Chapter 29
Betty
I pinched off a few basil leaves from the aquaponic tube, standing on my toes to reach the ripest leaves. The greenhouse was warm and humid today, so much so that I had to turn on the fans to cycle out the air. It felt almost tropical in here.
Last night, Gray set Sybil and Nash up in the shed on an inflatable mattress inside a tent.
The tent served a dual purpose: to keep out the cold and any lingering rodents.
Between the fireplace and the tent, I’m sure they were cozy.
Plus, with the low temperature in the high thirties now, it felt like a heatwave to me.
Sybil seemed absolutely delighted with the whole arrangement. She was really getting the hang of this adventure business. Bill too loved being out in nature and enjoyed his own little blanketed corner of the tent.
Gray and I left the front cabin door open in case anyone needed the bathroom. My brother, however, seemed to abuse the privilege, which put a damper on any sexy time between Gray and me. For God’s sake, why couldn’t he just pee in the woods and quit being a broody cockblock?
While Nash had warmed up to Gray throughout the day and evening, his grudge would take much longer to dissipate. He still grumbled and frowned a lot more than usual, but we were getting there. What the two men needed was a project, and that’s exactly what they’d been outside working on all morning.
The greenhouse door creaked open and shut behind me.
I didn’t bother to turn to see who it was, recognizing the slow, heavy footsteps of Gray’s booted feet on the concrete floor. My gloved hands were buried in the soil as I unearthed a few sweet potatoes, carefully detaching their roots and placing them beside me.
A warm presence pressed against my back a moment later, large hands sliding from my upper arms down to my hips and grabbing hold. They were possessive and exploratory. Gray was not here for a casual visit.
He tucked my short braid over my shoulder, freeing my neck for his teasing kisses and licks, sending shivers down my body.
I inhaled deeply, trying to ignore him, but his familiar woodsy scent enveloped me, pulling my attention.
A smile touched my lips as I closed my eyes, a moan escaping when he slid a hand across my belly.
Slipping beneath my shirt, icy fingers traced circles before migrating up to my breasts. He gently bit down on the soft part of my shoulder with a groan when he discovered I wasn’t wearing a bra. By now, I wondered why he was even surprised.
My breath hitched at the feel of his exploratory touch, and I pressed my backside against him on reflex, feeling a firm length greet me. “Gray,” I whispered.
His answering growl was raspy and deep. “You’re impossible to stay away from,” he murmured in my ear. “If your brother wasn’t staking his claim on our cabin, I’d be making love to you on every surface right now.”
“Our cabin?” I asked playfully.
His rough, calloused fingers rolled my nipples, making them harden. “Yes. Our cabin.”
Desire melted through me, heat blooming from my center and spreading outward. I felt my cheeks prickle with heat. Grabbing the edge of the potato bin for balance, I bit down on my lower lip until I tasted blood, trying to quell my anticipation.
“You know,” he continued, pressing his hips forward and up.
“I realized we didn’t use any protection the other night.
” His hand slid into the front of my joggers, finding its way to my clit and circling before dipping lower.
He parted my folds and slid a finger inside me, finding me already wet for him.
I whimpered. “No?”
He took my earlobe into his mouth, his finger moving in and out with agonizing slowness, occasionally circling my clit to break the rhythm. “What does that mean, Buttercup?” he pressed. “Because I’ve been thinking about it all day, and each time my dick throbs more than I’d like to admit.”
My entire body shook with arousal at his words. Just hearing him talk about his wants and our future was enough for me. I fought off an orgasm, trying to wriggle from his grasp.
He kept me locked in his arms, a victim to his clever hands and probing questions.
I knew exactly what not using protection meant.
I didn’t fail health class. Our lack of birth control was a problem, but there wasn’t much I could do about it out here, miles from any pharmacy.
Maybe he’d had condoms, but our lust had taken over, and by that point, there wasn’t much you could change, nor did I want to.
So, did I regret it?
No.
To be honest, the unavoidable consequences only intensified the desire. These weeks spent in the woods had changed me, making me long for things I never expected needing or wanting so soon—like a family of my own, a sense of belonging, and a man who was eager to do those things with me.
Perhaps it was impulsive to feel this way, but that’s who I was. I let my emotions get the better of me for the sake of a moment—and I was a glutton for memorable moments.
His other hand moved from my breast to my belly. “Your silence tells me you know exactly what you’re doing, Buttercup.”
Another wave of arousal hit me. I could tell by the size of him against my backside that he was just as turned on by this kink as I was, his dick twitching each time he thrust against me.
I turned my head to meet his mouth as his tongue dove in for a long and thorough kiss.
His finger, slick and relentless, never ceased.
He hummed against my mouth in soft acknowledgment of my eagerness as he nibbled my lower lip.
“Why does the thought of getting you pregnant make me want to fuck you until you scream? Is that what you want?” His hips rocked hard against me now, his free hand clasping my ass over the joggers, the sensation almost punishing.
My core clenched around his fingers, and I cried out. My body spoke the words my mouth couldn’t, rubbing myself into the palm of his hand. The amount of wetness that kept pooling between my legs was bordering on obscene.
I needed him to fuck me, then come deep inside. I wanted him to make us a family. I wanted to meld our lives so permanently that we’d be eternal.
The thoughts took me off guard, but felt right.
His finger slid out of me, his other arm banding tight across my stomach, caging me firmly against the potato bin.
I heard the jingle of a belt buckle, then the zip of a fly, and my joggers and underwear were yanked down my backside in a hurry.
