Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Emily
I wake up completely overheating, pinned against the mattress by a heavy, furnace-like weight.
I don’t even need to open my eyes to know exactly what’s happening, because there is something thick and unapologetically hard pressing into the small of my back, staking its claim before I’m even fully conscious.
Currently, a large, warm hand is cupping my breast, his thumb idly grazing the nipple as if the novelty hasn't worn off, and judging by the persistent poke against my spine, it definitely hasn't.
I stretch my body out like a cat under the heavy covers. Every part of me is sore in the most delicious way.
His grip loosens as he feels me shift, and I already find myself missing the contact.
I turn within the circle of those big, corded forearms, and I’m greeted with a devilishly sleepy grin.
Sweet Jesus, I’ve died and ended up in heaven for sure.
“Morning, baby,” he rasps, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that sends a fresh shiver down my spine. He brings those warm, full lips to mine for a slow, lingering kiss.
“Mornin’, Cowboy,” I giggle.
It’s ridiculous, really. Wyatt Miller makes me feel like a teenager again, all dizzy and breathless and far too happy for my own good.
I bring my palm to his stubbled chin, swiping my thumb gently along the line of his chiseled jaw.
What he told me last night—the raw, painful truth about his ex-wife—is still fresh in my mind.
It’s added a layer of vulnerability to Wyatt I never saw coming, and if it’s at all possible, I feel like I’ve fallen for him even harder.
His palms find the roundest part of my ass, fingers digging in as he pulls me tightly against the heavy ridge of his morning arousal.
There’s no hiding the tent he’s currently sporting in his underwear, and honestly, I’m not sure I want him to.
At this point, I’m just a raging ball of feral hormones.
“Baby,” I murmur against his lips, my breath hitching as he grinds slow and deliberate against me. “I’m not gonna lie...I’m pretty fucking sore.” I laugh. “But in a totally good way.”
It’s the truth. This man has spent the past two nights worshiping me, and I don’t think he ever intends to stop.
“Oh, yeah?” he asks, his voice a dark, teasing rumble. “I’m glad I could be of service.”
He winks before nipping gently at my earlobe, his stubble grazing my skin in a way that makes my toes curl. My eyes flick over to the clock resting on the bedside table in his room. No—our room. God, I need to get used to that.
It’s 6:30 a.m.
“Wyatt,” I whimper, placing both palms on his shoulders to reluctantly resist him as his mouth migrates to my neck. “Baby, it’s six-thirty. Shouldn’t you already be out the door? I need to get your son to school.”
He pulls back enough to look at me, mischief sparking in those deep eyes of his.
“Told my dad I was taking the day off,” he says, his thumb tracing my lower lip before he returns to sucking the sensitive spot right below my ear. “Thought we could take him together.”
He took a day off?
I push against his chest, forcing him to look at me as I shoot him a look of pure disbelief.
“Excuse me? Since when do you take a day off the ranch, Wyatt Miller?”
His laugh rumbles deep in his chest, a low, vibrating sound that makes my heart skip. “Never. But do you really think I’d drive a twenty-hour round trip to get you back just to spend the next day away from you, at work?” He raises a brow, his gaze dropping to my lips.
I purse my lips, giving him a mock-impressed look despite the frantic butterflies doing gymnastics in my stomach. “Wow. Now I feel all kinds of special.”
The teasing dies in my throat when I see the way he’s looking at me. Those deep mahogany eyes feel like they’re seeing right into my soul. There’s a sudden, raw gentleness to him. A look I haven't seen since we were kids.
“You are special, Em,” he says, his voice catching a fraction.
The honesty in his tone is almost too much to behold. As much as I’d love to stay in this bed all day with my hot cowboy fucking each other senseless, I realize this new life comes as a package. A wonderful, love-filled package I didn't even know I was missing.
“We’d better get that boy up if we’re going to make it to school on time.” I smile, nudging him.
He lets out a dramatic groan. “You’re right.” He plants one last firm, claiming kiss on my lips before rolling quickly out of bed.
For a moment, I just stay there, watching intently as he moves across the room. I can't help but admire the perfect, firm roundness of his ass in those tight boxers and the way his shoulder blades ripple with pure power as he tugs on his sweatpants.
