Kit let out another grumbling breath that seemed to fill the silence. Then, he clasped his hand over mine. “It’s absurd,” he said dismissively. “Of course I’ll return. And besides, you’re needed here.”
He gestured to the walls around us and the land sprawling beyond them, and I scoffed.
“For what? Planting is done. All that’s left is tending the fields, and Warren can do that. He enjoys it.”
Shaking me off, Kit grabbed my shoulders and pinned me with a stern look. “I’ll be back in time for the fall harvest,” he said, each word deliberate. “You should be here, enjoying the fruits of your labor and watching your farm thrive. I won’t leave you waiting?—”
“You won’t leave me at all,” I interjected. “Not here, not anywhere. You promised, remember?”
Kit stared at me, searching for a crack in my resolve and finding none. At last, he gave a single nod.
I smiled, then dipped in to peck a kiss to his lips. “Good. Now, let’s put this to bed. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves.”
Taking his hands once more, I led him deeper into the barn, toward the loft. I scrambled up the ladder, and he tailed behind, joining me on the raised platform bathed in moonlight.
Piles of hay made a soft space to sprawl out, and I dropped to my hands and knees to smooth a spot then beckon Kit closer.
Watching him crawl toward me on all fours stoked the fire in my belly. Thoughts of separating or being left behind filtered to the back of my mind as Kit settled before me, and I set to work ridding him of his shirt.
The night was warm with a pleasant breeze coasting in through the open window. It ruffled Kit’s coal black curls as Ibegan decorating him with kisses. I placed them up both sides of his throat and along the curve of his jaw until he gave himself over to my ministrations.
It had been so long since I’d touched him this way. The house was too full, and the work left us too tired. But here we were blissfully alone, free to touch and feel and indulge in the closeness. Shrugging out of my own shirt, I moved closer, skimming my fingers over his torso and down his arms. He sighed out a breath that I captured with a kiss.
With his head lolled back, and his body exposed to me, I took full advantage. I straddled his lap, rocking my groin against the stiffness swelling in his trousers while his arms looped around me. He trapped me against him, our skin flush together, my face buried in the curve of his shoulder, nose in his hair, and hands everywhere.
Kit’s touch was eager, but clinging in a way that impeded my progress. And, when he captured my mouth for another kiss, he didn’t let go until I had hardly a breath in my lungs.
I drew back with a gasp and found his eyes misty and his expression drawn. He chased my retreat, frantic in a way that chilled the heat that had been coursing through my veins. I shifted back to sit on his thighs and rested my palms on his shoulders, smoothing slowly downward in soothing strokes.
I didn’t get the chance to ask what was wrong before he blurted, “You know that I love you.”
My head tipped with an inquisitive frown. “Of course. You say it all the time.”
His hands cupped around my waist, and his thumbs traced the arc of my hip bones. He watched that instead of me as he murmured, “Do I?”
Forget a chill, this made me cold. This sudden distance that had nothing to do with proximity. He had gone somewhere else in his mind, in his heart, somewhere I couldn’t reach.
I gave his biceps a squeeze. “Yes, darling, all the time. And I love you.”
With a fluttering blink, he met my gaze, and tears lined his lower lashes. “All the time?”
“For all time.”
He hummed a contented sound, then made a trail of kisses from my forehead to my lips. His hands roamed lower, grazing across my crotch and rousing my flagging erection. I had more to say, but words escaped me when Kit reached beneath the waistband of my trousers and took me in his hand.
Sighs and soft whines spilled out as I rocked my hips against him, seeking the pleasure he offered.
Relief.
Release.
I checked his face, struggling to focus while sensations overpowered thoughts. He wore a gentle smile, and his eyes were brimming with adoration now instead of tears. Love, and I almost chuckled at the absurd notion that I could ever doubt it.
Sweeping in, I crushed my mouth to his, slipping my tongue inside and drawing out a pleasured sound that made my fine hairs stand on end. Kit stroked down my length, sweeping his thumb through the moisture beading on my tip. I groaned and rutted against him again, shimmying to shove my pants down for easier access.
His other hand roamed up my back to splay between my shoulder blades. I was held there, embraced, and I rolled my body languidly, indulging in his firm grip.
“Mmm,” I mumbled against Kit’s mouth. “We should get undressed.”
