Chapter 34
Claire
A few weeks passed before life began to feel steady again.
Asher healed faster than the doctors expected.
The headaches faded first, then the nausea.
His knee still bothered him when he pushed it too far, but the swelling went down, and he could move around the orchard again.
I had practically moved into his cabin after we came back from Toronto.
At first, it was so I could take care of him.
The doctor had been clear that he shouldn’t be alone for the first few days.
But once he started feeling better, neither of us mentioned me going back to my own place since we were enjoying spending full nights together.
“Time to wake up,” he rolled over and pressed his nose into my hair.
“It can’t be morning,” I groaned.
“It’s the ass crack of dawn, which is when the day starts around here,” he reminded, pressing his lips to my neck.
I moaned. “Bossman is horny this morning.”
He laughed. “It makes me horny when you call me bossman, which is a problem because I want inside you now.”
“Even after everything we did last night?” I asked. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We hadn’t had sex for a full week after the fight and his injury. Since then, Asher had been determined to make up for lost time.
He snuggled into me; his hard cock pressed into my behind. Just the feeling of him against me got me wet.
“We need to be quick. I need to make a sandwich for lunch,” I said to him.
“Already made you one,” he said.
“You made me lunch?” I asked in a swoony voice.
“I got bread from the bakery and put smoked turkey slices inside. It isn’t that fancy, so don’t get too excited,” he said flatly.
“Still, that’s sweet,” I said. I turned my body and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Since my pregnancy scare, I decided to go on birth control.
Both Asher and I knew we wanted kids in the future, but we weren’t there yet.
I rolled on top of him. I was already naked, so we were skin to skin.
His hands lowered to my behind, and I slipped my hand down to his cock and guided him inside me.
We both groaned at the feeling of him filling me, and then we were moving.
Consumed by each other and the fire burning between us.
I rode his cock frantically as he drove inside me over and over thrusting his hips to hit those deep spots inside me.
We were both chasing the finish line since the orchard was calling.
I fell over the ledge, and Asher followed.
“What a wake-up,” he chuckled. “I could get used to this.”
“I’m not actually a morning person,” I murmured.
He looked at me with confusion. “How is that possible?” He meant that I wake up before the sun every morning and don’t complain.
“I’m disciplined. This is my job. I just hate waking up. I love to sleep in the morning,” I confessed. “I shouldn’t be sharing this with my boss.”
“As your boss, this news is a bit problematic, but as your boyfriend, I like the idea of coming back from a morning shift and finding you in bed,” he waggled his brows.
“You’re incorrigible. We just had sex,” I reminded.
“And I’m already thinking of next time,” he chuckled.
“We better get ready.” I didn’t want to be late for my shift.
I liked to be early, especially since I was doing the boss.
I didn’t want the others to think I was getting special treatment.
I showered quickly. Asher offered to join me, but I told him not to since that would delay us even more.
I got ready in a pair of long jeans despite the heat and a tank top.
I liked to wear jeans at work so my skin didn’t get scraped.
Two hours into my shift, Asher walked up to me with a bottle of water. “You need to drink. It’s a hot one today,” he said, passing me a bottle.
“I have water. I drank,” I assured.
“No, you forgot to take your bottle,” he insisted.
“Boss is whipped,” Jonah muttered from the side.
“Big time,” Marc added.
“You guys are fools,” Asher laughed, not caring about their comment.
“At least we aren’t wrapped around a chick’s finger,” Jonah said.
“I’d like to be wrapped around Claire any time,” Asher laughed.
I blushed, feeling my cheeks heat. “Asher, not at work,” I chided.
Marc and Jonah imitated my tone making fun of us. “Asher, not at work.”
“Grow up, you two,” I said to them.
“What would be the point of that?” Jonah replied.
I rolled my eyes and got back to work. Asher shook his head, laughing to himself.
At lunch, I went to the barn and ate with the rest of the workers.
Asher went over to the brewery to have one of his usual check-ins with Phoenix.
After I finished eating, I craved something sweet.
I made my way over to the bakery. The smell of warm sugar, butter, and fresh bread hit me before I opened the door.
I stepped inside. Harmony was behind the counter, dusting powdered sugar over a tray of pastries.
She looked up, and her face lit immediately. “Claire!”
“Hi,” I said, stepping up to the counter.
“You look like you’re craving something,” she said.
“Yes, something sweet,” I admitted.
Harmony grinned and slid a maple butter tart onto a small plate. “Try this.”
I took a bite and closed my eyes. “Oh wow.”
Harmony leaned on the counter with a proud smile. “Good, right?”
“Dangerously good,” I said, taking another bite.
She laughed softly. “How’s Maple Valley treating you?”
“I’m officially addicted to orchard life,” I admitted.
She nodded like she already knew. “It suits you.”
We spoke for a few minutes while she packed pastries for a couple of visitors who had wandered in from the orchard paths.
“What’s the plan with school?” she asked when the customers left.
“I’m working on applications,” I said. “Environmental science programs.”
“That makes sense.”
“Most deadlines passed already, though,” I admitted. “I’ll probably start next year.”
Harmony shrugged. “A year working in nature doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”
“It really doesn’t,” I agreed.
When I finished the tart, I thanked her and stepped back outside into the sunshine.
The orchard stretched in neat rows around the property, visitors wandering through the paths with baskets and cameras.
That’s when I spotted Elyna pushing Oli in his stroller along the gravel path that looped past the bakery.
“Hi!” I called.
She looked up and smiled. “Claire!”
I walked over and peeked into the stroller. Oli blinked up at me with wide, curious eyes.
“Oh my goodness,” I said softly. “He’s gotten so big.”
Elyna laughed. “He’s growing too fast.”
Oli waved one tiny fist in the air.
“Hi there,” I said, wiggling my fingers at him.
“How’s Asher feeling?” she asked.
“Better every day,” I said. “Though he refuses to slow down.”
Elyna nodded knowingly. “He’s a Thorne, it must be genetic.”
I wished her a good day and got back to my shift. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, Maple Valley had become home. I had my routine; I was surrounded by kind, caring people and a man I loved.