by Alla Kar
Boone stepped forward and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
Dad watched us closely, and finally he blinked. “I made you something,” he said, patting the bed.
I stepped out of Boone’s grasp and walked to Dad’s bed. He pulled something out from underneath his pillow and placed it on his lap. “Don’t read it now. It’s too much. But it’s so you can know a little more about your mom after I’m gone. I’ve suffered with the truth of what I’ve done for a long time. But there is something about knowing you’re going to die that puts everything into perspective for you. I can’t change the past but I can set things right. And be forgiven. Will you forgive me, Josie?”
I ran my fingers over the soft white cover of the book. I wanted to open it and dive in. There were so many things I wanted to know, but it’d wait. “I forgive you, Dad. Thank you.”
He cupped my cheek. “I love you, Josie.”
“I love you too,” I choked out.
Dad dropped his hand and glanced over at Boone. “Come over here and take a seat, boy.”
Boone’s boots thudded against the tile floor and then the chair squeaked underneath his weight. “Yes, sir.”
Dad smiled. “You still gonna call me sir after I made you leave Josie?”
What? I jumped off the bed and stared at Boone. “That’s why you wouldn’t tell me? That’s why you left?”
Boone swallowed. “I call you sir because my daddy taught me to respect my elders. But frankly, I’ve wanted to beat your ass for the last year.”
Dad laughed under his breath. “I don’t blame you.”
“Wait,” I said, holding my hand out. “You made Boone leave. Oh my God. That’s how you knew about it? That’s why you knew why I was crying. Dad,” I whimpered. “I love him. Do you know how miserable the last year of my life has been?”
Dad’s smile faded and he closed his eyes. “I know, Josie. I’ve made terrible mistakes. I’m sorry it’s taken a death bed to figure out my failures.”
Boone kept his gaze on mine from across the room. “It’s okay, Josie,” he whispered. “It doesn’t matter now because we’re together. Nothing is going to change that. I swear, Raven.”
My throat constricted, and my heart felt so confused. Boone had left because my dad threatened him. Not because he didn’t love me, but because Dad made him. A heavy weight lifted from my shoulders and my feet took me to him, quickly.
Boone stood as I approached, as if he knew what I was doing, and pulled me toward him, crushing his lips against my own. I didn’t care that my dad was in the room. I needed him to know that I was sorry too. I was sorry for not fully believing that he couldn’t tell me.
Boone’s fingers cupped my face and he forcefully pulled his mouth away from mine. “I didn’t want to tell you because—”
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I know.”
Boone’s shoulders relaxed, and he kissed my palm before turning back to my dad. “Take care of her,” Dad whispered. “Please, take care of her.”
Boone stepped forward and offered my dad his hand. “I plan to, sir. I plan to.”
***
Boone’s hand slid up the leg of my cutoffs and his finger curled around my panties. “You’re already wet,” he whispered.
Oh, I’m more than wet. I was soaked, and ready. My body pulsed for him. “I want you. The drive home was torture.”
Boone groaned into my ear and pulled me against him so that I could feel his arousal against my back. “You were so strong today, Raven. I think I fell even more in love with you.”
I let my head fall back against his shoulder as he pushed his way inside of me. “It’s over.”
His lips grazed my skin. “It’s the beginning. It’s just startin’.”
He was right. The year I spent with him wasn’t even half of the relationship we could have had. Now the real relationship started. I could be with Boone Cross.
Boone’s agitation with my clothes started to show, and he began to peel each layer off. “I need to see you. You’re so beautiful.”
I smiled into his touch and helped slip my shorts the rest of the way down my legs. His fingertips trailed a path against my legs on the way back up, and before I could shiver Boone had me up in his arms and we were heading toward his bedroom.
“Stay, Duke,” Boone said.
I laughed because he hadn’t even looked back, but Duke had been trailing us. With a sigh, Duke turned and took his place in the recliner.
Boone’s fingertips dug into my burning skin, but I missed the pain when he tossed me onto the bed. I watched as he took off every piece of his clothing, not stopping until he stood naked over me. All the hard ridges of his muscles flexed and bulged against his tanned skin.
His throat constricted as he swallowed, and both eyes dropped between my legs. “I’ve never wanted anybody like I do you. My body craves you.”
Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, grabbed my thighs, and pulled me to the end of the bed. He palmed my ass and lowered his head toward my core. His facial hair scrapped against the insides of my thighs, but the feeling sent electricity through me.
I arched my back and squealed as he lapped at me. Oh, God. There was no one else’s mouth that could ever make me feel that good. Boone groaned and brought one hand up so that he could press against my clit. “Please,” I begged, the sensation burning through me. I had to have him.
“You taste so sweet,” he whispered, his words warm against my folds.
“Please fuck me,” I whispered, urging my hips up, but he held me down with his palms.
“Be patient, Raven. We’ve got the rest of our lives for this.”
I gripped his hair when he bit a path up my core. “Fuck.”
Boone buried his face into me, pressed his thumb against my clit, and sucked me hard into his mouth. I exploded against him, and there was no stopping the scream that ripped from my throat.
