Epilogue
GENNIE
I t was getting tougher to surprise my husband.
I’d done just about everything imaginable—from dressing as a nurse to buying a fun game to initiating sex in public places.
But it was tougher these days. It was rare that we got a night away from the kids, but now that our daughters were both in elementary school, the sleepover era had begun.
And that was where they both were tonight. We had until around lunchtime tomorrow to do whatever we wanted.
The sound of a truck door shutting outside brought me to attention.
I straightened my shirt, which was tucked into a pair of khaki pants—both borrowed from the uniform stash at Ryan’s shop, which was thriving.
It pretty much ran itself these days, which gave Ryan the chance to spend more time with me and the kids.
But the whole thing had made him restless for something to do besides balancing the books and ordering inventory. And that was where he’d been tonight—dinner with the head of Stone Peak Logging to discuss working with them on a big project they were undertaking.
A few minutes ago, he’d texted that he was on his way home, and he’d gotten the gig. I had my own way of celebrating, but it would be a total surprise.
The second he walked through the door, my heart warmed at the sight of him. This was my husband—the man I was building a life with. We’d been married a full decade. We’d had this house built on Memory Lane. We’d moved into this big cabin on the strip of waterfront land they called Grizzly Pond.
It was hard to believe that even after all this time, the sight of Ryan still made my heart beat a little faster. And right now, it also turned me on, but that could be because I knew what was in store for both of us.
The sight of me didn’t wow him like the previous times I’d role-played for him. That was probably because I wasn’t exactly dressed in sexy attire. No, this was the uniform he saw every day at his shop.
“We’re doing a little tasting tonight,” I said.
He dropped his laptop bag in the chair next to the front door without taking his eyes off me. “Moonshine?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Bourbon.”
Bourbon was his favorite. He didn’t drink the moonshine he sold—he tasted it all, of course, but it wasn’t really his thing.
When we went out, he ordered bourbon and soda.
Sometimes just straight bourbon. So I’d bought five small bottles of different kinds and swiped five tasting glasses from his shop. I’d return them tomorrow.
With shaking hands, I lifted each shot glass onto the ledge between the kitchen and the greater living room. He stood for a long moment before finally starting toward me.
“Wait a second.” He stopped in front of the ledge. “Did you set this up for?—?”
He didn’t finish that sentence. But his gaze lifted to my face, and the heat in his eyes told me exactly what he was asking.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir,” I said. “I’m going to need to see some ID first.”
That wasn’t how they put it in the store, but it was probably best I didn’t follow their script exactly. I didn’t want my husband to feel like he was at work.
Shaking his head, he withdrew his wallet and pulled out his license, setting it on the ledge. That was what customers at his shop had to do—it wasn’t enough to flash it in a wallet. They had to pull it out. But he was smiling as he did so, and that told me he was up for this.
My fingers were no longer shaking as I picked up the license and eyed the photo. “That’s probably the best driver’s license photo I’ve ever seen.” I lifted my gaze to his face. “I guess there’s no way anyone could take a bad picture of you.”
That was my attempt at flirting. I’d never been all that good at it.
Probably because I’d spent so many years trying not to focus on dating.
When I finally did find a man I wanted to impress, things had happened so fast, I hadn’t really had time to refine a strategy.
I’d just been myself. And that was plenty for Gennie.
“You’re good to go,” I said. “You’ll pay at the end.”
“Oh, I’ll pay, alright.”
He gave me a wink. An actual wink. In all of ten years, he’d never done that. Had a man ever winked at me? I couldn’t remember a time.
“Okay, let’s get started.” I picked up the first bottle. “This one’s soft and mellow with notes of honey, sweet corn, and a hint of orange peel.”
As I poured the liquid into the glass, I couldn’t help but notice he seemed to be battling a smile. Had I messed it up already? It didn’t matter. The bourbon wasn’t the point of this.
I handed the shot to him. He was a good sport. He sucked down the first and second shots of bourbon.
“Now let’s try something different,” I said.
This was the part I’d practiced more than a few times. I whipped off my T-shirt, revealing that I wore no bra underneath. Luckily, my breasts had held up well after nursing two babies. Well, decently enough, anyway.
The important thing was that my husband loved my body. That was clear from the appreciation in his stare as he openly gawked at my chest.
Without explaining my bare breast, I reached down and grabbed the next bottle. “This one’s more refined. It’s smoother around the edges, but?—”
I had to stop and check my notes there. I tried to do it without being obvious, but I was pretty sure Ryan noticed.
“But it still has plenty of backbone.” I lifted my eyes to his face. “You’ll taste toasted vanilla, dark cherry, and a hint of spice.”
I uncapped the bottle, but this time, instead of pouring the liquid into the shot glass, I tipped over the bottle, plugging it with my fingers and letting the liquid soak my fingertips. Then I lowered the bottle while I ran my finger around my nipple, spreading the liquid over my areola.
“I’ll come around to you,” I said as I moved around the ledge.
He moved too, pulling out one of the stools as he walked. Much to my surprise, he put a hand on each side of my waist and lifted me, settling me onto the stool.
Then, not taking his eyes off my face, he lowered his head, extended his tongue, and ran it around my nipple. He made sure he lapped up every ounce of liquid—and then some. When he was finished, he moved to my other nipple. I sucked in a breath and somehow managed to force out words.
“I didn’t have any bourbon on that one,” I said.
He pulled away. “My bad.” But he had a big smile. “What’s next?”
“I think I deserve a taste. Take off your shirt, sir.”
I added that last word as an afterthought. It seemed formal, but that was how I’d refer to customers if I actually worked at his shop.