His hand grazed over my exposed skin, squeezing again before fitting his warm hips against my bare behind.
His erection slid between my thighs, over my wetness once, then twice, drawing a guttural moan from his throat.
I let him toy with me, my body thrumming with need as the tip of his cock became coated in my desire for him. His hand slid under my shirt once more, finding my breast, just as the fat tip of his cock nudged inside. He pinched my nipple hard, driving his hips forward, deep and direct.
I cried out again, trying to stay quiet, but the intense pleasure of his cock entering me made fireworks explode behind my eyelids.
He paused there, seated inside as far as he could, waiting as I settled around him.
“Is this what you want?” he hissed, asking again, stroking my nipple to relax away the burn of his pinch. It was so sensitive, it drove me insane. He was no doubt a nipple man, and I was going to have to be okay with that.
I hummed and nodded, unable to form more of an answer.
“I need to hear you say it, Buttercup.” His voice was strained, and he pinched my nipple again, twisting slightly to coax out my answer.
“Yes!” I panted out. “I want it. I want all of it,” I gasped. “I want us.”
He grunted, his cock twitching and sliding out halfway. “Fuck, Betty.” He held himself there for only a moment, then thrust back in.
Every nerve ending was alive, and I moaned, dropping my head forward.
“I’m going to leave you dripping,” he warned.
My hips were circling of their own merit, begging him to keep moving.
He relented, pushing in deep, slow and steady at first, then growing with ferocity until there was no doubt he’d hit the mark.
I braced my hands and arms over the bin for balance as he reached around, his fingers teasing when I neared the edge of oblivion.
The universe danced behind my eyelids, and my pinnacle coiled quickly.
Wanting more, I spread my legs farther apart in invitation, lifting my ass to better accommodate him.
The air crackled with Gray’s guttural moans as he moved even deeper, his erection a powerful force. With each thrust, the intensity between us surged, building towards an explosive climax. I felt myself dissolving, ready to shatter in his embrace, only to be reassembled by his touch.
I detonated.
A scream tried to claw its way out of me, but he clasped a hand over my mouth. I dug my gloved fingers into the wood of the bin, trying to remain grounded.
Gray grunted, driving into me one last time as he wrapped his other arm around my belly, holding me still.
I felt his hot release spill inside me, coating my inner walls as it had so many times already.
His hand dropped from my mouth, and I gasped at the sensation, warm and satisfying.
Everything tingled with lust, and I worked through the intense waves of our combined orgasms.
We leaned against the bin, panting for a few moments, his body arched over mine. I could feel moisture seeping out around his cock. When he finally withdrew, he spun me quickly to face him, and I felt his fingers find their way back into my joggers.
He gathered any moisture that escaped, his eyes hooded and full of heat, and thrust his fingers back deep inside me.
He took my mouth with hunger, repeating the motion again and again, causing a second climax to kindle.
Inviting the lewd action, I hitched a leg up around his hip to give him better, deeper access.
“We should keep all this right there, shouldn’t we, Buttercup?” he whispered against my mouth.
God, I loved this side of him. This was fun, and I wanted to do it again.
I nipped his lower lip, pressing myself into his hand as my breaths quickened, a wave of heat washing over me for the second time. I clenched around his fingers, his raw words fanning the intense inferno that continued to burn within me, an unquenchable craving for him.
“You belong to me now, baby girl,” he breathed. “I love you.”
His confession hit hard, elongating my second orgasm with a moaned, “I love you too.”
I felt him grin against my trembling lips, his blue eyes searching mine, looking for the truth I was sure he saw there. He kissed me, long and languid, our tongues exploring, lazy and unhurried.
Once he was sure my body had absorbed all it could, he pulled his fingers out and repositioned my joggers and underwear back over my ass.
He hoisted me up and cradled me against him as though I weighed nothing.
I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling so incredibly close to this man that I didn’t know how I’d ever lived without him.
He set me on the edge of the potato bin, standing between my legs as he zipped his jeans and refastened his belt.
His cheeks were red above his beard, his lips glistening from our kiss, and his eyes were full of a life that hadn’t been there when I’d first met him.
He looked like a deeply satisfied man, and it was unbelievably sexy.
Catching my breath at last, I finally pulled off my gardening gloves and let them fall to the floor so I could run my fingers through his hair. “You’re mine now, too, Gray. No more running from each other, no more hiding. It’s you and me against the world, okay?”
He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against mine. “You and me, Buttercup.” He kissed my nose. “You and me, and whomever we make together, should it happen.”
I grinned and rubbed my nose against his, humming with satisfaction.
Gray pulled back, gathering the sweet potatoes I’d picked that lay near my thigh.
He stepped out from between my legs and winked at me.
I loved his playful nature, and the way it always put a spark in his eye when he was happy.
I slid off the bin after him, realizing I needed some fresh underwear—and pants, for that matter.
This was not very comfortable, and a good bit embarrassing.
He eyed me sheepishly. “Sorry, I should have brought a towel,” he said.
I laughed. “I’ll put some out here for next time, okay?”
He flicked my nose once, then kissed it.
I followed him out of the greenhouse to visit the bathroom and get ready for tonight’s cookout—which was the project Nash and Gray had been working on all day. They’d made a new fire pit, and it would be the perfect thing to keep us warm well into the evening and night.
For the first time in a lot of weeks, the world felt almost perfect, and, not caring how unoriginal it sounds, I wouldn’t want it any other way.