Paege
The morning sun peaked through the curtains, dancing around the room before settling intermittently on my eyelids, radiating refined warmth enough that my eyes fluttered open at its concentrated energy, and I blinked out of my sleepy daze.
I must have dozed off because, for the life of me, I couldn't recall how I'd managed to make it into the bedroom. Further to that, Danny's bedroom by the looks of it.
The man in question laid beside me, his head resting on a soft pillow.
I propped my cheek on my sandwiched palms, observing the enticing features of his chiselled jaw and full lips. Not to mention, his chest rose and fell in subtle undulations that hypnotized and drew me in.
He looked so peaceful.
Almost tempted to sate my curiosity, I extended my arm a short distance before deciding against it. The last thing I wanted to do was to wake him prematurely.
He worked so hard on any given day. The least I could do was allow the man to get a decent rest. As much as possible anyway.
I, however, ought to get a jump on completing as many tasks as the day would permit, in order to fully enjoy its upcoming festivities.
The day had finally arrived. The day Bell and I had all but anticipated, like the advent of the Christmas season.
A smile tugged on my lips as the thought occurred to me.
It'd been too long since I last enjoyed such a commemorative event. Not only that but the dance which was carded to follow. Quite frankly, I was giddy at the prospect.
It had been a while since I stayed tethered to any one place long enough to indulge in the luxury of mingling with its townsfolk.
Since my sister left, I had checked myself out, I guess. But coming to the Andrew's Ranch had opened me up again.
Manoeuvring my body carefully out of Danny's warm embrace, I was about to slip out of bed when his arm hugged me, pulling me back against his solid form.
"Leaving so soon?" Danny's warm eyes searched my face as he cupped my cheek.
He gently guided my attention to him, searching my gaze and waiting for my reply as I laid there, absolutely perplexed by his sensitivity.
"I didn't want to wake you," I revealed, earning me an amused smile as a glint entered his eyes.
"Did you really think you I'd prefer getting more sleep than waking to see you in the morning?"
I was dumbfounded by his words so much so that a blush rose on my cheeks, and he placed a light kiss on either side, obviously satisfied by my reaction.
At his confession, I buckled under the weight of temptation, tracing the angles of his jaw as my eyes danced across his face. "Well, in that case, Good morning."
"Good morning, beautiful," A sexy smirk appeared on his lips, captivating and prompting me to meet his gaze.
He inched forward, leaning in to press his soft lips against mine in a tender kiss that made my heart zap to life.
"We'd better get out of bed before my sister takes the doors off its hinges while searching for you in anticipation of the day ahead."
"That would be wise," I chuckled, nuzzling the tip of his nose.
He removed his arm from around me, propping himself up on the bed by his elbows and I instantly felt the cold seeping in, in his absence.
Instinctively, my eyes appraised his form, giving him a good once over.
"If you don't stop looking at me like that there isn't much that we will get done," He reasoned, casting an amused gaze my way, catching me in the act.
"You are such a tease," I propped my cheek against the palm of my hand as a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
"Is that so?" He drawled, his tone holding a trace of mischief.
In a flash, he rolled over, pinning me under his weight and I squealed in delight while withstanding the intensity of his gaze, searching his eyes in amusement.
He pressed a kiss against the hollow of my neck and my body shuddered in his arms, causing him to chuckle mischievously.
Extending my arm to reach around his shoulder, I traced my fingers up the nape of his neck, earning me a low hum that resonated between us.
My hand cradled his cheek as I gently guided him back a bit.
Tracing his jaw with my available hand, I tilted his head to the side, returning his gesture, placing a kiss on his neck.
A groan resounded in the room, the vibrations trapped between our bodies.
"Now who's a tease?" Danny cocked an eyebrow almost daringly, punctuating his loaded question, those warm brown of his eyes taking on a darker hue as a smile warped his features.
At his inference, laughter rose within my chest, prompting me to toss my head back and I giggled all the while, unable to contain myself.
While coming down from my cloud of amusement, I leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips which had curved upward at my display and he instantly responded to me, raking his fingers through the hair at the base of my neck, guiding me deeper into his embrace.
