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CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Marcus
In the middle of the night, I wake up to Heather curled into my side, snoring lightly.
I smile in the darkness, thoroughly enjoying all the sounds she makes. The sighs and quick inhales when my fingers roam, flick, or rub. Her body responds to it all, clueing me in on what she likes in a way she was once to shy to do. Especially now when we’re naked, and my hands and mouth are exploring.
“Again?” she whispers a half-hearted, sleepy complaint, but she’s already arching, seeking, needing.
“Again,” I say, slipping between her legs and delving inside with one smooth stroke.
My palms knead and caress the softest parts of her, and there she goes, giving me those little moans I love so much while rolling her ass back into my groin. I bury my face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent and kissing her skin.
I rock into her, wondering what she’ll look like barefoot on the beach, tanned and smiling at me, or wearing that sexy black bikini while she rides Sparrow down to our spot on the river.
I smile at my thoughts running away from me, but how can I resist picturing my life here with this woman? I spent so long resigned to my familial role that I didn’t realize how much of myself I’d lost.
Heather was the key to the shackles I’ve been ignoring for years because more than anything, she gives me hope. Hope that my brother and I will find peace, hope for a future I’ve only ever dreamed of, and I’m going to shower her with so much affection, she’ll be sick of me.
She’ll insist I’m ridiculous with every gift I give. But then I’ll get that feisty smile just before she’s shoving me, and shoving will turn into kissing, and kissing will lead us right back here, in a tangle of limbs and sweat-dampened bodies. And if I’m lucky, we’ll repeat the process every day of our happy lives.
“Marcus,” she mutters in that way that tells me she’s about to crest the edge of an orgasm any minute, spiraling out of control with me, and I’m the man who gets to catch her when she comes back down.
“And I’ll keep catching you,” I whisper my thoughts to her. “Over and over again, Heather. I won’t stop.”
When she rolls to snuggle into my chest, I kiss her temple, her nose, her lips, gently and reverently, until she feels comforted enough to fall back asleep.
* * *
It’s still early when I return from the market. The sun is creeping over the mountains by the time I climb the steps to my aunt’s house and set a vase full of blue hydrangeas on the front porch table.
“Hey, buddy.” I scratch Jango’s ears when he plods toward me from the other end of the porch.
I don’t want to wake Heather just yet. Figure the least I can do is let the woman rest after I kept her up most of the night.
Pulling Leah’s bracelet from my pocket, I roll it through my fingers thoughtfully.
For so long it’s been my anchor, something I thought connected the two of us through the afterlife, but now I realize the importance of her wanting me to keep it safe, and why it’s time to finally let it go.
I relax in the chair before scrolling through my phone for my uncle’s contact, and Jango settles at my feet, offering a sense of support without even knowing it.
“Marcus?” he answers on the second ring.
“Hey, Uncle Pat. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“No, of course not,” he assures me, but it sounds like he might be rolling over in bed. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, all good.” Restless, I lean forward to prop my elbows on the table, staring at the old red barn. “But there are some things I’m going to need your help with.”
With no hesitation, he says, “Tell me what’s going on.”
I start with Sparrow and the mare who’s been picking on her, and then I follow that with all the reasons why I can’t let him tear the barn down. Not now, or ever.
I recount the last month I’ve spent in his home with Penelope and the sleeping woman upstairs, the adventures we’ve had, and the Augustine family I’ve missed so much.
I reveal my ideas and plans for what comes next, but there’s one glaring issue to work out before then, and I need his help if it’s going to work.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks before I disconnect our call.
