"Sophie, do you feel what you're doing to me?" he asked as he moved his hips with her when he felt her hands push again.
"Yes," she whispered breathlessly. "Are you sure I'm doing it right?"
He shook his head in disbelief, cutting off any more crazy talk from her with a deep kiss. His tongue explored, ventured, soothed all in one as he kissed her with fervor. Her hands trailed up his back, latching onto his head as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her fingers, wherever they landed, did things to his body that set him on fire. He liked when she touched him. Couldn't get enough of it, in fact. He never wanted her to stop moving her hands. Oh, the delightful things they made him feel.
His lips never left her mouth. His body didn't stop moving with her as his hands made their way to her pants, pulling them down in one smooth move. He had grabbed her panties at the same time, nestling his heat right back down on her aching center.
Skin against skin.
He finally broke the kiss and became completely still. "We're naked."
"Yes, we are," she said with a giggle.
"Is that okay?"
"Yes. A little late to ask me, don't you think?"
"Maybe, but better late than never. I don't want to take advantage of you or make it seem like I am. You keep asking if you're doing everything okay and you have no idea just how much you're doing it all right. You're not the only one nervous here. I just want to make sure you're completely ready for me. For this," he said, still not moving an inch.
"I want this. I want you. I—" Sophie paused, biting her lip.
"You know what that lip biting does to me," Austin murmured, almost taking a bite himself, but knowing she still had more to say.
"I worry I can't live up to all those other women—"
"Stop." He placed a finger over her mouth to stop anymore foolish words. "You can't live up to those other women. Because you surpass them. The thing is...they can't live up to you. Nobody makes me feel the way you do. One simple touch and I come undone. You, my pixie angel, you are the only woman to light my body on fire. I don't want to hear any more crazy talk. If you're not sure I'll like it, try it out. I'm here for your learning pleasure. I guarantee I'll love it. Simple reason, I love you."
"Now I will remove my finger from your mouth if you have something non-crazy to say," he said, moving his finger when she shook her head yes.
"That really wasn't what I wanted to say. That blurted out, but I do feel better. You always know the right thing to say," she said softly.
"Really? Because I feel like I never know what the right thing to say is. I'm glad I'm not saying the wrong thing. What is it you really wanted to say?"
She bit her lip again, the words tumbling out in a barely audible whisper.
His body became tense from what he thought he heard, making him jump a little, the movement placing him in just the right spot. He had been resting nicely on top of her and now his tip nestled perfectly in her opening. One little push was all he needed to make their joining complete.
"What was that, Sophie? I didn't quite hear you," he asked in a trembling voice.
She shifted, making him enter a bit more. "Umm..."
"Umm is right. You keep moving and I won't be able to get any closer than I am." It took all his restraint not to plunge deep inside her. "What did you say?"
"I...I love you, too."
At those beautiful words, Austin entered her completely. Her soft moan was enough for him to know it felt just as glorious to her that it did to him. He started moving slowly, taking in each pleasure, each tiny movement she made and the soft sounds that left her mouth. He kissed her mouth, feeling her hands run down his back as he pushed into her at a slow pace.
He kissed the side of her mouth, down her chin, peppering a trail of kisses along her neck. "Sophie, I can't tell you what hearing those words mean to me. I can only show you," he whispered as he kissed under her ear, still thrusting slowly with her body. She matched him every time he moved, almost knowing how he would move, so perfectly in tuned to him.
He kissed his way back to her mouth, groaning as she grabbed his butt, pushing hard into him. She slid her hands back up, dragging her fingers in a tender caress. His kiss deepened as he started picking up the pace. She never slowed down, matching each thrust as he took her to the height of ecstasy. The harder the kiss got, the faster they moved together.
