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With all the chaos of the manhunt going down, I’d calmed my libido back to a reasonable level. But now that they’d all left us here alone, I could feel my body wanting to repeat what happened in the kitchen earlier.
Corey tugged me inside the main house. “We’re going to stick it out in here. There’s a house phone that we’ll have to keep an eye on. Otherwise, I’d take you to the bunkhouse and get you settled better.”
“I don’t need settling. I’m used to living out of a bag.”
“That’s not how things are going to work here. You don’t have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice anymore. This is a stopping point. Or it can be, if that’s what you want,” he said as he eased us down on the couch.
We sat facing each other, our bodies turned to the side as our fingers stayed linked. It wasn’t close enough. Not in the slightest.
Problem was, I didn’t have the courage to move closer. Not when there was stuff we still hadn’t discussed.
“I’m really glad you’re here, Ashley.” His lips curved into a wide smile. I felt the power of it move through my body at record speed.
I nodded since my voice would have been nothing more than a squeak at that exact second. From the way he kept staring, I would bet my cheeks were heated again as well.
“Since we’re alone for a bit, I figured we’d talk some things out. How does that sound?”
“Good,” I forced out.
Talking was good. We could talk. There wouldn’t be any major decisions made if we didn’t have a plan. I was good with plans.
Calm down, man.
I had to take a deep breath to quell the rampant thoughts rushing through my mind. They were moving a million miles a second, with zero plans of stopping on their own.
Once I’d wrangled myself, I gave Corey my full attention. He watched me so closely; I had no doubt he knew there was an internal struggle happening. Still, he didn’t say a word about it.
“First thing I want to discuss is your stay. As I hope you’ve already seen, there is no rush for you to go anywhere. Atticus is much like his father in that he welcomes people here with open arms. You would have to work, but what you do is mostly up to you. We all pull together to help out on big projects from time to time. Otherwise, it’s every man working where he fits in best.”
I thought over all the letters he’d sent me. The ranch jobs weren’t anything I couldn’t handle. My training over the years made me useful in a lot of ways. In fact, I was probably a littleoverqualified for some of the things I’d be doing. Others I’d have to get some on-the-job training to make do.
“That works for me,” I replied when it looked as if he wanted confirmation.
He squeezed our joined hands. “Great. Next up, I want to talk about the accommodations. While we’re not bad off, the bunkhouse isn’t a weekend retreat type of place. It’s much better than what you’ve been living in with your deployments though. I think you’ll find your room ok, and if you ever need anything, I’ll be right there for you.”
“All of this sounds good to me.”
“But…”
“No but. I’m here to be a part of this world.”Your world.
His grin widened even more as if he’d heard what I was thinking. I knew it wasn’t possible, but with how much we’d written to each other over the years, he likely did have some hint that I was thinking of him.
“There’s one last thing I want to talk about. I think I gave you a hint with the kiss before, but I need to make it clear.” He closed his eyes for a second before opening them to lock on me. It was an intense stare full of emotion. “I want to be with you.”
“I want you too,” I interrupted him.
“That’s good to know, baby. As I was saying, there is nothing that would make me happier than you being mine. I know we’ve discussed it somewhat through our letters; however, I need verbal confirmation if you want all of it or just some parts.”
I gulped as the significance of his words registered. What he was suggesting involved a lot of trust. It also was something I’d been dreaming of since the first time he’d ever mentioned it.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
The smile he wore slipped a little. “I’m sure. If that’s not what you want, then we can try something else. Your letters made me believe you might —”
“I do.” The words left me with ease because they were true.
“You do?”
