Hi there!

The fifth Daniel Lawson book, ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’, is currently available via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk pre-order, due to be released later this month.  In the meantime, I’d like to share the first couple of chapters with you here.

Chapter 1

Sprinting at an impressive speed, her long blonde hair streaming out behind, Jess ground her teeth and silently wished she’d chosen to wear a sports bra.  Dressed in skin-tight jodhpurs, boots and a sleeveless top, she tore through the thronging crowds, praying that they might clear her path, to allow her destination to be reached quickly.  Her impromptu race track was located within the pedestrian section of the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead.  Nestled in the south of England, in leafy West Sussex, it hosted a number of International showjumping fixtures each year and was seen by many as a Mecca for the sport. By lucky chance, today was not one of the major meetings and so the crowds were smaller than they had the potential to be.

Ironically, a good proportion of the visitors were only in attendance, to catch a glimpse of her boss; the man who would undoubtedly fire her on the spot, if she didn’t get a shifty on.  Witnessing the excited teenage girls, queueing up for a chance to see their beloved hero, caused Jess a twinge of embarrassment.  She’d been one of them, just over a decade ago, and now she worked for the man himself.  At least she did, unless she failed to get back in time.  Glancing over the top of a set of temporary buildings, Jess estimated she had less than two minutes in hand.  Despite the heat of the day and the fact that her chest was on fire with exertion, she grasped a firmer hold of the leather bridle in her hand and increased the pace.

Alas, just ahead of her thronged a coach-load of elderly women, largely dressed in tweed and tartan.  Jess’s heart instantly sank, knowing that they could cost her valuable seconds which she could ill afford.  Taking a wider route around the unexpected obstruction, she skimmed perilously close to a row of trade stalls, almost falling into one which looked to be selling stationary.  There were certainly an obscene amount of over-priced autograph books and stylish pens on display.  Her blood pressure momentarily rocketed skywards, as she was confronted with a life-sized poster of Olympic showjumping champion Daniel Lawson.  Quickly, she regained her much required focus.  It was just a poster.  After all, Daniel was currently jumping a relatively novice horse in an adjacent show ring.

Scooting past a food stand, the sweet, sticky smell of candyfloss filled Jess’s burning lungs and reminded her of childhood visits to the fair. Returning to the warm up arena in the nick of time, there was no doubt that she’d made quite a lasting impression with a number of men along the route.  Immediately she focussed on her destination; an enormous dark horse, at the very peak of condition, sunlight reflecting from his glossy coat.  He was being led around by a guy that any girl would be proud to be seen with.  Standing just a little taller than Jess, he was slim, yet muscled, with short black hair and the darkest eyes she had ever known.

‘You like sailing close to the wind, huh?’ chuckled Jake, as he saw her approaching at breakneck speed.

She didn’t slow up until she reached them, at which point, it was all Jess could do, to hand the bridle across to an ice-cool looking Jake. She collapsed on the dusty ground beside him, her colt-like legs buckling in an apparent surrender to all further activity.  Without any fuss, Jake quickly replaced the bridle the horse was wearing with Jess’s offering, stroking the beast comfortingly down his thick, muscled neck on completion of the task.

‘What the fuck are you doing on the floor, Jessica?’ exclaimed a deep voice from high above, sending her heartrate into meltdown.  Despite still desperately gulping in mouthfuls of oxygen from her previous endeavours, Jess raised her chin slowly upwards.  Mounted on one of his younger horses, informally known as Blue, Daniel Lawson gazed back down at her, an incredulous look etched across his handsome face.  Despite the fact the horse’s nostrils were flaring from the strenuous effort it had just expended, his super-cool rider hadn’t even raised a light sweat.

Daniel was very fast becoming one of the most successful equestrians Great Britain had ever produced.  His general public appeal was further boosted by the fact that he was rich, handsome and more than a little unpredictable.  Tall and well-muscled, he had amazing dark hair and the most wickedly blue eyes most women had ever had the fortune to gaze into.  The attention he received from both sexes, was only tempered by the knowledge that he was very happily married with a young child.

