When we get back to Wade’s Creek, Mila makes a call to her friend, Amy, and fills her in. Judging by the bits of conversation I can hear, Amy has already heard all about the rooftop jean snipers and is highly amused.

I laugh to myself thinking back on the whole ordeal. But even though I played down the seriousness of it with Mila to keep her calm, thoughts of my brother quickly sour my humor. Truth is, the only plan I have is to give him what he wants. I know Mila is worried I won’t be happy if I sell the ranch, and I damn well know it’s going to hurt, but there’s no price too steep to pay for her. I’m happy when I’m with her. That’s enough.

But I’m going to have to make sure I arrange everything outside her earshot, because the sweet little thing would never let me go through with it, and I love the hell out of her for it.

Either way, I figure we have a day or two at least before Ronnie catches up with us. Chances are, he’s got someone hanging around town who will give him a call when we show up, but I shouldn’t need long to get everything in place. All I need to do is call the oil company that leaves me a handful of voicemails every week and let them know I’ll sell. I can skim off however much money I need to start fresh with Mila, and give the rest of the fucking money to Ronnie. I don’t like letting him win, but the cost of playing his game is too high. It’s not worth losing her.

“Amy couldn’t stop laughing about our rooftop shenanigans, as she called it,” Mila says, smiling wide when she joins me on the porch.

I pat my lap for her to sit down on my leg where we can look out over the fields. I can see Missy and the girls mulling along near the west end of the grazing fields where the good weeds and wildflowers are. As usual, she’s leading the pack and getting first nibble.

I was happy to see everything was how I wanted it when we came back. Whether I’m selling the ranch or not, I didn’t want my last day or so in the place to put it to shame.

“Something on your mind?” asks Mila, who I realize is scrutinizing me.

“Nah. Just thinking how much I love this view,” I say, looking straight in her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s so pretty here.”

“I wasn’t talking about the land,” I say, pulling her softly in by the neck to kiss her.

Her cheeks are the perfect shade of red when we pull apart. “You’re sweet.”

“I’m just a dirty bastard who occasionally says a sweet thing or two. Especially if it’ll get your clothes off.”

Her smile melts into something much hungrier and much sexier. “Is that right? So you’re just manipulating me? All your sweet compliments are ploys to get in my pants?”

“They’re true as rain, darlin’, but you had better believe I’m thinking about getting your clothes off more often than not.”

“I can’t exactly say you’re alone in that.”

“You want your clothes off too? Great, what are we waiting for?”

She gives me a mischievous little smile and smacks my chest. “You know what I meant. I spend my fair share of time thinking about getting your clothes off, too. And about the dirty stuff.” She says quietly, but her embarrassment only turns me on even more.

“Damn,” I say, picking her up as I stand. I have one arm hooked under her knees and the other behind her shoulders. I steal a quick kiss, which is a bad idea because it only fuels the fire growing in my stomach. “You want dirty?” I ask with a grin. “That can be arranged.”

Mila narrows her eyes, but I can tell by the way she’s watching me there’s no objection in her mind. She’s ready for whatever I have planned. Granted, it’d be a stretch to call anything in my head right now a plan. All I know is I have a sudden and insatiable desire to strip her naked and fuck her in the pastures beneath the stars. I want to see the earth smeared across her milky skin, and I want to watch her perfect fingernails digging into the dirt as I draw climax after climax from her.

I descend the porch, still carrying her, and take a turn for the fields.

“Should I be worried?” she asks.

“Only if you’re afraid of getting dirty.”

“Dirty? What do you mean exactly?”

“In every sense of the word,” I say, having to walk a little awkwardly with the way my raging hard-on is straining against my jeans.

It’s well past midnight, but I don’t feel sleep calling me. There’s too much to do and too little time. Besides, what better way to say goodbye to the ranch than to take my woman one last time in the fields themselves?

I lay her down on a soft bed of grass and don’t waste any time stripping her pants. I love the way her eyes dart around and realization settles in, but she does nothing to fight it.

“What if a wild animal comes after us?” she asks. “Aren’t we kind of exposed out here?”

I shrug. “A mountain lion is going to have a bad fucking night if it tries to stop me once I get started.”

“So I’m guessing you wouldn’t appreciate it if I mentioned I had to pee really bad?”

I straighten, frowning at her. “No. I wouldn’t. But you had better hurry or I’ll come after you whether you’re finished or not.”

