by Jillian Neal
With no further provocation, he dipped his tongue deep, and she thrust hard against him. Her thighs tightened against the stubble of his slight beard. The friction abraded her inner-thighs. It juxtaposed with his soft tongue and drove her harder. The constant pressure of his bathing licks on her clitoris became almost unbearable. Euphoria sated her body. He was hers. He was there. He would always be there. This was for them. Pure pleasure drove the worry from her. She gave herself over to the sensations and lost herself with a ragged cry of relief.
Brock brushed kisses along the most sensitive spots of her inner-thighs when the grip of her legs eased, and she fell back against the mattress with soft moans of relent.
“My God, you are so damn beautiful when you let me have you.” He climbed up her body, covering her in his strength, blocking her from the world that had taken too much as of late. Protecting her, making her vulnerable only to him, the way it should always have been. “My sweet baby, look at me.”
Her eyes fluttered open. Love lit the fire in their depths. “Are you ready?” With tender pressure, he slid his cock against the wet heat coating her pussy.
“Yes, please. I need you.”
He reached and took her hands in his own. Pinning them to the mattress over her head, he entered her slowly, allowing only his head to tempt the tightening perfection of his wife.
“What do you feel, Hope?”
“You. More, please, I need more.”
On a low growl, he entered her another inch. “Does that feel good, sweetheart? Can you feel how much I love you?”
“Yes,” she gasped, so hungry for him.
“Mine,” he breathed as he entered her slowly inch by inch filling every satin hollow. “I’m right here.” He spoke on his first full thrust. “I’ll always be right here, right beside you.” Out and in again. Slicked with her dew. Her pussy milking and hungry. “Forever.” Again, he pressed inside the silky folds of heat made for him alone. “You’re all mine, forever.” Her soft, replete moan answered his next advance. “That’s it. Say it. Say you’re mine, sugar.”
“Yours,” she gasped. “All yours.” She obeyed as he pulled back.
He pressed in again, feeling her body tremble and quake against his girth. The sounds of her pussy lapping at his cock drove him insane with need. His muscles tensed.
“I love you, darlin’. God, you feel so fucking good.” His low drawl seemed to further tighten the heavenly grip of her pussy, like a fist around him. He wasn’t going to last. In and out. “You’re so beautiful. You are everything to me.” He chased his breath as she writhed.
“Oh, God.” The pressure and the need made her voice low and breathy.
“I’m right here.” Another achingly slow thrust, shallow and then deep with the next, in perfect rhythm with her need. “Right here with you. Look at me.” Her eyes had closed again in the ecstasy he provided. He wanted to see the bliss and the love in them. He needed to know she understood what she meant to him. They blinked open, and he held her intense gaze with his own. “I love you. I have always loved you. I will always love you.”
In and out again with constant, steady pressure, owning her. He baptized himself inside of her, drawing in the redemption she offered him.
Every intense suckle of her pussy against him throbbed through his veins and took up residence in his balls. Her body nursed away every single thing never meant to have come between them.
She tensed. His name hung on her lips. Streaks of heated passion painted her body in the most beautiful pink landscape he’d ever have the pleasure of viewing. Her cheeks glowed enticingly. Her lips were swollen and calling for him to set her free. He pressed in once more. “Just let it go for me. I’ve got you.”
She bowed taut and came on his command. She quaked around him. A half second later, his entire body tensed as he thrust, filling her to completion, and bathed her walls with hot cum. It shot in heavy spurts, claiming her. She was his.
Withdrawing as gently as he was able, he fell to the mattress beside her and cradled her on his chest. Her deep yawn was coupled with a bliss-filled grin of satisfaction.
“See, sugar, we can even talk while we have sex.”
“Thank you for that. It was amazing.”
“I love you, Hope. Go to sleep, baby. I’m right here.” Turning off the lamp, he brushed a kiss on the top of her head and fell asleep holding onto the only things that would ever matter.
