Epilogue
. . .
Judy
Six months later
Six months married, and I still get butterflies when Wayne looks at me from across the room.
Six months of wearing his ring, sharing his name, warming his bed, and I've never felt more certain of anything in my life.
The ranch feels like it's always been mine—the sprawling house, the endless land, the horses that now nicker in greeting when they see me coming.
But it's him—my husband, my protector, my lover—who truly makes this place home.
The way he touches me like I'm precious.
The way he fucks me like I'm made for it.
The way he growls "mine" against my skin every night before we sleep. I am utterly, completely his.
Nothing more ever came of the man my uncle sent. Either Wayne scared him good and my uncle got the message or my uncle is dead. Either way I don’t care.
I’m safe. With Wayne. He’ll never let anyone hurt me again.
The morning sun streams through our bedroom window, painting golden stripes across the rumpled sheets.
Wayne is already awake beside me—he always rises with the sun, ranch habits ingrained in him after years of solitude.
But he doesn't get up right away anymore.
Not since I came into his life. Now he lingers, one strong arm draped possessively across my waist, his warmth seeping into me like the most delicious blanket.
"Morning, Mrs. Campbell," he murmurs against my ear, his beard tickling my skin. The name still sends a thrill through me—Judy Campbell. His. In every way possible.
I turn in his arms, pressing myself against the solid wall of his chest. "Morning."
His hand slides up my back to cup the nape of my neck, fingers threading through my hair. In the months we've been together, he's learned exactly how to touch me, how to hold me. Knows every sensitive spot, every place that makes me melt.
"Sleep well?" he asks, but there's a glint in his eye that says he's thinking about more than just my rest.
"Mmm," I hum, stretching against him like a cat. "Someone wore me out pretty thoroughly last night."
He chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest into mine. "Not too worn out, I hope."
His morning erection presses insistently against my thigh, hot and hard even through his sleep pants. I've grown to love this daily ritual—waking up to his desire, to the knowledge that he wants me as desperately now as he did that first time in the grove.
"Never too worn out for you," I assure him, sliding my hand down his chest, over the ridges of his stomach, to the waistband of his pants.
His eyes darken as he watches me, pupils expanding until only a thin ring of green remains. He still looks at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Like he can't believe I'm really his.
"Such a good girl," he says, the praise still affecting me as strongly as it did the first time. "My good girl."
Heat blooms in my belly at the words, at the possessive edge to his voice. I may be his wife now, but I'll always be his good girl too. Will always crave his approval, his praise, his dominance.
Without breaking eye contact, I slide down his body, pushing the sheets out of my way. His sleep pants come next, tugged down just enough to free his cock—thick and flushed and perfect. My mouth waters at the sight of it, at the memory of all the pleasure it's given me.
“I want to taste you," I say, voice dropping to a whisper.
He groans, one large hand coming to rest on top of my head. Not pushing, not demanding. Just connecting. “Oh, fuck, angel. I don’t deserve you.”
I take him in my hand first, stroking the velvet-soft skin stretched over rigid hardness. He's so big, my fingers barely meet around his girth. A bead of moisture forms at the tip, and I lean forward to lick it away, savoring the salty-sweet taste of him.
His breath hitches as my tongue swirls around the head of his cock. Six months of practice have taught me exactly how he likes it—firm pressure on the underside, gentle grazes of teeth along the shaft, one hand cradling his heavy balls while the other works what won't fit in my mouth.
"Fuck," he hisses as I take him deeper, relaxing my throat to accommodate his size. "Look at you. Taking Daddy's cock so well."
The words send a jolt of heat straight between my legs. I moan around him, the vibration making his hips buck slightly. His hand tightens in my hair, guiding me now, setting the pace. I surrender to it, to him, letting him use my mouth while I look up at him through my lashes.
"That's it," he praises, voice strained with pleasure. "That's my good girl. Open that mouth wide for Daddy. Suck my good. Get it all nice and slippery.”
I redouble my efforts, hollowing my cheeks as I suck, using every trick I've learned to drive him crazy. His breathing quickens, thighs tensing beneath me—signs I've come to recognize as him getting close.
Just when I think he's about to come down my throat, he pulls me off him with gentle hands.
"Need to be inside you," he growls, already flipping me onto my back. "Need to fill that sweet pussy."
I go willingly, eagerly, spreading my thighs in welcome as he settles between them. I sleep naked now—his preference—so there's nothing between us as he positions himself at my entrance, the broad head of his cock nudging against my already-slick folds.
"Wayne," I gasp as he pushes inside in one smooth thrust. No matter how many times we do this, I never get used to the initial stretch, the delicious fullness of him filling me completely.
"So fucking tight," he groans, bottoming out inside me. "Always so tight for me."
He sets a rhythm that's familiar yet never boring—deep, powerful thrusts that hit places inside me I never knew existed before him. One large hand cups my breast, thumb flicking over the sensitive nipple, while the other grips my hip, holding me in place for his possession.
"Mine," he growls, punctuating the word with a particularly deep thrust. "All fucking mine."
"Yours," I agree breathlessly, legs wrapping around his waist to take him deeper. "Only ever yours."
The angle changes, allowing him to hit that spot inside me that makes stars explode behind my eyelids. I cry out, nails digging into his shoulders as pleasure builds within me, a tidal wave gaining momentum.
"That's it," he encourages, grinding against me. "Come for me, angel. Let me feel you."
My orgasm crashes over me without warning, intense and all-consuming.
I arch beneath him, inner walls clamping down on his cock as wave after wave of pleasure washes through me.
He doesn't slow his pace, fucking me through it, prolonging the sensation until I'm a trembling, gasping mess beneath him.
Only then does he let himself go, hips slamming against mine in an increasingly erratic rhythm. "Going to fill you up," he grunts, eyes locked with mine. "Going to put my baby in you."
The thought sends another tremor of pleasure through me. We've been trying for two months now—me off birth control, him coming inside me every chance he gets. The possibility of carrying his child, of growing round with the physical proof of his claim on me, makes me clench around him again.
"Please," I beg, wanting it as much as he does. "Want your baby. Want to give you a family."
With a roar, he drives into me one final time, cock pulsing as he empties himself deep inside me. "Love you," he growls, the words still rough around the edges but no less sincere for it. "Love my wife. My perfect fucking angel."
Afterward, he collapses beside me rather than on top of me, always careful not to crush me with his weight. But he keeps me close, arm thrown possessively across my waist, face buried in the crook of my neck where he places gentle kisses against my damp skin.
"Never letting you go," he murmurs, the words a familiar refrain. A promise renewed each day.
"Never want you to," I reply, my own promise just as faithful.
Soon he'll have to get up, tend to the ranch, the animals. I'll make breakfast, maybe work in the garden I've started, call about the nursery furniture we ordered last week—just in case. Our days have taken on a comfortable rhythm, a sense of belonging and purpose I never knew was possible.
The shadows that chased me here have faded, banished by Wayne's protection, by the life we've built together. I am safe. I am loved. I am home.
Forever.