27. Bodhi
27
BODHI
T rue to her word, Ella did not leave anything out, taking all the winding back roads like a race car driver, her smile bright and happy as we weaved through town. I hadn’t grabbed the oh shit bar once, instead choosing to enjoy her chaos a little instead of bracing myself for the fall.
Or in this case, a ditch.
Which, she reminded me with a healthy dose of side-eye, she was never that close to.
And I didn’t argue.
Instead, I placed my hand on her thigh as she told me about the lake and summers spent swimming and boating. She laughed talking about when she learned to waterski and how her uncle never missed an opportunity to make all the quick turns while the kids tried desperately to hang on to their tubes.
It sounded idyllic.
The kind of thing Mason and I could only dream about as kids.
But this time as I listened, there was no sharp pang of jealousy or longing, only a contentedness at enjoying her company and soaking in her enthusiasm as she shared her memories.
It nursed a flicker of hope inside me that maybe I could create those memories with a child of my own.
With a family.
It was the biggest difference between Mason and me—the fact that he’d been adamant he’d never have biological children of his own and I yearned for the chance. And maybe we’d both ended up where we were supposed to be. Mason had fallen in love with a single mom and fallen harder for Holland and Beck and I…
I look at Ella and swallow hard. “You ever think about havin’ kids?”
Unfazed by my question, she nods and grins. “A whole lot of them.”
“Really?”
“It’s only me and my brother, but I have three cousins here in Trappers Ridge and then my other cousins live in Ransom. The four brothers. They showed up at the bar after you left last night.”
“I’m sure it was good to see them.”
“It was.” She glances at me before looking back at the road. “You’ll have to meet them eventually.”
“Think I should be afraid?”
“No, just preparing you for the inevitable inquisition.”
“Sounds formal.”
“It’s not. They’re just animals sometimes.”
“I’m not worried,” I tell her because they should be protective of her, and they should also realize I am too.
“And what about you? Do you want a family?”
“I’d like a family of my own, biological if I can but I’d want to foster too—so many damn kids just never get the chance to have a home with stability and love. And if I can give that to even one kid, I know it’ll make a difference.”
“You’re gonna change the world.”
“Maybe not the world.”
“You changed mine, and that’s a start.”
“Pull over.” My voice is gruff as I force out the words.
“What? Why?”
“Because I have to kiss you, and I don’t want to wait.”
SORREN: Is it fixed?
I snort as I stare at the message—no greeting, no fluff, just straight to the point.
BODHI: Yes
BODHI: How did you know?
SORREN: Because I was you, kid
Shaking my head, I put my phone face down on the bar, a bar that looks different tonight or maybe it’s just me. My skin doesn’t feel quite as tight as it did last night and I’d be remiss to think there’s any other reason than the stunning blonde standing between my legs right now.
We survived dinner at her parents’ with her brother, her aunt and uncle, and Roman, Eden, and their sister, Bailey. The group in Ransom couldn’t make it, thankfully, because it’d been like being thrown into one of the Thayers’ small gatherings—where half the town shows up—without a life vest. And adding any more to the chaos wasn’t something I was keen on doing.
Not yet.
Because when Ella introduced me as her boyfriend, all hell had broken loose. Roman and Eden had only smirked as the rest of them peppered us with questions. Her mother had hugged me—twice—telling me she was so happy that her daughter had found such a nice young man.
Ella saw it as embarrassing, but you couldn’t be in that room without feeling the unconditional love bursting at the seams. It’d been overwhelming in the best way, and I’d been completely unable to articulate it.
Ella had taken my silence on the drive to the Hoot & Holler as me being upset, practically launching herself at me the second she parked the truck. I certainly can’t complain about that.
“What are you thinking about?” she murmurs, leaning into me, her touch igniting a wildfire that has my fingers digging into her hip as I move her closer.
“You.”
“That sounds promising,” she purrs, her eyes dropping slowly to my mouth before traveling back up to meet my gaze.
Ella’s version of shouting it from the rooftop s—that little tease this morning when I’d had my hand between her legs—had been to announce to the entire place that I’m her man. She kissed me hard after that declaration, her body pressed against mine with her arms wrapped around my neck.
Claimed.
Cheers and catcalls echoed around us, but none of it matters because she feels like mine.
“Dance with me?” she pleads, her hips rocking and swaying to the music, her body so close she’s practically in my lap and fuck, do I want that.
A thousand excuses flit through my mind, but I ignore each and every one of them as I let her pull me off the barstool and into the throng of people all drinking and having a good time. I don’t like being out here, but the second she presses her back to my front, she makes me forget all the reasons why.
“You tryin’ to drive me crazy?” I growl in her ear as she grinds against me, her hand grabbing the back of my neck as she sways us from side to side.
“Yes,” she purrs, leaning her face up to press a kiss to the underside of my jaw, my fingers gripping her hips harder as I tease the strip of skin between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her jeans with my index finger.
“Ella.”
“Just dance with me.”
“That’s not what you’re doin’,” I tell her, her breath coming in pants as we move.
“Sure, it is…just like foreplay.”
Foreplay.
Biting back a groan, I spin her around and crush her front to mine, my erection digging into her belly and my palm splayed on her lower back.
She whimpers, her hips grinding against me, and I’m pretty sure this is what they mean when they call a connection explosive.
Because it’s fireworks on the Fourth of July, and I don’t know how long I’ll last with her all over me like this, but hell if I want her to stop.
Diving my fingers into her hair, I slant my mouth over hers, the kiss hard and messy as I lick my way between her lips and take what I want.
What I need.
“Get a room!” someone yells and she laughs, her breath hot on my skin.
“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she muses. “What do you think?”
“Say your goodbyes and let’s get the hell out of here.”