Chapter Sixteen
Inhaling deeply, Brock let his eyes open a good half-hour before his internal cowboy alarm clock roused him for chores. He rubbed his hands over his stubble and blinked the sleep from his eyes. A warm, sweet scent filled his lungs, and a broad grin spread across his face.
Scrambling from the bed, he halted just long enough to locate boxers before he headed to the kitchen. “Are you really up, making me your blueberry pancakes? Because if I’m still asleep, I’m pretty sure I just had a wet dream involving you and blueberry pancakes.”
Hope, dressed in another one of his sweatshirts, yoga pants, a scarf, and some adorable teal-colored fuzzy socks, dissolved in a fit of giggles.
“I am up in this freezing kitchen making you my blueberry pancakes. I haven’t made them in so long. I had to use frozen blueberries though, so they won’t quite be like the ones I made back at Gypsy Beach.”
“They look and smell phenomenal, darlin’. Not sure what I did to deserve this, but thank you.”
“I’m trying to find myself again. I miss cooking. After I screwed up dinner the other night, I kind of …” She shrugged.
“Gave up?” Wrapping his hands around her from behind, he cradled her back to his chest. While she flipped another round of pancakes, he caressed her midsection, still liking the idea that soon it would be swollen full of their child. “Sugar, you were sick. You are pregnant. I was being a dumbass. This oven is shit. You’d just fallen and gotten hurt. You’ve got to stop expecting so much of yourself. Give yourself some time. We’re doing things differently now, but it’s not all going to be fixed this moment.”
“I know. I’m just glad we talked and that we’re going to fix this. I’m excited to be working on our marriage together.”
“Well, together is about the only way I want any part of this life, Hope.”
Setting the spatula down, she spun in his arms, and he dipped his tongue into the soft, sweet, warmth of her mouth. She grinned against his lips.
“Nope, hang on. Keep kissing me. I got this.” Laughing and kissing her at the same time, Brock managed to flip the pancakes again while keeping her cradled against his chest.
An hour later, with Hope tucked under a pile of quilts in the passenger seat of his truck, Brock pulled the lever to release the hay bales he’d loaded up that morning. The sun began its majestic ascent over the pastures, painting the azure blue sky in a thousand shades of gold, orange, purple, and crimson. In an ostentatious show of crystalline competition, the snow reflected its white opulence back at the sky.
“Brock, it’s so beautiful here,” she sighed as they took in the ranch scenery tucking them in its care.
“Worth getting up at 4:30 with me occasionally?”
Grinning, she slid closer to him and laid her head against his bicep as he slowly drove, scattering the hay as they moved. “Maybe more than occasionally. I like being out here with you.”
“I love you being out here with me.” He leaned and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “You still want a driving lesson tomorrow?”
“Definitely.”
She turned back to watch the cows munching on the hay as they followed the truck. “Look, all the calves are hanging out together like a kids’ table at Thanksgiving.”
Brock nodded. “That’s because all of their mamas are pushing them out of the way.”
“That isn’t nice.” She stared down at their baby’s current residence, making him chuckle.
“My God, you’re adorable, did you know that? And no, it isn’t nice, but cows aren’t people, sugar. I s
wear we will never eat our kids’ food, but things are different in the animal kingdom. The babes’ll get enough, trust me, and the mamas are nursing, so they’re hungry.” He pulled the levers on the feed truck and released the cattle feed cubes, since grass wasn’t going to be available for another month or two. The herds bellowed their approval, making her smile again.
“So, sometimes if there’s a bad storm coming in or the temperature drops significantly, we feed them a higher density feed at night. It helps their bodies stay warm. But you have to be careful doing that too much, because when you feed them affects when they calve. We all need to be out here watching and making sure the calves are healthy and safe when they get here. We can see better and pay more attention during the day, so we prefer for them to calve in the daylight.” Brock continued to try and teach her everything he knew about ranching.
“When you feed them affects the time they go into labor?”
