Deciding to use actions instead of words, I sling my arms around her tiny body and hug her fiercely.
“I love you too,” she whispers in my ear, proving she understood my embrace. After dragging her finger down my crinkled nose, she shifts on her feet to face Slater. “Thanks for everything.” She waves her hand around the room we’ve occupied the past week. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Slater jerks up his chin before giving her a quick, friendly hug. When she whispers something in his ear, the worried expression on his face clears for a smile. “I will. I promise.”
When Slater joins Marcus in the foyer to show Melanie the way out, I swear my heart cracks. This is even harder than it was the first time we said goodbye. I don’t know why. I’m just stating what I’m feeling.
“Bye.”
Our fingers lock and hold for her first three steps before my hand is left suspended in mid-air without my friend’s touch to ease the flood filling my eyes. I lose the ability to hold back my tears when Slater closes the door with Melanie on the other side. They barely dribble onto my chin when Slater wraps me in his arms then walks us into the living room. He cradles me on his lap while running his thumbs under my eyes, battling to slow the torrent pouring out of them.
When his endeavor triples, he locks his nurturing brown eyes with mine. “I can tie her to the bed if you want?” His tone exposes he isn’t joking. He do anything for me—even risk kidnapping charges.
I drag my hand under my nose to gather the contents before shaking my head. “It’s okay. She wouldn’t have left unless it were important.”
“Then why are you crying?” He’s not upset about my tears. He just hates them.
“She’s really important to me. She’s the only family I have.”
Slater’s brows furrow, but he remains quiet, suspicious the first time he visited the ranch was my last. He’s right. I haven’t spoken to my family in years. . .
To say my parents weren’t impressed we missed dinner would be a major understatement. They were furious. My mom barely speaks a word to me, and my dad glares at me from across the table. Any time Slater attempts to spark a conversation with him, his responses are short and clipped. A few times, he doesn’t even attempt a response.
When my parents announce they’re going to bed, my dad’s eyes lock with mine before he nudges his head to the stairwell, demanding I follow him. With reluctance and my anger at an all-time high, I kiss Slater on the cheek before following my parents to bed. I hate that they’re treating me like a child when I’m an adult.
I’m lying in my bed for nearly an hour when someone taps on my bedroom door. “Come in.” I keep my voice at a whisper, my intuition knowing it’s Slater.
Two seconds later, he walks into my room, closing the door behind him. His bare feet are barely audible, but I lift my hand, signaling for him to stop. I know every creak my floor makes since it’s been my room the prior twenty-one years.
“Step left,” I say in a hushed whisper.
Slater smiles before taking a step to his left.
“Now two paces forward.”
After five minutes, I guide him to my bed without a single creak of a floorboard. When I scoot over and lift my comforter, inviting him to join me, he unbuttons his jeans and removes his shirt.
My pussy tingles when he slides between the sheets, but it has nothing on the loud thump of my heart. “If my dad finds you in my bed, he’ll shoot you.”
I muffle his chuckles with my hand, mortified he’s laughing. I’m not joking.
“I’m not going to do anything. I just want to snuggle with you.” He bumps me with his shoulder, wordlessly demanding I roll over. When I do, he melds his back to mine, and I die a thousand deaths. Sweet Slater is just as tempting as the dominant alpha he unleashes in the bedroom.
* * *
When I wake the next morning, my sheets are still warm, but Slater has left my bed. We planned an early start since it’s a seven-hour trip back to my college. I take a quick shower before going downstairs to discover him sitting in the kitchen, talking to my mom. I smile when she cautions him to be careful as the scrambled eggs she’s serving him may be hot.
“Morning, Mom.” I press a kiss on Slater’s cheek before dropping my lips to his ear.“Good morning.”
His lips curl into a lusty grin before he shovels a forkful of eggs into his mouth. When he moans, my mom smiles, loving his wordless praise.
For the next hour, the three of us sit in the kitchen, talking and eating the breakfast my mom prepares every morning for the boys once they’ve finished their morning chores. She makes bacon, eggs, fresh-baked bread, hash browns, and freshly cut fruit. You can survive days without eating after one of her famous breakfasts.
When Slater goes to collect his overnight bag from his room, my mom cozies up to my side. “I like him. Things got off on the wrong foot yesterday, but just the way he speaks of you shows he really respects you.”
My heart rate soars as I hug her tight. I knew with time she’d see the huge heart Slater hides with his rough exterior. “He’s a great guy, Mom. I…” My sentence falls short when I detect another presence in the room. Slater has returned from gathering his things.
After thanking my mom for her hospitality, his gaze turns to mine. “Meet you outside?”
