12. Kane
KANE
Walking through town on a Friday afternoon used to feel like a tactical maneuver. I kept my chin tucked, my eyes scanning perimeters, moving fast enough to discourage anyone from striking up small talk.
Today, my pace is slow, almost lazy.
Main Street is bustling, sunlight washing over the timber-front shops and mountain peak backdrops. But the only thing keeping me anchored to the earth is the soft, warm hand tucked inside mine.
I look down at Marlowe. She’s wearing a sundress that clings to her gorgeous, curvy body, her white-blonde hair catching the light like a halo.
Her bright green eyes are scanning the storefronts, but there’s no panic in her posture anymore.
No hyper-vigilance. No skittish glances toward the shadows.
She looks safe. She looks settled. She looks at home in Forge Creek.
"You're staring, Boss Man," she hums softly, squeezing my fingers without looking up. "It's a little creepy, honestly."
"Get used to it, sweetheart," I rumble, my thumb stroking the back of her hand. "I'm going to be staring at you for the next eighty years."
A brilliant, dimpled smile lights up her face, and my heart does that heavy, possessive thud it only ever does for her.
As we stroll down Main Street, Marlowe’s arm tucked securely in mine, she suddenly pauses outside the newly renovated storefront of Sweet Treats. The smell of fresh cookies and rich chocolate drifts out into the cool air.
"Ava!" Marlowe calls out, her face instantly brightening.
A woman with dark chestnut hair pulled up into a loose, messy bun looks up from wiping down one of the outdoor tables.
She has warm brown eyes and a bit of flour smeared on her cheeks.
Ava sets her towel down with a wry, slightly sarcastic smile, though her expression turns genuinely warm the moment she recognizes Marlowe.
I don't know much about Ava Bennett, just that she bought the old town bakery and poured everything into fixing it up, but Marlowe is clearly closer to her than I am. I step back slightly, resting a hand low on Marlowe’s back, content to just watch and listen to my woman in her element.
"I was hoping I'd run into you," Marlowe says, leaning against the railing. "How are things going with the grand re-opening?"
"Surviving," Ava says with a dry chuckle, tossing her hair back. “I knew it was going to be a hard project when I took over, but… whew!”
As the two of them chatter, I listen while Marlowe gently nudges her about settling into Forge Creek.
Ava shrugs, a brief shade of vulnerability passing over her eyes before her guarded, stubborn edge slides back into place.
She talks about getting out of a bad relationship, leaving a mess of a divorce behind, and deciding that love just isn't in the cards for her anymore.
She moved here for a completely fresh start, determined to rely on no one but herself.
Seeing the two of them bond over finding this hidden gem of a small town—Marlowe reassuring her, Ava softening as they laugh about the quirky locals—brings a deep sense of pride to my chest. Marlowe has a way of making people feel safe, making them feel like they belong.
After we say our goodbyes, I lead Marlowe past the edge of the town square, following the quiet dirt trail that winds up toward the old town lookout point. The path is shadowed by towering pine trees, the air cool and fragrant with crushed needles and fresh mountain breeze.
When we reach the clearing, the entire valley spreads out below us in a breathtaking expanse of green timber and shimmering blue streams.
Marlowe walks up to the wooden railing, breathing in deeply. "It's so beautiful up here."
I step up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her back against my chest. I bury my face in the crook of her neck, pressing a long, warm kiss right to her pulse point.
"View's better from right here," I murmur against her soft skin.
She lets out a soft sigh, turning around in my arms to rest her hands on my chest, looking up at me with so much love and trust in her eyes that it completely undoes me.
"I love you, Kane," she whispers softly.
"I love you, Marlowe," I rumble, backing her up a few steps until her spine hits the sturdy trunk of a massive, ancient pine tree just off the trail.
I slide my hands up her hips, my thumb tracing the curve of her thigh beneath her dress as I crowd her against the bark.
"And right now, I really can't wait until we get back to the cabin.
" Her eyes instantly spark with fire, trailing down my body slowly while I brush my lips against the shell of her ear. “Need to feel you, need to fuck you…”
“I need you, too,” she pleads, her voice breathy and laced with undeniable urgency.
I growl into her lips, biting and nipping at her before licking into her mouth.
My hands slide up the dress she’s wearing, pushing the fabric up as I feel every inch of her soft, porcelain skin.
She moans and drags her hands down my chest, her fingers tugging at my belt and then working my button and zipper open.
Marlowe grips my hard as fuck dick, pulling me out and pumping me roughly.
“Fuck,” I groan, loving the fact that she’s this needy, this turned on, this desperate for my cock. The thought makes me grunt possessively as my hands find the little scrap of fabric covering her pussy. I rip it off her body and swallow down her gasp, my fingers sliding through her folds.
