Chapter Ten
Walker
Waking up with Letty wrapped around me is a fucking dream. I watch her for a while, memorizing how peaceful she looks in her sleep. All of her defenses are gone, leaving her glowing in a way that's new.
"Walker," she whispers, a tiny smile tugging at her mouth.
My cock stirs.
I groan, reaching for her. She doesn't stir when I roll her onto her side, dragging her back against me. She doesn't stir when I hook her leg back over my hip, opening her up to me. She doesn't even stir when I slip my hand between her legs, touching her pussy.
She just grows wetter. Her moans grow deeper, more desperate.
I notch my cock at her entrance, pushing into her slowly.
That wakes her up. She whimpers, clenching around my cock. "Walker."
"Morning, Sunshine," I rasp, fucking her slow and deep. "You sounded so sweet, whispering my name in your sleep. I couldn't resist."
"I was dreaming about you."
"Yeah?" I brush my lips across her shoulder. "Was I inside you like this, Letty baby? Were you coming all over me?"
"Yes," she moans, rocking back against me.
I nip her skin, angling my hips to strike deeper. My thumb rolls across her clit. I don't rush. I take my time, fucking her until she's trembling and gasping, begging to go over.
"Come now," I order, my lips at her ear.
She falls apart with a muted cry, her pussy strangling my cock.
I groan, flipping her onto her back and pounding into her like a madman. I don't stop until she comes twice more, sobbing and choking on my name.
When she comes the third time, I follow her over, the truth spilling out around us. "I love you."
She arches back, gasping. Shaking. Christ, she's so sweet. I never want this to end.
I don't intend to let it.
When she told me that she was falling for me, she gave me the world. Hell will freeze over before I allow her to think she's going to lose a single thing by loving me.
Her life may have been hard before me, but not anymore. She needed a soft place. I've never been that. I'm still not even sure I know how to be soft, but I'll be damned if I don't learn.
She flips over, her wide eyes meeting mine. "You can't say things like that when you're inside me, Walker."
"Why not?" I tuck strands of hair behind her ear. "It's true."
"I…I…" She's cute when she's shellshocked.
"I love you, Letty. I knew it when you tried to kill me with that hot sauce on my tacos." I cup her cheek in my palm. "My heart stopped when I saw you cornered by that bobcat. It didn't start beating again until you were in my arms, safe. I love you. That's not going to change."
Her bottom lip quivers. "You mean it?"
"Yeah, Sunshine. I mean it. I know you haven't had it easy.
I know you think you have to do everything alone and carry the world on your shoulders, but that's not true anymore.
" I brush my lips across her forehead. "You're safe now, not just from that bobcat, but from everything you've been carrying, from everything that's hurt you. I've got you, and I'm not lettin' go."
"I love you," she sobs. "I love you, and I'm so damn happy. And I'm so scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
"Nothing. Everything." She laughs through her tears. "Bobcats and mean bulls and fucking up and losing you and getting everyone fired."
"You aren't going to fuck up and lose me." I blow out a breath. "And so long as everyone keeps behavin', no one else will be fired."
"I don't want to be the reason people lose their jobs, Walker," she whispers. "I know what it's like to have nothing, and to worry about whether I'll have enough to eat or where I'll sleep. I don't want to be responsible for anyone else being in that position. I can't stand that."
Well, hell.
"Would it make you feel better if I told you that Tanner helped Toby get another job, Sunshine?"
"Really?" Her eyes widen. "You mean that?"
"I do," I confirm. "We aren't heartless. As much as I don't trust him, he didn't put his hands on you or threaten you, so Tanner made sure he'd have work somewhere else, where he wouldn't be a problem for anyone."
"That makes me feel better," she whispers.
"You've had it rough, haven't you?"
She bites her lip and then nods. "If I hadn't gotten the job here, I would have been living in my truck. Um, it wouldn't have been the first time."
Jesus.
"Back home, everyone knew my brother was in prison. They expected me to be just like him, so they didn't give me much of a chance. Didn't matter that Diego is in the military. When they look at me, all they ever see is Alex. Jorge was the first one to give me a chance after I moved here."
