Chapter Eighteen
Church hadn’t planned for how hearing one little word would make his whole body react.
Yes.
Zee stood in front of him, completely bare, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her against his own flesh. Her gaze was fixed on him, steady and knowing in a way that tugged a cord in his chest.
It wasn’t just need zapping between them. Emotion thickened his throat as he reached for her. He swished his thumb over her knuckles, and her breath hitched like he’d touched more than her hand.
“I love you, Zee.” His jaw clenched.
Her eyes softened with deeper emotion moving through them. She rested her other hand on his chest, right over his heart. “I love you too.”
That was the line he’d never come back from and would never get enough of hearing.
He slid his thumb to the ring on her slender finger, and she moved hers to cup his jaw.
When they stepped closer, they didn’t rush it. Their kiss was slow and sweet at first, then turned slow and hot. Her lips parted beneath his, and he touched her body, strumming her taut nipples until she gasped into his mouth.
They took two steps to the bed and tumbled onto the mattress together, his stiff cock riding along her slick folds. It gave a hard pulse of need to enter her and make her scream, but he reined in his urges and took his time showing her just how much he loved her.
She gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer, their bodies fitting together perfectly.
As he trailed his fingers down her stomach and between her thighs, she arched into him.
He stroked her wet folds over and over again, sliding one finger inside her tight sheath, then two, flexing them in slow glides.
“Grant!”
He withdrew his fingers and shot her a crooked grin as he moved down her body to bury his tongue in her sweet pussy. She dug her fingers into his hair, guiding him where she needed him most.
He sucked on her stiff nubbin and alternated with slick flicks of his tongue that made her hips rock to his rhythm. Her thighs tensed, and he felt the moment when she tipped over the edge.
Dark need pounded through him, and he barely held back from claiming her as he worked her into a higher pitch and then slowly brought her back down to earth.
Safe in his arms. He kissed her gently at first, but she would have none of that and swept her tongue inside his mouth. With a guttural groan, he could take it no more and rolled onto his back, settling her on top of him.
Her hair was mussed, her eyes glittering. She rose upward on her knees and poised over the tip of his aching cock.
“I want this…you…every day.”
“Twice a day if you want.” He flashed her a grin that she wiped off his face when she slid down his cock to the root.
They shared a groan. His hands convulsed on her hips, and she anchored her palms on his chest as she began to drive them both toward an end filled with burning lust and passion braided together with love.
They lay in each other’s arms for long minutes afterward, kissing now and then. She rested her forehead against his and stared into his eyes.
“When do you want to get married?” she asked.
He smiled. “I’m ready right now. I’ll get my suit.” He pushed onto one elbow, and she shoved him back down, laughing.
She threw one thigh over his body, pinning him in place. As if he wanted to ever leave. “So you don’t have a preference for season?”
He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “Any season with you is the perfect time.”
Her eyes were soft. “I don’t want to wait very long, Church. I know what I want.”
“So do I, love.” He searched her gaze for a heartbeat.
She flopped onto her back and smiled at the ceiling.
“Good. Because I’d like to get married right away.
You know Willow threw together our surprise engagement party in no time.
She’s already offered to help with wedding plans.
And Rhae told me she and Denver got married in a remodeled barn right here on the ranch. ”
He laughed and rolled onto one side, propping himself up on his elbow. “If you want a barn wedding, I’m on board. If you want to ride an elephant into a circus tent, I’ll be your ringmaster.”
That got her laughing. “No elephants. But I might hold you to the barn.”
“I’ll build you a better one if you want.”
She smiled, but it softened as she studied him. “I don’t need anything big or perfect.”
He brushed his thumb over her lips. “Good. Because all I need is you.”
Her eyes shimmered, and she leaned into him, coming to rest against his chest.
Right where she belonged.
* * * * *
Zee was used to staring at the land. Communing with nature had helped her heal and she considered it a lifelong friend.
But she’d never seen the ranch look like this.
Color stretched across every visible inch of it—deep orange pumpkins and gold corn shocks tied for vibrancy. Deep red ribbons spiraled around fence posts and the posts of the big house and the lodge too.
The weather had obeyed the wishes of every person on the Black Heart Ranch today and showed up with a sky so blue it looked straight out of a painting.
