Page 6 of A Very Grumpy Ranger (Wolf Valley: Grumps #9)

SIX

Luca

I’m busy breaking down the moving boxes when there’s a knock on the door. My heart lodges in my throat, wondering if it’s Blake, but then the door opens, and my brother walks in, followed by Camden and Meyer.

“Hey,” I greet them. “Were we meeting today?”

“No, but we wanted to know how your date went last night. I have to head into work soon, so I thought I’d stop over with some donuts and hear all of the details,” Milo says, tossing a bakery box onto the kitchen counter.

“Thanks.”

I open the lid and grab a donut, taking a big bite to stall for time.

“So?” Meyer asks bluntly.

“It was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah? What did you guys do?”

“We went to a pottery place in Maple Creek. Then we went out for some barbecue.”

“Sounds fun,” Milo says encouragingly.

“So, who won the bet?” Camden asks.

“I don’t know…”

“Did you make plans to see her again?” Meyer asks.

“No, not exactly.”

“Why the fuck not?” he asks with a frown.

“We kissed…”

“Okay, good sign.” Camden nods.

“Right, so we’re making out in my car in front of her apartment, and it’s pouring out.”

“Hot,” Meyer says, and his tone is so deadpan that I can’t tell if he means it or is being sarcastic.

“Anyway, she invites me in and?—”

“You slept with her and didn’t make plans to see her again?” Milo demands.

I shake my head. “No! I said no.”

The room is silent. Everyone is frozen in place.

A donut dangles from Meyer’s fingers as he stares at me. His gaze darts to Camden, Milo, and back to me. “What?” He shakes his head as if he may not have heard me correctly.

“I said no. I couldn’t go inside. I told her I was tired.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asks incredulously.

“I don’t know!”

Oh, my god. Am I an idiot? Did I mess everything up?

I thought I was doing the right thing by not going inside last night.

I wanted us to clear our heads. I wanted to find the right words to tell her what she meant to be before I sat her down and explained that us sleeping together wasn’t part of the bet.

That I would never bet on something like that.

Camden and Milo are still speechless, frozen in shock, and my doubts only grow stronger the longer they stay like that.

“I don’t know. I wanted to go with her so badly last night, but I need her to know that this is real. I didn’t want her to think that sex was part of any bet,” I try to explain.

Camden and Milo to blink.

“And you couldn’t have told her that before you followed her inside?” Meyer asks.

“I don’t know. Tensions were high.”

“You mean hormones,” Meyer interjects.

I glare at him. “Yeah, that too. I just… I guess it seemed like too important a conversation to have before jumping into bed together.”

“Oh,” Camden says, nodding.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Pausing a make-out session to talk about a bet isn’t exactly a turn-on,” Milo adds.

“So, when are you going to have that conversation?” Meyer asks.

“I just… I still don’t have the right words to explain it all.”

“How hard can it be?” Meyer snorts. “I love you, Blake. Be with me forever.”

“I wanted to do something a little more romantic than that,” I say wryly.

“Well, you need to figure it out soon,” Milo says.

I sigh. “I know.”

“I mean really soon because it looks like you rejected her last night and then ghosted her.”

“Shit,” I groan.

“Good luck, bro,” Milo says, clapping me on the shoulder.

“Just talk to her. She’s into you. It will all be okay,” Camden reassures me.

Milo nods in agreement as he grabs a donut. “I’ve got to get to work. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” I promise. “Talk to you later.”

He waves and heads out the door.

Camden grabs a donut and plops down on the couch, kicking up his feet on the coffee table. “Want to talk strategy?”

“No. I need to figure out where to get some bao in this town.”

“Good luck with that.” Meyer snorts.

“Why bao?” Camden asks.

“It’s her favorite food. Tofu bao.”

“Can’t be that hard to make,” Camden says. “Let’s look it up.”

And that’s how Camden, Meyer, and I wind up spending the afternoon making tofu bao a dozen times before we get it right.

I box up the meal and smile at my friends. “Thanks, guys. I owe you one.”

“No problem,” Camden mumbles, eating one of our failed attempts at the dish.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Meyer says as he wipes down the kitchen counter. “Now, go get your girl.”

I smile and grab the food. “Lock up when you leave!”

They both wish me good luck as I head out.

I drive to Blake’s apartment and take the stairs two at a time. Knocking on the door, I take a deep breath as I wait for her to answer.

I practiced what I wanted to say with my friends all afternoon, but as soon as the door opens, all my words disappear.

“I messed up,” I blurt.

Blake blinks. Her green eyes reflect hurt before becoming guarded. I hate that I’m the cause of that hurt.

“Last night, I messed up. Or maybe it was days ago when we first made the date bet.”

“Wow, okay,” she says, her hand tightening on the door.

“Not like that. I mean, I should have told you how I felt instead of playing games.”

She pauses, her grip on the door loosening as she stares at me.

“I…I made you tofu bao,” I say, shoving the Tupperware at her.

“You made it?”

“Yeah. You can’t order it anywhere around here. I’ve checked.”

“Thanks,” she says sincerely. “That was sweet of you.”

“It’s nothing. I…I want you, Blake. Any way I can have you. But I don’t want you to think I’m only sleeping with you to win a bet. If we have sex, it’s because this is real.”

“It is real,” she says softly. She steps back, grabs my shirt, and tugs me inside before closing the door. “I want you,” she whispers. “For real.”

I swallow hard. “We can go on more dates.”

“We’ve been dating since the diner. The hikes, the errands, and coffee. All the dinners and movies. They were dates. We were just too scared to call them that. Now kiss me,” she orders.

