I smiled. If that wasn't the cutest damn thing I'd ever seen I really didn't know what was.
The fact that she cried over not being good enough for me made me want to melt. She really wasn't selfish. Sure, she'd put herself first in life, but I could see why. She was scared. I wasn't going to let her be scared anymore.
"I love you, Joanne. I love you from your wild hair in the morning to your disgusting morning breath."
She shoved me. "Shut up!" She laughed.
"I do. I love you when you're singing in the shower at the top of your lungs and when you're quiet and you just hold me. I love that you love my dog and you don't care if he jumps up on you with muddy paws. I love the fact that you trek out in freezing weather to check on the cattle with me and then you help feed them. I love the fact that you eat like a grown man who hasn't seen food in ten days."
"Peter," she warned.
I ignored her. The fact that the corners of her mouth quirked up meant that she knew exactly what I was saying was true.
Maybe it wasn't all picture-perfect, but it was her. It was me. It was us. I didn't give a damn about being perfect.
"You're perfect to me," I told her as I pulled her back against my body. "I want more nights of bad movies and scrabble. I want quiet evenings and nights at the bar. And I want the craziest, loudest, wildest kids in the whole world. I want them to be barefoot and crazy just like us when we were young. I want them to have a mom and dad who love each other no matter what and I know that's what we have. I love you, Joanne. Okay? Not Kelly. Not anyone else. You okay?"
Joanne's bottom lip trembled.
I was sure she was going to start crying all over again at any minute. I pushed my fingers through her hair and pulled her tightly against me. My lips brushed hers and I kissed her deeply.
She melted against my body. I used that chance to stroke my fingers down her back and over the softness of the back of her neck. Her hands ran down my chest and pushed underneath the jacket that I wore. They scraped against my shirt and I desperately wanted to push her up against the car and take her right then and there. Fuck waiting. I wanted her so badly.
That kiss though? That kiss told me everything that I ever needed to know as her tongue pushed into my mouth. She stroked my tongue and teeth before she sucked my lip between hers. Damn. My knees buckled for real and I had to support myself on her car.
"Are you trying to kill me woman?" I asked huskily.
"Not yet," she purred. "I need you to stay around for a very, very long time first. Can't have you leaving me all alone."
"Never," I growled. "I would never leave you in a million years."
"I believe you. As scared as I am about what's going to happen in the future, I know that you're the one for me." She sighed. "You didn't call me back last night, jerk. Where the hell were you?"
I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. "You're going to kick my ass if I tell you."
"What did you do?" She questioned as she narrowed her eyes at me.
"I went to a bar and decided to get drunk. I ran into an old… friend there and we hung out all night. I went back to her place, but then all I could think about was you! Dammit don't you give me that look! I thought you'd taken off and I was all on my own again. I lashed out like a dumb kid but I swear I didn't do anything. I couldn't. I knew I loved you and I didn't want anyone but you."
Joanne glared at me a while longer. "You're sure nothing happened?" She asked as she looked me up and down. "Cause if I'm going to be here with you then you better be damn sure I'm not going to share you with anyone else, Peter. I mean it. You're mine and I'm yours and I refuse to deal with that playboy bull."
I shook my head hard. "I'm not going to be like that anymore. The only reason I even started that mess is that you weren't around and I didn't have anyone. Why would I need to sleep around when I have the woman of my dreams?"
"I'm the woman of your dreams?"
My face burned. "Shit. I guess I never really told you just how bad of a crush I had on you. It wasn't dumb puppy love, it was full-on, I wanted to be your husband since we were in middle school. I looked at you and I just knew that you were the girl for me. And I never wanted that to change."
Joanne teared up all over again. "Really?"
"Oh no, don't cry again," I laughed as I kissed her head. "Yes, I mean every word of it. I told you, you're the perfect woman to me. Rough and tumble, sexy and curvaceous. What the hell else would I want in a woman? You're my best friend and I love the fact that we just might end up being more than that."
