Shelter

by Jay Crownover

  “You’re making my head spin, Sutton.” He really was. I felt dizzy and the room wasn’t exactly clear beyond him. The only thing I could focus on was his smirking face and the fine sheen of sweat that had worked its way to the surface of his skin.

  He gave a little grunt and shifted his hand between my legs so that he was carefully rolling my clit between his thumb and index fingers. I was so strung out and ready to let go that the tiny sting of pain, followed quickly by a rush of overwhelming pleasure had me mewling in desperation and riding him frantically. I wasn’t going to last much longer and he looked like he was going to last all freaking day.

  “You make my entire world spin, Em. Everything was at a standstill but you made it move. You made me get off the sidelines of my own life and start playing the game.” The wet fingers of the hand he had between my legs left a silky trail across my skin as he guided them out of my center and dragged them over my hip and around to the cleft that he seemed determined to get his hands and his dick into. “As soon as you showed back up here, I realized I’d already won.”

  I sucked in a breath and went still as his fingertip circled that small pucker of skin. His smile turned dangerous and his eyes glinted at me with something dark and decadent as I stilled halfway on his cock, the stiff flesh still throbbing heavy and hard inside of me. I felt the press of his finger and the unusual pressure that accompanied his new caress. It was so unlike anything else he usually did to my body that I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. That spot was just as sensitive as the one he’d been playing with before. My brain couldn’t decide if it was up to the task of handling all the sensation Sutton was wringing out of it, but my body had no problem getting on board with every single thing he wanted to throw at it.

  “You trust me, Em?” He asked the question as he coaxed that flare to flutter open.

  I nodded and lifted my hands to my breasts as I felt my inner walls pulse and quake around his pistoning cock.

  “You know it’s you and me no matter what, right?”

  I did know that. I knew it all the way down to the very bottom of my soul. No amount of bad weather on even his most stormy of days was going to keep me away.

  “You and me, Sutton. No matter where we are, because I will go anywhere with you.” I felt my orgasm starting to unfurl and spread from my molten center outward. I dropped forward with a cry and everything inside of me went languid and soft, letting him get his probing fingers where he wanted them.

  “Only one place I want to be at the moment. Let me in, Em. Let me show you how good I can make you feel. Let me take you someplace you haven’t ever been before because you know without a doubt I am not going anywhere.” My orgasm made it hard to argue with him. I finally realized this was about trust for him. He wanted it because I told him that wasn’t something I would ever consider unless I knew the guy I was with had sticking power. He wanted me to prove to him that I was just as stuck on him as he was on me.

  With a satisfied sigh I touched my forehead to his and let my lips peck the tip of his nose. “Okay.” It was barely a whisper but the single word sounded scary loud in the quiet room.

  He let out a deep sound of triumph and suddenly his fingers were back between my legs where we were joined, sliding through the sticky pleasure he had wrung out of my body. He seemed pleased with the proof of how well he loved me. A second later, the pressure was back at my backside and he was gruffly telling me to push back against his searching fingers. My body had to adjust to two fingers this time and the stretch of it, the burn as I slowly opened to his invasion, made me forget to breathe and my eyes drifted closed in concentration. I felt the fingers of his free hand smooth my forehead where my brows had knit together, and then I heard a drawer open and close so my eyes popped open. I lifted a questioning brow at the sight of the lube in his hand and the appearance of a square, foil packet. It almost made me laugh. We’d managed to forget a condom half the time when we were together, today included. We got so lost in one another, so caught up in the moment, it was the one time we continually forgot to keep each other safe. But here he was, prepared for the most unlikely situation like a damn Boy Scout. It was all very Sutton.

  “Knew you were going to wear me down, didn’t you?” His cock was still rock hard inside of me and my apprehension was giving way to something else. Curiosity and interest in the way my body was starting to tingle and rock back against his unrelenting caress in such a forbidden place.

  He chuckled and I felt it work all the way through my insides. He jacked himself up into a sitting position, growling as the sudden movement pushed him deeper into my body. My inner walls milked his length as he slowly pulled himself out and urged me to crawl over him so that I was on my hands and knees. I put my cheek to the mattress and let my hair fall over my face so he couldn’t see the conflicting emotions playing out in my eyes.

  “More like wishful thinking. I told you I wanted all of you. I was hoping one day you would be willing to share it all with me.”

  His hand danced along the curve of my spine and I felt his lips touch my shoulder. Of course, he didn’t let me hide from him. His hand was achingly gentle when he pushed the heavy mass away from my face and I almost cried when he dropped a kiss on the curve of my cheek.

  “I just want to make you feel good, Em. If it doesn’t, we’ll stop.” His thumb brushed along my jawline and I felt him pull back, leaving my body empty and trembling with something that felt a lot like anticipation.

  I knew he wouldn’t hurt me on purpose but the fear of the unknown caused me to stiffen up and squeal when I felt cool, gooey liquid trickle along my ass. It was thick and slippery, but when his fingers went back to stroking me, spreading me and stretching me open, there was less of a burn. I peeked at him over my shoulder and couldn’t hold back a moan of appreciation at the sight that greeted me.

