“Brownie,” he murmured against my lips, his breath warm, “I want you so damn much.”
“Show me,” I whispered, pulling the blanket over us
He undressed me slowly, as if each button, each fold of fabric, deserved its own moment. His hands were warm, his mouth following, worshiping each new inch of skin he uncovered. The cool mountain air kissed through the wool until his body covered mine, sheltering me completely.
“You sure?” he asked, even as his fingers slid between my thighs, his touch feather-light but deliberate.
“There’s no one for miles,” I gasped when his fingers found me aching for him. “And I need you. Right here. Right now. Under our sapphire ocean.”
His gaze burned through me, and I felt it everywhere, a low hum starting between my legs, spreading through my chest until it was all I could do not to pull him down on top of me. When his fingers slipped away to brace himself over me, the heat of his body caged me in, blocking out the world. The scent of leather, pine, and him filled my lungs until I was dizzy with it.
He eased into me slowly, filling me inch by inch, his forehead pressed to mine as though he wanted to feel my every breath. The stretch of him stole the air from my lungs, a deep, aching fullness that made my toes curlin the grass beneath the blanket. His movements were deep and unhurried, but there was a deliberate power in the way his hips rolled, dragging a gasp from me each time he bottomed out. Every slow thrust wound me tighter, keeping me balanced on that razor’s edge between pleasure and something so much bigger.
The pines whispered above us, their song folding into the wet sound of him moving inside me, my quiet moans, and his low, filthy murmurs against my ear. His thumb brushed my cheek, grounding me even as heat coiled hard and fast in my belly. His eyes never left mine, holding me there, seeing me.
When release claimed me, it ripped through me like the snap of a bowstring, my back arching, his name caught between my lips and the endless Colorado sky reflected in his.
Afterward, we stayed tangled together under the blanket, his weight draped over me, the warmth of his body sinking into mine until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began. My head rested on his chest, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart, each thud a promise I wanted to keep forever.
“We should probably head back,” he said eventually, though his arms tightened around me instead of loosening.
“Five more minutes,” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his collarbone, breathing him in. “I want to remember this forever.”
“Forever sounds perfect to me, Brownie. Just perfect.”
Chapter 32
Levitating – Dua Lipa
Wilder
The sound of hammering, drilling and digging blasted around as Markus, our contractor and his crew worked on the barn. Nash, Gunner and myself were standing with mugs of coffee watching the hive of activity. The start of another arm of our business.
“How long is it going to take? Has Markus said?” I asked, enjoying the freshness of the early morning.
“A month, maybe six weeks. I think we’ll mothball it until after the new year, though. Let us concentrate on getting the cattle down from the highground and making sure we’re ready for winter.”
“We have plenty of hay,” I told him. “But it wouldn’t hurt to buy some in. Yield is down slightly because of the damn summer.” We’d had a particularly hot one and the lack of rain and a reduced flow of snow down from the mountains hadn’t helped.
“Seems like it might be a long winter.” Gunner chuckled, deep from his belly. “Good job we’veallgot someone to keep us warm this year.”
“Fuck off, Gunner.”
“How’s that going anyway?” Nash asked. “It’s been a week, and you still haven’t slept in your own bed, so I’m thinking it’s good.”
Good? It was incredible. Wild nights, sleepy, fucking cute as anything mornings, and knowing that Tallulah Brown was mine.
“What about Henry and Davis, when are they coming over to sign the contracts?” A change of subject was needed.
“Friday, then they hand over the keys next month.” Nash took a long sip of his coffee and sighed. “We then need to decide what to do with the properties.”
Each farm had a small house. Davis’s was a two-story with open living downstairs and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. The one on Henry’s farm was even smaller with one bedroom, a kitchen, a lounge and a shower room. He’d taken the farm on after his son left for the army, so it was big enough for him and his wife Kate. Neither house was in bad repair, but they could benefit from an upgrade.
“Lily had an idea about that.” He smiled proudly, a faraway look in his eye. “She thought that maybe they’d be great guest houses that we could rent out. To either wedding guests or just people visiting the area.”
“Like an Airbnb.” Gunner looked pensive. “Good idea for another revenue string but more work cleaning them after each guest.”
Nash nodded. “Yeah, and we spoke to Ruby about that. Her sister has a cleaning business in Clementine Hill and would be willing to take on the contract. She’s also agreed to include the bunk house, since some of those guys have no idea what cleanliness means.” He held up a hand. “And before you ask I checked out her price with other cleaners and it’s really reasonable. I wanted to run it past you both first before I agreed. So, what do you think?”
