Jason

A small basket of eggs is just inside the barn when we arrive back at the Noelle farm. Delilah grabs it while Billy and I unload the truck. It’s good to do manual labor like this. It burns off the restless energy I feel inside, the same energy I used to burn off running away from my problems.

Billy comes up behind me and grabs the last bag as I haul some rolled up fencing. He says, “So between us, it’s obvious you two are on again. Does that mean you’re sticking around?”

“Are you asking out of curiosity or concern?”

“A little of both. She’s a good woman.”

I drop the fencing along the outside wall of the barn and give him a good hard look. “You interested?”

“Nah. We’re friends. Nothing more. Doesn’t mean I don’t care about her or her well-being.” Tilting the bill of his hat up, he wipes his arm across his forehead. “Heck, I wouldn’t be out here so much if I didn’t.”

“How are you running your farm and this one?”

“My family is still running our farm. My brother secured some grocery chain deals. We’ve got new equipment and hired some guys.”

“What about the Noelle farm? Be honest, how’s it doing?”

He slides up on the tailgate and chugs from a thermos. Water drips from the cap when he pulls it away and pours some on his face. A bandanna is swiped across his face, and then he says, “Sometimes I think she wants this place to work and sometimes I wonder if it’s a chain holding her back.” Shaking his head, he looks at the house. I follow his gaze and we watch Delilah chopping wood. Chopping wood is not an easy job, but she seems to be managing quite well and looks sexy as fuck doing it.

“She’s pretty independent and self-sufficient, but how long can she run this place on fumes?”

“Fumes?”

“Her sister’s in Chicago working to save this place.”

“Yeah, she said the bank gave them an extension on the loan.”

When he looks back at me, he lowers his voice, and says, “Cutler made Delilah take a second mortgage out on the property to start his business.”

“What? When?”

“Two years ago.” Scratching the back of his neck, his face is scrunched and he seems unsure if he should be saying anything. “Look, Jason, don’t tell her I told you this. She wears her heart on her sleeve, but when it comes to this farm, her pride gets in her way.”

I look back at her. Her body’s tight, great muscle definition in her arms and legs. The farm works her in all the right ways, but it still pisses me off that she has to work it at all. She’s always been a stunning woman, but that’s the outside. Her insides are warmth to my cold heart. She makes me want to stay in so many ways. I just wonder if I’m too far gone to be the man she deserves, the man she needs, the man she wants.

Do I want this life again? This life comes with rumor mills and farming, and an honest day’s work, a positive side effect. “How much debt are we talking about?”

Billy shoves off the truck and grabs the fencing at my feet. “I don’t have the final numbers or anything, but I know they’re well into six figures.”

Shit. That’s a lot more than I thought. Glancing back at her, I realize how strong she is. Who knows what else she’s had to hide for so long? I hate that her pretty smile possibly hides more troubles than anyone is aware.

He says, “C’mon. I need to fix the coop and get back to my farm by noon to get some stuff done over there.”

Taking the fencing from him, I say, “You head out. I can handle the coop and anything else she needs done today.”

Laughing, he lowers his cap but releases the fencing. “I bet you can.”

“Fuck off.”

His laughter turns hardier. “Beers later?”

“You’re on. Text me.”

“Do you ever take calls anymore?”

“No.”

He slams the tailgate closed. “You’re back in McKinney, man. Time to slow down and reconnect with the real world.”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

Tossing his keys in the air, he catches them and says, “See ya at beer o’clock.” He gets in his truck and starts the engine. “Call me if you need anything, Delilah.”

She looks up, smiles, and waves. “Thanks, Billy. You’re the best.”

Billy’s truck kicks up some dust. I set the fencing down and walk over to her. “Hey.”

One side of her mouth lifts when she looks at me. “Hey yourself.”

“I thought I was the best.”

“Aw, don’t be jealous. You’re the best at so much.”

“Like?” I ask, teasing, but curious.

The weight of the ax falls to the ground and she rests her body on the handle. “I’ve never known you to have low self-esteem.”

