In the soft glow of her bedside lamp, Dani lay naked beneath the crisp, cool sheet, Clay spooned against her back. His even breaths warmed her neck as she studied his hand, how large and masculine it was wrapped around hers. She opened her fist, measuring the length of her fingers against his, taking note of the calluses dotting his palms. This would be the hand that held hers for the rest of her life.

She smiled, the thoughts of forever with him still foreign enough to cause a flutter in her stomach. One day in the distant future, she was going to be Mrs. Clay Sterling. Dani Sterling. Dani McLendon Sterling. She’d tested the names in her head at least a thousand times since they’d gotten engaged, but they still felt too strange to say aloud.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

It had been weeks since they’d spent more than a single night together, not since she’d flown down to Texas for the Fourth of July holiday, when he’d surprised her with a trip to San Antonio to watch the fireworks, from the sky! Her lips curled into an uncontainable smile as she remembered looking down at the dark suburban sprawl from the cockpit of his plane as a carpet of vivid colors exploded beneath them.

He’d laughed at her nervous gasps, but she couldn’t help it. He’d flown so low she’d been afraid one of the big bursts would hit the plane. Afterward, he’d landed at a municipal airport on the outskirts of town and helped her out onto the wing of the plane, where he laid out a blanket and made love to her beneath the stars and the fireworks from the city.

The few weeks since then had been pure torture. Splitting her time between the apartment she shared with Molly in Billings and Falcon Ridge, was hard enough. With Clay living in Texas, and his grueling travel schedule, it was only making things worse.

“Mmm.” He shifted behind her, slipping his knee between her thighs and drawing her closer. “I’ve missed you, too.”

His warmth radiated through her sated body and she drew in a satisfied breath, relaxing into his possessive embrace. She closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, but her worried thoughts continued their restless, endless march.

They hadn’t set a wedding date. She’d thought she’d wanted a long engagement but now she wasn’t so sure. Despite her determination not to turn into a stereotypical sappy pile of lovesick goo like her brothers had when they fell in love, texting and phone calls weren’t enough anymore. She’d missed him so much it hurt and didn’t think she could withstand a months-long engagement before starting their life together.

“I had a meeting with the assistant dean of students yesterday,” she said, tucking Clay’s hand beneath her cheek.

“Sounds serious,” he murmured with a sleepy hum against her neck. “Everything okay?”

Dani nodded. “I told him about Uncle Cade’s new prognosis,” she said, twisting to look over her shoulder at him. “He said I could test out if I wanted, so I could be home with him and my family.”

Clay propped his head on the heel of his hand and peered down at her. “Test out?”

“I can take my finals for the classes I have left, instead of completing the semesters.”

Clay was silent for a beat, then laid back onto the pillow they shared. “Is that what you want?”

The only stipulation her dads had made in exchange for their blessing was that she finish college before she and Clay got married. If she waited until graduation, Uncle Cade wouldn’t be there.

Dani drew in a long breath, then let it out with a shrug. “I want Uncle Cade to be at our wedding,” she finally said, turning back to gauge his reaction. Concern creased his forehead as he met her gaze. “He’s getting worse.” During the follow-up tests after Uncle Cade’s ulcer surgery, they’d discovered the cancer had spread to his liver. “He won’t make it until next summer.”

Clay placed a lingering kiss to her temple. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I know it hurts.”

Dani swallowed back the knot forming in her throat. Uncle Cade had outlasted even the longest estimates the doctors had given him. But no matter how much she wished otherwise, his time was running out.

“Are you saying you want to get married sooner?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.

Dani nodded, frowning when she noticed the hesitation in his gaze. “What? You don’t want to?”

“Beautiful, I want us married yesterday.”

“But…?

“Finals and planning a wedding?” he asked. “And don’t forget about moving to Texas. Are you sure you want to take all that on at once? I know Cade wouldn’t want—”

Dani shook her head in protest. “It’s not just for him.” She pulled his arm tighter around her, snuggling deeper into his embrace, pressing her backside into his hardened length. “I want this,” she breathed against his lips. “I want to be able to kiss you every day.” She traced his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, a whimper escaping when his darted out to meet hers. “I want to be able to touch you,” she whispered, gripping his firm, bare ass. “To make love with you every night.”

Clay drew her leg back to rest over his thigh and positioned himself right where she craved him. “I want that, too,” he said with a strained sigh as he pushed inside her.

“Mmm.” She squeezed her inner muscles around him, gripping his hip to keep him from withdrawing. “So, we can get married? Before Thanksgiving?”

He rolled her onto her stomach, blanketing her back, stealing her breath as he peppered her shoulder with slow, languid kisses. “Name the place and date, beautiful. I’ll be there waiting for you.”

Dani parted her legs and pushed back against him, the new angle making him feel impossibly deep, filling her completely. “I want to get married on Falcon Ridge,” she said, her breath hitching on his next thrust.

Clay urged her knees further apart, his grip on her hips commanding and urgent. “Anywhere you want.” His voice was heavy with desire as he traced the outer shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue.

Her hands fisted into the sheets, every slow, taunting drive pushing her to want more. “I love you,” she breathed as he slowly slid back in.

“I love you.” His warm shuddered exhale puffed out against her skin as he kissed her temple. “But what about your dads?”

“Can we not talk about my dads right now?” Dani closed her eyes, blocking out everything but the orgasm she could feel building in her core.

Clay chuckled, but his slow rhythm never faltered. “Fair enough, but they won’t be happy about you not graduating with your class, and you know they’re going to think this was my idea.”

