A little while later, after a lazy breakfast of eggs that Gunner cooked, and my cinnamon rolls of which he devoured three, we were driving over to the ranch. I’d suggested that I follow in my car, but he’d insisted that I ride with him. And, apparently, I was staying for the weekend.
“I need you with me, sweetheart, so don’t even think about arguing.” Gunner had said, while thrusting into me from behind when I was supposed to be washing the breakfast dishes. How’s a girl supposed to say no to that?
As we drove back from town, Gunner’s hand reached for mine across the console. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it before placing our linked fingers between us, his thumb tracing patterns on my skin while he hummed along to the radio. It was casual but intimate and felt significant somehow. Like it wasn’t just desire between us but something deeper. Something that felt like belonging.
When we pulled up outside the house, he leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. “Fuck I missed you,” he said when he pulled away. “Stay, I’ll get the door for you.”
So, I stayed, quietly stamping my feet like an excited toddler as I watched his big body swagger in front of the truck before leading me inside.
“Well, hello,” Lily said, grinning, as we walked through the door hand in hand. “I see you made up.”
“Yep.” Gunner let go of me and held up my overnight bag he was carrying. “I’ll take that to my room then go and do some work.”
As I nodded he leaned in for a hard, closed mouth kiss, one hand at the back of my head, igniting another fire within me.When Lily cleared her throat, I let go of his biceps and stepped back, breathless.
“See you later,” I said, sure I had heart emojis in place of my eyes.
“I’ll be back after lunch,” he replied, then paused, his expression shifting to something softer, more uncertain. “Unless you want me to stay away longer? Give you some space?”
The fact that the confident, self-assured cowboy was suddenly concerned about crowding me made my fingers tingle and my knees feel weak. I reached up to trace the worry lines between his brows.
“Don’t you dare stay away,” I whispered, pulling him in for another kiss. “I’ve had enough space for three years.”
He smiled softly, saluted me and said, “Yes ma’am,” before disappearing up the stairs.
After a few seconds of watching his perfect ass, I turned back to Lily unable to contain the smile that seemed to have bloomed from somewhere deep inside my chest.
“And why aren’t you at school?” my friend and colleague asked, folding her arms over her chest, her gaze narrowed on me, the weight of my expectation hanging in the air between us like the static before a storm.
“I have the stomach flu,” I replied in a small voice.
“You don’t have to talk like you actually do.” Lily barked out a laugh. “I’m not going to snitch on you.”
“I do feel bad about it,” I confessed. “I’ve never ever skipped work before.”
“You’ve never ever made up with a Miller brother before, and if Gunner is anything like Nash I’m guessing there was a lot of sex involved.” Her lips quirked into a mischievous grin. “You should have just said your vagina was broken.”
“That’s what I said!”
As we both burst out laughing, my guilt dissipated a little.
The kids had gone to bed and the rest of us were around the dining table, discussing the camp and what our next steps should be when we got our next meeting with Nate Jenkins .
“We’re all agreed, then?” Nash asked, looking at each of us in turn. “If he doesn’t agree to an initial and then regular environmental report then we don’t take the sponsorship or investment.”
We all nodded and gave our verbal agreement.
“We also request a stretch of rewilding between the development and our land along with the nature trail.” He looked at Lily when he said this, seeing as both brilliant ideas had been hers.
“And if he says no?” Wilder asked.
Nash’s gaze turned to Gunner. “Your call, seeing as it’s your house that will be closest to it all.”
I blinked and turned my eyes in the same direction as Nash. Gunner hadn’t ever mentioned a house. I’d just assumed that the brothers would always live in this house. Together like they’d always been since their battle with their father had begun, since Nash came home from college.
Gunner caught me watching him and cleared his throat. “Me and Wild are having houses built, once we’ve got the camp and the wedding venue sorted.”
“Imagine it,” Wilder said with a wink at me. “You’ll be able to be as loud as you damn well please.”