He grinned at the fascination in her tone. She loved to learn. She always had. “Seems to. And I meant to tell you this last night, but if you ever encounter one near our house again, try to keep calm. They’re really not that interested in you. Just stay out of what we call their flight zone. As long as the cow feels like she can escape, they’ll leave you alone. Don’t approach them head on. If it’s a bull, you get the hell away from there and call me. If not, give them a wide berth and you’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll try not to panic again. I think I would have handled it better had I not just encountered poodles and Mrs. Bellamy.”
Brock leaned down and planted a kiss on top of her head. “I’d handle Mrs. Bellamy the same way I told you to handle a bull,” he teased. “She lowers her head and starts pawing the dirt, you get the hell away from her.”
Hope giggled, but she shifted in the seat again and nuzzled her head against his arm. “You okay, darlin’?”
“Little bit queasy. Might’ve had a few too many blueberry pancakes.”
Trying not to panic, Brock considered for a half second. “I’ve got some feed bags in the back of the truck. I can get one if you feel sick.”
“I’m going to add puking in feed bags to the long list of things I never thought I would even consider until I moved to a ranch.” She grinned at him, easing some of his concern. “I’m okay. I’m not going to throw up.”
“You sure? I can see if Luke’ll come run the truck for me so I can take you home.” His eyes landed on a Sprite he’d taken out of the refrigerator before they left. Opening it quickly, he handed it to her. “See if that helps some.”
“I was trying not to drink sodas,” she fretted, but then downed a long sip.
The fizzy beverage did ease Hope’s stomach. She settled in and let her eyes sweep over the horizon. The ranch was beautiful. She couldn’t believe that she’d never gotten Brock to show her all of the property. It seemed to go on endlessly. It was a calm and comforting sanctuary from the rest of the world. Staring out at all of the snow-covered fields, she couldn’t understand what she’d been so afraid of. The truck bounced and the feed trailers squeaked as they rumbled back towards the outbuildings where the feed trucks were stored.
Suddenly, Hope spied a large two-story home with a wrap around porch. “That’s the last house we looked at back in the fall before I said I wanted to move into the cottage, right?”
“Mmm hmm, it is.” Brock gave her a grin but concern still clouded his eyes. “That helping?” He gestured to the Sprite.
“Yes, thank you for bringing it. Um, it’s the house with the big kitchen and all those bedrooms upstairs, right?”
“Yeah, sugar. The one that had all the paneling you didn’t like. Why?”
“The one with the big fire place in the kitchen, and the one you said was really safe because you could see bad weather coming from either direction because of where it is on the ranch?”
“Uh, yeah, but I’m a little confused about where this conversation is going. I was trying to give you a feeding lesson.” He winked at her.
Hope grinned, but her mind was spinning rapidly. With another quick rub of her hand over her stomach, she summoned courage and went on with her question, “Could we go look at that house again?”
“Sure, darlin’, if you want. I need to put up the feed trucks, but then we can. Can I ask why … again?”
Certain she did sound a little crazy, she tried not to laugh at the confused expression on Brock’s face. “I kind of wonder if we should move in there. I mean, we haven’t even unpacked most of our boxes at the cottage, and it needs so much work.”
“Hope, no. Come on, you loved that cottage back in the fall. You said you wanted to live there forever. I swear, darlin’, I’ll make it warm and fix it up.”
“That’s not why I’m saying this. I really want to see it again, please, before we go to Lincoln.” She knew he wouldn’t turn her down. The hopefulness he was trying to hide was evident in his eyes.
Forcing herself to look beyond the horrible brown paneled walls, Hope vacillated between certainty and doubt.
“Sugar, you didn’t like it a few months ago. I don’t understand why you like it now, if it’s not because I did such a piss-poor job making a home for you in the cottage.”
“You did no such thing.” She seated herself on the cushion-less window bench in the master bedroom and stared out at the snow covered fields surrounding the house. Even with the brown walls, this house had so many windows it didn’t seem dark. Dust danced in the sunlight streaming in the window. She grinned as she recalled her father telling her that good dreams traveled on sunbeams during the day and wiggled in her ear once she gone to sleep at night. As a little girl, that old Gypsy tale kept her scrubbing her ears thoroughly in the bathtub each night, because she was so afraid of nightmares.
