Chapter 20
Savannah
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. All I could do was stare at Wes and the wild look in his eyes, like what he did just hit him. “You just…” I blinked back my tears. “You just did that.”
“Yeah,” was all he said. He was pale, and his hands were shaking on my face.
I clasped his wrists, feeling his pulse thumping erratically against my fingers. “How do you feel?”
He swallowed roughly, breathing hard. “I-I don't know. I think I’m having an out-of-body experience.”
I stroked his forearms. “That’s okay.”
He let go of my face. “Oh fuck,” he groaned, doubling over, his hands on his knees. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I just did that.”
My hand slid up his back, rubbing gently. “It’s a big change, but nothing we can’t figure out. As long as you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”
He ran a hand through his hair as he stood, letting out a heavy breath that puffed his cheeks out. “As long as I have you, it doesn’t really matter how I feel.”
“It matters to me, baby. Are you happy?” Please say yes. Please, I silently begged. I wasn’t sure I could take more time apart, but I was determined to keep my promise to him and wait if I had to.
“If I have you, I’m happy.” He grabbed my hand. “Do I have you? Have you for good?”
My heart nearly flew out of my chest, knowing this was it, was everything I’d been secretly hoping for since I walked out of his recovery room six weeks ago. “I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?”
He let out a sound of relief and slammed his lips to mine, sliding his hands back into my hair. I staggered back with the force of his kiss, and he gripped my waist, keeping me steady. But that was my Wes. Always there, never faltering, ready to catch me when the world became too much.
And I’d catch him now in this time of uncertainty for him. Carry him through every doubt he had. Assure him that things would work out. Whatever he needed. I wasn’t going anywhere.
We could finally be together. Together for real. Nothing was holding us back now. No decades-long family feud. No amount of distance. No dangerous career. Absolutely nothing.
I could take a deep breath for the first time since I was sixteen.
“I love you,” I said over and over between frantic kisses. I yelped when he threw me over his good shoulder and started walking. “Where are we going?”
“Home,” he ground out. I smiled to myself. I liked the sound of having a home with him. It was something we had dreamed of as kids, but it had always felt so far away. So out of reach. But now it was finally a possibility.
The realization hit like a brick. “I’m so happy,” I said, my voice hoarse with emotion.
Weston set me down next to my car, brushing my hair out of my face. His smile was everything. Just as luminous now as it was the morning of our first kiss. “Me too, angel.”
His next kiss was slow, deep, devouring.
It left me dazed, breathing hard, and so wet my thighs slid together beneath my dress.
My fingers curled in his jacket lapels, dragging his mouth back to mine.
“We should move in together,” I panted, feeding off the euphoric rush this night has become. “Now. Tomorrow.”
“Yes,” he moaned. My head fell back as he kissed along my jaw. His breath was hot as he whispered in my ear, “‘Cause I plan on fucking you every chance I get, and I’ll be damned if someone else hears the way my girl moans for me.”
“Wes,” I whined, pressing my body against his. “Take me home already.”
He dug in my clutch, taking my keys and opening my door for me. He looked massive when he slid into the driver’s seat, and something about that was so fucking hot.
He looked around the center console, frowning. “Where the fuck is the gearshift?”
“It’s on the steering wheel.” I laughed while pointing it out to him.
“Why? It’s an SUV, not a truck.” He shook his head. “This shit is too high tech for me,” he said and threw the car in reverse, before peeling out of the parking lot so fast I thought I smelled rubber burning.
I was dizzy with need by the time we pulled into my driveway. I jumped out of the car, rounding the hood and meeting him halfway. “You’re supposed to wait for me to open your door.”
“Don’t care,” I muttered against his lips. “I don’t care about anything right now. Just you.” I ripped his jacket off, throwing it onto my car. His shirt was next, buttons pinging against the metal as I tore it open. I lowered my mouth to his chest, savoring the warmth of him against my tongue.
“Goddamn, Sav,” he chuckled breathily, watching as I trailed my hands down his abs to his belt. “You want it bad, don't you?”
“Yes.” I was practically vibrating with it. “Need it. Need you.”
He spun me around, lifting me onto the hood of the car. The heat from the engine only added to the burning desire I felt for him. Wes hiked my legs up, my dress sliding back. He licked his lips, ravenous. “Your panties are soaked through, angel.”
“Not surprising, considering my man is hot as fuck,” I panted, spreading my legs wider.
His hands stilled on my thighs. His eyes were so dark they looked black. “Your man?”
“Yes, Weston,” I rasped against his lips with a smug smile, while palming his rock-hard dick through his pants. “You’re my man.”
His eyes rolled shut. “Fuck yeah, I am.”
“The love of my life,” I whispered against his neck, trailing kisses. His groan vibrated against my tongue, making me shiver.
I pulled his cock out, stroking hard and slow the way he liked. “Savannah,” he ground out. “You’re gonna make me come if you don’t stop.” I’d never get over how reactive he was to me. It was the best kind of rush, knowing I could unravel him in seconds.
“Maybe that’s what I want.”
Wes brushed my hand away and pulled my panties to the side. A shaky breath left him as his cock ran along my entrance, making me shudder. “I think you want this more,” he whispered lowly.
“Yeah.”
He tsked, shaking his head while teasing my clit. “Where are your manners, angel? When you want something, you say please.”
