Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
H udson
The fire crackles low beside us a few nights later, the Phantom River humming in the distance, its waters dark and inviting under the silver glow of the moon. The night air is warm, thick with pine and the crisp scent of the wilderness, but I don’t feel any of it.
All I feel is her .
Palmer sits across from me on the thick wool blanket, her bare legs stretched out, toes digging absently into the cool dirt. Her hair’s a mess, loose waves spilling over her shoulders, her skin glowing from the fire’s heat.
She looks wild out here. Free.
She looks mine .
I stretch my arm out, fingers skimming up her calf, slow and lazy. She shivers under my touch, her lips parting just slightly. I smirk, watching her reaction like a man who knows exactly how to play her body like an instrument.
"You're staring," she murmurs, dragging her lower lip between her teeth.
"Damn right, I am." I squeeze her thigh, dragging her closer. “Can’t help it, Treasure.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t pull away. “You always this charming?”
“Only for you.”
Her breath catches, but she covers it with a scoff. “Liar.”
I just grin.
She shakes her head, leaning back on her elbows, staring at the river. “That water looks nice. Bet it’s freezing, though.”
I push to my feet, dusting my hands off. “One way to find out.”
Palmer snorts. “I’m not jumping into that thing. I’ve seen what lives in these waters.”
I shrug, pulling my shirt over my head, tossing it to the side. “Guess you’ll just have to watch then.”
Her gaze drops to my chest. Exactly where I want it .
I smirk, reaching for my belt.
Her breath hitches.
“Hudson—”
The buckle clinks, the denim sliding down my thighs.
Her eyes are wide now, lips parting as I stand before her, bare as the day I was born, the firelight flickering against my skin.
“Still not coming in?” My voice is low, teasing.
She swallows hard, shifting on the blanket, trying to look anywhere but right at me .
But she’s looking.
I see the way her thighs press together, the way her fingers dig into the fabric of the blanket.
I chuckle, slow and rough. “Didn’t peg you for a coward, Treasure.”
That does it.
Her eyes snap up, fire burning behind them. “Oh, screw you, Kane.”
She’s up in an instant, yanking her dress over her head, tossing it at my chest.
I catch it, grinning as I watch her shimmy out of her panties, her curves bathed in firelight. My stomach tightens, blood surging low as she stands before me, hands on her hips, chin tipped up.
“You were saying?” she challenges.
I chuckle darkly, taking a slow step toward her, drinking in every inch of her. “I was sayin’—” I catch her wrist, tugging her flush against me, her soft skin pressed to mine. “That you’re too damn pretty to be this reckless.”
She gasps at the contact, hands flying to my chest, fingers splaying over the hard planes.
I dip my head, my lips brushing the shell of her ear.
"But I like reckless," I murmur.
Before she can sass me back, I scoop her into my arms and jump .
Water crashes around us, the shock of it stealing her breath. She squeals, smacking my chest as I surface with her cradled against me.
“You asshole ,” she sputters, pushing her wet hair out of her face.
I just grin, tightening my grip, keeping her floating against me. “Told you the water was fine.”
She glares, but there’s no heat behind it. Not when she’s shivering in my arms, her body pressed up against mine, slick and warm despite the cool river. Not when I slide my fingers into her hair, angling her face up to mine.
Not when I murmur, “Marry me, Treasure. For real–no bullshit mail-order bride business, just you and me, romance, love, forever. ”
Her lips part, her breath catching.
She blinks up at me, water droplets clinging to her lashes. “What?”
I smirk, bringing her ring finger to my lips and kissing it softly.
“I’m not good at this,” I mutter, voice rough. “Never been the kind of man who knew how to say the right words. But I know this—I was never meant to be alone, Palmer. I just didn’t know it until you showed up, wrecking my peace and making me want things I never thought I could have.”
Her lips tremble, her fingers clenching around mine.
“You’re mine,” I tell her, voice thick with emotion. “And I’m yours, Treasure. If you’ll have me, I would like to officially ask for your hand in marriage.”
She stares up at me, blinking like she can’t believe my words are real.
Then her eyes flick to mine, and I see it—the moment she gives up fighting.
The moment she chooses me.
“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, Hudson.”
Relief crashes through me so hard I almost stagger.
I grip the back of her neck and crush my mouth to hers, kissing her so deep, so hard, she gasps against me.
“Say it again,” I demand against her lips.
She grins, wrapping her legs around my waist. “Yes.”
I groan, hauling her closer, our bodies slipping together in the water, heat flaring between us.
Palmer is everything I never knew I needed.
And she’s mine .
Her head rests on my chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles over my stomach.
“You really planned this whole thing out, huh?” she murmurs.
I smirk, dragging my fingers through her damp hair. “Well, I still need to get you a ring–but yes, I try to be a man with a plan.”
She chuckles. “You also like to boss me around.”
“Damn right, I do.”
She tilts her head, peering up at me. “So, what now?”
I grip her chin, making her look at me.
“Now,” I say, voice low and firm, “I show you exactly what it means to be mine .”
Her breath shudders, her thighs pressing together. I smirk.
"Mm, my Treasure," I murmur, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just wait ‘til you see what I have planned for our wedding."
She laughs, swatting my chest, but the way she melts against me tells me all I need to know.
Palmer Lane is all in . And I’ll spend forever making sure she never regrets it.