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ATOM

I love this place.

Every corner, every flower, every whisper of the wind and gurgle of the river.

My grandpa first brought me here when I was eleven years old. Paradise, he called it. A reason for working as hard as we did.

We fished and camped and cooked out.

I was twenty-one when I decided I was gonna own it long before the rest of the land passed to me. Twenty-six when I sealed the deal with my grandpa and pissed off my father.

And now…

I take in a deep breath and let the sunshine warm my skin.

I’ve never brought anyone else here. It’s too small for much company, but I guess I bought the extra chairs and sofa bed in case it ever felt right to have guests.

Once I’ve checked in on the horses, I harvest as many salvageable vegetables from the raised beds as I can. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. I prop the beans back up the trellis and cut back dead stalks. The built-in reservoir beneath the beds keeps the ground moist when I’m not able to get out here for a week at a time.

“Morning,” Ember says as she walks out of the house.

Her face has that softness of sleep. Pink cheeks, fat lips, and drowsy eyelids. She looks so pretty in the midday sun as the light catches her hair.

I stand from my spot and dust my hands off on my jeans. “Morning, sweetheart.”

She moves to hug me, but I raise my hands. “I’m a little sweaty.”

Ember glances at my naked chest. “I’ll take my chances.”

I’m not a particularly religious man. I’m more a man of the seasons and the practicality of science and the fact an ancient book shouldn’t dictate what the contemporary world looks like.

But as we stand here, the sun on our faces and peace in our hearts, I can’t help but think this is my very own garden of paradise.

I kiss the top of her head and her forehead, and Ember melts in my arms. For all she’s a badass businesswoman and hugely capable individual, I think she likes being taken care of. Being treated gently.

It’s been a long time since I treated anyone like that, except maybe our horses. And I’m pretty sure Ember would hate the comparison.

She lifts her lips to mine, and I kiss her slowly and deeply. Her body softens, her shoulders drop. I pick her up, then lower us both to the meadow grass. The early-morning dew has already evaporated under the hot sun.

Ember doesn’t object to being laid out in the dapple-shaded grass. The girl who camps and rides isn’t gonna be concerned with a bit of dirt.

“You tell me to stop if you don’t like something, yeah?” I say to her.

She places her hand to my cheek. “I’ve dreamed about this moment so many times, I’m not sure you could do anything I haven’t already thought about.”

I kiss her palm. She has no idea how kinky I can get. And there are some things I want that you can only do with the right person. Some of them would involve us getting tested first, and Ember coming off any contraception she’s on. “Be careful. I might take that as a challenge.”

The smile she gives me is more beautiful than any of the wild nature that surrounds us.

Some people like to prepare a soundtrack, to have music when they fuck. Catfish always says it sets the mood.

But the gentle ripple of the river and the buzz and hum of insects and the breeze rustling the leaves above us is more than enough for me.

Ember lies with her hands above her head. The little tank top rises a little above the shorts, revealing a sliver of smooth golden skin. Her nipples stand proud against the tight material.

I start with her hand, kissing her palm, her wrist, the crook of her elbow, where the intensity of her natural scent increases.

There are many things I want to do with her, but the only thing I want right now is to enjoy her. Savor this moment when it feels like all my dreams are coming true.

She giggles when I kiss and nibble the side of her neck and the soft space behind her ear. Good to know she’s a little ticklish.

I don’t know when I started to feel stained by this life. Not in a way I resent or would change. But you can’t kill as many men as I have, even if they deserved it or it was in self-defense, and not have a lingering mark on your heart.

But here in this field with Em, it lifts.

I kiss, suck, and bite her nipples through her tank.

“Atom,” she cries out, her back arching from the grass.

“Hudson,” I say as I lift my head. “When it’s just you and me, being as intimate as it gets, I don’t want the club to come between us.”

Ember bites down on her lower lip for a second. I see the hesitation, and without words, I understand it.

She’s scared of giving every piece of herself to me, because the last time she did, I threw it away.

“Okay,” she says finally. Her smile is a shy one. And I like it because it’s not the confident balls-to-the-wall one everyone else gets. I feel like this one is just for me.

My mouth moves to the thin band of sun-warmed skin between her sleep top and shorts. I love the fullness of her breasts and hips. Love that she’s not self-conscious about it even more.

I slip my thick fingers beneath the delicate waistband of her shorts. And I suddenly feel clumsy as fuck.

It’s not like me to lack confidence. I’m not even sure that’s what this is. Perhaps I realize at a bone-deep level just how important this is. How important Ember is. And I don’t want to fuck it up.

I slip the shorts down her legs and reveal her pussy. She’s trimmed, but not bare. It’s rare. Not what I’m used to. And utterly enticing.

