Page 73 of Firefly Embers

A nervous chuckle crawled up my throat but died when I noticed the seriousness behind his gaze.

“Yes, sir.” I nodded just as Ray breezed in from the kitchen, a pan of enchiladas in her hands.

“Dinner’s ready!” she called out to the house as she set the dinner in the center of the table. Looking between her father and me, her brow furrowed in confusion, and she asked, “Why does it look like someone died in here?”

I let out another nervous chuckle as I placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, heading back to my spot at the table. Thundering footsteps echoed through the halls as Sofie, Lucy, and Benny made their way to the dining room.

Ray served everyone with pride, having orchestrated this whole ordeal. She filled each of the kids’ plates, even though they were completely capable of doing so themselves.

She placed a plate in front of her father, leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, and then did the same thing to me before grabbing her own dinner and sitting beside me.

If there was one trait I loved most about Rayna Cortez, it was her ability to love and care for those around her unconditionally. She’d been thrust into adulthood way before she should have been due to circumstances out of anyone’s control, but instead of letting life get her down, she grabbed the bull by the horns and took it for a ride.

There was no other cowgirl I’d like to spend riding through the rodeo of life with than the woman seated across from me, smiling at all the love and life that surrounded us.

RAY

December had rolled around before we knew it, bringing with it quieter mornings around the ranch and cooler temperatures. It generally didn’t get cold in Georgia until around the end of January, but the cooler temperatures meant that the workload around the ranch had slowed down, and I could spend more mornings relaxing instead of being awakened by heavy footfalls and horses’ thundering hooves outside my window.

That morning, though, I should have already been up and dressed, bags packed in the truck, heading to the airport.

Instead, I was lazily woken up with my boyfriend’s head between my thighs, bringing me to the brink of an orgasm before I even opened my eyes.

What a way to start the day.

“Babe, we’ve gotta get going,” I panted through moans as the familiar pressure of release coursed down my spine. I tugged at Wade’s hair, still shorter on the sides and longer on the top, urging him from between my thighs before we were late for the airport.

“Sunshine, I’m a man starved, and the only source of food around is this delicious pussy.”

I chuckled, throwing an arm over my eyes as he relentlessly brought me nearer and nearer to the edge of an orgasm. I felt my core tightening as he focused his tongue on my clit, pushing his fingers inside of me and pressing on that sweet spot that he knew would have me careening over the edge.

My back arched off the mattress as my thighs tightened around Wade’s head. He greedily lapped at my core, savoring each pulse and flutter of my pussy.

As the waves of my orgasm faded, he pressed a gentle kiss to my inner thigh, edging his way up the bed to lie beside me.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” he whispered, placing a tender kiss to my lips, allowing me to taste the remnants of my release. I stretched and wrapped my arms around his neck as he snaked his around my naked waist.

“Morning,” I responded, laying my head gently on his bicep. Clearly, neither of us was in a hurry to get moving, content to laze the day away tangled in each other’s arms.

A heavy pounding slammed on the door, and Wade groaned, throwing his head back in frustration.

“Hey, lovebirds, up and at ‘em. We’ve got a plane to catch,” Max called through the door, relentlessly knocking so we couldn’t ignore him.

“We’re up!” Wade yelled at his brother, throwing off the covers as he rolled over and placed his feet on the hardwood floor. “Keep banging on that door, and you’re gonna catch something, and it won’t be a plane,” he grumbled.

I chuckled, extricating myself from the plush warmth of the bed and stretching in all my naked glory, while Wade’s eyes drank me in from the other side of the bed.

“Keep teasing me like that, Sunshine, and we won’t make that fucking plane.” He grumbled. I sauntered over to his side of the bed, placing both palms on his muscled chest and standing on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

“Be a good boy, and I might help you join the Mile High Club later.” A low feral growl left his throat as he darted out his arms, attempting to grab me around the waist. I giggled as I twirled away from him, heading for the en suite bathroom to get ready.

“You’ve got thirty minutes!” Max called grumpily from the other side of the door, one last tap of his knuckles for good measure.

“I only need ten!” Wade called back, chasing after me. He barely closed the door before setting me on the vanity and sinking inside of me.

Forty-five minutes and two orgasms later, we arrived at the airport and made our way through security. An hour or so after that, we were boarding the commercial flight headed for Las Vegas. We were all heading to the National Finals Rodeo, where Izzy would be competing in the barrel racing finals.

She left earlier that week, having to drive cross-country, pulling a trailer with Oakley behind her. Dad nearly lost his mind when she insisted she go alone instead of having someone ride along with her.