‘Well?’ he demanded.  Quickly dismounting, he handed the reins of his horse to Jess.  Accepting them, she struggled to her feet, feeling as incompetent as ever in Daniel’s presence.

‘Fell over,’ she replied sheepishly, as Blue hopefully nuzzled her pockets for treats.

‘Fuck’s sake…’ sighed Daniel, shaking his head without any humour. ‘Thanks,’ he added to Jake, accepting the reins of his next horse.  Jake nodded, the mutual respect between the two men clear for all to see.

‘I’ve popped him over the spread a couple of times,’ added Jake, his eyes darting towards an enormous jump, rising out of the ground like a mountain. When Daniel attended shows with multiple horses, as he was today, Jake often rode them in first, to help accelerate the turnaround time.

With a grunt, Daniel accepted a leg up, before riding towards the practice jumps, none the wiser that the reins he was now holding had been inside his lorry less than five minutes earlier.

Jake looked critically across at Jess, noting her sad expression and slightly moist eyes.  Whilst the two men had been talking, she’d run up Daniel’s stirrups, loosened Blue’s girth and noseband and subtly slipped the horse a treat.  She now stood there, silently stroking Blue’s sweaty neck, which was covered with prominent veins, thanks to his workout during the heat of the day.

‘Hey,’ Jake murmured gently, placing an arm around her shoulders and briefly hugging her against him.  The contact caused Jess to feel a little light-headed and she tried to suppress the sensations which had started to bubble up inside her.  ‘One day, we’ll look back and laugh at this.’

‘Laugh at me, more like,’ huffed Jess, her eyes glancing down to the scuffed grass. Consequently, she missed seeing an emotion pass across Jake’s face, which he quickly hid by the time she looked back up again.

‘Never,’ he said gently, handing the spare bridle to her.  ‘Now, go and sort out Blue, then bring Stardust back with you.’

‘Okay,’ nodded Jess, grateful for Jake’s ability to hold his tongue. He could have got her sacked twenty times over since she’d started working for Daniel, but for some unfathomable reason, he continued to fight her corner.  ‘Thanks.’

Speaking gently to Blue, she led the trusting horse away from the noisy throng, only to hear a great roar from the crowd, as the next competitor cantered into the main show ring.

‘Congratulations to Tom Williams and Stardust for that excellent clear round in a time of seventy-three point five eight seconds,’ said the commentator.  ‘Ah, now. Here’s a treat for everybody!  Let’s give a great big hand to Britain’s reigning Olympic champions, Daniel Lawson and the truly astonishing Moonlight Eclipse.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom leant forwards to scratch affectionately behind the ears of his equine partner, as they made their way around the main International arena, towards the exit.  Sometimes he couldn’t believe the way his life had turned out, and yet here he was. Tom knew that he owed it, in large part, to his best friend who, speak of the devil, was just cantering towards him. As always, Daniel was practically scowling, such was his focus during a competition; his desire and drive to win was second to none, which probably explained how he’d achieved such a high level of success.  Knowing it was too good an opportunity to miss, Tom used his long, powerful legs to edge Kintana closer towards his stable mate.

Daniel glanced up at Tom questioningly, just as they passed.

‘Your flies are undone,’ murmured Tom with a cheeky wink, as he continued out of the arena.

‘Fuck off!’ growled Daniel, knowing full well it was an attempt to try and break his focus.  Ever since Tom had triumphed over Daniel at the Olympia Christmas Puissance competition six months earlier, he’d been playfully doing whatever he could, to try and beat Daniel again… even if it meant resorting to underhand tactics, in an attempt to disrupt his intense concentration.  Daniel knew it was a hoax, but all the same, he quickly glanced down towards the front of his saddle, just be sure.

