SUNDAY PASSED IN a whirlwind of stolen kisses and hidden caresses as Sophie and Brett watched the football game with her family and played in the family’s half-time touch-football game in the yard. Sophie’s father and grandfather had both played football in high school, and they liked to relive the good old days with touch-football games whenever they could get family and friends to indulge them. Brett had eagerly jumped right in, and they’d had a blast. When Sophie got the ball, he picked her up and carried her to the other end of the field, while her father and mother—his teammates—cheered him on and the others gave him grief.
She watched him now, moonlight kissing his handsome face as he sat on the patio talking with her family, and she swelled with love for him. She’d gone out with her mother, Nana, and Lindsay to pick up a few things from the grocery store, and when they’d returned, the three men were just coming up from the barn. Brett had helped replace the old, rusted locks with new ones. He’d pitched in all afternoon and evening. He’d helped set the table and barbecue dinner and had helped clean up afterward. He and her father had even done a security check on the house. Brett was not pleased that they didn’t have motion-sensor lights and planned to install them while they were in town. He even told Poppi they would help him on the farm tomorrow. Sophie wondered if he had any idea what that really meant. The thought of Brett mucking stalls brought a smile.
“You have that Hallmark look in your eyes,” Lindsay said as she came out the patio doors with a glass of wine.
“I’m wondering how many stars had to align for me not to get burned when I jumped in with Brett on a hope and a prayer.” She had never realized how all-consuming love could be, but he had taken up residence in her mind and in her heart.
“I don’t know, but everyone loves him. Nana’s practically planning your wedding. She said I should ask you what kind of theme you want, as if I haven’t been taking notes for the last twenty-five years.”
“You won’t believe this, but things are so good, marriage isn’t on my mind. I want tomorrow, and next week, next year…But I don’t care if there’s a ring on my finger or not. I love him, Linds. I really, truly love him.”
Lindsay gazed at Brett with her brows knitted. “I’m not a marriage girl, but I want that for you, because you are one. But”—her voice rose with the hint of a tease—“I took some great pictures of you guys and of Brett with the rest of the family, in case you scare him off with your dreams of forever.”
“That was thoughtful of you. Not,” Sophie said to the sister she’d loved, protected, and had gone head-to-head with her whole life. They thought differently and they wanted different things out of life, but when Sophie was talking with Brett last night about his family, she realized that none of that really mattered. What mattered was that they had each other. Period. She knew the pictures were Lindsay’s way of supporting her love for Brett. “That was thoughtful of you, Linds. Too bad there’s no room on the wall for more pictures.”
“You never know. I do know how to use a screwdriver.” Lindsay patted Sophie’s shoulder and said, “I’ve got your back.”
“Maybe you could have used that screwdriver five years ago.”
Brett looked over from his perch on the chair across from Poppi. His gaze moved slowly down the short dress Sophie had changed into all the way to the tips of her cowgirl boots, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. He reached a hand in her direction with an alluring look in his eyes.
Sophie lowered her voice as they went to join the others and said, “I wish everyone would go to bed already. I want some time alone with Brett.”
Lindsay guzzled her drink as Brett pulled Sophie down onto his lap.
“I missed you,” he said, warming her all the way to her toes.
Lindsay feigned a yawn and looked at her watch. “It’s after eleven. I have to go to bed. I have a long drive tomorrow.” She bent to kiss their mother’s cheek, and Sophie caught wind of whispers.
“Oh, goodness, it is late. We have to work in the morning,” her mother said as she shot an encouraging glance to Nana. She got up and reached for Sophie’s father’s hand. “Come on, honey. The alarm goes off mighty early.”
Thank you, Lindsay. Sophie and Brett got up to say good night.
Poppi pulled Brett into an embrace and said something too quietly for Sophie to make out. She liked that they had their secrets.
Nana hugged Lindsay, then Sophie, and whispered, “Maybe you should play around out here so you don’t keep your mama up all night.”
We all have our secrets. Sophie hugged her harder, thankful for who she was, no filter and all. She’d welcomed Brett into their lives without question, even knowing about his playerlike past. “I love you, Nana. Thank you for teaching me about love.”
“I love you, too, sugar. Now, go put all those lessons to good use.” Nana patted Sophie’s butt, nudging her toward Brett’s open arms.