“You gonna let me taste you, Em?” I ask.

She props herself up on her elbows, but instead of answering, she confidently spreads her legs for me.

I should probably slap myself around the head a few times for making her wait all these years for this.

Hell, I should probably slap myself around the head a few times for making myself wait.

I settle between her legs, using the breadth and strength of my shoulders to nudge her thighs back a little, and simply breathe. Her musk is strong, and my dick grows even harder in response.

Remembering my earlier thoughts about being gentle, I lick her from her pussy opening to her clit. Slow and steady with a soft tongue. More lapping than licking.

I think about their conversation at the book club. About the man lion and his purring and how hot they all thought it was. And, fuck, now I’m turning into Wraith, wanting to do all the freaky things Raven reads about. For the first time, it feels like a really good idea.

As she warms into what we’re doing, she starts to get wet.

When I dip my tongue between her lips, her back arches off the ground and her heels dig into my lats.

“You like that?” I ask.

“Shut up and do it again,” she says.

It’s hard to stick my tongue out and grin at the same time, so it gets messy for a moment. Until I find my groove again.

“Fuck, you taste good,” I mumble against her pussy.

The air is humid and clings to our skin as Ember’s hands slip into my hair, holding me fast against her pussy. And I disappear into the feeling that she’s riding my face in the middle of this field and fucking loving it.

I follow her lead. Going faster when I realize that’s what she likes. Throwing out my vow to be gentle, when I realize she wants me to be anything but.

“Hudson,” she cries. “Please.”

“Love it when you beg me, Em.” There’s a level of desperation in her voice that makes me hurt. I want to give her everything she needs. I slide a finger into the deep, wet channel of her pussy as I suck on her clit.

Her movements become even more uninhibited. Reckless, even, as she tries to find the release she needs.

When I feel her getting close, I remove my fingers and mouth.

“Ah,” she cries. “Hudson.”

I press a kiss on her hip. “Like I said, I decide when I take your orgasms, sweetheart.”

“I hate you,” she cries.

I grin and look down at her. Her wild hair is spread out over the grass, the piercings in her ears glitter when the rare ray of sun breaks through the leaves and catches them. “You won’t when you come.”

Her face tells me she isn’t mad. She’s tight like a spring, ready to release. “Then let me, please.”

I start all over again, stoking the flames that haven’t properly burned out. This time, I’m firmer. I make out with her pussy, then slap her clit every time I feel she’s getting close.

Every little whimper makes me feel like a fucking king. I wish I could suck the sound deep into my soul.

And yet, it still doesn’t feel close enough. I slide one finger, then another, then a third inside her pussy, watching how the skin stretches to accommodate. Her lips drag her cream along them, and my balls ache in a desperation of their own.

I bite down on her hooded clit, then suck on it hard.

“Oh, God, Atom. Don’t…stop…it’s…”

Her bark of surprise echoes through the meadow as she comes hard around my fingers.

I feel the shudders that run through her body beneath my palm. Her breath comes fast and frantic as she forgets where and who she is.

When she finally sinks back into the grass, I give her clit a kiss and lift my head. I can smell her all over my face, and the scent sends me a little feral.

I place my fingers into my mouth and suck them clean. “Mmm. Like I said, you taste really fucking good.”

“God, I needed that,” she says quietly.

“Any time you need it, you just let me know. Stay there.” I kiss her lips before I stand.

“Where are you going?”

I shrug. “Wasn’t expecting this to happen, so I don’t have a condom. I’m coming back, and I’m going to be mad if you moved because I want to fuck you just like that.”

I hurry into the house, unzipping my jeans as I go. I was already barefoot, so it only takes a moment to shuck them. When I grab the condom from my wallet, I realize, after this one, I’ve got only one left. Never felt the need to stack this place with contraception, given I never bring anyone out here. A silvery strand of pre-cum drips from my cock as I pull it on.

Now, I’m not sure this place will ever feel like anything other than ours. How could I sit on the porch and look at the piece of land Ember is currently lying on and not think of today?

I grab a picnic blanket on my way out the door and return to Ember. She’s lying where I left her, but she’s lost her tank top. I can see the lines of her summer tan. Neat where her bikini briefs would sit, but a mess of crisscross straps over her shoulders.

“You have fucking fantastic tits, Em.” I drop back between her legs, but lean over her to kiss them both, then kiss between them. I suck her nipple into my mouth, then bite down gently. “I’m going to fuck them one day soon. Come all over that pretty neck of yours.”

“I like your style of sweet talk,” she says. She smiles up at me, dazed and post-orgasmic still.

Cute as fuck.

“Meh, that was pretty basic. Saw your tits. Decided I really liked ‘em. Wait until I unleash the real dirty talk.”