Bella’s smile was glorious as she placed her hand in Billy’s. “Then I’ll come with you.”
* * *
Bella glanced over at Billy as they drove back to the ranch. She’d taken care of his bloodied head, talked to Nate, and made sure that Jay went home to Erin. The thought that Axel Jordan was now in custody made her feel so much safer.
“You okay?” Billy asked as they drew up in front of the silent ranch house.
“I’m getting there.” She smiled at him, and in the darkness he leaned over and gently kissed her mouth. “Won’t Ruth mind another guest?”
“I texted them all to let them know we were coming, so hopefully they’ve all gotten the message and gone to bed.” The gentle humor in his voice was balm for her soul. “They’re a nosy bunch.”
She climbed down from the truck and looked up as a flurry of snow descended through the blackness of the night. “The ranch house looks like a Christmas card with all the lights and the snow.”
“So I’ve been told.” Billy took her hand. “Come on in.”
The house smelled of Christmas spices and pine, and was lovely and warm. After shedding their coats and boots in the mudroom, they tiptoed up the stairs to the second floor. Billy opened a door and led her into a room with an angled roof that looked out over the barn.
“Chase converted these attic spaces into separate suites. He and January are across the hall.”
“It’s lovely.” Bella gazed out over the snow-covered roofs and fields. “It smells so new and piney.”
“It didn’t exist when Annie lived here, so it was a good place for me to start afresh.”
Bella pointed at the big wooden framed bed. “That’s one of Ruth’s quilts.”
“Yeah, and BB made the headboard.” Billy’s smile was wry. “You can’t get away from them even in here.”
“And you wouldn’t want to.” She walked straight into his arms, and it felt like coming home. “Come on, admit it.”
“It’s my home,” he said simply. “It’s who I am.”
Bella went to reply and yawned instead, giving him an up-close and personal view of her tonsils that made Billy smile.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be good for much more than just sleeping,” Bella confessed.
“Then sleep.” He kissed the top of her head. “No pressure, remember?”
She used the bathroom and then climbed into the big bed and lay on her back listening as the extraordinary, all-encompassing silence closed around her like a silken glove. She yawned again as Billy joined her wearing a Morgan Ranch T-shirt and pj pants with horses on them.
“Nice.” She pointed at the pants.
“Last year’s Christmas present from Maria. I have to wear them, or else she’ll be upset.” He laid his arm along the top of her pillow, inviting her to snuggle in against him, which she did. “Hmmm. That’s nice.”
She rubbed her cheek against the softness of his T-shirt. The fact that they were both here, and uninjured, suddenly hit her again. She slid her fingers under his shirt, needing to touch his skin.
“It’s okay.” He stroked her hair. “We’re all good.”
She lay there and breathed him in, enjoyed the rise and fall of his chest, and the way he held her as if she was made of spun sugar. She must have dozed off because she came to plastered all over his front, her inner thigh pressed against the heat and hardness of his need.
His hand was planted firmly on her butt, his fingers flexing.
“Billy?” she whispered into the darkness.
“Yeah?”
“I’m awake now.”
His low chuckle reverberated against her skin. “I can see that.”
“Will you kiss me?”
He slid a hand into her hair. “Always.”
And then it all became so simple. Skin uncovered, kisses everywhere until he rolled her onto her back and entered her in one slow thrust that almost made her cry again. She held on to him, her hands everywhere as he brought her to a new peak of pleasure in his own sweet time.
“Bella . . .” He groaned her name as he came, and collapsed onto the pillow beside her. She stroked the back of his head, and let him stay there until he finally found the energy to roll away.