Page 37 of Claiming Ours (Anchor Bay #2)

“I’m terrified I won’t survive something like that again,” she whispered when she pulled back.

I searched her splotchy, tearstained face, adjusting my hold to swipe the drops dripping off her jaw.

“For things to be normal one day, then… the rug is pulled out from under me and my world shatters. That’s why I waited so long to move forward with Liam.

” She sniffled and wiped both palms across her damp cheeks.

“And why I’m terrified of letting anyone in, even you, Memphis.

What if I start to live again without reservation, without holding back, and then one day it’s ripped away from me again?

I barely survived that agony and devastation the first time. I’m not strong enough to do it again.”

Her lower lip trembled, and all I could think of doing to make it stop was to press my own to hers.

She instantly melted against me, lips parting, allowing me access.

Carrying her a few steps, I carefully pressed her spine against the tack room wall, savoring our first kiss.

It wasn’t passionate but more intimate at a soul level.

It was healing, as if I could kiss away her worry and fear.

“I can’t promise you that I’ll never leave.

I don’t have control over destiny or when it’s my time to leave this earth, but I can guarantee that if I go anywhere, it will not be voluntarily.

That doesn’t give you the reassurance you need, especially after seeing West’s accident, but it’s what I can wholeheartedly promise you.

You tell me to leave, that you’re sick of me, and—” I pressed a kiss to the tip of her button nose.

“—I probably still won’t go. I’ll just watch from the shadows, grateful to see you happy and safe. ”

“You’d stalk me?” she asked, brows pulled in tight.

“The good kind of stalking.” A huff escaped her perfect lips, drawing my attention. “Sorry I stole our first kiss.”

The shy smile that tugged the corners of her lips up and the blush creeping along her cheeks made pride and relief swell in my chest.

“Yeah, you did, though it seems kind of silly to be blushing over a kiss after what we did last night.”

“You mean how I ate your delicious pussy and licked you clean before I claimed your mouth?”

She smacked her small palm against my shoulder while rolling her eyes, but my smile only grew. That joyful expression dimmed. “Yeah, but what does that say about me? I didn’t return the favor, and you had to?—”

“Don’t you dare cheapen or lessen last night because you think you owed me something in return, Bay,” I demanded.

Her crystal blue eyes met mine and held my imploring gaze.

“Last night was fucking amazing, and I was honored to be involved in worshipping your body. Liam didn’t have to invite me to play, but he did, and that was…

a huge fucking relief. I had watched before, but last night, finally participating, was everything.

You not touching me doesn’t diminish what happened between us in my mind, and it shouldn’t in yours either. ”

Her gaze broke away with a reluctant nod, as if she heard me but didn’t quite believe my words.

“Now, what was all that about with the doctor douche?” I stepped back, allowing her the room to slide down my body.

Her shoes squelched when they pressed to the concrete floor, reminding me that she was still in her drenched clothes from earlier.

“We need to get you changed,” I said, more to myself.

“He, um, came by to check on West, or so he said.” Her darting gaze was looking everywhere other than me.

I tapped the end of her nose, making her swat at me with a hiss. “But you don’t believe that?”

A single slim shoulder rose in a half shrug. “It’s just that when I came back from giving Carla her medicine?—”

“I haven’t met her yet, have I?” I asked, brows pulled in tight as I searched my memory.

Baylee’s light laughter filled the small space between us. “No, you haven’t, because Carla is a cow, and I haven’t gotten around to introducing you to the animals. Didn’t want to overwhelm you on day one.”

“Thank you?” I chuckled. “So, you gave Carla her meds and….” I gestured for her to continue the story.

“Right, so when I came back, I found Taylor messing around in the medicine cabinet. It has a lock, but I’ve never used it because I’ve had nothing stolen or misused.”

I eyed the metal cabinet. “Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”

She nodded. “I’m missing a full bottle of antibiotic, which is really odd.

Out of all the other medicines in there, that was the only thing taken.

” She gnawed on her lip, brow furrowed as she followed my line of sight to the cabinet.

“Now that I think about it, gauze is missing too. Anyway, when I caught Taylor, he seemed surprised to see me. I asked him what he was doing looking around in the cabinet, but he avoided the question completely, shifting the conversation to West’s accident. ”

“That sounds shady as hell,” I muttered.

“Yeah, and then his arm….” She searched my face with a thoughtful expression. “Carl mentioned the reason Langston wasn’t around was because Taylor was out of antibiotics, which is what’s missing here. None of it makes sense.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” I reassured her, kissing the top of her head. “Do you still have stuff to do around here, or can you take a break?”

“I’m good.” Pinching her damp, teal long-sleeve T-shirt with two fingers, she pulled it away from her skin with a grimace. “I might head back and change. Where’s Liam?”

I hooked a thumb in the direction of her cabin. “He’s back at your place getting cleaned up. He took a shower after me. Why don’t you head there now? I’ll be right behind you. I need to pick up the brushes and shit we used earlier, then will head back to the cabin for lunch.”

She pressed a hand to her stomach when it growled at the mention of food. “Yes to all of that, it seems. Want me to stay and help?”

I shook my head with a lopsided smile. “I think Liam could use some alone time with you. He was frustrated when Amy talked him out of following you earlier. He knew you were upset and didn’t like the idea of you being alone.

She convinced him you needed time to process what happened and to give you some space to work through it by yourself. ”

Baylee blew out a heavy breath. “Yeah, she was right, I did. But I can see how that would cause my big cinnamon roll distress. I’m sure he’s worried about me changing my mind about us after?—”

Movements quicker than she could react, I gathered both of her wrists in one hand and pushed her back against the wall, securing her hands high above her head. Eyes wide with surprise, she gaped up at me.

“He wasn’t thinking about himself, Baylee.

He was worried about you. Worried that you were sad and hurting and doing it alone.

It had nothing to do with the relationship you two are building.

” A look of guilt fluttered across her face.

“He’s not that kind of guy, which is shocking as hell.

Liam looks like he should be the biggest asshole on the planet, but he’s not.

Even a day with him has shown me just how much he cares about you, and it’s not related to how you feel about him in return. ”

Her throat worked with a hard swallow as she nodded. “You’re right.” Pulling her hands down, I kissed each palm before releasing my grip. “And holy hell, that was hot,” she rasped, eyes a little glassy.

“The restraining part or standing up for your boyfriend?”

Lower lip between her teeth, she attempted to stifle a sly smile. “Both, I think. But wow, I can get on board with at least one of your kinks for sure.”

“And the other one I mentioned?” I murmured, dipping a hand under her damp top, caressing her ribs with a single knuckle.

I gazed down at her in wonder. How the fuck was this my reality and not some dream that I’d be woken up from soon?

I’d fantasized about this, pinning her to a wall with my hips as I touched her soft skin.

Though those visions never stopped with the innocent touch like I needed to now.

If things continued the way they were with the three of us, I would hopefully have Baylee pinned beneath me soon, and then I wouldn’t have to hold back.

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we,” she said, breathing harder than she was seconds ago.

Forearms pressed to the wall on either side of her head, I leaned in until our lips brushed. “Looking forward to it, Kitten.”

With a smirk, she dipped under my arms, but she didn’t move fast enough. My hand connected with her firm ass, the smack vibrating through the barn. Her responding squeal and following giggle had my heart seizing. Baylee was the most amazing woman I would ever meet.

If she’d allow me the honor of being a fixture in her life, not a day would go by when she would question how much she meant to me.