Now that I’ve given her permission to put her hands on me, all bets are off. She strokes me hard, and I groan with all the pent-up desire I’ve had for her for months.
When I slide a finger inside her, she sucks air between her teeth and tilts her head back. “God, you’re so wet for me. I can’t stand it.”
I should take it slow, discover her body inch by inch, but it’s been too long without her, and my self-control snapped the minute she told me she’d stay.
“If you try to take your time, I will become murderous,” she says, her laugh not hiding the same desperation I feel. I slide a second finger inside, curling it to give her G-spot a long, hard stroke. “Ohgod. I need you inside me. Please, Fitz,” she gasps.
That’s all it takes. My name on her lips, her plea for me…I’m inside her in a flash, and I feel her body meld with mine in that way that reminds me what a perfect fit we are.
Neither of us has the patience to take it slow, but in our furious pumping and melding of bodies, it still feels deeper and more satisfying than the times we’ve been together before.
“God, Fitz.”
“Fuck, Duchess. I know…”
And when we can’t hold back, the power of our bodies crashing into each other is like a ruthless ocean wave. Rippling. Reverberating. Obliterating everything beneath it. But somehow not rushed.
This time doesn’t feel like a hookup. It feels like forever.
CHAPTER 35
Fitz
One MonthLater
“I have to admit,I’m impressed with what you’ve done so far.” Hazel coaxes Dolly back to the stable, patting her flank and leaning toward her ear to promise her a carrot.
Hazel is already my favorite of Tessa’s sisters. She’s so blunt and logical about everything, yet she worries like an old lady. When Tessa told me she was the most skeptical about trying to turn the property around, I figured she’d be a pain-in-the-ass woman with all kinds of ideas about small-town life. Instead, she’s oddly the most fun to see on a horse.
The first time I took her out riding, she’d already done thorough research on western saddles and knew minute details about breeding and breaking the most stubborn of the breed. Not that she needed any of that to saunter around on one of my gentle girls in the barn, but I like that she came prepared.
“It looks great, doesn’t it?” I beam with pride as though I’m the one who gets up early every morning and meets with thepainters and woodworkers to explain the fine design details and make sure everything runs according to plan.
Speaking of plans, my new plan is to spend as much time with my girls as humanly possible, and now that we’ve prevailed in the lawsuit against Tomahawk, I can rest easy that we’ll have enough water for the foreseeable future.
This is the second weekend that we’ve all gathered at Loveland Ranch. Tessa’s sisters seem to like it better now that ground has been broken on the new addition even though there’s more dust than before.
The first visit required a spreadsheet and about 100 texts, but once Tessa managed to get all of her sisters to Willow Springs so we could meet, everyone agreed to make it a regular thing. It helps that everyone is gaga over Charlotte.
That first time, we all ended up back at the Hitching Post for dinner, swapping embarrassing stories—mostly about Tessa—but she managed to laugh along, especially once I leaned over and promised to take her to the office next door if she made it through dinner without throttling any of her sisters.
This trip has been more relaxed. Fewer embarrassing stories, and Dylan loves working in the garden, which keeps her out of Hazel’s hair.
I help Hazel down from the horse and untie the saddle from Dolly’s back. Hazel helps me put the tack back into the barn and goes to where I keep the brushes.
“Be honest, you’re only humoring me with riding her. You’re really in this so you can brush her and whisper into her ear.”
She stands on her tiptoes, and Dolly bows her head obediently so Hazel can answer my question privately. I nod. “What’d she say, Dolly?”
“Hey, a girl’s secret stays between her and her horse.”
“Whose horse?” I love that she’s taken to Dolly, especially after the look of fear she had on her face the first time I suggested a ride.
We walk back to the house, where the other sisters sit on my back deck, taking turns fussing over Charlotte and bouncing her on their knees. Hannah came with Dexter, who is totally absorbed in telling Chad about his Pokémon cards. “This one is my favorite, so be careful.”
Chad pulls his hands away in mock fear and pretends to sneak up on the card to view it, which sends Dex into a fit of giggles. It’s so good to see him healthy and engaged in his life again. A few guys from the police department have reached out to me to say how grateful they are that he took his two weeks in rehab seriously.
Now, he’s in recovery, a lifelong journey, and one of his previous coworkers is now his sponsor at his AA meetings, never having shared his own struggle with alcohol abuse years earlier. And Chad’s boss said that if he stays on the straight and narrow, there’s a good chance of being reinstated with the department.
