Locked in his smoldering eyes, he lifted his hips, placing his tip at her entrance, waiting for permission. She slid her legs up around his hips and guided him deep inside her. She moaned. He groaned. And if he planned on saying something else, those words died as he slid in and out, a low growl ruminating from deep in his throat, pushing all of him inside her.
She lost herself in the pleasure when his hand pressed to her hip, pinning her to the mattress while he worked her in long, slow strokes. She explored the flexing muscles of his shoulders when he sealed his mouth over hers in a move so possessive, she felt all the unknowns, all the questions about them, immediately disappear. He couldn’t get any closer, keeping himself pressed against her, his weight leaning on his arms as each thrust became harder and faster. She squeezed harder, desperate to keep him in. Because this wasn’t just sex. With them, it was always more.
“You’ve got me, Maisie,” he whispered against her mouth. “All of me.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “I love you, Hayes.”
He kissed her cheek, her neck, then brushed against her ear. “I love you.”
He had a point to make, and he made it. One hard thrust after another. Each one sending her back arching and her toes curling as his pelvis fed pleasure to her clit, along with the thick hardness driving inside her, making her feel perfectly full of his love.
That’s when she froze, wanting this to last a lifetime. Right there, in this bliss with him. But then she was falling into this new place. A safe place. A happy place. A feeling she’d chase again and again, and this time, locked together, he went with her.
17
Two weeks later, early on a Saturday, Hayes’s suggestion to spend the morning downtown turned into an impromptu trip to the farmer’s market. Maisie caught the sizzle of meat and the vendors calling out to customers. She had dragged him into the market before he even knew where she was going. In the park on Main Street, Maisie passed by the rows of tables and booths filled with local, seasonal produce. Off in the distance, the Rocky Mountains and their snowy peaks stood high.
“What about steaks and zucchini for dinner?” Hayes asked, his gaze on the produce booth.
“Yes, and yes.” She smiled.
He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll catch up.”
“Okay.”
With him moving toward the booth, Maisie kept walking ahead, drawn by the floral scent coming from the roses and lavender ahead of her. Two weeks had gone by since the party at the brewery, and she still didn’t exactly know where she was going to go from here. She knew she’d done her part to push the brewery ahead and help them stand out in the crowd of craft breweries in Colorado. Clara had given her a way out to find her own path now, whatever that may be. She’d be crazy not to take it. And yet…and yet what else was she going to do? A handful of part-time jobs to make ends meet wasn’t satisfying anymore, and as much as she loved throwing the parties at the brewery, and would continue to do so, she needed something…more.
The thought stayed with her as she stopped by the booth with the fresh flowers. “I’ll take a dozen of the daisies, please.” Her absolute favorite.
“Wonderful choice.” The lady behind the table began packing them up.
Warmth and strength engulfed Maisie, and quite possibly the yummiest cologne known to man, as Hayes wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I love that, in a farmer’s market, you go straight to the flowers.”
“Why, what’s wrong with buying flowers?” she asked, leaning back into him.
“Nothing wrong with it, but I think it’s sweet you always gravitate to all the beautiful things.” He kissed her neck and said softly in her ear, “You just can’t help it.”
She smiled and stayed there for a minute. Just being happy. They deserved that.
When the lady brought the bundle of flowers over, Maisie paid for them. “Thanks.”
“Enjoy the lovely day,” the woman said with a smile.
They carried on through the market, striding by the booth with the woodsy scent from the smoky cured meats when Hayes asked, “Can I show you something? It’s not far from here.”
She noted the twinkle in his eyes. “Am I in for a surprise?”
He hemmed and hawed a little, and then he gave a big, bright smile. One that Maisie hadn’t seen in a very long time. “I’d say that’s a definite yes.”
She grinned in return and linked arms with him. “Then yes, you know I love a good surprise.”
Soon, they left the crowded market behind, making it back onto Main Street. People flooded downtown on Saturdays, not only for the market, but for all the quaint little shops the downtown had to offer. They strode past a food truck, and Maisie’s mouth watered at the greasy aroma flowing out in the air. A look at the giant burger with overflowing cheese had her turning toward Hayes. “We need to come back here for lunch before we go home.”
Hayes followed her gaze and nodded. “Agreed. Come on, let’s cross the road.” He headed toward the curb, and with her arm linked with his, she followed. Once they crossed safely, he continued, “You’ve successfully finished the festivals, regardless of the obstacles. You pierced a certain guy’s heart with one of your arrows. You also helped that guy realize he needed to go back to his law enforcement roots.”
“I sure did,” she replied.
Hayes smiled gently down at her. “What comes next for Maisie Carter?”
She’d wondered that herself over and over again for the past week. “Good question. I haven’t exactly figured that out yet.”
He arched an eyebrow. “But the brewery? You’re done with that?”
She laughed dryly. “It would be stupid of me not to get out when I can. I mean, really, it’s amazing that it all turned out okay, but my heart isn’t in working there. Everyone knows that. I’ve actually made something happen there and gave Clara what she needed for this next step. I don’t want to push my luck.” But she’d leave her inheritance in the brewery for now. Pops wanted that, and she wanted her sisters to succeed. Just because she didn’t want to work full-time at the brewery didn’t mean she couldn’t help out and still support it. The business belonged to the Carter sisters. That would never change, no matter what.
The sides of Hayes’s mouth curved a little. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gestured to a little shop set in between a tea shop and an ice cream parlor. The shop was empty now, but before it had been a cute chocolate shop that made incredible candied apples. “I bet your dreams lie here, though.”
She stared at the antique black door and the white-and-black striped awning overhead. “Here?” she repeated.
Warmth and emotion filled his eyes, making her belly flip-flop. “I bought this shop for you.”
“You…what?” She gasped. Blinked. And blinked again. “How? I mean, why? Wait…what?”
He laughed loudly and laced his fingers with hers, holding tight. “When Laurel passed away, I was given her insurance policy money. I used it to buy the house with the willow tree because I wanted a place for Laurel to rest, a spot just for her at her favorite tree.”