Glancing around the large bedroom again, she drew a deep breath. It was time to put the bad dreams behind her. There were so many good dreams coming true right in front of her. “Don’t you see, Brock?”
“Sorry, darlin’, but all I see is my wife trying to make concessions for me not doing my job.” He sank down on the bench beside her.
“Listen to me, please. Back in the fall when we decided to get married, I tried so hard to be brave, but I was still a little bit afraid. I knew we were supposed to move here. I could feel it, but I was terrified to leave Gypsy Beach and everything I’d ever known.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He drew her closer with his right arm and laced the fingers of her left hand through his.
“I was afraid to move, and the cottage reminded me of mama and daddy’s old house. It felt familiar. That’s why I was so certain I wanted to move there. But I have to stop trying to live in the past, Brock. Sometimes I think fear will always be my first reaction to everything new. That’s how I’ve always been. I’m sure I’ll always be cautious, but I can’t keep making decisions for our family out of fear or frustration. I can’t cling to what feels familiar because familiar doesn’t mean better.
“This house has bedrooms for all of us without you having to rip out walls. It has a big kitchen and a place for double ovens. It has a garage for our cars so they won’t have to be warmed up for so long before we can go anywhere. It has fireplaces everywhere, and it’s safer. You said so yourself. We can see everything that might be heading our way. It’s also closer to the barns and stables. You’d get home faster from chores. I’m going to have a baby, and I already have this phenomenal husband. It’s time for me to really live in this town and on this ranch. My family is here. My job is in town. I guess I want to be a part of this crazy community. There’s room for us to have friends over here. There’s even room for your family to eat with us occasionally.”
“Are you sure, sugar?” He didn’t look convinced.
“We can take down all of this paneling, right?” She wrinkled her nose.
“We can either take it down or fill it in and paint. I can do whatever you need me to do.”
“Some bookshelves down in that keeping room thing would be
cool.”
“Done, darlin’, anything else?”
“Can we paint clouds on the ceiling of the nursery?”
“Of course, unless we do find out it is a boy, and then maybe we could paint Herbie Husker on there.”
Laughing, Hope shook her head. “You are not painting the Cornhuskers mascot on our son’s ceiling, Brock Camden.”
“Kidding, I was kidding. I plan on getting supplies in Lincoln today. If you’re ready to jump into ranch life with both boots, so to speak, then I’ll be right there beside you the entire time, sugar. Tell me anything you want me to do to this place to make it a home for you and for our baby.” He gently rubbed his hand over her belly again. The sensation made her heart stutter and then fly.
“That’s it.” She threw her arms around her husband. He embraced her readily. “I just want to fix it up with you. I want to help when I can, as long as it’s safe for the baby.”
“You really want to move again?”
“We never really moved in the first time. We just sort of unloaded boxes and left them. There’s still other people’s stuff in our kitchen drawers.”
“All right, then let’s do this. Let me go count fireplaces so we can get gas logs. They had a new HVAC unit put in here just a few years back before my grandparents moved into town, and it has high-end spray insulation, so no heat loss. I’m gonna want to put on a new roof come spring.”
“I’m pretty sure you can handle that.” Hope brushed a kiss on his cheek. “Just please, don’t fall.”
“That will be my number one goal, sugar. Trust me.”
“So this was your grandparents’ house?”
“Yeah, several years ago. I used to spend the night here all the time. That front bedroom on the other side of the house can’t be the nursery. The roof gable is right outside the window. Makes sneaking out entirely too easy.”
Shaking her head at him, Hope couldn’t quite wrap her head around having a child old enough to sneak out. She’d just barely managed to grasp the fact that they were having a baby. The kitchen door swung open just then. She liked the slight whoosh and squeak it gave.
