The unspoken word hung between us.
How long until you leave me?
Rachel’s smile faltered. She looked down at her hands, then back up at me with something vulnerable in her expression. “I don’t know.”
I’d never been one to beat around the bush. Life was too short for dancing around the things that mattered, so I put all my cards on the table. “I don’t chase temporary things, Rachel.Stay. And build something real with me.”
Her mouth dropped open, but no words came out.
“Last night, you led me to believe you might be open to a new life.” I tugged her close and looked straight into her eyes. “Was that just something you said so you could ride my cock for a night? Or do you think you might actually want a life here with me?”
“With you?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes hanging on mine.
“I’ve already called my buddy Davis,” I rumbled. “He owns a big construction company here in town, and he’s been trying to get me on board for over a year. I’m going to take the job. I’ll be running one of his crews. It will be a big paycheck. We wouldn’t have to live like this. We could get a nicer place. I could… take care of you.”
Her eyes widened. “Take care of me?”
My beautiful Rachel appeared to be incapable of doing anything but parrot my words back at me.
I could see our whole life spread out before me. There was that lakefront property I’d been eyeing for a while. The one with the cozy den.
“You could be my w—. Well, what I mean is, you could do whatever you choose. Let me take care of you, or… if the job means that much to you, I’ll stop slamming your job. This could be your home base. I’d get to see you a few times a month when you’re between assignments.” I growled out my final sales pitch. “You could bring a houseplant.”
Rachel stared at me for a long moment, then took off her glasses, her gorgeous eyes searching my face like she was looking for something.
A lie, maybe.
Or a sign that I meant what I was saying.
Then she smiled so wide. “A houseplant? Is that your big pickup line, Clayton?”
“Hey, if it works, I’m sticking with it. If it doesn’t land well, give me an alternative and I’ll use that instead.”
She took a step towards me and leaned in against my chest, looping her arms around me.
“It wasn’t just sex,” she said quietly. “Not for me.”
“It wasn’t for me either,” I tugged her closer, trapping her in my arms.
“I don’t want temporary, Clayton.”
“Neither do I.”
“And I don’t know about a few weekends a month. I’m not sure I want to leave this place. I may have… submitted my resignation at work this morning. I’m ready for a change. Red Oak Mountain is looking pretty inviting. And did I hear something about a wife in that little speech of yours? Did you just propose to me?”
“Yeah. I sure did. Let’s be crazy. Marry me, Rachel.”
She grinned up at me. “I kind of like the idea of being crazy together. Let’s do it, Clayton. Let’s get married before youchange your mind. I don’t want your cock running around town single any longer. I’d like to lock that beast down.”
We stood there on my ramshackle porch, the dusky light filtering through the trees as dogs circled our legs, and something shifted between us. A silent understanding that didn’t need words. We were for life.
I kissed her.
Not the desperate, hungry kisses from last night. This one was soft and slow, full of all the things I couldn’t say out loud yet. Love. Longing. Maybe even a few promises about the future.
She dropped her glasses, and her hands came up to rest against my chest. I felt her melt into me, her body going soft and pliant in my arms. She tasted like coffee and hope, and I never wanted to stop kissing her.
After a few minutes my cock started throbbing, demanding attention. I walked her backward until her shoulders hit the wall of the house, then pressed my hips against hers so she could feel exactly what she did to me.
