Chapter 17
seventeen
. . .
Wayne
It's been a week since Judy agreed to stay forever, and the ring has been burning a hole in my pocket the entire time.
Found it in town three days ago—nothing fancy, just a simple diamond set in white gold that caught the light in a way that reminded me of her eyes when she laughs.
Didn't plan on doing this so soon. Hell, didn't plan on doing this ever before she showed up at my ranch.
But now it feels like the most natural thing in the world, making it official.
Making her mine in every way possible. So tonight, I've brought her out to the highest point on my property, where the stars spread out above us like diamonds scattered across black velvet, and my heart is hammering against my ribs like I'm some fucking teenager instead of a grown man of forty-four.
She stands at the edge of the bluff, gazing out at the moonlit landscape, the gentle curve of her silhouette outlined against the night sky.
The breeze plays with her hair, lifting the chestnut strands like they're made of gossamer.
She's wearing a simple sundress—white cotton that makes her look pure as an angel despite all the filthy things I've done to her body.
All the filthy things she now begs me to do.
Christ, I love her. The realization isn't new, but it still hits me like a physical blow each time.
Love. Not a word I ever expected to associate with myself.
Lust, sure. Need, definitely. Possession, absolutely.
But love? That soft, vulnerable emotion that can bring the strongest man to his knees?
Never thought I'd be caught by it. Yet here I am, completely ensnared by this slip of a girl who wandered onto my land and somehow became the center of my universe.
She turns, catching me watching her, and smiles. That smile. The one that's just for me—part sweetness, part sin. The one that makes me want to protect her forever and fuck her senseless in the same breath.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks, moving toward me. "You look serious."
I reach for her, pulling her against my chest, where she fits perfectly. Always has, from the first time I held her.
"Thinking about you," I admit, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "About us."
"Good thoughts, I hope." She tilts her face up, moonlight silvering her features, making her look otherworldly.
"The best." My hand slips into my pocket, fingers closing around the small velvet box. Now or never. "Got something for you."
Her eyes widen slightly, curiosity sparking in their depths. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, I step back and lower myself to one knee. Her hand flies to her mouth, a small gasp escaping through her fingers.
"Wayne..."
"Let me say this," I interrupt, voice rougher than I intended. "Not good at speeches, but you deserve the words."
She nods, eyes already glistening with unshed tears.
I take her left hand in mine, marveling at how small and delicate it looks against my weathered palm. "Never thought I'd do this. Never thought I'd want to. Was fine alone, or at least I thought I was. Then you showed up, looking scared and beautiful and so goddamn young, and everything changed."
My thumb strokes across her knuckles as I search for the right words. "You fit here, angel. With me. On this land. Like you were always meant to be here. Can't imagine this place without you now. Don't want to."
I pull the box from my pocket, flipping it open with one hand to reveal the ring nestled inside. It's not large or flashy, but it sparkles in the moonlight, catching and reflecting the stars overhead.
"Want you to be mine in every way," I continue, watching her face as tears begin to spill over onto her cheeks. "Want everyone to know you belong to me. Want to give you my name, my protection, my life. Everything I have, everything I am—it's yours."
Her free hand is still pressed to her mouth, but I can see the smile behind it, the joy radiating from her eyes.
"Will you marry me, angel?" I finally ask, the question simple but weighted with everything I feel for her.
"Yes," she whispers immediately, voice choked with emotion. "Yes, Wayne. Yes."
I slide the ring onto her finger, where it settles like it was made for her. Which in a way, it was. Chosen specifically for this woman who's become my whole world in such a short time.
Rising to my feet, I gather her against me, lifting her off the ground as my mouth finds hers in a kiss that seals our promise. She wraps her arms around my neck, clinging to me as if she might float away if she let go.
When we break apart, both breathing heavily, I keep her lifted against me, her feet dangling above the ground, my arms locked around her waist.
"You'll always be mine, angel," I tell her, voice low and fierce. "Never want for anything. I'll spoil you, breed you, love you every damn day."
Her eyes darken at the word "breed," pupils expanding until only a thin ring of hazel remains. We've talked about it—my desire to see her round with my child, to watch her body change as she carries the physical proof of my claim on her. The idea excites her as much as it does me.
"I want that," she whispers, fingers threading through my hair. "Want your babies. Want to give you a family."
The words hit me square in the chest, making my heart stutter. A family. Something else I never thought I'd have. Never thought I wanted. But with Judy, it feels right. Natural. Inevitable.
"Going to fill you up every night," I promise, voice dropping to a growl. "Keep you fucked full of my cum until it takes. Keep you pregnant and glowing and mine."
She shivers in my arms, a small moan escaping her lips. "Yes. Please."
I set her down gently, keeping one arm around her waist as we turn to look out over the landscape—my land, soon to be our land in name as well as practice. In the distance, the lights of the ranch house glow warm and inviting, a beacon in the darkness.
Home. Our home. Where I'll take her tonight and every night, where I'll make good on my promises to fill her, to breed her, to make her mine in the most primal way possible.
"Love you, little girl,” I murmur against her temple, the words still new on my tongue but growing more natural each time I say them. "More than I ever thought possible."
She leans into me, head resting against my shoulder, left hand splayed across my chest where the diamond catches the moonlight. "Love you too. So much."