by Erin Wright
The moment was perfect and her body shuddered as her mind exploded. This was exactly what she needed. This was pure ecstasy. Not before this moment had she put into words the desire she’d subconsciously built up for Wyatt. Finally, being this close to this man, quite literally filled with his presence, satisfied a deep-seated longing that she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge before.
She held herself still as the mental and physical relief cascaded over her. Just as exquisite as the sexual feelings enveloping her was the mental release of all inhibitions. This pure moment of not caring what other people thought did more for her soul than she could’ve ever imagined.
Her loss of physical control eventually ended. Wyatt had done nothing. He just let her have her moment, something she was immensely grateful for. Her eyes opened and she looked down at him, taking in his pleased expression.
Abby began to move her hips side-to-side, ever so slightly at first. She didn’t want to speak but she wanted him to know that it was now time for both of them to enjoy this. He’d been wonderfully understanding; now it was time for her to repay that kindness. And, maybe get a little bit more for herself in the process.
As she moved, he began to lift up into her, matching the subtlety of her movements with his at first and increasing the range of motion and intensity in time with her.
Soon, they were bouncing up and down, lifting and falling in rhythm so that he was meeting her downward motion with his own upward thrust, burying himself in her with each stroke. He filled her perfectly.
She could stand to feel like this forever.
Wyatt grunted with each push upwards. His hands had reached up and grabbed her hips, his fingers digging deliciously into her as he pulled down, using his strength to time their meetings perfectly.
Abby look down at him, mesmerized to find the determination written across his face. His furrowed brow and tightly set jaw drove her wild. The look on his face told her plainly that even though she’d started this, he needed it just as much as she did.
With one final and particularly loud moan of ecstasy, Wyatt’s hips thrust upward and he stayed locked in position, his fingers gripping her tightly, pulling her to him. His face was a mask of pure final exertion.
Abby’s body reacted instinctively to what was happening and her body joined Wyatt in the wave of pleasure.
All too soon, the moment began to fade. Wyatt’s back relaxed, his hips falling to the mattress. It was only then that Abby realized that she’d been holding them in the air. She watched as his eyes reluctantly opened and focused on her face. His smile, spreading slowly, spoke of nothing but pure contentment.
Abby let her own smile spread across her face as she leaned forward, settling herself against his chest. The rise and fall of his breathing combined with the exhaustion of a long and difficult day lulled her into a blissful sleep.
Chapter 35
Abby
She woke up with a groan and rolled over, running into something…hard? Her eyes shot open and she came face to face with Wyatt. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at her.
“Good morning,” he said around a yawn. “Sleep well?”
Oh Lordy. She flopped back onto the bed. She’d actually gone and slept with Wyatt.
Her father was going to kill her. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, groaning. No, Abby, you’re not going to worry about that. You’ve decided to tell the town of Sawyer to go jump off a cliff, remember?
She opened up her eyes again and this time, they stayed open. “Yeah, I slept well,” she mumbled, finally answering his question.
“You didn’t explain much last night,” he said, prodding her. “Not that I minded, but do you think you have time to tell me what’s going on? You seemed awfully upset, or something, when you showed up.”
“Dad. Excuse me, Sheriff Connelly pulled me into his office yesterday to tell me that rumors are swirling around town about the two of us. He said that he was talking to me as my boss, but truthfully, as my boss, he legally doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I can go hang out with you at Adam’s riding arena.” She shot him a grin and said, “I probably can’t do this,” she gestured between them, “legally, but what we have been doing, I was just fine. I don’t know – I was getting my ass chewed for something I hadn’t even done, and I figured if I was going to get in trouble for sleeping with you, I might as well actually sleep with you, right? If I’m going to do the time, I might as well have done the crime.”
He stared at her for a heartbeat, and then began laughing. “That sounds like something I’d say.” He grinned at her. “I think I’m a bad influence on you.”
“I think you’re a very bad influence on me,” she said, her voice low and sexy.
His eyes darkened. “I think we should discuss just what kind of influence you want me to be over you,” he said in a soft voice, stroking her hair away from her face. “Because if I can influence you to come over here and ride me, I think that’s the best influence of all.”
Memories of the night before raced through Abby’s mind and she knew there was no way that she could resist an offer to repeat what had happened. She rolled onto her back and lifted her hips off the bed, finally sliding off the thong panties that had been her only pajamas.
She quickly rolled back toward him, flinging one leg over his body. She scrambled to sit upright, her hands pressing flat against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding against her palms. She slowly rocked her hips forward and backward, grinding herself against him, feeling his excitement growing in time with her own.
Their eyes locked.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked huskily, his hand moving up her side to grasp a curl of her hair spilling down over her body. “I love every inch of you.”
He grasped her waist and swiftly rolled her over onto her back, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her. He grinned down at her naughtily. “I think I need to show you exactly what inches of me appreciate you,” he said, slipping inside of her. They began moving together, slowly at first and then faster. He closed his eyes, groaning with every thrust.