Secretly delighted at Tom’s antics, Daniel’s joy fed through to his facial expression; it reflected a true love for his lifelong friend and an appreciation that, at long last, they were both insanely happy.  Therefore, instead of the stony, solemn-faced Daniel everybody expected to see, the crowd and television cameras were treated with an unusually delighted grin.  Twitter immediately went into meltdown across the world, as one of the sexiest men in sport, just got sexier.  Determined not to allow Tom’s underhand tricks to upset his equilibrium, Daniel and Eclipse executed a faultless display of showjumping.  Half an hour later, Daniel followed this up by riding the jump-off round of his life, utterly annihilating the competition.  Encompassed by a screaming crowd who were only too happy to cheer for their home-grown favourite, Daniel and Eclipse thundered around the immaculate grass show ring in a victory lap, inspiring loud cheers from each stand they passed; their own acoustic equivalent of a Mexican wave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the windows wide open and music blasting from the cab, Jake drove Daniel’s huge lorry home later that day, with Jess sitting beside him. It had been a very successful show for their yard.  Not only had Daniel won the biggest class of the day, scooping a substantial pot of prize money for his efforts, but Tom had also jumped really well.  Much less experienced than Daniel on the showjumping circuit, Tom had been thrilled to find himself placed fifth in the same class, on his beloved horse, Kintana.  As a result, two ridiculously long rosettes were hanging from the internal mirror of the lorry, flapping about unpredictably in the breeze.

‘I’m sorry I fucked up,’ sighed Jess, taking a swig from a unpleasantly warm bottle of water, which had been sitting in the hot cab all day. ‘Thanks again for not dropping me in it.’

‘It’s fine,’ shrugged Jake, slowing down as they approached a large set of traffic lights.  Hickstead was less than twenty miles from Daniel’s yard, so their commute home was a thankfully short one.  ‘It’s tough going right now, with both Daniel and Tom jumping at the top of their game,’ explained Jake.

It was true that life had been much simpler before Tom had moved his focus onto professional showjumping.  Having said that, Jake adored the guy.  He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and happily celebrated each and every one of Tom’s successes.  Nevertheless, Jake’s responsibilities had basically doubled.  Tom and Daniel took up as much slack as they could, on the days they weren’t competing, and Jess was a big help, being absolutely brilliant with the horses.  However, with twice the horsepower to look after, Jake couldn’t deny that an additional groom to help out, would be extremely welcome.

On days like today, when both Jess and Jake needed to attend a show, the yard was largely left to fend for itself; a far from ideal situation. Daniel’s wife, Emma, did try to keep things ticking over while they were absent, but with the best will in the world, thanks to baby William in tow, there was only so much she could achieve. As a result, Jake knew that a mountain of tasks would be awaiting them, the second he pulled up in Daniel’s driveway.

‘Yeah, we’d better make the most of this brief timeout,’ agreed Jess, reflecting his thoughts.  Jake was too kind to point out that driving the lorry was hardly a rest for him. They both knew that at least five hours of hard labour still awaited them on their return; dealing with the six horses that had been jumping, mucking out the stables of the remainder, exercising, tack cleaning, grooming, feeding…the list was endless.  Although personally, Jess wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. For the first time ever, she was holding down a proper job which gave her life purpose, value and a little prestige thrown in.  For there was no denying that, despite her rocky relationship with the man, working for one of the best showjumpers in the world was as exciting as it was interesting.

‘Daniel could bring in additional money by letting people ride his horses,’ said Jess, half to herself.  ‘He could make a fortune and it would help us out at the same time.’

‘Mmmmm,’ said Jake noncommittally.  ‘You’re forgetting the most important thing in the world to Daniel, though.  Trust. He would need complete faith in anybody he allowed near his precious horses, and there are only a handful of people that qualify.’

A guilty shot of sensation suddenly passed straight through Jess’s abdomen whilst, concurrently, an uncomfortable prickle spread across the back of her neck.  She shuffled uneasily in the seat, a tell-tale blush beginning to invade her face. Trust.  A commodity that she’d ripped from her fledgling relationship with Daniel, when she’d tried to kiss him earlier in the year.  Having idolised the man for most of her life, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.  Ignoring the fact he was married and entirely uninterested, Jess threw herself at him, with the most embarrassing and painful consequences.  It had only been Emma’s big heart, and her skilled ability to talk her husband around, that ensured Jess kept her job.  She owed everything to Emma.

‘Oh yeah,’ Jess muttered, swallowing hard.  ‘Maybe not, then.’

