Chapter 14 #2
“Lift your legs around my waist and hang on.”
Between the wall at her back and Boone’s firm grip on her ass, Mila was able to do exactly as he asked, wrapping her legs around him, lifting until the head of his cock was in position.
Boone hadn’t exaggerated his need as he thrust in deep, not stopping to give her time to adjust. Instead, he took her like a man possessed, pounding inside her like a jackhammer.
She loved when he took her this way, claiming her like it was their last day on earth. The way he needed her, wanted her… For a woman who’d been on her own for most of her adult life, it was a wonderful, magical thing.
Mila hit her head against the wall when she threw it back, the orgasm she hadn’t seen coming striking hard and fast.
“God,” she cried. “Boone!”
He didn’t give way, fucking her through that orgasm and straight into a second, her vision going so cloudy at the edges, she couldn’t see anything except him. His gorgeous face with those piercing dark brown eyes were locked on hers, a wealth of emotions swimming behind them.
They hadn’t ventured into the “feelings” talk yet. Mila had offered Boone time because he’d had strong opinions about remaining single when they met, and she didn’t want him to feel pressured into anything.
While Mila knew she hadn’t needed time when she’d suggested it, she was glad now that they’d taken it. Because it was solidifying her belief that he truly was the one…based on a hell of a lot more than a “love at first touch” legend and great sex.
Boone cupped her ass, kissing her roughly, even as he continued to thrust. Mila was grateful for his strength because her body was limp after those two orgasms.
“Boone,” she gasped.
“I’m there, darlin’. I’m there. Just hold on. One. More. Sec—” Boone came with a harsh grunt, driving his cock deep once, twice, three times before erupting, filling her.
Panting for air, Mila let her legs fall, though they were as much good to her as wet noodles. Boone kept a steady grip on her hips, holding her upright until she was able to support her own weight.
As was his habit, he placed soft kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, the side of her throat, even the tip of her nose as the pleasure slowly started to fade and reality returned.
“We’re getting pretty damn good at that,” he mused.
“Sex while standing up?”
“I meant quickies, but yeah, we do tend to do it standing a lot. God, what would I give to get you in my bed for a night or fifty?”
She laughed, so happy he wanted more. She cupped his face affectionately. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember we met just four months ago. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”
“I feel the same way.” His smile was brief, fading to a frown as he ran his finger under her eyes. “Getting tired of seeing you with dark circles under your eyes. You’re spread too thin, darlin’.”
“It’s just been a busy week.”
He scoffed. “You say that every single week. You’re not taking care of yourself.”
“That’s not true.”
“What did you have for breakfast?”
Mila closed her mouth because he wouldn’t like her answer. She’d skipped it today, so she could get an early start on cleaning the cabins.
“Mm-hmm,” he hummed, her response not necessary. “And you were planning to skip lunch.”
“I would have grabbed something at the winery later.”
Boone ignored her. “What time did you go to bed last night?”
“Boone,” she started.
“Give me a time.”
She lifted one shoulder. “It was sometime after eleven. Got caught up in wedding planning with the girls. Levi isn’t going for a long engagement.
I swear he’d marry her tomorrow if Kasi wasn’t insisting on a big wedding.
As it is, they’ve scheduled the event barn for the first weekend in May, which means we’ve only got a few more weeks to pull it all together. Kasi asked me to cater it.”
Boone sighed. “You do too much.”
“I love cooking, you know that.”
He nodded, then glanced around the cabin. He also knew she wasn’t fond of this part of her job, and he’d encouraged her to say so to her family. She kept intentionally avoiding bringing up the subject.
Before he could bring it up again, she rose on tiptoe, kissing him on the cheek. “I promise I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Mila. I worry about you.”
She smiled. “You do?”
Boone looked at her incredulously. “Of course I do.”
Mila swore her heart grew seven sizes. She had zero experience with romance—apart from the fiction she read—so she wasn’t used to a man saying such sweet things to her. Boone was turning out to be more swoon-worthy than any of the romantic heroes in her stories.
“Thanks,” she whispered. It was all she dared to say, because if she kept going, she’d say way too much and drop three little words on him.
While she grew more hopeful every day that this would bloom into a true relationship, she didn’t want to ruin it by saying anything he might not be ready to hear.
Of course, not saying them didn’t mean she didn’t feel them. Deeply.
Boone must have misread her response, because his brows furrowed. “You’re important to me, Mila, so when you don’t take care of yourself, it tweaks this part of me that…” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t always control.”
“What do you mean?”
For a second, she wasn’t sure Boone was going to reply.
It didn’t look like he was comfortable with whatever was bothering him.
Then, he took her hand and led her back to the table, where they reclaimed their seats.
Mila was still naked from the waist down, but self-consciousness wasn’t a thing with her and Boone.
He took a swig of water, then finally answered her question. “When I care about someone, I become a bit overprotective.”
Mila snorted. “I’ve seen you with Sadie. You’re not exactly dropping state secrets here.”
Boone shook his head, amused. “I’m not going to apologize for keeping a close eye on my daughter.”
“And I wasn’t suggesting you should. Especially not now. Preteen and teenage years are when you need to double down.”
Boone chuckled. “Always trying to give me nightmares. What I’m trying to say—badly—is my controlling nature gets worse with…people I care about.”
