Page 46 of Take a Chance (Blue Creek Ranch #1)

Crew

B etween daycare, the trip to the library, visiting the magpies, and then a packed and boisterous family dinner, Payton was exhausted.

He didn’t make it through half the movie before he conked out.

Mal had the foresight to get Payton in the bath and dress him in pajamas before we sat down to watch Mulan.

Again. It was his favorite, and I loved that he was into the older movies.

What did surprise me was that Payton chose to snuggle up with me once we sat on the couch.

He used Mr. Raven as a pillow and he smelled like kid shampoo.

Though he tucked himself into my side, he placed his bare little feet in his father’s lap.

When he fell asleep, I just hugged him a little closer and we let the movie finish before taking him to bed.

“I got him,” I whispered, scooping him up and ignoring Mal’s fond smile. Payton still did that thing that sleeping children did, the deadweight flop, and barely even stirred as I lifted him to my shoulder. Mr. Raven fell to the ground, and I bent my knees to grab it.

Payton needed his comfort stuffie.

Mal led the way to Payton’s bed and pulled back the covers.

I laid the boy down as gently as possible while Mal turned on the sound machine and Payton starfished out.

I held in the chuckle as I tucked Mr. Raven against his side.

When I stepped back, Mal knelt down to cover up his son and kiss his forehead.

I backed up and watched from the doorway, loving the sight.

I really hoped Mal would be open to having more children one day. But even if he wasn’t, watching him with Payton fed my soul.

Mal joined me and we watched the sleeping child for just a few seconds before he nudged me through the door and into his room. He slid the door shut, leaving it cracked just an inch or so. Then he looked at me as though he didn’t know what to do.

“It’s still kind of early,” I said, keeping my voice low. It wasn’t even ten yet, and though we were definitely the type to go to sleep earlier rather than later, it wasn’t usually this early. “You wanna get in bed or go back to the couch?”

Mal bit the inside of his cheek, eyes big, as he contemplated how to answer. “We can’t, you know, do anything. Not with him so close.”

I chuckled quietly and cupped his face. I loved the way he leaned into my hands, his lids falling half closed. “I know. And we’ll have to figure out the lack of space thing soon. I have some ideas about that. But I’ll save it for later.”

The corner of Mal’s mouth quirked up. “Are you planning for the future, Crew?”

“Yep.” All confidence and no hesitation. He had to know I was in it for the long haul. “But for tonight…couch or bed?”

It took Mal a few seconds to answer. His gaze flitted sideways several times though, so I knew he wanted us to be horizontal and wrapped around each other. I eased him forward, loving the couple of inches I had on him. I kept the kisses gentle, not wanting to rile him, or myself, up too much.

With my lips touching his, I murmured, “Take your clothes off, love.”

He shuddered and he gripped my wrists tight, fingers pressing into the skin. He turned his head and kissed my palm, which sent tingles up my arm. Fuck, I couldn’t get enough of him.

“Boxers stay on though,” he ordered. “Payton usually sleeps just fine but…just in case.”

I nodded and watched him undress. He’d definitely packed on a bit more muscle since he started working here. I knew he’d been out of work for months and that had taken its toll. Now he was filling out again. I itched to get my hands on him.

The bed was only a double, since the space was small, and my toes hung off the end, but I didn’t mind in the least. It just meant we had to squish close together, which was my goal anyway. When I moved them to my cabin, we’d fit better in my king.

Not that I still wouldn’t chase him across the mattress.

Mal turned the covers back and climbed in.

When I slid in, Mal touched my neck, rubbed his thumb along my Adam’s apple, then flipped onto his side, putting his back to me.

I knew exactly what he wanted and curled around him as the big spoon.

He let out a long, loud sigh of contentment and I kissed his shoulder.

He wiggled a little, making sure we fit together and were touching at every point possible.

With his ass snugged against my hips, my cock woke up.

But I mentally told it to behave because it wasn’t getting any action tonight.

I didn’t mind. As much as I wanted him, and wanted to be in him, we’d have time for that later.

I had a plan for that too.

Mal pushed back again, like he needed more, so I tucked my biceps under his head and slid the arm that was around his waist up his chest. Then I slung my top leg over his hips. Only then did he settle completely, as wrapped up in me as he was able to be.