The teasing yet authoritative tone of his voice sent another wave of heat pooling between my legs. I whimpered. “Please.”
“That’s more like it.” My jaw dropped as he thrust into me slowly, making sure I felt every glorious inch.
I was panting as he rocked into me torturously slow, hitting the end of me every time. “You’re so deep like this.” I clung onto him, my nails raking over his shoulders and down his back. “So good, baby.”
I felt euphoric, invincible. Nothing could touch me when I was in Wes’s arms. He was my safety, my comfort, my everything.
I reached between us, rubbing tight, quick circles on my clit.
My toes curled, my skin tingled like the TV static Louise mentioned.
My eyes rolled shut, my head falling back while moaning his name to the night sky.
He leaned forward, bracing a hand on the hood of the car as he drove into me with mind-meltingly hot grunts, his other hand tight on my thigh. “I love you, Sav,” he whispered, his grip tightening. “Fuck, I love you so much.”
His thrusts grew more brutal, harder and faster, until the car rocked violently under the force of him. I brought his face to mine, wanting to see his gorgeous eyes. “I love you,” I whimpered and crashed my lips against his.
It was sensory overload: the heat from the air, the feeling of him deep inside, the sound of his moans, the pounding of my heart, the knowledge that nothing was in our way. It was everything all at once.
My back met the hood of the car, unable to hold myself up anymore. “Weston,” I cried out. “Fuck, right there, baby.”
“Oh God, Sav,” he groaned, his head hung back. That was all I needed, and I shattered against him, my legs snapping shut as he spilled into me.
I was floating on a cloud of bliss. Lost to the world as Wes leaned over me, kissing along my chest and up my neck. “Always so good,” he murmured between heavy breaths. “Every time with you is always so fucking good.”
I wrapped him in my arms, running my fingers through his blonde waves. “And we get to do that until we die.”
He hummed contentedly. “Forever.”
My eyes fluttered shut. I smiled to myself, liking the sound of that.
I felt Weston with every step I took the next morning. After the car sex, he pulled me inside, peeled my dress off, and fucked me two more times over the course of the night. Even sitting down at my desk sent a dull ache through me. I loved it.
I grabbed my phone, smirking as I sent a text to Wes.
Me: I’m so sore from last night.
Wes: Guess I’ll just have to kiss it better when you get home
Wes: Shit now I’m hard
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I crossed my legs under my desk at the thought.
Me: Don’t tempt me to leave early… I’ve got too much to do.
Wes: You’re the one who texted me. Not my fault you can’t stay away angel
Me: Actually, pretty sure it’s exactly your fault.
Wes: You text like an old person
Wes: You’re lucky you’re the hottest woman alive
Me: Whatever. I’ll see you later. Love you
Wes: Love you more
I set my phone down, feeling giddy. “Holy shit,” I gasped, clutching my chest when I saw Levi standing in the doorway to my office with a knowing look. “How long have you been there?”
“Not long.”
I fidgeted in my seat. “Sorry. I kinda get tunnel vision sometimes.”
“I know. Every time I’ve looked over here, you’re either buried in paperwork or giggling at your phone. It’s like you only have two functions.”
I flipped my phone over, feeling guilty. “It won’t happen again.”
He chuckled. “Relax. I’m just teasing you, Savannah. I’m not your boss.” He came into my office, sitting across from me. “We’re partners, remember?”
“Yeah.” It was still hard to wrap my head around it, and I did actually forget sometimes.
But it was harder to since Levi had someone come and change the signage outside two days ago.
I spent about ten minutes just staring at it, unable to believe that I was a partner at a law firm.
While that had always been my dream, never would I have imagined it being a firm in Wild Creek…
with a Hollis…because Wes and I got back together.
It was crazy how things worked out. How what was meant to be would somehow find a way.
“I actually was coming to talk to you about the zoning case. How is it going?”
I reclined in my chair, sighing. “I think I know the Agricultural-Residential code better than I know what’s on sale at Nordstroms right now, which is kind of depressing. Also, did you know there’s a threshold for how loud your livestock can make noise? As if you can control something like that.”
He laughed, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“No. I didn’t know that.” He leaned forward.
“What do you have in preparation to safeguard the veteran’s outreach?
Based on what Preston and my grandfather have said, that’s what they’re going to go after the hardest because it makes the least amount of sense. ”
I assumed that’s what their lawyer’s strategy would be.
I spun my laptop around. “Claire and Beau are signing an affidavit that explains its supporting use to the rest of the ranch’s functions, since most of it is actually working with the animals.
And they haven’t even broken ground yet, so it’s not like they can claim it’s having a negative impact on the area or community. ”
Levi scanned the screen, nodding. “That’s good. Really good. What about everything else?”
“I nearly have the motion to dismiss done. Everything we’ve got planned falls within permitted uses of the land per the AG-R code.”
“Great. I went to school with a building inspector, too, so when the time comes for that, he’ll help us out because I just know Preston and my grandfather will try to stall that with fake inspections. I’ll let you know if they say anything concrete, though.”
I picked at my nails, staring at the paperwork on my desk while nodding. “That at least takes care of one thing.”
“You’ll win this, Savannah,” Levi said, sounding awfully sure.
I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. “I wish I had your confidence.” While it objectively looked like an easy win, I knew this hearing was going to only be part of the fight, not the end of it.