"Come with me, Lena."
Two more strokes. His thumb presses harder. Everything tightens, crests, breaks. The orgasm tears through me and he follows, burying deep, groaning my name against my neck. His body shudders. Goes still.
We lie tangled together, breathing hard. His mouth presses lazy kisses against my collarbone. My fingers trace the muscles of his back. Slow. Unhurried. No Sunday deadline. No departure.
"Josie's going to be insufferable," I murmur.
"Already is." He reaches for his jeans on the floor, pulls out his phone. Shows me the screen.
Tucker I swear if you don't fix this I'm driving up there myself
Its 6am Josie
DID YOU TALK TO HER
I'm talking to her right now
AND???
She's staying
The reply takes four seconds.
I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT
Tell Lena I love her
Tell Lena she's my sister now
TUCKER ARE YOU CRYING
He puts the phone face down on the nightstand. Looks at me with a smile that reaches his eyes, crinkles the crow's feet, shows actual teeth. Full, real, unhurried.
"Come on." Rolling off the bed, he pulls on his jeans. "Cows don't wait."
"It's my last day. Technically I don't work here anymore."
"You don't work here. You live here." He holds out his hand. "Different job description."
Taking his hand, I let him pull me up. Steal his henley from the floor, pull it on over my bare skin. It hangs past my thighs.
"That's mine," he says.
"Everything's mine now, rancher. The flannel, the henley, the dogs, the kitchen." Stretching up on my toes, I kiss his jaw. "You."
The corner of his mouth twitches. Then the full smile again. "Yeah. Me too."
Outside, the sun is climbing over the mountains. Hank rolls onto his back the second I step off the porch. Dolly actually wags her tail, which Tucker informs me she's never done for anyone except his mother.
Walking across the yard to the main house, his hand finds the small of my back. Warm, firm, steady. The same way he touches everything on this ranch. With care. With intention. With the quiet certainty of a man who knows exactly what belongs to him.
Mama change of plans
I'm not coming home today
I'm already home
Her reply comes before I reach the kitchen door.
