I’m hers. Hopelessly. Irrevocably. I just have to find a way she can keep me.
My fingers tangle in her dress, but I forge ahead to hug her to me. I tug on her braid, pulling her head back to expose her neck. I drag my mouth across the sensitive skin at the base of her throat. Full-body shivers travel through her, but she keeps riding me. Her breaths are coming faster, her walls gripping me tighter.
A storm gathers at the base of my spine, nothing but electricity waiting to be unleashed, demanding it.
“Calder.” Her voice shakes. I’m holding her so tight she can barely move, but it’s creating friction for her in all the right places. She’s tight, and her fingers dig into my shoulders.
“Come for me, Meredith. Let yourself go. I’ve got you.”
She barks out a cry and cuts it off. My brothers are probably in the house and can’t hear, but this is between us. It’s all about us. Consuming us.
“Calder! Oh my god, Calder.”
My heart shatters at the same time she detonates. I’m nothing but a seething mass of emotions inside and out. The only outlet is my climax, hitting hard and fast, like lightning, right to my balls. I spill into her and wish this fucking condom weren’t there so we could be as close as possible.
Meredith’s face is buried in the crook of my neck. She’s draped against me, and I’m still holding her tighter than ever. Several minutes go by as we hold each other.
Finally, she stirs, stray hairs tickling my chin.
I don’t want this to end. I might never recover from the goodbye, but I can make it last longer. “Can I stay with you tonight? Until I leave?”
If she’s smart, she’ll tell me no.
She trails her fingers along the hem of my sleeve. A second ticks by. Two.
“Yes.”
FORTY-EIGHT
CALDER
The drive to Williston is quiet and somber. Neither of the guys mentioned I was in Meredith’s room last night.
I pull in front of the sprawling concrete building. Portions of its walls are made out of windows. The entire second story is lined with glass. As far as airports go, it’s small. A fact I’m grateful for at the moment. I put the Escalade in park. Bowen moves for the door handle, and Landry lifts his head off the back seat.
“I need a minute,” I say gruffly.
I’m facing a drive that’ll take the entire day, and I’ve gotten very little sleep. When Meredith finally passed out after I buried myself between her legs and made goddamn sure she’d never forget me, I couldn’t drift off. Too much was on my mind, and it doesn’t have to do with auctions or brand and real-estate sales.
“I’ve gotta talk to you two.”
Bowen slides his gaze toward me and tenses. “You doing all right?”
The sad truth is that if it weren’t for Meredith and the past three weeks—hell, the past month since I heard about the accident—I’d have dropped them off and headed for Denver. I wouldn’t have thought about how the funeral was the first timein years all three of us had been together. I probably wouldn’t have realized we didn’t make plans to get together again anytime soon.
Landry pinches the bridge of his nose and yawns. “You look like hell, Calder.”
“I feel like it.” I feel like turning this damn ride around and heading right back to a warm bed. “Are you really okay with what we’re doing?”
Landry’s gaze sharpens, and he shakes off his tiredness. “Take Meredith out of the equation. Would you still be asking us that?”
I grind my teeth together. He knows the answer. “When are we getting together again?”
“Whenever the hell we want.” Bowen studies my expression and shakes his head. “What’s this really about?”
I’m not ready to answer. “What do you each know about your employees?”
“I don’t need to know anything,” Bowen say wearily. His eyes are slightly less bloodshot than mine.
