Chapter Twenty-four
She moves over me, rolling her hips to drag me in and out of her tight body, her muscles quivering, nails biting into my chest where she holds onto me for support.
I am a needy, desperate man. My thumbs roll over her peaked nipples, the perfect mounds of her breasts fitting in my hands just right as her hair falls down her back in honey waves. There’s a beautiful pink tinge to her cheeks, and her lashes flutter as pleasure takes control.
She grinds against me, letting go of the softest moan as she does, her pussy soaking me, and as much as I want to roll over, push her legs onto my shoulders and fuck her until she can only remember my name, I don’t. Not yet.
Juniper needs more from me.
She needs trust.
Safety.
And I’ll give all of that to her. So, she can use me, take what she needs from me and bleed me dry if she wants to.
“Silas,” her dark eyes meet mine, a little glazed, lids hooded as her face reveals her pleasure.
“Take what you need,” I rasp, my muscles tightening with every roll and grind of her hips. She’s so damn warm, so fucking tight I’m surprised I haven’t fucking blown by now. It’s been a while, but I refuse to go before she does. “Use me. Ride me, Juni.”
Pushing onto her knees, she moves too far away for my hands, but then she lifts and slams back down, hitting deeper and I swear a whole explosion of stars burst behind my eyes. She does it again, riding me like I told her to, lifting and sitting over and over, squeezing my cock with every thrust.
“Look at you,” I praise. “You look so fucking pretty riding me like that. Keep going, let me see you fall apart. Make a mess of me.”
Her rhythm falters as my words deliver what I intended them to and her pussy spasms, squeezing me impossibly tighter.
“I’m going to come,” she cries breathlessly, her body convulsing as the pleasure courses through her, so I let my hands go to her thighs, keeping her moving over me.
I lift my hips just a little, so I can grind against her clit as she moves over me, giving her exactly what she needs to get herself there.
And it is a fucking sight.
Not sure I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful than Juni falling apart.
She bites into her bottom lip when she comes, using me to drag out every second of her pleasure, and that view alone has me falling right off with her.
My groan echoes off the walls as I spill into her, her pussy squeezing me for every last drop, twitching as I empty into her.
She collapses down onto me, and my arms immediately go around her, keeping her against me as we steady our breathing, bodies sticky and skin slick with sweat.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, feathering my fingers up and down the dip of her spine.
“I’m okay,” she breathes, turning to face me as she pushes up a little to look down on me. I’m eager when she leans in to kiss me, but we both freeze when a little knock sounds on the door.
“Daddy?” Rosie’s sleepy voice has us both scrambling, but Juni moves too quickly, throwing herself off me without judging how much space there was on the mattress beside me and rolls right off the bed.
“Shit!” I hiss, immediately reaching for her, panicked that she’s hurt herself.
But then the first tinkle of her laugh reaches my ears, and my eyes widen at the sound. Melodic and light, it hits me right in the chest; the sound working through my veins, but it’s that smile… Her eyes are twinkling, the edges creased in amusement as she tries to hide her laugh behind her hand.
“I’m good,” she shakes her head, still giggling, and lets me help her to her feet. “I’m going to hide in the bathroom.”
She’s still laughing to herself when the door clicks closed, taking the sound away from me.
“Are you sleeping!?” Rosie’s voice is louder. “Daddy, I can’t get in!”
Shit.
Rushing to find my clothes, I throw them all back on and then run my hands through my hair, trying to pull off a just woke look and not the just fucked look I am probably sporting.
Hiding Juni’s clothes, I right the sheets and then head to the door, flicking the lock open to find my daughter on the other side, eyes still droopy from sleep and hair mused, sticking up more on one side than the other.
She’s clutching her stuffed bear under one arm and when she meets my eyes, her brow creases into a disapproving frown.
“Sorry, bug,” I usher her toward the kitchen so Juni can dress in peace and sit her at the kitchen island, “Must have forgotten to unlock it.”
She pouts, “Where’s Miss Juni?”
“Probably still sleeping,” I lie, “Do you want breakfast?”
With a huff, she nods so I get to work preparing her some yoghurt and berries with a glass of orange juice. My son appears next, rubbing his eyes as he takes the spot next to his sister.
With them thoroughly distracted by food, I creep back to the bedroom, knocking on the bathroom door.
“Silas?” she calls, voice sounding over the shower.
“It’s me,” I confirm.
