His cheeks flush like he didn’t mean to say all of that.
“Do you think a piece of you is still that twelve-year-old kid waiting for your dad to come home safely?”
“I don’t know,” he says after a long beat of silence.
“It couldn’t have been easy being the oldest male in the house at such a tender age.”
“I played father as best I could. But I couldn’t make up for my dad’s absence.”
My heart breaks at his raw honesty. Only to absolutely shatter when he adds—
“My wound still hasn’t healed, and every time I go out on the water, I feel him again. But it’s never enough. Last month, when we nearly capsized and my entire crew was at risk…” He clears his throat. “We almost didn’t make it back. And it got me thinking—why am I doing this? Who am I doing it for? Is it all for him?”
“We do crazy things to stay close to our parents,” I say. “I never left the area. I went to college locally and lived at home. I couldn’t bear the idea of being away from my mom.Even though she’s begged me to get out and explore the world because she knows I need more than just what she had. And she’s right. Losing my job made me start to think about things. She and I are very different people, and that’s okay.”
He flicks his gaze to mine. “I never thought of it that way.”
I touch his cheek tenderly. “Maybe because you were so young when you lost your dad. You didn’t have a chance to know him as an adult.”
He kisses the top of my head. “That makes sense.”
We sit quietly for a few moments before I accidentally bump his…ahem, package, with my hand.
“Sorry,” I say with a giggle. God, I truly feel almost constantly turned on around this man. Not sure if he’s on the same page, I add quickly, “That was unplanned.”
“But certainly not unwanted,” Michael says in a raspy tone. He shifts around and pulls me on top of him. “Things are just getting started between us. I plan to be inside you plenty more times.”
In my heart, I’d like endless more days and nights with Michael Wild.
But that’s not a conversation I can have with him. So instead, I’ll push those deeper needs aside and enjoy what’s happening in the present.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Michael
My vacation at Wild Ranch is turning into a vacation with Emery Walker. I still spend plenty of time with my cousins, but Emery and I grow closer by the day. We go on hikes, drive into the mountains, and spend loads of time in bed. The sex is unbelievable, but I also enjoy the talking. Intimate conversations under the veil of darkness with no one else awake but us.
Whenever a woman used to try to get to know me, I would shut it down fast.
And yet with Emery, I find myself looking forward to hanging out after we have sex. She gets me. I never felt like anyone ever did before.
“You and I are total opposites,” I say to her one morning. “Sometimes, I’m amazed we fit.”
She kisses me. “And yet we do.”
Yes. We do.
“After I hang out with my mom, do you want to meet later at Cowboy Aromas?”
“Sure.”
I kiss her goodbye, and I’m about to leave the cabin when my phone rings.
“Hi, Lynn,” I say after swiping the screen. “How are you?”
“Wonderful, dear. I’m calling to invite you over tomorrow,” she says.
“The birthday girl.” I grin. “I’m lucky I’m in town. How are you planning to celebrate?”
