A need to be close to her, to take comfort in her as well kicked at him when she relaxed in his arms, her hands wrapping into his hair, her legs tangling with his. He was hard the moment one of those noises she made when she was turned on slipped out of her; that quiet, throaty hum that was a promise of pleasure. He hesitated. Could he take advantage of this, with both of them so emotional? Was it the right thing to do?
“Liz, we don’t have to—” he tried, but she shushed him.
She pushed him onto his back, straddling his hips, and shucked her shirt. Circling her waist with his arms, he pulled her flush to him and kissed her, because she was damned near melting on top of him and he wanted to connect to that heat.
“Need this,” she murmured, her hands roving low over his body.
“Then take,” he murmured back. If she needed, he could give.
A flurry of hands removed their underwear, and he held her hips as she found him and sank slowly home, the feel of her surrounding him all he could handle as he slid inside her, inch by inch. She rolled her hips and folded over, nose touching his, eyes focused on him. She let out a small cry and rolled her hips again, moving against his length, wet and tight.
He wanted at that moment for this to never end, for the world to fade away, be replaced by her body sliding with his, the complete and utter surrender to her shocks of pleasure as he watched her, held her close to him, absorbing her.
“Come for me, Liz. Let it out, sweetheart,” he breathed.
She braced herself on his chest, her hair a wild halo around her head, her breath fast and hot, her cheeks flushed, her back arched as she moved. Nothing had ever come close to how possessed he felt by her right now, knowing she was his in the same way.
She let out another throaty moan, covered her mouth with one hand, and shattered hard and fast, her muscles shaking. He held her as she sagged against him, rolled her over, and thrust into her the moment she was on her back under him, pulling him down to her at the same time.
“I need this too,” he gasped and let go of the control he’d held on to so she could take what she needed from him. Now it was his turn; the drive to lose himself to her felt all-consuming. He slammed into her and she took it, biting his shoulder, murmuring his name over and over.
He came as she hooked her heels together over the small of his back and dug her fingernails into his shoulders, branding him, mixing delicious pain with his release. His entire body exploded with pleasure, and he surrendered everything in him to her in that moment.
“Liz,” he breathed, head buried into the pillow beside her, his body shaking. “I—” He was at a loss for what to say, the unbelievable sensation of completeness unlike any endorphin rush he’d ever experienced. He thought he’d been emotionally drained after reading his father’s letter, but this was overwhelming.
It could be the culmination of a day that would shake anyone’s composure, or it could be he was just bone-ass tired, but he realized he was crying when she wiped at a tear with her hand, slowly sliding out from under him to fold over his now prone, boneless body.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
He lifted an arm and pulled her close, his pulse in his ear, the rubbery, shaky buzz of his release rendering him unable to move. More tears slipped out, but he wasn’t upset. It was the oddest feeling in the world. He felt utterly fucking amazing, but here he was, tears slipping down his face. He huffed a watery laugh out and concentrated on slowing his breathing.
“You good?” she murmured a minute or so later when he let out a big breath, expanding his chest, most of the tears done, it seemed.
“Yeah. Today was a whole lot, and we’ve all got a lot to think about with these letters. Decisions and ideas are swirling in my head, and I feel like I’m in the spin cycle of a washing machine, but the last thing amazing sex should do is make me—”
“Happy cry?” she supplied.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he said. “And what exactly is a happy cry?”
“I know what’s right,” she whispered, not answering his other question. She wiped the last spots of wet off his cheeks, a soft smile spreading across her face.
“You do?” he replied, shifting to his side. “Tell me.”
She brushed his lower lip with her thumb, and scooted up, kissing him gently.“If I tell you, you can’t tell me no because it’s the truth, I can feel it,” she said.
“And what is that?” he asked.
“You know what you want now.”
“I do?” he said, wanting her to spell it out.
“You’ve figured out where you belong, and I hope—” she whispered.
“Yes,” he interrupted, goose bumps rising along his arm. He looked back at her, this woman who in the matter of a few weeks had challenged his heart almost as much as his brothers and the ranch had challenged his head. Both had irrevocably altered his soul.
“I don’t know how it’ll work yet, but there’s no way I could leave this ranch. Not now,” he added when she smiled widely, her eyes dancing over his with his admission.
“And why is that?” she asked.
