Chapter 17 #2
He turned to me then, as tears slowly fell down my face, and I didn’t have any words.
“I was lost, Kiera. I’ve been lost for far too long.
So fucking angry. In this graveyard, there are countless people that I’ve known in my life, countless families buried beneath this soil, and it feels like an anchor weighing me down.
But then I look to the peaks behind you, and I can breathe again.
I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Kiera.
But I wanted you to meet them. To meet the part of my soul that will always be here. ”
“They should always be there.” I put my hand over his chest and let out a deep breath. “They will always be here as well. I’m not asking to take that space.”
“I know. And that’s why I can tell you that I love you.”
I leaned into him and let him hold me, and I did my best not to fall into sobs in his arms. “I love you too.”
But my life wasn’t here. And I was leaving soon. I didn’t know what the hell we were going to do about it.
* * *
After we held each other for a bit longer, we made the long hike back to the house, cleaned up, and made our way downtown.
We were one of the last ones there, it seemed.
It was hard to find parking, but thankfully, Bodhi knew this town like the back of his hand.
We walked through the crowd, being stopped by more than a few people who wanted to check in on both of us.
Gone were the curious looks as to why I was there, and the downright threatening looks at Bodhi for even existing.
Something had changed since he had started to come to town more, and I hoped he saw that.
I hoped he understood that this town stood behind him more than he had ever imagined.
When we found the other Ashfords and their friends, I waved, and soon we were enveloped in hugs, laughs, and Bodhi was being teased. It felt like home.
Home.
Could I make Ashford Creek my home? Maybe.
But I hadn’t been here that long. What would happen if I said I wanted to stay here, but it was too much for Bodhi?
Or too much for me? My life was in flux, I didn’t know what to do, but for now, I was surrounded by people who cared about me and people who I cared about, and I let myself breathe.
“It is a special holiday here in Ashford Creek, meaning we can open carry with drinks.”
My eyes widened as Callum handed me a cup with a lid on it and winked. “I know you love this type of Ashford brew.”
“The amber kind?”
“My kind,” Felicity said as she leaned into Callum. “Isn’t he the best?”
I took a sip and sighed. “A cold beer on a hot day surrounded by friends? This is the best.”
“Tell me about it,” Teagan said as she and Rune came forward, laughing at something someone else said.
I looked around at the group and waved at Finnian, who held one little girl in his arms, Sterling with the other. I knew they were Finnian’s kids, but the twins looked so alike that I couldn’t help but imagine Malcolm holding Bodhi’s son.
I let out a soft sigh, wondering what Bodhi was thinking, and then his arm was around me, and we watched the parade unfold.
Promise and Keely were on a float, as they had sponsored one from the bed and breakfast. We waved and hooted and hollered as they threw candy at us. Elizabeth was on a float with some of the teenagers, and I recognized the older teens who were Thatcher’s and Callum’s.
The fire truck passed by then, with Thatcher up top driving, and he honked his horn at us. That’s when I realized that Thatcher’s youngest was in the back, waving wildly. I waved back and pulled out my phone to take a couple of pictures.
I wanted to remember this moment.
Kellan was on another float, his youngest with him, and Bronwyn was also on the float with them, since it seems to be a local business and helpers float.
It was amazing to me that I recognized so many people. And when Tess came up to us, as she wasn’t working since all of the kids were accounted for, she held her daughter on her hip, and we all ate the random food that we found at some of the stalls and cheered at the parade.
I’d never been to something like this before, and I’d done festivals all over the world with thousands of people in attendance. I played in sold out stadiums, had been to the Grammys and Oscars.
But this moment in time was so different.
And I didn’t want to say goodbye to it.
As people started to move around to the next phase of the event, since the parade was now over, Bodhi pulled me by my hand and tugged me toward one of the small businesses.
“What are you doing?”
“Follow me,” he said, and I realized we were at Finnian’s office.
He rented a small building downtown where he could meet with his clients and do his paperwork.
He was an electrician and master carpenter, and did a lot of the contracting work around town.
Bodhi was more of an artist, his carpentry coming through his furniture making, and it was a different skill set, but I knew the two worked together sometimes.
When he closed the door behind him, my eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
“You looked a little flushed. I thought you could use some air conditioning.”
“That sounds pretty good to me. But we could have gone anywhere.”
“This place was closer.” And then his mouth was on me, and I couldn’t think. He pressed me against the door, his hands on my hips, and I groaned into him.
“What has gotten into you?”
“You looked so beautiful out there, and it was all I could do not to pull you to me and have my way with you. So now I’m the one who needs to get into you.”
I looked up at him and laughed. “Nice line.”
“I’m working on them. I’ll do better next time.”