“Abby, Abby, oh God…Abby,” and then he was coming inside of her, his hips jerking with each spasm. He felt so amazing inside of her and her back was arching and she was crying out his name, her world coming apart at the seams as she drifted on a sea of happiness.
As she came back down to earth, though, the world came tumbling back down on her head. She’d gone and done it – the one thing her father would never forgive her for.
Twice.
And she had no excuse to offer. All of her self confidence, her willingness to tell the world, or at least her father and Sawyer, to take a hike…it was gone, leaving behind an Abby who felt nothing but panic thrumming through her veins.
Chapter 36
Wyatt
Abby abruptly pulled out of his arms, rolling out of bed without making eye contact, and began throwing her clothes on. “I need to go home and take a shower and get ready for work,” she said, staring at the far wall, jerking her clothes on by touch alone. “I’m working the 3 to 11 shift today, so I won’t be able to go with you out to Adam’s place.” She was awkward and fumbling, refusing to meet his eyes, and Wyatt knew that her “Screw the world; I’m going to do what is best for me” attitude had disappeared. She was back to caring, and in a big way.
He sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up around his waist, suddenly not comfortable being naked in front of the woman he’d just made love to, twice. “Thanks for letting me know,” he said cooly, trying to act nonchalant. If she didn’t care about what they’d shared, neither did he.
Right?
She jerked her head and then left, hurrying down the stairs and out the door. Back to her life. Back to being nothing but friends.
He slammed his hand down on the mattress. “Dammit!” he shouted, throwing himself backwards and staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t want to go back to the way things were. He wanted what he had last night, e
very night. He wanted to wake up to her next to him every morning.
He wanted her.
He realized then, that he finally had his answer. For two weeks, they’d “just been friends” because he hadn’t known if he could be okay with being childless for the rest of his life. He hadn’t known if he could love Abby enough to let go of that dream.
But he realized as he lay there that he knew, better than anyone else, how short life was. How he couldn’t take anything for granted.
What if he married someone simply because they had a functioning uterus, but that baby ended up dead, too? Anything could go wrong at any time.
He didn’t have any foreshadowing or premonition when Shelly and Sierra left that night to get milk. He didn’t know that he’d never see them again. He’d been tired and cranky and out of sorts, and he’d fought with Shelly over that damn milk.
It was a stupid, petty fight, fueled by long, endless days out in the fields, too much caffeine, not enough sleep. It was the kind of fight that a week later, neither of them would’ve even remembered.
If she’d actually come back home.
She hadn’t, of course. His “sure thing” – a gorgeous wife, a beautiful daughter – was gone in an instant.
Why was he turning his back on Abby? Because he wanted another “sure thing”?
Dammit. It wasn’t like he had hoards of women, all knocking down his door, wanting to be the wife of a sugar beet farmer, wanting to have seven children in seven years. It wasn’t that he thought there was someone else out there for him that he loved more or could love more.
It was the idea of permanently giving up on the idea of having kids. If he closed that door by falling in love with Abby, then he was closing it forever.
Falling in love with Abby.
“Wyatt, you’re an idiot,” he said out loud. Maggie Mae, who’d been sleeping on her blanket in the corner, lifted her head and trotted over, landing a swipe across his face. She wagged her tail, looking at him plaintively. She could tell he was upset, even if she didn’t know why.
“Maggie, I’m trying to pretend that whether or not to fall in love with Abby is a choice I’m making. I need to face up to the truth: I’ve already fallen in love with her. There is no ‘maybe’ or ‘could.’ I love her.”
Maggie Mae gave him one long lick up the side of his face and he laughed. “Are you voting, too? Do we have a democracy here? You know, if I convince Abby to move in here with me someday, she comes as a package deal. You’ll have the cutest crossed-eye cat you’ve ever seen as a roommate. And I’ve heard she hates dogs.”
Maggie nudged his arm, apparently deciding that if Wyatt was going to lie around and just talk, he ought to be at least petting her while he did it. He moved to scratch her behind the ears, and she closed her eyes in bliss, panting happily. “I can tell you’re terrified at the idea of having a cat as a roommate,” he said dryly. Maggie ignored him, content to be petted.
He rolled out of bed and Maggie trotted over to the door, ready for the day to begin.
Wyatt figured his dog was smarter than him in a lot of ways, and this was just one of those instances. It was time to start making choices.
Or as Abby put it, it was time to shit, ‘cause he didn’t want to get off the pot.
Chapter 37
Abby
Dad stormed down the hallway and slammed into the office. Abby looked at the closed door and back at Officer Morland. “Fun times?” she asked dryly.
He grimaced. “Even for your dad, he’s been on one,” he said. He pulled off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair, looking like he’d rather be anywhere on earth than right there in that moment. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you all day.”
He dropped his voice and moved closer to the front desk. “I’m not saying that it’s right or wrong, or that you ought to do something different. I just thought I’d let you know that the word went around the office today that your police cruiser was at Wyatt Miller’s place all night last night.”
