Page 80 of If You Loved Me

I took a deep breath in, biting my bottom lip. “I think I like the view from here a lot more than anywhere else I’ve been.”

His eyes softened, and his words came out rough. “I wish you could see the view from where I’m standing. It’s the most beautiful sight in the world.”

Time slowed as he pressed a tender kiss to my lips. I gripped the edges of his flannel shirt and leaned into him more.

When we pulled apart, he tucked a tendril of my hair behind my ear. “Ready?”

I nodded. “Should I go get Honey Blossom?”

“No, this ride is a bit treacherous and she hasn’t been on the trail for a few years. We’ll both be riding Hank tonight.”

“Okay.”

Ranger gave me a boost into the large saddle before settling in behind me. My legs were spread wide over Hank’s back. Ranger took the reins and we started off into the night.

The air was colder in the mountains than it was in the valley of Ranger’s ranch, but I hardly felt the frigid temperature with him at my back. Our ride was slow and feeling my ass rub against him for an hour was nearly torture when all I wanted to do was spin around in the saddle and kiss him like a mad woman.

But as Hank crested through the thick overhang of pine branches on the trail, my breath caught in my throat. Tears of wonderment hit the back of my eyes as I took in the space before me. We were on a carved ledge of the mountain that overlooked the valley below. A long stretch of the river Ranger and I swam in weeks ago threaded throughout the land. Above us was a mass of stars twinkling against the darkness. The full moon cast a silvery glow on everything below it.

“Oh my gosh,” I whispered, bringing my fingertips to my open mouth. A gleeful laugh brushed past my lips. “It’s so beautiful.”

“And it’s ours.” Ranger’s arms settled on the horn in front of me before I felt him move off the saddle. I could hardly tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me as he grasped under my arms and helped me down.

I walked toward the edge and looked around, feeling like I was floating above the world and nothing could touch mehere. An owl hooted from somewhere behind me and there was a faint whisper of the roaring river below us where the smooth surface transitioned to a heavy path of rapids.

“What do you think?” Ranger said from behind me. I turned around, his tanned skin was illuminated from the shine of the moon.

“I’m thinking you’ve been keeping this incredible secret from me for a while and I don’t know if I should be upset about that or not.” I arched a brow at him and he chuckled.

Walking towards me, he slipped his arms around my waist, his palms settling where my back met the curve of my butt. “I couldn’t give away all my secrets at once now could I?”

I bobbed my head back and forth. “We can debate that question another time.” I rubbed my hands together to ward off the cold.

“Come on, let me get the fire started for you.” I followed him a few paces back where there was a circular pit outlined with white stones, fresh logs of wood were already tepeed together. With all my attention on the beauty of the landscape, I didn’t notice there was a thick pallet of blankets with a few pillows on the other side of the firepit.

Taking off my riding boots, I settled under the top blanket and watched Ranger blow against the glowing embers of the fire he’d started. It didn’t take him long to get the kindling wood aflame before he took off his boots and settled next to me. Taking me under his arm, I leaned into his side, inhaling deeply my favorite smell of leather that always reminded me of him.

“I can’t believe this place exists. Was this something else your mom showed you growing up?”

“No. I discovered this place myself. One day before I was sent to prison, Miles and I were working the cows below and I looked up at the mountainside and saw this cliff edge jutting out through the pine trees. I wondered what the world might look like from up here, so I took my time carving a path through the trees until I found it. No one else knows it exists besides me and you.”

The heat of the flames started to reach the edge of the pallet, warming my feet. “Our own little hideaway,” I mused, looking up at him.

He gripped my chin between his fingers and kissed me. “Ours,” he repeated against my lips.

A hum vibrated in my throat as he slipped his tongue along the seam of my mouth. Heat soared through my body when his fingers threaded through my hair, his lips moving against mine with a need I felt in my core.

I moved to straddle him, my legs splaying wide across the length of his thighs. When he was gentle, I forgot how big he was, but then it didn’t take much to remind me as I rolled my hips into him, feeling his length grow beneath me.

Our kisses turned desperate, nipping and sucking one another’s lips and tongue. It felt so good to be with him, like I was so light I might float away and join the stars above us.

“I want you,” I said, pausing our kiss, and gazing into the depthless blue of his eyes. “All of you.”

I felt his heart rate kick up against where my palm lay over his chest. “Are you sure?”

“There have been a lot of things in my life that I’ve felt unsure of, but wanting you has never been one of them, cowboy.”

His kiss was gentle against my cheek as he said, “Okay.”

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