Unfortunately, all of this studying drives my own fantasies straight off the cliff.
“Oh God. Right there. Harder. Don’t stop!” she screams, lifting into each thrust as though she’s starved for the orgasm she’s been edging.
“Good girl, come on my cock. Give it all to me.”
Her head arches back, her eyes close, and she lets out a scream so loud that I swear the frames on the wall shake. It’s exactly what I needed.
Warm come covers my cock, and though she’s clenching tight around me, her entire body convulses and twists. It’s everything. I can’t hold it in any longer. I thrust one final time and spill my load inside of her with a deafening growl as she stares up at me.
“I love you,” I pant as I continue to thrust. “You’re so fucking perfect, sweetheart. These thighs, your lips, that pretty face, the way you are… everything.”
Blood roars through my veins as I reluctantly pull out of her. I could stay there forever, sunk into her, watching her glow, but there’s something I need to hear.
Reaching for her hand, I help her up from the couch and press our sticky naked frames up against one another. “Tell me your mine.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak.Fuck, I should’ve known better.This is exactly what I was afraid of. We’d fuck, and she’d feel awful. We’d fuck, and she’d regret ever opening the door.
“Sweetheart,” I sweep my hand into her hair and stare down at her with every drop of intensity I can conjure, “you’re my person. I knew that from the very first second we met. I love you. Ireallylove you.”
Tears fall down her cheek. “I love you too, Buck.” She crashes against my chest. “I’m yours. I’m always going to be yours.”
My chest tightens and my head spins into fantasies I never thought I’d live. A farmhouse, a yard full of kids, a tour bus with my family playing cards in the back, the girl of my dreams on my arm at award shows and in my bed at night.
I sink down to one knee and stare up at Opal. “Sweetheart, forgive me for the rush, but I need to know you’re with me for good before you change your mind again. You, my sweet girl, are everything I ever wanted. You’re soft and kind, you’re thoughtful and driven, and you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Life is gonna take us all kinds of places. Some days we’ll be happy, and I’m sure there will be a few when we’re struggling to understand each other, but I need you to know that you’re my girl. Mine for life. I won’t hurt you, I won’t leave you, and I’ll do my very best not to disappoint you. Will you marry me?” I hold her hand in mine, chest tight as I wait for her answer. Considering she was content to lock herself in a tower for eternity a few hours ago, I’m really not sure what she’s going to say.
A tear falls down her cheek and I stand to catch it, holding her against my chest.
Fuck. Did I make a fool out of myself? Maybe she isn’t ready for this.
“Yes,” she murmurs against my chest. “Yes, I want to marry you, Buck. I want to be your wife. I want a family, a home, and everything… with you.”
Thank God! She said yes!
“Whoo!” I squeeze her against my chest as I hoot out in relief, then lean in and kiss the lips of the woman I’m spending forever with, the only lips I ever want to kiss again.
Epilogue
Opal
One Year Later
It’s crazy how much life can change in a year. One second, I’m alone in a cabin up in the woods allowing myself to let my past beat me down. The next, I’m side stage at a Buck Dalton concert, watching him work. I swear this’ll never get old. How did I manage to bag the hottest country star in the world? I guess Agnes was right, playing in the rain can be fun.
I have no idea how many people are here tonight, but the stadium is filled to the brim and there are people outside tailgating, just hoping to hear Buck’s voice.
When he’s finished with a sweet song he wrote for us on our wedding day, he turns to the crowd and readjusts the microphone. “Y’all know I took a break a few months back, but I’ve been real quiet about why. Hell, I was so good at being quiet the paparazzi couldn’t even find me.” The crowd laughs as he grins. “Anyway, I spent the first day of that break out on a stream at an old mining camp in Colorado with this girl I met about a year ago.” He tucks his hand into the pocket of his Wrangler jeans. “Now, I bet you’re wondering if that’s the same stream the cameras caught us at, and you’re right, it is. Except this time, we were there with the town preacher, and I was making her my wife.” The crowd goes wild, and my cheeks heat. He told me hewas going to tell his fans about us today to curb whatever drama the press has to say.
“She’s a little younger than me, but when she’s in my arms, age doesn’t matter. We’re just two people in love, doin’ our thing. In fact,” he grins and stares toward me, “we’ve been doin’ our thing so much lately, that we’ve got a little surprise on the way.”
The girls in the front row grab their faces and stare at each other before looking back at Buck as he waves me out on stage. I knew this was coming too, but I’m not as used to the crowds as he is, and my stomach is in knots.
He walks toward me, swinging his guitar behind his back, a giant smile on his face as he reaches for my hand, guiding me out on stage in front of the screaming crowd.
Is this what it feels like? The rush of fame? I’ve gotten used to paparazzi popping up here and there. I’ve gotten used to late night calls from his agent and promoters. I’ve even gotten used to his travel schedule when I have to work, and he has to be in some weird city I’ve never heard of.But this… is wild.There are so many people. So many lights. So much noise.
Buck tucks me under his arm. “This is my wife, Opal. The woman I married next to that little stream. The woman I’m building a farm with up in the mountains. The woman I’m spending forever with.” He rubs his hand over my stomach. “And this… is our son, Shane Wyatt. We’re not due yet for another few months, but I can’t let these two out of my sight already.” He leans down and kisses my belly the way he does every night before bed, every morning when he wakes up, and again before he goes on stage.
If the women weren’t going crazy before, they are without a doubt insane with excitement now. Most people have their phones in the air, recording the moment. I assume it’ll be all over social media in the next fifteen minutes, which is whatwe wanted. Telling our own story is much better than letting someone else try.
“Anyway, this is my life and those are my updates. If you’re hungry for something good, or you’re looking for love, I recommend Mail Order Ranch up in Rugged Mountain. This hot chick I know is the executive chef, and the ranch itself is pretty gorgeous too.” He leans into my lips and kisses me gently as the people roar around us and bright lights flicker in and out of my vision.
I don’t usually think about Buck as a superstar. To me, he’s the guy that brought me out of my shell. The guy that found me one late night in a puddle of tears. The guy that made me better. Buck Dalton is the man who didn’t give up on me. He’s the father of my child, the man that pulled me out of my emotional dumpster, my everything. He’s the guy I’ll love forever and ever. Not because he’s out there looking like a god in tight jeans strumming his guitar, but because he listens and shows up for me. And despite all the women staring at him, he always makes me feel like I’m the only girl in the world.
