Chapter 11 – Wilder
As a kid, my favorite bedtime story was the one about how my parents met. It wasn’t a fairytale exactly, but it might as well have been to me.
The story went that my great-grandpa Clarence Ashwood left his beloved ranch to my mom—but only on the condition that she live and work on it for a full year before deciding whether to keep or sell it to my grandpa Rig Cameron.
At first, my dad had written her off as just another city girl who wouldn’t last a month in Lonestar Junction, let alone a year.
He was grumpy and jaded, carrying the weight of past betrayals that had left him guarded towards new relationships.
But my mom proved him wrong, and she did it in every way that mattered.
She was tougher than she looked, resilient in ways no one had expected and gentle in ways that the whole Cameron family needed.
She showed him that love could be strong enough to rebuild what had been broken.
And by the end of that year, not only had they decided to keep the ranch, but they’d also decided to build a life together there—a life that would carry on for generations in Cody and me.
That story always stuck with me. It taught me that people can surprise you when you least expect it and show up at times when you’re not looking for them. And now, lying here with Teagan asleep on my chest, I can’t help but think she’s done the exact same thing to me.
Her face is nestled against my bare chest, her breath warm and steady as it fans across my skin.
Each rise and fall of her soft body against mine feel like a rhythm I don’t want to lose.
Her curves, smooth and naked, are molded perfectly against me, her breasts pressing softly into my side.
She lets out the faintest snore—an adorable, unexpected sound from someone who always seems so perfectly put together.
My fingers trail lazy circles across the smooth expanse of her back, savoring the softness of her skin and the quiet intimacy of the moment.
I can’t stop watching her sleep, her face so peaceful, her guard completely down.
It’s a side of her I’m not sure she even realizes she’s showing me, and I commit it all to memory—the way her hair spills across my chest, the way her lip’s part slightly with each exhale.
The digital clock on the bedside table blinks 6:00 a.m., and a dull sense of reality begins to creep in.
It’s Sunday, which means chores are waiting, animals need tending, and my dad has a list of things he’s counting on me to handle before the day officially kicks off for the rest of the employees at eight.
Normally, I’d already be up by now—pulling on my boots, adjusting my hat, and heading out to the barn.
The steady rhythm of ranch life is as natural to me as breathing, a constant that makes me feel grounded, safe.
But not today.
For the first time in two years, I don’t want to get out of bed.
I don’t want to lose myself in work or bury myself in the endless cycle of chores that keep me distracted and moving.
Right now, I want to stay here, holding Teagan close, her warmth bleeding into me and chasing away every bitter, lonely thought that’s haunted me for too long.
Last night wasn’t just good. It was everything.
The kind of night that feels like it’s meant to rewrite something inside of you.
We spent the time talking in between exploring each other’s bodies, and now, as the early morning light filters through the curtains, soft and golden, I’m struck by a thought I hadn’t dared let myself entertain before: What if this feeling could happen again?
What if, just this once, something good doesn’t have to slip through my fingers?
But life doesn’t work that way, does it?
The ranch doesn’t stop running just because I’ve finally let myself feel something, and the world doesn’t pause just because I wish it would. Responsibilities are already calling, as they always do, tugging at me like a lasso I can’t shake off.
Still, I linger a moment longer, pressing my lips to the crown of her head, breathing the scent of her wildflower shampoo in.
She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake, her body instinctively curling tighter against mine.
My chest tightens at the way she clings to me even in sleep, like I’m something solid in her world, something steady, even if this is just temporary.
And maybe, just for this morning, I can pretend that it’s not.
“Hey,” I whisper, trying to gently wake her.
She stirs, blinking hard. “Hey… what time is it?”
“A little after six”
“Do you always wake up this early on the weekends?”
I chuckle and smile. “Yeah, it’s part of working on a ranch. I need to take care of a few things with the animals, but I can take you home first back to your sisters or you can keep sleeping and I can drop you off when I get back.”
She groans softly, tightening her embrace around my neck.
She lifts her head and kisses my lips, her touch filled with warmth and tenderness.
