I nod, smiling through the impending climax that is just on the horizon.
“And I’m yours?”
He groans deeply as I feel myself getting closer, no doubt trapping him inside and squeezing him. “You’re mine. No one else’s,” he says, his voice dropping deeper—laced with a warning for anyone who would dare try to take me from him.
It’s hot.
And it sends me over the edge—but as much as I want to close my eyes and succumb to the pleasure, I don’t.
I keep my eyes on him, watching as he’s overtaken by his own climax—and it’s a beautiful sight.
He slides off me and gathers me into his arms as he catches his breath. “If I get to do that for the rest of my life, I think I’ll die a happy man,” he says. I laugh, kissing his chest as my fingers trace along it.
“Well, it took you long enough to realize what a good thing this could be,” I reply as he takes a deep breath, his hand covering mine, stilling it before lacing our fingers together.
“I didn’t want to admit I needed you,” he says, and I look up to meet him. “I got so used to good things not happening to me that I thought this was just how life worked. Then you came along and challenged everything I knew, and it was terrifying to realize it wasn’t just that I wanted you—but that I needed you.”
It’s a completely out-of-character moment for him, and yet he’s opening his soul to me.
“I need you, too.”
He shakes his head. “Nah, you don’t need me.” He pauses. “You don’t need anyone. You’re strong—independent, smart, and everything I’m not. And that’s exactly why I know I need you. I’m better because of you,” he says, and this time it’s my turn to disagree with him.
“Maybe I am all those things, but I do need you,” I tell him, placing my hand on his cheek and rubbing his stubble.
“I need you because life feels simpler with you. It may not always be easy, but being out here—when things finally started getting better—made me realize I could see myself here, happy,” I admit, without going into full detail on my plans.
He takes my hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss it gently.
The gesture is tender and so different from the man I first knew. Little by little, I’ve watched him grow into who he is today, and while he still has work to do, this alone is a huge step.
“I promise to find ways to keep you happy,” he says.
I smile softly. “And I promise to remind you that I’ll always be here for you when you need me most,” I reply. He smiles back and leans down to kiss me deeply.
When he pulls away, I already miss him—but at least I know I won’t have to miss him for long.
***
By morning, we’re both well-rested, but Gage decides to skip over ranch duties so we can talk about our newfound partnership.
The relationship thing isn’t the only new development in our lives—we’re both owners of this ranch now, which means we need to come together and work out real solutions to keep it flourishing.
The last thing either of us wants is to deal with the same crap every decade, just from different entities.
We need foolproof plans.
Gage sets up the horses and helps me hop on mine, supporting my ass as he does it. I’m quite sure he uses it as an excuse to touch it—forgetting, for a moment, that he can touch it whenever he wants now.
He hops up and swings his leg over with ease, and we set out for the pasture together. It’s a slow trek down the hill and out the far side—a quiet morning ride filled with peace and the relief of things finally falling into place.
“So, I know we talked about our feelings and I told you about the ranch, but you never did tell me your plans for when you come out here permanently,” he says—and the only reason we didn’t discuss it last night was that we got a little sidetracked.
“What—you don’t want me to work on the ranch?” I tease—and he looks over at me, shocked, causing me tolaugh. I decide to answer before he can embarrass himself with an attempt to cover up.
“Well, the plan was, of course, to keep helping with the business side of the ranch—but I was also thinking about opening something here for environmental consulting,” I tell him.
“I don’t know much about that, but we do have a lot of farmers out here that could use all the help they can get,” he says, smiling up at me. “I think you’ll do amazing, little miss.”
