by Jenna Jacob
“I lost my shit at the diner.” Guilt lined his face. “Dammit, Katie. I—I never wanted anyone, especially you, to see the evil inside me. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Stunned, Katie slid to her knees in front of him. Reaching up, she cupped his face. “Oh, Sky. You have nothing to apologize for. Good god. I wanted to beat the shit out of that animal, too. That doesn’t make us evil; it just makes us human.”
“No.” He shook his head and pinned her with a look of anguish. “I didn’t just want to beat him. I wanted to kill him.”
“So did I!” she cried. “I wanted to grab a gun and put a bullet in his head.”
“You have every right to want him dead.”
“So do you…because you love me.”
“More than life itself,” he declared.
The soulful look in his eyes melted her. Katie knew then and there she didn’t need to find her strength. It was right there in front of her. Sky would push her…challenge her to stand on her own two feet. He’d been trying to help her find her self-confidence since she’d come back. She blindly hadn’t seen that until now. Tumbling headlong into his dark, sexy eyes, Katie kissed him. Kissed him with all the passion and love she held in her heart.
Sky groaned and gripped a fist in her hair. Tingles erupted over her scalp and slithered down her spine while their tongues, wild and fervent, tangled and danced. Urgency sang and hummed in the air. Heat coalesced, melding and flowing like a living thing that bled through one another’s flesh. The need to feel him inside her—filling and stretching her pulsating pussy—clawed her to the bone.
Sensing her need, or maybe unable to tame his own, Sky stood, pulling her from the floor with him. Gripping her ass with his wide, calloused hands, he dropped his forehead to hers. Katie was blinded by the love and lust reflecting in his needful gaze. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she gasped as Sky brought her down on his cock. He impaled himself deep inside her with a grunt of pleasure, and Katie cried out as her core clutched and rippled around him.
“I need you to help me, Sky,” she begged breathlessly.
“I thought I was, darlin’.” A wicked smile curled the corners of his mouth.
“No. I mean…I need you to help me be strong again.” She lowered her gaze. The vulnerability coupled with Sky’s massive, solid body made her feel small.
“Oh, love,” Sky murmured. “You don’t know how incredibly strong you are. But if you think you need me to help, I will. I’ll open your eyes. Until you finally see that my tough, resilient Katie is right here,” he said with a strong thrust of his cock. “All you have to do is start believing in yourself.”
He pressed his lips to hers, so soft and gentle. But Katie didn’t want tender. She wanted rough, wild, and unbridled. Forcing her lips harder against his, she tried to show him exactly what she needed. Sky pulled back. She couldn’t miss the devious smile spread across his wet lips or the twinkle in his eyes before he brushed his mouth over hers.
“Dammit, Sky. Kiss me,” she growled.
“I am, sweetheart. Can’t you feel it?”
“Yes,” she moaned. “But I want more.”
“Then take it,” he challenged. “Show me how you want it.”
She narrowed her eyes as a feeling of déjà vu spiked in her brain. He’d proffered himself like this the night they’d spent in the gazebo. Twice now, the sneaky man had attempted to show her the power she possessed. The fact that he would give up his control brought a lump to her throat. She knew Sky wasn’t going to let her take the reins for long. When it came to claiming her body, he preferred to take charge and send her sailing over the peak of release before satiating himself.
Katie wrapped her hands around his face and stared into his eyes. Dropping every wall she’d ever built around herself, she bared every broken piece of her soul. She was met with understanding, sympathy that didn’t sting, and compassion. But what made her heart swell most was the unconditional love brimming in his eyes.
Sky suddenly did the same. He dropped his walls, as well, and she gave him back the same depth of understanding, sympathy, compassion, and love that he’d given her.
Talking without speaking, their eyes said all the things mere words couldn’t convey.
Katie saw her future in his eyes. Felt the promise in his touch as he slowly stroked her cheek. He languidly rocked inside her, and Katie’s heart wanted to explode. Slanting her lips over his, she devoured him in a torrid rush.