“Clay, please.”

“Mmm,” he hummed in her ear and snapped his hips forward, teasing her with the powerful thrusts he knew she craved before he withdrew and paused. “Please what?”

Not one to beg, Dani rose onto her hands and knees and took what she wanted, pushing back against him until he filled her completely. “Fuck me,” she demanded.

Clay grabbed her hips and pulled her into his punishing thrust, his fingers digging into her flesh, providing a rewarding sting. “I love that dirty mouth of yours, beautiful,” he said as he fucked her, the strain in his voice a sign he was as close to the edge as she was.

Her arms buckled and she tipped forward, bracing her hands against the headboard.

“This what you wanted?”

“Yes.” The harsh rhythm sent a rush of satisfaction racing along her spine.

“Beautiful,” Clay ground out as the first tendrils of her orgasm pulsed through her. “Damn, that feels good.” He shuddered, his rhythm faltering for one brief second. “You slay me, Dani,” he panted against the back of her neck. “Every time I’m inside you.”

The muscles in her arms and legs burned as the edge of her release grew sharper. Clay fisted his hand into her hair and tipped her head back, capturing her mouth in a blistering, desperate kiss that finally sent her barreling over the cliff and she shattered, her breath coming out in long, surrendering moans.

“Christ!” Clay collapsed against her back, his cock pulsing inside her as they both gasped for their next breaths.

A whimpering sound bled through the wall behind the headboard, and Dani froze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shh.” She tipped her head and listened. “Oh, my God,” she murmured into the pillow when she heard her roommate’s moan. “Molly’s listening.”

Clay snorted. “Sounds like she’s doing more than that.”

“Not funny.” Dani twisted from beneath Clay. “She’ll never let this go.”

“Hmm.” Clay gathered her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. “I’ll never let you go.”

When Dani finally emerged from her bedroom the next morning, Molly didn’t disappoint, turning breakfast into a mocking moan-fest, shouting yes and oh, fuck yes after every bite of her cereal.

“Oh, shut up.” Heat rose in Dani’s cheeks and she pushed her bowl away. “You’re just jealous.”

“Are you kidding me? Of course, I’m jealous.” Molly glanced over her shoulder toward the bathroom where Clay was taking a shower, then leaned across the table. “Are his brothers as…you know…hung?”

Dani rolled her eyes.

“What?” Molly shrugged. “Just because your brothers are off limits doesn’t mean his are.”

“Like I’d know how big his brothers’ dicks are.” Seriously. “And stop checking out my boyfriend’s.”

“You said you saw Jackson in his underwear when you were in Texas.”

“It was dark! And I was definitely not looking at his dick.”

“Oh my God! Why not?” Molly argued.

Dani shot up from her seat and took her bowl to the sink. “Trust me, you don’t want to go down that road with Jackson.” She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t throat-punch Jackson the next time she saw him. “Besides, you’ll get to meet them all for yourself in October, at my wedding, if you’ll be my maid-of-honor.”

Molly whipped around in her chair with a gasp. “What? I thought you were going to wait until after graduation.” Before she could explain, Molly jumped from her seat and took her by the shoulders. “You’re pregnant!”

“What-no!” Dani twisted from her grip, shaking her head. “Uncle Cade is getting worse, and I want him to see me get married. I talked to Clay about it this morning, and I’m going to test out of my final classes so we can have the wedding sooner.”

Molly stared at her for a long moment before she erupted with a joyous squeal and pulled her back into her arms. “Oh my God! You’re getting married!”

Confused, Dani furrowed her brows as her best friend mauled her with another hug. “It’s not a surprise, Moll. You’ve seen the ring and everything.”

Molly laughed, grabbing her hand to look at Clay’s mother’s ring on her finger. “I know, but I didn’t really believe you’d go through with it until now.”

What? “Why wouldn’t I?”

Molly shrugged, fingering the ring. “You never talked about things like love and marriage before. I thought maybe it was a phase, you know, because he’s your first. And you still call him your boyfriend, not fiancé.”

Dani started to argue but couldn’t find the words. Molly was right. She’d never thought, not even once, that she’d fall in love so quickly and completely. Least of all with Clay. “Fiancé just seems so…sappy,” she said, holding up her ring finger, “but he is, and we are getting married. So, are you in or out?”

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Molly gathered her into another hug. “Of course I’ll be your maid-of-honor,” she said with a sniffle when she finally let her go. “I’d be so pissed if you didn’t ask me.”

“No sneaking pictures of Con and Car, though!” Dani reminded her. It would be the first time she’d brought anyone home who openly stalked her country music superstar older brothers.

“Holy shit!” Molly gasped. “I totally forgot!”

“Molly, promise me!”

“I won’t!” Molly squeaked behind the hand covering her mouth, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Promise!” Dani insisted. “I’m trusting you.”

“No pictures. I promise.” Molly sobered but couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes. “Holy—I’m going to meet the McLendon Brothers!”

“Molly,” Dani warned.

“Not just meet them. I’ll be in your wedding with them! You have to pick sexy bridesmaids’ dresses!”

Dani shook her head as she turned away and marched to her room. “No bridesmaids, just you,” she tossed over her shoulder. “It’s going to be a small wedding, so you can pick out your own dress.”

“This totally makes up for testing out and leaving me to graduate all by myself!” Molly called out before Dani could escape.

Molly’s next squeal carried through the bedroom door, and Dani laughed as she collapsed back onto the bed.

Holy shit! I’m getting married!