“You can come in,” she offers, so I turn the handle and step into the steam filled room, eyes immediately finding her beneath the spray, hands moving through her hair.
“I wanted to make sure you’re good.”
She glances over her shoulder with a soft smile, “I promise I am.”
Letting my eyes drag down her, I watch water sluice over her curves, soapy bubbles tracking down her from her hair.
Clearing my throat, I look away. “Kids are in the kitchen, you can, uh, do what you need to do.”
With a nod, she returns to her shower, and I get the fuck out of there before I do something stupid like join her in there. I need to keep whatever this is a secret from Caleb and Rosie.
I’ve never brought another woman around them. Beth has been the only constant one since their mom left, and I don’t want them getting ideas or, worse, feeling hurt by my choices.
I know a big part of them believe their mom will come back, and only time will show them that she won’t. It’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for children of their age who don’t fully understand.
I take a moment to get myself together before I return to the two of them, finding them exactly where I left them.
I’ve barely gotten any work done all day, too fucking stuck in my head remembering the way she looked this morning. Remembering the feel of her body and her kiss, how she gave me her trust. And that laugh.
It’s not a sound I’ve heard from her, not that light and free. She’s smiled, giggled at my daughter or something Niamh or Roman has said, but not like that. It makes my fucking chest ache whenever I recall the sound, my skin prickling every damn time.
Maybe I need to see a doctor. I’m not sure if it’s normal.
Dottie lets out a huffing noise, and I finally bring my attention back to the filly, lifting my hand to give her the treat I had been trying to give her before I got distracted.
I haven’t seen Juni all day. After I got the kids to Beth’s, she had already left and is working on the ranch somewhere.
She wasn’t in the stables or the rings, so I’m not sure where she’s disappeared to.
I’d asked a couple of my guys who just said she’d gone off with the new cutter, Ada, so I’ve left them to it though it’s taken everything in me not to go searching for her, just to get a peek of her.
It’s fucking insane.
Running my hand down Dottie’s muzzle, I push thoughts of Juni away, focusing on the task at hand.
The young horse has improved significantly since arriving here.
Her behavior is calming down, though she’s still wary of people but less skittish.
She tolerates, which is a huge step in the right direction, and she’s found herself a little companion in a young colt.
It’s still too early to put them together; Dottie is unpredictable, but they spend a lot of time together at the fence that joins their two pastures.
Raising a horse as young as Dottie is not for the weak. She’ll make a great working horse one day, I have no doubt, but it will be years in the making.
For the rest of the day, I don’t see Juni, not until I’m pulling back up to the house just after six after collecting Rosie and Caleb from the nanny. She’s speaking to Darcy on the porch, her posture relaxed and open toward the vet.
“Hello, Miss Darcy,” Caleb greets her as he walks by, letting himself into the house, followed by Rosie, who gives her a wave, too desperate to get inside so she can watch the movie I promised her.
“Everything okay?” I stop by the two women, but I only have eyes for Juni.
It’s been a whole day since I’ve seen her and it’s like looking at her for the first time all over again.
There’s a pink tinge to her skin from the sun, and the braid she had her hair in this morning has now loosened, tendrils of hair flowing around her face.
“I was just heading home,” Darcy speaks first, “Wanted to check in on Juni after the other night.”
I finally turn my attention away from my Honeybee to the resident vet, but the frown on her face has me pausing.
I’m just about to ask her what’s wrong when she speaks first, stepping closer to me. “How’s Dottie doing?”
“She’s getting better,” I let her know, “Holding her sass still.”
Darcy chuckles, “I didn’t expect anything less. Need me to do any workups?”
“No,” I shove my hands into my pockets. “She’s good for now. Thanks though.”
“Alright,” Her eyes flick between me and Juni before she steps off the porch, heading to her truck still idling at the opening of the drive. “See you both later.”
Juni watches her leave, offering her a small wave as the vet pulls away and makes her way back to the cabin she has here on the ranch.
Finally, I have her alone, and with a quick check behind her to make sure my kids aren’t in view; I close the gap and have her face cupped in my hands.
“Hi,” she breathes.
“Been dying to do this all day,” I growl, closing the gap between us so I can press my lips to hers.
She melts into me, honey and sugar on my lips, and though I know this isn’t permanent, that I’m going to have to let her go, I let myself imagine, for just a moment that maybe, just fucking maybe, I could believe in love and forever after all.