r. even though i shouldn't have found it entertaining, i smiled the entire time i dried and styled my hair, thinking of him plodding around the house in only his socks. served the secretive vampire right.

when i was finished with my loose, bouncy hair, i redid my makeup essentials. my mascara had run down my cheeks so badly that i'd had to wash my face and start all over. i'd have to remember to pack the waterproof kind, the next time my vampire decided to drag me into the pool. afterwards, i exited the bedroom to go find teren. i didn't have to search too hard. he was stepping off the final stair, just as i approached them.

i smiled and peeked at his feet. he was wearing black, men's work boots that had seen much better days. one of the toes had a worn spot that was going to eventually be a large hole, and a seam along the side of the other one had come apart; the shoe made a flopping noise whenever he walked. i bit my lip to not laugh. he frowned as he followed my gaze to his feet.

"one of the hands was my size. these are his backup boots." he sounded about as pleased with the situation as he looked.

i did chuckle then at his sullen explanation. walking over to him, i laced my arms around his neck. he ran his hands around my waist but didn't stop frowning at me. i lightly kissed him. he still frowned. i kissed him longer. he kissed back, but as we pulled apart, his frown returned. determined, i grabbed his face and kissed him hard and deep. i felt it throughout my entire body-felt the closeness and intimacy, felt the rush of desire. as i pulled away, just slightly breathless, it pleased me to see that he was breathing faster as well...then the damn frown came back. stubborn indeed.

not one to give up quite so easily, i remembered this morning and his clear infatuation. i moved the hair away from my neck, exposing the still pink wounds. then i grabbed him and pulled his mouth down to the area. that worked. my vamp's tongue started running over the spot where he'd bitten me last night. a deep noise rumbled in his chest and his hands pulled me into his body. his breath became even heavier, as the pressure of his mouth against my skin increased. not wanting to be any more obvious than we were already being, i suppressed a groan and clutched his head even closer to me.

great, now i was going to have puncture marks and a hickey. i couldn't quite find it in my body to care enough to stop him though. then something i hadn't expected happened. i felt it happen. i felt his body stiffen in response to it happening. i think it surprised him, as much as it surprised me.

his fangs slid out as he sucked on my neck. i felt the sudden pressure of them grazing along my skin. i felt him make another noise, deep in his chest. i heard him exhale, and then i felt him adjust his mouth...to bite down.

that was when both of us stiffened in surprise. that was when he seemed to realize what he was doing. a trickle of fear, mixed with excitement, flashed through me as he pulled away from my neck, and timidly met my gaze. his eyes were wide and surprised and his fangs were still out as we stared at each other.

"i'm sorry," he whispered, as he worked on slowing his breath.

i worked on mine as well. "it's okay...you didn't do anything." he looked about to argue with me and i grabbed his face and pulled him close. "i love that...you love that. give me a day or two to strengthen back up, and i'll be begging you to do it again."

he shook his head. "i almost did it anyway...and i know i shouldn't take anymore after last night. i shouldn't weaken you like that..." he spoke quietly, but i knew he wasn't being quiet enough. i made myself ignore who all was listening to this though.

"new desires, teren...remember? we'll figure this out together, okay?" he finally nodded, but he still wasn't smiling. i playfully added, "i'll just keep in mind not to tease you, if it's a no-biting day."

he finally gave me a small smile and a soft chuckle. shaking his head as his fangs retracted, he muttered, "thanks. let's go help dad." we turned and made our way down the staircase, hand in hand.

wanting to shift the focus away from what had just happened in the hallway, which i was pretty sure he was still beating himself up about, i asked, "why does your family bring in help? i would think your dad and three vampires could handle everything around here just fine." while i really was curious about that, my question was mainly a distraction for the both of us. i didn't want to think about his repeated assurances that he'd never hurt me, especially since it was becoming quite clear that his desire for blood had already started increasing lately.

teren took a long moment before responding. definitely dwelling then. "huh...oh, that's mainly for show." he shrugged his shoulders. "it would just be weird if a ranch this size didn't have extra men year round, or didn't bring in a crew during peak times."

i nodded as i thought about that...quite the constant charade that they lived in.

we made our way down to the building that stored the jeeps and, grabbing one, we zipped over to the barn near the ranch hand's house to help out with the cows. well, teren helped out with the cows. i mainly stood a safe distance away, so i didn't inconvenience the busy men as they cleaned between swollen toes with lines of twine, and injected medicine above the cows' shoulders. there were a couple of cowboy-looking guys helping teren, peter and jack, and they got through the twenty or so cattle, just as the sun was starting to fade.

i was a little surprised that i watched the whole darn thing. eventually, i felt comfortable enough around the beasts that teren handed me some twine and lifted up a massive foot, so i could scrape off some of the dead tissue between the stretched out toes. it was as gross as it sounds. but i did it, and i felt pretty empowered when teren said i did a good job. maybe i'd give up my pantsuits for denims and work shirts. as a cow pooped on my boot and teren laughed at me, i thought, maybe not.

the long, low barn had several dry, clean stalls waiting for the scraped and medicated cows to recuperate in. they usually stayed in the fields, but teren said they'd need a few days to heal...just like me. i smiled as i watched teren and his father deftly maneuver a couple of surly cows into a nearby stall. teren had a huge smile on his face the entire time. when one of the smaller cows, aimlessly started to wander away from the group, teren ran around and stopped her. i wondered then why teren didn't bring spike out here. surely wrangling cattle would over joy his pup?

he seemed so happy and at ease with this life that he'd grown up in. i wasn't sure why he'd ever left it in the first place. he was a great writer and seemed to enjoy his life in the city, but here...it was like watching his true nature emerge. it was beautiful.

i was grinning like an idiot when he walked back to me. i may have even had embarrassing tears in my eyes. "you all right? bored to tears?" he smirked.

i shook my head. "i'm fine. i could watch you do this all day."

he laughed. "you may think differently about that, after we're done cleaning the barn." he indicated the holding corral, where we'd kept the cattle waiting to be medicated and cleaned. there was poop and other unpleasant things everywhere in the straw. i frowned and tried to casually walk away but laughing, he grabbed my arm and handed me a shovel. "everyone who helps-cleans."

sighing, i helped him and the guys clean up. he was right. by the end, i'd changed my mind about wanting to watch him do anything else at this ranch.