by Sofia Tate
“And I’m proud of you as well. Call me when you get to wherever you’re going, all right?”
“I promise. I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
Blakely kissed her mother on both cheeks and walked to the front door. Albert was waiting there for her. “Well done, if I do say so myself, Miss Blakely.”
He held up his palm to her, facing in her direction. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She returned the high-five to Albert.
“See you, Albert. Take good care of them, please.”
“Always, Miss Blakely.”
Once outside, Blakely took in her surroundings for the last time-the view of Central Park, the noise of the traffic, the bustling pedestrians on the sidewalk. She slid into the back of the car, settling into the leather seat as the car headed for JFK.
I’m coming, Ronan. Wait for me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The day could not have been more glorious. The sun was brilliant, and the air was at a perfect temperature-not too hot or cold. But none of this mattered to Ronan as he sat in his spot by the lake. He had decided the previous night that he wouldn’t come here anymore. It was too painful. He needed to rid the demons that haunted him in this patch of Nevada land that still belonged to his family thanks to an anonymous savior. The place held too many memories of Blakely. It was time to say goodbye.
As he stared out at the waves lapping onshore, Ronan heard the familiar clip-clop of horse hooves in the distance. They were coming closer. He gritted his teeth. He expressly told the ranch hands that he was taking the morning off and he didn’t want to be bothered.
Ronan roared over his shoulder without looking back, “Damn it, Mack! I told you I wanted to be left alone!”
“Hey, if you wouldn’t mind, could you get up off your ass and help me get down from this damn horse?”
Ronan whipped his head around. He couldn’t believe it.
She was there. Sitting right in front of him on Lightning.
He froze. He couldn’t move a muscle because he seemed to temporarily lose all control of his body.
Blakely smiled and rolled her eyes. “Hello! I’m waiting!”
When he finally got to his feet, Ronan took his time. He wanted to remember every detail of this moment, just like he had the last time he had made love to Blakely. She was wearing a denim jacket, a tight white t-shirt, blue jeans, and those stiletto boots that drove him crazy the first time he had seen them on her in the café.
Ronan quietly approached her. He grinned slyly, matching the expression on Blakely’s face. He gently patted Lightning on the head. Finally, he looked up at his love and held out his hand to her. “At your service, Ma’am.”
Once she brought one leg around, Blakely carefully slid down from the horse into Ronan’s waiting arms.
The pair stared into each other’s eyes, afraid to break the sanctity of the moment.
Ronan finally broke the quiet between them. “Hey.”
Blakely couldn’t stop smiling. “Hey yourself.”
“Funny meeting you here.”
She curved her mouth and raised her eyebrows. “Actually, it’s not.”
Ronan looked at her curiously.
“Why don’t you take care of Lightning, then I’ll explain.”
He begrudgingly let go of Blakely, taking the horse in hand and tying him up next to Aran. Blakely began to walk towards the shore and Ronan followed her, watching as she sat down on the ground, but he remained standing.
They looked at each other, both of them anxious to see what the other would say.
Ronan shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. “I don’t know if you heard, but we sold this part of the property where we’re standing now. It was included in the sale.”
Blakely nodded. “Gigi told me. Well, sort of told me, anyway. Did you get a good price for it?”
“We did. With some amazing provisions in the contract.”
“Really? Like what?”
“You won’t believe this, but the buyer gave us approval of who can build on the land.”
“Oh, you mean on page 3, paragraph 6?”
“Yeah, it’s—”
Ronan stared at Blakely, his mouth dropped and eyes almost falling out of his head. Blakely was smiling at him like he’d never seen before, her eyes shining against the light.
“You? You bought the land?”
“Guilty.”
“Oh my God! How the hell are we ever going to pay you back?”
“Ronan, you don’t have to. It’s a gift from me.”
“My family does not take charity!”
She jumped to her feet. “Damn it, Ronan! For once, screw your stubborn pride and just accept it! This little piece of land is ours, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else owning it. You can be so obtuse sometimes! I thought you would’ve figured out it was me by now.”
“And how the hell was I supposed to do that?”
“By the name of the partnership, you dumbass! C&R Partners! After what I told you when we were fishing in this very spot. Catch and Release.”
“Whoa! Hang on a sec! So you created this partnership and bought the land for my family and me so we wouldn’t lose our home. Why would you do all that?”
Blakely took two steps, placing her hands on Ronan’s chest. Her eyes began to mist up. “Because I love you.”
The impact of her declaration slammed into him head-on. He began to breathe faster, blinking his eyes repeatedly as if to make sure he had really heard her correctly.
Blakely started to cry outright. “I quit my job, Ronan. I decided I didn’t want to be alone anymore, wasting my life doing something that didn’t make me happy. You make me happy, baby. I want to build this ranch into something spectacular for us and your family, as a legacy for our children. I want to be with you always. And I’m so sorry for everything cruel that I ever said to you. But if I’m too late…”
Ronan roughly pulled Blakely to him, taking her face in his hands and clamping his mouth over hers. He needed to taste her, to touch her, to make sure that she was really here and he wasn’t dreaming.
