Wylder Bluffs Mountain Men The Complete Collection
Page 15
And everything will be just fine.
Epilogue
Ren – Seven years later
“As her swell of pleasure released, she felt the contraction of his own finish inside of her and her walls clenched harder at the sudden surge of his warm, wet fulfillment. A new spark of satisfaction lit within. She smiled at him, observing his face. He wasn’t looking. His body quaked over hers, and when he was through, fell against her in a heap. She acquiesced. It felt good to hold him there, to bear the weight of him on her legs, her stomach, and her jaw, as her ecstasy sedated her and his rolled forcibly through him. His heart thundered against her skin, his climax seizing him for long moments after he’d come, and then at the height of his heartbeat’s ascent, recovered, and slowed. She labored a breath. She nudged him once, and he lazily rolled to lay at her side, turning her with him so they faced each other but did not look, not yet. His arm molded to the curve at her waist. His chin came to rest on her cheekbone. Their breaths did not pair, but moved together in rhapsody. Her cadence and his. Separate, together. He seemed to know the moment she opened her eyes, so he opened his, captured her gaze, and smiled. They closed them again and stayed like this till the edges of sleep came for them. They turned away, and dreamt.”
I flip the page to the next chapter, glancing at Khadija sidelong. “Did you write this?”
“Yep.” She smiles at me, her brown eyes shining bright. “Not bad?”
I grin, impressed. “You’re getting better.” Not that I can say she ever wrote poorly, in fact I’ve been impressed by all of her stories, even more as they improve, evolving, just like us.
“I think that’s a compliment?”
“Do you need compliments and a fortune?” I tease. DJ rolls her eyes. It’s not really an exaggeration. After she published a handful of her short stories and erotic novellas—much to her father’s dismay, at first—she generated a loyal following almost right away. Within a year she’d earned enough to pay for not just one year of university tuition, but all four years. I waited until her graduation to make good on my promise to mark her with her first tattoo: a dreamcatcher. The whimsical, simplistic weaving starts at the nape of her neck, with flowers embedded around the hoop, from which a single inky feather descends. It’s my promise to make all of her dreams come true, although she does a damn fine job making them happen on her own. Khadija now earns more in royalties in one month than I profit all year. But neither of us care for accolades. We just do what we love to do.
“Uncle Ren!” Seven-year-old Zackary comes bounding over to the breakfast nook in the little cabin. Guess that means his Saturday-morning cartoon is over. He comes over to our place every Thursday and Friday night to give Hale and Hope some “couple time.” I know the secondary reason is to scare us off from procreating anytime soon, but they don’t need to worry about that. I’ll be ready as soon as DJ is. She’d like to wait another year or two.
I realize what I’d just been reading aloud, and pull a face. “You didn’t hear any of that, did you, kid?”
“Any of what?”
“Good.”
“You guys said we’d go skiing today.” Zack swings his gaze—purple eyes like his mom’s—from me to Deej and back again. “Can we go now, pleeease?”
It won’t be the first time I’ve gone skiing since the accident eight years ago. Hale insisted I go with him that winter I started dating his daughter. I thought for sure he intended on torturing me that way, or worse. Turned out to be the biggest gift. I’d lost my sister on those slopes, and the aunt who raised us, in an accident I blamed myself for. The guilt and the nightmares haunted me until I went back with Hale. It wasn’t easy going back. It’s certainly not easy to think of taking Zackary there.
DJ smiles down at her little brother. He’s only seven, but he’ll be taller than her before he’s ten. She musses his hair. “I know we said we’d go today, but Ren…”
“We’re going,” I tell them both. Zack’s a good, strong skier. The weather forecast is perfect. I lower a hand to my pants pocket to check that…yes, still got the ring right there.
“If you’re sure,” DJ says.
Oh I’m sure. It’ll be great. We’ll ski for a bit.
And then I’ll ask this talented, smart, sweet, beautiful romance writer to be my wife.
The End
Bonus Material! Sneak Peek of Sawyer (Wylder Bluffs Fire Dept. Book 1)!
An Alpha Firefighter and Curvy Single Mom Insta-Love Romance
Emily
My son, Jake, would love to see his daddy again. But heaven doesn’t have visiting hours. Not even for fallen firefighters.
When the Wylder Bluffs Fire Dept. offers Jake a ride in the firetruck on his first day of kindergarten, the gesture warms my heart.
The man in uniform who knocks on my door ignites an entirely different kind of flame. It’s something I haven’t felt in two years. I don’t want to be alone forever…but I fell in love with a hero once, and my heart was crushed.
I’m not sure I can do that again.
Sawyer
I lost my own father at a young age, so I’m first to volunteer to escort the young boy on his first day of school.