After a moment, I pulled away to gather my breath and it occurred to me that his sister may really come in search of us. She was good like that.
"We should really get going before Bell intervenes," I managed between another bout of kisses, weening myself off him, though in the most counterproductive way.
"Ok," His hand caressed my cheek a moment longer and he guided me back in, kissing me tenderly before reluctantly pulling away.
Danny rolled off of me, giving us an agreeable distance so we could gather our wits.
I climbed out of bed as my gaze fell on him again, and stood, closing the gap between us to place a kiss on his cheek, mumbling a quick goodbye before backtracking and slipping out of his door so that we wouldn't keel under temptation.
The sound of his hearty laughter reached me as I closed the door behind me, a smile tugging on my lips as I started down the hall to my room.
Turning the doorknob, I entered the room, shutting the door behind me with a huge smile on my face, leaning back against the wooden surface until I caught myself drifting into a daze.
Snapping out of it, I pushed off and began the day's routine.
After a couple of hours, Bell eventually appeared, and not a moment too soon.
Sure enough, after I had completed a few work-related tasks, she stuck her head into the stables. Her useful jovial and excited nature practically radiated off her in waves at the helm with an accompanying one-hundred-watt smile etched into her delicate features.
I chuckled when she came into view, easily matching her enthusiasm. To say Bell and I had grown close, would be drastically understating things. It would seem that she had filled the role otherwise reserved for my sister.
"Are you ready?" She nudged me gently in the arm, wiggling her eyebrows.
"I can hardly wait," I nodded, beaming while playfully nudging her back in the arm. "But I'd like to freshen up first."
"Ok," Bell nodded in understanding.
"I'll meet you by the main house in thirty," I suggested, turning back to the saddles I had cleaned earlier.
"Ok, I'll let Danny know," Bell mused aloud, spinning on her heel before heading out of the stables.
"Ok, boy, wish me luck, " I cooed, trailing my hand along Angel's neck before pressing a kiss against his head.
****
The fairgrounds were packed and a bustling heap of activities with partakers alike as the town came out in their numbers.
Anticipation, cheerfulness and the smell of healthy competition filled the air as we entered under the welcome banner.
My eyes darted around the area, taking in the scene while contemplating where to go first.
Bell clung to my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze as she squealed in absolute delight, mapping out the location inch by inch.
Danny stood beside us, folding his arms as he too took in the bustling scene which was every ochlophobe's worst nightmare.
I glanced at him, taking in his firm features.
Perceiving my curious gaze, he glanced at me, pinning me with a look that somehow I read as, 'keep looking at me like that and you won't get to play any of your precious games', prompting me to look away quickly as a blush rose in my cheeks.
Bell finally decided which stall she wanted to take a turn at first, jolting me into that direction and I knew her brother wasn't too far behind.
Up first was the classic Milk Bottle Knockdown. There were several customers mulling about while Bell took on the challenge, tossing the ball at the base of the bottles that had been stacked in a pyramid.
Danny took a turn at the High Striker and while he did, Bell clung to her stuffed alligator. He held the mallet to the lever and the puck rose to the top in the blink of an eye.
Bell and I cheered Danny on, after which he choose his prize: a brown moose, for me.
Gosh, it was silly that such a simple act made me so emotional. But alas, tears pricked my eyes as he offered the stuffed animal to me.
"Awwweee," Bell cooed as she munched down on a pretzel.
Danny moved closer to me, guiding me into his warm embrace and I circled my arms around him, revelling in the feel of his arms around me while inhaling his amazing scent.
Next, Danny and Bell stood a way off behind me as I indulged in a game of Shoot the Star.
Initially, I inhaled a deep breath and on the exhale, I aimed near the middle of the paper, forming a circle around the star before training the barrel of the gun at the center, taking out the star in a fe more rounds.
All the while, Bell had been my personal cheerleader, squealing and clapping in support. Though I appreciated her enthusiasm, it made the task slightly more difficult, prompting me to zone out a bit. As a result, I was able to successfully accomplish the task, earning me a prize.
