“What are the chances of you letting this go?”
She grinned. “Slim and none. I need to know what I’m up against.”
He laughed and caressed her backside. “The only thing you’re up against is me.”
“I like being against you,” she whispered. When she felt him beginning to harden again, she reached down between them, stroked him to full staff, and then slowly impaled herself on him. “But I like having you inside me even more.”
* * *
Jaxson
Sex with Penny was fantastic. Sex without a condom with Penny was fucking heaven.
But also risky. He paused, waiting for something like panic or regret to take hold. It didn’t. Those images he’d had in the bar that night of Penny radiant and round with his child returned, filling him with an entirely different feeling.
Penny was bustling around the kitchen, chattering on about something while she pulled ingredients together for dinner. He liked listening to the sound of her voice. She’d strong-armed him into making a trip to the grocery store, saying that if he was going to be sexing her up, they needed something more than outdated canned goods.
Now, there he was, sitting at the table and prepping salad fixings while she busied herself at the stove. He didn’t know what she was making, but it smelled fantastic.
“I like Campbell’s Junction. The people are nice.”
He chuckled. Word had spread within five minutes of them stepping into the grocery store, and half the hollow had decided they were running low on food, too. Penny had charmed them all.
Well, not Cherise. The memory of their earlier showdown made him smile. His woman was fierce, in her own way.
“I’m still surprised you managed to find this place in the dark.”
“It wasn’t easy, but I was highly motivated, and you know how determined I can be when I want something.”
That he did, although he wasn’t clear on what her motivation was. He knew what he hoped it was.
“Remind me again. What was your motivation?”
She turned and smiled. “I missed you.”
His heart swelled. This was more than a one-time thing. He felt it in his soul. Buck was wrong. Penny saw him as more than a walk on the wild side.
She turned back to the stove. “And I have a message from Sam. I guess you haven’t been checking your phone, huh?”
Considering his phone was still in the drawer upstairs where he’d tossed it, no. “What message?”
“She said to tell you that Cage and Ian were able to piece together what had happened.”
“That was quick.”
“I get the impression they have some really good connections.”
He’d had the same impression. Jaxson didn’t know the details, but from what he’d picked up from the discussions at Sanctuary, the Callaghans were good men to have on their side.
“What did they find out?”
“I don’t know,” Penny said with a shrug. “And before you ask, neither does Sam. She said she wanted you to hear it together. There should be a secure video-chat link in her text. She also wanted me to tell you that if you don’t want to know, she’s fine with that, too.”
* * *
The next couple of days were some of the best of his life, certainly the best in recent memory. They spent hours pleasing each other. Prepared and ate meals together. Went on long motorcycle rides and picked berries in the woods. He took her out to the garage and showed her the Nova. Told her stories about his father and his childhood.
What they didn’t do: talk about what would happen when Penny left.
He hurt less when she was around. And all that talking helped. It was cathartic. She listened—really listened—and when things got difficult, her touch carried him through.
The time passed far too quickly. Before he knew it, an entire week had gone by, and it was their last night together. Penny was making the drive back to Sumneyville the next day. He didn’t want her to go.
“I guess I should start packing,” Penny said, languidly draped across his chest, not sounding any happier about it than he was.
He’d become so accustomed to her warm weight; she was like his own personal security blanket. He wasn’t sure how he was going to sleep without her. She kept the nightmares at bay and massaged away the cramps and spasms that sometimes seized him.
Nor was he looking forward to waking up hard and aching and not being able to slide into her with a slight shift in position. He’d become quite spoiled in that regard. But mostly, it was her sunshine he’d miss most. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she made him feel, just by being around.
“You can’t stay for a couple more days?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t. Community Days is right around the corner.”
He slid his hands behind his head to keep from reaching for her. He vaguely remembered seeing signs posted around Sumneyville, but he hadn’t cared enough to pay attention. “What’s that?”
“Sumneyville’s big summer celebration. Carnival rides, games, food stands out the wazoo, live bands, pig races. We provide all the plants and flowers, and believe me, it’s a lot of work. But it’s a lot of fun, too.”
Fun was relative, although he could see just about anything being enjoyable if Penny were by his side. She kissed him, then slipped out of bed and started gathering her things.
Ask her to stay.
He remained silent. He wasn’t going to put her in a situation where she had to choose between everything she knew and loved and him.
Give her a reason not to go.
Like what? What could he offer her that she didn’t already have—besides himself?
He almost laughed at that. She already had him even if she didn’t know it. But that might prove to be more of a burden than a blessing.
So, go with her. Grab your balls and man up.
He blinked slowly, watching as she snuck one of his shirts into her bag.
Why not? There was no reason for him to stay in Campbell’s Junction. He had family in Sumneyville now, too, and Matt Winston had told him he had a place to stay whenever we wanted.
He cleared his throat. “Want some company?”
Her eyes lit up, as if she’d been hoping he’d ask. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Why not?” he said, trying to sound casual, though his heart was pounding loudly against the walls of his chest. “It’s a long drive. Might be nice to have someone along.”
“That depends on who that someone is.”
True enough.
“How will you get back?”
“I’ll figure something out.” In fact, the wheels were already turning. “I need to see Sam anyway about some estate stuff and have her sign a few things. Plus, I have a feeling whatever Cage and his friend have to tell us, it’d be better done in person.”
“You’ve decided you want to know?”
“At the moment, yes. Ask me again in an hour and the answer might be different.”
Penny stopped packing and returned to the bed, sitting down next to him. “It’s okay if you don’t want to know.”
“Is it? Or will I always wonder?”
She looked down at her hands. “Wondering isn’t so bad. It’s like dreaming. You can envision the way you want things to work out just as easily as the way you don’t, and if you don’t know, then either is as likely as the other.”