to rile
up, Carmichael.” He offered a smug snort. “Not only do you not have beer in
your fridge, but you sat there and watched us make them. Did you see a beer
bottle anywhere?”
    “Um—” Rosemary felt her cheeks heat and
she rubbed at them. As Carson giggled wildly, she mumbled, “Now who’s a
smartass?”
    After threatening to tie her to the
chair if she tried to help clean up, Caleb settled Carson with a sink full of
soapy water and what unbreakable utensils they’d used. As Carson stood on his
little stepstool and played at washing the dishes, Caleb scooted a chair close
to her and nibbled at her mouth. “Let’s take him to Hawthorn, let him work off
some of that energy. We can stop at Sonic and get some corn dogs and onion
rings.”
    “You just ate. How can you think of
food?” But Rosemary tilted her head to give him better access to her neck,
loving the feel of his calloused fingers trailing along her arms.
    “I also just had sex. Well, last night,”
he teased softly so Carson wouldn’t hear. “How can I think of getting you naked
and under me? I just can, baby.”
    “Shh, jeez!” She slapped a hand over his
mouth. “You think he’s not listening but I promise you, little boys hear
everything.”
    Caleb kissed her palm. “Let’s spend the
day in Hawthorn.”
    The persuasive tone in his sexy voice
left Rosemary unable to form a single objection. She didn’t even try. Instead,
she slid her hand from his mouth to the back of his neck and pulled him in for
a fast, moist bite to his full bottom lip.
    “Okay.”

Chapter
Nine
     
    It’d been ten years or more since Caleb
had hung out at Hawthorn. The park sat about three miles outside of Dustin, a
sprawling conglomerate of public swimming pools, several carnival rides
including a restored carousel, and a children’s museum that was a kid’s dream.
    He could remember taking Rosemary here
once, during the few daylight hours when they had actually climbed out of bed
for something other than sex. Even then, he’d found ways to ambush her with
caresses and kisses. Behind the main cabana at the adult pool. Under the
bleachers on the softball field while the Dustin Lil’ Wranglers played their
hearts out. Up against one of the mammoth cottonwoods scattered through the
park, his lips devouring that sweet spot between her neck and her shoulder,
bared by the cute little sundress she’d worn. He’d had her hands pinned to the
rough bark over her head, one of her long, shapely legs wound around his waist,
when a park official strolled by and busted them.
    “You okay, Daddy? You kinda made a
noise.” Carson’s sweet chirp dragged Caleb out of the sexual fog of memories
and the groan he’d released under his breath.
    He looked over at Rosemary’s cut-that-out expression and then into his son’s concerned face. “Just hungry, buddy. It’s
been so long since our pancakes, right?”
    “It’s been two whole hours,” Rosemary
inserted dryly.
    “Yeah, but you know pancakes. Two hours
later and you’re starving.”
    She snickered. “That’s Chinese food, not
pancakes.”
    “Same difference.” Sweeping up his
giggling son in one arm, Caleb tugged Rosemary forward with his free hand.
“Come on, let’s hit the merry-go-round before we eat so we won’t get pukey.”
    “I want the camel! I want the camel!”
Carson bounced madly, his fingers twisted into Caleb’s shirt collar.