Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Owen
Continuing to follow Daisy’s lead, I close the door behind us and let her drag me to the truck. Once we’re both inside, I turn in my seat and take her in, trying to connect the dots and hoping my mind isn’t playing tricks on me.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“You just told everyone we’re together.”
“Oh, that.”
“Yes, that.”
“Well... see... the thing is... I’m in love with you, Owen Swift, and I’m tired of pretending I’m not. I know you’ve only used that word in your journal, but you did say you want me to be yours. Hopefully, I’m not too far ahead of you.”
Afraid to speak and ruin the moment, I throw the truck in drive heading toward Cal’s abandoned house here on the ranch’s property.
Parking around back, I hold my hand up, telling her to stay where she is.
Grabbing the two sleeping bags still under the back seat from a camping trip I cancelled after Daisy got hurt, I lower the tailgate and unroll the sleeping bags.
“What are you up to?” she asks when I don’t let her step down from the truck, instead lifting her into my arms and carrying her to the makeshift bed in the back.
She scoots back onto the sleeping bags and props herself up on an elbow.
Her other hand gathers her long dress, exposing her walking boot and one light blue cowboy boot.
She keeps tugging at the material until she’s teasing me with a view of the apex of her thighs and the white cotton covering her sweet pussy.
“Say it again,” I demand, desperate to hear the words from her lips again.
“I’m in love with you.”
I pause, taking in her confession of love along with the beauty of the face I’ve memorized like an astronomer memorizes the stars in the sky. Her eyes look meaningfully into mine, it’s like I can feel her tugging at my soul.
“You own me. You know that, right?”
“Show me.”
Slipping her panties down her sinfully perfect legs and over her boots.
Her legs opens to me and I drink her in.
The darkness of the night sky can’t hide the fading bruises on her skin; regardless, she’s absolutely beautiful.
There’s a faint smile on her face, not big enough to expose her dimples, but enough that I can see the moonlight dancing in her eyes.
Her chest heaves as her fingers reach for my waistband.
She’s just as desperate for me as I am for her. More importantly, she’s happy.
Because of me.
I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on earth.
I situate myself, preparing to feast on her, but she stops me. “I need you, Owen. Please.”
“Baby, I don’t have any protection with me.”
“I don’t care. I need you.”
“You sure?”
“Please,” she begs.
Still kneeling in front of her, my eyes don’t leave hers as I undo my belt, then the button and zipper of my jeans.
“Boots off, cowboy.”
She’s right. I won’t be able to prove to her she owns me with my pants around my ankles.
So, begrudgingly, I take the time to remove my boots and jeans.
Ignoring the cool October air, I pull my T-shirt over my head, needing to be as close to her as possible.
I put the T-shirt under her head, hoping to add some cushion to her injured head.
Prolonging the moment once I’m between her legs, I drag my cock up and down her wetness, teasing her clit with the tip. “You’re mine, Daisy. Mine to love. Mine to protect. You’re my everything. For the rest of my days. You got that?”
Tears pool in her eyes, falling when she nods her head. “Got it.”
“Good girl.”
I slowly ease into her, enjoying the feel of taking her bare. Her fingertips trace the features of my face as more tears fall. Balancing my weight on my elbows, I continue to roll my hips at a leisurely pace as I kiss away the trail of tears on each side of her face.
She wraps her legs around my waist, the feel of two completely different boots pressing against my ass cheeks asking for more. More that I’m happy to give her, but not before I say the words back to her that she’s given me.
“I'm in love with you, Daisy McKinnon.”
She nods her head as more tears fall. Instead of kissing them away, I let them fall as I show her just how much she means to me. No games. No telling her what to do. Just the two of us, loving each other.
Her hands cup my face as we come together under the stars in the back of my pickup truck.
Once I’ve stilled, I remain inside her, with her hands still cradling my face when she says, “The rest of your days.”
“And the rest of yours.”
“Don’t you know? I’m stuck, Swift. I couldn’t go anywhere if I tried.”
I chuckle at how smoothly she throws my words back at me. “Damn straight.”
We pull apart to dress, and then I wrap her up in my arms with one sleeping bag under us and one over us, staring at the stars. I try not to think about how many years we wasted, worried about other people's feelings, and force myself to stay in the here and now with her in my arms.
“Did you see Cal’s face?” she says, helping keep my focus on tonight and not the past.
“I’ve never seen him so red.”
“It was kind of great.” She giggles into my neck.
“Speak for yourself,” I huff.
“He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine.”
“It’s not like it was a total surprise to him.”
She slaps a hand on my chest, pressing up to look at me. “And why is that? Sure, he thought it was strange I was staying at your place, but the girls swore they wouldn’t say anything.”
“Apparently, we aren’t as subtle as we thought.
Ryan and Knox noticed something was up in New York.
The night I called the guys over to tell them about your fall, Knox mentioned it, but before Cal could lose his shit, your brothers kept him focused on the conversation at hand.
I may have also mentioned a mystery woman to him weeks back.
I’m sure he’s putting the pieces of that conversation together now. ”
She sits all the way up to look at me, pressing her back against the side of the truck bed. “And what did you tell him about this mystery woman?”
“Lay back down and I’ll tell you.”
“Don’t want to.”
“I guess you’ll never know then.”
“Owen, don’t be a—”
For a split second, her eyes go big, her mouth falls open, and her shoulders lift to her ears before she yells, “Oh! My! God! What was that?”
Sitting up to get a better view, Daisy bolts over to my side of the truck, giving me a perfect view of Bernadette, the prettiest highland cow there ever was.
Daisy holds out a section of her hair that is clumped together in slobber. “She licked the back of my head!”
Unable to control my hysterics, I fall back down on our makeshift bed, holding my sides as I laugh my ass off.
“It’s not funny, Swift!” She smacks my stomach.
Catching my breath, I sit up. “I’m sorry, baby, but it’s a little funny.”
Her eyes move to the sweet highland cow, whose head now hangs over the side of the truck bed as she sniffs the space covered in our pheromones. But when Bernadette’s tongue reaches out and licks my arm, Daisy snorts before falling into her own fit of laughter.
“It’s gross, isn’t it?”
“It’s fucking disgusting,” I say, using the sleeping bag to wipe off my arm, throwing Daisy into her own fit of hysterics.
Daisy holds her hand out to me. “Come on, let’s go home and clean up.”
Home.
As long as I’m with her, that’s where I am.