I stopped believing that love was possible, or that I was meant to have good things. For a while, I didn’t even think I’d end up with the ranch. But now, I have all I could ever want.
“This night just keeps getting better,” I tell her.
I knew Fred would get caught. It was only a matter of time. “I’ll bet that as soon as the sheriff showed up at his house with a badge and a warrant…” he knew he was in some deep shit.” It wasn’t hard to miss that he was part of the break-ins, too.
Money makes even good people desperate, and I think that’s what led to his downfall.
Now he’s going to pay for it—but at least he won’t be the only one going down. Will anything come out of going after Horizon? Who knows. Big companies are notorious for paying settlements, hoping it gives them a clean slate, but they’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do.
I hardly think a payout will make any town willing to work with them after this.
Sloane smirks at me, running her hands down my clothed chest to the belt at my waist. She tugs on it, pulling me closer as she bites her bottom lip.
“I know how to make it even better.” Her voice is low and tempting, filled with desire—and damn it, if it isn’t a turn-on. Her lustful green eyes search mine for any indication I want the same thing.
I definitely do.
With a quick movement, I lift her over my shoulder and she yelps, laughing loudly.
“You don’t gotta tell me twice,” I reply as I rush us upstairs.
twenty-five
Sloane
The moment I’m placed down, it becomes a flurry of haste—both of us scrambling to remove the other’s clothes first. Gage, fueled by eagerness, tears my clothes at the seams, promising to get me new ones—but right now, I don’t need that kind of promise.
I just want to be with him—feel him all around me.
He places me on the bed and takes his time, kissing along my neck, mapping my body with his strong hands. Despite having done this before, it feels as if he’s relearning my body—discovering new things he’s dying to explore.
He slows his eagerness into a sudden patience that leaves me aching for the intensity we had earlier—not to torture me, but to memorize this moment. Because even though we’ve done this before, this time is different.
I feel it in the way he covers me with his mouth—how he seeks me out, grounding me as he gives me immense pleasure. I feel it in the way he looks up at me between my legs, meeting my gaze with heated desire. He doesn’t stop even after I’ve come undone on his tongue—not that I want him to.
He finds me and kisses me deeply, still tasting of myself on his lips. It sends a renewed need through me—one that demands we keep going.
I flip him over on his back, fueled by how he takes care of me and wanting to offer that same pleasure.
Watching his eyes screw shut as I take hold of him, working his need from him, is something I could never grow tired of.
His groans—and his hands gripping my hair as I use my mouth and tongue to tease out his need—will be a memory I replay again and again.
He hardens, threatening to let go—but Gage pulls me back to his level, that animalistic pull taking over as he flips me onto my back, reclaiming control.
He places my hands over my head and nips at my neck, gently, before covering my breasts with more bites, far less gentle.
I moan into the room as he pushes inside me, breaking that barrier at last. He thrusts deep and slow at first,finding a rhythm filled with a mix of love and pure ecstasy. I don’t want him to hold back, but our confession shifts everything—making this more passionate than hungry.
“Gage,” I whisper as he hits the spot I crave. He groans into my neck, pressing deeper and picking up his speed.
“Sloane, damn it—you’re perfect. So perfect,” he says, and chills race down my spine. I’ve never heard him say anything like that before—especially not to me.
I grip his face in my hands as he continues to thrust into me. Our breathing has gone erratic, and sweat has created a sheen across our foreheads.
“You love me?” I ask as he holds my gaze.
“Yeah, I love you. I love you so much,” he replies.