He could feel the heat swirling around them, the love clinging to their bodies, the rightness in each delicious move they made together. He could have moved his hands around her body as he kissed her, loved her, instead he kept them centered on her face, holding her. He felt his pleasure rise each time she moved her hands to a new spot on his body. On his back, down his butt for a tight squeeze, back up his body, to his head, through his hair. Every spot she could reach, she would touch. Each touch made him harder, made him crazy with need, deepening the kiss, and increasing their pace. She never faltered, she kissed him back with the same crazed need, met each thrust with the same frenzied desire.
He felt the moment she went over the edge, pushing into her one more time and fell over the edge with her. They shivered together in satisfaction, ending the kiss in a quick fashion. He made no effort to move, resting his head in the crook of her neck, as she slid her hands up and down his back. He softly kissed her neck. "If that doesn't say I love you, I don't know how else to say it."
She pinched his butt. "Hey! What's that for?" he said, lifting up on one arm to look at her.
"I just wanted to. You said if I wasn't sure that I should try it out. Yes or no, did you like it?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Did I just unleash a monster?" he asked with a grin.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yes...but only if you rub afterwards to soothe the pain," he said with a sly grin.
She pinched his butt again, him jumping a little, and then rubbed the spot with sweet, tender circles. "If that doesn't say I love you, I don't know how else to say it either," she whispered with a devious smile as she brought her fingers to his sides and tickled.
"Yes or no."
He grinned real wide. "I see I did create a monster. I already said I would love everything you do to me. The answer will never change. Just be prepared for me to dish it back," he said, swiftly moving his hands to her sides and tickled.
She laughed as the pleasure started to rise again, his hardness taking permanent residence deep inside her.
"Thank you, Austin. For everything. For your sweet patience, your understanding, your love. For making me forget."
"No, no, my sweet pixie angel, thank you. For letting me," he replied as he continued to show her one more time how much he loved her.
Chapter 12
"How's Sophie doing?" Zane asked, walking up to the pigpen Austin was mucking out.
"Great. Sophie couldn't be better," Austin said with a grin.
"You know, I've never seen you muck out a stall with a damn grin on your face. She must be really great," Zane said, looping an arm over the side of the fence.
"She is. Life couldn't be better. Well, no, that's not true. It could be a little better. It's been two weeks since I came home from New York and learned about Kevin. It does slightly unnerve her that he hasn't tried to make a move because she's positive he will. I make her relaxed enough to forget about him for the most part. If he's gonna make a move, he'll do it when he's ready. And I'll be ready for him."
"Relaxed, huh? How relaxed?" Zane asked with a curious smile.
"You know, I remember the disgusting feeling of manure slithering down my back in a slow oozing manner. I'd be more than happy to share that feeling with you," Austin said, holding up a shovel of manure. "Not gonna talk about my sex life with you, Zane. Sophie and I are doing great. I found the one, so just be happy for me."
"I am happy for you. Just curious. When are you going to ask her to marry you?"
"What?"
"You are going to ask her, aren't you?" Zane asked
confused.
"I hadn't really thought about it. I love her. I know she loves me, but—I'm not gonna think about that until Kevin's out of the picture," Austin said, grabbing another shovel of manure.
"What happens if he never is? What happens if he decides she isn't worth the effort? Chief Tanner managed to run off his spy since we haven't seen anyone watching her since that night. Kevin's still in New York that we know of, since Peter has had people watching him. Hell, Peter even managed to find the officers involved when Sophie tried calling for help. He has to know that Sophie is protected by people who care about her."
"Yeah, he does, you're right. Those officers haven't admitted anything to Peter about the incident. They haven't given one clue on why they did what they did, or if that bastard paid them off. They're staying silent on the whole matter even with the threat of losing their jobs. I don't know how Peter's going to get them without Sophie's cooperation and I don't think she's going to. She told him her side of the story and that's all she was willing to do. She won't travel back to New York. She even kindly asked Peter to let it go. She downright refused to make a statement on any abuse Kevin afflicted on her. Peter can't even arrest him for that. He can't do anything about Kevin, and he almost can't do anything against those damn cops. He should just let it go, for her sake."
