As the light starts to lift and spill gold over the farm below us, I feel Christian’s body finally relax against mine.
“The day we lost my mom was almost exactly this time of day.” My breath catches at the crack in his voice.
His arms tighten around me, and I just know he’s trusting me with a piece of himself that he’s never given to anyone else.
“She went into labor during the worst blizzard we’d seen in years. Roads were shut down, and there was no way in or out. We figured it’d be fine. Just welcome Colton into the world right here at home, and everything would be okay. Until it wasn’t.” My chest aches as I picture Christian as a scared kid watching his world fall apart. “I was fourteen. My father was beside her in the bedroom, completely broken. He was just crying. And Colton was this tiny, perfect thing, barely fifteen minutes old, and he was wailing too. I remember stepping away from my mom’s bed, picking up Colt, and taking him to the window.” The sun breaks fully over the horizon now, and Christian’s voice softens. “I held him up to the glass, and I whispered to him that our mom was watching the sun come up with us and that she’d always be watching over us when the light came. The sun was rising right as she took her last breath, and it was like she was giving us something to hold onto. Ever since then, I’ve believed every new day is a gift from her. Sometimes, when I stand in this exact spot, I swear I can feel her.”
Tears burn behind my eyes, and I press back against him, wanting desperately to take away even the smallest piece of his hurt. Slowly, I turn in his arms, my hands finding his face, while his gaze stays locked on the golden sunrise spreading across the horizon. When his eyes finally drop to meet mine, something deep inside my chest settles into place. I brush my lips against his jaw, tasting the salt of tears that could belong to either of us, and all I can think is that this man means everything to me.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. It’s beautiful.”
“I wanted to save this for your last morning here, but we’re not going to have clear skies for a few days, and I…” He trails off, his thumb drawing slow circles on my hip. “I couldn’t let you leave without seeing this because it’s special to me. You’re special to me, Piper.”
My heart swells and breaks all at once. In three days, I’ll head back down to Vi’s, and this bubble we’ve created will burst. Neither of us has dared to speak about what happens next, and I can’t bring myself to ask because the truth is, I’m terrified of the answer.
With the morning light turning him golden, and his heart raw and open in my hands, I know this isn’t just some dirty little secret we’re keeping. This isn’t just sex and stolen moments and things we shouldn’t do.
This is love.
It has to be.
Because nothing else could hurt this sweetly.
Chapter 19
Piper
How isit already my last full day at the farm? Sure, that first week could suck all the dicks in the universe, but then Christian happened, and now all I can think is how much I don’t want to leave. Which, obviously, I’m not about to tell him—because hey there, crazy girl who caught feelings on borrowed time.
But I don’t want to go, and that’s exactly why I should. With my messed-up past, it’s probably textbook normal to have attachment issues. I either want nothing at all, or I want it too much, too fast, and all at once. There’s no middle ground here, no soft landing. Just full throttle or full retreat.
I feel Christian move against my back, and I soak in every second of this moment. Tomorrow’s our last morning together, and I already know I’m going to be all in my feelings about it, so I do the only thing I can—I burn it all into my memory. The scratch of his stubble against my shoulder. The way his arm lies heavy across my waist, hand low enough to remind me exactly who’s in control here, while his other hand cups my breast like my body belongs to him.
I never dreamed I’d be sleeping naked with this man. I’ve been naked during sex, but this feels different. This is intimate in a way that has nothing to do with lust and everything to do with trust. I’ve neverlet anyone hold me like this, and I’ve certainly never let them fall asleep with their hands on the soft parts of me that some men have cruelly tried to make me feel ashamed of. But Christian doesn’t avoid them. He holds me like they’re his favorite parts, and like every inch of me is a privilege he doesn’t take for granted. And when someone touches you like you’re their personal goddess… all those insecurities just evaporate.
Last night, he fucked me so thoroughly we literally passed out connected, and even though his cock definitely slipped out sometime during the night, it’s already hard and heavy against me now, practically begging for attention.
I have no idea what time it is, but honestly? The world can wait. Christian rolls onto his back as I turn toward him, giving me the view of my dreams. His thick, dark hair is messy against the white pillowcase, reminding me of my wandering hands as I threaded my fingers through it last night. My gaze drifts lower, tracing the curve of his neck until I reach his muscular chest, and I watch how it rises and falls with each slow, even breath.
Yeah…we’ll see how long you keep breathing that easy.
I trace whisper-light circles across the sculpted lines of his stomach, inching lower until I’m teasing over the most sensitive parts of him. His breath catches, and his body responds instantly to my touch. I follow my fingers with my lips, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses across his warm, golden skin while his thighs shift restlessly beneath me.
His hands find my hair, fingers sinking deep as I kiss and suck my way down his body, until I’m face-to-face with the part of him that was buried inside me just hours ago. His grip tightens as I run my tongue along his balls, his entire body going taut the moment I suck one into my mouth.
“Fuck, Piper.”
Yeah, I’m never gonna tire of the way he says my name like that.
“Morning, cowboy,” I purr, curling my fingers around the thick base of his cock, pressing a kiss to the swollen tip.
I take my time with him, teasing him with featherlight kisses and blowing softly across the silky skin, just to watch him shiver. All thewhile, I keep him in my grasp, loving the way he twitches in my hand and his thighs tense up.
“Alright, Piper. On your knees.” He commands, and I drop so fast I swear the room tilts.
I like him being the boss in the bedroom.
It is what it is.
