“He can’t be my excuse anymore. For why I do things, why I don’t.” It’s become such a force of habit to control everything by building high walls that it scares me to chisel them away.
Who am I kidding? She’s been knocking them down like a bulldozer since she got here.
“You’re right to be suspicious of my follow-through. And you were right about me. When we met, I was the guy who was so deathly afraid of losing my brother to alcoholism, of losing respect in the town, of being a burden to you or anyone else, and I used those things to avoid putting my heart on the line. I thought I could protect myself by being in control. Being alone.I’d walk away from anyone rather than risk being vulnerable. But it turns out that’s a long, lonely road, and I don’t want to be on it anymore. Once I met you, that was it, whether or not I could admit it to myself. I only want the road where we’re walking together.”
She listens, her eyes wide and accepting, but I can’t tell anything else about what she’s thinking.
“I know I have issues to work out, and I don’t know what that all looks like. But every time I picture the future, I see you. I don’t want a lonely road. I want you walking it with me.”
God, I sound like a Neanderthal making demands.
“If you want that too.”
“Oh my god, Fitz. This is…um…yes. Okay.”
“Okay? You mean you'll stay?”
She nods, and I grab her hand. “Well, I mean…It could be…My job, you know, isn’t here. Oh, and the ranch, but…”
I can see I've thrown her for a major curve. I put a hand on hers. “Nothing has to be decided right this instant. The logistics, that’s for later. I get it. I know. All of that stuff. Whatever it takes, however much time it takes for you to iron things out and figure out a way to make it work. What I'm asking, though, is, do you want to stay? Do you want to live here with me?” Then I hold my breath, sort of aware that she could be figuring out how to let me down easily. But let me down all the same.
She looks down the sidewalk as though it’s a window to the future. “Yes. I do. Yes.” Then she squints at me. “I’m just…my brain has been on fire with this trial, I’m not even sure I’m hearing what you’re saying or just what I’ve been wishing I’d hear…”
She nods, eyes glassy. “I think…I want to do that. I really want to do that, Fitz. I wouldn't have been able to say that before this trial because I didn't know what I wanted for my own life.But now I do. I want you. I want this town. I want the ranch. I want to be here.”
I can't find the words to tell her how happy this makes me and how relieved I feel, so instead I stand, scoop her into my arms, and kiss her.
My hand works through her long hair and wraps around the back of her neck. I don’t care who walks by. I don’t care if it’s too much of a public display for the folks around here. They should know what happiness looks like.
When we break the kiss, I let her slide down to the floor, and she presses against me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “So we're doing this?” she asks. “You and me? We're going to do something traditional, live in the same place with our daughter, and be a family?” She laughs through the words.
“I know, it's so not like us. But yes, that's what I want to do. Yes. I want you.”
“Okay,” she says. “You've got me.”
I kiss her again and lead her down the street to my truck. It's a damn good thing I know the sheriff around here, because I break just about every traffic law on the way back to the ranch.
The tires screech as I pull in the driveway, and I don't waste a second throwing the truck door open and coming around to open Tessa's door. She doesn't even ask why I'm in such a hurry. We know each other well enough now to be of one mind.
We go inside, and she gets my shirt off before we make it to the couch. And I'm just eager to rip at all those buttons on her silk blouse that make her look so hot as the lawyer who just saved this town.
She’ll look even hotter when that damn piece of fabric is on the floor.
I waste no time unzipping that sexy little pencil skirt that reminds me of the day I found her sitting on a dirt pile on myside of the property line. Hard to believe how far we’ve come from that day when I found out I was going to be a father.
“Lie down, Duchess. I’m doing all the work tonight.”
She does as instructed, and I slowly unhook her bra and slide her panties down her legs, enjoying every new bit of skin I expose and taking a few moments to appreciate the vision of her naked on the bed in front of me, committing her curves to memory. Tasting the skin on her shoulder and rolling my tongue over each of her nipples until they’re hard and rosy and perfect. Finding every pleasure center on her body until her head falls back on the throw pillow.
I don’t let her touch me, holding both her hands above her head so she’s forced to give in and let herself have every bit of pleasure I can give her. Everything she deserves. My tongue and her skin are an explosive combination, and without her touching me at all, I’m on fire for her. My dick aches, and my pants feel like a prison.
Her hands reach for my pants, but I move out of reach. “I told you, I’m doing the work.”
She nods, eyes glazing with want as I unzip my jeans and push them down. She licks her lips when I shove off my tight boxer briefs, and she sees how hard I am for her.
“I want to touch you,” she sighs. But she keeps her hands to herself, lest she earn another reprimand.
“Not gonna deny you that, Duchess.” I take her hand and wrap it around my cock, closing my eyes when her grip firms and she begins stroking the length of me. I could come right now in her hand, and she knows it. A sly smile forms on her lips, and she kisses me with so much intensity that my bones are rendered useless.