"Which we know he won't. Ava doesn't get her bullheadedness from no one. They let an innocent woman back into the hands of an abuser, made her feel threatened, made her think she would get arrested. Nope, sorry, I want them to pay as well. Maybe this is Kevin's way of making her suffer. Make her wonder when he'll attack and never actually attack," Zane said, throwing it out there.
"Suffer? What makes you think she's suffering? I just said she's good."
"We've all changed our schedules around to accommodate Sophie, to make sure she's never alone. How long are we going to do that? Did she agree to install a security system yet?"
"No, damn it, she didn't. She doesn't have the money and refuses to accept any from me. She can be very stubborn when she wants to be. Look, if you have such a problem—"
"Whoa, whoa. I never said I had a problem. I'm just as worried about her as you are. I'm all for her being with somebody in case he comes around. He's a dangerous man and I know this. I was just thinking."
"Thinking what exactly?"
"Well, what's mine is Ava's, what's Ava's is mine. That's kinda how it goes when you get married," Zane said tentatively.
"You want me to ask Sophie to get married because..." Austin waved a hand, trying to prompt Zane to continue.
"You just admitted she's stubborn. She won't get a damn security system because she has no money. You have the money. Put it together, Austin. You love her anyway. The next logical step is marriage. Unless you don't love her that much," Zane said, watching as the slight fear entered his brother's eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, of course I love her. She's everything to me. I guess marriage never crossed my mind. I mean, give me a break, Zane. I'm going from never having a relationship to loving a woman with my whole heart. It's a lot to take in. Even if I did ask her, what happens if she says no? That's a high probability."
"A high probability? You make it sound like she doesn't love you. I doubt there's even a small, minuscule chance she'll say no. She'll say yes. You're such an idiot. Nice to know it runs in the family," Zane said with a chuckle.
"It's not like we'd get married tomorrow and then a security system installed the next day," Austin said, exasperated.
"You never know. You seem to have better communication with her than I did with Ava when we first started out. I never told Ava how I felt. You've done more than I ever did. She needs to know she can feel safe without anyone there. There's gonna come a time when someone can't be with her. A security system isn't much, but it's something. Hell, we just installed one at the farm. Convince her to stay here for a while," Zane offered.
"We both know you had that installed because of Sophie. She won't like to hear that. She's very independent and...I don't know...she hate's help. She's never liked it from me. Ever. Still doesn't. I hold her at night, tell her I love her, I hear the words back, and the things we do...well, you get the picture. I still come home with something for her crafts and she insists on asking me if it was just lying around the farm. She'd be pissed if she knew half the stuff I brought her was not just laying around the farm."
Austin slammed his shovel against the fence in frustration. "It's a fanuzeling miracle she even lets me stay in her house still. She knows I trust Deja, but she worries about my mortgage payments on my house. I barely go to my own home anymore. I've kinda talked about moving in, but I stop when I see that hesitation in her eyes. She says she loves me, she shows me she loves me, but she hasn't completely given her full self to me. That's why I can't ask her to marry me yet. We've made progress, but I still have a ways to go with her."
"Fanuzeling...please use correct swear words in my presence," Zane said, trying to lighten his brother's mood. It didn't work when Austin's hard glare never wavered. "I'm sorry for touching a sore subject, Austin. I care about both of you, that's all. Think about this, though. Maybe she hasn't completely given herself to you because she's afraid you won't completely give yourself to her. You told her yourself, you weren't a marrying man. You tell her you love her—do you love her enough for that step? If not, walk away. I imagine you'll do more damage than Kevin ever did."
"Thanks for those touching words, Zane," Austin muttered, twisting the shovel in his hands.
"Truth hurt sometimes, bro. Just know, if you walk away, this family will still protect her."
"I'll never walk away from her. I said I love her and I meant it," Austin said firmly, as he gripped the shovel harder.
"Then what the hell are you waiting for? Go buy a ring and all that flowery shit. And are you using protection?" Zane shouted.
