Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
REMINGTON
“ Y ou were right,” Erin says as we climb the steps of the porch to the house. “It took us all day to see everything. And now, I’m dragging.”
I grin at her as I unlock the door and open it, gesturing for her to go in ahead of me.
“I can’t believe I saw a mama grizzly with her babies,” she continues as she kicks off her shoes. “ Plus, a mountain lion on the way home. Rem, that was crazy. Aren’t you always afraid when you’re out there?”
“No.” I kick off my boots and hang my hat on the wall. “They don’t come near the houses or the barn because they don’t like people. Sure, we might have an animal walk through on their way to somewhere else, but they don’t hang out here.”
“It’s scary,” she murmurs.
“Hey.” I tip her chin up and brush a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You don’t need to be afraid of the animals. Just keep your eyes and ears open and be alert, especially if you’re by yourself. Besides, you’re the one who heard the grizzly. You did the right thing.”
She blows out a breath. “Yeah, you’re right. Do we want dinner?”
I lift an eyebrow. “Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m exhausted. ” She chuckles and leans her forehead against my chest. “I want to go to bed, and it’s only nine.”
“Then we’ll go to bed.” After kissing the top of her head, I take her shoulders and push her away gently so I can kiss her forehead.
“Thank God,” she says and sets off for her bedroom.
“Where are you going?”
She stops and turns to me with a frown. “To my bed.”
“While the kids are gone, you’ll be sleeping in my bed, Doc.”
She blinks, smiles, and continues toward her room. “I just need to grab a couple of things.”
While she handles her business, I make sure the house is locked up tight and pour us each a glass of wine. When I walk out from the kitchen, Erin’s walking out of her bedroom with a tote bag full of things. She also changed out of her dirty clothes and into my old college sweatshirt. No pants.
“You look like you’re going on a weekend trip. Well, one with no pants.”
She laughs and then shrugs. “I guess I kind of am .”
I pass her a glass of wine and take the bag from her and frown in surprise. “This thing is heavy.”
“I needed a lot of stuff,” she says with a careless shrug and takes the lead up the stairs. I can tell that she’s tired because the typical bounce in her step is gone. She trudges down the hall to my bedroom, as if her feet weigh fifty pounds each.
But those legs are stellar.
Erin sips her wine and turns to me. “You know, it occurs to me that in all the times we’ve managed to have sex, it’s always been in my bed downstairs or against the side of a Jeep.”
She smirks and glances at my bed.
“Which side do you sleep on?” she asks.
“The one closest to the door.”
She nods and wanders around to the other side, setting her phone and wine on the bedside table.
“We need to check you for ticks.”
Her eyebrows shoot up at that. “Excuse me?”
“Ticks. It’s spring, and there are ticks.”
“That might be the most unromantic thing anyone has ever said to me in my life.” Her gorgeous eyes look terrified. “ Ticks ?”
“You probably don’t have any.” I keep my voice calm so she doesn’t freak out. No one likes to think about those disgusting little critters, but we have to look. “Come here. We’ll go into the bathroom.”
I gesture for her to follow me and walk into my en suite, pulling a pair of tweezers out of the drawer just in case.
“Strip,” I order her.
“ You strip,” she counters. “You’re dirty, too.”
With my eyes on hers, I have no problem taking it all off and depositing it right into the hamper. Stark-ass naked, I turn to her and raise an eyebrow.
“Your turn.”
She pulls the sweatshirt off, sets it on the sink, and does the same with her panties.
“You know, getting naked with you is a lot sexier when there aren’t tiny insects involved.”
“I can’t argue with that. Turn around.” I scan her body from head to toe, even checking in her hair, behind her ears, and between her legs.
“If a tick made its way into my cooter, you can just shoot me and put me out of my misery.”
I chuckle and turn her around once more. “You’re good to go. My turn.”
“Ohhh, I get a turn.” That pleases her, and her gaze roams all over me, and that just turns me on. “I don’t see any ticks, but I do see that the idea of them turns you on.”
“Wrong.” I catch her wrist in my hand and yank her against me. “ You turn me on.”
“Coincidentally,” she says, staring at my lips, “same here. But I’m freaking exhausted, and we had forest sex twice. ”
“Let’s each take a quick shower, and then we’ll snuggle down and watch something in bed.”
Her eyes light up at that idea. “ Yes. That’s perfect.”