When I go to pick him up that morning, the woman who answers the door can’t possibly be the same woman I met at the funeral two years ago. Emily is chipper, bright, full of sunshine and life.
I volunteered because it’s the right thing to do.
Is it wrong if I also fall in love with her?
One
Emily
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” I swear my five-year-old son, Jake, is my own personal fire alarm.
“What is it, sweetie?” I call out from the other side of the house. It’s a small two-bedroom Craftsman not far from the downtown Stanbery visitor center. The same house where Alex and Jake and I had just set out on a fresh new start, two years ago. Not even a month after his transfer here, Alex died in a car accident. My only consolation was that it happened fast; he didn’t feel a moment of pain. That, and the fact I still have our son. I’m immeasurably grateful for him every day.
Jake and I moved back home to live with my mom after that, but recently, we came back to the Wylder Bluffs. The schools are better here, and I still have this house. I’m not broken like I was at first. I intend to make that fresh new start just like we had planned.
“Jake?”
“Mommy! They’re here!”
Already? Shoot. I pull a heather-gray t-shirt dress over my head and put on my usual silver hoop earrings. My hair looks like I just slept on it, which I did, so I pull it back in a messy bun. No makeup, no time.
Jake’s waiting by the front door with his backpack, lunchbox, and stuffed tiger. “Sticking with your decision to bring Tigey, huh?”
Jake responds by squeezing him tighter.
“All right.” I smile at the handsome young man standing right where his father used to, looking so grown up he might as well be twenty-five instead of nearing six. We’ve taken good care of ourselves, so Jake is pretty self-sufficient. Even packed his own lunch for his first day of kindergarten.
Should we step out, or wait for one of them to ring the doorbell?
I look through the peephole, suddenly caught off guard by the effect the sight of the truck has on my heart. It’s not like it’s the first firetruck I’ve seen since Alex passed away. Over the last year I’ve even been able to smile as they passed, instead of feeling torn in two.
The truck’s driver door opens and I step back. They did say they would escort my son for his first day of school. I assume that means they’ll greet him at the front door. My husband had been one of their own—a sergeant—even if only for a month. A fallen comrade; that makes us comrades, too.
The doorbell chimes a moment later. I open the door.
A million emotions invade my heart when I see the man on the other side. So reminiscent. He’s a striking sight in his dress-blues, lowering his uniform cap. An unexpected flutter of bees takes flight low in my bel
ly, and I press a hand to it. The man is tall, tan, and barrel-chested, sporting an illegal mustache and beard. It makes me grin. A rebel, huh? His nametag reads, Ct. Stone.
“Morning, Captain.”
“Mrs. Davis,” he greets.
“Ms.”
He nods once, then smiles at Jake. “You ready to go, Spark?”
Jake is uncharacteristically quiet.
“What’s up, kiddo?” I ask.
His blue eyes dart up toward mine, looking confused. “Is he…Daddy?”
“Oh.” And just like that, my lungs compress. Jake remembers his father in pictures and stories. He misses Alex, just not the same way I miss Alex. “No, baby. This is Captain Sto—”
The captain’s down on his haunches in a second. “I’m not your daddy,” he says, softly, “but you know I got to meet him once?”
“You did?”
“Indeed, I did. One of the best firefighters I ever worked with. I even rode with him in that very truck. You can call me Sawyer.” He flicks his gaze up to my face. “You can, too.”
I press my right palm to my chest. Sawyer’s eyes are like warm maple syrup, and very hard not to stare into. Somehow my heart steadies.
“You wanna go for a ride, Spark?” he says to Jake.
“Can we turn on the siren?”
“Just for a second. I’ll let you honk the horn, too.”
Jake smiles big at that. “Can I wear a real fireman’s hat?”
“I insist on it,” Sawyer says, haughtily, and fits his hand over my son’s. “I’ll get him there safely, Ms. Dav—”
“Emily.” I don’t even realize I have tears in my eyes until he’s looking in them again. “And thank you, Sawyer. For everything.” A flash of something like intrigue lights his gaze. Does he realize I’m attracted to him? Warmth rushes to my cheeks at the thought of him knowing.
I watch them leave.
On the other side of the closed door, I sink to my knees.
Fresh, new start. Is that what this is? My god, but that man was ruggedly handsome. I almost feel guilty for finding him so undeniably good-looking, I have to remind myself it’s been two years. There is no such thing as ‘moving on’ from losing your spouse, but I am allowed to have feelings again.
I just never expected it to feel like this.
Two
Sawyer
I thought I remembered Emily Davis—small, somber woman, dressed in black. Admittedly that was two years ago at the memorial service, I’d never seen her before then, or since. I’d remember if I did.
Her son rides to school in fascination if not comfort. I keep my promises, loving how his face beams when he blows the horn and we turn on the siren for a couple of seconds, making all the cars around us stop. It’s not a game I love to play, but it makes him happy. “Can we do it again?”
