Staking His Claim (Ranchers of Chatum County 1)
The smile won and took over her whole expression. “Really? You saw Trevor? You saw the whole thing?”
His nostrils flared. “Yeah. The whole goddamn thing,” his voice hissed out.
Elaina walked the last few inches toward him. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She studied his handsome, virile face and the smile fell from her lips as a deeper emotion took hold of her. “I love you.”
His hands wrapped around her jaw line and sifted through her hair until he was holding her by the scalp. “Jesus. Finally.” His eyes searched hers. “I love you, too.”
He leaned down and put his mouth on hers in a kiss that sealed her fate.
Epilogue
Five years later
“Happy birthday, baby.” It was just past midnight when Raul came up behind Elaina and wrapped his arms around her. She turned away from the twin bed and snuggled into his arms.
He kept his voice purposefully quiet. “Is she asleep?”
“Yeah, she finally exhausted herself.”
He reached down and around his wife to touch the soft, downy cheek of the three-year old. Her cheeks were rosy and she looked absolutely cherubic in sleep.
He knew it wouldn’t last long. She’d been giving them fits for awhile now as her terrible two’s lingered. On fast chubby legs, their daughter was a little terror.
Raul led Elaina by the hand and walked her out of the baby’s room.
He sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap and put a protective hand over her swollen belly.
Their gazes tangled and held. “You don’t look twenty-seven. You still look like a teenager. You’re just as beautiful as you were the first time I saw you.”
She let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
“I’m serious,” he said.
She lifted her hand to his cheek and flashed wickedly seductive eyes at him. “You don’t have to flatter me. I’m a sure thing, Raul. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“A sure thing, hell.” His hand absently caressed her taut belly where his next baby snuggled safely. “You put me through the ringer, baby, remember? You were never a sure thing. I sweated bullets thinking you weren’t going to give in.”
Their gazes caught and held. “You were hard to resist,” she said.
“Damn straight. I had to be. I couldn’t take the chance of you getting away.”
“I never wanted to get away.”
He watched her with an appreciation and love so deep, it vibrated between them.
He leaned his forehead against hers and ran his hand down and clenched it around the silky cheek of her butt.
He lifted her chin and his expression grew serious. “I mean it, baby. I love you so much. More than life itself.”
His eyes swallowed hers and she felt the same flutter in her stomach as she had when she first met him. “I love you, too.”
He kissed her lips and began the sweet seduction that still managed to blow her mind. He whispered in her ear, “Let me prove it.”
She kissed him back and asked, “Again?”
“Yeah, again. Always.”
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