17. Madison
Nate Sullivan had turned me into a horny mess. I couldn’t walk into his family’s dinner looking like I was about to burst into flames, so I changed the subject as we walked. “Tell the truth. Are you alright with Harper inviting me tonight?”
“I’m so damn glad that she did. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since she texted me. I’m just pissed I didn’t invite you myself. I want you to be here as my guest.”
“Too bad,” I teased. “Harper is my new favorite Sullivan.”
“You won’t be saying that after I make you come on my tongue later tonight,” he said confidently.
No man had ever said anything like that to me. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. “You are awfully confident in your skills, Sullivan.”
“No woman has ever been disappointed.”
I had been enjoying our flirty teasing, but that comment snapped me back to reality. Nate was a 32-year-old man. He had likely been with dozens of women, including one he had loved. I had been with zero men and had no idea what I was doing. Maybe he’d never left a woman disappointed, but what if I disappointed him?
“Hey.” He bumped his arm into mine. “Where did you just go? You’ve got a panicked look in your eyes.”
“Just freaking out about meeting your family.”
“You’ve met nearly all of them already. As for the others, well, Evan gets along with everyone and Dad will probably try to embarrass me in front of you, but he’ll be kind to you. Evan doesn’t have his kids tonight so it will just be the adults. You’ll have fun,” he promised. “But if Dad starts saying something weird, just ignore him. He’s going to be thrilled to have a new audience for his terrible dad jokes.”
“I can’t ignore your father. That would be rude.”
“It’s your call, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Nate pointed toward a body of water way off in the distance. I could see a house just beyond it. “That’s my place.”
“Really?” I squinted to see if I could get a better look. “Can we go there after dinner?”
“It will be dark and we don’t have lights hooked up yet. I promise to bring you back in the daylight.” His response was so sincere that I knew he wasn’t just blowing me off.
“I love that it’s right by the water.” I could envision sitting with Nate on the dock, maybe watching a couple of kids fishing in the pond. That was a startling thought.
“We all used to skinny dip in that pond back in high school. You can’t see it from the main house.”
“Is that why you chose that plot of land? For privacy?”
He nodded. “That was part of the reason. I wanted to be near one of the ponds, too. This ranch is large, but only certain parts of it are right for building a house. I wanted something where I could be close to the family, but still far enough away that when I start my own family, we’ll be able to do our own thing.”
“That looks like a decent size house. Are you planning for a big family?”
He smirked at me. “Someone has to give Gran all those great-grand-babies that she wants. Evan knocked out two, but he’s not having any more. The rest of my siblings are still single. It feels like the first one of us to find our person is going to lead the way on the baby-making.”
“How many babies are you planning on making?” I asked nervously.
“That’s not entirely up to me,” he said with a laugh. “But I always thought I’d have three or four kids. I love having so many siblings and I want my kids to have that when they are growing up.”
“You’re going to have enough bedrooms in that house?” I looked over again but the house was even farther in the distance now.
“Five bedrooms,” he confirmed. “And I’m going to build a small apartment over the garage for any visitors. Dad has room at the main house, but I think it would be nice to have an option for guests at our house.”
My breath hitched. “Our?”
“My. My house.” He looked away in a hurry, but not before I saw the hint of blush on his cheeks. Nate had been thinking of me living in that house with him.
“Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. Your future wife is going to be a lucky lady.” I was disappointed to see that we were already back at the main house. I wanted to keep walking the ranch and talking to Nate about the future.
“I’m sure a life on the ranch doesn’t sound all that glamorous to a woman like you, but I think it could be a really nice life with the right person.” He was still avoiding looking at me.
“It sounds like a perfect life, Nate.” I squeezed his hand and leaned into his arm. “A woman like me could be really happy with a life like that. With the right person.”
Just as he was turning to look at me with the sweetest smile on his face, a horn blared as Harper’s truck raced up the dirt road behind us. Ronan was behind the wheel with Harper in the passenger seat. When he slammed on the brakes, Evan and Chase jumped out of the bed of the truck.
“Have a nice walk, lovebirds?” Chase asked, punching Nate’s arm. “What do you think of the ranch, Madi? Is it everything you hoped it would be?”
“I love it.” It was an honest answer. Everything here was so different from the life I knew, but I had never felt more at peace. “Even with Nate’s annoying siblings lurking around.”