My body is trained to wake up at five every morning, even on Sundays, when I let the guys handle the ranch, and I spend the day with my kids. So, when my eyes pop open, and I see that it’s so early, I’m not surprised.
It is, however, a nice reminder to find Erin cuddled up next to me, still sleeping soundly. The sun hasn’t come up yet, but the first signs of light are coming to life outside as I turn to her and press a kiss to her cheek.
She doesn’t stir.
We were both too exhausted after our showers to even watch TV, let alone have sex. I didn’t know that was possible for me when it comes to Erin, but it seems even I have a point of exhaustion.
This morning, however, I’m feeling rejuvenated, and Erin is in my fucking bed.
I’ve wanted her here almost since the day she moved into my house. And if it wouldn’t confuse things for my kids, I’d have had her here long ago.
But I have her here now. And I intend to enjoy every second of it.
My hand drifts up and down her side. She must have gotten too warm in the night because the sweatshirt is gone, and she’s only wearing her little white panties.
Which will be gone momentarily.
Lazily, I drag my fingertips over her ribs and up to her breast, where her nipple comes to life and puckers for me.
Erin takes a deep breath, as if she’s starting to surface from sleep, and I kiss her lips gently.
“Mm,” she moans and leans in for more kisses. She drags her leg up the outside of my own and drapes it over my hip, opening herself up for me.
But I’m taking my time here. I want to steep myself in her.
She still hasn’t opened her eyes when I let my hand drift down between us, down her belly, and farther still, until I’m cupping her.
That wakes her up.
She tries to straddle me, but I shake my head and push her back onto the mattress.
“Lazy this morning,” I say, just barely brushing my fingertips over her folds. “There’s no hurry.”
She sighs and kisses my shoulder and then my neck. Her hand runs down my arm, and she links her fingers with mine in a sweet gesture that makes my heart stutter.
“You’re so sweet,” I whisper before kissing her lips once more, still keeping the tone light and lazy. I could do this with her all day.
But Erin is a little more impatient and scoots herself even closer to me, rubbing her core against my erection, and that’s all it takes for me to reach down and guide myself to her slick center.
With the slightest of thrusts, I push inside of her and cup her ass, drawing her tightly against me. We’re on our sides, facing each other, watching each other intimately in the dim light of dawn.
“Oh, Jesus,” she groans and bites her lip. “This angle.”
I can’t help but move just a little faster now, holding on to her ass as I push and pull, completely hypnotized by this woman and the way she makes every inch of me crave more while chasing a finish that I know will blow my mind.
Erin cups my cheek and kisses me long and slow, her tongue dancing against my own, and I feel the tightening, the adrenaline, and then there’s no stopping the orgasm from sweeping through me.
Her pussy is like a vise around me, contracting and milking me dry.
And when her eyes, still heavy-lidded from sleep, meet mine, she smiles slyly.
“Well, that was a good way to start the day.”
“I think it’s my new favorite,” I agree. “You should go back to sleep.”
“So should you.”
“I have to work for a little while. I like going, knowing that you’re burrowed in my bed, with the scent of what we just did hanging in the air.”
“God, you’re good at the dirty talk. It’s always the grumpy ones.”
I laugh and push her flat on her back, kissing the hell out of her again.
“I fucking love the way you look here, in my bed, in my room. Naked and still buzzing from having my cock inside of you.”
“Keep it up and you’ll be late for work,” she warns me.
“I’ll be back,” I promise her. “Just a few hours, and I’ll be back. And then we’re not leaving this bed for the rest of the day.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I have news,” Chase says as he walks through the front door, as if he still lives here. “Where’s Erin?”
“I’m here,” she calls out from the kitchen. “Just getting the kids dinner.”
“Before we go in there,” I say to my brother, “is it good or bad news?”
“It’s great news,” he replies with a grin and walks into the kitchen.
It’s been a month since the kids went out of town with my parents. A month since my few days alone with Erin.
And it’s been damn peaceful.
No flowers sent, nothing that would make any of us think that the asshole stalker is around Bitterroot Valley anymore.
And that’s just the way I fucking like it.
“Hey, you guys,” I say to the kids. “How about I let you have your dinner in your bedroom, just this one time?”
“Does this mean that we don’t get to hear the news?” Holly asks with a frown. “Because I wanna know what it is.”
My daughter will make an excellent gossip when she’s an old woman.
“This is grown-up talk,” I tell her. “Go on up and play with your Barbies, okay?”
“Can we sit on your bed and watch TV?” Johnny asks.