I’ve never been more grateful for the grueling, back-breaking work of the ranch. It’s clearly carved out a goddamn Adonis.
He turns, catching me gawping at him, and a sly, knowing grin creeps across his face. “Like what you see, baby?” His voice drops into that low, confident register that always makes me weak.
I don't even try to hide it. I lean back against the pillows, letting my gaze travel slowly over the hard lines of his chest. “Oh, very much. Especially now that I don’t have to pretend I don’t get wet every time I catch you shirtless.”
Wyatt stops mid-stride, his brows shooting up. “Emily Callahan...this whole damn time?” His grin turns shameless as he realizes how much power he’s had over me.
My teeth graze my bottom lip, a silent admission that has his eyes darkening with a sudden, fresh heat. If we didn't have a kid down the hall and a school bell to catch, I’m not sure either of us would be leaving this room today.
“You get the boy up,” he says, finally finding that authority even in his sweatpants. “I’m making you both breakfast.”
“Deal.”
* * *
“Pancakes and eggs are on, and the bacon is almost ready,” Wyatt calls out as he hears my footsteps hit the kitchen floor.
I stop in the archway, the view of a glorious, shirtless, and somehow domesticated Wyatt Miller is making my knees weak and my mouth dry. He looks far too good behind a stove.
“Wow. Pancakes and multiple orgasms? I really did win the lottery this week,” I tease, crossing the room to slip my arms around his waist. I press my cheek to the warm, solid expanse of his muscled back, breathing his masculine scent in.
Damn, I wish I could bottle this.
Wyatt’s head whips toward the hallway, his eyes widening as he checks to make sure Alex isn’t in earshot.
“Relax.” I giggle, nipping gently at his shoulder blade. “He’s upstairs in the bathroom brushing his teeth.”
He lets out a long, relieved breath before turning in my arms. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, he pulls me flush against his chest. I trail my fingers across the heated skin of his pecs, watching his expression soften before he leans down to press a lingering kiss to my forehead.
I tip my head up, my gaze dropping to his lips, and he doesn't make me wait. He brings his mouth to mine, his tongue slipping languidly against my own until I’m lightheaded.
I pull back just an inch, my hands resting on his shoulders. “So…awkward question. Just how public are we making this?”
I know all too well that Wyatt likes to keep his guard up and his cards close to his chest where the rest of the ranch is concerned.
A sly, predatory grin spreads across his face. “We are making this ‘I finally have Emily Callahan back in my life after twenty-three years, and I made her cum three times last night’ kind of public.”
“That’s fucking disgusting!” Kassie’s voice rips through the kitchen from the mudroom door, a picture of mock horror.
“I mean, I love this for you,” she says, waving a hand in our direction as she saunters in, “and I’m actually thrilled. But…yuck. My ears are bleeding, Wyatt.”
I bury my face in the hard heat of his chest, dying of embarrassment, but I can’t stop the snort of a laugh that escapes me. Wyatt’s laughter vibrates against my cheek. It’s my new favorite thing.
“God,” Kassie says, leaning against the doorframe with a lopsided grin. “If this is what it took to get you smiling, Wyatt, I’d have told you to take one for the team a lot sooner, Em.”
“Watch it, Kass,” Wyatt warns, though there’s zero bite in it. He pulls me tighter against his side, his arm heavy over my shoulders. “You’re lucky you didn’t walk in five minutes earlier, or you’d have seen her bent over this counter.”
My eyes widen in pure horror, my face heating up to a shade of red that probably matches the burner on the stove. I swat his chest hard, but he doesn't even flinch.
“He’s joking!” I protest looking at Kassie for some kind of female solidarity. “He is absolutely joking.”
Kassie whistles, her eyes dancing with mischief. “I don’t know, Em. He’s got that ‘I just got lucky’ glow. I’m not sure I believe you.”
I groan, resting my forehead against Wyatt’s bicep. These two are going to age me a decade before the month is out, I can already tell.
Alex comes bounding into the kitchen a second later, thankfully fully dressed in his school clothes and oblivious to the crudeness he just interrupted.
“Emily! I forgot...did you like the picture I drew?”
