Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“Lane,” he said again, his voice breaking. “You feel so… God, you feel amazing.”
My fingers tightened in the sheets, my body arching into his. “Yes, fuck,” I managed, my voice a little desperate. “Jay.”
He moved, his hips rolling forward in a rhythm that sent sparks of pleasure racing up my spine. The discomfort faded quickly, replaced by a growing heat that built with every thrust, every brush of his skin against mine.
“Is this okay?” he asked, his voice strained. “Am I—”
“Don’t you dare stop,” I gasped, cutting him off.
Jay’s movements grew faster, more urgent, but he never lost the tenderness in his touch. His lips found mine again, swallowing my gasps and moans as he pushed me closer to the edge. Every thrust hit a spot deep inside me that made my vision blur, my body trembling as the pressure built to an unbearable peak.
I thought about how affectionate he was with me, how protective. How much he always put my pleasure above his own. How much I trusted him. Emotion overwhelmed me. I wanted to say something to tell him what I was feeling, but I was still scared my confession would somehow screw things up.
“Jay, I—” I started, but the words were swallowed by a cry as I came undone beneath him, the pleasure ripping through me like a wave. My hands gripped his back, nails digging into his skin as I shattered in his arms.
Jay wasn’t far behind, his rhythm faltering as he groaned my name, his head dropping to my shoulder as he followed me over the edge.
We stayed like that for a long moment, our bodies tangled, our breaths mingling in the quiet. Jay pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder before rolling to the side, pulling me with him.
“You good?” he asked, his voice low and rough.
I nodded, curling into his chest. “That display more than lived up to the train rattling.”
He chuckled softly, his hand trailing up and down my back. “Good. Because I don’t think I can move for a while.”
I smiled, letting myself relax against him. In his arms, I felt whole, complete, like every jagged piece of me had finally found its place.
I’d been patient, just like Disco Dave had learned to be… and now, finally, I’d found my mate.
And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t afraid of what came next.
Chapter Eight
Jay
A few hours after Lane fell asleep, I had to admit defeat. Sleep wasn’t coming for me. I had too much on my mind.
As much as I’d enjoyed every minute of my evening with Lane, and as relieved as I was to hear he wasn’t taking Chad’s job offer and moving away, I had to remind myself there hadn’t been any kind of declaration in his words or actions.
Lane had said he was happy in the Thicket, that he felt good and cared for when he was with me, and that he appreciated it so much he’d gone to the trouble of setting us up a nice lunch.
All that was great.
Really, genuinely great.
Not only did it make my chest squeeze that he’d gone to the trouble of showing me his appreciation—though Lane was always thoughtful that way—his decision to turn down the Georgia job meant we could keep doing what we’d been doing for the past couple of months: spending time together, casual and easy, for as long as he stayed in town.
That should have been enough, I knew. For a small-town guy like me, keeping someone who shined as bright as Lane Desmond in my life in any capacity should have been enough. It’d be greedy to ask for more. But damn, when I was holding Lane in my arms and watching him sleep, fresh from feeling him come undone on my cock, I felt all kinds of greedy.
I wanted more with Lane.
If I was being really honest, I wanted… everything.
I wanted commitment and love and Entwinin’.
I wanted a wedding at the town event barn and for us to raise the next generation of Licking Thicket Bovine wide receivers (or cute little mathletes, or animal lovers, or artists, I didn’t care) together.
I wanted us to watch Disco Dave’s great-grandfowl strutting around our yard.
I wanted forever.
But it wasn’t up to me.
I carefully disentangled myself from Lane’s bed and stood, watching with a grin as he rolled into my warm spot—as per usual—and burrowed under his blankets.
Tomorrow was the Entwinin’, and I had a metric shit-ton of stuff still to do, so I snuck out quietly and made my way down to my workshop. There were a few things I wanted to add to the wreath I’d made Lane, and I needed to get it done before finishing up the other projects on my workbench.
The encounter with Chad and then my conversation with Lane afterward rolled through my head as I took a seat on my stool. Now that my anger and hurt feelings were mostly soothed—and, okay, now that I’d come my brains out and held Lane tight for a while—I could finally think clearly.