Page 66 of Artfully Wild
I deserve him.
And he deserves me.
He furrows his brow and raises a hand to gently stroke my cheek with his knuckle. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“I just…” I hesitate, thinking about all the time we have together in the future.
Smiling, I place a hand against his cheek and revel in the feeling of the soft stubble there. I imagine him using it to blow raspberries on a soft, plump belly, followed by waves of babyish laughter. It’s strange picturing a future now. When I pictured it before, it was filled with my family and me. Them with their spouses and their kids scattered in Mom and Dad’s backyardwhile I played the role of the fun Aunt Sky. The one who brought them noisy gifts and snuck them extra cookies before bedtime. But lately, the image of my future has shifted and now Jacob is always beside me, ready to wrap his arms around my waist. Or he is chasing a mischievous child around the yard, while I wait with open arms ready to catch them and run the other way.
Suddenly, Jacob shifts his body until he is on top of mine. It doesn’t even take a second thought for me to open my legs for him and he settles between them. A contented sigh escapes my lips and I close my eyes, soaking in the pressure of his body on top of mine.
I feel a small press of his lips to my nose. “You didn’t finish.”
“Oh, I finished plenty,” I joke.
I open my eyes in time to catch the end of Jacob’s eye roll. He looks back at me as he thrusts his center into mine. I gasp in surprise, not expecting his movement, but fully welcoming it. Wrapping my legs around him, I lock my ankles behind him and pull him closer.
“I was just thinking about you.”
“Me?” he asks, bending down to kiss the sensitive spot behind my ear.
“Mmmm,” his voice vibrates against my collarbone as he continues the kisses on my skin. “And what exactly were you thinking about me, little sparrow?” His tone is playful, ready to tease each other in bed again, which is the exact opposite of where my thoughts went a few minutes before.
There’s a reason neither of us tried to break our deal before a few weeks ago. Both of us had doubts not only about ourselves, but about the feelings the other had for us. Neither of us have really believed we were worthy of love. Him because of his dad. And me because…I’m not really sure why. Maybe because I was never seen as the typical “womanly” type and was never the first girl people would generally go for.
But I want him to know exactly what I was thinking.
Framing his face with my hands, I pull it up to mine until he is hovering above me. “Do you remember our first official date out by the lake?”
A wide smile stretches across his face. “Of course I do.”
“You said that if we did this, I was it for you.”
“I did.” No hesitation or denial. Just honesty.
“That’s what I was thinking about before.” A flash of disappointment crosses his face before I continue. “Not just that, but…fuck, I’m bad at this. You’re it for me too, Jacob. You’ve always been it for me. And I want it all with you. I want you forever. I want to see the world with you. I want a family with you. I want a future with you. I want everything with you. I never knew I could love a person as much as I love you. My heart beats for you and you have pulled me from the darkest part of my life. You were my own little speck of sunshine that I needed to guide me through the dark. I have loved you for a long time, Jacob Sinclair. But I have fallen in love with you so deeply it physically hurts. My heart aches when you aren’t near me and I have no idea if that’s a sign of some kind of unhealthy obsession and if it is, I don’t care because I am completely and utterly obsessed with you. And you can make me stop talking at any time now because I am rambling and don’t know how to—”
He finally cuts me off with his lips crashing into mine. Our sharp inhales fill the space between us. And this time, while the passion builds between us, our movements are deliberate and caressing. They are gentle and slow, although still needy and filled with heat. He grabs behind him and hikes one of my legs up to his hip as he slowly grinds against my center.
I mirror his movements until we are in a sweet, delicious rhythm, nothing like our first time in the RV. He pulls away for a moment to grab a condom from our dwindling supply. Once he’s situated again, he wastes no time sliding himself inside me until I am full of him.
My lips shape themselves around a moan as I arch into him, rolling my hips, matching his thrusts. The room fills with a mixture of pleasure from us and our bodies molding together over and over again as we make love, and I don’t think I will ever feel more at peace than I do now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SKYLAR
Nothing can take the smile from my face. I wonder if this is how Hudson felt the moment he realized he was in love with Avery. The bliss he experienced when she had decided to stay in Blue Grove to be with him. To spend their lives together. To be “incandescently happy.”
Now I finally understand the stupid fucking grin he had on his face all the time. Because I am the one wearing it now.
Fuck, he is going to give me so much shit about it at the next Sunday brunch. I decided last night I wasn’t going to even try to hide my intentions with Jacob from my family. I think they already know it’s going to be a forever thing. There was probably never a question with them and I’m sure the town has some kind of betting pool going on a timeframe of when I’d get my head out of my ass.
The elevator doors show my reflection and I can’t help but stare. My smile is genuine and I look happy. I look and feel genuinely happy for the first time in three years.
The clothes I brought for the meeting aren’t hugging my skin, making me feel comfortable. Charlotte found a fantastic online boutique that sells wide leg pants with a fabric thatdoesn’t make me want to peel my skin off when it touches me. It’s looser and flowy, allowing my legs the breathing room they need. I threw on a matching navy blue blazer and a cream colored shirt of the same material with it. The cream heels are all Charlotte though. I would have gone with flats—let’s face it, I’d have worn my hiking boots if it were up to me—but she insisted heels were a power move. Since she’s the one with an actual fashion sense, I listened to her advice. And I think I actually agree with her. Because the longer I look at my reflection, the more powerful I feel. Most people look at themselves in the mirror and spend the time picking apart their flaws, which, don’t get me wrong, I’ve done plenty of times, but not today. Today, I am confident. Today, I am ready with my leather file folder in my hands to fight for myself andmystore. I am ready to take a knife and carve a path to my destiny.
Fuck, being in love makes me sound cheesy as hell.