She was certain he was referring to his relationship with Lena, but she didn’t say that for fear he’d shut down. Just like he always did whenever the subject of his ex-wife came up.
“In what way?” she asked, curious and maybe even a little bit concerned. So far, Boone’s demanding nature hadn’t scared, angered, or bothered her at all. In fact, all it ever did was make her so horny, she couldn’t see straight.
“With people in the past, my inner caveman came out.”
Mila grinned. “Inner caveman?”
Boone didn’t share her humor. “Yeah. Started with my high school girlfriend, though it was slightly tamer with her. With each relationship, my controlling nature sort of got a bit stronger.”
“How many girlfriends have you had?” Mila broke off a tiny bit of her cookie and ate it.
“Just the high school one, two women in my early twenties, then Lena.”
Mila never quite knew what to make of the fact that Boone basically quit dating for all of his thirties. Sure, he was raising a child alone, but still…
“Give me an example of what you mean.”
“When I was in a relationship in the past, I needed to know where my girlfriend was and who she was with.”
She frowned. “Because you were jealous?”
He quickly shook his head. “No. I didn’t give a damn if my girlfriends had friends who were guys, and it wasn’t like I ever told them they couldn’t go out. For me, it was about knowing they were safe.”
“So you’re not a jealous guy?”
Boone sighed, hesitated. “I haven’t been in the past, but…”
She waited for him to finish his thought.
“I didn’t like you dancing with the pastor at the Valentine’s dance. I didn’t like that one little bit.”
Mila never thought she’d want to be with a jealous man…but clearly she was wrong, because Boone’s admission made her insanely happy.
“What else?” Mila thought what he was describing so far sounded just fine.
“If we weren’t together, I wanted them to call or text me as soon as they were home and in bed for the night. I liked being the last person they talked to each day.”
“What happened if they didn’t call or text?” she asked.
“What?” he countered, confused. “Nothing. I just liked hearing about their day. Liked saying good night and encouraging them to have sweet dreams…preferably about me,” he added with a wink.
“Those wouldn’t be sweet dreams, they would be dirty fantasies.”
“Damn. If that’s the case for you, darlin’, I want you to start calling me every night.”
“Okay, I will,” she replied, not even sure if he was being serious or just making a joke.
Boone must have wondered the same about her, because he decided to clear it up. “Good girl.”
“Nothing you’ve said seems over the top, Boone. It’s all pretty sweet and romantic.”
Her comment took Boone aback again, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Did you tell your girlfriends how to dress? What they could and couldn’t eat?”
Boone shook his head. “Of course not. I wear flannels, T-shirts and jeans ninety-nine times out of a hundred. What the hell do I know about fashion? And I wouldn’t say anything about someone’s eating habits unless they weren’t eating enough, and I worried about their health.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Little stuff.” Boone cupped her jaw. “If one of them was working too hard, I’d make them slow down, make sure they got enough sleep.” It didn’t feel like Boone was talking about past girlfriends anymore. This time, she got the sense he was telling her how he’d be with her. If she was his.
“And if she had too much on her plate, I’d make her clear some stuff off. I wouldn’t just watch her work herself to exhaustion, wouldn’t let her say yes to everyone else at the expense of herself and her own happiness.”
Mila bit her lower lip, because damn, if those three words weren’t hovering right there again, poised and ready to be spoken.
If Boone thought he was scaring her off, he’d missed the mark.
She’d lost her parents when she was young, and while her grandparents loved her and took very good care of her, they were older, and they had already raised two sons and moved into the indulgent grandparent lifestyle.
Which meant she and her sisters were given a lot of leniency.
Jace used to joke that as the baby of his family, he got away with bloody murder because his six older siblings had broken their parents’ spirits. Obviously, he didn’t mean it literally, but Mila always thought there was some truth to that.
So she liked the idea of someone watching out for her the way Boone spoke of.
“I think everything you’ve said sounds nice.”
Boone’s frown remained in place. “Not all of the others thought so.”
Was his protective nature the thing that drove Lena away? Was that why he’d started this conversation like he was issuing a warning?
Mila rose when the dryer buzzed. While she redressed in mostly dry jeans, Boone cleared away the lunch garbage, then put a new bag in the trash can for her.
“I’ll dump the trash on my way back to work.”
She nodded her thanks. “I still need to tackle the bedrooms here, then I’ll be finished with the cabins.”
“I’d say good, but I know all that means is you’ll be heading to the brewery and winery to start your next full-time job.”
“True,” she replied. “But…it’s Tuesday, my favorite day of the week.”
“I’m looking forward to you teaching us how to make quesadillas.”
She laughed. “I appreciate you saying that like they’re hard to make.”
Boone wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her toward him.
“I thought wings and salad were simple fare until I saw the way you did it. You’re an incredible cook.
And the more I think about it, the more I think you should consider starting that catering business sooner rather than later.
Kasi’s wedding would be a great place to come out officially with the folks around town. ”
“I’d love that, but…” She glanced around the cabin. “I think it’s still too soon.”
Boone sighed but mercifully didn’t push. “I gotta head back to work. See you at my place around five?”
She nodded. “I’ll be there with bells on.”
Boone gave her a soft kiss, one that lingered, though nowhere near long enough for her.
“Don’t work too hard, darlin’.”
She watched him walk back to his truck because damn, that man had a fine ass. Then she sighed and trudged to the bedroom.
Back to work.