AlexI shouldn’t have been so hasty. I had quit the job before really thinking it through. I had been hotheaded and walked off without thinking about the consequences. I had sullied my reputation. I was hoping I could overcome a little black spot on what was a solid reputation. I wasn’t going to make excuses if a potential client asked me about the situation.I felt a little bad for my behavior, but I wasn’t about to grovel and ask for my job back. I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to work with kids. I worked best alone. Or with adults that had a clue. There were other jobs. I just had to muster up the energy to actually want one. I didn’t. I wasn’t ready to deal with people.But being in the house was driving me crazy. I was bored out of my skull. I had nothing to do. The house was clean. All the laundry that had been piled up for years was put away or thrown out. There was nothing that needed my attention. Nothing. I had spent the bulk of my life feeling like I didn’t have enough time
Alex“I’ll keep that in mind. So, what have you been doing back in Montana?”I sighed. “Not a lot.”“Did you reconnect with your man?”“Oh, Wayne,” I groaned.“That doesn’t sound good.”“It’s fine—”His laughter came through the phone. “Fine. That word. I won’t pry. I’m here if you need an ear to bend.”“Thank you. I do appreciate that. It really is okay. I think I’m going to go for a drive.”“All right. Take care of yourself.”“I will, Wayne. Thank you for calling.”We ended the call, and once again, I was plunged into silence. I closed my eyes. I probably should have taken him up on his offer. I could get up, go to Wyoming, and leave Montana behind. All of it. It was what I should have done long ago. I couldn’t come up with a good reason for sticking around. A fresh start in a new place where no one knew me was very appealing.I got up from the couch, walking around the tiny house, pacing like a caged animal. I wanted an excuse to check on the farm. I had heard through the grapevine
DamionIt felt good to be back. I was exhausted, but it didn’t matter. We had touched down last night, rented a truck, and were home. Home for good. I didn’t know what the future held in store for me, but being home was the first step in the right direction. Since we had left with only a few suitcases, the rest of our things were still in the house. I had returned the car, breaking my lease and not caring about the cost.The horses were back. We were back and I was ready to get started living, like truly living. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. There would still be shit to deal with, but it would be in much smaller chunks. I didn’t have an exit strategy, which would force me to deal with that shit instead of getting up and leaving. I had burned my bridges in New York.There was no going back.“You good?” I asked Oliver, who was sitting in the rocking chair beside mine on the porch.He looked over at me, a huge grin on his face. “I’m good.”I laughed. “Do you feel happy?”He no
DamionI knocked again. I could hear movement beyond the door and knew she realized it was me. “Alex. Alex, can we talk?”I waited. Nothing. I shook my head. She was going to make it difficult. I leaned my forehead against the door. “Alex, please. Open up. I need to talk to you.”I heard a noise. It sounded like the door locking. She was making sure I didn’t bust in. It was a pretty clear signal that she was not going to invite me in and she was certainly not going to come outside so we could talk. If I wanted to say what I came to say, it was going to be through the door. Not exactly the scene I had envisioned, but I would take what I could get.I turned around, leaning my shoulders and head against the door, the warm sun beating down on me as I collected my thoughts. Everything was riding on what I said next. I wanted to take a few seconds to mull it over. I wouldn’t likely get another chance.“I’m sorry,” I started. “I shouldn’t have walked away. I was angry with myself. I realized
AlexI stared up at the man that had captured my heart. His dark hair fell over his forehead. His blue eyes stared down at me. The way he was looking at me sent my heart racing. He was so beautiful. I knew men didn’t want to be referred to as beautiful, but he was. He had a kind heart. It was a little bruised and battered, but I had a feeling I could help him heal. Just like he could help me heal.“Damion?” I breathed his name.“I’m just looking,” he said, a soft smile on his lips.“There’s a lot more to see,” I suggested.He chuckled. “I know there is. I want to peel it away, one slow inch at a time.”I groaned. “Can we do that next time?” I pouted, going up on my elbows.His eyes smoldered as he bent at the waist, his hand pressing into the bed on either side of me. His mouth hovered over mine. “Promise?” he whispered.I slowly nodded. “I promise. Next time.”“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” he growled, his mouth covering mine.My lips parted, making way for his tongue to swe
AlexHe lunged forward before flipping me to my back. His body pounded into mine. It was his turn to dominate. His turn to show me how much he had missed me. I gave over my need to be in control. I gave it all to him. I surrendered to him.The moment I did, the orgasm bloomed deep inside my womb. There was a slow wave of heat that rolled over me, starting at the tips of my toes. I could practically feel my heart and soul slowly opening to him. I let him in, in all ways.A low keening sound escaped my lips as the moment intensified.“Look at me,” he breathed.I opened my eyes and found his boring into mine. “I see you,” I whispered.“I see you. You’re mine, Alex. This is us. We are together.”I would have agreed to walk across hot coals barefoot in that moment. I would have agreed to do anything. His body consumed mine. I let my eyes slide closed once again, relishing in the orgasm that finally erupted after a long, slow burn.“There you go,” he coaxed. “All of it. I want it all.”I cr
DamionIt felt weird and good to be back in the kitchen of the farmhouse. The kitchen was outdated and nothing like the upscale kitchen I had in my apartment back in New York, but it didn’t matter. It was functional and had a homey touch, something that was missing in the icy gray and black modern kitchen. I flipped the pancake in the pan, quietly humming a song I didn’t know the name of.I was happy. Content. I felt settled. I remembered feeling like that when I had first come home, but it wasn’t a true settled feeling. I looked back on those days and realized I had one foot in New York. I didn’t now. I was so over the city. It had taken me a while to figure it out, but I got it now. I was a little on the slow side. I smiled, thinking of my grandfather. He would say I was on the stubborn side. Always trying to fight against the inevitable.Oliver meandered into the kitchen, sitting down at the table with his book in hand. “Did you remember the whipped cream?” he asked.I smiled and r
DamionI shook my head. “Nope. Just the standard fishing. I had a couple of buddies who used to go out from time to time, but I think fishing was the last thing on their minds.”“Some things never change,” she said with a laugh. “What about deer hunting?”I cringed. “I’ve done it, but it’s not necessarily something I enjoy.”“Me either,” she agreed. “It’s too much meat for one person anyway.”“I had no idea you were such an outdoors kind of girl,” I joked.“I’m always outdoors, but usually, I’m taking care of the outdoors.”It was another piece of the puzzle that was Alex. She was a little tomboy and a lot sexy. She was capable of taking care of herself and being dainty at the same time. It was the perfect combination of tough and vulnerable.“All right, kid, go brush your teeth and find your shoes,” I ordered Oliver.He hopped up and raced down the hall to his room. Alex got out of her chair and walked to where I was standing. Her arms slid around my waist before she gave me a quick