“I can manage on my own, it’s okay.”
“Yes. You can,” I say, cradling her face in my hands. “But you don’thaveto. I’m here.” My favorite pair of golden eyes fill with tears, and the lips I’m starting to memorize with my own quiver. When she blinks, twin tears stream down her cheeks, caught by my thumbs, and when she nods, relief floods me.
Once she’s settled in bed with the heating pad on her shoulders and a mug of mint tea in her hands, I get to work on some chicken broth. She doesn’t want to eat anything, but at least this way, she’ll get some sustenance. When I walk in with the bowl and a few crackers on a tray, Luther is lying on the bed with his head on her lap.
“Did you send Luther to training?” Alice asks, her hazy eyes meeting mine as she strokes the top of Luther’s head.
I set the tray carefully on her nightstand, knowing all too well that Luther won’t be gentle when he gets off the bed. It buys me a few seconds to think about how to answer this.
“Paige already ratted you out, so you might as well tell me.” Her smile makes her dimple pop, and I huff out a laugh.
“Yeah, well, he needed it. I didn’t send him anywhere, but I did find someone to help me train him, and we have video calls three times a week so she can see him and guide me through the exercises.” I shrug it off, patting Luther’s leg so he’ll get off the bed and let Alice have her soup. He practically rolls his eyes at me, but he jumps off, settling on the rug instead. “How does chicken broth sound? Think you can stomach it?” I hope changing the topic means we don’t have to talk about why I’ve got him in training. It’s pretty obvious anyway.
“It smells amazing.” That’s a good response. When I rest the tray over her lap, she places a hand over mine. “Thank you.”
Once she’s had about half of the crackers and broth, her eyelids grow heavy, so I tuck her into bed and leave water on the nightstand.
The little crease between her eyebrows softens, but it only disappears after I kiss her there, and a soft sigh leaves her lips.
After a nightof mostly restless sleep, four in the morning seemed like a good time to start the day. Luther disagreed. He stayed in his bed while I brushed my teeth and pulled some sweatpants and a flannel shirt on. The coffee brews quietly, and I sit at the kitchen table, making a mental list of the things we’ll need to tackle at the ranch before the horses—and goat—arrive.Thinking about that damn goat makes me think of Alice, which makes me smile like an idiot.
“What are you grinning at this early?” Like I conjured her, she stands at the entrance to the kitchen. With her hair piled high on her head, a white tank top and leggings on her slender body, she’s a vision. And she’s walking toward me with a sleepy smile I’d sure like to see on the pillow next to mine every morning. “Hi,” she whispers, stepping into the space between me and the table. Her eyes soak up every inch of my body, gaze traveling slowly over my torso where my open shirt has left my skin exposed.
“Morning,” I respond in my still-raspy voice. She moves to lean back on the table, but before she can, I take her hand and pull her to me. “How are you feeling?” I bend forward and place a kiss on her palm.
“Good as new. Thank you.” With her free hand, she reaches for me, running her fingers through my hair.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” I sigh as she continues to comb my hair back with her fingers, a touch so simple, but so intimate, like we’ve done this a thousand times before. But that’s how things tend to be with Alice. Even when something is brand new, it feels like it’s always been a part of us, like we’re meant to be doing it.
She shakes her head. “I fell asleep too early. I think I was dreaming about you, though.”
With that little confession, I pull her closer again, and when she stumbles, she widens her stance so my knee is between her legs. The tiny strap on her tank top falls off her shoulder, and when I track the movement, my eyes catch on her hardening nipples. She’s not wearing a fucking bra, and now my dick is officially inviting himself to join this conversation.
“Youthinkit was me you were dreaming about?” My brain manages to get me back on track for a moment.
“Yeah. It just…” She pauses, nails raking over my scalp as she leans down, bringing her face closer to mine. She’s so short, it doesn’t take much. “It felt like you. It felt like this.” Her lips touch mine in a kiss that’s tentative at first, but when I put my hand on her hip, she lowers herself to straddle my thigh, and our kiss turns hungry. Needy.
Both of her hands slide under my shirt, fingertips exploring the skin on my shoulders and upper back until she’s pushing the sleeves down. Once my arms are free again, I wrap them around her waist, pulling her closer. The friction makes her gasp, then moan, and her cheeks are that perfect rosy hue when I push back to look at her.
“And how does this feel?” I ask into her neck, nipping at her, then soothing her skin with my tongue.
“Warm and safe,” she whispers, and my heart somersaults. “Hot and hard.” My dick jumps for attention this time. Her voice breaks when I lick at her collarbone. “Wet,” she gasps, grinding against my thigh and arching until her breast is nearly touching my lips.
“Please, Arthur,” she whimpers, and I lick her nipple through the thin cotton of her top until it’s nearly see-through, until she’s moaning louder, grinding harder.
“You are perfection.” I slide my hands up her torso, cupping her breasts. When my fingertips dance along her collar and her hooded eyes meet mine, she gives me a small nod, and I pull her shirt down, mumbling a curse as I get my first look at her.
I lavish her with kisses and licks and sucks while she writhes on my lap, her hands in my hair, pulling and scratching in the most delicious way. “That’s it, tesouro. Ride me.” My lips travel up her neck until they meet hers again, and she kisses me like she never wants to stop. And I do it back like I hope she doesn’t.
Her hand travels to the waistband of my pants untilshe’s gripping me through the material. I throw my head back, hissing out a breath. “Fuck, baby, that feels—” She grips me tighter, moaning at the same time I do. “So fucking good,” I manage to get out. “So good, Alice.” Too good, in fact, because damn it, I’m so close to coming in my pants. “Ride my thigh, baby. Ride it so I can feel how wet you are for me.” Her hand moves in time with her body, up and down my shaft.
“Oh,” she breathes out softly, circling her hips, then letting out a small gasp. “Oh my—” As she throws her head back, she groans, and her body tenses up. Fuck, if she comes, I don’t stand a chance of not embarrassing myself. “Arthur, I’m—I think—” I don’t want her to think, so I pull her nipple into my mouth and suck until she’s gasping for air, until her body is completely flushed and all her muscles tighten—and until mine do, too.
I come with a loud groan, and she does with a quiet whimper, and when her hold on me loosens and her body relaxes, I kiss the soft skin on her chest and neck until she’s humming contentedly and her fingers are stroking my hair gently. I’ve never wished for time to stop quite like I do now.
I breathe her in as her arms wrap around my neck, and when I glance up, there’s a look on her face like I’ve not seen before. She’s entirely happy in this moment, in this afterglow, and I can’t believe I get to have it with her.
“That smile,” she whispers, tracing my lips with her fingertips. “That smile is all mine.” If she only knew it’s not only the smile that’s hers. That every part of me is, too, even the ones I’m sure she doesn’t want. Even the ones I know she won’t like.