Goddamn, she’s soaked for me, her cream dripping over my fingers and pooling in my hand. I circle her clit, the hard little pearl throbbing and swollen. Her legs shake, and I swear she’s about to come from that one touch.
Without wasting any time, I grip her thighs and lift her up, pressing her against the tree as she wraps her legs around my hips and digs her fingers into my shoulders. I look directly into her lust-filled eyes as I slam my cock inside her greedy little cunt.
Marlowe sucks in a breath and bites her lips to contain her scream. She fucking comes as soon as I hit the end of her. I growl and hold myself deep inside of her, feeling her orgasm from the inside out, wave after wave of ecstasy rippling from her core and dripping down my aching dick.
She buries her head into the side of my neck, panting and shaking and whimpering my name. It’s more than I can take. I pull out of her pulsing, tight little pussy and push back inside, fucking her roughly, just like we both need.
“Kane… oh fuck, Kane… I-I-I’m…”
Holy shit, is she…
The goddess in my arms tangles her fingers in my hair and rips my head up, the sting shooting straight bliss to my cock, making it swell up and stretch her out even more.
Marlowe rests her sweaty forehead on mine, her chest heaving with each ragged breath, pained whimpers and grunts leaving her mouth with each brutal thrust I’m giving her.
“Come for me, angel,” I growl.
My words unlock her orgasm, and Jesus, she comes so hard, shaking and sobbing out her release as her arms and legs squeeze me tightly.
I grip her ass in both hands, holding her to me as I grind against her cunt and clit, keeping her right there, forcing her to feel it, feel me, feel every ounce of pleasure I’m giving her.
My balls are heavy with my pent up orgasm, my dick throbbing and angry as fuck. But I want more. So much more. And I know exactly how I want it.
I set Marlowe down, her legs trembling much like the rest of her. She tilts her head up, peering at me through the fog of bliss surrounding her. I kiss her forehead, nose, and lips, allowing her to catch her breath.
And then I spin her around, pushing her forward so she has to brace herself with her hands on the tree trunk.
I flip the skirt of her dress up and grip her cheeks, spreading her open for me so I can fuck into her tight, wet little hole.
With a feral roar, I snap my hips against her ass, stuffing her full of my cock.
“S-s-so d-d-deep,” Marlowe stutters out on a moan, her pussy contracting around me over and over.
I’m reduced to grunts and growls, tipping my head back and bouncing her off my dick. Every muscle in my body tenses and my balls draw up tight, my orgasm crawling down my spine and stealing the air from my lungs.
Sliding one arm beneath Marlowe’s hips, I hold her still as I piston in and out of her. She claws at the wood, then balls her hand up in a fist and pounds it against the trunk as she succumbs to a final, vicious orgasm.
I slide my hand further down her body, rubbing her clit in furious circles as my other hand grabs a fistful of her white-blonde hair.
She soaks my dick with her cum and shudders in my arms. I bury my face between her neck and shoulder, breathing her in, feeling her shiver and pulse around me as I finally let go.
My orgasm barrels through me, seizing my muscles and making me shake uncontrollably as I come so fucking hard I almost pass out. I shoot my release deep inside her still-throbbing pussy, each rope of cum forcing its way out in blissful, torturous waves.
It lasts forever, and yet it will never be enough. I know I’ll want this woman wrapped around me as often as possible, chasing our pleasure and taking each other to heights unknown.
But right now, we need to clean up and make ourselves presentable.
We both groan as I reluctantly pull out of her. I growl when I see our combined releases dripping down the insides of her thighs, resisting the urge to get on my knees and lick it up.
Marlowe leans against the tree, pressing her forehead against the wood as she tries to control her breathing. “Holy shit,” she pants. “That was… that was so hot.”
I grin and smooth the sweaty strands of her hair away from her face. “Every single time with you is an incredible experience,” I agree. “Maybe we should go on hikes more often.”
“They say it’s good exercise,” she tells me with a twinkle in her eye.
I nod. “Some trails are more… strenuous than others. Especially if they’re secluded.”
She grins at me and I smirk right back, both of us already picturing the next time we’ll be here.
It strikes me that this is my life now. I have this amazing, brilliant, sassy, witty, fucking gorgeous, sexy-as-hell woman by my side, and we get to decide what the future holds.
Together. I never thought I’d have that.
“Let’s go home, Big Guy,” Marlowe says, barely suppressing a yawn.
“Whatever you want, angel.” I take her hand in mine and lead us back toward my truck.
“Promise?” She looks up at me with those big green eyes, and I know I’ll give her literally anything in the world to keep that loving, trusting look on her face.
“Always.”