I’ve never hurt a woman in my life, but Hope’s mother? I want to hunt this bitch down and kill her.
“I cut ties with her after that. Told Clay it wasn’t going to work, without giving him too many awful details. We spoke on the phone here and there, she came to Clay’s funeral, but other than that, I kept away from her.”
“Until I made you call her?”
She looks up at me finally, a sad smile stretched across her face. Her hand reaches up and rubs my cheek. “You didn’t know.”
Everything falls into place in that moment. Her running away when she can’t cope. Her lack of confidence. How hard it is for her to open up and trust. She’s basically been rejected by her own mother her whole life.
“I wish you had told me.”
She shrugs. “I’m not good at sharing my feelings, Rock. It’s really hard for me to let people in. You’re the first person to ever know so much of me. You’re unstoppable.”
I’m probably a complete asshole, but I really like the way she says that.
“You still should have told me. No more, Hope. If something bothers you—no matter how small you think it is—I want to hear about it. There won’t be secrets between us.”
“It was so far in the past. Female trouble. No man wants to hear about—”
I cut that shit off quick. “I’m your man. I want to know anything and everything about you.”
Her lips quirk into a brief smile. “When we met, I told you how much you freaked me out. Even then, I felt like you knew too much about me. I made such a big deal out of how I had a good marriage and would never cheat on my husband. I didn’t want you to think we had some shotgun wedding… I don’t know.”
“Honey, I never would have thought that about you. I just wish you had told me so I hadn’t pushed you into calling that bitch.”
“It was too painful. I’d get sick every time I remembered that whole time period. I was so mad at myself for not standing up to her sooner. I thought I’d dealt with it and put it behind me.” Her bright-green eyes, shiny with unshed tears, meet mine. “Then losing our baby the way I did? Rock, something must be really wrong with me. I feel so defective.”
“Hope, you’re the closest to perfection I’ve ever known. You heard the doctor. We can try when you’re ready. They’ll watch you like a hawk.”
She shifts closer to me so our thighs are touching, and I wrap my arm around her. “I just know you’d be such a good father,” she murmurs. “And I want to be able to give you that.”
My chest tightens with the feeling that I’m meant to take care of this wonderfully strong yet fragile woman. Beyond that, I admire her. Even though she’s had so many awful things happen in her life, it hasn’t turned her into a bitter person. She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. “We’ll figure it out together. I promise.”
She pulls away. “Thank you for always being so patient and understanding with me.”
The sweet, earnest way she expresses herself twists me. Cupping her chin, I stare into her green eyes and explain how things will be from now on. “Love you. And I do understand, but no more running away when you’re overwhelmed. No more pushing each other away. This is it. I need you—all of you—and you’re going to give yourself to me completely.”
Tears tumble down her cheeks, but I keep going. “We have no choice but to take what life throws at us. Good and bad. You’ve had so much bad, baby doll. More than your share. But what we have is good, and I’ll do whatever it takes to give you the best for as long as I’m alive.”
“I need you too.”
I’m so happy to hear her admit it. “We need each other,” I clarify because it’s the absolute truth. “Every part of me is yours, Hope. There isn’t another person in this world who owns me the way you do.”
Her arms band around my middle so tight she knocks me into the arm of the chair, but I hold on to her just as hard.
I’m never letting her go again.
Hope’s emotionally drained after our talk, so I tuck her in early. Having her back in my bed, in my arms… I can’t ever take this for granted again. With my girl right where she belongs, I sleep like the dead.
Before the sunlight even curls around the curtains, I’m awakened by Hope pressing her ass into my dick. Beside me, she stretches, and my sleepy arms wrap around her, my hand immediately groping and fondling. My face nuzzles into her hair until I find her neck. “Do that again, baby doll.”
She mumbles out a sleepy question, so I brush my thumb over her nipples, teasing her awake. She stretches hard, her body shuddering, her ass pressing into me again.
“Morning,” I whisper against her ear.
Her hand reaches back, pats my head, and she makes another contented sound.