Not for the first time, Jess queried her decision to continue working for Daniel, given their history.  Having lived a rather privileged and carefree life, Jess had never had to remain in a situation where she’d been in the wrong before.  She had always simply moved onto greener pastures.  Putting in substantial effort, to ease her way back into someone’s favour, was a scenario with which she was entirely unfamiliar. Particularly up against somebody as apparently unforgiving as Daniel.

For a while, they sat peacefully, listening to the four o’clock news bulletin. Jake was unafraid of silence and did nothing to break it.  Only when a song started to play did conversation recommence.

‘What do you think the contents of this lorry are worth?’ Jess enquired.

‘I dread to think,’ admitted Jake, his hands grasping around the steering wheel slightly tighter than before.  As he chanced a look across at her, the word “priceless” echoed around his brain, but he had never shown his hand where Jess was concerned, and wasn’t about to start now.

‘One million pounds?’

‘No!’ he laughed out loud.

‘Too much?’ asked Jess surprised.

‘Way, way too little,’ he explained.  ‘Ignoring the other five horses, who are all valuable in their own right, Eclipse is insured at ten million pounds.’

‘Fuck!  No way?’

‘It’s part of the reason Daniel would have had a serious sense of humour failure, if he’d found out you’d put the wrong bridle on his star horse,’ said Jake, with a friendly shrug.  ‘This is the big time and the smallest details matter.’

Smiling to show his words held no animosity or reproach, Jake focussed on the road ahead once more.  They were on the home stretch now, steadily progressing through the nearby leafy villages which nestled in the lee of the South Downs.  Jake couldn’t help but feel at peace, as he absorbed the timeless qualities of the settlements; the churches, some of which had stood for a thousand years, the cricket pitches, played on by generations upon generations of villagers.  He’d lived in this area for his entire life and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

‘Ever thought of just running away with something that valuable?’ asked Jess, breaking his train of thought.  ‘To live on the proceeds?’

‘Nope,’ he chuckled.  Jake was entirely loyal to Daniel and, in return, was trusted like a brother.  He would no more steal from the man, as he would cut off his own arm.

‘We could just disappear.’

Almost instantly, Jake’s imagination cut to a deserted island. Combined with images of shady palm trees, a crystal blue sea and hot sand, was Jess.  Slim, blonde and smiling at him.  Wearing only bikini bottoms, her pert, aching breasts practically begged for his hands to minister a special kind of adoration.  Swallowing hard, Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat, hoping that his growing erection wasn’t obvious to the woman who sat relatively close by.

‘I’ve always thought it would be romantic to elope,’ she said dreamily, without thinking.

‘Yeah?’ croaked Jake, his throbbing body making conversation near on impossible.  He would have to rethink his stance regarding horse rustling and moving away, if it meant having a chance to be with the stunning Jess.  ‘If you want to escape, does that mean you aren’t content working with us?’

‘Not at all!’ she exclaimed with a delighted grin.  ‘I adore my job.  I’ve never been so happy!’

‘That’s good,’ he said, trying not to sound as relieved as he felt. Although she’d been working at Daniel’s yard for less than six months, Jake couldn’t imagine the place without her now.

‘I don’t mind the hard work, and I kind of like it being just us.’

Jake sent Jess a swift smile, in an attempt to silently agree. Unfortunately, he was so busy trying to hide his true emotions that it looked more like a pained grimace.

‘Nevertheless, it will be much easier when there’s a third groom around to shoulder the burden,’ he explained.  ‘With any luck, we won’t have to wait much longer.  Daniel hinted that they might have identified someone suitable.’

Misinterpreting his comment, Jess insolently put her feet up on the lorry dashboard and pulled out her phone.  She had never taken rejection well.

‘Let’s hope then,’ she huffed, diverting all of her attention to the brightly lit screen.

Jake internalised a deep sigh which he so longed to release. Instead, he focussed fully on the last few miles of road ahead.  The only sounds that broke their silence, were the radio and an occasionally stamping horse.  Most of the noise came from an impatient Eclipse, anxious to roll, grab a mouthful of grass, and then gallop madly around his field, tail held high in the air.  He was keen to show these amateurs what a celebratory lap of honour should really look like.

