“Morning, handsome,” she said, pushing her body against his. He looked peaceful as his eyes fluttered open, but even as his lips pulled into a smile and revealed the dimple in one side, the shadows that had been there yesterday returned. Something was up with him. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Was he upset that she’d ignored his calls? Was he regretting his decision to be with her instead of Nadia?

“What do you have planned for today?” she asked, pulling the covers over her shoulder and sliding a hand over his bare chest.

“I’m heading out to the ranch to see Henry this afternoon. Wanna come?”

“I wish I could, but I’m working at the bar, but I thought maybe we could do brunch or maybe breakfast in bed?” she asked as she climbed on top of him.

He placed both hands behind his head. “I can probably be convinced of the latter.”

She moved down his body and pulled his boxer briefs down and tossed them on the floor. Damn. She’d never get tired of looking at him. At all of him.

Wrapping one hand around the base, she brought her mouth down to the tip of his penis and parted her lips. She flicked her tongue out and moved her hand up slowly to meet it.

A hiss left his lips, and she smiled, taking him fully into her mouth. She started slow, drawing out the pleasure for him, giving him everything she had. She could feel that he needed her, felt it in the same way she knew he was it for her.

As he bucked his hips up, she moved faster. Licking, sucking, pumping, and climbing with him because his pleasure turned her on as if the tables were turned and he’d had his mouth on her.

He tried to pull her up, but she disregarded his movement and sucked harder, hollowing out her cheeks.

“Christ, woman,” he said in a voice that sent goose bumps over her skin. He moved, pushing her back onto the bed and entering her before she’d even registered the switch in positions.

“I love you,” she cried out, and his eyes darkened.

He took over the pace, rough and hard. One hand found her clit, and he circled it as he pounded into her.

On a long moan, she closed her eyes, ready to splinter into a million pieces.

“Look at me,” he said in a soft voice, a contradiction to the way his body moved.

She met his eyes, and in them, she saw love. More love than she’d ever thought possible. She kept her eyes open for as long as she could, watching the glorious way his face changed as his orgasm grew closer. Then the magnitude of her climax forced her eyes shut. His groans came, followed by the sweet sound of her name on his lips.

* * *

“Do you think I blew my chance? He didn’t even bring up moving in together. He just said we’d take it slow.” She turned to Michael for answers as they re-stocked the liquor and wine behind the bar.

“Nah, I’m sure he’s just trying not to scare you off. You did avoid him for three days after he asked.” Michael paused and turned to look at her, concern in his eyes. “Are you really good with the fact that he’s going to have a baby with another woman?”

“I mean… I don’t love the fact that Nadia will always be a part of his life, but yes. The way he’s so determined to be there and to be a good father only makes me love him more. The man bought a crib, Michael.”

“Then, just give it time. He said slow, but we both know Brecken’s idea of slow is full tilt. Besides, he’s already invited you into his life—including his future child’s. That’s huge. You get to be the wicked stepmom.” Michael winked with a devilish grin. “And when the two of you are ready, you can add more babies to the Blackstone clan. I’ll be an uncle.” He looked off dreamily. “Uncle Michael… nah, Uncle M. Nope. Hmm. I’m gonna have to think on this.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He asked me to move in,” which she’d totally blown, “there was no proposal or talk of babies.” Just saying the words put butterflies in her stomach. Is that where they were headed? He’d said love and mentioned the future, but they’d never discussed getting married or having kids together.

“I got a new client,” she said, hoping to change the subject.

“Oh yeah? Congrats.”

“I’m a little nervous. She said she’d prefer to discuss the details of the project in person instead of over the phone.” January shot a worried glance in his direction.

“Kinky sex closets here you come. You have arrived.”

Michael moved to the back to switch out kegs, and January wiped down the bar top, eyes glazed as she mentally replayed their morning together. So many things were still a question mark. How would things work when the baby came? Would Nadia continue to try to come between them? And the scarier ones, too. Would she be any good at helping to raise a child? How would she feel when the baby came? Would Brecken still want to be with her?

Baby steps, she reminded herself. They were taking this slow. Her heart ached at how close she’d been to what she wanted and it scared her to realize she was the one who’d screwed it up this time. He’d offered her exactly what she wanted—a life with him, and she’d rebuffed it because it wasn’t the perfect scenario she’d always dreamed of. She’d aired on the side of propriety, like she always had. Like she’d been taught to do.