"Might," she mused. "What if I said yes?"
"Then I could die a happy man."
Joanne bit her lip. She opened the door to her car and my heart sank for a minute. Was she going to leave? Even if she'd just admitted so much to me about how much she loved and wanted me, I still was used to people leaving. She came out with her phone in her hand and frowned at me.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing. I just thought that you were going to leave."
"Leave? Peter, you just admitted that you loved me and wanted me for me. Why on earth would I leave?"
"Every woman in my life has," I said quietly. "It's why I was so upset the other day. And by the way, I'm sorry about that shit that I said. I never meant to offend you saying that you were selfish and stuff you know?"
"You were right," she said as she started to dial. "I'm not going anywhere, so you were wrong about that, but the rest? You were right, especially about me. I was being selfish."
"What are you doing?" I asked and raised a brow.
Joanne held up a finger to me and it was clear that she wasn't going to answer that at all. I was curious as hell about what was going on with her. She never said a word as she scrolled through her contacts and then found what she was looking for. She pressed the phone up to her ear, went on her tiptoes and kissed me lightly before she went back down and waited.
"Hey, Amber. No, I'm not on the road yet. I know I was supposed to be on my way back already. Yes, I know you might fire me. Uh-huh. Look… listen… Amber!"
I jumped when she raised her voice. Joanne hardly ever raised her voice to anyone. Usually, it was when she got really quiet that you should be scared of what was going through her head. That yell though? It put me right on edge.
"Sorry," Joanne said into the phone. "I didn't mean to yell but you're not listening to me. I'm not on the road because I'm not coming back. I'm sorry this is such short notice, but I'm sure the agency will find you another nanny in no time. I'm staying here."
Things were quiet for a minute. I watched Joanne's lips as they ticked down into a frown.
Is she doing that because of me?
I was kind of worried that she was going to give up her entire future for me and I reached out for her. Joanne took my hand and kissed it.
"I don't really care what you say about me, Amber," she sighed. "I have nothing against you and I loved taking care of your kids, but I found what I wanted back home. I'm not going to give that up for anyone. Not even you. I'm sorry, but I quit. I won't be coming back."
Joanne hung up the phone and tossed it into her car. She wrapped her arms around my neck before she leaned up and kissed me hard. I smiled against her lips and kissed her back. I couldn't believe it was a reality that she had decided to stay. She had chosen me.
Chapter 19
Joanne
"Thank you!" Peter called to the sheriff.
He grinned at us and took off. My cheeks still felt hot. After everything he'd said and as much as we'd kissed in front of that man I was embarrassed as hell. I shook my head when he pulled away before I glanced up at Peter.
"Well, what now?" I asked.
"Well first I need to make sure you know what you just did," he said. "I never wanted you to quit your career for me. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
I smiled at him. The concern I saw on his face comforted me. I know that's not what he asked of me, but that wasn't why I did it.
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"Peter," I said as I hugged him tightly. "I didn't do that for you. I did it for me. I love kids and I love taking care of them but being a nanny to those stuck up parents who constantly demanded more and more of my time wasn't the career path that I wanted. I always wanted to be a teacher and change kids’ lives. Not someone who watched someone else's kids for them while they screwed around you know?"
"Are you sure?"
I smiled up at him. "I'm more than sure. Although now I'm not too sure what I should do," I said as I scratched my head. "I turned the keys into the realtor and I don't really have a place to stay."
"Is that even a question? Of course, you're going to stay with me until we figure things out."
I shivered. "Good. Your house has that great fireplace and furnace and I'm freezing."
Peter jumped into action. "Give me the keys and climb in, I'll drive. Let's go back to my place and get some food in you and a warm bath before we worry about anything else.
"Sounds amazing," I cooed.
I climbed into the passenger seat and we drove off for his place. My heart hammered in my chest. I couldn't believe I'd decided to stay. I was going to have the man I loved and he would have me. It felt like I'd fallen asleep and was dreaming like a crazy person, but I knew that all of it was real.