Chapter 2

Jake closed the front door to his flat, which sat above Daniel’s stables, and made his way down the echoing wooden staircase.  It was that magical part of the early morning, when the calls of the cockerel and owl combine in unexpected harmony, drowning out the sweet-pitched background noise of all other birdsong.  A light mist covered the surrounding landscape where, as in life he mused, only the tallest, strongest trees would ever rise above the debris, in order to see clearly.  Jake inhaled deeply, feeling at utter peace with the world.  Other than the giveaway sign of the trees being in full leaf, it could be any month between April and September.  As it happened, it was the middle of May; possibly his favourite time of year.

Walking through the yard, accompanied by much excited whinnying, Jake unlocked the feed shed and turned off the alarm system.  In the distance, he could hear an approaching car; it sounded like Jess’s and a squirm of excitement ran through his abdomen which he had to work hard to suppress.  Glancing up, he caught flashes of her car, appearing and disappearing behind the tall hedges abutting the edge of Daniel’s vast, sprawling estate.  He could hear the faint beat of rock music, slowly increasing in volume; some early Def Leppard if he wasn’t mistaken.  Jake had learnt to read Jess’s mood from her song choices some time ago; any kind of rock meant she was in an upbeat mood, but on the rare occasion Amy Winehouse was being played, it was best to keep well out of her way.

Disappearing into the feed shed once more, lest Jess should catch him eagerly awaiting her arrival, Jake lined up an abundance of feed buckets and began the long, laborious job of dividing the appropriate quantities of bran, nuts, sugar beet, molasses and mineral supplements into each one.  Every horse required a slightly different recipe, which often varied between breakfast and dinner, work days and rest days. And Jake knew each one of them by heart. Fully focussed on his task, he didn’t sense Jess approaching, until she was standing almost right beside him.

‘Morning,’ she grinned, looking genuinely pleased to see him.

‘Hey,’ nodded Jake, desperately trying to remember whether or not he’d just added electrolytes to Monty’s bucket.  ‘Sleep well?’

‘The best!  I was knackered after all of those hay bales we moved yesterday.  I could really have done without my alarm clock ringing this morning.’

Jess still lived at her parents’ home, which was a decent drive away. For his own reasons, Daniel had never offered the spare groom’s accommodation to her, which comprised of the flat opposite Jake’s.  And Jess had never directly questioned this decision, assuming it probably boiled down to the fact that he didn’t trust her completely.  Between her failed attempt at trying to kiss him, and Stardust being kidnapped on her watch, Jess was keeping as low a profile as possible. Fortunately, the kidnap, done for the best of reasons, had been undertaken by Trudy and Eddie, Tom’s sister and soon to be brother-in-law.  Stardust had been safely returned some months previously, none the worse for wear.

Whilst working at the yard, Jess had learned many things, not all of them equine related.  One of her swiftest lessons was that when Daniel took somebody down a peg, he really went to work on them.  Whether she could cope with being in Daniel’s bad books for the long term was still debatable but right now, the good far outweighed the bad.  Plus, thank goodness, all thoughts of making a play for him had been utterly extinguished from her previously lust-riddled brain.

Regardless of any discomfort she felt about Daniel though, Jess found herself very content with life.  She simply fell more in love with the horses she tended every day, plus working with Jake had definite benefits.  Even though their relationship had also started off a little on the rocky side, in recent months, he had proved himself to be kind, reliable, supportive and genuinely concerned for her welfare; a shelter in the turbulent storm of life.

‘Those five can go,’ stated Jake, pointing at a set of buckets slightly separated from the rest.  His voice immediately broke Jess’s thought processes.

‘Sure!’ she said, leaping forwards to stack them on top of each other, embarrassed to be found daydreaming about him and hoping he couldn’t read her mind.

The instant she walked out of the feed shed with her small tower of buckets, the neighing and foot stamping outside quadrupled in strength, as each horse noisily demanded their breakfast.