I tilt my head to the side, narrowing my eyes in confusion. “No, bud. What picture?”
He shoots his dad a look of pure exasperation, his mouth dropping open.
Wyatt grits his teeth, looking like a man who’s just fucked up. “Sorry! I completely forgot to give it to her.”
Kassie snorts into her coffee. “To be fair, your dad’s been real busy, Alex.”
Wyatt shoots her a warning glare before letting me go. He heads over to his heavy work jacket hanging on the bull-horn hook by the mudroom door, reaching into the breast pocket. He pulls out a carefully folded piece of paper and hands it to me.
My throat tightens the second I unfold it. I’m immediately choked up by the colorful pencil lines in front of me. “Is this...?”
I look up, and Wyatt is nodding, his face beaming with a pride that matches his son's.
“It’s you, me, and my dad,” Alex says, pointing to the carefully drawn figures. “Like a family.” He smiles, clearly pleased with his handiwork. “I even drew your car, but I didn't have the right shade of blue.”
My lips press together to keep them from trembling. I pull him into a firm one-armed hug, my heart overflowing with feelings I can’t understand. “Buddy...I love it.”
“I knew it would stop you from being sad!”
I ruffle his messy brown hair. “Alex, there’s zero chance of me being sad with you around.”
I catch the way Wyatt is grinning at our conversation. He looks like he’s had the entire world handed back to him.
Alex beams, satisfied with the answer, while Kassie cuts in gently. Her teasing tone has been replaced by something gentler, seeing the look on my face. “So, what do you two lovebirds have planned for today?”
“Well, we’re going to drop Alex at school, then...I don’t know. I thought I’d take Em out for lunch,” Wyatt says, his hands finding my shoulders from behind.
“No fair! Why do I have to go to school?” Alex complains.
“Because, buddy, Daddy has a lot of ‘grown-up stuff’ planned for Emily today,” Kassie says in a sarcastically childlike voice.
I narrow my eyes and shake my head at her, but my grin completely betrays me.
“I have an idea, though,” Kassie offers, winking at me. “How about I win my Sister of the Year award and pick you up today, Alex? We can go for ice cream after. That way, these two won’t have to rush back from their...‘lunch.’” She emphasizes the word with heavy air quotes.
Wyatt grits his teeth at her, though the twitch at the corner of his mouth gives him away. “You’re my favorite sister, you know that?”
“Dad, she’s your only sister,” Alex says, stating the obvious with brutal childhood innocence.
We burst out laughing.
“Okay, that sounds way more fun!” Alex says, practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of an ice cream afternoon.
“I tell you what,” Kassie says, ruffling his hair. “I came looking for your grandpa, but since he isn’t here, I’ll drop you at school on my way into town.”
“Oh, I think she’s my favorite sister, too,” I say gleefully.
Alex quirks an eyebrow at me, looking genuinely concerned that I might be that dumb.
I plate a breakfast for Alex while Wyatt dishes up for the two of us. I watch as the kid wolfs his food down with impressive speed before shouting “Ready!” and grabbing his backpack off the chair.
“Have a good day, bud!” I holler after him.
He’s out the door in a flash, too excited about his day to give us so much as a backward glance.
“Bye, lovers!” Kassie’s voice drifts back from the mudroom.
I’m biting my lip, a permanent smile etched on my face as Wyatt turns back to look at me. He slides an open palm across the kitchen island, and I instantly lace my fingers into his.
“You’re smiling,” he says softly, not even trying to disguise his own grin.
“It’s hard not to when I have everything I’ve ever needed right here.”
The warmth in his eyes elicits a sense of safety I haven’t felt in years. Looking at him, I find myself wishing my dad were here—wishing he could know that I found my way back. Back to the ranch. Back to the boy who always looked out for me. I just wish he knew I was finally safe.
Wyatt squeezes my hand, drawing my attention back to the present. “You need to eat up, Em.”
I tilt my head, curious. “Why? I thought you were taking me to lunch later.”
A dark, almost feral glint enters his mahogany eyes as he leans over the counter, his voice dropping to a wicked whisper. “I am. But I have a lot of athletic bedroom activities planned for you first.”