“Okay,” I say, snuggling further into Dodge. “But when we get back, we’re finishing what we started earlier.”
He smiles and lifts Coyote from my arms. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to need a few weeks to recover. But after that,” he growls in my ear, “you’re mine, princess.”
I don’t want to recover. Whatever pain I’m in feels better the second Dodge touches me. Though, I see he’s quickly becoming my voice of reason.
“Whatever you say, daddy,” I whisper, swinging my legs off the side of the bed, “but you have to promise you’re going to make it worth the wait.”
He grins and hands the baby off to Hawk who stands in the doorway, his face still pale. I think I’ve damaged him for life.
Dodge lifts me into his arms as though I’m a new puppy he can’t help but snuggle. “Oh, princess,” he groans, “I’ll make it worth your wait… just as long as you promise to follow directions.”
Despite the pain I’ve been in all night, my clit manages to swell, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the next six weeks will be torture.
Dodge carries me out of the house and sets me in the truck, then unboxes the car seat that I hadn’t taken out yet. He installs it quickly as though he’s installed a dozen, settles the swaddled baby in, and hops up in the truck with a smile.
A smile.
A warm, comforting, relaxed smile. He’s happy, confident, and everything about him oozes reassurance. I don’t have to ask him if he loves me or if he’s happy, because I see it on his face. I feel it in his energy. Dodge is the man I’m meant to spend eternity with, even if he is a little older than me.
Epilogue
Ash
Six Weeks Later
Coyote is asleep in the cabin. I watch him on the baby monitor as I hold up a copy of George Orwell’s1984. Dodge is rewiring the trailer hitch. There’s something about watching him work that drives out the femininity in me. His big, rough hands, his flexing muscles, the way he somehow knows how everything works without a manual or a YouTube video.
“For some time he sat stupidly gazing at the paper. The telescreen had changed over to strident military music. It was curi—”
“I enjoy you reading so much more than those robotic narrators.” He leans against the bed of his truck, wiping his hands on a rag as he stares toward me. It’s been weeks since we’ve made love, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been intimate. Dodge has done everything in his power to make sure I’m primed and ready. Long stares when he doesn’t think I’m watching, happily taking care of Coyote so I can wander around the lake by myself, and planning date nights out for the two of us. He’s listened to me vent and rage, and he’s done it all with gentle guidance and love. Dodge is the stable rock that holds our family together. He’s the strong, steady pillar we can rely on…and Lord that makes me horny.
Dodge’s cabin is private and shrouded by a pine forest in all directions. The baby is sleeping soundly inside, and as I stare at my husband in a tight white t-shirt leaned against the truck, I can’t help but wander toward him.
Lifting onto my toes, I grab two lemonades from the cooler Dodge keeps in the truck bed, and hand one to him.
He smiles and screws off the top, taking a long hard swig before gripping my waist and pulling me into his chest. “You’re too far away.”
“I was feeling like that too.” I smile and lean against his lips tasting the sweet sugar from his drink.
He groans. “Start that, princess, and your daddy will lose control. It’s been too long.”
Daddy.My clit throbs. Why do I love it when he refers to himself as my daddy?
Considering we haven’t officially consummated our marriage with anything more than really filthy oral sex, I agree with him. It has been too long. But the doctor insisted on a six week wait and Dodge is all about everything that keeps me safe.
“Today is exactly six weeks.” I tip up onto my toes, twist his hat backward, then wrap my arms around his waist.
He grins. “I know. So, what are you doing with your clothes on?”
I glance back at the baby monitor. Coyote is still sound asleep, and I’d bet he will be for a while. “Are you asking me to take my clothes off, daddy?”
He nods. “Right here. I want the warm breeze on you.”
My breathing picks up at his request and my heart slams against my chest. Sure, the space is private, but anyone could come rolling up the driveway at any time. That and Hawk is coming by later this afternoon. I’ve scared him enough already. I’m not sure what would happen if he saw me buck naked on Dodge’s truck submitting to his every whim. But my hormones are taking over, and I’m guessing in less than five seconds, I doubt I’ll care anymore.
Dodge’s big hands drags the straps of my sundress off my shoulders, over my breasts, onto my hips, and down to the ground. I’m not wearing a bra. I haven’t since I had the baby. For one, my tits are fuller and firmer than ever. Second, it’s much easier to breastfeed without having to worry about my bra in the way. I’m not sure why I didn’t wear panties today. Maybe I was hoping for a moment like this. But when Dodge looks at me, I don’t regret a thing.
“Fuck, princess. Don’t move.” He grabs a blanket out of the backseat of the truck and spreads it over the truck bed before lifting me up to sit on the tailgate. I expect him to get naked with me, but instead he stands and studies me. I’ve been naked a hundred times since I’ve had the baby. This sight is nothing new to him, but still… he looks at me like it is.