Page 53

53

Piper

We load a drowsy Violet into Jake’s truck—she clutches her petal basket like treasure, eyelids drooping. The drive is quiet save for cricket song and the truck’s hum. Halfway up the ranch lane, I rest my head on Jake’s shoulder.

“Best day ever,” I whisper.

“Top two,” he whispers back.

“What beats it?”

He kisses my knuckles. “The day you stayed—when you could’ve run.”

My throat tightens. I squeeze his hand in silent agreement.

The porch lights glow ahead. Sophie the goat, liberated again, darts across the driveway wearing someone’s stole of bunting like a superhero cape. Jake groans, but I’m too happy to care.

Inside, we tuck Violet into bed. She mumbles, “Love my family,” before drifting off. The weight of her words settles over us—tangible, precious.

Jake turns, eyes midnight dark. I see every vow he spoke flicker there. I answer with a kiss that promises the same.

We slip to our room, leaving the door ajar in case Violet wakes. Moonlight spills across the quilt. Jake’s hands find the zipper at my back, slow and reverent, as though unwrapping a gift he’s waited a lifetime to open. The lace slides off my shoulders. His lips follow its path.

When he lifts me onto the bed, his voice is raw. “Not because we’re perfect,” he murmurs, echoing his proposal. “Because we’re real.”

“Real,” I breathe, threading my fingers through his hair.

His mouth claims mine, slow but searing. Not hurried. Not wild. Just deep and consuming, like he wants to memorize the way I taste. His tongue strokes mine, coaxing out a moan as I arch under him, already pulsing with need.

I reach for his belt, fingers nimble despite the shaking in my hands. The leather unbuckles with a soft snap. I pop the button of his pants, drag the zipper down, and slide them over his hips. He kicks them off with a grin. Then I move to his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly, pressing a kiss to every patch of skin I reveal. His chest, warm and familiar, rises beneath my lips. His breath hitches.

“You always did know how to unwrap a man,” he murmurs, eyes blazing.

I hum as I reach his waistband. “Needed to make sure the packaging held up.”

He chuckles low. “Still all yours.”

I trail my hands over his hips, letting my fingers brush his cock—already hard, twitching under my touch. I drop to my knees between his legs, looking up at him through my lashes.

He exhales sharply. “Piper…”

I take him in my hand, stroking him slowly before wrapping my lips around the tip. His groan is low and guttural. I swirl my tongue, teasing, then take him deeper. His fingers thread through my hair, not pushing, just anchoring. I swirl my tongue around the head, then drag it along the thick vein underneath, feeling him throb against my lips. He groans, hips twitching. He watches me with heat and awe as I suck him, slow and steady, loving the way his body tenses and trembles.

“God, baby… that mouth,” he pants.

I suck harder, then pull back, licking him like a lollipop. His abs flex as he fights for control, watching me like I’m the only thing in the universe.

“Get up here,” he growls.

When I finally pull back, he’s glassy-eyed.

I crawl onto the bed and lie back, breathless. He slides my panties down my thighs, then spreads my legs and settles between them, eyes dark.

“Your turn,” he says, voice hoarse.

He kisses his way down my neck, over my collarbone, to the soft slope of my breast. When his lips close around my nipple, my back bows off the mattress. He groans low in his throat, sucking harder, flicking the sensitive tip with his tongue.

“You’re everything,” he murmurs, dragging his mouth across to the other breast. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life loving you like this.”

My fingers weave through his hair, holding him to me. “You already do.”

His hands trail lower, sliding down my sides, worshipful, patient. He shifts down between my thighs, spreading me open with a reverent touch. His eyes meet mine—a flicker of heat and tenderness.

“Let me take care of you,” he whispers.

He leans in and kisses my inner thigh, then the crease of my hip, then finally—finally—his mouth finds my pussy. He licks a slow, tender stroke through my folds, groaning as he tastes me.

“God, you’re sweet,” he murmurs, and then he dives in.

His tongue is gentle but thorough, tracing every contour, learning every reaction. He doesn’t rush—he explores. He teases my clit with soft flicks, then flattens his tongue and applies delicious pressure. My thighs tremble around his head.

“Jake…” I gasp, threading my fingers through his hair.

He moans into me, the vibration rolling through my core. He kisses my clit, circles it slowly, then sucks—lightly at first, then deeper. He lifts his eyes to mine and holds the gaze as he worships me, steady and focused. It’s more than pleasure—it’s communion.

When he slides one thick finger inside me, curling just right, I cry out, my body arching. He doesn’t stop. He strokes and sucks until I’m a mess of breath and trembling limbs, until I shatter with a strangled cry, clenching around his finger as the orgasm rips through me.

He eases me down slowly, licking me clean with soft kisses until my thighs fall open and my body melts into the mattress. Then he crawls back up, kissing a path up my belly, over my breasts, my neck, until he’s hovering above me.

“I love you,” I whisper, cupping his face.

His eyes darken with emotion. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

I reach down, wrap my fingers around his cock—hard, heavy, perfect. He groans into my neck.

Jake nudges my legs apart and lines himself up. He grabs his cock, thick and slick, and guides himself into me slowly, filling me inch by inch. My eyes flutter closed at the stretch.

He pushes in slowly, watching my face, his eyes locked on mine, holding me like something precious. My legs wrap around him, heels pressed to his back.

The stretch is exquisite, intimate. He fills me inch by inch until we’re fully joined, chests pressed together, breath mingling. We both exhale like we’ve finally come home.

He holds still, just breathing with me. Then he whispers, “This… this is everything.”

His hips begin to move, slow and deep. He kisses me between every thrust—my lips, my cheek, my temple. His hand slides beneath my lower back, cradling me, anchoring us together.

“I missed you,” he breathes.

“I’m right here,” I whisper back. “I’m yours.”

He moves deeper, more certain, but never rough. Every motion feels like a promise. I feel every inch of him, every whispered word, every caress.

“Piper,” he groans, voice strained with the effort to hold back. “I’m close.”

The rhythm builds, steady and anchoring. He presses his forehead to mine, breathing hard, gaze locked with mine.

“I want to make love to you every night,” he whispers. “Every morning.”

“You will.”

His thrusts falter, pleasure overwhelming him. I arch up, whispering his name.

I cup his cheek. “I want to feel you. All of you.”

He buries himself deep one last time, groaning low as he comes, spilling inside me with a shudder. I wrap my arms and legs around him, holding him through it.

We stay like that, clinging, kissing softly, until our breathing slows.

After, we lie tangled in moonlight and cotton, the house hushed. Jake’s thumb strokes the inside of my wrist, tracing the quick beat there.

“Hey, Mrs. Ice,” he says, lazy smile creeping. “Ready for forever?”

I press a kiss to his shoulder. “Already started.”

Outside, the ranch is quiet, string lights still twinkling in the dark. Sophie bleats somewhere near the porch—probably chewing on the bunting again. I’ll worry about it in the morning. Tonight, the only thing that matters is the warm weight of Jake’s arm around me and the knowledge that home isn’t a place; it’s a promise kept—over and over, as long as we both keep choosing it.

And we will.

THE END