Chapter 18
They puttered that evening, sitting on the porch as they enjoyed the beautiful night and the dogs, and when the first stars made their appearance, they stood as if they were reading each other’s minds, and stepped inside.
Walker led her to his room, and she realized it was the first time she’d seen it.
It was the complete opposite of her frothy girly bedroom, and still felt like something you could sink into, done in the tones of the mountains and sky beyond the walls.
It felt like coming home, like returning to The Menagerie had.
And when he pulled her into his arms, taking his time to lean in for a kiss, she felt every nerve in her body go alight.
Two days ago the sex had been a way of relearning each other, but this, now?
It was lovemaking, pure and simple. It hadn’t taken her brush with Higgins/Flowers to make her realize that she loved Walker, but it’d sure as hell made her appreciate it more.
When he unbuttoned her blouse slowly, oh-so slowly, she let herself drift into the sensation of his fingers brushing her bare skin, of the way their breath started to quicken with those simple gestures.
He pushed her blouse away, leaving her in a peach bra. “Pretty,” he said, his voice rough, his gaze intent. He leaned close and suckled one nipple through the fabric, and her pulse spiked, then shot into the stratosphere when he bit lightly at the stiffening bud.
“Your body is a work of fucking art,” he growled, as he leaned in to feast.
She gasped at the heat of his mouth, the graze of his teeth, and grabbed onto his shoulders for support as her legs started to go weak.
“Walker,” she breathed.
He ignored her, his mouth working magic, taunting and teasing until she thought she’d scream with desire and frustration.
When he finally, finally lifted his head, his gaze was feverish, and a hungry smile tilted his lips. “Gonna make it last this time, Serena. It’s just you and me out here. No one to hear us, no one to interrupt. Gonna make you scream.”
Since she’d long since lost the capacity for words, she just gulped and made him laugh harshly.
“Now get naked and lay back.” There was a thread of command in his voice she’d never heard before and it made everything infinitely hotter.
She did as she was told, and when he knelt between her knees, his grin could only be described as devious.
There was something delicious about the fact he was fully clothed and she was totally naked, the cotton of the comforter cool against her back. She didn’t feel vulnerable, not at all. She felt powerful because a man like Walker Landry was on his knees in front of her.
He leaned in close and simply breathed on her, making her arch her back in response.
She reached out to grasp his head but he shimmied away, the five o-clock shadow on his cheeks abrading her thighs.
“Oh no, darlin’,” he drawled, his voice thick with desire and a hint of laughter. “I need freedom of movement.”
And then he dove in and destroyed her with his lips and his teeth and his fingers, taking her to a hard, fast orgasm that left her floating and more than a little disconnected from reality.
He settled next to her, naked now, his skin hot against hers as he pulled her close in a simple embrace, tethering her with his scent and familiar, thrilling touch.
She was the most beautiful damn thing he’d ever seen, cresting like that, trusting him enough to give her pleasure. He’d give her more than that, he’d give her the world if he could.
She started to come back to herself and curled her fingers around his cock before he had a chance to move and the heat of her hand was like a brand.
“You keep touchin’ me like that and I’ll go off like a teenager,” he said, trying to maintain some form of control.
“As I recall, that was fun too,” she said, her voice smoky with satisfaction and fresh want.
“I need to be inside you,” he ground out and pulled out of her grasp, rolling atop her.
She oofed out a little laugh that quickly died when he cuffed her wrists and guided them to the headboard. “You’re gonna want to hold on, darlin’.”
Then he released her and thrust into her warmth, making them both moan in unison. She clasped him like the sweetest vise as he began to move, sliding his hands beneath her ass to draw her up more, to allow him to slide even deeper until he wasn’t sure where he ended and she began.
Her breathy little moans with each thrust made him impossibly harder, and when she tightened around him and cried out, he crashed over the edge with her, sobbing her name.
Their pre-dawn loving was just as intimate, just as life changing and Walker knew he’d never, ever get enough. When they woke again, the sun was peeking over the horizon and he groaned, knowing he had to leave the well-used bed and do morning chores.
He wasn’t overly surprised when Serena joined him. “Hey, this is sleeping in for me, champ,” she said, and smacked him on the butt as they walked to the stables.
They were feeding the horses when his phone chimed, indicating someone coming through the main gate. He figured it was Jesse, returning from Flagstaff.
“We told her to stay with her family,” he muttered, a bit peeved that he wouldn’t have more time alone with Serena. He opened the camera app. It wasn’t Jesse, but a truck he’d never seen before. The vehicle was an older model, kept in good repair, but dirty from the road.
“What the hell?” he said and showed the feed to Serena. “They had the code to get in, but that’s not one of the team’s vehicles.”
He’d left the Glock in the house, because why wouldn’t he? They were safe here, and there was no one gunning for them that he was aware of. The truck hit the crest of the hill, began to descend.
“Head for the bunkhouse if I tell you to, no arguments,” he said to Serena, keeping his gaze on the truck.
“Okay,” she said. She stood by his side, strong and confident and everything he’d ever wanted, and he could tell her interest was as piqued as his.
The truck bumped across the bridge, then came to a stop in front of the barn.
Walker felt a smile begin to bloom as the driver pushed open the door and stepped out, every bit of his countenance weary.
“It’s okay,” he said, and draped an arm over Serena’s shoulders.
Hunter Murillo had come home.