Page 17

“No, I mean, it’s fine. I just... sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you naked... or anyone naked, for that matter.”

Asher slipped his jeans on before sitting on the blanket. “A long time since you’ve seen anyone naked, huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been gone for years. It’s a little jarring.”

“Wait... You haven’t seen anyone naked in years?”

“No. I’ve been gone.”

Why was he confused?

He just looked at her, mouth agape.

“What?”

“Have you not been with anyone else?”

“Oh. No. I haven’t been with anyone else. I meant what I said, Asher. I never stopped loving you. I’ve never been with anyone else.”

His brow creased as he looked at her like she was a puzzle.

“I... I don’t know what to say,” he said as he ran his hair through his dark curls.

“There’s nothing to say.”

“So, you haven’t had sex in four years.”

“I haven’t kissed anyone in four years.”

His bare chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “How can that be?”

“Because... even when I left and was too big of a coward to come back and face what I had done, I was still yours. I’ve always been yours, and I always will be.”

His brow scrunched as he evaluated her.

Does he really think I’ve been with other people?

He cleared his throat. “Well, I feel it’s only right to tell you... I have been with other people.”

“That’s okay, Asher. How hypocritical would I be if I got upset about it? I’m the one who left. Do I want to think about you with someone else? Absolutely not. But I get it.”

He nodded, bit his lip, and looked up at the sky. After a quiet moment, he turned back to her. “Nothing? In four years?”

She shook her head.

Before she knew what was happening, Asher was closing the space between them, his rough palm slowly cupping her jaw.

Her breath stuttered in her chest as his thumb grazed her cheek.

He lowered his head until his face was mere inches from her own.“So, no one’s done this in years?”

She gave her head a shake before he closed the distance and captured her lips in a kiss.

The world around her fell away as his lips moved with hers. This was why she had never kissed anyone—it would never feel like this. The magic of this mountain seemed to envelop them as he slid his other hand around her waist and pulled her closer.

When her mouth opened, he slipped his tongue to meet hers. Desire pooled inside of her, turning her core molten. Asher growled and deepened the kiss, pulling her close.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on her. “Fuck, Sunshine, it never feels like that with anyone else.”

“It’s always been you, Asher. Always.”

His mouth captured hers again, and he lay back onto the blanket, bringing her with him. Her arms wrapped around him in surprise. The feel of his bare skin under her hands was like coming home.

She held him tight as he kissed her, and the magic and warmth of the sun while Asher embraced her felt like heaven. Nothing ever felt this good since she left.

Why she had left this place suddenly seemed like a mystery to her.

He pulled back and brushed the hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. “My Sunshine.”

Reverence filled his voice.

Cupping her face again, he pressed another kiss to her lips before falling to her side and pulling her close. “I can’t do this anymore...”

Her heart dropped.

She couldn’t lose him.

But as his arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, she hoped she was misunderstanding him.

“You can’t do what anymore?”

“I can’t keep you at a distance. You said you were back, and while I wanted to stay away, maybe the brave thing to do is believe you.”

A warm, contended feeling overtook her as she melted into his side.

“You scared me. I thought maybe you couldn’t do this anymore,” she said as she took note of the tattoo on his chest.

A cougar’s paw covered his chest, with small white flowers weaving through it.

“We both know I can’t fight this.”

While that wasn’t a declaration of love, more a resignation to the biology between them, she would take it. The love was there, and this was a giant step in getting back to how things should have been.

“Is this for your parents?” she asked, tracing her fingers along the tattoo.

“Yeah,” he said as he ran his hands through her hair.

“I miss them.”

“Me too.”

Sunny’s parents had always been in love and good parents, but they were volatile. Her mom never knew anyone who had magic. She grew up dealing with her visions alone. It wasn’t until she met Asher’s mom that she began to understand that life.

By then, her parents had already been married, and while they loved each other intensely, they also fought intensely. The Blacks’ family cabin had always been a safe retreat.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he muttered.

She slid her arm around his waist and held him close.

They lay there in silence, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the songs of the birds, and the babble of the brook. This is what she had been missing.

Well, maybe one more thing is missing , she thought as she reached over and pulled off one of the marshmallow treats. She broke it in half, put it in her mouth, and fed the other half to Asher.

“I sure have missed you,” he said as he reached for another piece.

The sun was setting. Sunny sat up and turned to Asher as she was licking his fingers clean.

Desire, once again, bolted through her.

Maybe soon, I will have that talented tongue on my body .

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah. I was just wondering if we should get back. I’m not quite as good in the woods as you are once the sun goes down.”

“I would never let anything happen to you,” he said as he sat up and caressed her face.

“I know.” She started packing up the food.

Once she stood, he picked up the blanket and flipped it out, shaking loose the grass before folding it up and returning it to the basket.

They walked home hand in hand, and it was everything.

As they strolled off, Sunny couldn’t help but remember the first time he’d brought her to their spot.

While things were different, it was still the same spot from the field of flowers to the gnarled up oak tree.

And while things were different between her and Asher, that core was still the same.

She reveled in their connections as they journeyed through the woods.