For long minutes, he allowed her to take…pillage…and get her fill before an animalistic roar rumbled deep in his chest. She couldn’t help but smile against his lips as Sky turned, pressing her hard against the shower wall before driving into her like a man possessed. Staring into his eyes, she watched the pleasure he derived reflecting as he watched her soar and sail away. Fighting the urge to close her lids, she forced them open while savoring the intoxicating sensations ricocheting within.
“Touch yourself for me, baby,” Sky instructed in a whiskey-smooth voice.
Katie slid a hand between them, toying with her clit as he slid a wet finger over her puckered opening. Her eyes popped open wide as he smiled a lurid grin.
“I want to fill your tight little ass with my cock soon,” he growled, pounding deep inside her.
Ribbons of pleasure rippled and tingled as he pressed harder against the sensitive tissue. A cry of bliss rolled off her tongue as she writhed on his cock before bearing down on his taunting finger.
“I think you’d like that, too. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” she gasped as she strummed her distended nub harder and faster. The roar of release buzzed in her ears, zipped up her spine, and sent the synapses misfiring in her brain. “Sky!”
“Come for me, love. Come all over my cock,” he coaxed, plunging his finger deeper into her gathered rim.
He covered her mouth with his, muffling her screams. Lights, fringed in blackness, exploded behind her eyes. Her body bowed into him, taut, as fire blasted through her with an orgasm that rocked her clear to her soul. Mewling and panting, Katie rubbed her body over the sculpted ridges of his chest and abs while Sky shuttled feverishly inside her. Barely cognizant of her fingers still digging into his flesh, she was all too aware of Sky’s cock swelling even larger inside, sending her up again to explode in a shattering shower of light. His body tensed, and he turned to stone before thrusting once more. Crying out her name, Sky spilled inside her quivering core.
The harsh sound of their panting breaths echoed off the walls as Katie slowly ebbed back to earth. Sky began to chuckle, and Katie lifted her heavy eyelids, blinking to bring his face back into focus.
“What’s so funny?” she slurred, savoring the pings of pleasure that zipped through her.
“We can’t stay in here much longer or the cold water is going to make me shrivel up and fall right out of you.”
Katie buried her head against his chest and laughed. Moments later, his cock slid from inside her. Sky cursed, causing Katie to laugh even harder.
“Come on, funny girl,” he groused teasingly. “Let’s get dried off.”
Katie nodded and sobered. “So, you forgive me?”
His expression softened. “There’s nothing to forgive. Will you forgive me?”
“Same here. There’s nothing to forgive.”
He kissed her quickly, then eased away. The icy-cold water landed on her skin, and Katie screamed. “Holy shit. I didn’t know the water was this cold. I’m sorry I laughed. Move,” she ordered, pushing him out of the cubicle before shutting the water off.
He chuckled. “It felt like ice.” He glanced down at her naked body. “But I sure do like what it does to your nipples.”
She swatted him then and grabbed a towel. Katie watched Sky dry off. Shivering, he rubbed his skin roughly with his towel as if trying to get the blood to begin circulating through his system. She felt a little guilty. He’d taken the brunt of the cold water while he shielded her from the icy pellets with his rugged body.
&nbs
p; “Need any help warming up?” she teased as she reached between his legs and cupped his balls.
He started, then flashed her a devilish smile. “Starting tomorrow afternoon, you can warm me up all night long.”
“Oh? What happens tomorrow afternoon?”
“Joe is taking Gran to Des Moines…overnight.”
“What?” Katie’s eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open.
“Well, if Gran says yes, Joe plans to take her to dinner in Des Moines. He’s booked a hotel room and has a special romantic night all arranged.”
“You’re kidding.” Katie stared at Sky’s naked body, and suddenly a vision of Gran and Joe… Stop right there. Don’t you dare go any further, she instructed her brain. Katie shook her head, chasing the disturbing images away. “Okay, change the subject. Fast. I am not going to think about old-people sex…not with my own grandmother.”