Peter loved me. And I loved him. I would be okay for the century just knowing it was true.
Not that I loved the fact that he'd been hanging around another woman. My jealousy was strong and I wanted him all to myself. I was glad nothing happened. I'd almost pushed him into the arms of another woman. I shuddered. Hell no, never again.
I buckled up and Peter started driving my car toward his place. I was almost excited. I hadn't seen his house since he'd dropped me at my mother's and I missed it. I missed his gorgeous dog, his endless land, his cattle, and his cozy house. All of it felt like home in my heart and I wanted to embrace it.
We pulled up and I quickly climbed out. Together, we trudged through the snow that remained as he took my hand and held it securely in his own. Every time he did that I felt so warm and safe in his embrace. I wanted to feel that forever.
Together we walked into his house and I inhaled the familiar scent. It cloaked me in comfort and I wanted to stay there forever. I wasn't quite ready to move in with him just yet, but I loved the idea of it. His house would be my house and we'd sleep and wake up together every day. How amazing was that?
"Joanne," he breathed and I turned around.
"Yeah?"
"I want you."
My body was swept with heat from head to toe. I tugged at the neck of my t-shirt but it wasn't loose enough. Instead, I groaned and yanked off my clothes as I glanced up at him.
"Where?" I asked.
Peter's eyes glazed over. I loved how lustfully he looked at me like he could never get enough. His tongue darted across his lips before he followed my lead and undressed himself. I petted the dog before I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I needed to heat up first and then he could do anything to me he wanted to do.
Once I was inside enjoying the water, Peter walked in and moved the shower curtain. His eyes focused on my wet, naked body and he growled deep in his throat. I grinned.
"Have I ever told you how much I love wild, mountain man, feral Peter?" I asked. "The way your beard grows or the way you growl when you see me? It turns me on so hard.”
"Fuck," he breathed. "Don't say things like that when I'm in this predicament."
I glanced down and watched as he gripped his dick in his palm and stroked. It was exactly the kind of predicament I wanted him in. Peter pumped his length before I lowered to my knees. I moved his hand away and stroked his length slowly.
"So beautiful," I moaned.
I kissed the tip of his cock and he moaned like I'd put his whole length in my mouth. I chuckled. Peter loved when I touched him just the right way and I loved doing it to him. I trailed kisses over his shaft and down his balls as he moaned and his fingers rested in my hair.
I'd missed the taste and feel of his body. Peter was like an addiction that I never wanted to quit. His body called to me in a way that no one else's ever had. I stuck out my tongue and dragged it over his flesh. Peter bucked into my mouth in response and I moaned so deeply my toes curled.
"Jo," he breathed. "Can we take this to the bed?"
I grinned up at him. "Not yet. I'm still cold."
He grunted and I went back to pleasuring him. I opened my mouth and sucked him inside. The heat from my lips permeated his skin. His cock jumped in the velvety confines of my mouth. I pushed myself forward and swallowed him to the hilt. My throat spasmed and constricted around him until I pulled off and came up for air. Saliva connected me to his rock hard thickness and I went back and lapped at him eagerly.
"Do you know how much I love your dick?" I breathed. "It's perfect. Hard, wet, ready to make me a mess. I love it."
"Fuck. You can't just say stuff like that and expect me not to go crazy."
"I don't expect anything baby," I breathed. "I just want you to have a good time."
"Joanne..."
I cut him off when I lavished his balls with the wet warmth of my mouth. His balls danced in my mouth as they drew up toward his body overwhelmed by pleasure. I loved the fact that I could do that to him. I reached my hand up and wrapped it around his shaft. My hand pumped up and down as his knees buckled and his body wavered.
"Yes?" I asked. "Would you like more of me?"
"Yes,” he groaned out. "If I don't get inside of you soon I'm going to lose it."
