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“Fuck, you just got so wet,” he groaned into my neck, thrusting lightly until he felt the pulses slow. Laying a soft kiss on my cheek, he pulled back, releasing my hands and rubbing my shoulders before he slipped from inside me.

I whimpered at the loss, but he was quick to turn me, hoisting me up his body and wrapping my shaky legs wrapped around his waist. His lips claimed mine in a scorching kiss as he walked toward the front door. He pressed my back into the wood, reluctantly letting me breathe as he reached between us, lining his cock back up and thrusting inside hard enough I involuntarily moaned loudly into the warm night air.

“Quiet, baby,” he whispered, his fingers grazing my lips as he held my weight with one arm. “I don’t want to have to cover your mouth and smother those pretty sounds you make.”

Tucking his face into my neck, he returned both hands to my ass, groaning as he flexed forward. My hands slipped into his hair, cradling the back of his head as he fucked me, groaning into my skin as he got closer and closer. The sheer strength of his body was mesmerizing as he held me up and drove his powerful hips into the cradle of my thighs. Tracing one hand over his shoulder, my fingers outlined his scars, feeling the muscles flex as he poured every ounce of passion he had for me into my body.

Unable to wait any longer, my lips found his ear, my voice hoarse as I told him the thing I’d been holding back for weeks. “I love you.”

Tripp’s hips paused as he leaned back, my pulse hammering in my ears. His eyes met mine, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his full mouth. “You do?”

Nodding, I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but his thumb was there to catch it, his lips meeting mine a moment later as he thrust into me hard enough to make me gasp.

“I love you so fucking much,” he panted against my mouth after he released my lips. “Sofucking much.”

Nodding, I kissed him again, my palms holding his cheeks as he started fucking me again, chasing his release with my body. His feral groan when he came had my arms wrapping around him and pulling him tightly against me while we both caught our breath.

“Does this mean you’re staying?” he whispered into my chest, and I laughed, relieved to have my feelings out in the open.

“Probably.”

“Such a brat,” he laughed, pinching me. “You know you belong here.”

But he wasn’t wrong. I did belong here. With him. At the ranch. Wherever life took us from here, as long as it was together.

“You might need to convince me,” I whispered into his cheek.

He leaned back, holding my waist as I untangled myself, standing on shaky legs pressed up against the door with him looming over me.

“And how might I do that?” His grin was teasing, and I knew he was humoring me. “Does it involve a lot of what we just did? Because if it does, then I’m all in for all the convincing you need.”

“You only love me because of these sundresses,” I teased, using my hands to straighten the hem of my now wrinkled dress. “Once I have to cover up for winter, you won’t like me as much.”

“Iloveyou no matter what you wear. Even when you’re filthy and you smell like horseshit,” he whispered, using his fingertips to tuck my hair behind my ears. “I want you to stay. Not just because you don’t have any other options. I want to wake up with you everymorning and go to bed with you every night. I want to go on rides with you and growl at guys who hit on you at the bar.”

“Sounds somewhat appealing,” I murmured, tracing my fingers through his chest hair while his arms flexed next to my face as he gripped the top of the door frame. “I always have had a thing for possessive cowboys.”

He groaned, hating the nickname from the fire station he still hadn’t been able to escape, but he had kind of embraced the part. “You’re not allowed to call me that.”

“But youarea cowboy,” I teased, scratching my fingers through his stubble. “You ride horses and do manly things on a ranch every day.”

“You ride too.” He’d even picked out one of the trail horses to be my unofficial mount—with Marty’s permission, of course. “Does that make you a cowgirl?”

“Maybe,” I replied with a shrug. “I kinda prefer riding the cowboy myself.”

He shook his head with an eye roll, pecking me on the nose before leaning down to pull up his pants. “This cowboy needs to be fed and watered before anything is getting ridden.”

“Save a horse, give a cowgirl a ride,” I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Not sure that’s how the saying goes.” But he reached down to hoist me against his chest anyway before he opened the door at my back. “But I’ll let you ride whatever you want once you get some meat in me.”

“Pretty sure the meat goes inside me.”

His laughter warmed my chest as he carried me insideourhome, kicking the door shut behind us. “You’re terrible, Rhey.”

Leaning my head back, I ran my fingertips across the fading scar on his forehead. “But you love me.”

“I do.” He nodded, right before he kissed me again. “Sometimes you’re ridiculous, but I love you anyway.”

Carrying me further inside, he set me down on the kitchen island while he set to work. I couldn’t keep the smile from my faceas I watched him pull together dinner, briefly escaping to retrieve my wine glass from the porch for a refill.

A month ago, I’d never seen him coming, but now, I couldn’t imagine my future without this man.

THE END