Wrapped around your finger - Post Malone

15

Turning into Cottonwood Ranch she brings the truck to a stop when she sees Ace, Jack, Josh, Austin, and Evelyn standing in a field on their horses. They look like they are having a serious conversation until Evelyn sees her. Then her little face lights up and she trots toward Hazel - the rest following. "Did you get it? Did you get the nail - oh my gosh! You look so pretty! I love your Stetson!" Evelyn gushes as Hazel steps out of the truck. "Thank you," Hazel tips it and bows, "it screams fun, sassy but safe and hard-working," she says as Evelyn giggles and claps her hands in approval.

"It screams whimsical, loud, and a pain in my a-"

"Dad!" Evelyn shouts, cutting off her father who is looking at Hazel with an unamused frown. "You dawdled in town. We have a ranch to run. Get your boots and gloves on. Ace, take the truck and start offloading," Austin says. Ace nods and jumps off his horse, handing the reins to Jack and walking to the truck. He pulls the foam out and puts it on the back seat but before he can get in Christmas Dinner makes a scene, gobbling and flapping his wings. Ace stands back and after more flapping, gobbling and unnecessary chaos Christmas Dinner flops out of the truck and starts walking slowly up the road to the house past all the chuckling cowboys like he had not just freaked out. Hazel starts laughing too but swallows it when a firey-eyed Austin glares at her. He dismounts his horse and stalks toward her, picking her up under her arms and placing her firmly in the driver's seat of the truck with her feet dangling out. He then whips off her trainers and chucks them as far as he can - they land in a field somewhere. He then reaches over and grabs her boots and gloves. He plonks the boots on her lap and takes a step back. "Boots. On. Now," he says then turns to face Jack, Josh, and Evelyn. "I don't know what you are all sniggering about. You all have jobs to do so I suggest you get to gettin' !" he says sternly. All three of them turn their horses and trot off without any complaint.

By the time Austin is finished with his little rant Hazel has finished putting her boots on and she jumps down from the truck. Ace scrambles into the truck and wastes no time in starting it and disappearing down the dusty road leaving Hazel all alone with Austin. "There is a fence broken on the other side of the ranch. You are coming to help me," he says and starts fussing with his saddle. "What? But I have been in town all morning and I am tired. I was hoping for an afternoon nap," she says, annoyed. Austin stops and turns back to look at her then he holds two fingers on her neck pulse point. "Nope still alive. You can nap when you are dead," he says hoisting himself up onto his horse and then extending his hand out to help her up. Hazel sighs then takes his hand and climbs up onto the horse, sitting in front of him again. "In all the cowboy movies I have watched, the damsel gets on behind the cowboy," Hazel thinks out loud. "You would have to be a lady to be a damsel, as far as I can tell you are not a lady - you are a mess. But now that I think about it you should have been put behind me so I don't have to look at this ridiculous Stetson," he says. "Hey! There was not one word in that little speech that was not offensive," Hazel snaps back. Austin hums his acknowledgment but leaves it at that.

Hazel would continue to harp on his words but she is looking around and for the first time since getting to Cottonwood Ranch she is taking a moment to look at it as Austin leads his horse lazily through the open fields. She is a city girl, and never had any pull to move to the country or even go camping but she can appreciate the beauty of the ranch and its rolling hills. She can see when they get to the top of a rather high hill that the ranch stretches over a vast area with a winding river running through it. She is about to ask him to point out the ranch boundaries when his phone suddenly starts ringing. He groans and sits them forward to enable him to retrieve his phone from his back pocket. He sighs heavily when he sees who is phoning him. But he answers it anyway.

"Jan," he says into the receiver. Hazel giggles into her hand. She knows exactly why Jan is phoning. But then Austin slides his hand onto her hip and gives it a light squeeze - she nearly stops breathing, fucking hell. "Oh really, she said that, huh?" he says. Hazel would giggle again but her brain is so focused on mentally measuring how big his hands are, so far all she can be sure of is that they are fucking big and rough - very rough. "I am not having this conversation with you, Jan," he says then cuts the call and puts the phone back in his pocket. "Really?" Austin asks. Hazel turns her head to look at Austin as he brings his fingers up and makes a V then flicks his tongue - mirroring her gesture earlier to Jan. She shrugs and looks forward again, "she had it coming," she says absentmindedly. It happens so fast that Hazel has no idea how he does it but he grabs her, flips her around so she is facing him, and plastered to his front. Her legs hooked up over his thighs and his hands pressed into the small of her back. He turns his head and dips down so his lips are an inch from hers. "You think you could handle me? Do you really think you could handle fucking me? Because I don't think you could, sweetheart. I don't think you could handle a dam thing," he breathes out. Fucking, fuck, fuck, fuck. Hazel can not fucking breathe.

"Word of warning, darlin' - you should know how to put out a fire before you start one," he says then in the most subtle way he runs his lips on her cheekbone. Hazel squeaks and he smirks, grabs her ankle, and flips her forward again. "Breathe, darlin'," he whispers in her ear. "I can't fucking think straight let alone breathe when you are in my fucking ear," she snaps. Austin leans back slightly with a chuckle as his horse continues to walk lazily along. She is in over her head when it comes to Austin.