‘You’ll have to wait, I’m afraid,’ said Jess, grinning at a hugely unimpressed Eclipse as she walked straight past him, towards a set of stables at the side of the complex.  With his ears back, scraping his front hoof along the concrete floor in impatient displeasure, the horse simply couldn’t understand why an Olympic champion, such as himself, shouldn’t be dealt with as a priority.

Returning a short while later, Jess found Jake balancing an impressive number of buckets in his arms.  Grabbing another set herself, Jess followed him out, recognising that her respect for the man was growing daily.  She wasn’t surprised Daniel held him in such high regard.  Jake was the kind of person you barely noticed, because he undertook his work with such little fuss, operating steadily and efficiently until every task was complete.  If Jess was honest, Jake probably held the whole enterprise together. She just hoped the new groom which Tom and Daniel were actively searching for, wouldn’t upset the happy balance they’d fought so hard to achieve.

As their equine friends munched away contentedly, Jess and Jake confirmed the day’s schedule.  The horses which required exercise were to be left in their stables, whilst those which had only recently competed could be turned out straight after breakfast, to enjoy a day of rest.  Daniel and Tom typically attended a couple of shows each week, although, as a significant number of these were European fixtures, with travelling time, each show could span several days.  Fortunately, neither Daniel nor Tom were competing today, ensuring things should be less hectic.

‘What on earth…?’ grumbled Jake, recognising the sound of a large lorry reversing down the driveway.  Hanging out of the door, he glanced across at the clock on the back wall, which informed him it wasn’t yet seven o’clock.

‘Bit early for visitors?’ queried Jess, leaning out of the door beside him.

Instantaneously, she wished she hadn’t.  Inhaling deeply, she caught a deliciously warm smell of him, forcing her to automatically tighten her grip on the doorframe.  It brought back a fantastic memory of the time she’d seen his body in the flesh.  It had been the morning Stardust was kidnapped.  Responding to her panicked cries, he’d rushed downstairs in nothing but his boxer shorts.  Working closely together, she was often reminded of that image, although Jess found there was nothing more evocative than a scent.  She tried to bury her feelings; Jake had never given any indication whatsoever that he was interested in her.  And she’d learnt a very powerful lesson from Daniel; it would be unbearable to declare her feelings to Jake, only to lose the friendship she valued so strongly.

‘I’m guessing that’s the mare on loan from the Prince and Princess,’ explained Jake, trying to fight his desire to reach out and touch Jess, when she was so close.  ‘I knew she was due to arrive today…though I wasn’t expecting it to be this early.’

Just then, the engine was cut and a swarthy gentleman slid down from the high cab.

‘Hello?’ he called out, in a rich, Mediterranean accent.

‘Hi there!’ smiled Jake, striding towards the stranger to shake his hand.

‘I’m here to deliver Bel Amour.’

‘Yes, of course,’ nodded Jake.  ‘If you’d like to unload her, Jess here can walk Bel around the sand school, whilst I go and get Daniel Lawson.’

Jess shot forwards to assist, whilst Jake jogged towards the main house, hoping his employer wouldn’t mind an early morning wake-up call.  The situation wasn’t ideal, given that Jake had assured Daniel he could enjoy a much needed lie in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel gazed adoringly at his wife across the pillow, his fingers playfully twisting a strand of her long, blonde hair.

‘What?’ grinned Emma, loving the way her dazzling husband was looking at her.

Daniel had always been so naturally passionate and first thing in the morning, he looked utterly adorable.  Emma knew that she was the only person who ever saw him looking a little vulnerable, as he did now, with messed up hair, stubble, sleepy eyes and pillow creases marking his otherwise handsome face.

‘I can look, can’t I?’ he teased, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

‘So long as you don’t touch,’ she giggled, wriggling her body to lie closer to his.

‘God, you’re so beautiful,’ he sighed.  ‘I am such a lucky man.’

As his lips slowly took possession of her own, Emma appreciated that she was equally lucky.  Daniel had been her childhood crush and although nothing had ever happened between them back then, he’d remained the man that no other could live up to.  It wasn’t until he’d returned to Britain, just over four years ago, that they had finally got together.  And since that magical moment, Emma’s feet had barely touched the ground.