Danny bought us each a hot dog and I was really grateful by the end of that game because I had neglected to grab a bite in the haste to get here, and by the low rumble in my belly, I had reached my limit.
Naturally, Bell scoffed down her hot dog in little to no time that I wouldn't doubt that with proper training she would be able to enter an eating competition and bring home the bacon.
Danny congratulated me with a glint of admiration in his eyes and my heart skipped a beat.
I retrieved my prize in the form of a stuffed Dragon, offering it to him. He was hesitant for a moment before eventually taking the gift with a goofy grin on his face.
"Thank you,"
"You're welcome," I returned, my heart racing within my chest despite the simplicity of the act.
We wound up racking up a few other prizes from the Ring Toss, Bust-a-Balloon and Baseball Toss and as we were making our way out, we ran into Aiden and what I would presume to be his younger sister and parents, a couple in their mid-to-late thirties.
"Masters!" Aiden waved, prompting an amused smile on my face.
"Hey kid," I beamed, surprised and happy to see the little bugger again. "You must be Aiden's parents and little sister. It's nice to meet you."
"Hello," Aiden's mother nodded politely, a smile forming on her lips while his father shook Danny's hand in greeting, and they began a conversation about horses. "Ms. Masters, how do you know my son?"
"We met a while back when I first came into town. Aiden was kind enough to give me directions to the nearest B'n'B." I explained, noting the alarmed expression on his face which I could only deduce had more to do with his laps in judgement on the day in question. "You raised a good young man right there."
His mother beamed, appreciating my sentiments as I turned my attention to the little girl who hid behind her big brother.
"And you must be ..." I crouched down to her level, noting that her thumb was stuck in her mouth.
"Ella," She responded, before sticking her thumb back into her mouth, causing me to chuckle.
"It's nice to meet you, Ella." I couldn't help the smile that creased my lips just then. The little girl was so adorable. "I'm Paege, and if it's ok with your mother, I would like to offer you this stuffed bear who needs a home."
I glanced up at Aiden's mother, she nodded in approval with another appreciative smile.
"What do we say, Ella?" Aiden's mother asked softly as her daughter hugged the pink bear tightly in her arms.
"Thank you, Ms. Paege," She smiled, revealing some missing teeth that just made me swoon more over the little girl.
"You are very welcome," I returned her smile. "And to you sir, I would like to give this stuffed alligator."
Aiden's smile as he looked at his younger sister's made me yearn for the days when my sister and I were that close.
"Thank you, Masters." His face lit up while accepting his alligator, and with a lot of enthusiasm, might I add.
"Sure thing, kid," I stood to my full height, grinning from ear to ear as I regarded his parents. "Well, I don't want to keep you guys from enjoying the fair."
"Thank you for your gesture," Aiden's father offered, embracing his wife tenderly as both hugged each of their children respectively. It was an endearing sight to behold.
"You're welcome," It was so nice meeting Aiden's family. It made me realize how much I missed having a family of my own. "Bye guys."
"Bye," The children and their parents returned consecutively before heading off in the opposite direction.
"That was sweet Paege," Bell gushed, linking her arms with mine.
"It was," Danny called from behind us, prompting me to meet his gaze. His eyes held an element I couldn't decipher, and it disappeared almost as fast as it came.
Later on, when we returned to the ranch, Bell insisted that we booked an appointment at the hair salon in preparation for the dance that would be held in two days.
She wanted me to look spectacular.
"Paege," She began. "You are quite beautiful as is, but every once in a while you've got to live a little. Keeper the haters in line."
"Bell, what are you going on about?" I shook my head, chuckling at my friend's foolish babbling.
"Not only that," Bell dodged my question, continuing her rant. "But we have to make you knock Danny's socks off."
I couldn't help but blush at her implication.
The outfit we'd put together a few days ago for the County Fair Dance consisted of a short-sleeve sexy wine red lace two-piece ensemble with a side slit, gold armlets and two-inch gold high heels which were already paired and sitting in my closet.
All that remained, was to do a fro-out and the outfit would come together nicely with light make-up, and if Bell's word was anything to go by, Danny wouldn't know what hit him.
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