Boone’s grip on me tightened and he pulled himself from the floor. With ragged breaths, I took him in. My wetness glistened on his lips, and it sent another rush of warmth over me.
Slowly, he licked his lips and grabbed himself in his hand. The masculine way he touched himself had my body jerking, begging me to do something. “You better bring your sweet ass down here before I break all of my rules,” I whispered.
Boone’s smile widened, and he crawled over me. Steadying my waist, he ran the other hand up my thigh to cup my ass and position me. By the way his breath hit my waiting mouth, I knew he was as turned on as I was, and I hadn’t even touched him yet.
All he needed was me, and all I needed was him.
He nudged my entrance and my vision went blurry. Knowing how much he was going to fill me, and make me feel, sent tears of anticipation down my cheeks. My mouth parted, and I let out a shaky breath at the same time he plunged into me.
The air sucked from my body, and I arched into him as an orgasm erupted inside of me. I’d never come so quickly before, and by the smile on his face, I knew he knew it.
Those baby blues never lied.
He was perfect and fit me perfectly.
Everything was right.
When I caught my breath, Boone leaned down and draped both of my legs over his shoulders, and plowed into me so hard that I felt like I would rip open. The adrenaline scorched my skin, but I could have been in hell and it wouldn’t have mattered. Boone and I were together.
My name coming from his mouth was gritty and raw, just like the thrusts he marked me with. “All of you. Every part of you is mine, Raven.”
It was true. All of me belonged to him and I didn’t care who knew it. Everything I had to offer was his for the taking. We were each other’s.
“You want all of me.”
“I have all of you.” I breathed out, his thrusts growing harder and harder each second. “I own it.”
“You do,” he purred. “You sure as hell do.”
Boone sank deeper into me, filling me more than he ever had. His name came out as a scream tha
t ignited a fire in my belly, which erupted and sent me falling into ecstasy.
“Raven,” he repeated into my ear over and over again. “God, Raven. I’m goin’ to have this forever. Every day I want to be inside of you. Every day I want to love you.”
His fingers tightened against the covers beside my head and his cock pulsed inside of me. Softly he pulled out of me and repositioned us until I was lying on his chest.
“Every day?” I whispered.
Boone drug his fingers up my back, and then back down. “Every goddamn day, Raven.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Boone
One month later
Mr. Sawyer died two weeks later. The truth is that even though you know it’s coming, it still hurts the same. Josie and I attended the funeral along with most of the town. Her grandmother sat in the family section but didn’t talk to us. Bug came up to us after the funeral and patted our cheeks. She never really said what I assumed she’d been thinking. But it didn’t really matter what anyone thought because no one’s opinion mattered anymore.
Josie went home and cried herself to sleep for three nights in a row. The only thing I could do was hold her tighter than I ever had and show her I was the strong man she needed.
Two weeks after that, our parents left. The only reason I knew they went to Florida was because of the postcard Dad sent. They eloped, and I knew we probably wouldn’t see them for a few months.
The roofing business and all of the land went to my brother and me. But, of course, my brother doesn’t want the business, so that meant it was mine.
And I couldn’t be happier. I’d always wanted to take over the business one day. Roofing wasn’t the most glamorous job, but I loved to do it. There was something about the way the hammer felt in my hand, the look of the homeowners’ faces after you finished; it was my dream.
Scott apologized to Josie at the funeral and introduced her to his wife. I’m hoping they’ll bond soon, and Josie will have someone in the family, other than me, that she can trust.
The sound of Josie frying chicken in the kitchen muffled the game on the TV. “No, what in the hell is he doin’?” Jace shouted at the TV. He’d been in a bad mood ever since Sam went back to California a week ago. She’d be back to visit him soon, he was just being a pussy about it.
The blinds moved as Duke stuck his head outside and the sun cast an orange glow over the room. I couldn’t help but look out and see the woods in the distance. All the land was now ours. The woods that separated us as children, we now owned.
“Are you even watching the game?” Jace scowled, tipping his beer back.
I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be either, if I had a woman in there cooking me meals,” he grumbled.
I barked out a laugh. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, bro. Sam will be back in a few weeks and you can stop acting like a damn girl.”
“Call me a girl again and see what happens.”
“Okay, stop acting like a gir—do you smell that?” I asked.
Jace glanced over his shoulder and laughed. “I think she’s burning something again.” He leaned in closer. “I’m going to need her to amp up her cooking game. The burnt food isn’t working for me.”
I smirked. Josie had been trying to cook and it made me love her even more. I offered to help, but she’d shoo me out of the kitchen and then start crying when she burned it. Her emotions had been all over the place recently. I figured it took longer than a month to get over the death of a parent. “Why don’t you go to your own house to eat, then?”
Jace smiled. “Because I love giving her a hard time.”
Getting up, I walked into the kitchen and found Josie sitting at the dining room table hunched over something. “What you got there?” I whispered, bracing my hands against the back of her chair.
She glanced up at me and then back down. “The book my dad gave me about my mom. I’m just now lookin’ at it.”
“Anything interesting?”
