Mason and Ethan told us to get some rest. Declan protested, but they said they had everything handled. Ethan clapped him on the back. “The ranch isn’t just your responsibility, brother. Let us lighten the load. Enjoy some time off with your mate.”
They left us alone, and I sat on the bed, legs crossed, facing Declan. “Time alone. I suspect that won’t happen often.”
“I’ll make sure it does.” His gaze was intense. “I promise you now, I’ll always make time for you.”
“Well, time with me would be hard to resist.” I let a teasing note enter my voice. “Whatever should we do with it?”
“I can think of a few things.” His eyes darkened, and he trailed his fingers down my cheek. “But top of the list would have to be getting to know my mate better.”
I arched a brow. “Really? That’s what’s on the top of your list?”
His half-grin had my stomach fluttering. “Well, it was a tight race. But yeah. I want to know everything about you. What makes you tick.”
“I’m a simple soul who lives for adventure and discovering what life has to offer.” I kept my tone light and breezy.
“Why?” His palms rested on my knees. I watched as he stroked his thumbs against the tops of my thighs, his large hands strong and sure. “What made you choose that?”
“Maybe it’s just the way I am.”
“I think we all make a choice, whether intentionally or not.” His voice was thoughtful, and he looked off to the side, as if remembering something. “After our parents died, I made this ranch my life. I put the burden of saving it on my shoulders. As if it was all on me to hold it together.”
He took a deep breath and faced me again. “I stopped taking time for fun. You saw it when you came here. My arrival ended the water fight. Before, I would have joined my brothers, but now I stop them.” He paused his stroking thumbs. “I haven’t been fair to them. I took everything on, and in doing so, I held them back. They’re just as capable of keeping the ranch going as I am. They showed that today.”
I cupped his face in my hands. “It’s hard to let go of control when you use it to hold yourself together.” My gaze dropped as I chose my words carefully. I usually preferred to be in the present, but Declan was my mate, and I wanted him to know all of me. Even the parts I might want to forget. “When I was younger, I got sick. Really sick. At first, I thought I had to controleverything. Be the perfect daughter and patient. Never showing anyone how scared I was.”
I brushed my tears away as they fell. “But one day that layer of control snapped, and I fell apart. My mother was the one who told me we need to experience our emotions before we can overcome them. That was the day I realized life was too uncertain to not live it to the fullest.”
He pressed a kiss against my forehead. “I’d like to learn how to do that. With you.”
NINE
Declan
“Wake up.” A hand shook my shoulder. I batted it away and buried my face deeper into my pillow. Until someone pulled the pillow away. “I said, wake up. We’re going to miss it.”
I groaned and opened my eyes, squinting at the bright light overhead. The sky outside was still dark, but Chloe stood next to the bed, hands on her hips, looking far too awake. It had been a few days since her kidnapping, and she’d recovered fully, bouncing back as if nothing had happened. I pulled the blanket over my head. “It’s too early, even for me, and I’m a rancher.”
“You said you wanted to learn to live life to the fullest. Well, it starts now.” Her eyes danced, and she tugged the blanket off the bed before tossing clothes at me. “Let’s go, mate of mine.”
I dragged myself out of bed, yawning, and got dressed. She slung her camera bag over her shoulder and grabbed my hand to tug me out the door. She put her finger to her lips. “Quiet. We don’t want to wake your brothers.”
“Why should they get to sleep if I don’t?”
Chloe grinned and gave me a quick kiss. “Trust me, you’re the lucky one.”
If the kiss hadn’t finished waking me up, the chilly night air would have. “Will you tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.” She laughed as she led me to the ATVs. “But it’s your ranch, so you’ll probably be able to guess.”
“I can’t think of anything worth getting up this early for. Except you.” I swung her around and took her hips in my hands before kissing her deeply. “And we could stay in the bedroom for that.”
Her eyes fluttered and lips curved as she hummed her pleasure. Then she sighed and pushed against my chest. “Later. I want to show you something. Unless…you don’t want to. I won’t force you.”
My grip on her hips tightened, and I ducked my head to look into her lowered eyes. “I meant what I said the other day. I want to live life with you. If that means getting up in the middle of the night, I’ll get up in the middle of the night.”
I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the ATV, putting her in the driver’s seat and climbing on behind her. “You should know I’m a grump when I don’t get enough sleep. I apologize for my less-than-enthusiastic start. I’ll do better next time.”
“Next time I’ll make you coffee.” She winked at me over her shoulder. “And there will be a next time.”