Then his mouth was on mine, and I couldn’t think. He slid his hands up my shirt to cup my breasts, and I groaned, arching into him.
“Bodhi.”
“I want you. Now. Can you take me? I don’t want to go slow. But I know you’re hurting.”
“You can have all of me. Take me. I want to feel you inside me. It’s been too long.”
He’d been so fucking careful with me this past week. Barely a kiss, and now I wanted him to fuck me hard. I just needed him. I didn’t know when this would end, because I didn’t know our future, but I needed him in this moment.
He looked at me then and nodded before he picked me up by my waist.
I gasped and wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to the back office.
He tossed a couple of files on the floor, and I laughed before gasping.
He tugged off my shirt, undid my bra, all in such quick succession that I could barely breathe.
And then I found myself topless, sitting on Finnian’s desk as Bodhi’s mouth was on my breast.
“Oh my God,” I moaned, sliding my hands through his hair. He flicked one nipple, playing with my piercing, as he looked and sucked at my other nipple.
Everything ached, and I could barely think, but it didn’t matter. This was Bodhi, and this was all I wanted. All I needed. I tugged on his shirt, and he stood up, pulling it off with one arm. I immediately leaned forward and bit down on his pectoral.
“Minx,” he growled. He pulled at my hair slightly, being far more gentle than he had before, and crushed his mouth to mine, careful of the cut on my cheek.
It was somehow hard and soft at the same time, him being so gentle, and yet demanding.
This was Bodhi, always knowing the edge of what we needed. And I wanted everything.
We were a mess of flesh and teeth and grunting and groaning, and then my boots were off, and he tugged off my jean shorts and panties. My bare ass sat on the wooden desk, and I didn’t care. We would deal with the aftermath later.
Bodhi didn’t bother pulling off his jeans completely. Instead, he just undid them, pulled them down slightly under his ass, and pulled himself out.
I licked my lips and reached for him, squeezing the base of his cock.
“I need you inside me.”
“Let’s make sure you’re ready for me.”
He looked down between us and slid his fingers over my pussy. “Already wet from me. Such a little whore.”
“Your whore,” I teased.
“Damn straight.”
Then he slid two fingers into my mouth, and I sucked on them, rolling my tongue.
He pulled them out and then slid them over my cunt.
When he speared me with two fingers, I groaned, arching my back.
He finger-fucked me, the palm of his hand pressing against my clit in rapid succession.
And when I came, he kept moving, not bothering to stop.
My toes curled, and I arched for him, needing more.
“Look at me, Kiera. Look at me when I fuck you.”
I did then, my gaze on him, as he leaned down and spit between us. My eyes widened as he used his spit and my own juices to wet his dick, and then he pressed himself into me. He was so big, and I was still twitching from my orgasm, but he stopped where he was, just the head of his cock inside me.
“Look, look where we’re connected. Do you see me ready to fuck you? Your pussy is craving me. It’s hungry for me. Look, look at what you’re doing. I’m not even moving, and your pussy is sucking me right in. You want me, don’t you?”
“Always.”
Then he hooked one of my legs around his waist and thrust into me. We both moaned, my breath coming in pants, and then there was no more thinking. I gripped the edge of the desk as he pummeled into me, both of us moaning, leaning into the moment.
It was hard, rough, and yet he was still being gentle with my wounds. I didn’t know how he did it, but he knew exactly what I needed.
And when I came again, my body weakening, he pulled out of me, and then pushed me to my feet.
Then I found myself face down on the desk, my breasts pressed against the cool wood, and he had both hands on my hips.
He lifted me up and pushed into me from behind.
I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. And then he gathered some of my juices and used them to lube my ass.
And when he gently breached me with one finger, still fucking me from behind, that was it. I couldn’t think.
“Bodhi. I can’t. It’s too much. You’re too much.”
“I’ve got you.” And as he finger-fucked me as well as fucking me, I couldn’t do a single thing but push into him and want everything.
And this time I came again, not sure what count it was at this point, and then Bodhi was leaning over me, finally orgasming, his body twitching, his cum filling me, and I felt marked.
I was Bodhi’s. All Bodhi’s.
And I wasn’t sure what the hell I was supposed to say.
“We’re going to need to sanitize your brother’s office.”
Bodhi was still deep inside me as he chuckled roughly and pulled me up so that he wasn’t crushing me.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to need to apologize to him later, but I don’t care.”
“I don’t either.”
“I’ll write a note. And buy him some bleach.”
I just laughed and leaned into him, not wanting him to pull out of me. So he didn’t, not for a little while, and I just lay in the moment, not wanting this to end.
But I knew it would have to. Soon.