Within no time at all, their kiss naturally deepened, Daniel’s stubble digging into her soft face as their passion mounted.  And yet, it was a pain that was so pleasurable, Emma didn’t want it to stop, not for the world.  Daniel’s hand roamed naturally down her body, appreciating the soft curve of her hip, before pulling her tightly against him.  With a low moan, Emma became aware of his hardened, naked length, pressing against her pelvis, placing a continuous pressure adjacent to her clit. She felt so incredibly blessed to be married to such a skilful lover.  There was no denying it; she needed him more, with every day that passed. And it meant so much, to know Daniel was utterly devoted to her, when there were so many women around the world, that would be willing to take her place in an instant.

Unable to stop herself, Emma gently broke their kiss.

‘So much for not touching,’ she noted, with mock severity. Smiling, she grabbed his wrists, in an attempt to control his wandering hands, before wriggling down his body.

‘Mmmmm, I love it when you take charge,’ he sighed as, with both of them still laying on their sides, Emma’s head drew level with his aching cock.

Taking him gently in hand, she snagged her tongue teasingly across the smooth, swollen head, before encompassing it with her warm mouth.  A steady, rhythmical pulse had begun to beat noisily in her eardrums.  Somewhere in the distance, she heard a grumble from baby William; a sure sign that he would soon be awake.  As Daniel wound his fingers through her hair, sighing noisily, Emma suckled gently. She could feel his thick cock harden further, as blood pumped to the region, readying his body for what they both so desired.

Daniel groaned with frustration, causing Emma to glance up at him. It happened just as she was feeding more of him into her mouth, her hands putting pressure against his ass, to urge his cock deeper.  With their gazes locked, Daniel gently stroked her cheek, his eyes burning with lust and determination.

‘I should go,’ he growled, as Emma heard the escalating cries of their seven month old, erupting in the adjacent room.  For Daniel, it seemed impossible to be situated in any more of a paradox than this.  The absolute last thing his body currently wanted to do was leave his soft, warm bed… and Emma’s soft, warm mouth.  Retracting, she smiled.

‘You stay here,’ he said, with a lopsided grin.

Watching her sexy husband shuffle out of bed, Emma grinned with delight at the sight of Daniel’s hard, tight ass and thighs, perfectly muscled from so many years spent in the saddle.  Having pulled on his scuffed Levis, he was trying to encourage his thick, swollen erection into a position which would enable him to do up his button fly. Whichever way he tried, it was a struggle.

‘I’m going to have a chat with Master Lawson, man to man,’ smiled Daniel.  ‘See if we can’t come to some kind of arrangement that will allow me another hour in bed with my delectable wife.’

‘Good luck with that,’ laughed Emma, as William’s demanding cries to be tended to, intensified.  She knew, first hand, how incredibly determined her precious son could be, where feeding time was concerned.  Grabbing a T-shirt, Daniel sent Emma a soft wink before leaving the room, the epitome of effortless cool.

Padding silently across the thickly carpeted landing, Daniel peeked around the heavy oak door to the nursery.  In the same way that the first sight of his wife each morning sent a blast of infinite love straight through his chest cavity, so the same was true for his son.  William was growing up so fast that it often felt as though he changed slightly every single day.  Now able to sit up on his own, they had recently introduced solid food into his diet. The amount of mess one small child could generate with a single stem of broccoli and a stick of cucumber, continued to leave Daniel speechless.

‘Good morning,’ he murmured affectionately, heading straight towards the cot bed and gathering the infant into his gentle embrace.  Within no time at all, the sobs had been replaced by much more agreeable gurgles, as baby William recognised the safety of his doting father’s arms.

‘Let’s get you some milk, shall we, Master Lawson?’ murmured Daniel.

Tucking William securely under one arm, he tiptoed downstairs, in the hope that Emma might continue to rest.  With his busy work calendar, Emma took up most of the slack at home.  It was, therefore, a comparatively rare event that she had a lie in, and she thoroughly deserved one.  Grabbing a pre-prepared bottle of milk from the fridge, Daniel spoke in hushed tones to his infant son.  As the milk began to heat, the loving father swayed his young charge around the room, as William patiently waited for the first of many meals that day.