“Hey!” Harper snapped, slamming her door. “I am not annoying. You adore me. I am your favorite Sullivan, remember?”
“What?” Nate looked at me with exaggerated shock.
I winced. “Harp, you weren’t supposed to tell the others, remember?”
“Sorry!” She grabbed Ronan’s arm and started pulling him toward the house. “You are making me one of your famous margaritas before dinner, Huntley.”
A small smile formed on his lips as he looked at Harper with deep affection. Despite being significantly taller and broader than her, Ronan let Harper pull him up the porch steps. Chase followed close behind, insisting that his margaritas were better.
“I’m Evan, by the way.” The only man I hadn’t yet met stuck out his hand. “My fiancé told me all about you.”
“Oh no.” I shook his hand with a smile. “I don’t know what she told you, but Lily is a liar.”
“It was only good things.” Evan’s smile was almost as perfect as Nate’s. He winked at his brother. “Dad is going to love her. You’d better be planning on marrying her.”
“Fuck, Evan. We’ve known each other for ten days.” Nate groaned. “Saying shit like that is going to scare her away.”
His distress was adorable. “I’m not easily scared, Sullivan.”
“Good.” He surprised us both by leaning close to press a kiss to my temple. “Because I don’t want you to go anywhere, angel.”
“That’s my cue to leave.” Evan chuckled as he climbed the porch steps.
“What do you think Lily told him about me?” I bit down on my lip and looked toward the house.
“Just that you’re beautiful and amazing and out of my league,” Nate said, putting a hand on my lower back to guide me up the steps. “She wouldn’t have told him your secret. Lily would understand the need to keep your identity protected.”
I could hear the boisterous Sullivan clan talking and laughing even before Nate opened the door for me. He waited patiently for me to take in all the details after I stepped over the threshold. The Sullivan homestead was unlike any house I had ever seen. The first floor was one monstrous room with wood walls and vaulted ceilings. Everything was rustic and cozy, a perfect blend of comfort and function. A large fireplace was the centerpiece of the living room and it was flanked by two large leather couches.
To the right of a doorway was a more relaxed sitting room that had a large television mounted over a small fireplace. This room had a large sectional and several plush armchairs. I could imagine all of the Sullivans gathered in here on Christmas morning with an 8-foot Christmas tree in front of the bay window.
The room transitioned flawlessly into an equally large dining room with a table that could seat at least eighteen people. The chairs were beautifully carved and matched the table perfectly.
“This dining set is incredible,” I said, running a hand over the back of one of the chairs. “Where do you find something this beautiful in Crestwood?”
“You have your son make it.” The deep voice that answered came from an older man who was watching us from the arched opening in the wall that led to the kitchen. “Nate is quite talented, isn’t he?”
“You made this?” I gaped at Nate in awe.
This time when he blushed, his ears turned red. “Yeah. You could call it a hobby of mine.”
“This isn’t a hobby,” I argued. “This is art. This is an incredible talent.”
“I think so too.” The older man stepped into the room and held out his hand. “I’m Tom Sullivan. Proud father to this young man.” He smiled warmly at Nate. “You must be Madison. Harper and the boys were just telling me all about you.”
“My reputation precedes me.” I winced as I shook his hand. “What’s the verdict?”
“They undersold both your beauty and your charm.” His wink was just as magnetic as his smile. It was easy to see how the Sullivan brothers had all grown up to be so charismatic. They also had their dad’s good looks.
“Watch it, old man,” Nate said, stepping close to me.
“Relax, son.” Tom had a booming laugh that brought out my smile. “I’m not flirting with your girl. Bring her into the kitchen and let’s get her a drink.”
Just like that, I was part of Sunday dinner at the Sullivan homestead. Over the next couple of hours, I fell in love with that home and the people around the dinner table. Lily arrived just as we were sitting down to eat and she went out of her way to include me in the conversation. I was naturally a more quiet person, while Lily and Harper were both outgoing. I found out that they had been best friends since their college days and Lily had only recently moved to Crestwood and started dating Evan.
That was hard to believe when seeing them together. Evan didn’t stop staring at her through most of the meal and Lily blushed whenever he smiled at her or called her sweetheart. The Sullivan men apparently had a thing for using affectionate endearments for their women.