Well, I didn't want that. As much as I loved to tease, I wanted him inside of me badly. I traced his length once more before I sucked him into my mouth. My head twisted and bobbed as I sucked him like it was the last time. When I came up for air, his eyelids fluttered and he cursed a steady stream under his breath. Slowly, I stood up and smiled.
"Good?" I purred.
"You might be an actual demon," he panted.
I grinned. "I take that as a compliment. Towel?"
Peter grabbed me a towel and wrapped it around me as I stepped out of the shower. He also shut off the water and then picked me up and carried me into his bedroom. I chuckled as he laid me down on the bed and then opened the nightstand.
"What are you getting?" I asked.
"This first."
Peter squeezed the lotion into his hands and rubbed them together. To my amazement, he rubbed the lotion over my legs first and started to work his way around my body. I relaxed into the bed and hummed in pleasure as he rubbed and massaged every inch of me.
Oh yeah, I'd definitely made the right decision.
I couldn't think of a time when anyone else had given me a massage or taken care of me in any way. He leaned down and kissed my lips when he was done, before he shimmied down and planted himself right between my thighs.
Peter pushed his tongue into my slit and I moaned. He trailed it up and down as he collected the wet heat that had accumulated while I sucked him off. I loved pleasuring him and hearing his moans had definitely turned me on. He could tell and he flicked his tongue up and over my clit as my back arched and I pressed harder against him.
"Peter!"
"I know baby," he moaned into my pussy. "Don’t worry."
I moaned at his deep, graveled words. They sounded so sexy as he mumbled them against my heat. Peter quickly shifted and opened his nightstand. When he came back, I groaned and let him roll on the condom. My fingers slipped over my wetness and I pushed them inside before he licked my fingers clean.
"You're killing me," I breathed.
"Not yet."
Peter climbed up my body and pushed his cock against me. I wasted no time. My legs wrapped around his waist and I yanked him flush against my body. Every inch slammed inside of me and I cried out at the top of my lungs. I could do that because we lived in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear me anyway.
My body rocked and rolled with his as he d
rove harder inside of me. Passionate, frenzied, wild. I craved that and he seemed to know it. Peter gave me exactly what I needed until he slowed down. He kissed my neck, my lips, my head, and my heart pounded in my chest.
Two different sides of him. It was exactly who Peter was as a person. He rocked against me softly and slowly as he took his time and made sure that I experienced the pleasure that I deserved. Our lips met and we kissed until mine were pink, swollen and completely addicted to his.
"I love you," Peter whispered against my lips. "And I always will."
"I love you too," I mumbled against him. "Don't ever think I don't for a second."
My body writhed against his as I closed my eyes and rode the wave of our passion together. Peter abandoned soft and slow as he pressed his hips against me in renewed fervor. I cried out and my arms wrapped around his neck as he rocked and thrust inside of me.
His hips undulated, rotated and shifted in ways I never even thought possible. I melted underneath the heat and fury of his body.
I couldn't take much more. I cried out his name until my throat burned raw and my eyes watered. He picked up speed and slammed into me with ferocity, just the way I liked it.
My eyes rolled back, my toes curled and pointed toward the ceiling and I screamed his name at the top of my lungs.
Peter was mine and I was his. I held no shame in enjoying every inch of his chiseled, hard body. I kissed him hard as I shuddered and vibrated underneath him. My walls squeezed him and coaxed the cum out of his body until I felt how hard he jerked and twitched. Heat flooded me, even masked as it was by the condom and I loved it.
"I love you," I panted. "Forever."
“I love you too baby."
We kissed and I never thought I'd be that damn happy ever again. I couldn't believe how long I'd put him off and not realized how genuine and pure his love really was.
Now? I couldn't live without it. I couldn't live without him. The love of my life. And I was okay with that.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" Peter asked sometime after we'd both stopped trembling. "We both have houses."
B9 Hometown Lover Page 11