“I told you what went down with Catherine and me and how I almost lost her. If you want her, then fight for her.” Although Jackson and I didn’t know each other long, there is always a bond that you form with the men who stand beside you. You spend a lot of time together, and sometimes you share your demons with each other.
“There’s a lot of air we need to clear first, but what if that doesn’t work?” I ask, staring out at the water.
“At least you can say you tried. Maybe it’ll give the two of you some closure, so you can move on.” Jackson takes a drink of his beer.
I nod slowly.
“Let’s go join them,” he says before walking down the steps that lead to the beach, with me following behind.
We spend the afternoon playing in the water before heading back up to their place to get dinner ready.
I help Jackson grill some steak shish kabobs while the girls prepare the sides. We sit outside, eat some amazing food, and enjoy spending time with Jackson, Catherine, and their kiddos.
After dinner, the kids get cleaned up and into their jammies, and then they watch movies in their room. Jackson and I sit on the deck, watching while Catherine and Lainey drink Moscow mules, giggling together like they’ve been friends for ages.
We’re staying the night here, so I don’t have to watch how much either of us drinks. Although, I don’t know if Lainey knows we’re sharing a room. I can control myself, hopefully.
Chapter Eleven
Lainey
I take a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom and into the bedroom Ranger and I are sharing tonight. I’m not sure how I feel about sleeping in the same bed as him, but we’re both adults and can keep it together for one night.
Ranger is in bed with the blanket up to his waist, leaning against the headboard. His eyes move over my body. I’m in a tank top and thong panties. My nipples harden at the heated look he’s giving me.
I crawl into the bed and lie on my back with the sheet pulled up to my neck. He doesn’t say anything, just turns off the bedside light. The moon illuminates the bedroom, casting a white glow across us.
“Will you hold me?” I ask, surprising myself. I planned on staying as far away as I could.
He responds by wrapping an arm around me, pulling me into his side. Ranger situates us, so he’s flat on his back, and I’m half on, half off him. The way he used to hold me when we were younger.
I’ll blame it on the alcohol when I press my nose against his chest and inhale. He smells like coconut and sandalwood. I rub my hand over his chest and practically start dry humping his leg. His arm slides down my back and over my ass.
I tip my head up, and immediately his lips are on mine. His tongue swiftly enters my mouth, tangling with mine. I shift my body over him, so I’m straddling his lap. The moment I encounter his hard length, I moan into his mouth.
Ranger grabs my bare ass cheeks in each palm and begins rocking me against his cock. He rolls us, so I’m on my back with him between my legs. I know I should stop this—it has heartbreak written all over it—but do I do it? Nope.
I reach inside his boxer briefs, wrapping my hand around him. He groans into my mouth as I rub my thumb over the tip. Precum leaks from the head of his dick, wetting my thumb.
He watches with rapt attention as I pull my hand from his briefs and suck my thumb into my mouth, tasting the saltiness of his cum. Ranger slides my tank top up and off.
My neck arches back as he sucks one nipple into his mouth and then switches to the other. He nips the turgid point until I whimper, gripping his head and holding it to my breast.
He pulls away and quickly digs into his bag, and then climbs back on the bed without his boxer briefs on. His cock stands tall, thick, and very hard. I take the condom from his hand and quickly roll it onto his cock.
Ranger puts his hand over my mouth as he lines his cock up with my entrance and pushes inside me. I moan against his hand as it feels like he is splitting me in two.
“Fuck, baby, you’re so fucking tight,” he whispers before pulling his hand away and kissing me as we begin to fuck. We kiss as we move together, trying to be quiet even though our room is on the first floor and on the opposite side of the house.
He spreads my legs with his as he sinks deeper inside me. I groan against his mouth and hold him tight as the stirrings of my orgasm begin. He does a little grind against me with each thrust, hitting my clit until I begin to come. Before I can even come down, Ranger thrusts once, twice, and then plants himself to the root, coming with a groan.
The only sound to be heard is our panting breaths. He kisses me before pulling his softening cock out of me. “I’ll be right back.” He kisses me between my breasts before getting up and then disappears into the bathroom.
I stand up and quickly pull my tank top and panties back on. After I crawl back into bed, I roll to my side and pretend to be asleep. I’m not ready to talk about what just happened.
I’m calling it too many Moscow Mules and the fact that I haven’t had sex in a while. I hear the toilet flush and then the sink run. While I wait for him to get back in bed, I try to relax my body, so he doesn’t know I’m faking.
The mattress depresses, and Ranger wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to him, so my back is snugly against his chest. He kisses me behind my ear. “Good night, Lainey,” he whispers.
“Good night, Ranger.”
Luckily, I’m exhausted and fall asleep almost immediately.
I follow my brother into the tasting room, with the other employees who are going to be helping us taste the wine today. Ranger’s coming too, and I’m a ball of nerves.
We haven’t spoken since he dropped me off yesterday. I think he could sense my need for peace and quiet. Mona taught me how to meditate, so that’s what I did all afternoon.
The only thing that kept going through my mind was that he and I had a lot to talk about.
“Hey, Lainey.” I look up as Sean walks toward me. “Looking beautiful as always.” Before I can object, he pulls me in for a hug and kisses the top of my head.
I step back, feeling uncomfortable but do my best to hide it. He looks behind me and frowns. I feel Ranger before he’s close enough to put a hand on my hip, and then he kisses my temple. “Hey, babe.”
Sean looks at me. “I’ll see you in there.” He turns and walks toward the main building.
I look up at Ranger, rolling my eyes. “Why didn’t you just piss on me, marking your territory.”
He throws his arm around my shoulders, laughing. “Let’s go drink some wine.”
Lance, Ranger, my father, Sean, Joshua, and the two sommeliers are all here to take part in this tasting. My brother is doing a separate tasting for the rest of the employees.
I take a seat at the bar, Ranger takes the spot to my right, and Sean takes the seat to my left. I internally roll my eyes. Lance gives a little speech and then tells us about the wine.
The waitstaff pours us a glass, and we do the swirl and sniff. I take a sip and sigh as the flavor explodes on my tongue. I’m not a big fan of wine, but this is good. I quietly sip my wine while the others talk about the notes, the acidity, and whatever else I don’t understand.
I realize that I’ve got a pretty good buzz after the third glass, which is two more than anyone else. I stand up, wobbling a little, and use the barstool for balance.