If Ryan minded the formality, he didn’t show it. In fact, he did exactly as asked—pulling off his T-shirt and doing that little flex he always did when he got naked in front of me. That move told me how much he wanted to impress me.
I walked around him and reached over the ledge to grab the fourth bottle.
I was uncorking it as I returned to stand in front of him.
And as before, I tipped it, plugging it with my fingers, and let just enough of the liquid coat my fingertips.
Then I ran my fingers around his nipples, just as I’d done with mine.
“Whoa, that stings a little,” he said.
“Oh yeah, I probably should have mentioned that.”
I’d actually enjoyed it. Maybe I was into kinkier stuff than I’d realized.
“But I’ll take care of it,” I said, setting the bottle on the ledge.
Then, ducking my head, I ran my tongue over each of his nipples. I circled around and around, looking up at him as I did. I wasn’t really a hard liquor person, but in this case, I didn’t mind the taste. I was too focused on his reaction.
As I finished teasing him and straightened, something hit me. The next part of my plan had a big flaw.
“I was going to spread some of that on your…you know and lick it off,” I said.
“Hell no. That’s not going near my dick.”
Yeah, I probably should have tested it out on my skin before I got too deep into this plan. “You’ve been a great customer. Are you ready for your reward?”
That was a good save. I wanted to keep to the role-play, but I also wanted to get down to business. I was so wet. Wet and aching. I needed relief.
I reached for the fastening of his jeans, waiting for him to stop me, and felt his heated stare on me. Our eyes met as I began lowering his zipper.
I hungrily eyed his cock as it popped out. He was already rock hard, and that was no surprise. But I needed to go slowly to help him hold out.
I wrapped my hand around him, watching as his eyes fluttered closed. Then I dropped to my knees, wrapped my lips around his cock, and ran my tongue over the tip as I slowly slid my hand along his shaft.
He groaned, and I closed my eyes to focus on what I was doing. It was only maybe a minute before he pulled back. I knew exactly what to do. I stood, unbuttoning my shorts and shoving them and my underwear to my feet, stepping out of both.
Once I was undressed, he grabbed my hand and gestured toward the stool. It took me a second to figure out what he had in mind, but I should have known. I knew Ryan all too well. He always wanted me to come at least once, maybe even two or three times before he finished.
I settled onto the barstool with my legs tightly pressed together in a ladylike fashion. He quickly remedied that—nudging them apart and squatting between them. He slid a finger inside me as his tongue flicked fast across my aching nub.
I leaned back against the counter, closing my eyes and savoring the feel of his tongue. A soft moan slipped out—half sigh, half cry.
I was glad I had the ledge behind me. Otherwise, I might have toppled right off the stool. My entire body grew weak—legs trembling, heart pounding—as he drove me toward my first orgasm of the night. The first, but not the last.
I cried out as I came, enjoying the freedom to make as much noise as we wanted for a change. And then, when I felt like I might melt into a puddle on the floor, he stood, one hand fisted around his cock, the other steadying me at the waist.
He stared down at me as he slid inside, tugging me toward him to get the angle just right. Then he moved his hand between us, pressing his thumb to my clit. He moved it in slow circles while he stared down at me with such intense desire, it took my breath away.
Finally, his eyes drifted closed, and I knew he was trying to think of other things. Trying to hold off. I didn’t close my eyes, though. Instead, I watched him. The sight of him thrusting in and out of me, jaw clenched as he struggled to hold back, turned me on even more.
I moved one hand to my breast and began lazily circling my nipple, then pinched it between my fingers. I let out a very audible sigh. His eyes still didn’t open.
My pussy tightened around him as I got closer to orgasm. I felt his grip on my waist tighten slightly—that let me know he was feeling it too. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his orgasm at bay. That was okay. I was seconds away from coming.
Three…two…one…
I closed my eyes and surrendered to the sensations as they took over my body. I wanted to keep going. I cried out, throwing my head back.
Ryan let out a grunt seconds later. We were coming together. We did that often. My orgasm triggered his. Within seconds, we were both toppling over the edge.
When I looked up, he was still inside me, pulling me closer. Wrapping his arms around me, he planted a kiss on the top of my head. It was a loving gesture that brought a smile to my face.
“I’m thinking tacos,” I blurted.
“Delivered?” he asked, pulling back to look down at me.
“Oh, yeah. No way am I in the mood to go out after that. Plus, you still have some bourbon to drink.”
He laughed. “I think I’m good for now. But that was hot.”
I smiled up at him. “I’ve been planning it for a while. I just needed the right time to do it.”
“A night when the kids were gone,” he said.
“Exactly.”
“We manage okay when they’re here. But yeah, this would’ve been hard to pull off in the bedroom.”
I’d actually thought about that. But it was getting easier to have a night to ourselves. I could already see myself eventually missing the days when we had to sneak in a night of alone time. The kids were growing up so fast, it wouldn’t be long before we were begging to spend time around them.
“Let’s order some dinner and watch a movie,” I said as I pulled away and began dressing.
“Okay, but don’t be surprised if my hands start roaming halfway through the movie.”
“Oh, I definitely won’t be surprised.”
I didn’t mind. In fact, my hands might be the ones that wandered.
As I hopped on my phone and pulled up our favorite delivery app—the only one in town—I couldn’t help but smile to myself.
I’d come to this town under strange circumstances, certain my best friend had been coerced and was being held hostage by a hunky mountain man.
But it had taken less than a few hours for me to find my own mountain man and start falling in love with him.
I would’ve never imagined it, but that was exactly what happened.
And since then, my life had been perfect. I worked remotely and my hours were flexible, giving me the freedom to be both a mom and a wife. And Ryan’s job was equally flexible.
We had it made. And I counted my blessings every single day.