She wouldn’t make that mistake twice, she vowed. Next time she would be ready. Manners be damned.

“Earth to January.” Michael waved a hand in front of her eyes before she’d realized he was back.

Shaking her head, she smiled over at him. “Sorry.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes.” She tossed the rag aside. “I’m just replaying it over and over in my head. I can’t help but feel like I blew it. What if he doesn’t ask me to move in again?

“Maybe you should bring it up.”

“No. I can’t. I need him to be sure.”

“Holy shit, is that Brecken?” Michael pointed toward the entrance where Brecken stood in jeans and a cowboy hat. If she’d thought he looked good enough to jump off the pages of a fashion magazine in his flashy suits, then today he was straight out of every country movie she’d ever seen. Who knew she preferred rugged and outdoorsy to Armani?

He caught her eye and strutted forward. Damn. She’d burn every suit he owned to see him dressed like that every day.

Glancing down at Brecken’s hands she smiled at the hat, recognizing it from Sam Blackstone’s closet. Grinning, he twirled the black cowboy hat with both hands and settled it on his head in one smooth motion.

“Well, hello, Mister Cowboy,” she said, letting her eyes run up and down his body, memorizing every detail. Tight denim stretched over his thick, muscular legs and a black shirt with pearl buttons covered his torso in a way that left no doubt he was just as capable of working a long day on the ranch as he was sitting behind a desk.

“Ma’am.” Brecken tipped his hat and held out his arm. “Can I talk to you for a minute outside.”

She looked over to Michael, who nodded and quietly said, “Looks like you’ll have a chance to woo your cowboy.”

She shot Michael a look and rounded the bar to follow Brecken outside.

“What are you wearing and please tell me you have more?” she asked when they were outside.

“Henry and I went riding. I figured it was time I quit ruining perfectly good suits.”

He took the hat off and held it in one hand, he ran the other through his hair. “Nadia isn’t pregnant. Actually never was. I found out yesterday. I came to your apartment to tell you, but then you gave me that journal, and I don’t know. I guess I was still grieving the loss of it, you know? Sounds ridiculous probably, but I was excited about being a father even if the circumstances were screwed up.”

She stood frozen and the only thing that registered in her mind was that Nadia wasn’t pregnant. She’d barely heard a word after that.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, unsure what the proper thing was to say in such a situation.

“Look, I know I said I wanted to take this slow, but that’s bullshit. I want you. I want you to move in with me, and I want you to be my wife. I know it’s quick, and I know you’re probably thinking this has something to do with Nadia and my excitement about being a dad, but that’s only partly true. I do want to be a father, but I realized after you left today that all that has changed is that now I get a chance to do this the right way. With the woman that I love. So, please say yes.”

Brecken handed her a set of keys and opened the door to a sleek SUV parked at the curb. “It isn’t a van like you always wanted, but this SUV will fit the six of us and we can take it on as many road trips as you want.”

“The six of us?”

“Me, you, and the four children I’m gonna give you as soon as you say yes.”

“You bought me a big, fancy car so I’d move in with you? Oh, Brecken, that’s crazy. I don’t need a car or anything else. I just want you.”

“I don’t think you’re listening.” He pulled out a ring from his pocket and held it up in the air between his thumb and finger. The large diamond sparkled, and she covered her mouth with both hands. “I don’t want you to just move in with me. I want you to be mine. Forever. In my home. In my bed. With my ring on your finger, and my cock buried deep inside you so often you forget where you end and I begin.”

“I’m pretty sure the word ‘cock’ isn’t supposed to be part of a marriage proposal.”

“That’s all you have to say? I’m sweating bullets over here, woman.”

“One condition,” she said, her heart beating so loudly she barely heard her own words as she spoke.

“Name it, and it’s yours.”

“More of this,” she said, waving her hand up and down in front of him. “I want Mister Cowboy at least once a week.”

“Is he allowed to use the c-word?” he asked, stepping forward with a glint in his eyes.

She leaned up on her toes and let her lips hover over his. “Mm-hmm, and he better know what to do with it, too.”

Brecken smiled and pulled her into his arms, sliding the ring over her finger. “Damn straight he does.”