I do as she commands eagerly.

My mouth crashes into hers like I’ve been starving for her—because I have. Her lips are soft and warm, familiar and new all at once. She tastes like mint and mischief, and the way she melts into me makes something primal snap inside my chest.

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her flush against me, and she lets out a soft moan that nearly brings me to my knees. She slides her hands into my hair, tugging just enough to drive me insane. I growl against her mouth, pressing her back until she bumps into the apartment door

“Bedroom,” I mutter, breaking the kiss long enough to take the food from her and set it on the kitchen counter as we stumble toward the bedroom.

She giggles, breathless and beautiful, and tugs me into the room with her. The second the door clicks shut behind us, we’re on each other again.

I back her against the wall, one hand finding her hip, the other threading into her hair as I kiss her like I’ve waited a lifetime. Maybe I have. She’s everything—fire and softness and stubborn sweetness—and I don’t want to wait another second.

Her hands tug at the hem of my shirt, and I yank it off without thinking. Her nails skate across my chest, and I shudder, biting back a groan. I want to go slow—God, I want to savor her—but the look in her eyes is pure heat, and I know we’re both past the point of patience.

I lift her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist, and I carry her to the bed. We’re a tangle of hands and mouths the whole way there. She laughs and gasps, kissing me like she can’t get enough, and I never want her to stop.

I set her down on the mattress, and she reaches for me instantly, pulling me over her.

“Luca,” she whispers, her voice soft and needy.

“Need to get you naked. I need to taste you,” I moan.

Blake sits up, pulling her shirt over her head. Then we’re both tugging off our pants and crashing together on the mattress.

“I’ve never…” Blake says as I trail kisses down her neck. “I’m a virgin.”

“Me, too,” I admit.

She looks at me in surprise. “Be honest. Did you live under a rock or something before you moved here?”

“Nope. I was just waiting for you.”

“What if this is awful?”

I shake my head. “It will be good. I’ve got you,” I promise, kissing her again, slower this time.

I trail my lips along her jaw and neck, memorizing every gasp as I learn what she likes. Her hands are on my back, her thighs around my hips, and I swear I could live in this moment forever.

Blake’s hips are restless beneath me. She rocks against me, her pussy lips wrapping around my length, and I groan with each movement.

“Easy,” I tell her. “We’ve got all night.”

“I can’t wait,” she whines, her hips jerking back and forth.

She’s soaked, her juices coating my cock as she humps me. My mouth waters and I know I can’t wait any longer to get a taste of my girl.

I kiss my way down her body, stopping when I get to her tits. I mold the smooth mounds in my palms, and Blake arches into my touch.

“Luca!” she shouts when I pinch one of her nipples.

Smiling devilishly, I place a kiss between her breasts. I toy with her nipples, rolling the sensitive peaks between my thumbs and forefingers as I trace circles with my tongue around her belly button.

“Luca, please,” she gasps.

I release her boobs and shoulder her thighs apart as I settle between her legs. “You smell so good,” I growl as I spread her lower lips.

“I hurt,” she cries.

I can’t have that. I lean forward and bury my face in her pussy. She smells like honey and cream, and she tastes just as sweet. With one lick, I’m instantly addicted.

“So fucking sweet,” I groan.

Blake cries out as my tongue rolls over her clit and slides to her snug opening.

I repeat the same pattern over and over, and soon enough, her hips are rocking in time with my movements.

Her body coils tighter and tighter, her breaths coming in breathy pants with each flick of my tongue.

Her fingers grip the blanket as I flick my tongue over the little pearl.

That’s all it takes to send her flying over the edge into pure bliss.

She screams my name, her fingers tangling in my hair as she comes all over my face.

“Fuck!” she shouts.

I growl, licking up every drop of her release. She tugs on my hair, her breathing heavy as she stares down at me. Her green eyes are so dark with passion, and I can see she wants more than just my mouth.

I move up her curvy body and kiss her softly. I hover over her. “Are you sure?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

She cups my cheek, her eyes locked on mine. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

That’s all I need.

I kiss her again as I line up with her drenched opening. We both hold our breath as I slide into her, gasping at the contact. She arches beneath me, her fingers digging into my shoulders as I thrust through her virginity and bottom out inside her.

“Oh!” she cries.

I freeze, letting her adjust to my size. She feels so good, so much better than I ever thought possible—wet and hot and tight. Her pussy wraps around my cock like a fist, and it takes everything in me not to come instantly.

“I’m good,” she says, nodding for me to start moving.

I grit my teeth and pull out slowly before pushing back in. We both gasp as I bottom out inside her again.

Soon, we find a rhythm, our bodies moving together like they were made for this. For us . It’s intense and messy and perfect. Every moan, every whispered word, every touch is burned into my memory.

Her body shudders under me, her grip on me tightening, and I know that she’s close to coming again.

Thank God because I’m close to my release, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.

“Luca,” she gasps.

Hearing her say my name like that has me falling over the edge. “Fuck, Blake. Mine ,” I growl as I come.

Blake clings to me, her cries like music to my ears as she comes with me. We fall apart together, tangled in the sheets and each other, our breaths ragged, our hearts racing.

I wrap my arms around her and roll to the side before I collapse on top of her. Blake cuddles up next to me, her head resting on my shoulder, and I smile as I kiss her forehead. When I look down at my girl, her eyes have drifted shut, and a moment later, her breathing evens out.

I grin, pulling the covers over us as I wrap my arms around Blake and allow my eyes to drift closed.

I know—no matter what comes next, I’m not letting her go.