“There’s my girl.” Brett embraced her as Nana and Poppi headed for their car and the rest of the family went inside. “I have been waiting to get you alone all day.”
“Tell me about it.”
His eyes smoldered. “Come with me.” He took her hand and led her off the patio.
“Oh, I plan on coming with you,” she said seductively.
“Many times. Guaranteed. But first…”
He led her across the lawn toward the creek, picking up his speed to a jog. She laughed as he pulled her along. When they reached the willow tree, his mouth swooped down to hers so passionately, she knew he’d been waiting all day to do it, just as she had.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he said as their lips parted, and he cradled her face in his hands.
She loved when he did that. It was like he didn’t want her to miss a word, but she’d noticed today that those looks had become penetrating, as if he didn’t want to miss a second of her.
“I think it’s time we let the world know that I’m your forever-kiss guy, and that starts here.”
He reached into his back pocket, and her mind raced through all the things he might mean. Before she could hold on to any one thought, he opened his hand, revealing the pocketknife her grandfather always carried in his back pocket.
“Are you going to do what I think you’re going to do?”
“Oh, yes.” He opened the blade and went to the side of the tree with the hearts carved into it. He set to work carving another heart beneath them.
“But I told you, you’re FK.” She couldn’t suppress her smile as he glanced at her with a don’t-you-know-me-by-now expression.
He continued carving, forming his initials. Afterward he paused long enough to kiss her, then went back to work. She stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, feeling his muscles pulse against it as he carved, ever so slowly and deeply, L-O-V-E-S beneath his initials.
Oh God!
He paused, brushing away tiny pieces of bark, before carving her initials below.
“Brett,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
He retraced every letter until it was etched so deeply it would never go unseen. He closed the knife and put it in his back pocket before turning and taking her face in his hands again. He gazed into her eyes for a long, silent moment. The air between them pulsed with emotions so strong they drew her against him. She soaked in the love in his eyes, the strength of his hands, and when he touched his lips to hers as soft as a feather, she could barely breathe.
“I’m not just falling for you, baby. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I know I’ll only fall deeper in love with you tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.”
“You love me” fell from her lips full of disbelief. Her world was officially spinning.
“More than I ever thought possible. I think I’ve been falling for you for a long time, but I fought feeling anything for so many years, I was blind to it.” He kissed her again, leaving her mouth burning for more.
“I love you, too, Brett. So much!” She pressed her lips to his, fast and impatient, and squealed, “Oh God! You love me.”
She laughed out of sheer elation, and in the next breath, she was in his arms, his hot mouth devouring hers, their tongues probing and their hands groping as they stumbled in the moonlight toward the barn. When they reached it, she remembered the new locks.
“I don’t have a key,” she said between kisses.
He shoved a hand into his pocket and withdrew a shiny silver key. “Think I’d leave you hanging?”
She shook her head. “Does my dad know you have the key?”
He gave her a sly look and unlocked the door. The scent of hay and old wood filled her senses. Brett closed the doors behind them and pulled her into his arms again. His tongue slid along her lips in a slow sensual path as his hands moved over her bottom, and he ground his hips against hers.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded. His hands slid lower, his long, hot fingers playing over the backs of her thighs beneath her dress.
“Oh, I’m going to kiss you, baby, in due time.”
He dipped his head and kissed the swell of her breasts, his tongue delving into her cleavage, sending heat between her legs. She palmed his hard length, stroking upward through the rough denim, and he grabbed her wrist. His eyes blazed right through her. Blaze, baby, blaze. She wanted to feel all that heat inside her, over her, beneath her. He pressed her palm lower, cupping his balls through his jeans.
“I want your hot little hands all over me tonight, baby.”
“Hayloft,” she said urgently, and led him up the old wooden steps she hadn’t climbed in years.
He groped her from behind as they ascended the steps, one hand between her legs, the other caressing her breasts.
“You’re so fine, sexy girl.” He sealed his teeth over her neck as they stepped into the loft, and she closed her eyes as he sucked hard.
Her back was pressed against his chest, and he slipped his fingers beneath her panties. His other hand dove into her bra, and he masterfully teased her nipple as he entered her down below.
“Oh God,” she panted out.