Zee pulled in a lungful of crisp air spiced with the scent of roasted pumpkin seeds.
The festival had come together fast once the weather cleared, and she saw that when the people on the ranch showed up, they went all out.
The tractor trundled in the distance pulling a wagon load of people.
The yard was crowded with people enjoying the fun, eating hamburgers and the last of the corn from the garden.
A table filled with pies and goodies was set up in front of the lodge, and Zee’s stomach cramped with hunger just looking at the treats.
A few couples whirled on a makeshift dance floor. The guys wore cowboy hats and plaid shirts. The ladies were in cozy sweaters in fall hues. The music carried across the yard, making her feet twitch in her boots.
It had been a long time since she danced.
She glanced around, searching for Church. Her fiancé.
Just as she twisted, a hand settled on the small of her back, warm and familiar. His low voice rumbled at her ear. “You’re doing that thing again.”
She smiled. “What thing?”
“Standing still when everything around you is moving.”
She glanced up at him, taking in the ruggedness of his handsome face. She lay her hand along his stubbled jaw. “There’s so much to take in. I want to remember everything about my first fall on the Black Heart Ranch.”
He rested his hands on her hips and twirled her into his arms. Clasping her tight to his body, he swayed to the music. She wasn’t surprised that he’d read her mind about dancing. He always seemed to know.
Looping her arms around his neck, she rocked with him. While they spun on the edge of the festivities, she couldn’t help but smile at Rhae and Denver strolling past, each of them holding Navy’s hand. Fern and Crew were twirling a few feet away from her and Church, equally lost in each other.
Decker was talking to Pope, his arm around Willow’s shoulders. She laughed at something they said. Everywhere Zee looked, she saw the glow of happiness and belonging.
No one was left out. Even Carmichael was gathered in the yard, playing horseshoes with a few of the other vets.
Zee rested her cheek against Church’s chest, letting the steady beat of his heart ground her as they moved together. The music drifted around them, laughter rising and falling in waves, the entire ranch alive in a way that felt almost unreal.
“Feels different today,” she murmured.
He slid his hand up her back in a slow sweep. “Yeah?”
She nodded against him. “Not like I’m trying to find my place anymore.” She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “Like I already have one.”
Emotion creased the corners of his eyes. He brushed his thumb along her cheek before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You do.”
Before she could answer, a shout cut across the yard.
“Hey! You two planning on hiding over there all night?”
Zee laughed as she and Church turned as one to spot Crew waving them over near the long tables set up in front of the big garage. Fern stood beside him, grinning at his interruption.
“Come on.” Church took her hand and threaded their fingers together. “We’ve been summoned.”
They made their way to the tables, stopping twice when people pulled Zee into quick hugs or squeezed her shoulder in passing. It still caught her off guard—how easily the group embraced her and how natural it felt to belong.
By the time they reached the table, Gabe was already handing out drinks while Willow rearranged a tray of mini pies that smelled dangerously delicious.
“There you are.” Gabe passed Church a bottle before sliding Zee a cup of cider. “Thought you might’ve gone to bed early.”
Church chuckled. “Now that you mention it…”
Heat flooded Zee’s cheeks, and she had to duck her head to hide it. But Church never missed a thing when it came to her.
Willow’s eyes sparkled as she looked between them. “We’ve got pies, cookies and a creation Shiloh insists is healthy but tastes like dessert anyway.”
“It is healthy,” Shiloh called from a few spaces down the table where she sat between Oaks and the famous violinist, Juliette. “Mostly.”
Zee didn’t hesitate to take a small plate of the special dessert.
The first bite melted on her tongue, a mix of warm spices and sweetness. She closed her eyes and groaned. “Okay, even if it’s unhealthy, it’s worth it.”
Shiloh beamed at her.
Fern bumped Zee’s shoulder lightly. “You only have a few days before the real work begins at the training facility. Better take advantage.”
Zee smiled at her new friend, her heart full. This wasn’t just temporary. This was hers now too.
Church slid his arm around her, drawing her against his side as he chatted with Gabe and Crew about the training schedules and supply runs. Soon their world would shift and the facility would be up and running full speed.
“Two days.” Gabe looked at Church. “Ready for the first class?”
“Final checks tomorrow, but we’re solid.”