I should let her sleep. But it’s been way too fucking long. My hands work their way to her sleep pants and tug them down her legs. Above me, she lets out a soft giggle, letting me know she’s been awake and messing with me.
That’s okay. I can be sneaky too.
Not done teasing me, she rolls over on her stomach and lets out a few fake snores. Reaching over to my nightstand, I quietly grab a condom and roll it on. My hands rub and stroke up the backs of her legs to her ass.
I place kisses along her spine, brush her hair aside, and continue kissing along her shoulder. “Good morning, my beautiful girl.”
She sleep mumbles something that sounds like, “Morning.”
“Baby doll, you can keep pretending you’re asleep, but I need to be inside you.”
Playful, sleepy Hope vanishes. Eager-for-my-cock Hope arches her back, lifting her ass to me. The curves of her hips fit my palms nicely as I pull her up and back.
“That’s my girl. I’ll go as slow as I can, but I’ve been waiting way too long. Just the sight of your sexy ass in the air has me ready to explode.”
“Mmm,” she answers.
Slowly, I work my cock inside her and have to pause—feels so fucking good to be home again. She whimpers and wriggles to get me moving.
Over and over I slide in and out, setting a relentless pace.
Her hands curl into the sheets, the sight driving me into her hard and fast. But she keeps up, thrusting back against me just as hard. Sitting back on my heels, I pull her into my lap.
“Work me, baby doll.”
This way, I can hold her. Run my hands over every inch of her and enjoy her gliding up and down my cock. She loops her arms back around my neck and turns her head. Leaning in, I take her lips in a long, lingering kiss.
With my hands gripping her hips, I lift her off me. She stretches out. Spreading her legs, she curls her finger at me in a “come here” gesture.
“I’m right here,” I rasp as I fall down over her and slide back into her tight heat.
Her hands glide up and down my arms, over my shoulders, into my hair. “You should wake me up like this every day,” she whispers.
“You started it, pressing your hot little ass into my dick.”
An indignant expression crosses her face. “I did not.”
My hands roam over every inch of her. My mouth finds one nipple, sucking it in, flicking my tongue over the hard peak. Her breathy cries only ramp me up more. My nose follows the curve of her neck, nipping and licking. She squirms, and that’s my cue to speed up. Leaning back, I hook my arms under her knees, dropping her legs over my shoulders, pounding in and out of her until she screams.
“Take it, baby.”
She takes everything, crying out as she comes apart underneath me.
Shortly after, I follow and collapse on top of her. “You’re so fucking perfect, baby doll.”
“You’re pretty fucking fantastic yourself, stud.”
Shaking with laughter, I roll over and get rid of the condom. I give her a quick slap on her ass and she yelps. “Come here, sass-mouth.”
She rolls over and lays her head on my chest. Her fingers trail the outline of my tattoos, down to the anchor on my hip.
We lie there in silence, running our
hands over each other. At some point, she falls asleep, and I enjoy the feeling of having her back in my arms.
After my morning wakeup call, it’s hard to get out of bed. Even harder when Rock wraps himself around me for round two.
When we finally pull ourselves out of bed and downstairs for breakfast, I’m starving.
“Gotta feed my girl. Need to keep your energy up,” Rock teases me with a smug grin.
“I think I kept up just fine.”
He plants a kiss on my mouth. “Yeah, you did.”
We’re not the only ones getting a late start this morning. Trinity, Wrath, and Murphy are sitting around one of the tables in an awkward sort of silence. Wrath jerks his chin at us when we come in, and Trinity turns, smiling broadly.
Z joins us as we’re finishing breakfast.
“Mornin’,” he calls out as he walks past us into the kitchen.
I lift an eyebrow at Trinity, and she shrugs. The guys are busy discussing business in a cryptic sort of way, as if Trinity and I care enough to pay attention.
Z returns with a plate and joins their conversation.
“So don’t get mad, but are you going to set a date now?” Trinity asks.
Well, that’s a conversation stopper.
