“He’s got food and water, and he’s not allowed in the house.”
“But—”
“Jenna, he’s a farm dog. Non-negotiable.”
She pouted, then spun and pulled him out of the light streaming in from the hall. “I feel bad for him.”
“I’ll give him eggs in the morning.”
“Promise?”
Country reached for her shirt, and Jenna caught his face in her hands. Her fingers were still chilled to the bone.
“Here, just a sec.” He stepped back into the hall then returned with two thick quilts piled in his arms. He threw them one at a time over the bed, then pulled back the sheets.
Jenna took a step toward him and jerked on her sleeve, but Country caught her wrist. “Can I?” She nodded, and her eyes drifted closed as he tugged on the fabric, giving her space to pull her arm free. He repeated the process with her other side, then felt for the bottom of the shirt. He bunched it up like a stage curtain, raising it higher and higher, then scooping it over her head.
This time, he didn’t apologize for staring. She shivered, and as her skin pinched, he worked her pants over her hips with unsteady hands. Then he had to touch her. He ran his hands over her lean muscles and long lines.
His memory hadn’t done her justice. Not in the least. He ticked his fingers up each bone of her spine then started again at the bottom. Jenna kissed his cheek and slipped away from him, crawling into bed and pulling the covers up.
She gazed up at him through her lashes, drinking him in as he pulled off his long-sleeve Henley. “I watched all your videos.”
Country worked at his belt. “I know. John forced you to come up with content.”
“No, like all of them. Multiple times. Especially the ones where you were shirtless.”
He raised an eyebrow and dropped his jeans to the floor. “That’s a lot of videos.”
“It was a serious commitment.” She bit her lip, her eyes dark.
“When did this happen?”
“Wasn’t really a one time thing.”
He gave a devilish grin and tried to climb into the bed, but Jenna held up a finger. “All of it, Maddox.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t wear underwear.”
Jenna shrugged and looped an arm under her head. “Not my fault if you don’t get laid, I guess.”
Country swallowed. “I was thinking an extra layer?—”
“Now who’s overanalyzing?” Jenna raised an eyebrow. “We have all night. It’s okay if this goes fast the first time.”
Country’s heart strained against his ribs. He didn’t have to be anything here. Jenna would do what she’d always done. Talk to him. Teach him. Accept whatever he had to give.
But he still wanted to take her by surprise. We have all night. There would be plenty of time for that. Country extricated himself from his boxer briefs, which was not an easy task given the state of things. “Happy?”
A slow smile curled her lips as her eyes locked onto him. “You definitely are.”
Country shook his head and crawled into bed. He slid next to her, running his hands over her silky skin.
He remembered her. All of her.
It felt like he was standing in front of a firehose as a deluge of memory slammed through him. Her scent. Her taste. All of it flooded his veins, infusing through his skin. He read her like braille, her body his favourite novel. Like a topographical map, his palms and fingertips lighting up with each familiar slope and valley.
Jenna was his hometown—his place of origin.