The softness of her tits pressing against my chest instantly hardens me and my fingers trail down, squeezing her ass and rocking her pelvis down so that she can feel my full length bare against her stomach.
“You can’t be doing all that,” I whisper. “Baby calves don’t understand morning wood.” She laughs and rolls off me but not before I capture her wrist to stop her first. “Wait. I might be able to be a little late this morning.”
This is an exception I’ve never made under any circumstances before. I know my dad will be displeased if he knows what I’m doing and that I’m neglecting my duties, but I can tell she’s ready to go, and so am I, so I’ll try to make this fast.
She nods eagerly. “Okay.”
“But we gotta go fast.”
She grins and moves with the energy of someone who’s just as insatiable as I am as she climbs back up my legs, her knees straddling me on either side. “I can do fast.”
“Wait,” I reach to the side of my bed to retrieve a condom from the pack I haven’t used in months except with her, tear open the foil with my teeth then roll it down my length, being sure it’s secure. “Okay.”
She hovers over the tip of my cock then painfully, slides down my length, lifting up once more before sinking down again until I’m completely disappeared inside of her tight, cunt.
"Fuck, you feel good," I groan, my fingers finding her hips, gripping them firmly as I lift her up and guide her back down.
She takes control like she was made for it, riding me with a rhythm that drives me insane.
Her hands splay across my chest, nails biting into my skin as her back arches, her body moving like she knows exactly what to do to wreck me.
She grinds down harder, chasing her release, and I’m more than happy to let her. My hands move between her breasts, kneading the soft flesh before sliding down her stomach, then lower, brushing tight circles on her clit. “Take it, baby,” I murmur, my voice rough as gravel. “Get what you need.”
Her hips stutter, her movements faltering slightly as I press tighter on her clit. Her head falls back, and the sight of her—head thrown back, lips parted, breasts at my command, moans spilling freely—burns itself into my mind.
“Is this okay?” she asks, her voice shaky but laced with need as her pussy squeezes my cock harder.
“Better than okay,” I growl, my hands gripping her ass to help her ride me harder. “I said it’d be fast,” I remind her, leaning up to catch one of her nipples in my mouth and biting down. “Not that you wouldn’t come.”
I suck down hard, feeling the way her body responds, the way her breathing picks up and her moans turn into whimpers. Her hands fly to my hair, pulling gently as I switch to her other nipple, flicking it with my tongue before sucking it into a sharp, hard peak.
“You like that, huh?” I ask, my voice teasing as I look up at her through hooded eyes. “You like when I play with your pretty tits?”
Her lips curl into a smile, a mix of pleasure and mischief. “I do,” she breathes, her voice trembling.
I grin and keep at it, rolling my hips to meet hers, giving her the perfect angle to grind her clit against me. My hands move between teasing her breasts and tracing the curve of her waist, every part of her body driving me closer to the edge.
Her knees begin to shake, her movements turning frantic as her breathing grows ragged. I can feel her tightening around me, her body on the brink of release.
“Fuck, Wilder,” she cries out, her voice breaking as she lifts up one last time before slamming back down, her ass bumping against my sack, her entire body trembling as she falls apart.
The way her pussy contracts around me, squeezing tight, is my undoing. I grip her hips harder, holding her in place as I thrust up into her twice more, my release hitting me hard. My head falls back against the pillows, my chest heaving as I unleash.
She collapses on top of me, her warm, trembling body molding perfectly against mine. Her head rests on my chest, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. My arms wrap around her, keeping her close as I feel my pulse slowly return to normal.
Neither of us speaks for a moment, the only sounds in the room are our breathing and the faint hum of the fan. I run my hand up and down her spine, savoring the way her body feels against mine, how perfectly she fits in my arms.
When her breathing finally evens out, and I feel myself start to soften inside her, I press a kiss to her forehead. “Stay put,” I whisper, brushing a strand of hair from her damp face. “Let me clean you up.”
She nods sleepily, her lips curving into a satisfied, lazy smile as she nestles closer for just a few more seconds. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this complete in my life.