Chapter 14 DAVIE
DAVIE
Sunrise on the ranch whispers of warmth and safety. As orange, yellow, and pink stretch across the Washington sky, a sense of calm wraps around me even as I snuggle deeper into my long cardigan.
I shouldn’t feel so comfortable.
Not with a baby to raise and an older rancher who is now my husband.
The screen door creaks before heavy footsteps vibrate through the porch’s floorboards with Cormac’s arrival. Strong arms bracket my sides against the porch railing, and a wave of heat sweeps down my backside from the intimate brush of lips on the side of my neck.
“Morning, wife.” Four little letters spoken in that rough, gravelly tone shouldn’t have such an effect on me, but the immediate shiver that runs over my skin before settling between my thighs in a dull ache isn’t easy to ignore.
God, we’ve been married for less than twenty-four hours. How am I supposed to survive months of this?
We haven’t discussed divorce, but surely, once everything is settled with Jesse and our marriage is no longer necessary, he’ll want to end it, right?
“Good morning,” I say quietly, partially in deference to the early hour, but mostly due to the growing confusion at my feelings for this man.
Cormac had a one-night stand with my younger sister and fathered a child with her. Full stop. Any wayward attraction threatening to bloom should shrivel into a dead carcass each time I remember that fact.
Even if he is my husband.
It’s a legal arrangement to protect my nephew.
Nothing more.
So why am I leaning into his firm strength as if this is a cozy morning with the man I love and not a man who is totally off-limits?
“Where’s your coat? It’s freezing out here.” He curls the edges of his thick Carhartt jacket around my sides, though there’s absolutely no hope of it meeting in the middle between Cormac’s bulk and my fluffiness.
I appreciate the gesture, though.
Too much.
“I like the cold. It helps me think.”
“Don’t think too hard,” he gently reprimands. “It’s too early to start worrying about the future again. We’ve done all we can to secure custody of Jesse. He’s my son. The court can’t deny it.”
“That’s not what—” I cut myself off.
If only Jesse was my main concern.
But no, I’m more focused on his dad. My husband. The man whose kiss still lingers on my lips, despite it happening yesterday. It doesn’t help that Linnea sent a photo of the moment with capital H.O.T. “Never mind… You’re right. It’s too early to stress about things out of my control.”
Cormac hums in his throat and carefully turns me in his arms until I’m facing him. “You’re thinking about us.”
A hot blush rises to my cheeks. There shouldn’t be an us. There was a Cormac and Jessica, and that should have been enough to crush these wayward feelings.
“How about a distraction from the spiraling, hmm?” A rough fingertip drags down my cheek and throat until his callused palm encircles the vulnerable column. “I’ve always dreamed of waking up and kissing my wife good morning before chores. What do you say we start the tradition today?”
I gulp at the heat in his eyes, secretly reveling in the danger of his hand around my neck. My fingers tangle around his belt loops as I sway closer.
“Is that smart?” I whisper.
“Baby, it’s fucking necessary.”
We both lean forward until our lips meet in the middle of the chilly air, unable to resist temptation any longer. The fog of our mingled breaths wafts over my cheeks as Cormac’s tongue tangles with mine, and I give myself twenty seconds of blissful freedom.
Freedom to enjoy kissing my husband.
Freedom from thoughts about Jessica.
But then reality sets in like an icy pick to the heart, and I break the hold Cormac has on me—running inside the house and away from my taboo feelings.