Chapter 6
REMY
The unbelievable heat between us can’t be normal. It feels larger than life, flowing through me like a pulse much stronger than my own.
Stone makes me feel like a brand-new woman. One who isn't frantically crunching numbers, counting the days until true freedom.
Maybe because he himself is already free.
It's hard not to moan at the loss of his touch when Stone sets me back on the bench so he can get up and douse the last of the fire with a garden hose. He takes my hand and we walk inside to the bottom of the stairs. Then he pauses, reaching up and cupping my face softly in his palms.
"Beautiful, this is your choice. Whatever makes you feel good is the right answer. I would love to hold you all night. Or if you need your space, I can tuck you in, then leave. So… Do you want to be tucked into your bed or mine?"
His thumbs brush gently across my cheeks as he smiles. "You hesitated. Got it. I'll take you to your bed."
"It's not that." I take a slow breath. "It's just… I've never…" My eyebrow quirks up. “Been tucked in before as an adult, if you get my drift."
Stone's eyes fly wide open. "Oh! Gotcha. Understood." He hugs me close against his chest. "Well, you can pick either bed. If you choose mine, I could cuddle you like this all night." Rocking back and forth, I get the sense that Stone must be a good dancer. What an interesting trait for a ranch guy.
"I'm not exactly begging, as such," he adds. "I just think we’d both like it."
My head tilts back as I look up at him, unable to stifle a giggle. "Go ahead. Beg."
His bottom lip juts out in a comical pout as he gives me puppydog eyes. "Please come to my bed, Remy. I can't stand the thought of you being cold. Or alone. Or jumping out of bed in the middle of the night to put in who knows how many hours of work instead of sleeping."
I smack his shoulder lightly. "It's almost like you know me." Tossing my hair, I head for the guest room. “Fine – I’ll meet you in your room in a minute.”
I brush my teeth in my bathroom, then brush my hair and tie it up in a messy topknot. I always sleep in a tank top and baggy cut off sweatpants, so that's what I’m wearing when I walk and see Stone standing by his bed.
Holy everloving shit.
I can see almost every inch of his tanned, gorgeous physique, since he's wearing nothing but navy boxer briefs when he snaps on the bedside lamp.
He really is a mountain man. Head to toe muscle, firm and sculpted. Yet not in that tightly cut way like a bodybuilder. Stone's sturdy frame was created through real-world work. Rugged mountain ranch strength. The man could probably lifts boulders over his head for fun.
He turns when he hears me gasp, then chuckles at my open mouth. He turns off the overhead light, slipping an arm around my waist. "I approve of those pants. Comfy clothes are better for sleeping."
The man already knows exactly what to say to put me at ease. He scoops me into his arms to walk the five steps to his bed. His room is even bigger than mine. There's so much space out here, it's mind-boggling.
He places me at the edge of the bed, then arranges all the blankets around me. He fluffs my pillow, fetches me a glass of water, then fluffs my pillow again. Then he tucks the blankets all around my feet, legs and arms until I can barely move.
All the while, I'm giggling. Stone finally gets into bed next to me, on top of the blankets. He lounges propped up on his elbow, tracing a finger lazily around my shoulder.
"You know, I actually think I’m overtucked," I laugh. “Didn’t you say something about snuggling?"
"Well…" he drawls. "First I'm reading your expression to make sure you're nice and comfortable."
"Very comfortable. Thank you."
There's something in the way he smiles and runs his fingers to the side of my hair that makes me melt. "I really do like having you here, Remy. You're not just an excuse to break out the good coffee."
"I like it here too." I wriggle on my side of the bed, struggling to pull my arms out, while Stone laughs. As soon as my hands are free, I loosen all the blankets so he can slip underneath.
In a flash, there’s no “my side” and “his side” anymore. Stone pulls me against him in the center of the bed, his hot, naked chest against my breasts.
We fall into a soft, slow kiss as his hand sneaks under my shirt to caress my waist and ribs.
Even as lust overwhelms us, making me draw my knee over his hip, this kiss isn't just physical arousal.
The way we breathe together, incrementally moving closer, his lips soft and warm against mine and his tongue exploring gently, testing every step before he proceeds…
It’s romantic. There is much, much more beneath the surface of…whatever this is.
It’s crazy to think that the first man I ever truly kiss would be the one I end up with forever. But from the way he holds me so close, I swear it feels like he never wants to let me go.