For a moment, the world went black for Zane. He stood still, wondering what the hell just happened. He cringed, wiping his face until he could see through the manure that fell from his face and dripped slowly down his chest. Austin stood inside the pen, his shovel loaded with more manure, and an angry glare plastered on his face.
"I said my sex life wasn't up for discussion. I meant it. I would never, and I mean never, hurt Sophie. You aren't my dad and never have been. Quit giving me the sex talk. Better yet, how about you quit talking to me about Sophie. I'll ask her when I'm ready...and so is she. Go find something else to do before I decide to let loose with this other shovel of manure."
Zane held his hands up in a surrender gesture and backed away. For once in his life, he chose not to fight back with his brother. He deserved the manure thrown at him, maybe not in the face, but at him nonetheless. He let his anger get the better of him. He worried about Austin just as much as he worried about Sophie. Didn't it ever occur to Austin that this Kevin fellow might try to harm him, too? He needed to bring that worry up. Next time, though. Austin probably couldn't handle anymore talk today.
Zane tried wiping as much manure off his face, hair and chest as best as he could, walking and stopping frequently to the house. He'd find a good chunk, whip it off with disgust and continue walking just to feel more slide down. So that's what Austin meant by it slithering in a slow oozing manner. He learned his lesson. Don't throw manure at someone if you don't want it thrown back. Definitely don't talk to someone about an important issue when they are near manure.
He was about to step up onto the porch when he heard a stern voice say, "Don't even think about it, Zane. You march yourself back to the barn and wash off with the hose first. I don't want a speck of manure in that house. Do you hear me? I just cleaned today. Why you boys can't argue without involving that disgusting stuff is beyond me."
Zane glanced over at the porch swing with a sheepish grin. "I have no idea, Eleanor. Austin started it."
"I highly doubt that. He was minding his own business in the white barn until you joined him. I know you're just trying to help, but you have to
handle him gently. He's never been in love before, or with a woman who needs help as she does. Give it time, Zane. Give him time. He'll come around."
"Why do I feel like a kid being berated for trying to do something good?" Zane asked, as he turned around to walk away.
"Your heart's in the right place. Just going about it the wrong way, if the manure running down your head is any indication, which I think it is," Eleanor said with a chuckle.
Zane turned around. "I think you're right. I'll do better next time...or at least wait until he's not near any manure." Zane turned back around, making his way to the barn, chuckling to himself at Eleanor's scolding look she gave him at his last comment.
***
"Austin bought tickets to the Yankees against the Twins in a few weeks and he said he got you a ticket, too," Ava said as Sophie worked on her crafts. She offered to help, but Sophie refused. She told Ava it was her job and she could do it.
"Yeah, I've been getting into baseball a little more these days. Deja was a wealth of information when you guys—well, when you guys were on vacation. Austin was surprised and quite excited when I sat down with him the first time and watched a game with him. It was nice to surprise him like that," Sophie said wistfully.
"A Yankees fan then?" Ava asked hopefully.
Sophie stopped what she was doing to raise an eyebrow at Ava, gave her a funny look to go along with it, and then went back to her project.
"I take that as a no. It was worth a try. Ever been to a ballpark?" Ava asked.
"No. I'm sort of looking forward to it. Behind home plate, too. Emmett made it seem like a huge deal."
"Oh, it is. Best seats in the house. I've been to a multitude of stadiums in different seats, so I should know. It's going to be a blast. I'm glad you're coming with."
"Me too, Ava. I can't sit around waiting for Kevin to make a move. He wasn't just good at hurting me physically, you know. He played mental games as well. Making me wonder is right up his alley. I refuse to allow him to do that to me anymore. I plan to enjoy life and live it normally," Sophie said firmly. She looked up at Ava. "Perhaps I should now. You don't have to come over every day. It's been two weeks. How long are you going to come over when Austin leaves for the farm? You're pregnant. What happens if he really does come here and try to hurt me and hurts you and the baby instead? I would just hate myself and I imagine Zane would hate me, too."
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