“Something wrong?” she asked quietly.
“No,” he said, “but I’m slowly realizing just how very special you truly are.” She stopped and stared. He shook his head and said, “Those aren’t empty words. You really are special. I know you don’t see it, but I do.”
“Thank you,” she said, with a bright smile. “So, are you ever planning on coming to bed, or will we just stand here and talk?”
He grinned, wrapped her up in his arms, and gently laid her on the bedding. She opened her arms, and he joined her on her side of the bed. As he looked down at the bra, he said, “It seems such a waste to take it off.”
“Well, you could leave that intact this time,” she said with a smile. “So I have something to wear home.” He looked at the ripped underwear and winced. She chuckled. “It’s okay. You’ll just have to think about me going commando.”
He groaned, then buried his face in between her plump breasts. As he lifted his head, he said, “That’ll kill me all the way home.”
“Yeah, but it was your own doing,” she said, with a snicker, then rolled over until she could kiss him and kiss him and kiss him again. When she finally came up for air, she whispered, “Man, it’s been a rough few days.”
“It has been,” he said, ever in tune with her moods. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay,” she said. “Some things just had to happen the way they did, and right now I’m slowly adjusting to that reality. But I’ve never been happier than right now in your arms.”
He held her tight, closing his eyes, as he realized how much he’d really wanted to hear that. “Isn’t it too bad we didn’t connect all those years ago?” he murmured.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think we were ready. We’re such different people now,” she said. “Just so much more waiting for us, as the people we currently are.”
He smiled and said, “I think you’re right.” He rolled over until he was settled between her thighs, with that lovely purple bra right in front of him, so he lowered his head and proceeded to explore every single inch of her creamy smooth skin. By the time he hit her small dainty hip bones, she was twisting in his arms and mindlessly crying out for him. He’d never thought he’d seen anything so erotic and so beautiful as her honest reaction when she made it very clear who and what she needed.
She reached her hands up, sliding them against his scalp to grab hold of his hair, and tugged him down. She whispered, just as she reached up for his lips, “I want you now.” Then she kissed him with all the passion she held inside.
He whispered, “Are you sure?”
She looked up, smiled. “If you don’t,” she said, “I might have to punish you.”
He groaned and plunged deep. As he seated himself right to the hilt, she stilled, as if unaccustomed to such things. He waited for her to adjust, as she wiggled beneath him, and he swore as every movement pushed him closer and closer to the edge.
Finally she looked up, and whispered, “All good.” He shuddered and started to move. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on for the ride, as he drove them both to the edge.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized she’d said something about riding, but, no, he was just too far gone to even switch positions, and, in truth, it didn’t look like she even remembered. Her eyes were closed, her mouth open, and the cries coming from her were nectar to his soul.
As he made one final plunge and ground his hips tight against her, he felt the tension coiling deep inside him finally exploding from within. Even as his orgasm rolled through him, she bucked beneath him, crying out in joy. And he knew that both of them had made it over this one peak that they had been so desperate to reach. He pulled her into his arms and slowly relaxed beside her.
She snuggled up close. “Man,” she said, “that was wonderful.”
“Well, you didn’t get a chance to ride.”
She smiled and said, “Next time.”
He looked at her, grinned, and said, “I can’t wait.”
“You weren’t planning on rushing, were you?”
“Hell no,” he said, “we’ve got all night.”
She looked at him with interest. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “The flight doesn’t leave for several more hours,” he said. “We’ve got time for more and some sleep.”
“Perfect,” she said. “Let’s grab a little sleep, and then we’ll talk about riding.”
They both closed their eyes, and he held her close. He’d never been happier, and his heart had never been fuller, as he realized just what a special gift had come into his life. He didn’t know whetherMason had a hand in it or not, but, damn it, Baylor wasn’t beyond saying thank you.
When he closed his eyes, he whispered, “Thanks, Mason. Whatever you did, man? That was perfect. Now we got to find somebody for Hudson.”
Then Baylor closed his eyes and slept.
Epilogue
Hudson Cameron sat beside Mason in the back of the carrier, watching Baylor and Gizella. Hudson looked at his boss and said, “Looks like you were right.”
Mason turned to view the other two, then smiled and said, “Yeah, that one was pretty easy.”
“Are you actually taking an active hand in these connections?”
“No, not at all,” he said, “but sometimes you just get a feeling that things would work out. They’ve got a long road ahead of them and lots to learn, but any relationship does. And they’ve come a long way.”
“It’s kind of a sad trip home,” he said, as he motioned to the two coffins strapped in the back.
Mason’s smile fell away as he nodded. “And it’s a good time for Baylor to be there for her.”
“It is,” Hudson said. “I just hadn’t expected to see