Her hands ran through his hair over and over until she reached back and fisted his shirt, trying to get as close to him as she could. The tears on his face rubbed off onto hers as he smothered her face with his lips. They laughed from sheer joy, exulting in the precious beauty of the moment.
Ronan lifted her up into his arms, swinging her around until he felt dizzy. He stopped and simply basked in the feeling of holding his love in his arms again. She had returned to him. There would be time later to talk about the details, but he needed to tell her something.
He reared his head so she could see his face when he told her.
“I love you too, Blakely.”
Blakely looked at him through tear-stained eyes. She spoke to him barely above a whisper. “Make love to me, Ronan.”
They smiled and laughed as he began to remove her jacket from her shoulders. Once he helped her with her t-shirt, Ronan looked down at the long manicured fingers that began to unbutton his plaid shirt. They took turns holding onto each other’s shoulders as boots were taken off. Ronan leaned down and chastely kissed Blakely on the lips before he began to unzip her jeans, leaving her only in her bra and panties. She reciprocated when it was her turn to help with his jeans, sliding her hands over his enlarged cock, closing her eyes as she absorbed the pleasure of touching him again.
Ronan hummed his appreciation as Blakely turned him slightly to the right so she could take his left bicep in her hands and roam them over his tattoo, kissing it twice to honor him. Watching her do that set him on fire. They were being gentle with each other, but now, he needed to be inside her. He needed to make her come. They had wasted enough time.
He pulled her into his arms and sank his tongue into her mouth, which she readily accepted. Ronan unhooked her bra, crazed to taste her succulent breasts. As she arched back, he buried his head in her chest, clamping his
lips over one nipple, already hard and waiting for his hot mouth. He bit it and began to suck it while kneading the other with his hand.
Blakely’s moans and cries spurred him on. He was crazed for her body. He laid her down on the ground and ripped her panties off by their seams, throwing the now useless piece of silk to the side. He wriggled out of his briefs and threw himself on top of Blakely, her arms ready and waiting for him.
In one brief second, Ronan had transformed into a primal beast, his eyes black and hooded. His lips travelled over Blakely’s curves, sucking, kissing, celebrating the beauty of her luscious body. He reached her pussy, which was now soaked, reveling in the taste that he had craved for so long. His tongue surged into her, swirling inside, searching for her clit to set her fully on fire.
Ronan could hear Blakely shouting his name. Then he heard her panting, “Ronan, I need your cock….inside me…now…please.”
In that moment, Ronan would’ve done anything she had asked of him. He pulled himself back and pushed up onto Blakely, where she was staring back at him with blazing eyes. He settled himself and plunged his engorged cock into her. Blakely screamed in ecstasy. Ronan began to rock on top of her, bucking like an untamed stallion. He planted his hands on the ground to piston her with all of his strength.
“Harder, Ronan!” she cried out. “Harder!”
Blakely grabbed the tight flesh of his ass and pushed him into her as far as she could. Spurred on by the sound of her commanding voice begging for him, Ronan slammed into her again and again. The sound of their bodies slapping against each other filled the mountain air. Blakely’s body began to shudder, her screams of “Yes! Ronan! Yes!” sending him into a state of frenzy. He felt his cock being clenched as Blakely began to come, releasing a torrent of liquid over him. Ronan arched his back, letting go of the misery he had held onto for so long, crying out his woman’s name, “Blakely!”
Immune to the pine needles and rocks boring into her body, Blakely laid on her side next to Ronan, their legs tangled up in each other’s, with one of his arms pillowing her head. Ronan’s other hand smoothed back her hair, mesmerized by its color, as she ran her hand over the contours of his face, studying him, taking in every dimple and wrinkle, loving the feel of his rough stubble against the soft pads of her fingertips. Neither of them could stop smiling at each other.
Ronan caressed Blakely’s lush lips with the pad of his thumb, which she gently bit down on with her teeth.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Watch it, tiger.”
“Can’t help myself. I just can’t believe I’m here with you.”
“Yeah, what was that about quitting your job?”
“Oh, that…well, once I made this life-changing decision…”
He pecked her on the nose. “Which I’ll be forever grateful for.”
“You’re welcome. I knew I didn’t want to have a long-distance relationship with you. It was either go for it full stop or nothing. Plus, I had a meeting with this total prick who was stuck in the 1950s and treated me like a secretary, and I decided I didn’t want to deal with assholes like him for the rest of my life.”
Ronan had a glint in his eye. “That’s right. Now you’ll just have to deal with an asshole like me.”
“No, honey,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re not an asshole, though you can be a horse’s ass at times.”
He moved his hand to her ass, pinching it hard.
She slapped his arm. “Hey!”
“You deserved that. Wait, I have something important to ask you.”
“Uh-oh. What?”
“Who was that guy I saw you with outside your building?”
Blakely slyly smiled and shrugged. “Oh, nobody. Just one of my many former lovers.”
Ronan smacked her backside. “Tell me, woman.”
“Ow! Fine. That was Paul Romano, one of my protégés who I was going to ask to help you out with the restructuring of the ranch. My other colleague, Steven, was also in the cab. They were with me because I had just quit and they wanted to know the whole story, so they rode home with me.”
