Bonus Epilogue
CORD
Seven Years Later
"What are you doing?"
"Ahhh!" Cassia shouts, slamming the lid of her laptop closed.
She jumps so high her ass actually rises out of her chair.
"Gosh dang it, Cord! Stop doing that! I'm too busy to have a heart attack.
I have books to write and cows to play with and babies to raise and things to do!
" She glares at me with her hands clutched over her heart.
She has always been and will always be a terrible liar. My pretty baby just isn't good at it. Oh, she still tries to pull the wool over my eyes. But she's as bad at it now as she was seven years ago.
"Stick to writing, pretty baby," I growl, stomping across her office toward her. "Because you're a shit liar."
She gasps in outrage. "You take that back right now, Cord Decker!"
"Nope." I plant myself beside her and lean down, still covered in dust and hay.
I smell like the outdoors—sweat and warm earth baked into my skin.
Cassia can't get enough of me when I've been working outside, though.
My wife has a thing for cowboys. Or this cowboy, anyway.
She's not allowed to have a thing for anyone who isn't me, not if she doesn't want my handprint on that perfect, round ass. "Open the laptop, princess. Now."
"Can't. It's 5:23. My workday is over. I have to go cook," she lies. "And, um, I think the baby is crying. Yep. That's definitely the baby." She pitches her voice low and fake cries, trying to maneuver her chair around me at the same time.
Goddamn, I love her crazy ass. The baby is out cold in the nursery down the hall. I know because I peeked in on her on my way in here.
"Did you just try to mimic the baby crying?" I ask, fighting a grin.
"What? No. You're hearing things. You should probably get your ears checked." She scrunches up her face at me in what I assume is supposed to be concern. "I bet cowboying knocked something loose in there." Her eyes grow wide. "Or it's old age."
Old age, my ass. As soon as she shows me what's on the laptop, I'll show her exactly how much stamina this old man still has.
"Open the laptop, pretty baby," I growl, planting my hands on the desk on either side of the chair to block her in. I was only mildly curious about what my wife didn't want me to see. Now, there's no fucking way we're leaving this room without her showing me whatever she's trying to hide.
"Cord," she protests. "I don't wanna."
"Too bad. Secrets don't make friends."
"We aren't friends. We're married," she reminds me.
"Mmhmm. And you're going to be getting another lesson in what it means to be married to this cowboy if you don't show me what's on the laptop, Cassia," I growl.
"Fine!" she cries. "You're such a bully."
"Poke that lip back in, pretty baby. I'm not falling for it." That's a lie. I'm a sucker for that damn pout. It gets me every time. She's too damn beautiful, especially when she's not fighting fair. That adorable wrinkle between her brows is my kryptonite. "Open the laptop."
She sighs the longest, most dramatic sigh and reluctantly opens her laptop back up, fidgeting in her chair the whole time we wait for the screen to come back to life.
When it does, the social media site with the videos loads.
The clock one. I only recognize it because she sends me cat videos all day when she's procrastinating.
Unless she just bought a cat from the damn site, I don't know what she's so worked up about, though. It's just videos. The only ones I ever see are animals. And people who whisper into the camera. I don't know what that's about, but it creeps me out.
"I can explain," she says, her expression contrite.
I'm not entirely sure what the fuck she needs to explain, but I play along, crossing my arms and hitting her with a stern glare. "Go ahead."
She pauses dramatically. "It's all Paige and Cleary's faults!
They said their husbands were hot, and I said mine was hotter, and then they wanted to argue about it.
I couldn't just let them get away with insulting your hotness like that!
I mean, look at you!" She flings her hand out in my direction, her eyes going glassy in a way that makes my dick imprint itself against my zipper.
"So Paige said there was only one way to settle it. We had to let BookTok decide."
"What the fuck is a BookTok?"
"It's readers on the app!"
"They have a name for them?"
"Will you let me finish?" she growls.
I hold my hands up, trying not to laugh. Once she gets going, there's no stopping her.
