Page 115 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“Yes. Please.”

He pushed two fingers inside her, using his thumb on her most sensitive nerves, and she gasped at the shock of pleasure it brought. He stroked and teased until her entire body vibrated with desire. He sank his teeth into her neck, pinching her nipple and doing something magical with his fingers, sending a hailstorm of white-hot sensations raining down on her. She cried out, but he reached up and turned her face, capturing the sounds with his mouth as waves of pleasure consumed her, and the world spun away.

When she finally started to come down from the peak, her body still trembling, he said, “Time to ride my cock, baby,” his dirty words revving her up again. He turned her in his arms, sending water over the side of the tub, and held her hips, his dark eyes eating her up as she perched on her knees above his hard length. “You’re too damn tempting.”

He pulled her forward, sending another wave splashing onto the floor, and lifted her higher, his fingers pressing into her flesh as she straddled his mouth, and—Holy hell. How was this even possible? She grabbed the wall to keep from tipping over as he used his tongue and teeth in ways she never thought possible. Her body was flaming inside and shivering outside from the cool air on her wet flesh, but she didn’t care. She could barely hold on to a single thought. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing as her orgasm crashed over her. She clamped her mouth shut to keep from waking Lucas, and Seeley shifted, lowering her onto his long, thick cock. She gasped, pleasure consuming her like wildfire as he pumped and thrust, sending them both careening into a world of ecstasy so bright and hot, she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.

As they came down from their high, he gathered her in his arms. “Come here, my sweet forever girl,” and took her in a slow, passionate kiss, showing her how wrong she was. Because every moment with him was more perfect than the last.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JULIETTE PUSHED THE pitchfork through the shavings in Warrior’s stall, thinking about Lucas, as always. Only today she was remembering how cute he’d been at four years old, with his plastic pitchfork, tiny cowboy boots, and felt hat, helping her muck a stall at the farm. He’d been so excited to help take care of the horses, he’d rattled on the whole time about how happy they’d be with their clean stalls. He’d complained about a lot of things in his life, but taking care of the horses had never been one of them. She tried to focus on that, but her fucking mind veered into dark, terrifying territory. The Land of What-Ifs. Her chin trembled, tears threatening, but she fought them with everything she had, refusing to go there.

He’s going to be fine. He has to be.

That had become her mantra.

She had always considered herself strong. When Lucas was growing up, she’d kept her chin up and had never let him feel her inner turmoil. When she’d left Josh, she’d told everyone she was fine, when leaving him and truly being on her own for the first time in her life had been the second-hardest thing she’d ever done. The first was the day she’d turned her back on her heart and married the wrong man. When Josh was killed, it had broken something inside her and Lucas, but she’d forged on, putting on a brave face and hiding her grief to remain strong for her son. She’d convinced herself there was nothing she couldn’t handle.

But the last eleven days had tried her on every level.

They’d met with Dr. Santowski, a pleasant enough man with kind eyes and a straightforward demeanor, and Lucas hadn’t freaked out when he’d realized he was an oncologist. He had no reason to worry. He trusted Juliette and Seeley’s explanation of wanting quick and accurate answers from a specialist. When Dr. Santowski ordered a biopsy, the word cancer never left his lips, and Lucas had taken it in stride as part of the process to get those answers.

But Juliette knew what they were trying to rule out, and trying to act like everything was normal while waiting for the results of the biopsy had her breaking down at the strangest moments. Thankfully, she’d been holding her shit together in front of Lucas, but other times, like when she was doing dishes or taking a shower, she’d hide away and cry. Last weekend, while they were having dinner at the ranch, Lucas was having a grand time, boasting about his motocross practice with Billie and sharing how excited he was that Layla was joining them for a bonfire afterward. But all Juliette could think about were the what-ifs.

What if he has cancer? Will he be able to do all the things he loves? What will his treatments be like? Sixty-five to ninety percent had trampled through her mind, demanding her attention and drawing the most terrifying questions of all. Will he still be here in a month? Six months? Six years from now? Or is this the beginning of the end? She’d had to excuse herself to hide in the ladies’ room until she could regain control of her emotions.

Seeley had been her anchor.

They’d decided not to hide the fact that he’d stayed over that first night, and Lucas had been surprisingly okay with it. She was glad, because Seeley always knew exactly what to do or say to help her feel better. He held her when she was sad, reassured her incessantly without losing patience, checked in with her during the day, and always found little ways to make her smile. Every day he left them a little something—a tin can full of wildflowers in the kitchen, a bouquet of them in her truck, chocolates for Lucas on his pillow, a framed picture of Lucas riding a bull at practice on their coffee table, or Lucas’s favorite, a picture of him and Layla making s’mores at one of their bonfires.

But Seeley’s gifts went far beyond the tangible. At night they talked, made love, or lay in each other’s arms, comforting one another, reminiscing, making jokes, or spinning hopeful tales.

Lucas may not realize it, but Seeley had become his rock, too. He showed up at every one of Lucas’s riding practices, joined him at motocross practices, took him driving three times a week without fail, and together they worked around the ranch fixing little things. They talked a lot and heckled each other often. She’d caught them in hushed conversations a few times, and when she’d asked what they were talking about, Lucas had said, guy stuff, and Seeley hadn’t breached that confidence.

She didn’t think it was possible to fall more in love with Seeley than she already was. But boy had she been wrong. Watching him nurture their son and build a strong relationship with him built on trust and love was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. And the best part was, she could tell Lucas loved him, too.

Seeley had spent nearly every night with them since that first night, and he’d been bringing the dogs with him, which Lucas loved. The dogs followed Lucas like he was the Pied Piper, and slept on his bed. Monday night Lucas asked if he could watch the dogs while Seeley was at church on Tuesday, and he’d been thrilled when Seeley dropped them off before his meeting. But as much as he loved having the dogs and Seeley at their house, when they’d spent the night at Seeley’s house last weekend, Lucas had enjoyed it even more. He’d gotten up early to check on the rehab horses with Seeley, and at Gus’s request, they’d brought his bicycle to the ranch, and he’d ridden to Sasha and Ezra’s house, so he and Gus could ride their bikes together up to the main house for breakfast.

There was definitely something magical about being around the Whiskeys and the energy at the ranch that had reeled their son in, just as it had her. The Whiskeys had been rallying around them, creating a new kind of normal for her and Lucas. One filled with family and friends and all the support they could ever need. The girls texted her often, and it was wonderful to have real girlfriends who cared about her and Lucas. Last Sunday, several of his family members had gone on a trail ride with them and Lucas and Layla. Lucas still hadn’t stopped talking about how much fun they’d had.

Juliette’s therapist was helping her navigate the pressure of waiting for the results of the biopsy, but not as much as Seeley and his family were. She’d quickly learned that there was no substitute for a loving family, and she thanked her lucky stars that Seeley’s had accepted her and Lucas so completely.

Now she was praying for those lucky stars to align for Lucas. They were meeting with Dr. Santowski later this afternoon to get the results of his biopsy.

Her chest constricted just thinking about it.

He’s going to be fine. He has to be.

She hoisted a pitchfork of manure into the wheelbarrow.

“Juliette?”

She peered out of the stall and saw Wynnie by the open barn door. She looked pretty in a colorful sweater, jeans, and her ever-present cowgirl boots. “I’m in here.” Juliette set the pitchfork against the wall and wiped her hands on her jeans as she stepped out of the stall.

“Hi, honey. I looked for you up at the house, and thought you might be down here.”

“I was in a mucking mood.”