Page 30 of Sweet Escape (Whispering Oaks Ranch #1)

Not forever, but for now

? Am I Okay - Megan Moroney

Olivia

The potent scent of fresh coffee wafts in through a crack in the door, coaxing me from a delicious dream about a familiar-looking cowboy and a heated moment in the barn.

I follow my nose down a narrow hallway, taking in the details I missed the night before, now that I’m seeing it in the light of day.

The sight that greets me is better than anything I could’ve dreamed up as Wilder leans against his counter in nothing but those sinful grey sweats, his bare feet on full display, ankles crossed as he holds a #1 dad mug up to his lips.

“Mornin’,” he says.

I stifle a yawn, stretching my arms over my head. The shirt I borrowed rides up my legs, and his eyes snag on my exposed thighs.

“Fucking hell,” he says, adjusting the visible bulge in his sweats. “I could get used to waking up like this. ”

He stalks toward me, and I mirror his movements, my palm landing against his chest. “Slow down, Big Guy. I’m still a little sore.”

“Mmm. Is my cowgirl having regrets?” His fingertips brush against my cheek in an achingly tender way that has my heart leaping inside my chest, begging me to let him take me right here and right now.

“No. But my thighs feel like jelly, and I’m pretty sure I can still feel you inside me.”

He groans, pinching his eyes shut and angling his head to the ceiling. “If you’re trying to convince me not to fuck you again, it ain’t workin’.” His drawl is a little more pronounced this morning, and it’s doing crazy things to my libido.

Maybe I’m not too sore to go another round with the hot cowboy.

“It’s too early for this. I need coffee.”I push past him into the kitchen, spinning back around with my hands planted firmly on my hips when I realize I don’t know my way around, and I don’t have a clue where he keeps the mugs. “Little help?”

“You’re feisty in the morning. I like it.” He grips my hips and walks me backward, caging me against the counter as he reaches over my head to grab a Rosie’s Diner mug.

“Tell me you didn’t steal that,” I say, teasing. “I didn’t take you for an outlaw.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “This ain’t the old west, Cupcake. Rosie sold these for the diner’s anniversary a while back.”

“Oh. Gotta say, I’m a little disappointed.”

“You want me to be a criminal?”

“Maybe I like the idea of being with a bad boy.”

“If I recall correctly, you’re the one who wanted to be bad.” His nose grazes down my cheek in a featherlight touch that feels both achingly sweet and filthy all at once. “But if you want me to show you just how wicked I can be, say the word,” he murmurs against my temple.

Each word sends a jolt of energy through my veins, a hit of something better than any cup of coffee.

Before I can respond, Wilder’s phone vibrates against the island, dousing the fire that was building between us.

His brow furrows, and he swipes to answer the call.

I take the opportunity to fill my cup, opening the fridge to search out some form of creamer while Wilder’s one-sided conversation carries on in my periphery.

“Hello? Yeah, she’s right here. Is everything okay? Yeah. Yeah. No, that's fine. I’ll put her on.” He holds out his phone. “It’s Ro.”

I place the half-and-half on the counter long enough to tuck the device between my shoulder and chin, balancing it as I make my coffee somewhat palatable. What I wouldn’t give for some hazelnut creamer. “Hey, Grammy.”

“Livie girl, where the hell have you been? Gramps found your car on the side of the road with your phone and purse inside, and we just about lost our minds.”

“I’m so sorry. I broke down, and Wilder came out to get me. It started storming and I forgot to grab my things.” It’s not the whole truth, but it’s close enough that she’ll buy it. They don’t need to know the rest.

“Well, I’mglad you’re alright, but that’s more than I can say for your apartment.”

“What do you mean?”

“The roof leaked last night. We’ve gotta call in a cleanup crew and get some patches done. You’ll need to come back home and pack up. You can stay with me and Gramps for a while until it’s livable again.”

I grimace at the thought of moving in with my grandparents. It’s not that I don’t love them to pieces, but they can be… a lot .

“I couldn’t possibly put you out. I can stay with Sarah.”

“Sarah’s got a one-bedroom apartment. Ain’t no way I’m letting you sleep on her couch.”

Wilder cocks his head in question, his brows drawn together.

I place my hand over the microphone to muffle my voice. “Apparently, the apartment was damaged in the storm. I need to find somewhere else to stay, or I’m going to be stuck with Grammy and Gramps for a while.”

“I heard that, Olivia Bennett-Sullivan,” Grammy says.

I wince at the use of my full government name. “Sorry, Grammy. You know I love you.”

Wilder leans into me, his lips hovering near the phone, and says, “She can stay with me, Ro. I’ll take her to pick up her things, and we can check on her car while we’re at it.”

