Page 51 of Cowboy's Healing Heart

His speed increases, and I rock, needing to feel every inch of him. His cock fills me, stretching me. I love the feel of it sliding in and out.

I grip his ass, pulling him deeper, harder. His body on mine, in mine, is everything I've ever wanted.

We move together until the world explodes. I cry out his name as my orgasm crashes over me. Blinding, white-hot explosion, leaving me shattered in its wake.

He holds me close, his body trembling as he spills into me, his own release tearing through him.

Shane rolls off me, pulling me onto his chest. He's still inside me, and I can feel him softening.

After, I lie in Shane's arms, my head on his chest. His heartbeat is steady under my ear, and I wish we could stay like this forever.

"Tell me about Ashanti's father," Shane says suddenly, his voice quiet in the darkness.

I tense, surprised by the question. "Why do you want to know?"

He shrugs, his fingers tracing patterns on my back. "I just want to understand. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

I'm quiet for a long moment, weighing my options.

My relationship with Jordan has been a defining moment of my life. The memories swirl like dark clouds, threatening to drown me. When I finally find the courage to speak, my voice is a whisper, laced with the rawness of my emotions.

"He betrayed me. Us." The words stick in my throat, almost choking me as I try to keep my composure. "He's wealthy, connected. He uses it all to try to control me."

"What do you mean?"

"I met Jordan at a rodeo. He had on a button-up and jeans with a Stetson. He smiled, and I ignored him. But he kept popping up, and before the night ended, I gave him my number." I shake my head. "I didn't know that one lapse in judgment would ruin my life."

Shane's grip on my hand tightens, and he shifts closer, steadying me with his presence.

"It all felt like a fairy tale until the day I found out the truth. He was married," I say, my voice barely above a whisper, "it felt like the ground dropped out from under me. We'd been in a relationship for almost five years. We lived together. We had a child."

"How'd you find out?"

“I was at work, just like any other day, and I got a text that didn’t make sense. A name. A wife. I thought it was a joke.” I take a breath, steadying myself. "But then it all unraveled. I scrolled through the messages and realized the man I loved—who I thought was my partner—had a whole life I didn’t know about."

Shane listens, absorbing every word like a silent strength. I lean into him, seeking comfort in his warmth. He rests his forehead against mine, feathers soft kisses on my temple, whispering, “You’re safe,” after each confession.

Each uttered syllable cracks the facade I’ve carefully built, and I feel vulnerability wash over me. It’s terrifying yet liberating to peel back the layers and reveal the truth I fight so hard to hide.

The thought of standing up to Jordan has me terrified. So much so that I'd rather run than face him. Because I can't lose Ashanti.

She's my world.

“It turned out he had a wife and four sons that I didn’t even know existed. He thought he could keep me on the side, that I wouldn’t find out. Even when he was with me, he would flaunt his 'business trips'—which were just excuses to juggle his lives.”

The memory stings and I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing myself to continue. "The manipulation started almost immediately after I left him. He'd send me pictures of his life—how perfect everything was back in Atlanta, how his business was thriving. It was like he was saying, 'Look what you've lost.'"

I pull away slightly, looking into Shane’s eyes, searching for any hints of judgment or pity. But instead, I find a softness in his blue gaze, an understanding that urges me to keep going.

"He knew I was vulnerable, without family or friends nearby. He would drop threats and talk about how, with just one call, he could make sure I lost everything. My job. My home. EvenAshanti. Then he threatened my mom, and I knew I had to leave."

His breath hitches, and Shane pulls me tighter against him as if to shield me from the past.

"You didn't deserve that," he murmurs, his voice a low growl that seems to reverberate through me.

“Every time I tried to regain some independence, he’d pull me back in, remind me of what he could take away,” I continue, feeling the freedom in acknowledging the truth. “He thought money was power, that it gave him the right to control my life. That’s why I’ve been moving constantly—hiding, trying to keep Ashanti safe from his reach. Constantly running from the very shadows of my life.”

Tears prick at my eyes, and I blink them away, grateful for the way Shane is coaxing me further, urging me to share.

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