Rock squeezes my hand. Wrath shoots Trinity a dirty look.
I glance at Rock. “Fall?”
“Sounds good,” Rock agrees.
Trinity claps her hands together. “Ooo! That will be perfect. It’s so pretty up here, and the weather will still be nice so you won’t freeze your ass off.”
Trinity’s off in wedding-planning mode. This time, I feel really good about it.
Actually, I can’t wait.
Trinity taps my arm. “I know I’m not a professional, but I’ve been practicing. Can I make the cake?”
“Please say no, Hope. We’re all gonna get fat with her making us taste-test everything,” Z grumbles.
Murphy laughs and slaps his hand over his stomach. “Speak for yourself, old man. My metabolism’s still in high throttle.”
Wrath snorts.
Ignoring the guys, I grin at Trinity. “Of course you can. I trust you.”
“Awesome. Now what about the engagement party?”
My cheeks heat up. The party should be in a few weeks. If I hadn’t screwed everything up.
Everyone at the table must know—
“I never canceled anything, Hope,” Trinity says soft enough that only I can hear her.
“What?”
“I had faith you two would work it out. I think we just need to change the location. We can do it here or at Rock’s house.”
“Trinity—I don’t know what to say.” Tears prick behind my eyes, and I take a deep breath so I won’t make a fool of myself in front of everyone.
“You’re going to need four-wheel drive in the winter up here, babe,” Rock informs me, probably to stop me from getting all weepy on Trinity. He points at Murphy. “He’ll help you figure it out.”
Next to me, Trinity bumps me with her elbow.
“What do you like, Hope?” Murphy asks.
Confused to find myself in the middle of this conversation, I mumble out, “Wait, what?”
“You remember how bad it gets in the winter. Your little sedan is never going to make it up the mountain and definitely not up our driveway,” Murphy explains. “You want a Jeep like Trin’s?” he asks with a nod at her.
I turn to Rock, hoping he’ll explain. “Uh?”
He jabs a finger toward Murphy. “Road captain. Vehicles are his job. But if you’d rather have me go with you, we can do that,” he says, squeezing my hand under the table.
“Rock just terrorizes the salesmen, Hope. He’s got no finesse. You’re better off with me,” Murphy jokes.
Rock shrugs. “Don’t have time for bullshit.”
“You don’t seem like a truck kinda girl,” Murphy persists.
Shaking myself into this bizarre conversation, I answer, “Winter is way off. Why are we talking about this now?”
Rock just shakes his head. Murphy shrugs. “Don’t want to put it off to the last minute.”
I huff out an irritated breath. “Okay, I don’t really care. Something that gets me from point A to B, has a decent radio, and is good on fuel, because I’m terrible about remembering to fill up my tank.”
Rock waves his hand in the air. “Prospects will take care of that.”
“There’s always enough vehicles around, Hope, if you need to borrow one,” Wrath adds.
Huh. My mouth pulls into a cheeky grin. “Good to know. I wouldn’t mind borrowing your bike.”
His surprise is impossible to conceal, but then his eyebrows lower and his mouth curves into a smirk. “You’re right. She does have a good sense of humor,” he says to Rock.
When everyone stops chuckling at the idea of me taking Wrath’s motorcycle for a joyride, Rock lifts his chin at Murphy. “Whatever she wants. Just let me know, and I’ll move it from my account.”
“Yup.”
My hand settles on Rock’s arm to get his attention. “Wait. I can buy my own car.”
Everyone at the table falls silent. Rock’s lips twitch. “Babe, you wouldn’t need it if you weren’t moving up here. I’ll take care of it,” he answers slowly.
Trinity leans over and mock whispers in my ear, “It will be easier if you just say yes, Rock.”
Wrath snorts with laughter.
I turn and glare at Rock. “Yes, Rock,” I mimic.
“Good girl,” he says with a smirk.
I kinda want to kick his ass.
But it’s also kind of sweet—in a bossy, overbearing, caveman sort of way.