"That's done with now," I say firmly. "Your home is right here with me. It's on this ranch. It's in Silver Spoon Falls."
Her lips quirk. "I like the sound of that."
"Me too." I press a hard kiss to her mouth. "I've lived here my whole life. I was born and raised on a ranch a lot like this one. I know these people. And I know they're going to love you, Letty baby."
"What about…?"
"What?"
"Tanner and his brothers? I mean…are they going to be mad?"
"Fuck no," I say, chuckling. "Tanner already knows how I feel about you."
"Should we tell him?" she asks, eyeing me in worry.
That wasn't on my list of shit to do today, but I guess it is now. If it'll wipe that look off her face and give her a little peace of mind, I'll talk to him. It won't change anything, though. The Carringtons are good people, who just want the people who live here provided for and happy.
"Yeah, baby. I'll tell him."
Iwait until Letty is busy in the kitchen to hunt Tanner down, ready to get this over with so I can put her mind at ease. The longer I wait, the more she'll stress, and I don't want that for her. I want her to be able to relax and move forward without twisting herself into knots.
Unfortunately, I can't find Tanner anywhere.
I look for an hour before I give up and stomp back to the mess hall to check on Letty. Half the men are already inside, tucking into eggs and bacon with steaming mugs of coffee in front of them.
Mornings on the ranch are usually quiet.
The men don't have much to say when they're up before the sun, still sore from the day before.
They've been even quieter since Letty started feeding them.
They're happier, too. The usual scowls and glowers are gone, replaced by the kind of contentment that only comes when you've got a belly full of good eating, and the prospect of another good meal on the horizon.
I stride past, heading straight for my girl.
To my surprise, Tanner is in the kitchen with her, stealing bacon from a platter.
"I've been looking for you," I growl.
"Well, surprise, motherfucker," he says, smirking at me. "You found me."
Letty looks nervous as hell.
"You need to move Blaze and Bishop into my place."
"Why?"
"I'm movin' in with Letty."
She whirls around with a spatula in her hand, her eyes comically wide. "Walker!" she hisses. "You can't just tell him that."
"Just did, Sunshine."
"But…but… You didn't even ask if I want you to move in!"
"You sayin' no?" I arch a brow. "You don't want to wake up with me in your bed every morning, Letty baby?"
"Well, I mean, no. I mean, yes, I want that."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I…you…it's…" She splutters for an answer, only to give up when Tanner throws his head back, laughing loudly.
"You move fast, you asshole," he says. "After that second note on her door, I figured it'd take at least a few months for her to forgive you."
"Yeah, well, I had proper incentive." I cock my head to the side, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why do you care how long it took?"
"Because I bet that it'd take you a few months. Now, I owe Blaze two hundred dollars. And I'm not even fucked up about the money," he bitches, "but it's Blaze. He's going to annoy the hell out of everyone now that he won."
"Jesus Christ," I mutter, not entirely surprised that Blaze is behind the betting. You make your entertainment on a ranch, or you do without, and he's damn good at keeping things entertaining.
"He won two hundred dollars betting on us?" Letty asks.
"No." Tanner grins at her. "He won 4gs betting on the two of you."
Her mouth pops open.
I chuckle, tugging her into my arms. "They're assholes, Sunshine. Feel free to enhance their food."
She looks up at me and then over at Tanner. "You aren't mad?"
"About losing to Blaze? Fuck yeah, I'm mad. He's going to be insufferable."
"About us," she whispers.
His expression softens. "What'd I tell you, Letty? This is your home now. If that big idiot makes you happy, then good for you. If he ever stops making you happy, you tell me, and we run his ass out of here. It's that simple."
"But…" She gapes at him. "He lives here, too."
"Yeah, but cowboys are a dime a dozen around here. You're one of a kind." Tanner winks at her, snatching another piece of bacon. "We keep what's special, sweetheart. That's what makes this place what it is."
She stares silently as he strides out of the kitchen.
"Feel better now?"
"He meant it," she whispers, blinking up at me.
"Yeah, baby. He meant it."
She burst into tears.
I sweep her into my arms, tucking her face against my chest. My lips land against her ear. "Welcome home, Letty baby."