Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“When I learned Vale was missing, I got some of the guys from the farm together. We went after him.”
“Are you saying you went into an active combat zone? How did you even manage to get inside?” She gasps like this is the craziest part of the story. If only she knew what really happened that day.
I give her a look. At the same time, we repeat Vale’s words, “Obstacles are for civilians.”
It’s what he always used to say. He was so proud of being a United States Marine. He lived that pride every single day.
“That’s how you injured your foot?” She guesses.
I shrug. “I would have given my life to have brought him back to you.”
“But you went through all of those surgeries, and you were alone.” She swallows hard.
I can’t complain about this to her. It’s not right, not when she lost her brother. After all, Vale was alone and by himself. Even now, I can’t bring myself to question what his final minutes must have been like. Was he frightened? Was he thinking of his sister and aunt? Did he remember me?
“You should have told me. I would have been there for you,” Lauren insists.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I wish you would have said something. You’re always the one who’s there for me. I can call you with anything and—” She stops. The look on her face just about guts me, but she shakes her head and finishes the last bite of her sandwich. “Thanks for lunch.”
I frown, not understanding her abrupt mood change. “What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t even know you went after Vale.”
“Because there was nothing to tell you. There was only disappointment and heartbreak at the end of that journey. I didn’t want you to carry that.”
“Well, maybe I wanted to carry that with you. Did you ever consider that?”
I stare at her for a long moment. I can’t tell her the truth without tipping my hand. Because the truth is that I want to shield Lauren from every bad and awful thing in this world. And if that means I bear darkness and heartache on my own, then I’ll gladly take that pain. I’ll endure it because she is sweetness and sunshine.
She sighs softly. “I’m only ever going to be his kid’s sister to you, aren’t I?”
“No, that’s not what this is about.”
“Then what’s this about?”
I hesistate, trying to figure out what to tell her. Finally, I decide to start att the beginning. “I was raised on a farm by a cowboy named Clay. He looked after me. He fed me and clothed me. He played games with me every day, and he taught me to work the land.”
“But he wasn’t your dad?”
I don’t tell her that he never let me call him dad or how damn much that still hurts. I push back against the pain. Doesn’t matter. Not anymore. “No, he wasn’t my dad. Whenever I’d ask him about my parents, he would tell me these amazing stories. They were royalty from another country, and they would be arriving to take me back to the palace any day. Or he would say they were living in a far flung forest studying the animals, and when I got old enough I would join them. But none of that was true.”
“So where were your parents then?”
“I still don’t know to this day. He passed away without ever telling me. No matter how much I begged, he never would. At some point I figured, they must not have been good people. Maybe he did me a favor.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I’m not trying to keep you out or push you away. I’m just not used to anyone caring about me.” I step closer to her and cup her face. “Don’t mistake my silence for apathy. It’s anything but that. Not when it comes to you.”
She whimpers my name.
I kiss her, tasting the sweet tea and innocence on her lips. My cock hardens. I want her again already with a need that’s almost feral.
“Bronco…” She calls my name softly.
“I want another taste,” I tell her, getting to my knees. She’s not wearing panties, and my cock grows impossibly harder at the sight of her pink pussy, still slick and swollen from where I took her earlier.
“Wait.” She threads her fingers through my hair. “Only do this if you plan to let me return the favor later.”
Fuck me, the thought of Lauren on her knees for me is too much. I unbutton my pants to ease some of the pressure on my cock. Then I lick that pretty little slit until she’s creaming against my beard and swearing under her breath as she begs for mercy.
When I get to my feet, I grab her hips and drag her half off the counter. She’s impaled, taking me so tightly in her snug channel. Sweat runs down my back as I bounce her up and down. Every motion earns a desperate moan from her lips and another swipe of her nails against my skin. But this is more than just slaking my physical lust. Something in my chest is cracking wide open. I’ve tried to hold back, to keep my distance. But I can’t anymore, and I’m finally admitting it to myself. Lauren is mine. Always has been, and I’ll never be anything but hers.