“Why not?” he laughed. “Can’t you just see it now? Joe’s hand caressing her body, sliding off Gran’s clothes and—”
“Sky Whitefeather, I’m going to kick your ass if you say one more word,” she warned, slapping her hands over his mouth. “Hush.”
Sky peeled her fingers from his lips. “But I like it when you get all riled up, baby,” he cooed as he moved in close and wrapped her in his arms. “Can’t you just imagine all the wrinkled skin and—”
Sinking her teeth into Sky’s chest, Katie bit him hard.
“Ouch!”
“I’ll bite you again if you don’t shut the hell up,” she vowed.
Sky didn’t say another word. But his eyes twinkled in delight.
“What? Don’t you dare start talking about wrinkly skin or saggy balls,” she warned. Sliding her hand beneath his legs once more, Katie cradled his heavy sac.
“I wasn’t thinking about them,” Sky murmured as she watched his cock begin to grow hard once more. “I was thinking about you.”
“What? That I’ll be old and wrinkled with saggy boobs and a flabby butt someday?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No. I was thinking about how you wanted me to help you be strong.” Sky turned her around to face the mirror. “You don’t need me to do a thing. Look. She’s right there. She’s been there all along.”
Katie stared at her own reflection. The first thing she noticed was the contrast of their skin. Hers, smooth and alabaster, his, burnished brown and sculpted like a work of art.
“You don’t need a bit of help finding your backbone, Katie. See? You’re still the woman you were before.”
She looked even deeper, studying her eyes. Staring back at her were the hard and painful lessons of her mistakes…her successes and failures. Yet, among the pieces, she saw the fringes of the independent woman she’d thought she’d lost. She knew she would grow stronger and more determined, and if she lost her way, the tall, rugged man beside her would take her hand and lead her to this mirror so she could discover herself again.
As she darted a gaze at Sky’s reflection, triumph and gratitude warmed her heart. A satisfied and loving smile curled on his lips as he stroked a thumb along her bare shoulder.
“What about you?” she asked. “You need to look in that mirror, as well. There’s no evil monster there, Sky. There’s only a man…a beautiful, loving, incredibly warm-hearted man who I love very, very much. Look…look until you find him. Please.”
A frown settled over his mouth as he peered into the mirror. Katie watched as he skimmed over the contours of his own face. Long moments passed as he inspected his reflection, then at last he issued a heavy sigh.
“Yeah, I see him. I see the demons that I’ve let control me for so long. They’re my own insecurities and guilt. They don’t belong in our future. I also see a man who’s going to spend the rest of his life making you happy. Basking in the joy and love you give me. I see a father who will work hard to provide for our family, laughing, scolding, and loving all the babies you’ll bring into this world.”
“Babies?” Katie whispered with a note of awe.
The thought of creating a child with Sky sent her heart soaring. She already knew he was an exceptional father…patient and loving.
“Oh, yeah. Lots of babies.” He grinned, then suddenly Sky’s face fell. “You still want kids, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She nodded vehemently. “But I’m not getting any younger.”
“I guess that means we’ll have to get started right away.”
Sky reached down and cupped a hand to her mound. With the other, he squeezed her waist and hoisted her onto the marble vanity. He kissed her slowly and gently, as if she were made of fragile porcelain. This time, Katie didn’t demand more; she simply melted against his steely chest and let Sky take the lead. And take it he did.
With a deliberate and sinfully languid thrust, he pressed inside her, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth and giving a slight tug.
“Stop taking the pill. I want to see your sexy belly ripe with our child,” he murmured.
A shiver raced through her body as Katie moaned her consent. She thought about the engagement ring he carried in his pocket. It no longer brought fear, only a sense of peace. He lazily rocked in and out of her center, melding them to the point where Katie wasn’t sure, anymore, where she ended and he began, and it felt divine.
As she focused on Sky’s dark, lust-filled eyes, he made love to her with a tenderness she’d never known. Increasing the friction, he spiraled her up higher and higher to that spine-bending pinnacle as her body pulsed and tingled.
A look of marvel was etched across his face while he drank in her every whimper and moan. “Now, love. Sail for me now,” Sky whispered before his face grew taut with his own need.