And I don't want him to.
It’s wild: I'm usually the type to analyze everything. To make plans and research things to death. But here I am thinking about happily ever after with a sexy mountain man I barely know. It's probably this mind-scrambling kiss taking over.
His bottom arm slides underneath me, wrapping around and gently caressing my ass as he pulls us closer. I moan when I feel his thick erection pressed against me. Instantly my hips start to shift, rocking against him restlessly.
He growls, then rolls me a few inches away. "Hey now. Don't let me lose track of my mission." His voice is lower. Smokier.
"Mission?"
"Yes. To make sure you’re properly cared for during your break."
According to Hollywood, men are only after one thing. From what I can tell, Stone should be stripping me naked already. But he says he wants to make sure I'm comfortable first? Take things one step at a time? It makes me want him even more.
This time when he kisses me, I feel like I'm falling…not just into a pool of deep feelings, but of comfort. Peace. My fingers trace along the tops of his shoulders, exploring every dip and curve of muscle, then wander down his sculpted chest.
"I love the way you touch me," he whispers. "But I'm going to have to stop you right there, or I'm going to lose my mind."
Dipping my head, I kiss an arc straight over his heart. "What if I want that to happen?"
He yanks me against him, the entire length of our bodies grinding together.
"Pretty girl, when the time is right, it will, don't you worry.
I'm already crazy for you. I'm going to go crazy with worshipping your luscious body.
" He shifts to nibble under my ear, then down my throat as he murmurs, “I'm dying to lick your hot pussy. To hear the sexy noises you make when you come. To feel your softness wrapped around my cock as you cry out my name. I want to feel you lose yourself, baby.”
I can't breathe. My heart is racing as Stone places a palm over it. "Soon, beautiful. I'm going to make you mine. But right now you have to prove to me that you're truly here on vacation and have a really amazing night’s sleep." His lips brush against mine. "Ready for the sleep snuggling?"
Honestly, when he starts speaking like that, I'm ready to have him tear my clothes off and do anything he wants to me. It triggers a feeling deep inside me that I've never felt before – wild, raw and perfect. And totally overwhelming, in the best way.
"Sure."
He flips me so my back is against his chest, arranges the pillows and blankets, then drapes his arm over my hip and loosely around my stomach. "Comfy?"
"Very. Thank you."
He plants three kisses along the back of my neck and my shoulder blade, so sweet as to make me shiver, although I'm perfectly warm. "Sweet dreams, beautiful."
We lie there together, my body gradually relaxing. Stone is good for me. Comforting. Solid. He makes me feel like he genuinely wants to be in my life.
I relax even more, almost at the edge of sleep. Stone’s breathing deepens to a slow, regular hum against my shoulder. I've never felt safer than I do wrapped in his arms.
At the same time, there's a slight tickle in the back of my mind.
It's been over twenty-four hours since I've turned anything around to my second job.
I know for a fact they have three freelancers.
What will happen if the other two start doing more work than I do?
There's always a chance they could stop sending stuff my way entirely.
Sure, I could live on only one job, but that wouldn’t get me to my goal of freedom from the basement.
It takes me a few minutes, but I slowly slip from the thick arms holding me. Then I gradually slide out of the bed, careful not to let the mattress lurch.
I sneak to the guest room and dive straight into work for ninety minutes.
It's like falling into a trance. But when I come back to reality, I don't feel like I've checked something off my list. I honestly wonder if I'll miss that hour and a half of sleep in the morning.
For the first time I can remember, I feel guilty about working instead of not working.
I slip back into Stone's bed and he immediately pulls me into his arms, cuddling my back against his chest as he spoons me. His breathing is still low and even. Did the man actually reach for me in his sleep?
Then he sighs out a long exhale. "Sleep, baby. Please. Rest," he mumbles softly. "Need you healthy and strong."
"I am," I whisper.
His chin drifts up and down my shoulder, then he pulls me even closer. "I want it to be my place to worry about you," he breathes. He sounds half asleep. Then he kisses the top of my head. "My beautiful baby."
His muscles relax as he conks out completely again. The only sounds are his breathing, and the whisper of wind through the trees out the open window.
I stare into the dark for several more minutes.
His place to worry about me.
His baby.
It's the polar opposite of the total freedom I've been dreaming of, and yet…
I've never wanted anything more.