  His cock was pointed up toward his golden happy trail, covered in latex and shiny from readying himself. The skin was flushed and pulled taut. His hand was shiny and slippery as it moved up and down the impressive length. His eyes were locked on the place where he was touching me and the corner of his lip was caught between his teeth. There were red stains high on each of his cheeks and his wide chest was lifting and falling rapidly. It was the look of carnal desire. He wanted this so badly, he looked a little wild. He wanted me to give this to him so desperately that he was broken down to nothing more than the basic impulses of want and need. The raw, stark look of hunger on his face had me rocking back into his touch and gasping as surprising pleasure followed.

  His eyes lifted to mine and he waited for me to give him a nod.

  “Breathe, Em.” I exhaled on the order and felt myself still as the warmth of his big body pressed into mine. His hands smoothed over my ass and a shiver chased goosebumps across my skin as I felt the press of his plump tip against me.

  I was hyper aware of everything, but especially him. I heard his breath when it caught. I felt his hands when they started to shake as he stroked my spine. I saw the way his jaw locked and the way his eyes blazed as he slowly, so slowly, entered me from behind. It was a different feeling than when we normally were joined together. There was more pressure, different nerves firing off sensations. It wasn’t the same instantaneous rush of pleasure that swept me up and tossed me around; it was something more intense than that. It was a sneaky, quiet kind of satisfaction that obliterated everything else once I realized what it was.

  Sutton’s hips snapped forward as he growled at me. I let out a strangled sound as his hands tangled in my hair when he started to move. He was right, it felt good. Different, but not in a way that I would run from or deny him again. It felt like he was stroking along all my most sensitive nerves, like he was pulling his cock across every single center of pleasure I had. I was full of Sutton. Every way I moved, every twitch of my body, and he was there, touching the spot, pulling bliss out of the slightest shift of my body.

  “So tight. So hot. I’m not gonna last long, Em. Not after bein
g inside of you already. Need you to meet me there. Don’t want to finish without you.”

  The sound of his body rutting into mine filled my ears and made me mumble his name. He’d worked me up and wrung me out so well when I was riding him, I didn’t think I had another orgasm in me. But to my surprise, as soon as my fingers slipped into the spot that was still wet and plumped up from his earlier attention, I felt myself warm and quicken. My body fluttered in response to being filled from both the front and the back and it took no time at all for delight to explode so sharply inside of my core that I saw little white dots and slumped down onto the bed in front of a still-thrusting Sutton.

  He roared my name a moment later and his heavyweight landed on my back as he collapsed on top of me. He weighed a ton even if he was currently below his fighting weight. His lips hit the back of my neck and his teeth scraped across the top of my shoulder.

  “I changed my mind. I don’t think the world of you, Em.” I glared at him over my shoulder as he ran his hand down my back and stopped to give my backside an appreciative pat. “I think you are my world. I can’t wait to explore every single place you have.”

  I went willingly as he reversed our positions, curling into his chest and tucking my head under his chin. “I’ve always liked a well-traveled man.”

  His chuckle moved the muscle under his cheek and made me smile. There were so many places we could go together, so many experiences waiting for us to have. Good and bad, I was excited to see where we ended up next as long as I ended up right by his side. I’d taken the long road to get to that spot and now I never wanted to leave.

  Where We Go to Say Goodbye

  Sutton

  It was time to say goodbye.

  Burke was behind bars. Lane was back home. Cyrus had decided to put a ring on Leo’s finger and was anxiously waiting for the right time to ask for her hand in marriage. I had a bag packed and was ready to leave the ranch for the first time in my life. I felt a little guilty that I wasn’t worried in the slightest about leaving this place behind. I was going to miss my brothers like crazy, but I was done being stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. Everything from here on out was an open road full of possibilities and uncharted territory. I couldn’t wait to see it all, but before we left, there was one door left open that I needed to close.

  The whole family wanted to ride out with us, but this particular goodbye was something Daye and I needed to handle on our own. It was hard for Emrys to let us go, but she had relented with a sad smile and a nod of understanding. Alexa needed to be put to rest by the people who had loved her despite everything. We were her family and it was our job to make sure she got the final farewell she deserved.

  Daye seemed confused by it, at first. She was still hurting and confused from everything that went down with Burke. The little girl rarely left my side, but it was okay with me. I breathed easier when she was within my sight.

  It was a sunny afternoon, summer close to crawling over the mountains. The sky was bright blue and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. It was the perfect day to do what had to be done.

  Daye was silent on the horse in front of me. She had her hands clasped around the urn that held Alexa’s remains. I told her we could carefully place the decorative vessel in my saddle bags so she didn’t have to be burdened with such a solemn task. However, it was becoming clear that my little girl was made of much tougher stuff than I was. She straightened her spine like a trooper and told me she wanted to keep hold of her Mommy until it was time to let go. She was working her way to goodbye with careful steps and a resilient heart.