“I want to sleep like this every night,” he confessed, sounding like it was a secret he was reluctant to share.

“Then we’ll make it happen, baby. I want you right here with me too.” I kissed that spot behind his ear that made him shiver and hid my smile in his hair. “But we’re definitely going to have to install air conditioning. You’ll sweat to death otherwise.”

He huffed a laugh. “I love that you’re so warm.”

I bit playfully at his ear. “You say that now. But when it’s ninety degrees, you might change your tune. It’s okay. My bedroom gets a good cross breeze and I’ll definitely put in a window unit for the really hot nights.”

Mal traced his fingers along my arm, making random patterns. It raised goosebumps and tickled a little, but I didn’t stop him. He could touch me any way and any time he liked.

“So, um.” He hummed a little sound. “You want us to move in with you?”

I had been planning to save that talk for a while but if he wanted to have it now, I was game.

“That’s what I’m thinking. When you’re both ready and we’ve built an addition onto my cabin.

I figure we can have that room and Payton can have mine, since my current room is more in the middle.

I don’t want him in a room with too many outside walls. It’s safer if he’s tucked inside.”

“Crew,” he breathed and clenched his fingers against my wrist.

“I only have a shower in the bathroom so I’ll have to convert it to a tub as well,” I continued to my musings. “It’s pretty big so it won’t be a problem to replace it. He needs to be able to take a bath.”

Mal made a sound I couldn’t decipher but before I could ask, he flipped over to face me. Or he tried to, and as soon as I realized what he wanted, I loosened my hold so he could move. The window let in enough light so I could see his face. His eyes were wide, mouth open, and he looked shocked.

“You really are planning for the future.”

He sounded surprised and that made me frown. “I said I was. Did you think I was lying?”

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just…” Mal took a breath and his gaze darted all over my face as he tried to find his words. “You’ve really been thinking about it. You’ve figured it all out. You’re just…fitting us into your life.”

I kissed him because how could I not? I really wanted to put him on his back and show him with my touch just how much I wanted him, and I would, but not now. The best I could do in that moment was pour every emotion I had into the kiss.

Mal got it. I could tell. His whole body melted into mine as if he was giving in. In the best possible way, not a hint of hesitation in him. He was the one to break the kiss, but he pushed closer, his half-hard dick bumping mine.

“You know, Payton will be insisting on showers soon enough. So maybe we don’t have to renovate your bathroom. We could get one of those portable tubs that fit into shower stalls in the meantime. We had one, but I gave it to a neighbor when we moved here.”

I growled and pressed my face against his neck, biting at the skin there.

Mal gasped, then let out the tiniest moan.

I could not express in words how glad I was he didn’t mind teeth.

Seemed to love it, in fact. I wasn’t all that kinky, except for my biting fetish, and most of my previous partners hadn’t been into it.

Just another tick in the column that proved Mal was perfect for me.

“What—oooh—what did I say to get that reaction?” He sounded breathy, like he was having trouble moving air in his lungs.

“’We’. You said ‘we’, love.” I bit down again and gnawed just a little, knowing I would leave a mark and not caring in the least. “It means you’re all in. That you know this is where you belong.”

Mal cut off his moan by pressing his face into my shoulder. I felt the sound reverberate in my skin. But it also took his neck away from my mouth. Internally I pouted, but it was for the best because otherwise, we were going to end up with blue balls. Or bluer, anyway.

It took him a few moments to compose himself. He just pressed his face there, breathing deeply through his nose.

“Love the way you smell,” he murmured, rubbing his nose against my skin. Then he sighed a little and leaned his head back. “I want it, Crew. For this to be home and to belong with you. To you. I’m not saying I’m not going to have, uh, moments where the intrusive thoughts win but…yeah. I want it.”

I kissed his nose, then the corner of his mouth. He chased my lips and I gave him what he wanted. Eventually, I pulled back with a gasp and manhandled him around to face the other way again, spooning around him tightly.

“Wait till I tell you about someday, years down the road, when I want us to build a house.” He tried to turn his head, but I slid a hand into his hair and kept him where he was. “For now, try to sleep. We’ve got plenty of time for the future.”

The day must have been catching up with him because he let out a big yawn at just the mention of sleep. He gripped my fingers tightly, and his voice was slightly slurred when he said, “Tell me about the house, Crew.”