He sucked harder on the curve of her neck, pinching her nipple until a sharp, scintillating mix of pain and pleasure shot between her legs. She reached back with both hands, one holding his head in place, the other pushing between them so she could squeeze his cock. He groaned, his hips bucking forward.
“Come for me, baby,” he said, and used his thumb to bring her swollen nerves to the peak of pleasure. She whimpered as her orgasm mounted, filling her veins, making every muscle flex and swell.
“Suck on my neck,” she pleaded.
And he did, hard and perfect, sending her spiraling over the edge. She clenched her teeth, trying to stifle the sounds of pleasure streaming from her lungs. He continued sucking, continued teasing over her sensitive nerves as she gasped, climbing up, up, up again, until her eyes slammed shut and his name flew from her lips like a prayer.
As the clutches of pleasure eased, his mouth claimed her neck again, taking her back up to the clouds. His hand pushed beneath her panties, holding her bottom, his fingers still wet from her arousal. That touch, this kiss, brought her right up to the edge again, as he turned her in his arms, roughly claiming her mouth. He was like a drug, lulling her into a high, and Lord have mercy, she wanted to overdose.
They kissed so long, his rough, strong hands moving hungrily over and inside her, by the time their lips parted, her entire body was vibrating and her legs felt like rubber.
Brett gazed into her eyes with the arrogant smile that made her stomach flip. “Have we obliterated that flashlight kiss yet?”
“I can’t remember kissing anyone but you. Ever,” she said, earning the hottest smile yet.
He reached over to the wall and flicked the light switch. Soft country music filled the air. Sophie felt like she’d walked into a dream. Strings of blue lights hung from the rafters, illuminating the loft. Hay bales were set up like a bed, draped in thick, fluffy floral comforters, with pretty pink and lace pillows. Vases of fresh flowers were set up around the floor, and the picture of her and Brett that he’d hidden in her luggage, alongside three mason jars with colorful lights inside them, sat atop a small wooden table she recognized from Lindsay’s bedroom. White sheers hung from the rafters, separating the lovely makeshift bedroom from the rest of the loft.
“How…?”
“I had a little help from a blond fairy.”
She turned to him, struggling against happy tears. “You planned this for us?”
“I planned this for you,” he said lovingly. “I wanted you to remember this night forever. This is only the beginning, babe. Every thought of you, every time I see you, touch, or kiss you, my love for you grows.”
“Oh, Brett—”
He reclaimed her mouth, crushing her to him, whispering sweetness between hungry kisses as they undressed each other and fell to the blankets in a tangle of limbs and greedy gropes. He pinned her hands to the blankets as he nipped and kissed her neck, tasting his way lower. Every graze of his teeth made her wetter, and every slick of his tongue scorched down her body like a river of fire. His hard length pressed against her skin, hot and tempting, and when he sucked her breast, she arched beneath him, holding his head to her. He took the hint, sucking harder, and shifted his weight. The length of his cock rested against her sex, and he began rocking with deadly precision, time and time again, until she was unable to hold on to a single thought. He pushed his other hand beneath her bottom and teased over her most private area. Lust zinged through her, ricocheting like bullets and exploding through her core. She bucked and panted as her orgasm crashed over her in relentless waves. And then his mouth was on her sex, his fingers sliding into her. He withdrew them quickly, replacing them with his tongue as his lubricated fingers teased over her bottom. She lifted her hips, giving him the approval he sought, and he pushed his finger into her bottom.
“Ah! Brett!” She rose off the blankets.
His hand stilled. “Too much?”
The concern in his voice made her love him even more. “No. Never. Just so good.”
He loved her with his hands and mouth, taking her higher with every orgasm, until she lay boneless and panting. Then he loved and tasted her entire body again, from the tips of her toes to the shells of her ears and every sensitive spot in between. His touch was divine. His hands moved slowly and eagerly. His cock brushed over her belly, her thighs, her bottom. She was dizzy with desire. He perched above her again and took her in a series of slow, intoxicating kisses that sent her stomach into a wild swirl, leaving her dizzy and panting. He rose and sheathed his length. She ran trembling hands along his muscular thighs. Her heart was full to near bursting as he came down over her slowly, aligning their bodies. Her hips rose to greet him, and his lips curved up in a heartrending smile.
“How did you become my entire world so fast? You own me, Sophie, and I adore you.”