Page 10

CHAPTER 10

JACE

She was tight. Her pussy gripped my cock like it would never let go as I slid deep inside her. I couldn’t believe I’d been so reluctant to give in. Everything around us slipped away until it was just the two of us. I tried to be gentle, but it had been so fucking long. Holding back, I moved slowly, trying to give her exactly what she needed.

“More.” Her nails dug into my shoulders. “Give me more, Jace.”

Her legs wrapped around my waist, and she tipped her hips. I increased the rhythm, driving inside her like a man possessed. When she came, she clenched around me, and I finally let go.

After, I took care of the condom then climbed back into bed and pulled her into my side. Her cheek rested on my chest while her hair tickled my nose. I breathed in the scent of her shampoo and put one arm behind my head. Staring up at the ceiling, I waited for the panic to seep in.

Instead, something else filled the space. Something steadier. I didn’t feel trapped. I didn’t feel like I’d made a mistake. I felt… peace. Her body curled against mine, trusting and warm, and it hit me all at once that she wasn’t just under my skin, she’d found a way past the walls without me realizing I’d let her in. I traced circles over her hip as the silence hung thick in the air. Not uncomfortable, but heavy with a hell of a lot of words that needed to be said.

“Delaney,” I started.

“Hmm?”

“I meant what I said before. About wanting you too much.” I was barely scratching the surface of everything unsaid.

She flung a leg over my hips. “We don’t have to talk about it tonight.”

“I just don’t want you to think this doesn’t mean anything. Because it does.” No telling where we’d go from here. I was way out of my element, but being with her felt right. Felt as natural as breathing the crisp mountain air.

“It means something to me too.” She tilted her head so she could look at me.

“I usually don’t let people in.”

Her laugh cut through the silence. “Believe me, I’ve noticed. You’ve been a bit of a jackass since I got here.”

My jaw dropped, but she was right. “Did you just call me a jackass after…” Struggling, I tried to decide whether the word “sex” or “making love” was more appropriate.

“Yeah, I did.” Her smile warmed me straight down to my core. “Affectionately.”

“Unbelievable.” Shaking my head, I squeezed one of her full, round ass cheeks.

She resettled her cheek over my heart, her fingers like butterfly wings as they fluttered over my skin. “I’m glad you let me in.”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice.” My voice was low and rough. “You kept showing up. Not just at the office or at camp, but you’ve been there for Wren. When I needed someone and didn’t even know it. You made it easy to let go.”

That was the truth. I tried to fight the feelings I had for her, tried to shut them down and lock them up tight. But she had a way of becoming part of my world even though I fought against it.

“Go to sleep, Jace.” She stretched up to plant a soft kiss on my lips.

Need reignited in my gut. I couldn’t get enough of her. “You sure you want to go to sleep, baby?”

“You have something else in mind?” Her hand wrapped around my cock, and I was instantly hard again.

I smiled against her lips. “I’ve got all kinds of things in mind. Things that will keep you up all night long if you’ll let me.”

“Do your best, District Park Ranger Ramsey.” She let out a soft giggle.

I wanted to memorize that sound, to bottle it up and carry it around with me so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. The next best thing would be making her laugh again. “What if I want to do my worst?” I teased.

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks. “By all means, please go right ahead.”

With her blessing and my insatiable need to claim her body with mine over and over again, I kissed my way down her neck, over her belly, and buried myself between her legs. I had no intention of letting her get a wink of sleep. Not until I was done making up for lost time.

By the time the sun came up, I knew the curves of Delaney’s body like the back of my own hand. I’d spent hours memorizing each freckle. I’d learned what turned her on a little and what made her lose every shred of self-control. It was time to get back to the real world, but I didn’t want to leave the peaceful space we’d carved out for ourselves. If I did, I was afraid I’d never be able to return.

Reluctantly, I slipped out of bed and pulled on my pants. Though I’d texted Walker when we made it back to the cabin last night, I needed to get over there and pick up the twins. And Delaney had to lead camp. I finished getting dressed and started a pot of coffee before I woke her up.

“Hey, rise and shine.” The sun slanted in through a break between the curtains. She looked like an angel with her hair fanned out over the pillow and it took every bit of control not to climb back into bed and pull her close.

“Mmm.” She cracked her eyelids open and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “What time is it?”

“Just after six. I’m going to hike up to the office and take one of the park trucks to pick up the twins.” My fingers itched to tangle in her hair, but I couldn’t hold the inevitable at bay any longer.

“What about your truck?” The sheet slipped as she propped herself up on her elbows.

I readjusted it to cover up her chest. A man could only take so much temptation. “I’ll come back later to get it. I should have fixed that damn bridge when I had the chance. We’ll figure out a work around until then.”

“Good, because otherwise you’ll be stuck with me until I can get my car out.” Her smile told me she was teasing, but I wouldn’t mind being stuck with her. Maybe even for forever.

“I think I can handle that.” The thought should have sent chills racing up and down my spine, but it didn’t. I was done fighting. Done trying to handle everything on my own. My kids already loved her, and she fit into our lives perfectly, like she was meant to be there.

“Really?” A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

“Who wouldn’t want to hog tie themselves to the hog calling champion of Big Wood?” I leaned down to kiss her, wishing we had more time, but knowing deep down this was just the beginning.

“So, I guess I’ll see you at work? How do you want to play this? Should we pretend like nothing happened?”

“No.” I sucked in a deep breath, steeling myself for the onslaught of questions and gossip that would swirl around us the second everyone found out we were together. “I like you Delaney.”

“Gee, I like you too, Jace.” That infectious giggle slipped out again, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“And I don’t care who knows. We’ll figure it out as we go and I want to talk to the twins about it before they hear rumors from someone else, but I don’t want to hide.” Not when I’d come to the conclusion that a life without Delaney in it wasn’t really living.

“Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”

“I’ll see you in a bit. Oh, and maybe you could come over for dinner this weekend. Eli’s been hoping you could give him some tips on his hog calls and Wren would probably love to show you some of the sketches she has at home.” Even if Wren hadn’t opened up to me yet, she clearly trusted Delaney.

“I’d like that a lot.”

“Then it’s settled. Coffee’s on the stove. Thought you might need a little caffeine this morning since you didn’t get much sleep last night.” I grinned and ducked as the pillow she sent sailing my way flew past my head.

A half hour later I pulled up in front of Walker’s house.

Eli raced out to meet me. “Did you really spend the night out in the rain, Dad? Walker said Delaney got lost on the trail, but you found her.”

“Let’s get your sister and I’ll fill you both in on the way home.” We entered the kitchen where breakfast was in full swing.

Walker arched his brows and gave me a look that said he could tell exactly what I’d been up to all night long. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, thanks.” I took the mug he handed me.

“Pretty rough storm last night. Everything go okay?”

“Besides the bridge washing out?” I asked. Though if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have stayed and been forced to acknowledge my feelings for Delaney.

“Sounds like that might have been divine intervention based on that smug smile you’ve been sporting since you walked in the door. Do you want to tell me what that’s all about?”

“Nope.” I held the mug to my lips and took a long sip.

“Asshole,” he mumbled under his breath.

I chuckled. Not even being insulted by one of my best friends could bring down my mood this morning. “Eli, Wren, grab your stuff. We need to get home so you can make it to camp on time.”

Walker shook his head but didn’t press me for more information. He knew about my history with women. About how hard it was to piece myself back together when Michelle walked out and left me with two toddlers and a broken heart. But this thing with Delaney… it felt solid. It felt real.

I wasn’t afraid of where we were headed or what would come next. I was looking forward to it.