Us…and our love.
My lips crashed against Amelia’s. Her words tumbled in my heart, screaming a million and one different things as we got lost in our kiss. I wanted to do this every damn minute of the day.
I dropped my hands from her face and wrapped my arms around her. Lifting her up, I kissed her deeply, trying to fill her with the happiness that she had brought to me already.
When I slowly placed her back on the ground, I drew back. My breathing heavy, and my chest light.
Amelia swayed and grabbed my arms. “Jesus, what you do to me with your kisses, Wade Adams.”
Grinning, I kissed her forehead. “I could say the same thing about you, Amelia Parker.”
I loved hearing my name roll off her lips. I couldn’t wait to hear it while I made love to her.
I took her hand in mine. “Want to see the inside?”
She nodded. “Is it safe to go in?”
“Yeah, I had an inspector check out the whole house. It has good bones. All it needs is a cleaning, painting, some wood replaced here and there. And air conditioning.”
We made our way up the large, stone steps. The massive wraparound porch was amazing, and I could tell Amelia was being pulled in by the house.
“It’s like something out of an old book. My mind is racing with stories right now!”
My stomach did a weird dip as I watched her take everything in. I loved seeing her excitement. I’d thought she would go nuts over the house, and I was right.
“Wait! I need a notebook.”
She rushed down the steps to my truck. I wasn’t surprised to see her pull a small notebook and pen out of her purse. She rushed back to me and wrote something. I glanced at it:
She took my hand. “Let’s go inside. I’m dying to see it.”
I unlocked the door, and we walked into a small hall. To our left, see-through book shelves led to the parlor, and a grand fireplace stood in the middle of the outside wall. We continued to another room.
“Must be a bedroom,” I said as Amelia squeezed my hand.
We walked in, and she gasped. “Oh my! Look at this fireplace. This mantel. It’s exquisite. Look at the tin on the ceilings, Wade! Look at the woodwork! It’s all so amazing! How has it all stayed in such good shape?”
I smiled and squeezed her hand. “It is, isn’t it? After I found the place, I asked Mrs. Hamilton. She said her mother told her never to go into the house. When she got older, she came in and fell in love. She’s been having someone come once a month to clean and keep things in order.”
“Wow!” I whispered. “Joanna Gaines would have a heart attack from all the shiplap!”
“Who?” I asked, while Amelia spun around the middle of the room, taking everything in.
“You know, the Fixer Upper lady on HGTV.”
I gave her a blank expression. “Nope. No clue.”
“It doesn’t matter. Is that the bathroom?”
Amelia walked into the bathroom and gasped again. “Look at the porcelain claw foot tub. Look at this arch!”
I was drawn to the cabinets. Years of no one touching them and they were still beautiful. An old washtub sat in the middle of things, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“This piece of furniture looks like it was built especially for this area of the bathroom. Look at the carvings.”
Amelia made her way over to me and dropped down to examine it. “Stunning! Why would anyone abandon this house?”
We made our way through the bathroom door and into another bedroom. This one didn’t have a fireplace.
“I wonder whose room this was,” Amelia said.
“I’m sure I can try to find out some information from Mrs. Hamilton.”
She simply nodded and walked into another living area.
“It’s huge! I’m going to guess this was the sitting room. Wade, can you imagine this house filled with beautiful, antique furniture? Please, tell me you intend to bring it back to its glory days.”
Laughing, I shrugged. “Sure. You might have to help me, though. Late eighteen-hundreds décor is not really my thing.”
Her grin nearly knocked me off my feet. “I’d love to help! Let’s see the kitchen.”
We made our way into a large kitchen. There was really nothing to it. Cabinets, which were beautiful, an old farm sink, and a fireplace where I imagined they did the cooking.
“Look at this dining room! Holy shit! It could hold a table big enough to seat my whole family. It’s huge.”
Amelia ran her hand along the chair rail and barely touched the wallpaper. “I’m stunned this wallpaper has not fallen off with the humidity and heat after all these years.”
“So am I.”
“Let’s keep going! This is exciting!”
We came to another room off the kitchen. “Butler’s pantry, maybe?”
I shrugged again. We walked into another bedroom and I gasped.
“Holy shit,” we said at the same time.
“Wade, this must have been the main bedchamber.”
“Bedchamber?”
She shook her head. “Bedroom. Like the master bedroom.” Amelia walked to a door and turned back to me.
“You don't think this is real gold, do you? The doorknobs and hardware?”
“Maybe gold-plated. I can’t see even someone with a ton of money doing something so foolish.”
She raised a brow. “You’d be surprised. Mrs. Hamilton’s family is crazy rich, and she herself did the weirdest things with her money. The apple might not have fallen far from the tree.”
Opening the door, Amelia stepped in…and screamed.
“What?” I asked, rushing into the bathroom. Amelia was down on her knees in front of an old bathtub. “Copper.” Glancing up at me, she exclaimed, “They had a copper tub! Do you know how beautiful this will be when you get it cleaned?” Amelia jumped up. “We have to see what’s upstairs! Come on!”
She grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me up the stairs. Then she threw open the door at the top and squealed. “This would make the most stunning writing room! Wade, it has a view of the river!”
We walked to the window. “And there’s a rooftop porch,” I added.
“Shut up!” Amelia shouted as she hit me in the stomach so hard I bent over.
Before I could get my breath back, she was on the deck, jumping.
“Lord, I hope the roof is okay,” I mumbled while I made my way out the door.
Amelia spun around and ran into my arms. “Thank you for showing me this! I’m so excited for you.”
I held onto her and felt something new—something I never dreamed I would feel. I wanted Amelia to live in this house with me…
For the rest of my life.
Holy shit. Where is this coming from?
We hadn’t even known each other two months, and I was making plans about living together.
Forever.
When she drew back, I forced a smile. “You’re welcome. I’m glad we got to see it together. Now, hold on, I need to go back to the truck. There’s been a change of plans.”
With a confused look, Amelia asked, “What kind of change?”
“Where we’re eating dinner. I think this is the perfect spot.”
Before she could say anything, I jogged back down the stairs to my truck. I grabbed the basket, cooler, and bag before I made my way up to the roof.
Amelia put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, giving me the cutest damn grin I’d ever seen. “A picnic? Wade, you planned a picnic?”
I nodded and set everything down. Before I knew it, Amelia had her arms wrapped around me and was kissing the living shit out of me. It didn’t take me long to return the kiss.
Pulling her in close, I wrapped my hand around her neck and deepened the kiss, pressing my hard cock into her stomach so she knew what she was doing to me. A small moan slipped from her mouth, fueling the fire of our kiss.
When we finally had to stop for air, she peeked at me and smiled. My heart stilled as I stared in
to those beautiful blue eyes.
“That was some kiss,” she managed to say. Her chest rose and fell with each breath.
“Just wait, darlin’. I plan on kissing you more. A lot more.”
As if the high from touring the old house wasn’t enough, Wade had to go and do something utterly romantic.
And that kiss. My God, that kiss.
Wade laid out the blanket as I watched. My fingertips moved lightly over my still-tingling lips.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked, sinking down on the blanket and pulling my knees under me.
Wade opened the basket and pulled out two glass dishes. He grabbed the bag and took out paper plates, forks, knives, and napkins.
“You've done this before, Mr. Adams.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Actually, a certain young lady gave me the idea when I was out walking her goat. She told me girls liked picnics. That her daddy takes her mommy on them all the time.”
I grinned. “Don’t you just love her? Chloe has brought so much joy to our family. I can’t wait for the new baby!”
“I do adore Chloe. She is funny as hell. Jesus, the things that come out of her mouth.”
I giggled in agreement. “If Steed only knew some of the things Chloe shared with us.”
He stopped what he was doing. “Oh, tell me! She told me she walked into the room the other night and her daddy and mommy were wrestling in bed, but she shut the door cause her mommy had no clothes on. I almost died.”
We both busted out laughing.
Wade shook his head. “I tried hinting to Steed to put some kind of warning system in the house that alerted them if Chloe got out of bed! He asked why he would do that. I had nothing to come back with. Nothing!”
My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard as he turned back to the picnic basket.
“I wasn’t sure if you liked wine, so I brought the next best thing. Bud Light.”
I reached for the beer and winked. “That’s perfect. What’s in the glass dishes?”
He peeked over at me. “A recipe Waylynn gave me.”
With a raised brow, I replied, “Waylynn was in on this, too, huh?”
His grin had my heart melting. He pulled back the lid on the glass dish, and my mouth began to water.
“Ohmygawd. Waylynn’s barbecue enchiladas! Wade, this is my favorite dish my sister makes!”
He chuckled. “I know. I asked her what I should make, and she gave me this recipe. Said it might win me some brownie points.”
Lifting my brows, I replied, “You never know. Depends on how well you made it.”
Wade put an enchilada on the plate. Handing it to me, he stopped and said, “If you don’t like it, you have to promise me a do-over.”
I reached for the plate. “Please, the fact that you cooked my favorite food, brought my favorite beer, and picked a romantic spot—trust me, it could taste like shit, and I’d still be swooning until I was senseless.”
He stared at me as I took a bite. I closed my eyes and let the savory tastes of the barbeque sauce and cream cheese settle in. I chewed slowly, not wanting to let that first bite go.
When I opened my eyes, Wade was looking at me with wide, hopeful eyes. I let a small smile play across my face.
“Wade Adams, we are totally going to second base with this dish.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. I smiled and got back to eating. Wade made a plate and we sat and ate while we talked about his plans for the future.
“A few months ago, if you were to tell me I’d be in Texas sitting on the roof of an old house talking about doing a major remodel, I’d say you were insane. I was in a bad place and your brother really pulled me out of it. I’m in his debt.”
I set my empty plate down. “Do you use singing as an escape? I heard you singing the other night. Sounds carry far in the country, you know? You must have been on your porch.”
My cheeks flushed with heat at the memory of Wade naked. That was a little secret I intended on keeping to myself.
He half-shrugged. “I guess I do. Sometimes.”
