A wave of emotion, so powerful it felt like a physical force, washed over her. It was pride and awe and a fierce, protective love all tangled together. She saw the man he’d been, guarded, stoic, always bracing for impact, and the man he was now, lying here in the morning light, offering her his unguarded soul. It was the most trust, the most intimacy, she had ever known.
He slanted his mouth over hers, and this kiss was different still deep, but confident and heavy, a slow, deliberate exploration that stole the air from her lungs. His tongue stroked hers, and she met him measure for measure, a silent conversation of possession and surrender. He responded with a low groan that vibrated through her chest, a sound of pure, unguarded need. The velvet heat of his erection pressed insistently against her belly, a hard, living promise that made her own body soften and ache. She melted for him, a slow, deliberate yielding, and opened her legs. He settled into the space she made for him, a perfect, grounding weight, and the world outside their sun-drenched room simply ceased to exist.
The afternoon sun slanted through the open barn doors of Turning Point, painting stripes of gold across the polished concrete floor. Blair sat at the long farmhouse table in the office, her laptop open, a stack of venue brochures and a half-empty coffee cup beside her. Breakneck leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with a quiet intensity that had become her favorite kind of comfort.
“Okay,” she said, tapping her pen against the screen. “Venue. I’m thinking…here. The main barn. We clear out the tack room, open the back doors to the pasture, and set up the ceremony right at the edge of the dunes. Ocean view. Salt air. Horses in the background. It’s perfect.”
He pushed off the frame, walking over to stand behind her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. He leaned down, his chin brushing the top of her head. “I was thinking the same thing,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against her ear. “We’ll have to open the big barn for the reception. Plenty of space for dancing, food, the whole damn thing. It’s got character. It’s ours.”
She smiled, leaning back into his touch. “Exactly, and it’s practical. We can do the whole thing without renting a single thing we don’t already own.”
He kissed the top of her head, then moved to the other side of the table, pulling out a chair. “Guest list,” he said, his voice casual, but there was a slight tension in his jaw. “Team, obviously. Ice, Kodiak, Preacher, GQ, Hazard, Boomer, Skull. All of them and their wives. They’ll be there.”
She nodded, typing furiously. “Got it. Your mom and stepdad? I need their names and addresses for the invites.”
The room went quiet. The only sound was the distant whinny of a horse and the soft clack of her keyboard.
She looked up.
His expression was closed, his eyes flat, his posture rigid. He looked like a man who had already made a decision and was waiting for the world to accept it.
“Kelly?” she prompted, her voice softening.
He didn’t look at her. “I don’t have their contact information.”
She paused, her pen hovering over the screen. “You don’t…have it? Or you don’t want to give it to me?”
He finally met her gaze, his eyes hard. “It’s not a matter of wanting, Blair. It’s a matter of not having it, and not needing it.”
Her heart sank. “Kelly, she’s your mother. She should be there. She should be part of this.”
“She made her choice,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “A long time ago, and I made mine. I’m not going to drag her into this. I’m not going to force her to be a part of something she walked away from.”
“You’re not dragging her!” she snapped, her own frustration rising. “You’re inviting her! It’s a wedding, Kelly! It’s about family! About the people who love you! About the people who matter!”
He stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “She doesn’t matter, Blair! Not anymore! She chose to walk away, and I chose to survive. That’s the end of it!”
She stared at him, shocked. He had never spoken to her like this. Never walked away from her. Never shut her out like this.
He turned and walked out of the office, the door clicking shut behind him with a finality that echoed in the sudden silence.
Blair sat there, her hands trembling, the weight of his words pressing down on her. She had pushed too hard. She had crossed a line she didn’t even know existed.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. She tried to focus on the wedding plans, but her mind kept drifting back to his face, to the coldness in his eyes, to the way he had walked out.
She didn’t see him again.
She went to bed alone, the house feeling too big, too quiet, too empty.
She was asleep when she felt him.
He was there, beside her, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close against his chest. His breath was warm against her neck, his body solid and familiar.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “I didn’t mean to walk out. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She turned in his arms, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “I’m sorry too. I pushed. I shouldn’t have.”
He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering. “I know you were trying to help. I know you want this to be perfect. But my mother…she’s not part of this. She’s not part of my life. I’m not waiting around for her to change her mind. I’m living my joy. With you.”
