“That’s it,” he groans. “I’ve got you, baby. Come for me.”
And I shatter.
White-hot pleasure explodes behind my eyes as my body locks up then trembles and breaks. My mouth opens, gasping for air, rain dripping into it as I arch and lose myself with him. I’m gasping for air, trying to hold onto anything that’ll keep me rooted to the earth, but he doesn’t stop.
He keeps fucking me through it, a few deeper, punishing strokes before his body stiffens, muscles coiling in his neck so tightly they look like they might snap as he gazes into my eyes.
“You’reit,” he grits out between clenched teeth and then a strangled roar tears from his throat as he jerks free from my pussy at the last second, his cock pulsing between us, spilling hot ropes of cum across my stomach and my ruined dress.
His hips shake as he works himself through it, stroking himself harder until there’s nothing left for him to give.
I blink up at him, completely wrecked, body spent, skin slick with rain and sweat andhim. All the best parts of us together. And damn, this view. Watching him lose control, watching his cum drip down across my stomach? It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. But what did he mean by what he said. What’sit?
“Fuck,” he whispers, head dropping forward to rest against my forehead, breath ragged. “That was…fuck. I ruined your rehearsal dinner dress.”
I let out a breathless laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t care about it.” I don’t care about anything right now.
Then, with shaking limbs, I roll out from under him and push to my feet, grabbing his hand and intertwining our fingers to help him stand.
“Come on,” I murmur. “Let’s go clean up together.”
Chapter 26: Regan
Hayes’ arms tighten around me, pulling me closer into the warmth of his body, his hold possessive even when no one else is around. And that might be my favorite part about this whole night.? That it’s been just us two sharing these heated, and now quiet, tender moments where our guard isn’t up.
“You smell like rain,” he murmurs against my damp hair, voice thick with exhaustion. “And me.”
I smile, twisting in his embrace so I can face him in his bed where we’re curled up. His arms don’t loosen like he’s afraid to let go.
“Do you like that I smell like you?”
He hums, pressing his nose into the curve of my neck, inhaling deeply while my fingers sift through his hair. “Yeah,” he says, voice quieter this time. “I really do.”
We stay like that, wrapped up in each other while the last remnants of the spring storm rattle the windows, the air still heavy with the scent of rain and earth. Our home, the place that somehow, against all logic, pulled us back together, feels different tonight. Or maybe it’susthat’s different. Maybe something shifted in the barn, in the storm, in the way he looked at me before he kissed me like he meant it and the way he fucked me like he cared.
I don’t know what’s going through his head, if he’s overthinking everything that we’ve done, if he’s already planning his exit and our divorce for after our wedding. But something’s changed. Ifeelit. I just wish he’d say he feels it too.
I brush my lips gently against his jaw. “Tomorrow… we’re getting fake married. Again.”
Hayes pulls back slightly, his hazel eyes locked onto mine. There’s something there—something searching in his gaze. Is he about to tell me he wants a divorce when tomorrow is over? Oh god, I can’t handle that right now.
“Regan…”
I press my lips to his, swallowing whatever he’s about to say with a kiss. Slow. Soft. Grateful. Because I am. No matter what happens between us from here on out, I’m grateful that he’s done this for me and for my dreams. I’ll recover from the heartbreak. It’ll hurt like hell, but I’ll find a way through.
“Thank you for doing this. For the business, I mean. This whole thing, it’s the perfect way to showcase the business. It’s such a fun, unique idea, and your sister was brilliant to suggest it.” I shake my head with a breathy laugh. “I’m just so glad it’s all coming together. And I knowthat this is a sacrifice for you. I know you never wanted to get married, especially not twice.”
His lips twitch at the corner, but he doesn’t argue it.
I exhale, running a finger down his chest, memorizing every strong muscle that’s pulsing there and the light scars that tell of a retired athlete once at the top of his career.
“If you want to divorce quietly when this is all over, we can divide up the property. I’m just so... I don’t know, emotional, and happy that Mrs. Mayberry’s dream is coming true.”
Hayes doesn’t respond. He doesn’t tell me that he wants to stay together or divorce. Instead, he kisses me. And this kiss isn’t soft, isn’t grateful. It’s punishing. It steals my breath, makes my pulse stutter, and when he pulls back, there’s something in his eyes I haven’t seen before. Something wounded. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and I feel completely out of my depth here. I wish he’d give me something more so that I don’t feel so confused, but even that feels like it’d be asking a lot.
“I…” He hesitates, jaw flexing like he’s fighting himself. “Shortly before I retired from bull riding, my buddy from the circuit, Samuel, fell for a woman I’d casually dated a few years prior. Vanessa. They called them buckle bunnies.”
“Oh?” I blink, recognizing the name. Scarlett had mentioned that name once in passing but I wasn’t expecting him to talk about her and certainly not now.
