We end the call, and his words echo in my ear. And I feel pretty damn lucky to have a dad like him. I'm more sure than ever, when Story pulls up, that my head's in the right place.
And when she steps out of that car, my smile is fucking wide as hell.
Her body looks smoking hot, her curves and her cute jeans and her flannel shirt tied at the waist, accentuating everything she's got. And fuck, it's a lot. Her hair’s in a top knot, on the top of her head, wisps down around her face. Her eyes are bright, shining like the sun.
I step toward her and wrap her up in a big hug, breathing her in. And hell, she smells good, like sprinkles and frosting, and everything I've been missing, everything I need.
"I love you," I say. The words, hell, they just float off my lips.
She steps back, stunned, her eyes wide. "Truett," she laughs, "I wasn't expecting that."
"No?" I say. "You really weren't?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. I mean..."
I clear my throat. "Look, I know this is fast. But I just had to say it. That's what I felt. I'm trying to go all in with you because that's what I want. But don't say anything you don't mean. If you want, we can take this slow."
She shakes her head. "Now you want to take this slow, after you've invited me to your place in the woods and told me you love me?" She squeezes my hand. "I don't think we can go that slow, not after what happened at my place a few nights ago." She licks her lips, tempting me in all the most perfect ways. "Please don't tell me you want to go that slow."
I groan in need, and I kiss her deep and long, hard. Her mouth parts. Her tongue finds mine. And damn, I'm glad we're lost in the woods, alone.
"Will you show me your place?" she asks.
I grab her bag from the car before it pulls away. And now we're really alone, truly just her and me.
I show her my cabin, proud of what I have out here. And yes, I've had multi-million-dollar contracts that have afforded me this place of luxury, but I like her attention to detail. She is oohing and aahing over the kitchen, which is really the best part of the house.
"This is incredible," she says. Her hand running over the concrete countertops, taking in the double ovens, the commercial grade kitchen appliances. "I know that the kitchen's pretty fancy. But there’s another room in the house I was hoping you might like better."
I guide her into the master bedroom. Her eyebrows lift. "What do you think?" I ask.
She giggles, "I think that bed will do."
I drop her bag. And she drops her pants. She's not wearing panties.
Fuck, I thought I'd already fallen in love. But this is something else.
This is fucking heaven on earth.
12
Story
The moment we move to Truett's bedroom I know I'm done for. The last three days as we've been talking on the phone, as I've rehashed my date with him with my best friend Carla and my coworkers at Honeybee’s Coffee, I haven't been able to think of anything but the inevitable moment when his mouth would meet mine once more, when his hands would run through my hair, when my body would find his seamlessly. I hoped and I prayed it would feel effortless, that it would be like the night at my apartment, meant to be. When I undress for him now, without reservation, without intimidation, and his eyes travel from my head to my toes, I feel more than beautiful, I feel like I am his.
He said he loves me.
I'd doubt his sincerity if I didn't see the intensity in his eyes right now.
There's more than heat and desire in his irises; there's passion, there's promise.
It's not just hopeful or wishful thinking, it's the storybook ending I've been dreaming about my entire life.
I swallow, knowing there are still no guarantees here, but right now I don’t need a guarantee or a forever commitment. I want to be in this moment, in the here and now, and right now I'm offering myself to Truett Baker, the only man I've ever wanted to be with in any real way. And he is more than a man, he is a mountain man.
He knows his way around the kitchen, and it seems like he can work his way inside of my heart too because he's done so in a matter of days.
"What are you thinking, Story?" he asks, standing and walking toward me. His hands run over my breasts. They're bare. He teases my nipples. He lowers his mouth to my tit, opening his lips and sucking on it ever so softly. I gasp at the pleasure.