“You did. More than once. It was the dress.”
“No. It was you.” His voice was raspy, sexy, as his hand moved over her bottom under the sheet. “I don’t feel any dress here now and it’s still you.” His fingers danced patterns on her skin. “I was the envy of every man tonight. Still am.”
She wasn’t sure about that, but judging by the way he’d watched her all night, how she’d catch him staring at the most benign times, he made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. The only woman.
She slid her leg over his hips and ran her hands up his glorious chest. She needed to be with him again. Right now. His hands tangled in her hair, and a satisfied and solely male sound passed his lips, telling her he wanted that too.
She rolled fully on top of him, her thighs brushing his, her toes touching his one shin and he stiffened. Tension filled his entire body and even in the dark she saw the change in his face. His hands went to her hips to move her to his other side. “No.” She held tight to his shoulders and raised up enough to meet his eyes.
“Don’t. Don’t hide anything from me.” She wanted all of him, nothing off-limits, and nothing holding him back. “Not from me,” she whispered, running her lips up his throat, over his slightly stubbly jaw. “It doesn’t bother me.”
His fingers still held, his eyes locked with hers, but he wasn’t pushing her away. “Because of you or because of Casey?”
She hated the questions she saw in his eyes, knew a man like Jake would hate having them. She brushed her lips over his softly, then again. “Maybe because of you,” she whispered against his lips, sliding her damp and swollen center along his erection. “Mmm. I’m pretty sure it’s you.”
“Paige…”
She sighed again, loving the sound of her name on his lips. “You don’t want me to stop, do you?”
He groaned and his eyes closed. “What was the question?”
She sat back so she could take him in her hand, drawing his mind away from things that didn’t matter. She continued to stroke him another minute, then came back to his lips. The kiss was deep and full of unspoken words and when she centered herself over him, slid slowly down his length, more than their bodies were connected. She lifted herself up, then down, driving them higher, until they both remembered a condom. After that, he took over and they both forgot everything.
Chapter 20
A week later the three of them arrived in Virginia. The ride from the airport to Freedom Farm was about forty minutes and filled with Casey’s questions and animated conversation between Jake and Stephen, because it hadn’t been a volunteer to pick them up, but Jake’s older brother. Tall, with dark hair and brown eyes, she could definitely see the family resemblance. Paige had just about memorized everyone’s name and their spouse by the time they arrived. She doubted she’d be here long enough to learn all their kids’ names. There were so many she’d already lost count, she thought, smiling.
They topped a small rise and she got her first sight of Freedom Farm. The barn was red with a rounded gray roof and a tiny loft window. Horses grazed behind weathered fencing to the right and left. It could have been a painting over the mantel in a fancy home, or a picture you’d see in a textbook depicting the great American farm. Or maybe beside the definition of happy place.
“Here we are,” Stephen said as Casey chattered and squealed with excitement.
They parked in front of the wide-open barn doors and got out. Casey stood beside Paige, her blue eyes wide, taking in the scene. Two large dogs raced into the barn, then just as quickly out again, yipping with joy. A woman with a long, wheat-colored braid followed them out. She wore jeans and boots and a dark blue top that hugged her very pregnant belly.
“Hey, babe.” Stephen greeted her with a kiss. “Paige, this is my wife, Hannah, riding instructor extraordinaire. Hannah, this is Paige and Casey.”
Hannah greeted Paige with a hug, then moved to Jake. She gave him a long look full of affection. “It’s good to see you. I wanted to pick you up myself, but I had a full day.” She knelt in front of Casey. “Hi. You must be Casey.”
“I am.”
“Would you like to meet the horses?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, we don’t have to do it now,” Paige said quickly. “I don’t want to make your day any longer.”
“Are you kidding? I was planning on it. I figured that’d be the first thing she’d want to do when she got here. Right, Casey?”
Casey nodded.
“No reason to make her wait.” Hannah held her hand out to Casey and they all started toward the barn. “You’ll be staying in the cabin, which is right on the way to our house. And…” She swung her gaze to Jake. “You’ll be staying…”