After dinner, I was surprised when the brothers were the ones to jump up and start clearing the table. I had just assumed that the Sullivan family followed a more traditional view of housework where the women were expected to cook and clean while the men handled the physical labor.
Harper explained that when their mom was alive, she always did the cooking and Tom did the cleaning. After she died, Tom and Harper had taken up the cooking and the boys had taken over cleaning duties. That had stuck over the years even though everyone contributed to family meals now. Since Lily and Harper had made the pies that we’d had for dessert, they were off the hook for the clean-up work.
“My boys weren’t raised to marry a mother figure,” Tom explained. “They can cook, clean, and do their own laundry. I made sure of that.”
“And I can change my own oil and swing a hammer,” Harper added proudly. “But my brothers are so overbearing that they never let me.”
“Lucky and I raised the kids all the same. Didn’t matter that Harp was a girl. She had chores on the ranch just like the boys and they all had chores inside the house.” Tom pointed to where Ronan was rinsing the dishes. “And we added him to those chore lists the day he moved in. Everyone in this family contributes.”
“On that note, what can I do to help out? I want to contribute.”
“Next time,” Tom said, waving his hand. “You are a guest tonight but if you make a return appearance, you’ll be part of the family. We’ll put you right to work.”
“Hey.” Nate was smiling when he reappeared. “I’m going to steal my girl away and give her a tour of the rest of the house.”
Harper let out a happy little sigh when he called me his girl and Tom and Lily exchanged a knowing look. “Don’t keep her too long. We need to indoctrinate Madison later,” Tom said.
“What does that mean?” I looked at Nate as he pulled back my chair while I stood.
“Don’t worry about it.” He took my hand and started walking. “I thought you might like to see the upstairs. All of the bedrooms have a unique layout and design. Mom was really good at that sort of thing and I tried to incorporate it into the house I’m building.”
The grand staircase in the center of the house leveled onto a landing before redirecting in the other direction to take us to the second floor.
“Will I get to see your old bedroom?” I bounded up the last couple of steps with eagerness.
Nate’s chuckle was deep and sexy. “It will be the highlight of the tour, angel.”
“Your brother calls Lily sweetheart. You call me angel. Is that a Sullivan territory-marking thing?”
“Neither you nor Lily are territory and neither Evan nor I are dumb enough to think we could mark women like you.” His arm went smoothly around my shoulders. “Dad never called Mom by her name. He always called her Lucky. I can’t answer why Evan calls Lily sweetheart, but I call you angel because I always liked that Mom had a special name that only Dad used for her. I liked the way she had a smile she only ever used when he called her that name.”
“It’s too bad I didn’t get to meet your mom. I wish I could’ve seen that smile.” I knew that Penny Sullivan had likely been an incredible woman given the way her children had turned out.
“Sometime you should look in the mirror when I call you angel. You’ll see the smile.” He pressed his lips to that special spot on my temple where only he had ever kissed me.
Nate gave me a quick tour of the many bedrooms upstairs. He was right that each one had a distinctive setup and it almost felt like we were at a touristy bed and breakfast rather than a family home. The last room we entered was his childhood bedroom.
“You won’t find any embarrassing mementos from my youth,” he said as I began scouring every inch of the room. “I stayed here for a while after I moved back home and made sure to burn anything remotely mortifying.”
That was disappointing. I was hoping to find at least one embarrassing teenage photo of Nate to prove to myself that he wasn’t actually perfect. “What about that bed? How many teenage girls did you deflower on that mattress?”
“That mattress? None. It’s new.” He grinned and cupped my chin in his hand. “Do you want to be the first?”
“We can’t… do that while everyone is downstairs.” The heat in my cheeks was matched by the heat building low in my belly.
“No, we can’t,” he agreed. “Because if we’re gone too long, they’ll come find us, and when we do that we’re going to need a few hours.” His hand moved down until it was curved around my neck. “But we could do other things…”
“Like?” My pulse pounded beneath his hand.
His nose skimmed my jaw as he pressed a kiss to my neck. “I have some ideas. We can start by watching the sunset.”
“Um… okay.” That was not where I had expected him to go with his suggestion.
