And he does. With my hands white-knuckled around the wood above his head, I straddle his face and let him devour me.
The abrasion of his beard against my sensitive skin, paired with that expert tongue on my clit has me panting and bucking in minutes. When he adds his fingers and crooks them just the way I need, I lose it. I come with a low, greedy groan, as spasm after spasm rocks my body.
He flips me over quickly and is buried inside a moment later, his arms flexing on either side of my head as hazy eyes lock on mine, and we make love.
There’s no better feeling than being filled by this man. By being as close as humanly possible to him, with nothing between us but skin and a hunger we can finally indulge.
But it’s more than just the physical connection. It’s trust, too. Comfort and contentment. A promise, despite everything that’s gone wrong between us, that this is right. We are right.
“I love you,” he rasps, eyes locked on mine as he pumps, slow and steady.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, lifting my hips to meet his with every stroke. “So much.”
“I’m never gonna get tired of hearing you say that.”
I smile and tug him down for a kiss. “Good, because I plan to say it for the rest of my life.”
Chapter 28
HAYDEN
“He didn’t shed a single tear.”
“Really?” I ask Jesse Friday night, as he strolls into the family room, aka the theater, where I’ve been curled up with my laptop all afternoon, working. Jett had been here too, until Jesse came home from work and took him to Becca’s for the boys’ long-awaited sleepover.
“Yep. Little turd gave me a half-ass hug and took off to play before I could tell him I loved him.” Jesse chuckles and drops down onto the couch next to me. “Kid kinda broke my heart.”
“Aww. Did you cry?”
He nods, looking adorable as hell all mussed from work. “A little.”
“Poor guy,” I tease. “I’m just about done here. Just trying to figure out where I saved a couple files that I need, and then we can get our date night started.”
“No problem.” He leans in for a quick kiss. “I need a shower and it’ll take The Creek a bit to throw together our takeout order, anyway.”
My stomach growls at the mere mention of food. “Do you want me to call it in now and pick it up when I’m done here?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll just have the special.”
“Got it. I might have to run to the cabin for my flash drive, too. I’m starting to think that’s where I saved the files I need.”
“Do what you gotta do, babe. I’ll be ready and waiting for you when you get back.” He gives me a saucy smile and reaches behind his head to tug his T-shirt off as he backs out of the room.
“Gosh, you’re pretty,” I sigh. “All those muscles and stuff.”
He bites his lip and runs a hand down his chest and abs, complete with a hip and belly roll that makes my mouth go dry. With those jeans, that ink and that ball cap, he could easily pull off the country boy in a Vegas strip show.
I point a finger at him and swipe up and down dramatically. “Can you do that again later, please?”
“Bring your dollar bills, baby, and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” He waggles his eyebrows and then spins on his heels, a little extra swagger in his step as he strolls away.
I stare after him until he disappears and then sigh like a teenager lusting after a crush. Except, he’s not just a crush—he’s mine. And the sooner I get my flash drive and dinner—and apparently some cash—the sooner I can remind him of that.
I call The Creek to place our order on my way out the door and arrive at the cabin just a few minutes later. Since the food won’t be ready for twenty minutes, I head back to my room to freshen up and slip into a new bra and panty set that will hopefully get lost on Jesse’s floor at some point this evening.
Since Saturday, we’ve spent every night together, taking turns between his place and the cabin, depending on how late he had to work and whether or not I needed his Wi-Fi to get work done since I’ve been filling in for Greta quite a bit during the day.
Frankly, I love helping out at the office. I love knowing that I’m helping to bring Enders Excavating into the twenty-first century, and I love even more that I’ve been able to unload some of the stress from Jesse’s shoulders, too.
I don’t want him to hire anyone else to replace Greta. In fact, I turned down the position with Albertson Enterprises, even though it was everything I wanted, because I want to make things work with Jesse even more. I want to stay in Cole Creek and I want to help him take his business to the next level. I just need to convince him to let me.
Smoothing my hands over the new bra, I smile at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Perhaps I’ll bring it up tonight and let this black and navy lace do the talking.
I slip into a pair of leggings and a tank top, grab my flash drive, and head back to the front of the house just as gravel crunches in the driveway and I remember that Jinx said he might stop by to check out a tree that needs to be cut.
I hear his footsteps on the back deck and hurry to meet him at the door, swinging it open before he can knock.
And I immediately wish I hadn’t.
“Hey, babe.” Lane stands before me, looking far too casual for my liking in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and an athletic zip-up.
“L-Lane.” Every cell in my body freezes and goes on high alert at the same time. “What are you doing here?”
“You never called like you said you would,” he says easily, tucking his hands into his pockets. “And now you’re ignoring my texts. I was worried something had happened.”
“Something did happen. We broke up.”
“You can’t go from being with someone for seven years to completely ignoring them, Hayden. Doesn’t work like that.”
“I saw you a week ago.”
“When you said you’d call.”
Dammit, I don’t have time for this. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. In fact—”
“Can I come in?” he asks as thunder rumbles in the distance.
“I was on my way out.”
“I came all this way to see you. To talk. The least you can do is give me a few minutes.”
“I didn’t ask you to come, and honestly, Lane, I don’t have anything to say. We said it all when I left—”
“There’s plenty to say,” he sighs. “And I think you owe it to both of us to hear me out.”
“We don’t owe each other anything anymore.”
“We went from seven years together to silence.” His brow creases over pleading eyes, as droplets of rain begin to fall, covering the deck and his jacket with dark speckles. “Please. I just want a few minutes.”
Goddammit. As much as I want to hate him, he’s right. We were important to each other for a long time. I can’t just flip the switch and be cruel, especially by making him stand in the rain.
I hold the door open and wave him in. “Ten minutes and then I have to go.” Before dinner is cold and Jesse wonders where I am.