  I thought our spot by the river would be a good place to scatter Alexa’s ashes, but Daye had refused to go anywhere near her old favorite spot on the property after getting snatched from the banks and watching Burke shoot Lane. Her happy memories were tainted with blood and fear, so I didn’t push her to return to the scene of the crime. Instead, I asked her if she thought she could handle holding onto the urn all the way to the top of one of the steepest mountains that bordered the property. Always up for a challenge, she had readily agreed, and I was thankful we didn’t have to battle the weather as well as the heavy feelings as we trekked to the summit.

  Once we crested the impressive peak, it felt like we were on top of the world. The ranch was nothing more than a speck in the distance and it was nothing but rolling fields and impressive landscape for as far as the eye could see. We were above everything that had ever hurt us or scared us. We were so far away from all the things that seemed impossible. Every new and exciting adventure at the tip of our fingertips was out there somewhere beyond the horizon, and when I looked down at my daughter, I could see she was looking at the future the same way.

  “You ready for this, baby girl?” I put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  She wrapped her arms around the vase and my heart turned inside out. It didn’t take a genius to see she was doing her best to give her mother one last hug.

  Eyes that matched mine looked up at me. They were clear and glistening with unshed tears but focused on what we had come to do. “I’m ready.”

  I picked up Daye and held her close. I kissed her on the cheek and helped her get the lid off the urn. It was such a shame that every opportunity Alexa had been offered was reduced to a pile of ash. I’d always wanted more for her.

  I heard Daye suck in a shuddering breath. I put my free hand over hers and together we let Alexa go. This high up there was always a slight breeze. It wasn’t enough to make it cold, but it stirred the air just right so that all that remained of the woman who had given me everything and lost so much floated away in a perfect arc. Alexa loved it here. This was where she always wanted to be, so knowing she was going to touch every single part of the place she cherished settled something inside me that had remained restless ever since Rodie told me she was gone.

  “Do you think she’ll be happy now?” Daye’s voice was soft and her eyes were closed as she laid her head on my shoulder.

  I took the urn from her still clutching hands and nodded slowly, my chin bumping into the top of her head.

  “I do think she’s happy. I think you always made her happy, Daye, she just didn’t know how to show it.” I really believed that.

  “Did you love Mommy the right way, Daddy?” The question dug deep into every regret I had.

  “At one point I did, but somewhere along the way I forgot how to do that.” It was a truth I was going to have to carry around for the rest of my life.

  “Do you think you’ll forget how to love me the right way?”

  I hated that she had a reason to ask me that. I would give up everything to go back in time and never let her down the way I had. “No, I will never forget to love you the right way, Daye. You have my whole heart. It only knows one way to love you, fully and totally, with everything that I am.”

  She nodded against my shoulder and her arms lifted to wrap around my neck. She pulled back and looked me in the eyes, an impish grin tugging at her mouth. “I don’t like to share, but I don’t mind Emrys having a piece of your heart. As long as it’s a small one.” She laughed when I blew a raspberry against the side of her neck. “She loves you the right way and it makes you happy.”

  I nodded and gave her a knowing look. “Em’s gonna love you the right way, too, baby girl. She already does.”

  She put her head back on my shoulder and we fell into a sweet silence, each of us letting go of what was and embracing everything that could be.

  Goodbye was never easy, but this had gone better than expected. I was turning back to my horse when I heard Daye whisper, “I’m gonna love her the right way, too.”

  It was something we were going to learn how to do together, to love those who loved us the right way, unwavering and wholeheartedly, even when things went wrong.

  Always Room for Family

  “Can’t an expectant uncle come and bond with his soon-to-be nephew without all the questions? I wanted to see how you were doing for myself and I misse
d Daye. The week you came to visit for her birthday wasn’t enough. That ranch is boring without her and Sutton’s whiny ass.” Lane kicked his feet up so his boots were resting on the coffee table in the middle of my living room.

  I put a hand on my belly and felt his nephew kick in response. The baby always seemed extra active when the deep rumbling voice of one of the Warner’s was in the room. I was close to six months along, and while an unexpected visit from either of Sutton’s brothers wasn’t entirely out of character, I had a feeling the fact Lane was in my living room unannounced with a duffle bag at his feet had more to do with the fact that Brynn’s cowboy had popped the question over the weekend.

  “You know you have an open invitation, Lane. Sutton will be excited to see you, but I warn you now,” I lifted my eyebrows and gave him a knowing look. “If you didn’t bring Daye some kind of present, you’ll never hear the end of it. So, if you don’t have something in that bag for her, you better run out and get it before they get home from their session.”

  “Of course, I brought her something. I know what women want, even bossy, seven-year-old future women.” Lane gave me a grin but it didn’t reach his eyes, in fact, there was something off about him altogether. It was like the light that constantly burned brightly at his center had been put out, leaving nothing but shadow behind.