She gives me an amused look, hopping to her feet in nothing but her black panties. I strip out of my own clothes while she wades through waist-high grass and gradually fades into the darkness a few dozen yards away. I’m down to my briefs when I lose my patience.

“Mila!” I shout. “Come on!”

“Guess you have to come and get me!” she shouts, but her voice is far enough away I know she’s fucking with me now.

“God dammit,” I growl. I’m way too fucking horny to play games right now, and her mischievous side is turning me on even more. I set off into the grass at a jog, letting the high grass tickle my skin and the cool night air whip against my face.

“Mila!” I shout.

“Polo!” comes her voice somewhere distant to my left.

“Fucking…” I groan to myself, doubling my pace in the direction I heard her voice. “Mila!” I shout again, more angrily this time.

“Polo!” she shouts, but this time her voice is more to the right.

I set out at a full sprint because she sounds closer now. I’ve got you, you little minx.

I don’t call her name now, instead, I listen as hard as I can over the sounds of my own rush through the grass. I start to hear something just in front of me. As I get closer, I see the white shape of her back as she tries to run. She turns at the sound of my approach and squeals with fear.

“Oh shit!” She laughs, trying to run faster, but she’s no match.

I tear through the night after her, and against my better judgment I make a diving tackle for her when I catch up, sending us both to the ground in a tangle of limbs and flesh. She ends up on top of me, straddling my waist with her hips and panting. A streak of dirt runs from her forehead to her nose, and the sight of her dirtied up, even a little, has me ready to absolutely ravage her.

“You devious little--”

“What?” she says with a playful smile. “What were you going to call me?”

“I was going to call you a flirt,” I say. “But if you want me to get mean…”

“No,” she laughs. “I like flirt.” She runs a finger down my chest, biting her lip in that way of hers that drives me up the wall. “Because how could I not flirt with you?”

“Fair question, but when I’ve got you on your back and I’ve got a hard-on to end all hard-ons, I’d appreciate it if I didn’t have to chase after you.”

“I’m not worth a little chase?” she asks, making a half-attempt at looking pouty.

I laugh. “You are. But have you ever tried running with an erection?”

“Surprisingly, no. But you keep talking about this hard-on of yours. I think I’ll have to see it for myself.”

I don’t need to be asked twice. I strip off my briefs from beneath her and then flip her onto her back so I can climb above her. My erection presses between her legs so the head of my cock digs into the soft fabric of her panties. I grind myself into her slightly until I feel the warm wet patch over her entrance.

“Seems like I’m not the only one who was looking forward to this,” I say, bending my neck to kiss her hard nipple.

“It was a bit of a rush watching you come sprinting after me. I guess you know a man really wants it when he’ll chase you down like a vicious predator.”

“Don’t ever doubt that I want you, Mila. I’ll still want you when you’re ninety and using a walker to get around. Hell, you may need a walker by tomorrow after I’m done with you.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Grandpa Lucas, huh? So you’re saying you still want to be with me when you’re ninety?”

I shrug. I don’t normally get ahead of myself at all, but with Mila, I can’t seem to stop myself. “I’m not interested in a fling, darlin’. I want the whole deal. I want everything. Maybe that makes me selfish, but there it is.”

“If that makes you selfish, I’ll take it. But are you going to kick me out of the bed when I’m ninety-one?”

“That’s a tough one. But I think we could still get dirty in the field as long as we bring knee pads.”

She laughs, giving me the most adorably beautiful smile. I look down at her face, drinking in every detail, from the way her eyes narrow into slits when she laughs, or how her whole body tries to fold in with the force of her amusement. I love every bit of it, every last fucking bit.

I kiss her neck, taking my time to enjoy the taste of her and how my touch makes her melt into the ground. Her small hands move across my back, squeezing and pulling while I kiss my way up to her chin and finally her mouth, swirling my tongue with hers. I cup her breast, squeezing harder than I probably should, but I can’t help myself.

Whether it’s the full moon above us, the grass rustling around us, or the cool earth against my hand and knees, something electric runs through me, overcharging my lust until it’s a force I can barely control, like an eruption I can only stifle but not contain. I suck in rapid breaths as I kiss and nibble at her lip playfully, moving my hips and grinding my cock against her, loving the way her panties are soaking through, but I need more, I need them off.

