“Every damn day,” he murmurs against my throat, “you’re a surprise. Chaotic, dramatic, drivin’ me insane.” He lifts his head, those blue eyes burning into mine, softer now. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way, darlin’.”
The sweetness of it melts me, even as his hand slides down my body, palming my breast, squeezing hard enough to make me arch up into him.
I crash my mouth back onto his, moaning, the kiss turning filthy again as our tongues tangle, his teeth tugging my bottom lip, my hands clawing at his back. He grinds against me, letting me feel just how hard he is.
“You’re mine,” he groans against my lips, kissing me harder, deeper, until I’m dizzy. “Always gonna be mine.”
In the middle of the pasture, half-naked and covered in dirt, I let him ruin me all over again with only his mouth, his body, and his love.
CHAPTER 7
Carter
Catalina drags me into town with her, saying she needs to “get some work done” at the bookstore. Which really means she’s going to spend all day fussing over shelves that are already alphabetized and rearranging displays no one asked for.
But fuck if I’m complaining.
I take my spot in the corner by the counter, hat low, a paperback in my hands that I’m not really reading. My eyes keep drifting over to her.
She’s in her element here—hair pulled back with her lavender bow, bright sundress swaying around her legs, gold hoops catching the light when she bends down to fix a stack of fantasy hardcovers. She’s humming under her breath, Where You Are, of course, completely unaware of how damn sexy she looks alphabetizing romance novels.
Customers come and go.
I don’t miss the way a couple of guys glance too long when they walk in. My jaw tightens, and I shift in my chair just enough so they see me; their eyes snap away quickly.
Good.
“Stop glaring at my customers,” Catalina scolds as she passes the counter with her arms full of books.
“I’m not glaring,” I mutter.
“You’re brooding.”
“Same thing.”
She smirks, rolling her eyes, and heads toward the back shelves. I watch her the whole way, hips swaying, that damn bow bouncing, and all I can think about is how she looked last night in the pasture.
“Enjoying the view?” she calls over her shoulder without looking back.
I grunt, dragging my eyes down to the book in my lap, even though I haven’t turned a page in half an hour. “Always, baby.”
She laughs, and I swear my chest aches with how much I love her.
I’m supposed to be busy with a book, but honestly, I haven’t read a single word. My eyes keep drifting to her across the store, sunlight catching the bow in her hair, her laugh echoing through the aisles as she helps a customer find some romance novel I’ll never understand.
She’s happy, and it breaks me open all over again that I’m able to do that for her.
When the customer leaves, she comes back to the counter, scribbling something on a notepad, totally unaware I’ve been staring holes into her.
“Darlin’,” I say, standing and walking over, bracing my hand on the counter.
She glances up, arching a brow. “Yes, baby?”
“I hope you know how proud I am of you,” I tell her, voice steady but soft. “This store. This life you built. You’re runnin’ circles around everyone, and I get to stand here and say you’re mine.”
Her pen slips out of her hand. She blinks up at me, “Carter?—”
I shake my head, cutting her off. “No, I mean it. I love you, Catalina.”
