My heart hammered against my ribs. “That’s terrifying.”
“I know.” He stepped closer, his free hand coming up to cup my cheek. “But if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth pursuing.”
I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes as I let myself imagine it. Staying here, rebuilding the ranch, waking up next to Mike Johnson every morning. It should have sent me running for the hills. Instead, it filled me with a kind of warm buzz that I couldn’t remember feeling since I was a kid. It almost had the same feeling as coming downstairs on Christmas morning and seeing the room filled with presents. The excitement was familiar, but strange at the same time.
It had been a long time since I dared to be happy.
“Alright,” I nodded at last. “I’ll… give it a try.”
Mike smiled, pressing his lips against mine. “That’s all I can ask.”
Chapter 23
Mike
Iwas already in Cash’s arms, so it was an easy next step to slide my hands into his back pockets. Then his lips were on mine again as his fingers slipped under my shirt and around my hips. And by then, I didn’t have an ounce of resistance left in my entire body.
“Take me to bed,” I breathed against his mouth, my hands gripping his belt loops to pull him closer. “Please.”
Cash didn’t need to be asked twice. He lifted me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me down the hallway to his bedroom. The urgency from our previous encounters was gone, replaced by something slower, more deliberate. More reverent.
He set me down beside the bed, his hands immediately going to the buttons of my shirt. But instead of tearing it off like he had before, he took his time, undoing each button with careful precision while his eyes stayed locked on mine.
“I want to do this right,” he murmured, pushing the fabric off my shoulders. “I want to take my time with you tonight.”
My breath hitched as his calloused fingers traced along my collarbone, down my chest, mapping every inch of exposed skinlike he was memorizing it. When he reached for the hem of my undershirt, I raised my arms to help him pull it over my head.
Cash’s eyes lit up as he took in my bare torso, his hands skimming over my ribs, my stomach, the sensitive spot just below my navel that made me gasp.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice rough with want. “Can’t believe I get to touch you like this.”
I reached for his shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine. He helped me strip it away, and then we were chest to chest, the heat of him burning into me. I could feel his heartbeat against my ribs, could taste the desperation on his lips as he kissed me again.
We moved together in a slow dance, hands roaming, mouths exploring, until we were both naked and breathing hard. Cash guided me back onto the bed, following me down to cover my body with his own.
I had never felt anything like this before. The weight of him pressing me into the mattress, the way his dark eyes searched my face like he was trying to memorize every detail. This wasn’t the desperate, almost angry coupling we’d shared before. This was something entirely different.
“Mike,” he whispered, my name a prayer on his lips as he settled between my thighs. His hands framed my face, thumbs brushing across my cheekbones with a tenderness that made my chest ache.
I reached up to trace the strong line of his jaw, feeling the slight roughness of stubble beneath my fingertips. “I’m here,” I murmured. “I’m right here with you.”
Something shifted in his expression at my words, a vulnerability I’d only glimpsed before now laid completely bare. He lowered his head to kiss me again, slow and deep, like he had all the time in the world to explore my mouth.
His lips moved to my throat, pressing soft kisses along the column of my neck while his hands roamed my body with thoughtful touches. Every caress felt deliberate, purposeful, like he was worshipping rather than simply taking. When he reached that sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder, I couldn’t hold back the soft moan that escaped my lips.
“I love that sound,” Cash murmured against my skin, his voice sending vibrations through my body. “I love all the sounds you make for me. Every single one is my favorite.”
He continued his slow exploration, his mouth trailing down my chest to circle one nipple with his tongue. I arched beneath him, my hands fisting in the sheets as he lavished attention on the sensitive bud before moving to the other. The deliberate pace was driving me crazy in the best possible way, building a fire low in my belly that seemed to spread through every nerve ending.
“Cash,” I gasped as he moved lower, his lips pressing kisses to my ribs, my stomach, the sharp jut of my hipbone. “Please...”
“Shh,” he soothed, looking up at me with those dark eyes that seemed to see straight through to my soul. “Let me take care of you. Let me show you how much this means to me.”
He reached for the bottle of lube in the nightstand drawer, warming it between his palms before slicking his fingers. When he touched me, it was with the same careful reverence he’d shown the rest of my body. One finger, then two, working me open with patient strokes that had me writhing beneath him.
“This is my favorite too,” he murmured, watching my face as he stretched me. “I could do this for hours, just watching you fall apart under my hands.”
By the time he added a third finger, I was trembling with need, my cock leaking against my stomach as he found that spot inside me that took my breath away. But just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of his teasing touches, he withdrew his fingers and positioned himself between my legs.