Murphy’s jazzed about going shopping for a new vehicle. He’s obviously well suited to his job. “What do you think? SUV? Minivan?”
“Gosh no.” I gasp, which gets a laugh out of everyone. I think about it a little more. “Just nothing too big. I still need to parallel park downtown.”
He nods. “Normally, I prefer American made, but I’m thinking one of those little Subaru wagons would be perfect for you. All-wheel drive. We’ll put some studded snow tires on in the winter, and you’ll rip through anything.”
Rock rubs his hand over my back and leans over to whisper in my ear, “You won’t be leaving the bedroom much next winter. I’m looking forward to being snowed in with my wife—a lot.”
I shiver from the raw desire in his voice. I can’t wait to be Rock’s wife. Blushing, I glance down at the table. The guys chuckle at my unease.
Eventually, they turn their attention to other topics, and I sit back and enjoy the feeling of being home.
“I noticed you steered the conversation away from the engagement party this morning,” Hope says as I take her hand and lead her outside.
Stopping, I turn and grab her other hand. Our eyes meet, and her mouth turns up. Her pretty green eyes blink up at me, and I swear I could stare into them forever.
“I didn’t want you to get overwhelmed,” I explain. “Besides, we really do need to get you a better car for winter.”
She rolls her eyes, then tugs on my hands. I take the hint and lean down. She touches her forehead to mine. “I’m not overwhelmed. I’m actually really excited.” Her mouth curves into a dreamy smile. “I can’t wait for you to be my husband.”
There are no words to describe the pleasure I feel from hearing her say that.
I press a kiss to her forehead and tilt my head toward the woods. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She’s quiet as we hike. Every time I turn my head to check on her, she’s watching her feet. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she answers a little breathlessly.
When we reach our destination, I squeeze her hand, and she looks up.
“Rock, you kept building the house?” She gasps in her beautiful, awed way.
Circling behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her tight. “Our house. Of course I did. I told you—one way or another, you were always mine. Wil
l always be mine,” I add to make sure there are no misunderstandings.
“Thank you. I can’t believe how much work you’ve gotten done.”
It’s true. A lot of trees have been cleared out from the spot. Foundation and walls have been poured. We’re essentially looking at our basement.
Curling myself around her, I lean my chin on her shoulder and point. “That’s where I’m going to set up our sex room.”
Hope gasps and struggles to turn around. “What?”
I can’t keep the corners of my mouth down. The expression on her face—outrage and arousal—is both funny and sexy.
“Yeah, you told me about your friend’s dungeon room. Loved the idea.”
Her jaw drops. Christ, this is fun. “Not the entire basement.” I wave my hand at the foundation. “Only half of it.”
While I am enjoying messing with Hope, I’m also dead serious, and I think she knows it.
After teasing her until she’s giggling uncontrollably, she hiccups and can’t stop. Holding in my laughter is impossible. “I’m sorry, baby doll.”
“Jerk-hic-why-hic—” She sucks in a deep breath and holds it until they go away.
“Better?”
She nods. “Rock? I’m sorry.”
All the joking has gone right out of her. “‘Bout what?”
“Leaving the way I did. You said slow things down, and all I heard was rejection. And I’m sorry.”
Aw, fuck. I pull her close and wrap her in my arms. “My fault, baby. I knew better than to push you like that.”
“I’m glad you gave me some space to sort through things, but it scared me too.”
“I just wanted you to figure it out without me complicating things for you. Together or not, you were always mine.”
“That’s true,” she whispers.
I point in the direction of the clubhouse. “You don’t know how much shit they gave me.”
She tips up her head and laughs. “Even Wrath?”
“Hell yes. Z nagged me every fuckin’ day. Teller tried to be helpful by bringing girls up to our room.”
Her hands push me back. “That little fucker!” she shrieks. “I’m so gonna kick his ass.”
The outrage on her face is funny as fuck. Before she storms back to the clubhouse and attempts to carry out her threat, I yank her to me. “Don’t worry. I gave him a solid choking.”