Utterly content, Daniel smiled broadly, wondering if life could possibly be any more perfect than it currently was.  The only downside was that he continued to miss the close proximity of his best mate.  Tom had been living in their home for the previous eight months, only vacating their property a few weeks earlier.  However, given that the cause of Tom’s decision to move out had been to set up home with the gorgeous Abby, it was impossible for Daniel to be happier for him. Tom was still based from Daniel’s yard, so the two men spent their working days together.  Plus, the additional privacy was responsible for much more regular and spontaneous sex with Emma, William’s feeding schedule and general demands notwithstanding.

Daniel’s pleasurable musings were interrupted by a brief rap on the external door at the back of the property.  With William on his hip, he strode through the boot room to unbolt the back door.  Watching through the glass was a grimacing Jake, clearly mouthing the word “Sorry”.

‘Morning mate,’ grinned Daniel, stepping back to allow Jake to enter.  William gazed at their guest with interest.  ‘Come in. What’s up?’

Making his way back into the kitchen, Daniel saved the warming milk just in time.

‘Your new mare’s arrived,’ explained Jake, without preamble.

‘Already?’

‘Yeah,’ he confirmed, watching his boss test the milk’s temperature, before offering it to his apparently ravenous child.  ‘Sodding great juggernaut.  Surprised you didn’t hear it.’

‘Hmmm,’ grunted Daniel noncommittally, not wishing to go into detail with Jake about how he might have otherwise been engaged when it arrived. Namely, with his wife’s talented mouth fastened securely around his cock.  ‘Let me just sort out this young man.  I’ll be down the yard in five minutes.’

‘Right you are, boss,’ said Jake.  Starting to make his way towards the exit, he suddenly thought better of it and spun back around.  ‘Any news on the new groom, by the way?  We could really do with the additional help.’

‘I’m on it,’ confirmed Daniel, with a brief nod.  ‘Or at least Tom is.’  Daniel hadn’t had the best luck with employing grooms of late.  Becoming convinced he was jinxed, he’d set Tom the task of identifying the most suitable candidate.  After all, the groom would be working for both of them.

‘That’s great, thanks.  I’ll see you down the yard, then.’

With a grunt, Daniel strode purposefully upstairs, returning to the master bedroom.  Instantly, the sight of Emma sprawled contentedly across both sides of their bed, caused lust to rise within him.  With her hair fanned out across the pillow and a small smile on her sleepy face at the sight before her, the very last thing Daniel felt like doing now, was going down the yard.  But needs must.

‘Did I hear you talking to someone?’ murmured Emma sleepily, shuffling into a sitting position.

‘Yeah,’ admitted Daniel with a lazy grin.  ‘Just one of my harem of women.’

‘Good luck to them,’ laughed Emma, amused at the thought. They were both well aware that Daniel went out of his way to avoid physical contact with any woman but her.

Crawling onto the bed beside his wife, Daniel lay a contented William in Emma’s outstretched arms, before cupping his hand around her cheek. ‘You do know that you’re all I’ll ever want,’ he said meaningfully, before briefly allowing his mouth to claim hers.

With a groan of frustration, Daniel eventually pulled away and dropped off the bed.

‘The new horse has just arrived,’ he explained, pocketing his phone and grabbing a fleece jumper.  ‘I’ve got to go and sign for her.’

‘Oh, they must have driven in very quietly,’ observed Emma, glancing down to reposition the bottle for William.

‘Yeah,’ chuckled Daniel, kissing the top of his son’s head, followed by his wife’s.  ‘That’s exactly what I said.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fenella Ashworth

Fenella Ashworth is a British author of contemporary erotic fiction.  All of her stories are available from Amazon and free for those with Kindle Unlimited access.  Her bestselling novels are ‘To Love, Honour and Oh Pay’ and the Daniel Lawson series.
Fenella also releases stories on BooksieSilk, Booksie, Lush Stories and Literotica, and is often visible in the Literotica ‘Erotic Couplings’ Hall of Fame (Top Rated).
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