“I don’t, but when it comes to you, I wonder.”

The ax is dropped, and she comes to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. There’s a sheen to her skin that makes her glow from the inside and ignites need within me. I want this woman. Damn, I want her. I take her by the waist and lick along the base of her neck.

“Jason?” she squeals in shock, but giggles. “Oh my God, you’re an animal.”

“I find you utterly impossible to resist. You taste divine, by the way.” Despite her words, she settles into my hold, our bodies pressed together. Kissing her neck, I taste her skin again and find my way to her earlobe, where I nibble. “Do you know what you do to me? Do you know how incredibly sexy it is watching you wield that ax?”

She laughs again, squirming. She’s ticklish, and I love that too much. I’ll definitely have to indulge my enjoyment of that trait later, when we’re naked. I lick the shell of her ear, making her moan. Her legs are straddling mine, her middle seeking pleasure. She says, “Sure is hot out here.”

Swinging her by the hips over my shoulder, I dash for the door. “We should go inside then.”

She’s hanging upside down against my back. I have a firm hold of her tight ass while she’s drumming on mine. “Animal.”

“You love it.”

Her laughter trails behind us. “I do.”

“Admit it. You love it.” I’m about to go to her room, but I detour to the bathroom to wash my hands. I want to feel my girl on the inside, so I need to get this filthy farm off me. The water faucet is on as I scrub the dirt from my hands.

“I do love it, but you do realize I’m still on your shoulder, right?”

“I do.” I dry my hands and then turn around.

She reaches down like a good girl and washes her hands. “Then you must also realize this is the weirdest foreplay I’ve ever done.”

“Cleanliness before . . .” I don’t finish that thought. Considering what I’m about to do to this woman, I don’t need to drag God into it. Unless, of course, it’s being called at the top of her orgasm. Then she can go right ahead and scream his name all she wants, and I’ll take it as a job well done.

Slapping my ass hard, she says, “All done.”

I like this time with her. It’s full of fun and her sunshine. She’s just what I needed, a prescription to help heal my ailments.

I make it to her room and toss her on the bed. “Okay, there you go. See you later,” I tease, pretending to leave.

She grabs the back hem of my shirt. “Oh no, you don’t.” When I turn back and waggle my eyebrows, her smile settles as she lies back, arms wide, legs spread. “C’mere.”

Not waiting another second, I land on top of her, settled between those sexy tan legs, and shamelessly squeeze her tits. She’s still smiling so I know she enjoys this too. Rubbing her hand along my cheek, the smile disappears, and she continues, “I like you being home.”

“Is that where I am, honeysuckle? Am I home?” It’s a loaded question I shouldn’t have asked. I know better. I hate being put on the spot, but she makes me want to hear words I have no right to hear. Not this soon. It’s not even been twenty-four hours in her presence and here I am clinging to her words as if they determine the rest of my life.

Do they?

I don’t know, but then she says, “You could be,” and I’m totally lost to her. Kissing her, I’m not gentle or easy, and she’s not polite or reserved. She’s the opposite—demanding and grabby hands—and I fucking love it.

Pushing my pelvis against hers, I’m so turned on I could fuck her through these jeans. But I want her naked, so I push up and start stripping down. I’m almost done when she lifts a leg. “Help me with my boots, cowboy.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Taking her by the heel and toe of the boot, I wiggle the boot until it comes off, then pull the sock off. I take the other boot and sock off and kick them to the side.

“My turn. Take off your clothes.”

Our clothes go flying, and there’s my goddess—bare innocence with a good helping of vixen mixed in. I’m rock-hard just looking at her. She reaches up and grabs a condom from the drawer while I climb back on the bed, taking hold of that fine ass of hers. “I want you like this.”

She stills, the giddiness from seconds earlier dissipating under my heated request. Looking back over her shoulder, she asks, “From behind or . . .” leaving her question open-ended.

