“What are you doing here?” The demand in his tone caused my heart to pitter patter.
“I wanted to see you.”
The hesitation was about to kill me.
“Why? Don’t you have a life in Chicago? Seems like it was obvious. You certainly left as soon as you could,” Nash smirked, shaking his head, the glare remaining harsh.
“I deserved that. You’re right. I should have returned your call.”
“Yeah, you should have.”
A full thirty seconds passed.
“Do you think you can forgive me?”
When a slight smile crested across his face, the rugged man yanking me against the heat of his body, several tears slipped past my lashes.
“We’ll see,” he said after a few seconds, his nostrils flaring.
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” I purred.
When he stiffened again, my emotions almost took over.
Nash eased away, sliding a single finger down the arm of my jacket. “There might be punishment involved. Well deserved, I might add.”
Just a single touch was enough to force my pussy to quiver. “Yes, sir.”
We both laughed although there were still a few seconds of awkward silence.
“When I didn’t hear from you, I was worried, Mitch. I know why you had to return to Chicago, but there was no guarantee of your safety.”
“I know, but I couldn’t allow that… asshole to get away with what he did.”
The words were so as heartfelt as I could make them, the ache for him continuing to grow.
When he stared into my eyes for what seemed like minutes, I thought I’d lost him. The second he intertwined my fingers in his, fire lighting up his eyes, I was unable to stop the tears from falling.
“You’re one courageous little brat. Do you know that?”
I shrugged, my mouth watering from the sight of his cock pushing hard against his jeans. “My guess is that you can handle me.”
“You’re damn straight I can. God, I’ve missed you,” he said before whistling then yanking me inside. The dog jumped onto the porch, racing inside, his dark brown eyes showing his excitement. A mischievous smile crossing his face, he kicked the door shut, the hard thud giving me shivers. “You here for a while?”
“I was thinking of maybe moving here.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asked before tugging me further into the room. He had a roaring fire going, the warmth not nearly as explosive as the electricity erupting between us.
“I kinda like the scenery.”
“So do I,” he growled, creating another wave of tingles erupting along every inch of my skin.
“Who is your friend?”
Nash chuckled as he reached down, patting the pup on the head. “I named him Chance. Somehow it seemed appropriate given everything that’s happened.”
“A chance for a new life,” I half whispered.
“A chance to realize what I’ve been missing all these years.”
“Maybe you can tell me what that is,” I said coyly.
He gave me the kind of look that forced my legs to quiver. “I plan on it. Every. Single. Day.”
I palmed his chest, clamping my fingers around his shirt. “The ranch is beautiful. Is it yours?”
“Uh-huh. I heard Montana was a great place to put down some roots.”
I adored his whimsical attitude and the twinkle in his eyes. My pussy ached just thinking about how much I’d missed him. “Beautiful mountains. Clean water.”
“Mmm… And so much more.” He lowered his head, pressing his lips against my face and I melted against him, taking gasping breaths. “I heard Giordani is on his way to prison.”
“Uh-huh. A life sentence with no possibility of parole but I’m not certain I trust the system. What if he gets out?” I shuddered as memories of the additional rounds of testimony floated into my mind. At least Dante had been locked away. Would I always be forced to face the possibility that he’d try to retaliate again? Yes. However, I refused to live my life in fear. Besides, I had reasons to move toward the future.
One that mattered more than anything.
“I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that’s going to happen, but if by some crazy twist of fate he does, then we’ll face that together.” His words were a statement, said with the same kind of vigorous intentions that I’d heard several times before. When he eased his index finger under my chin, lifting it, my lower lip twitched.
“I’m so sorry I left.”
“You did what you had to do, just like I’m going to do.” He crushed his mouth over mine, dragging me onto my toes. I could barely breathe as he thrust his tongue past my lips. When he ground his hips against mine, I lost all feeling in my legs.
Chance woofed several times as the kiss continued. I’d never felt so emotional, my pulse racing. The moment of intimacy became the sweetest release, a letting go that I’d dreamt about almost every night since I’d left. He dominated my tongue as he always had and the scent of him was more intoxicating than I remembered. I’d never had such a sense of feeling at home. I was so alive, my nipples aching to the point every part of me ached.
When he broke the embrace, I continued shuddering in his arms.
“I want to show you something,” he said after brushing hair from my eyes.
I rubbed my hand down his chest in a provocative manner. “Should I guess?”
He took my hand, pulling my fingers to his lips and kissing each one before shaking his head. “Come with me, bad girl.”
I was surprised when he led me out the door, pulling me toward the corral. “This place is beautiful.”
“It needs some work, but I have the time,” he said. “Besides, my grandfather left me some money.” He shifted his head in my direction, his grin infectious. “Come on.”
His long strides were difficult to keep up with and the second he pulled me into the barn, he took both my hands into his. “Now, we are going to need to discuss your punishment.”
“That’s not fair. I just returned.”
“Uh-huh. You