“You sound disappointed? Did you have something else in mind?” He nipped at my earlobe and then grinned wickedly at me. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
“Your house, your rules.” I would do almost anything he asked me to do when he was smiling at me like that.
Nate steered me to the window that faced toward the west where the mountain range in the distance was highlighted by the last streaks of orange and pink before the sun would disappear completely.
“That is all Sullivan land,” he said, wrapping himself around me from behind. “All the way to the mountain ridge.
The ranch was huge. Much larger than I had originally guessed. “Who would have expected the sexy town bartender to be an heir to a ranching fortune?” I teased. “Maybe I’ll seduce you into marrying me for your money.”
“Says the multimillionaire celebrity.” He was back to kissing my neck. “But feel free to seduce me anyway. I wouldn’t mind being a trophy husband.”
His tongue traced the shell of my ear and I moaned while moving one hand up to grab his forearm. “Do you want me to tell you what we are going to do next, angel?”
“Yes,” I said through a hard exhale.
“I’m going to make you come using just my hand.” He moved quickly, sliding one hand under my sweater to stroke the skin just above the waistband of my leggings. “How does that sound?”
“Like a good start.” It was a wonder I was able to speak at all.
He chuckled against my skin as his fingers dipped under my waistband. “Has any man ever touched you like this?”
“Not a man. One of my teenage boyfriends.”
“Hm. I’m willing to bet he never touched you the way I’m about to touch you.” He moved his hand lower, slowly caressing my mound before sliding his middle finger over my wet lips. Another moan escaped my mouth.
The arm he had wrapped around me loosened just enough for him to position his hand over my breast. He squeezed it at the same time that his middle finger found my clit. I gasped and my body jerked.
“There she is,” he murmured, making a leisurely circle around my sensitive apex. “Do you like it fast or slow, babe?”
“I…I don’t…” Thoughts weren’t possible while he was still caressing me. “I don’t know.”
“I guess we’ll have to try both then.” He kissed my jaw and whispered. “Look at me.”
I was breathing hard as I turned my head only for him to capture my mouth with a hungry kiss. His tongue teased my lips, but he didn’t slip it inside. Not even when I touched my tongue to his lips.
“Has anyone ever been inside you, Madison?” he asked gently as his middle finger slid through my slickness until it rested at my opening.
“No.” It was more of a breath than a word.
His smile was smug and possessive. “Damn, babe. We’re both about to have some fun.” The tip of his finger circled around. “Is this what you want? My finger inside you?”
“Yes.” I wanted more than just his finger, but it seemed like a good place to start. “Please, Nate.”
“You don’t have to beg. Just do me a favor and take a deep breath and let it out slowly. You’re so tense right now I’m afraid you’re going to be too tight to enjoy it.” I did as he instructed and as my lungs emptied of air, his finger slid in deep. “You okay?”
“Yes. It feels good.” The pulsing of my heartbeat was spreading.
As Nate slowly stroked his finger in and out, he moved his thumb over my sensitive clit and I could feel myself growing wetter.
“You like that, Madison? You like having me inside you?” He covered my mouth again but this time, he plunged his tongue inside at the same time that he slid a second finger into me. His kiss was a vacuum that swallowed my gasp of pleasure. His fingers curled into the exact spot inside me that begged to be stroked with his thumb circling my clit with just the right amount of pressure. This time, I pulled away slightly as I let out a sharp cry.
“Nate,” I moaned, grinding my ass into him and feeling his erection pressing hard at my back. I began to pulse around his fingers, tightening as the tingle at the base of my spine expanded sharply. “Oh my god.”
“Let go, babe. Come for me.” His fingers curled again and twisted, then curled once more and his thumb pressed down at just the right time to trigger the start of my orgasm. The heat that had been building exploded as a tremble tore through my body. If Nate hadn’t been pinning me to his body, I would have fallen to the floor. As it was, my vision went hazy and a pressure built and snapped inside my head.
Nate kept moving his hand to draw out the aftershocks rocking my body. He pressed another kiss to my lips and sucked gently on my lower lip. “Did that teenage punk ever make you cry out his name?”
“No. Never,” I said around panting breaths. “That was my first. You were the first.”
“Excellent. That means I was also the best.”
“I’m pretty sure you would be anyone’s best, Nate. That was… well, that was worth the wait.”