"We secretly recorded you guys doing your things to upload the videos for BookTok to judge.
You were trying to break Tyr when I recorded you, back when he was still trying to buck you off like you were in a rodeo.
Now everyone is losing their minds over the video.
Look!" she cries, jabbing a finger at the screen. "One million views!"
Huh.
I grunt. "How many does Camden have?"
"None."
A broad grin spreads across my face. BookTok thinks I'm hotter than my baby brother? Fuck yeah. He's never living this shit down.
"Paige didn't post his video," Cassia says. "Cleary didn't post Ian's either."
I scowl. "I thought they were supposed to participate too?"
"They were." My wife rolls her eyes and then blows a wayward strand of hair out of her face.
"But they both chickened out. Only, they forgot to tell me they were going to chicken out.
So now you're all over the internet and their husbands aren't." She pouts again.
"I had to turn the comments off, Cord. They were not appropriate at all! "
I arch a brow; not sure I even want to know what the hell was in the comments.
I'll never tell Cassia because she'd kick my ass if she knew, but I still keep an eye on her social media.
There are a lot of assholes and evil motherfuckers out there, and my wife is my world.
There's not a chance in hell I'm going to risk one of them getting anywhere near her.
So I check in to make sure everyone is treating her the way she deserves to be treated.
It's hard to miss some of the dirty things she and her book friends talk about while I'm doing it. They put my ranch hands to shame.
I am curious as a motherfucker about this contest, though.
Ian's a damn world-famous tattoo artist. He looks just like the men on the covers of half the dirty books Cassia hordes on her Kindle like she's stockpiling them for the apocalypse.
I bet people are sick of seeing his clones.
Which means Cam or I could win this thing.
And Cam doesn't have Tyr in his back pocket.
All he's got is his fancy-ass furniture and a couple horses who behave.
I'm liking my odds.
"You're just going to have to tell Paige and Cleary to suck it up and get their videos up," I say, pulling Cassia up from her chair. "Fair is fair, pretty baby."
She gapes at me.
"I can't win on a technicality."
"You're not mad?"
"About what?" I murmur, sliding her laptop to the side and boosting her up onto her desk to kiss all over her neck. "That you posted me on the internet? Fuck no. I thought you were trying to pick another damn cover model."
"Oh." She giggles. "Seven years and you still hate when I have to pick models."
"I'll still hate it in seventy years, Cassia," I growl, nipping her throat. "I'm the only cowboy you look at. I'm the only cowboy you think about." I cup her breasts, pinching her hard nipples. "I'm the only cowboy who makes this perfect body tingle."
"Cord," she groans. "I have to cook dinner."
"Nu-uh. Not until I have my dessert first. Lay back."
She huffs like she's annoyed, but that doesn't stop her from scrambling to obey. We both know she wants exactly what I'm offering. I know this woman inside and out. The only thing she loves more than me eating my dessert is me fucking her with the remnants of it all over my face.
I kiss her lips, drinking from her sweet mouth until she's mewling beneath me, and then I work my way down her body, yanking her shirt up to lavish attention on her tits.
Her body has changed over the years, softened and rounded in ways that make me fucking crazy.
Her breasts are fuller, her hips wider. The little stretch marks across her belly are sexy as fuck to me, standing in testament to the strength of this woman and the miracles she's wrought in my life.
I drag the cups of her bra down, groaning at the sight of her hard little nipples.
Goddamn, they're perfect. I wrap my tongue around one, dragging it into my mouth.
My cock throbs when a drop of milk spills across my tongue.
Fucking hell. That shouldn't be so hot to me, and yet it makes my balls ache like a motherfucker every time it happens.
"Cord," she moans, pulling my hair.
I kiss my way down her abdomen, dipping my tongue into her belly button, and then leaving a little love bite on her lower belly. She sobs my name, clawing at the desk. Her pen cup falls off the side, sparkly pens scattering every which way.
