I tilt my face up to him, eyes burning, but I don’t look away. “Yeah. I want a baby with you, Carter. I want all of it—theranch, the bookstore, the chaos, and a family that’s ours.” My lip trembles, but I press on. “I want to see you holding our baby. I want them to grow up knowing what it feels like to be loved the way you love me.”
He stares at me, like I’ve knocked the air out of him. His throat works, his jaw tight, his blue eyes shining in a way that makes my chest ache.
“Darlin’…” He cups my face in his big hand as his thumb brushes under my eye. “You don’t know what that does to me, hearin’ you say that. Been dreamin’ about it, prayin’ for it, hopin’ you’d want it too.”
I swallow hard, my voice almost a whisper. “I do. I want it with you. Only you.”
His mouth crashes onto mine, the kiss stealing my breath and giving it back all at once. His other hand slides down, gripping my hip, pulling me tight against him like he can’t stand the space between us.
“You say the word, Catalina,” he rasps against my lips, his forehead pressed to mine. “And I’ll give you a baby. Tonight. Tomorrow. As soon as God’ll let us.”
My whole body shivers, heat rushing through me, tears spilling over as I kiss him again. “Then don’t stop trying,” I whisper.
The look in his eyes tells me he has no intention of ever stopping.
His lips move against mine as his hand cradles my face. There’s no rush in the way he kisses me now, just depth, reverence, and devotion.
He rolls me gently onto my back. I spread for him instantly, needy, my whole body already humming with the weight of what I just said.
I want a baby with you.
“Darlin’,” he rasps, hovering above me, the lamplight catching in his blue eyes. “You sure?”
I grab his jaw, dragging him down into another kiss, whispering against his lips. “Yes, I want everything with you.”
He groans before sliding his hand down my body, tugging my nightshirt up until I’m bare beneath him. His gaze trails over me, and he shakes his head like he can’t believe I’m real.
“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my collarbone, then lower, over my breasts. He sucks my nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue until I arch off the bed, a gasp tearing from my throat.
“Carter—”
“Shh, baby,” he soothes, trailing his kisses down my stomach, nipping gently along the way. “I’ll take care of you.”
His mouth hovers over my pussy, and I nearly sob. His tongue parts me, slow, steady licks that make my whole body quake. It’s not the frantic edging from before—this is different. Tender. Patient. He’s savoring me, pulling me apart with devotion as much as desire.
“Sweetest taste in the world,” he moans against me, slipping a finger inside, curling it just right until my thighs tremble. “Gonna get you ready for me. Gonna fill you up the way you want.”
I moan, clutching at his hair, as my hips rock against his mouth, the pleasure building and building. He finally pulls away, my slick shining on his lips.
He’s above me again, bracing himself on his forearms, his cock sliding heavy and hot along my folds.
My breath stutters as my eyes find his.
“You ready, darlin’?” His voice is rough, almost breaking. “Ready for me to give you what we both want?”
“Yes,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him down. “Please, Carter. Inside me. Now.”
Carter’s forehead presses against mine, his breath ragged as he sinks deeper, inch by inch, until there’s no space left between us.
“God, darlin’,” he whispers, his voice wrecked, “you fit me so perfectly. Like you were made for me.”
I gasp, clutching his shoulders, my nails biting into his skin as the fullness settles, my body melting into the way he holds me.
He doesn’t move at first, kissing me, his lips brushing mine, lingering, as though he has all the time in the world. His thumb strokes over my cheek, his other hand laced with mine above my head.
“I love you,” I breathe into his mouth.
He groans, kissing me harder, the sound vibrating through me. “I love you, Catalina. More than my next breath.”