A part of her knew that was coming. He wouldn’t have come close and talked quietly and stared down at the ground as he did so, if he was informing her that a commendation was coming down the pike.
And if Officer Morland knew, then the chances were good that her dad knew. And if her dad knew…well, that explained why he hadn’t talked to her the whole day. She’d rather hoped it was because she’d been so defiant yesterday in his office. She was hoping that he was just still angry over that. Which was a funny thing to hope for, but better that than to be pissed about her spending the night at Wyatt’s house.
“Thanks, Morland. I appreciate the head’s up.”
He nodded, relief washing over him that his duty was done, and he headed outside, off for the day. She, on the other hand, was working the late shift and wouldn’t get home until after eleven. Wyatt hadn’t exactly let her sleep much the night before, and she had to stifle her yawn. It was going to be a long-ass night.
Chloe came in that evening, after her dad left without saying goodbye. Abby was trying to keep herself awake by filling out reports, and surprising to exactly no one, was failing miserably. Filling out reports would put her to sleep even in the best of times. In fact, she was pretty sure that they should recommend this very activity for people with insomnia.
The glass doors to the jail swung open and in bustled Chloe, packing…food? Abby perked up, the smell of chicken noodle soup wafting towards her nostrils. “Hey!” she said, clearing the corner and hugging Chloe. “What are you doing here?”
Chloe sent her an overly bright smile and said, “We had leftovers today when we closed so I thought I’d bring some over to you.”
Abby sent her a questioning glance. “And…?” Because as much as she loved Chloe, this had all the earmarks of a “I’m about to give you really bad news” setup.
“And a couple of people came in today and talked about you and Wyatt.” The words came out in a rush, and Chloe asked pleadingly, “Did you really spend the night last night at his place?”
Abby dropped her head into her hands, shaking it slowly. “How does this town do it?” she asked rhetorically. “Wyatt lives in the middle of Timbuktu. How would anyone even have seen my cruiser out there?”
“I think it was someone who had to go out there to talk to his farm manager, Jorge. At least, that was the story I was getting.”
Abby groaned and opened up the styrofoam carton of soup. If she was going to be tortured by this kind of thing, she could at least do it while eating Betty’s homemade soup. She sank into her chair behind the desk, suddenly exhausted beyond words.
“I just wanted to warn you,” Chloe said. She didn’t look any happier to be the bearer of bad news than Officer Morland had been. “You know that the people ‘round here love nothing more than to gossip. You have to keep your nose clean, or you’re going to get run out of town on a rail.”
“What if I don’t want to keep my nose clean?” Abby asked, staring into the chunks of noodle and broth as she pushed it around with the plastic spoon Chloe had thoughtfully provided.
“You like Wyatt that much?” Chloe’s voice was skeptical, and Abby didn’t blame her. The Wyatt Chloe knew wouldn’t inspire bucking the opinion of every person in town.
But the Wyatt Abby knew, did.
“Yeah, I really do,” she said, looking up at Chloe. “I really, really do.”
“Well. Okay, then you need to tell everyone else in town to go mind their own business.” Chloe sent her a pained grin. “You know I’ve had that problem myself – single mothers aren’t exactly the norm around here, let alone with a child who is half Native American. I got plenty of judgmental looks when I first moved here. I decided that I just didn’t care what people thought, and you know what? For the most part, it’s worked just fine. There were a couple of times that the more…snobby women in town chose to move sections in the restaurant rather than have me serve them, but somehow, I’m strangely okay with that. Truthfully, I’d rather not be
their waitress anyway, if they’re going to be like that.”
Abby laughed at that. “Good point,” she said with a wry smile.
Chloe grew serious again and said, “You need to do what makes you happy. But, my word of advice? Stop driving your patrol car out there. If you’re not on duty and you’re not driving the patrol car out there, no one can legally say a thing to you. They’ll say lots of things—” she grinned for a second, “—but let that roll off your back. They’re not the kind of people you care about anyway, right?”
Abby stood up and gave her friend a huge hug. “Thank you,” she whispered into Chloe’s ear.
Chloe squeezed her back tightly and whispered, “I just want you to be happy. Nothing else matters.” She pulled away and said a little louder, “I was out and about running errands and wanted to drop that off to you before I headed home again. Call me when you want to chat and catch me up on everything, K?”
Abby nodded and smiled, but let the smile drop as soon as Chloe left. Truth be told, there wasn’t much for her to catch her friend up on. She’d stormed over to Wyatt’s house, basically demanded that he sleep with her, dragged him to bed, spent the night, pissed the town off (including her father), and then ran out of the house like her ass was on fire as soon as she realized what she’d done.
She’d been so free yesterday. So confident. She was happy to tell this town to go take their gossip and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. She was ready to stand up to her father.
But…that wasn’t her. Not really. She was a dutiful daughter who loved her father very much. They didn’t always see eye to eye on things, but that was to be expected. It had just been them against the world for so long, she had a hard time remembering back to when it hadn’t been that way. As upset as she might get with him, he was still her father. She still had to respect him.
