Page 67 of Long Hard Road
“She’ll be fine. Animals have good instincts for this sort of thing. Let’s go eat and give her a little space to bond with the babies. We’ll check on her in a bit.”
For the next several hours, we spent our time on the floor in the living room. After we finished eating, Nate piled more blankets and pillows on the ground so we could be close to the warmth while we sat and talked about nothing and everything. We checked on Meadow periodically and watched when she gave birth to her third kitten.
“Meadow better be getting a job,” I joked after resettling on the blankets. “Kids are expensive.”
“She’s got a sugar daddy to take care of her,” Nate joked. He grabbed our empty beer bottles to take to the kitchen. “Can I get you anything while I’m up?”
“I’m good. Thanks.” Good was the understatement of my life. I had never been this content, this happy, ever.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to take you out tonight,” Nate said as he rinsed our plates from dinner. “I don’t like all the staring, but I wouldn’t have minded getting to show you off.”
“Some other time,” I said, pressing a hand to the warm aching in my chest.
“I’ll be busy at the bar again until Sunday, but maybe we could go back out to the guest ranch sometime this week. We could ride snowmobiles or ice skate on the pond. Grab lunch. Make a nice day of it.”
He finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and then dried his hands on a towel. I watched each movement, enthralled by how his body moved. For such a tall and strong man, he was nimble on his feet. His steps barely made any noise on the creaky floor. He came back holding a glass of water.
“Just in case you get thirsty,” he said with a smile.
A bubble of emotion lodged in my throat. I knew that I needed to say something or I would regret it. “Nate.” I felt breathless as he looked at me, desire and affection equally evident in his expression. “I want to be with you tonight.”
“You don’t want me to stay in the guest room?”
“No, honey, I don’t. I want you inside me.” I laughed when his eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open.
“Madison…” He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t need to do that tonight. There’s no rush.”
“Isn’t there? I have less than two weeks left in Crestwood and I still have a list of things I want to do with you.” I pushed up to my knees and grabbed his hand. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I want you now.”
His eyes slammed shut and his jaw clenched.
“Unless… do you not want me?”
Those silver orbs flashed as he dropped to his knees in front of me, hands coming to both sides of my cheeks. “I’ve never in my life wanted anything more, angel.”
“Then why are you resisting?” I felt my lower lip tremble.
“Because I don’t deserve this moment. I don’t deserve you.” His thumbs stroked over my cheekbones. “I don’t want to ruin you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I fisted my hands into his shirt and felt his heart pounding in his chest. “I know you would never hurt me, Nate.”
He nodded and sighed. “I don’t want you to ruin me.” Then he pressed his lips to my forehead in the gentlest of kisses. “But I think it might be too damn late for that.”
“Are you going to make me beg?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed hard and his hands slid into my hair as he tilted my head back. “Most definitely,” he said, that damn wicked smile reappearing briefly before he slammed his lips over mine.
The heat of his kiss had my whole body burning like the flames in the fireplace. His touch was electric as his hands skimmed under my shirt. “I want you naked,” he growled, tugging the shirt up and over my head. His fingers unclasped my bra with a surprising amount of deftness. I slipped it off my shoulders and tossed it aside.
“Fuck.” His eyes drank me in. “Another new favorite meal,” he said just before his mouth closed over my breast, tongue stroking my nipple.
My fingers slid into his hair and I pulled him hard into my body with a moan. Once he was satisfied with the first breast, he kissed his way over to the second and sucked the nipple into his mouth with a groan.
“Nate.” My head fell back and my core began to throb painfully. He was going to make me come without even touching me below my chest.
“Not yet, babe.” He pulled back, breathing hard. “Stand up.”
“I can’t.” There was no way my legs were going to hold me up.