Chapter 28
Until I Found You
I’ve been counting down the hours until I can see Birdie again. Her mom was discharged from the hospital this afternoon, and though I offered to take the day off from the ranch to help out, she insisted they had it handled.
We planned to meet back at her place once I finished work, but I took off early so I could get here first, prep dinner, and feed the animals before she arrived. After spending a week caring for her mom, I wanted her to have a relaxing evening, being pampered and taken care of for a change.
I’ve just finished rounding up the geese and ducks into their coop for the night when I glance across the lawn and see Birdie striding toward me. Her hair is pulled into a messy braid, wisps escaping to frame her face, and the fading light skims across her features. God she’s stunning.
“Howdy there, Birdie, baby,” I call out.
She waves, her vivid blue eyes locking on me like nothing else exists. There’s no better feeling in the world.
I lower the bucket of scratch grain to the grass and barely have time to straighten up before she reaches me, slipping her arms around my waist. I return her embrace, resting my hand on her back to draw her closer.
She tips her head to look up at me. “You were supposed to wait so I could help you with the animals.”
“I wanted to finish before you got here so I could have you all to myself tonight. Can’t say I feel too bad about it now that I have you in my arms.” I cup the back of her neck, brushing my thumb just below her ear. “I missed you, baby.”
Birdie gives me a quick kiss before pulling back slightly. “I missed you too.”
“How’s your mom holding up?”
“She’s settled in for the evening and roped Dad into watching the first season of Gilmore Girls, so it should be a good night.” She chuckles.
“What do you say we head inside? I picked up the ingredients for a veggie stir-fry and figured I’d handle dinner while you enjoyed a nice, long bubble bath. You deserve a night to unwind and relax.”
“That sounds nice,” she murmurs, although there’s something in her tone that gives me pause.
Birdie nibbles her bottom lip, as if she has more to say, but doesn’t elaborate. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to push her, so I go with it.
“Perfect. I’ll go get dinner started,” I say, lowering my hands from her face.
I start across the lawn, stopping when I glance behind to see Birdie isn’t following. She’s rooted in place, fingers fiddling with the clasp of her necklace, her shoulders rising and falling with slow, measured breaths.
“I love you,” she blurts out, her eyes widening the second the words leave her mouth.
“These past few weeks have shown me that you’re the one I want to share a future with, and you were right when you said none of this was pretend.
What we have is real… more real than anything I’ve ever felt, and I’m completely, hopelessly yours. ”
My head spins, her declaration drifting through me like the last of the sunlight slipping through the trees, warm and fleeting. I’m not ready to let this moment go, desperate to confirm it’s actually happening.
I step into her space, cradling her face in my palms. “Say it again.”
Her mouth curves into a smile. “What we have is real, and I’m hopelessly yours.”
“Now the first part,” I urge.
Her eyes brighten with understanding, and she lets out a soft laugh. “I love you, Walker Halstead. I love you with everything that I am.”
Never have I heard anything sweeter, and I’m so damn overjoyed it’s like a dam has burst inside me.
Before I can respond, she rises to kiss me, threading her fingers through my hair. A low groan escapes me as her tongue claims mine. I shift my hands to her waist and hoist her into my arms, the taste of her overriding everything else.
Our lips remain locked as I stride across the lawn toward the house. Raw desire drives me as I carry her up the porch steps, the heat of her body pressed against mine. I swing open the front door and kick my boots off in the entryway as we move down the hall.
When we reach Birdie’s room, we’re both panting for air as I push her against the nearest wall, bracing my hands on her ass.
She frantically tugs at the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside.
I shift my hold, reaching behind to unclasp her bra and slide it off each shoulder, slowly letting it fall to the floor.
I trail my tongue along her neck, nipping along the curve of her jaw as a shiver runs through her. She digs her nails into my back as she presses herself against my rock-hard cock. With her full breasts on display, I bend down to suck a nipple in my mouth, my teeth grazing the soft flesh.
“Oh. My. Gosh,” Birdie cries out as I breathe against her ear. “I need you inside me. Now.”
Even now, in the heat of passion, she doesn’t swear, and I love her fearless authenticity—how she’s finally embracing herself fully, without apology. I love every damn inch of her, and it’s past time I show her how I feel.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” I say before carrying her across the room and setting her next to the bed.
Without prompting, she slides off her shorts and kicks them to the side. Next to go are her panties. She shimmies them past her hips, drawing my gaze to her pussy, already wet for me.
“Lie on the mattress for me,” I rasp out.
She does as I ask, her chest heaving as she glances over, waiting for me to join her. I take a moment to appreciate what’s in front of me, committing every detail to memory—the way her blonde hair spreads around her head like a halo, the soft curves of her waist.
It occurs to me that every time we’ve slept together until now has carried some sort of lesson, and I want tonight to be only about losing ourselves in each other, with no agenda or distractions.
Unable to stay away a second longer, I strip off my shirt, followed by my jeans and boxers, and toss them all to the ground. My rigid cock springs free, and Birdie’s eyes are glued to mine as I get on the bed and crawl up her body, settling between her thighs.
I look down at her heaving chest, tracing her nipple, then trail my hand down her chest until I get to her stomach, mapping patterns with the pad of my finger. I draw lower, and her breath hitches when I reach the apex of her thighs and dip a finger inside her to discover she’s dripping for me.
“Walker,” she moans, arching her back.
“You need my cock to fill you up, don’t you, baby?” I croon.
She nods as I run the head of my cock through her slit in teasing strokes, letting the shaft drag along her clit, eliciting sounds that leave me barely holding on.
I keep my eyes on her as I line up at her entrance, working my hand up and down my shaft as I push in slowly.
I lean my forehead against hers, fighting to steady my breath as the sensation of her tightening around me threatens my control.
Birdie gasps as I pull out, then push back in deeper.
“Relax for me. I’m almost all the way in.” I lift my head to claim her mouth, relishing her soft sighs as I ease farther inside her.
Once fully seated, I intertwine our fingers and lift her arms above her head, focused on moving slowly, wanting to savor every second.
It’s the same position I had her in on the dock, but this time, there’s only my hands anchoring her in place, fueled by a fierce need to show her how much she means to me.
Birdie’s fingernails dig into my palms, sending sparks of heat shooting through me.
“I love being with you like this,” she pants out, writhing beneath me.
I look her in the eyes. “What else do you love?”
“You,” she murmurs. “I love you.”
I brush back the hair sticking to her face, and she gazes back at me with those big blue eyes as I angle my hips in short, deep thrusts.
“I love you, Birdie.”
Thrust.
“It’s always been you.”
Thrust.
“I’ve been yours from the start. I was just waiting for you to catch up.”
My free hand moves to her clit, teasing it between my fingertips.
Her body goes taut as she arches off the bed, squeezing my hand that’s still holding hers above the bed, crying out as she tumbles into a free fall.
She’s never been more captivating, sending me barreling toward my own release.
I capture her mouth with mine, craving to be connected in every possible way.
I love Birdie with all that I am. She’s become the center of my universe, and I’ll spend the rest of my life orbiting around her light, making sure her world shines just as brightly.