“Tell that man to hurry up and put a ring on it, Liv,” Grammy says.

I wince. “That’s a bit like putting the cart before the horse.”

“Y’all haven’t exactly done things in the proper order anyway, have ya? Might as well take it all the way to the chapel.”

“Grammy!”

“What did she say?” Wilder silently mouths the words.

I shake my head, refusing to divulge Grammy’s insanity. “We’ll be by this afternoon to grab some clothes. I’ll see you later.” I end the call, handing the phone back to Wilder.“I can find somewhere else to stay. This is your home with Emmy. I don’t want to intrude.”

He unclasps my hands from where I’ve been absentmindedly fidgeting with my ring and brings my knuckles to his lips. “After everything we’ve been through together, why are you still nervous to ask for what you need? ”

I look anywhere but at him, not wanting him to see the anxiety written all over my face. “It’s not that.”

“It is. You can deny it all you want, but you have a nasty habit of putting everyone else first and ignoring your own needs. It’s about time we change that.”

His hand comes up to frame my face, and I lean into the touch, tilting my head to the side. “I don’t want to stay where I don’t belong. I unknowingly did that for three whole years. I won’t do it again.”

“Is that what you think this is? Because you are dead fucking wrong, Liv. You’re family. You and our baby belong here.” His palm rests against my still-soft belly. Wilder loves to touch me there, even though I’m not showing yet. “This will be his home as much as it is ours.”

“His?”

“Pretty sure you’re growin’ me a cowboy.”

“Nope. We had a chat. It’s a girl.”

A smile tugs at one side of his mouth. “That so?”

“Mmmhmm. Pink everywhere. More glitter. More bows. You’re gonna have to get better about doing hair, too.

” I poke him in the ribs, and he grasps my hand in his, flattening my palm against his chest. I can feel his heart beating out a steady rhythm while mine works in overdrive to contain my frantic nerves.

“Why would I need to do that when they’ve got you around to fix it for them? Or maybe you can teach me.”

“You really want me to stay?”

“Forever, if I had it my way. I can’t do this on my own.”

The quiet confession leaves me breathless. This hardened man has a hidden softness to him, an insecurity he tries to bury, but it’s come out twice in the span of twenty-four hours. I’m finding I enjoy the softer side of Wilder Hayes more than I’m willing to admit to myself.

“I’ll stay,” I say. “Not forever, but for now. ”

He grumbles something that sounds eerily like, “we’ll see” before turning back to the counter where his now lukewarm coffee awaits.

Wilder

Not forever, but for now.

Sounds to me like a challenge, one I won’t back down from. I’m not always an easy man to live with. My edges have hardened over the years, half of my heart turned to stone, but Olivia’s softness tempers me.

“Come on,” I say. “I’ll make you some breakfast before I take you to the diner to get your stuff.”

“You’re bossy, you know that?”

“If I don’t tell it like it is, you’ll second-guess everything. I know you, Liv.”

She opens her mouth to defend herself, but nothing comes out—probably because she knows I’m right. My shoulders shake with silent laughter as I turn to the fridge and pull out everything I need to make an omelet.

“Sit,” I say, pointing toward the stool at the island. “How’s that for bossy?”

She tries but fails to stifle a smile, and some of the tension dissipates.“You think you’re so cute, don’t you? With your grey sweatpants and that stupid smile.”

I place my palms on the island directly across from her, quirking a brow. “What’s that about my sweatpants?”

“Oh, come on. You know what you look like.”

I do a slow walk around the counter, stopping when I’ve got her trapped between me and the chair. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Our lips are barely a breath apart, and there’s a heady look of desire in her eyes. She leans in almost imperceptibly, like her body is movi ng of its own accord, drawn to me the same way I’m drawn to her.

“Not so mouthy now,” I whisper, gliding my hand up her thigh, my fingers digging into her soft flesh. My lips ghost over hers in just a whisper of a kiss, tempting her to close to distance.

Then the screen door slams in the entry, startling us apart.

“Wilder? You home? Oh—hey, Liv.” Jaxon strides into the kitchen, oblivious to what he almost walked in on as I sidestep the island.

She lifts a tentative hand in a wave, and Jaxon tips his cowboy hat in response.

“You free to help me with a project later today?” he asks. “I could use another set of eyes on the financials for the auction coming up.”

“Sure. I have to take Liv to Rosie’s after breakfast, but I can stop by your place when we get back.”

Jaxon’s place is a beautiful two-story A-frame cabin tucked away in the trees on his parcel of land at the back of the west pasture. He does all of the accounting from his home office.