Chapter Fifty-Three
Lochlan
A lmost losing her has me all twisted up in my head.
Hearing her beg to be buried next to my family is a feeling I can’t describe.
I don’t want to think about her name on a headstone at all, but every time I’ve imagined it, it’s etched in stone next to mine.
It’s delusional.
But it’s the only thing that feels right.
I’ll be buried in an unmarked grave before I put my name on a stone without hers.
That’s how meaningless my life feels without her.
I tighten my arms around her, letting the dull pain radiate through my side.
Over the course of the last few hours, the pain has been constant, but the sharpness has dissipated slightly.
Still hurts like a bitch.
Which means there is no hauling her to my bed like I want to.
Not without making her worry.
She notices my pain anyway.
“Is it your ribs?”
“Hayes thinks I bruised my spleen.”
“He’s a medical professional, now? ”
“No, but he’s smart like you and he’s seen a lot of injuries.”
She sighs because she knows I won’t budge about seeing a doctor.
“What can I get you?”
“Ibuprofen. And, a shot of whiskey would do the trick,” I utter against her neck.
“Go get in bed. I’ll be right behind you.”
As soon as I settle onto the mattress, my pain eases.
When I’m relaxed, it isn’t nearly as bad, and I’m exhausted.
I could sleep for days, but days are all I have left with her.
“Three ibuprofen and one shot of whiskey. I’d normally discourage this type of mix, but I think you’ve earned it.”
I swallow back the pills with the burn of the alcohol and breathe through the aching in my side.
When I open my eyes, she’s kneeling on the bed, staring solemnly at my bruise.
“Come here, darlin’.”
“How badly did the fire spread?”
“It burned through about two acres before they contained it.”
“And, the bears?”
“All accounted for. The guys got a temporary fence put back in so they can’t escape.”
“The guesthouse?”
“Nearly cooked down to the foundation.”
“I’m sorry, Lochlan. What a disaster.” She cuddles gently into my side.
“It could’ve been worse. We’ll manage.”
“If there is anything I can do to help…”
“This right here is what I need.” I kiss the top of her head.
“Just that?” She asks, tipping her head up to kiss my jaw.
My mouth finds hers, and I kiss her slowly, gently, letting the warmth of her body heal me more than the whiskey ever could.
“Do you think you will feel better in a couple of days?”
“Hopefully. Why?”
“Because I know what I want for my birthday.”
“What’s that?”
“You.”
“You already have me, darlin’. I’m hooked around your little finger.” I lean back against my pillow and close my eyes.
“I want you to make love to me, Lochlan.”
My eyes ping open, but I can’t respond.
“Don’t tell me no.”
I still don’t speak because no part of me wants to tell her no.
Not anymore, not after everything that happened last night.
“I know you were hesitant before because you were trying to protect me, but there is no one I feel safer with. And, maybe you still think I’m young and naive, but I know what I want. I want my first time to be with a man who loves me. A man that I’m in love with, too.”
My whole body jerks off the mattress as I pin her underneath me.
“Ow, fuck.” I grumble as the pain eases.
“Don’t play games with me, Jo. Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear.”
She smiles at my urgency.
“I’m not playing any games. I know you want me to leave this place after my birthday, but I don’t want to go without loving you completely. There was the briefest moment when Jerry was dragging me into the woods that I thought… That I thought he might…” Her bottom lip trembles.
“Fuck, baby. I’m so sorry I let that happen.” I kiss her lip, soothing it.
She shakes her head.
“Life is too short. Bad stuff happens too often, and I want to live without regrets.”
“You think one of those regrets might be me?”
“If I don’t spend every last minute showing you how important you are to me, then yes. I’d regret that for the rest of my life.”
“I don’t deserve you, Jo. I never have deserved an ounce of anything you’ve given me. But if you want me to make love to you, it’d be an honor. I’d cherish the privilege for eternity.”
“I know you would,” she whispers, kissing me deeply.
“I’ll make it special, I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will.” She giggles.
I swallow thickly, painfully.
“When do you leave, exactly?”
“The morning after my birthday.”
“Well, until then, you’re mine.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
* * *
“Jackson and the lawyer will be here in an hour.” The words are whispered against my neck, and it stirs me awake slowly.
The kiss that lingers there is what forces my eyes open.
“What time is it?”
“Nearly 6 o’clock.”
“Mmm, so dinner time.”
“I guess.” She shrugs.
“Come sit on my face.”
She gasps, “What?”
I throw the pillow away from under my head.
“Straddle my face with your sexy thighs and let me eat your pussy.”
“Lochlan, I can’t…”
“I can’t lay on my stomach and give you the proper treatment, darlin’. Don’t let me starve until your birthday.” I reach down as far as I can and palm her ass, squeezing it roughly.
“Okay,” she utters breathlessly, crawling up the bed, slowly.
She’s not trying to be sexy but she’s damn effortless at it regardless.
“Are you sure this won’t hurt?”
No.
“Yes.”
“Nightgown on or off?”
“Off. I want to watch your tits bounce.”
Her cheeks flame red as she pulls the silk over her head.
I’m going to miss her bed attire.
“Grab the headboard.”
She grabs a hold of it and swings her leg over my head, putting her perfect cunt right over my mouth.
“Now, sit.”
“But…”
“Let me taste what belongs to me,” I demand, making her breath hitch.
As soon as she’s low enough, I swipe my tongue across her clit and she moans, sitting further and giving me exactly what I need.
My hands palm her ass, grinding her pussy against my face as I devour her.
I fuck her with my tongue until my cock is hard enough to burst.
She’s so warm and tight, the thought of what it will feel like to bury my cock inside of her is nearly enough to make me cum in my boxers.
Then I swipe my tongue up her slit, circling her swollen clit and she makes a sweet sound, whimpering in pleasure when I suck it between my lips.
“Yes, Lochlan, yes!” She screams when I do it harder, and my hips jerk.
I love it when she screams my name.
Her thighs start twitching against my head and I squeeze her ass harder, suffocating myself with her pussy as I demand her orgasm.
She’s right there, mumbling incoherent words of satisfaction when I nip her clit gently with my teeth and she explodes, grinding against my tongue as she rides out her orgasm.
“Oh my God,” she mumbles and then jumps, “Oh my God.” She raises her hips as if she forgot where she was.
I know my face must be a mess, but as she smiles down at me, all I want to do is kiss her.
I want to kiss her every minute of every day for the rest of my life.