She snorts. Not even a ladylike one either. Deep, throaty, and full of fuckin’ sass. And it shoots through me from heart to crotch.
“Let me break this down for you, cowboy. Twenty-six long as hell years. Sixteen of those I spent weavin’ dreams all centered on you. Ten of those I spent prayin’ those dreams would find their way back to me. I might not have realized what I was doin’, but not once in all that time did I ever come close to finding the kind of contentment I’ve felt since you blew back into town. Even through all the emotional punches I got slapped since that moment with you did the contentment dim. Deep down, with you back, I knew that the past twenty-six-years were going to finally be worth something. We were rushin’ to this point before our minds had even had a chance to realize what Fate had in store for us. There is never going to be a minute that ticks by that could be too soon when we have a past as deep as ours, drivin’ us blindly to where we were meant to stop.”
“You came to this conclusion pretty quick, Leigh. Don’t get me wrong, what you’re sayin’ is somethin’ I fuckin’ want, but it’s only been a day since you really understood everything that happened. Everything I did, why I did it, and most importantly, why in doin’ all that I stole ten years from us.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t you that stole that time. You had no control over the life that you were born in. The pain you felt that meant those ten years were stolen. And, Maverick”—she pauses and squeezes my hand hard—“those years were stolen from you too.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and tighten the hand steering the truck. God, this girl brings me to my knees.
“You said we would talk about this later, but the hell with that. Later just means more time gone, and I won’t let any more time get stolen when we are finally getting our chance. I want you with me. If you feel like it’s too soon, then get your temporary home in place. I’m tellin’ you now, though, it would be a waste of time and effort when you know just as well as I do that you only belong in one place.”
I pull the truck onto the shoulder, no longer content to have this conversation when I can’t look at her. After throwing the truck into park, I turn my head. It’s not fully dark out, so it’s no trouble to see her clearly, and what I see is like a punch to the gut. Her chest is heaving with each harsh intake of air she pulls through her lungs, the harshness of her releasing it coming out like a pant. The color on her cheeks is high, but not because she’s embarrassed. No, this is because she’s on a tear. A tear to make me see what she believes true with unquestionable certainty.
“I’ll unpack the duffel, darlin’,” I answer hoarsely.
Her whole face lights up with those five words. I shift and regard her chin as it wobbles and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Jesus Christ. Giving her that, what I wanted just as much as she did, undoubtedly was the right decision. I feel it with the pressure that I’ve always had around my chest easing up. I believe it when I see her curls bob as she gives me a curt nod. I feel it when she moves, pulls herself over the console, and brings the tip of her nose to mine.
“Head over boots, cowboy. Head. Over. Boots.”
They’re not the words she alluded to earlier, but they might as well be. I move quickly, shocking a squeak out of her that quickly turns to a moan when I haul her over the center console and into my lap. We’re a mess of tangled arms and tongues a second later. My hat is knocked off my head when she pushes both of her hands into my hair, pulling me so hard that our teeth knock together. My heart hammers in my chest. I’m vaguely aware of the sounds of traffic passing by us.
What I wouldn’t give to lay her down and sink into her body, and that need just amps up with every slide of her wet tongue against mine. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to last, not when I feel like denying my need to be inside of her might very well kill me.
My hand moves down her back, and when I hit her hip, I realize that with her position half on and half off the console, it would be so easy to sink my fingers into her body. The scent of her arousal is swirling around the cab, and I have to squeeze my eyes tight when I feel my balls pull up and the wetness from my cock wetting my boxer briefs. I curl my fingers in the soft flesh at her hip, praying that I’m strong enough to resist what I crave.
She whimpers and I’m honestly not sure if it’s from my hold on her body or because she’s feeling the same need I am. It kills me to do it, but I break away from her mouth with a groan. Her eyes are still closed when I lean my head back on the headrest and stare at her. Without opening them, her tongue comes out and licks her red, swollen lips. The sound that escapes her mouth after that is nothing short of sensual.
When she finally opens her eyes the fear that I’ve seen in them since I got back home a month ago isn’t anywhere to be found. Pure, unadulterated love is shining bright.
I’m going to get those damn words out of her. She might believe she wouldn’t give me them until our bodies are naked and fused tight, but I know I won’t make it that long.
Even if it kills me, I’m getting them before that.
When I watch her shimmy back down to her seat, the skirt of her dress riding up and giving me a glimpse of her white panties, I really do think I might die before then.
“What’s wrong?” I question when Leigh returns to our table after a quick bathroom break.
“Nothing,” she mumbles at the table, not looking me in the eye.
“The fuck, darlin’?”
“It’s nothing, Maverick. Just leave it alone and let’s finish our dessert.”
She picks up her fork and takes her sweet-ass time getting a bite of the chocolate cake that had arrived while she was gone. I wait, silently, hoping for some sort of a clue to why her mood went from blissfully happy to sullen in a span of five minutes.
I open my mouth to press harder for answers, but when I hear the sound of catty giggling behind her, I shift my attention to the duo of women coming from the bathroom. They’re looking at the back of Leigh’s head, snickering and whispering to each other, but they’re doing a shit job if they think it isn’t obvious who they’re talking about.
“You know them?” I ask her with a bite in my voice.