Breaking Boundaries (5th in Breaking Series)

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Aiden and Nick rode back onto the ranch just as the dark clouds that had been gathering in the sky let loose with a torrential downpour of fat, cold droplets.

They ran their horses straight into the barn as their clothes quickly became plastered to their bodies. Aiden was laughing as he dismounted and hopped to the ground. He nearly cried out with surprise when Nick grabbed his arm and yanked him hard, pulling his body in close. Aiden could feel every inch of Nick's hard, muscular body pressed long against his and his body filled with trembling heat.

He could still remember vividly what he and Nick had shared by that pond and it had been a life changing moment that Aiden wanted to repeat. He looked up into Nick's gray eyes and smiled when Nick grabbed his hat and tossed it aside, "I wish you'd quit wearing that giant thing," Nick mumbled.

Aiden just shook his head, rose onto his toes and silenced Nick with a kiss that quickly turned from something innocent into a fiery joining of lips on lips. Aiden grabbed Nick's thick arms, clutching them desperately to maintain his balance as his knees shook. He couldn't help but notice that Nick seemed a little shaken too.

Aiden broke away from Nick and backed up into his horse causing the mare to snort and shy away from him, "We've gotta stop."

"Why?" Nick growled, his gray eyes flashing with hunger.

Aiden could feel his pants stirring and asking the same question. He swallowed hard, "Because someone could see us."

Nick shook his head and closed the distance between them before pulling Aiden against him once again. Cold droplets of rain dripped from the brim of Nick's hat onto Aiden's cheek and it was still pouring hard outside, rain beating against the barn roof and soaking the ground. "I don't care. Right now all I wanna do is kiss you."

Aiden was powerless to stop Nick's demanding mouth from finding his again and honestly he didn't want to. Heat, passion, love all those emotions that caused a heart to pound and a head to swim were overcoming Aiden with a force so powerful that he lost all sense of time and place.

Until a throat cleared from the wide open double doors they'd ridden their horses through, "I don't.. uh.. mean to interrupt you all."

The two men jumped apart as if they'd been struck by lightning and turned to find Wendell standing just inside the doorway and staring down at the toes of his boots while a puddle of water formed on the dirt floor beneath him.

"Then why didn't you just walk away without saying anything?" Nick grumbled as he stooped to pick Aiden's hat up from the ground and tossed it into Aiden's chest. Aiden began to pick pieces of hay from the edges as Wendell shifted his feet and finally looked up at them.

Aiden knew then that something was wrong. Wendell appeared worried, sad and angry as hell, "What's going on?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"It's the bunkhouse. I think y'all should go take a look," Wendell replied regretfully. "I'll tend to your horses."

Nick and Aiden shared a look of concern and then ran from the barn. Aiden slipped in the mud and nearly fell before Nick's arm looped through his and helped balance him. They skidded to a stop at the bunkhouse doors and stepped inside to find all the hands gathered there. They pushed through the crowd and Nick cursed loudly at the sight they were met with.

Their beds had been destroyed. Aiden stepped closer and felt his throat close up with emotion as his heart filled with anger. Someone had taken a knife to their beds and shredded them. Their pillows had been shredded as well and feathers littered the floor. All of their belongings and clothes had been tossed around, broken and torn.