Ronan looked down. “Oh.”
“So there you go, Mr. Nosey.”
“Hey, I wasn’t being nosey. I—”
Blakely pushed his shoulder slightly in jest. “Just teasing. But now I have a few questions for you. Why didn’t you say hello to me on the phone when you were with your parents and the lawyer, and what made you finally come to New York to see me?”
“Now who’s being nosey?”
“I’m waiting.”
Ronan sighed. “Think about it, Blakely. How could I have said hello to you on a conference call with my parents right there without giving myself away? Christ, I went hard at the mere sound of your voice! I had to cross my damn legs to hide my erection.”
“Oh my God!” she laughed. “Are you serious?”
“It’s not funny! I was dying.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. You know your dad called me yesterday.”
Ronan reared back in surprise. “You’re kidding. Why?”
“He had just come home with you from the airport, and he told me how devastated you were. And I was happy to tell him that I was already booked on a flight to Reno the next day.”
Suddenly, Ronan untangled himself from Blakely and sat up. “Wait a second! You’re telling me my dad—”
“And your mom, no doubt—”
“Already knew you were coming and they didn’t tell me?”
“Apparently so.”
Ronan looked up at the sky. “Those evil, evil…wait, you didn’t tell them you were the one who bought the land, did you?”
“No. I figured we would discuss that together, if we should tell them at all. Hey, what about my other question?”
Ronan began to put his clothes back on, starting with his briefs and jeans. “What was that again?”
Blakely reached for her bra and shirt. “What finally made you come to New York to see me?”
Ronan grinned conspiratorially. “Oh, well, that’s a secret.”
She threw her boot at him. “Spill, cowboy!”
He threw his hands up in surrender. “All right! After you left, I went to the market and you wouldn’t believe what they stock now.”
“What?”
“Almond milk.”
“You’re kidding!” she exclaimed incredulously. She sat up to put on her jeans and nodded in recognition. “Continue.”
“Well, I took that as a sign. You were everywhere, and obviously, it was the universe trying to tell me something. So I came to Manhattan with every intention of seeing you. And then something happened.”
“What?”
“It kind of grew on me. New York City. It was so alive. Just one giant pulse that never tires itself out. And I began to understand why you loved it there so much.”
“I still do, you know. I’m going to keep my apartment for now. But I want to be with you and build a life with you here.”
She sat back down and reached for one of her boots. As she struggled sliding it back onto her leg, Ronan looked down at her. “I still have one question for you.”
She kept pulling on her boot, trying as hard as she could to get it over her jeans. “Get on here, will you…oh yeah, sorry. What is it, Ronan?”
“Will you marry me?”
Blakely stilled. Her hands fell from her boot. She looked up at Ronan. His eyes were glowing, but he wasn’t smiling. He was serious. She could see the fear in his eyes, thinking she might reject him one more time.
He offered her his hand, which she took to help herself stand up. He took both of her hands in his and bent down to the ground on one knee.
Blakely’s eyes began to water, as did Ronan’s.
“I don’t want to waste any more time. I love you so much, baby. I want to argue with you and have wild make-up sex with you for the rest of my life. Marry me, Blakely.”
Streams of tears began to run down Blakely’s cheeks. She nodded again and again. “Yes.”<
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Ronan sprang to his feet and scooped her up in his arms. They kissed through their tears, holding onto each other so tightly, incredulous that they were really both there, finally together.
As Ronan held her in his arms, Blakely didn’t care that it wasn’t a formal proposal with candlelight, roses, and champagne. Maybe she would’ve wanted that at one point, but not now. The only thing that mattered was that Ronan was holding her. She knew she was exactly where she wanted to be—in his arms, standing in their spot by the lake on the land that would be theirs forever.
EPILOGUE
Four Years Later
Ronan sat in the office he shared with his wife, poring over estimates for the kiddie swimming pool they were planning to install at Rosaleen Ranch and Spa. It had taken almost a year for the ranch to be rebuilt with designers and contractors on constant rotation, as well as environmental impact assessors studying the land and giving their advice how to keep the land intact without leaving too much of a carbon footprint.
Ronan had let Blakely supervise the reconstruction, not because he didn’t want a say in it, which he did, but because she was so damn sexy when she was bossing people around. On more than one occasion, he would drag her across the road to their house and ravish her within seconds of closing the door behind him. He was in awe of her skills and expertise.
The ranch was now a mix of Nevada desert and Tuscan Italy. Ronan and Blakely had chosen a color palette of cream and copper, which was featured on everything from the cabins to the bathrobes to the stationery. It was soothing to the eye and spirit. A terra cotta fountain now sat in front of the main building, lit up at night by small white lights. The spa was built overlooking the lake, with golf carts shuttling guests to it for their massages and facials.
Ronan leaned back in his chair and stared at the 8x10 photo that sat prominently on his desk in a silver Tiffany frame, a gift from Blakely. It was from their wedding in Las Vegas. She was stunning in her Oscar de la Renta wedding dress that perfectly accentuated her curves. She was laughing at something he had said. Wearing an Armani tuxedo, he stared at her, smiling lovingly at his bride.