“No can do, Spark. It isn’t very polite.” I grin at him. I know the ride doesn’t bring his dad back, but the boy’s having so much fun. I lost my dad around the same age Jake lost his. Everyone felt sorry for me at first, which I hated, then everyone seemed to forget about it, which I hated more. It isn’t easier losing someone you never really got to know. I’d have loved something like this—hell, I love it now. Seeing Jake smile makes me smile.
At school, the kid makes quite an entrance. The school administration knew what the plan was for this morning, so after we drop off Jake we let the other kids see the firetruck until the opening bell rings.
“Hey, Spark!” I call out to him as he heads into school, and he turns to look back.
He waves at me. “Thanks, Sawyer!”
I hold up the stuffed tiger he brought with him, and Jake blushes. He shakes his head slightly no and I get it. Jake thought he’d need the comfort today, but he’s made immediate friends. I nod in understanding, and wave goodbye.
“New mascot?” Atlas, my buddy and fellow firefighter, asks me inside the firetruck.
“Nah. He’ll want this back. Just not in front of all his friends.”
“I can call Ms. Davis down to the station to come pick it up.”
“No, man. We don’t need to trouble her.”
Atlas raises an eyebrow at me, but says nothing. We’re on a first-name basis when no one’s around, our friendship goes way back further than our rank, but he doesn’t outright question my intent. I can tell by his smirk, he’s got some jab on the tip of his tongue.
“Save it,” I advise.
He does, for about two seconds. “Isn’t that against some kind of code?”
“Returning lost property? No.”
“Falling in love with the sergeant’s wife.”
“Don’t you have someplace to be?”
“Sure do,” Atlas says. “Twenty-one hours and counting till the end of my shift.”
“I’ll drop you off at the station next.”
Falling in love—now there’s a wild idea. Not one I’ve entertained in a very long time. For a moment Emily arrested me with her beauty, candor, and love for her son. She’s young for a woman who’s been through so much, yet as vibrant and full of life. If I wasn’t questioning my sanity now I’d swear she was also attracted to me. If my buddy caught on that easily, or thinks he did, I’m in trouble. Maybe she hides her brokenness well, or she’s already seeing someone else. Christ. I shouldn’t wonder so much. There’s no actual code that says I can’t ask the woman out. But what will the rest of our company think of me…or her?
For all those reasons, I’ve set my mind against pursuing her in any form. That is, until I go back and she answers the door. She’s still wearing the same t-shirt dress, hinting at curves that could send any man to his knees.
“Tigey.” She reaches for the plush toy.
I hand him to her, and our fingers touch for half a breath that leaves me momentarily breathless. Did she feel the same electric pulse?
“You’ll be happy to know, Jake practically ran inside the school, he was so happy to be there. Tigey was less enthused about going.”
Emily’s face is lit with pride, and something else. “He made new friends?”
“Don’t tell you-know-who,” I say in a low, conspiring voice, “but I think so, yes.”
“A secret?”
“Of sorts.” I shrug.
“Hmm.” She smiles warmly, melting my heart. “Got any more?”
“Secrets? Well. Just between us…he’s also a bit of a fire hazard.”
Emily’s laugh is the most beautiful sound, I’m tempted to make more lame jokes to inspire that laugh again. Beneath my pressed blue dress pants, my dick twinges at the impact of the sound. Down, Cap. A woman with a gorgeous smile and laughter as captivating as hers is my most tempting addiction. Or my kryptonite, depending on the circumstance.
In this case it’s the latter. “We’re having a barbeque this Friday, families all getting together. You and Jake are welcome to come. You know you’re still—”
“I know.” Her smile softens into something else. “I’m just not big on, social stuff? I’m more of a stay-inside, get cozy with sweatpants and wine, kind of girl.”
Paired with her smile, it sounds very much like an invitation. “Red or white?”
“Shiraz.”
“My place or yours?”
“Yours.”
I waver a moment. Is it my imagination, or are we standing closer than we were before? “I’m obligated to be there Friday…”
“Saturday, then.”
“Saturday. I’ll pick you up at?”
“Seven.”
Just like that, we have a date. I dip my head reverently, then don my cap. “Emily.”
“Sawyer.” She rewards me with a grin so alluring it’s difficult to look away. There’s a spring in my step as I walk back to my truck parked at the front of her house.
I’ll get hell for this.
But a night with Emily could be heaven…
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Table of Contents
1 | Steele
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Epilogue
2 | Asher
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Epilogue
3 | Hale
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Epilogue
4 | Ren
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Epilogue
Bonus Material! Sneak Peek of Sawyer (Wylder Bluffs Fire Dept. Book 1)!
One
Two