As she began convulsing around him, he lifted her off the surface, cradling her ass in his wide, rough hands, and followed her over.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.
-Nicholas Sparks
Sated and dressed, he and Katie walked hand in hand down the stairs and into the family room. Sky was surprised to find his mom, daughter, and Greg had come over as well. Spying him, Nina dropped the red crayon on her coloring book as a million-watt smile lit up her face. He chuckled and opened his arms as she ran to him and jumped against his chest.
“I’ve missed you, muffin,” he said, snuggling her close and inhaling her sweet, familiar scent.
“I missed you too, Daddy. Gramma told me that you helpted catch the bad guy.”
“I did.” Sky nodded.
Nina’s eyes grew wide. “You’re brave, Daddy.”
“When it comes to protecting my girls, I’m fearless.” He smiled and kissed her on the nose.
“Is Miss Katie your girl now, too?” Nina asked, eyeing the two of them suspiciously.
“Yes. She definitely is.”
“Good.” Nina nodded somberly as if she were a grown-up. “I like her.”
“Me, too,” he replied with a wink before skimming a gaze over everyone in the room.
On the couch, sitting next to Gran, Joe flashed Sky a conspiratorial wink. Ione darted a look between Katie and Sky, making him wonder if they’d been too loud in the bathroom.
“You two got things sorted out, I see,” Gran stated with a wry grin.
Sky chuckled as he watched a pink hue climb over Katie’s cheeks.
“As a matter of fact, yes, we did,” she replied with a smirk.
“You definitely look like you’re feeling better,” Reed announced. His lips twitched as if fighting back a grin.
If she weren’t, Sky had no qualms about taking her back upstairs for round three.
“I am. Yes,” Katie replied, drawing out her s with a hiss.
A collective chuckle reverberated through the room. Sky knew Katie felt uncomfortable and awkward from the digs, but he wasn’t. He was ready to take out a full-page ad in the Connor Times to tell the world that she was his again.
Reed cleared his throat and forced a solemn express
ion. “Good. I have some news I think you might like. Do you want to talk someplace private or—”
“No. Here is fine,” Katie interrupted. “I’m surrounded by my family.”
And she thinks she’s not strong. Right, Sky thought with an inward scoff.
There was a knock at the door. Sky set Nina down as Katie hurried to the foyer. He followed, hoping there wasn’t any more bad news.
On the porch, wearing his signature plaid shirt, blue jeans, cowboy hat, and well-worn snake-skinned boots, stood Cade Nash. A foil-covered dish was clutched in his hand. A couple years younger than he and Katie, Cade was the oldest of eight and had recently purchased a small house and several hundred acres of land west of town. He didn’t farm; instead, he bred and raised award-winning Arabian horses. Some in Connor scoffed that he was wasting valuable farmland for his endeavor. But Sky admired the young man for making his living outside the box.
Peering over the younger man’s wide shoulder, Sky spied the tow truck belonging to Andy Anderson, who owned the only gas station/auto repair shop in town.
“Hey, Cade,” Katie greeted as she opened the screen door.
“Hey,” he replied sheepishly, shoving the covered dish toward her. “Mom asked me to bring this over to you. She’s trying to get ready for my brother Byron’s wedding but sends her prayers.”
“Oh, that’s sweet of her. Tell her thank you. She didn’t need to go to the trouble of sending something over. Not when she’s got so much else going on. Please tell her we’re sending out congratulations on the wedding,” Katie said while taking the dish from Cade’s hands.
“Will do. Uh, I’m also here to tow away that Bentley,” he informed, jerking his head toward Doug’s car still ringed in yellow police tape. “One of those FBI guys came into Andy’s earlier. I think his name was Tuck.” Sky watched as Katie nodded, her expression darkened ever so slightly.
“Anyway,” Cade continued. “He wanted Andy to haul the car down to their office in Des Moines. Only problem, he’s elbow deep in Ivy Watkins’s transmission and can’t get away right now. So I offered to make the trip for him.”