“Yes, but please be careful with your drinks.” I suspect this is a bad idea, but I don’t want them to hear about Erin’s stalker. I don’t want them to be afraid.
“I’ll help them get settled,” Erin offers, loading up a tray with their plates, silverware, and drinks that she’s already put into tumblers.
She thinks of everything.
Johnny and Holly follow her up the stairs, talking a mile a minute as Chase walks to the sink and looks out the window, then turns back to me.
“You’re going to marry her.” It’s not a dare, not an accusation. It’s just a simple statement.
“Yeah.” I push my hand through my hair. “I am. Haven’t asked her yet, though.”
“When I walked in here, it was as if this was always the way it’s been. The four of you. And I don’t mean that to sound disrespectful to Jess; you know I liked her.”
“I get it,” I reply. “I know what you mean. And yeah, it fits. The whole thing just fits perfectly, and part of me wonders when the other shoe will drop, and I’ll realize that it actually doesn’t fit the way it should, but then I decide to stop borrowing trouble.”
“You’re giving yourself good advice,” he says with a smile, but then he turns serious again. “Your kids are way invested in her.”
“I know that. Didn’t plan on it, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”
“I’m happy for all of you,” he says, just as Erin hurries back in.
“Okay, they’re settled, and there should be no spillage on the bed. Just in case, I put an extra blanket over the comforter to catch any crumbs.”
“You’re pretty smart,” I reply with a smile. “And handy to have around. Thanks. Okay, Chase, what’s up?”
“Well, I just got off the phone with the parole officer in Washington. The asshole hasn’t missed even one appointment. From what we can tell, he’s in Washington. So far, we can’t prove that the flowers came from him, but when we do, he’ll likely go back to prison for fucking up his restraining order. But the best news is, he’s not in Montana.”
“Thank God,” Erin says with a relieved sigh. “I can start work again at the coffee shop.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“Why not?” she counters. “I miss it. And it’s only on Sundays because your mother has claimed that day as her grandma day with the kids. It works.”
“She’s safe,” Chase says to me.
“I need this.” Erin crosses to me and takes my hand, pressing it to her cheek. “I’m an independent person, Grumpy. I need to be able to go back to my job, see my friends without a chaperone, all of it. The ranch is not a prison for me. I love it, but I need the rest of my life back.”
“That was a damn good speech,” Chase says with approval.
“Go away, Chase.”
“See you later!” He waves and leaves the kitchen. I hear the door shut behind him, and then his engine roars to life.
“Okay,” I say at last with a gusty sigh. “We’ll still watch your back.”
“Oh, yeah, I won’t do anything stupid. I’m so excited. ” She bounces and then throws her arms around my neck and kisses me hard. “Thanks, Grumpy.”
“You’re welcome, Doc.”
“I can’t believe the school year is over,” Erin says as she puts the finishing touches on Holly’s pretty braids for her kindergarten graduation ceremony. “This spring just flew by.”
“Don’t forget,” Holly says, as if she’s the parent, “we have seats saved for you and Daddy and Johnny.”
“I won’t forget,” Erin promises. “What about the rest of the family?”
“They’ll have to sit in the back,” Holly says. “There are too many of them.”
I laugh and usher everyone out to the Suburban so we can drive into town for the ceremony at the elementary school.
Speaking of time flying by, how is it possible that Holly’s going into the first grade next year? My kids are growing up too quickly.
“I was invited to Aurora’s birthday party on Saturday,” Holly reminds us for the fifth time today. “At two o’clock.”
“We won’t forget,” I reply.
“Okay. I hope some of the others come to my graduation. Like Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Millie.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
There’s already a shortage of parking when we arrive, so I take a space a block away. I take Holly’s hand, and Johnny takes Erin’s, and we’re off.
Holly has to go join her class, so I lead the others to our seats with the other families. And when I look behind us, my mouth drops open.
“They all came,” I whisper to Erin, who only grins at me.
“I know.”
Everyone is here. Not just my parents and my siblings, but all of my ranch hands, too, and they’re waving at us. When I glance back over at Erin, she’s holding up her phone, and her parents, along with Zoey, are on FaceTime.
“You look pale, Rem,” Meg says through the phone. “You have to breathe.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the principal says into the PA system, “please take your seats so we can begin.”
“I owe them,” I murmur so only Erin can hear. “I owe them all.”
“No, you don’t. This is what family does, Rem.”