“Have you always liked to sing?”
“Since I can remember. I used to sing in the choir at church. That made my mother happy,” he said with a grin. “She thought I was destined to do something else besides run the ranch.”
“Did she not like living on the ranch?”
“Oh, no, she loved it. But I think she thought my dream was to be onstage. It never was. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. Doing it every now and then is one thing, but doing it for a living? I love ranching. The dirt, the animals, figuring how to make farming better. That’s where my heart is. That’s my true passion.”
I chewed my lip before asking the next question. “Do you write your own songs?”
He nodded. “I’ve written some.”
“Will you sing one to me someday?”
His eyes lit up and when they fell to my lips, I licked them. His stare quickly met mine again.
“I will.”
“Promise me.”
Wade reached over and took my hand. “I promise. Now, let’s dance.”
He stood and pulled me up with him. Through my laughter, I argued, “We don’t have any music.”
I should have known better when it came to Wade. He reached into his little bag of tricks and pulled out a Bose speaker. Connecting it to his phone, he set it on the edge of the wall. He searched for a song and smiled when he found the one.
He flashed me a sexy-as-hell grin and set his phone down, holding his hand out for me to take it. The second the music started I knew it was Frank Sinatra.
“Witchcraft” played, and I couldn’t help but giggle. He pulled me against him, and we danced on the roof of the old house. My heart hammered. I’d never in my life been so happy.
I was falling in love with Wade Adams and that didn’t scare me at all. It should have, but somehow I knew this man would guard my heart with his life.
Moving my mouth against his neck, I said, “If you were going for third base, you were successful, cowboy.”
He pulled back and captured my eyes. “You bewitch me, Amelia. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you to know I want you.”
His eyes closed and a beautiful smile appeared on his face.
“I really want you,” he said, opening his eyes and looking at me again. “But our first time together isn’t going to be fucking in the back of my truck or even on this roof. It’s going to be special, because that’s what you deserve. I want to make our first time together so magical it feels like our first time ever.”
My throat bobbed as I swallowed hard. “I didn’t think men thought about that kind of thing anymore. Making it special for the first time.”
Wade ran his finger down the side of my face and along my jaw. “I do.”
And there it was.
I was head over heels, no doubt about it, in love with Wade Adams, and he hadn’t even made love to me.
“With Every Breath I Take” started, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I looked up at him.
“Kiss me, Wade. Touch me. Please.”
My voice was needy. It sounded strange, but I didn’t care. I needed more. So much more. And it wasn’t a need like the one I’d felt with Liam, or any other man. It was on such a different level. I longed to be with Wade. To feel his body against mine.
Framing my face with his hands, he kissed me slowly, perfectly. A blissfulness moved between us and I knew this was only the first of many moments this man would make my stomach drop and my head go dizzy.
He picked me up, carrying me over to the blanket. He gently set me down, moving the basket out of the way, and looked directly into my eyes.
“Lie back, darlin’.”
My pulse raced. I’d never anticipated a man’s touch like this before. When another Frank song started I was lost in the words and the feel of Wade’s hand slowly moving up my leg.
“You’re so beautiful, Amelia Parker.”
Arching my back, I sile
ntly pleaded with him for more. His fingers lightly brushed over my panties, causing me to suck in a breath.
The romantic, old-fashioned music and his slow touch made it seem like what we were doing was forbidden. My body had never been so in tune to touch like this before.
Hot breath hit my neck, and my entire body shivered.
His fingers moved slightly under my panties, teasing me with what was to come. “Are you wet, darlin’?”
“Wade,” I said, breathy. My mind was spinning, and my heart raced at a wild pace.
My legs spread wider as his hand dipped farther into my panties.
“Open your eyes. I want you looking at me when I push my fingers inside of you.”
I popped my eyes open and found Wade’s lips were inches from mine. His eyes blazed with a fire that had my stomach dipping. One quick brush over my lips, and he pushed his fingers in. I gasped, then quickly moaned in pleasure.
Wade smiled and pulled his fingers out, causing me to whimper in protest.
Then he brought them to his lips and slowly put them in his mouth. And I about died. He moaned and closed his eyes while slowly withdrawing his fingers.
“Amazing,” he whispered.
Hottest. Moment. Of. My. Life.
His hand was back in my panties and my hips lifted with anticipation. This time he kissed me while pushing them back in.
His kiss coupled with his fingers moving inside me was pure heaven. It wasn’t going to take me long to have an orgasm.
His palm pressed against my clit, and I was tossed over the edge. Pulling back, I cried out his name as I grabbed his shirt.
“Wade!”
His lips were on my neck, peppering it with hot kisses. “That’s it, darlin’. Tell me how it feels.”
“Oh. God. Feels so good.”
His rhythm drove me to orgasm. It felt like it lasted forever. When I finally came down from the clouds, Wade was grinning.
“You’re flushed, Ms. Parker.”
I dropped my hold on his shirt and placed my hand over my cheek. “I am.”
Wade moved over me, pushing my dress up so that I could wrap my legs around him. Pressing his hard-on into me, I arched my back and hissed, “Yes.”