"Goddamn, pretty baby," I growl, dragging her leggings and panties down her thighs. "You're horny for it today, aren't you?"
"Yes!" she cries.
"Then be a good girl and cover your mouth so you don't wake the baby while I eat what belongs to me," I say, dropping into her chair and dragging her ass off the edge of the desk. Her legs splay wide, draped across my shoulders and down my back.
Fuck, I can see every inch of her this way. Her little cunt glistens with her juices, so wet and pink. There's no way I'm not getting in it tonight. It's been too many hours since she was coming on my cock this morning in the shower.
I wait until she clamps her hand over her mouth, and then I set to work, dragging her right to my mouth. Her muffled cries ring out around the room, spurring me on as her taste hits the back of my throat, sweeter than ever. I growl, discovering heaven all over again.
It's right here, with my wife's juices all over my face and her cries ringing in my ears. If this isn't what eternity is like, I don't want it.
I flick my tongue against her clit, working her over until she's shaking with the need to come.
I want to keep her right here all night, tormenting her with pleasure over and over again.
But we aren't working with that kind of time right now.
Annie won't sleep long, and Paige will be dropping the rest of the kids off a little after six.
So I curl my fingers up, stroking her g-spot while I suck on her clit.
Her beautiful body stiffens and then she whimpers. Her juices flood my mouth as her cunt constricts around my fingers. Cum drips into my boxers, my balls unable to hold it all when she's this fucking sexy.
I eat her through it, cleaning my plate like a gentleman.
"Cord," she moans, falling limp against the desk. "You're definitely hotter than Camden and Ian."
I chuckle, dragging her off the desk into my arms. She slumps against me, a sticky, sated, purring mess of contentment.
"You bet your pretty little ass I am, princess," I growl, pressing my lips to her temple.
"Love you," she says, her lashes fluttering as she lays her head against my shoulder.
"I love you, pretty baby. More every damn day."
"Yay me."
I smile, holding her close as she dozes off in my arms.
"Cassia? Hello?"
My smile slides off my face as Raven's voice sounds in the room. I whip my head around, trying to figure out when Cassia's sister-in-law got here from Seattle, but don't see her. What the fuck? "Raven?"
"Hi, Cord. Um, I think you guys butt-dialed me. I was going to hang up, but I heard Cassia making weird noises and thought maybe something was wrong. And then I realized that, well…those weren't I'm dying moans." Raven coughs like she's embarrassed…or trying not to laugh. Jesus Christ.
Cassie yelps, coming wide awake with a screech. She jumps off my lap so fast she elbows me in the ribs as she dives for the desk, frantically searching for her phone. "Wrong number!" she cries. "Cord and Cassia don't live here anymore. We don't speak English! This business is closed!"
Raven cracks up.
Cassia knocks her mouse off the desk before she finally finds the phone. "This number has been disconnected and is no longer in service. Try again never! Love you, bye!" she yells before stabbing the button to end the call. And then she droops forward, groaning.
I shake my head, trying like hell not to laugh.
"I think I have to fake my death and move to China now," she whispers.
"Hell no," I growl, dragging her crazy ass into my arms. "You aren't moving anywhere, pretty baby."
"My sister-in-law just heard you doing dirty things to me!"
I doubt now is a good time to tell her that half the damn county has heard me doing dirty things to her at this point. She's loud when I get inside her…and I love to get inside her. Instead, I kiss the shit out of her.
"Let's clean you up and go cook dinner," I murmur against her lips. "Tonight, I'll do more dirty things to you to make you forget all about it."
"Fine. But I still think I should move to China."
"No can do, princess." I nip her bottom lip and then set her on her feet. "But I'll make you Chinese for dinner."
She smiles up at me, her expression softening even though her face is still bright red. "I knew there was a reason I married you."
"Oh, yeah? You married me for my cooking?"
"Uh, heck no. I married you for your obsession with dessert, cowboy," she says and then dances out of my reach, laughing.