I’m losing track of how many pairs of her panties I’ve ruined, but I don’t stop now. I can’t stop. I grip her waistband and tug them off, tossing them into the grass beside us. She shivers, and my cock finds the amazing warmth of her slit while I maneuver my hips so that the head of my cock is notched at her entrance, teasing us both with the barest taste of me being buried inside her before sliding up and grazing against her clit with every rock of my hips.

I plant both my hands in the dirt, gripping the grass and earth between my fingers while I control every thrust and the path of my cock to continue driving her toward bliss.

She throws her head back, giving me a view of the supple, white skin of her neck and the way her pulse races with every beat of her heart. I steal a few kisses, tasting the warmth of her body and the subtle throb of her pumping blood.

I can’t get enough of the intimacy of it, of being connected to her in so many ways, not just through our bodies but through nature and the ranch and what we’ve been through. It feels like a culmination, like every moment we’ve shared is coming together into a single, unstoppable crescendo that will make waves through the rest of our lives.

As much as I try, I can’t hold back any longer. With a careful thrust, I drive my length inside her. I don’t spare her with a slow, gradual entry. Instead, I press myself inside with one smooth motion, drawing a gasp of surprise from her. I watch as her fingers dig into the dirt, just like I wanted, like she’s holding on for dear life for fear of being blasted away from this spot if she lets go.

Her pussy clenches around my cock, choking it in a perfectly tight, warm embrace I never want to end.

“You’re so fucking tight.”

“No,” she gasps. “You’re just so big.”

I find my rhythm, rocking in and out of her, loving the way the slap of my body against hers rings out into the still night air.

I lose track of time, of everything. There’s only the movement of my body and hers, the warmth of her pussy clenching around me, the soft tickle of her breath washing over my shoulder as her gasps become harder and faster, as we both near our peak.

“I’m going to cum. Fuck,” I growl.

“Don’t pull out,” she gasps. “I want it. I want it all.” Her hands squeeze my ass, pulling me into her, urging me deeper.

“Careful what you say,” I warn, knowing I won’t be able to stop myself right now, that the mounting orgasm I feel building within me is blinding me to all reason and sense.

“Please. Fill me. Cum inside me,” she gasps, throwing her head back and squeezing her eyes shut. “I want it so bad, Lucas. Please.”

“Fuck,” I roar. My body tenses and I pound into her, shouting into the darkness with my release as my cock pulses and fills her with my cum.

Her pussy tightens around me, like her body is trying to milk me of every last drop, like she wants it so badly even her pussy can’t get enough.

I have to dig my fingers into the ground to stop from collapsing on her as the longest, most intense orgasm I’ve ever felt rips through me, shredding apart everything but the blinding white pleasure coursing through my veins.

Distantly, I see and hear Mila’s moans of ecstasy. She squirms beneath me with my cock still buried in her, languidly running her fingers over her mound and her clit, strengthening my orgasm with every slight brush of her fingers against my cock and with the friction of her pussy.

I lose track of time as we lay there in the grass together, still joined together, feeling a faint sense of surprise that no regret is creeping in as my senses return to me. I came inside her, and I’m glad I did. I must seriously be crazy if I think I’m ready to have a kid with a woman I haven’t even known two weeks, but fuck it--maybe I am crazy. I honestly couldn’t care less if it means being with Mila. There’s nothing else. Just the unstoppable desire to have her in every way possible and to never let go.

“Did we really just do that?” she asks long after I’ve pulled myself out of her and rolled to the grass beside her where we lay, fingers entwined.

“You regret it?” I ask.

“No. Is that strange?”

“If it is, then we’re both strange. I fucking loved it.”

She rolls her head to the side to look at me. She takes her hand from mine and puts it to my cheek, moving her eyes deliberately from my gaze to my lips, to my hair, and my jaw.

I chuckle. “What?”

“I’m just trying to take it all in. Everything has happened so fast in so many ways, but in others it feels like it has been forever. I know you better than I knew men I dated for months, but then at the same time it feels like this has all been so brief and fast I could wake up and it’d all be a dream.” She laughs at herself, looking down self-consciously. “I’m just making sure if I do wake up from all this that I remember you. I never want to forget your face. I don’t want to forget your smell, how it feels to kiss you. I don’t want to lose any of it.”

“Hey,” I say, cupping her cheek and kissing her. “I’m not going anywhere. And even if I was just a figment of your imagination I’d follow your ass back to reality. I’d find a way.”

She laughs. “Somehow I think you would.”

“See? You already know me so well.”