Reading people is something I’ve become very good at over the years. Tracking them down, reading between their lies, research, when they beg for their lives—it all comes in handy in the most interesting ways. Like now. She’s intrigued, but a little fear resides in her tone. I don’t want Delilah scared. I want her turned on. I want to be the one who turns her on. I lean to the side and say, “Hey. Look at me.” She catches my eyes and waits. Rubbing my hand gingerly up her spine, I gently grasp her fine neck. “We only do what you want to do, what you’re comfortable doing. If you want it slow, want to make love, then we go slow. You want me to fuck you hard, fast, and so deep until your orgasm bursts free, then I fuck you. You can trust me, Delilah. So tell me. How can I pleasure you?”

The tips of my fingers find stillness where her pulse was just beating rapidly. I add, “Breathe. For me. That’s my only request.”

She sucks in a jagged breath and swallows. “I want all of that with you.”

A slow smirk slides into place before I kiss her shoulder. “Good. I want all of that with you, too. How about we start with slow and steady right here.” I dip my hand between her legs and run my fingers through her slick silkiness. Her back bends and arches when her head drops down. “When you touch me, I lose myself. It’s good to be out of my mind and in your world for a little while.”

Moving to the side, I hear what she needs, her body speaking to me through every reaction. Lying on my back, I look at her and she looks at me, a small smile appearing. “Don’t you want me like this?” she asks.

“Don’t you know, baby? I want you any way I can have you. So tell me. You want on top?”

“Make love to me so I can see your face.”

I lift up and kiss her while slowly moving so I’m above her. When she’s lying on her back and tucked beneath me, I angle my middle. I could slide right in I’m so close. Fuck. Her heat. Her sweet nectar. Fuck. I grab a condom and pull it on quickly before moving back into place. “Where were we?”

“I know we decided slow and steady, but seeing you here again, feeling your body . . .” The smallest of lines form on the outside of her eyes, her happiness shining through. “I hope you don’t think I’m shallow, but I really like your muscles—your biceps, your abs, your . . .” Her breathing deepens and her eyes leave mine when she whispers, “Ass.”

“What was that?” I tilt her chin in my direction and her gaze follows. “Did you say you like my ass?”

She seems to gather her courage, looking determined. “Yes, I did say I like your ass.”

“That has to be one of the hottest things I’ve ever heard.” I push in just enough to make her feel what’s to come. “I want you to grab it.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Huh?”

“You heard me. Grab my ass and squeeze to your heart’s content.”

Rolling her eyes, she smarts back, “I bet you say that to all the girls you sleep with.”

“I don’t sleep with any girls.” I push in another inch or so.

A gasp escapes her, and she struggles to keep her eyes open, but she does it as if on a mission. “I know that’s a lie.”

“It’s more like let me call you an Uber.”

“Now that does not surp—Oh God, yes.”

Filling her to the hilt, I pause not for some grand effect but because she feels so damn good I’m about to blow before I can make her come. Lowering my head, I whisper in her ear, “You are amazing.”

She whispers right back, “I’m not doing anything but lying here.”

I lift up to find her eyes. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not about all the other stuff with us. It’s about being together, our physical and emotional connection. I’m glad I came back.”

Her eyes shine, a glassiness covering them as her expression softens. “I’m so glad you came back.” Caressing my cheeks, she adds, “Please start moving.”

I do, my body finding a rhythm with hers. Her eyelids close and I lean down and kiss her sumptuous lips, parting them as my tongue meets hers and everything deepens when I start thrusting. Just like her, it feels so good to lose myself in something bigger than my thoughts.

We hit that bliss together, our bodies wracked with pleasure and lust melding together. We lie on the bed, catching our breaths. My arm is curled around her as she curls around me. This feels normal, like we do this all the time. Nothing feels out of place. Nothing feels wrong or rushed.

Everything about this day feels good.

Everything about being with her in this house feels how it should.

Everything about her feels right.

With the only girl I ever loved in my arms, my restless heart finds rest. Comfort.

Solace . . .