The grin that crawled up her face told me yes. “So many things. She liked to paint, and she ran.” She glanced up at me through blurry eyes. “Just like me.”
I tipped her chin upward and pressed my mouth against hers. “And you’re beautiful just like her, too.”
“I’m going to read a little at a time. Kind of like I’m really getting to know her. Little by little.” She shut the book and then jumped up. “Shit, the food!”
She scurried over to the stove and checked on the chicken. “Whew, it’s not burnt.”
“Yet,” Jace said from the doorway. “It’s not burnt yet.”
She flipped him off and stirred the corn on the stove. “If you don’t like it, then leave. I don’t remember inviting you over anyway.”
“Well … ”
“Stop now while you’re ahead,” I said, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
Jace smiled and threw his hands up in surrender. “Oh, I forgot to tell you something, Josie,” Jace said. “I saw your Mamaw in the store the other day.”
Josie’s demeanor turned sober, but she never looked up from the chicken. She hadn’t talked to her since the day everything happened. “Oh, yeah? What about it?”
Jace gave me a look I couldn’t pinpoint and cleared his throat. “Someone asked her where Wendy had gone, and she made up a huge lie about moving to escape the pain.”
Josie frowned but shrugged her shoulders. I knew she cared that she and her grandmother weren’t speaking. She’d always gotten along with her, and I truly believe she loved Josie. But not enough to let things be. Not enough to put a mark on her reputation and her small-town business.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Some things don’t happen like you want them to.” She reached forward and turned the burner off. “At least I can have my happily-ever-after. That’s more than I’ve ever been able to say before.”
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
“Now,” she said. “Who wants burnt chicken?”
***
Josie was talking to herself again. I first saw her doing it one morning on the bed. I couldn’t tell what she said, but I knew she was worried about something.
Her head was pressed against the wall in the bathroom and she had her eyes closed shut. “You okay, Raven?”
Her eyes snapped opened and she jumped back from the wall. “I’m fine. Just taking a breather.”
I stepped forward and shut the door. Jace had gone home hours before, but shutting the door blocked out everything else. “Is it about your dad?”
Josie’s green eyes weren’t meeting mine and fear started to take over. What if she’s having second thoughts? What if she wants to go back to California? Finish her degree there? “Are you havin’ second thoughts about us?” I whispered, trailing my fingertips along her arm.
“No, Boone. It’s nothing like that. I—I … uh!” She tossed her hands in the air and then tangled them into her hair. “I’m pregnant.”
What? Shit. Oh, shit. “You’re pregnant?” Why couldn’t I think of something else to say?
“I guess there was more to all the vomiting and moody outbursts.”
“Oh, Raven,” I said. “Come here.” I reached forward and pulled her to my chest. She was pregnant with my baby? I’d dreamed of starting a family with her for years, and it was happening. Sooner than I planned, but happening. “You’re goin’ to have my baby.”
Josie frowned.
I cupped her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m scared,” she whispered, her breaths uneven against my mouth. “What if I’m bad at it? My dad and mom are gone, and—how will I know what to do?”
Sadness etched her face. “Baby,” I cooed. “You have your mother to help, and Scott’s wife. But most of all, you have me, and Raven, I’m all the family you need.”
“What about school?” she choked out. “How will I continue to go—?”
“I’ll do whatever I need to, to make that happen for you. We’ll figur
e it out. Trust me, Raven. If I need to pull extra jobs to pay for it, I will. You can finish your degree at UAM. It’s a four-year college and they’ll take most of your transferred classes.”
Josie smiled and closed her eyes, and a tear cascaded down her cheek. “I’m having Boone Cross’s baby.”
“I like the sound of that. Josie Sawyer is carrying my baby.” Carefully, I picked her up underneath her ass and walked her out to the bed, sitting her on my lap.
I looked at her slim waist and placed the palm of my hand against the flat surface. “It’s a girl,” I whispered.
She giggled. “Maybe it’s a boy?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s a girl. I can feel it.”
Josie placed her hand on top of mine. “You’re going to be a great dad,” she whispered. “I can feel it.”
“And you’ll be a great mom, Raven. Just because you wasn’t raised with the love you deserved doesn’t mean you won’t be able to love our babies fully.”
Josie grasped my shirt with her hands. “You showed me how to love. If it wouldn’t have been for you sleeping in that treehouse, I don’t know where I would be. You saved me, Boone.”
I shook my head and pressed my forehead against hers. “We saved each other.”
Epilogue
Josie
Four years later
The trees were all different colors and beautiful against the expanse of our field especially the magnolia trees that lined the border of our property. But as beautiful as the scene was, all I could look at was Boone. He was shirtless. Sweat glistened from the hard lines of his body as he mowed the lawn, and it made my sex clench.
“Momma.”
I glanced down at Paisley staring up at me with big blue eyes—her daddy’s eyes. “What is it, baby?”
Her brows furrowed, and she pointed at my protruding belly. “Is that baby here yet?”
I snickered behind my hand and shook my head. “No, sweetie. Remember I told you he wouldn’t be here for about five months?”
