Page 19 of Wild Runaway
He lowers my leg and stands up, wiping my juices off his beard.
I reach for the bulge in his jeans, wanting to return the favor, but he shakes his head.
“Tonight is all about you, Trish. Showing you how you deserve to be treated.”
It’s hard to believe his words. The only other man I’ve known is Ian, and he never did what Joseph just did. It’s hard to believe there are men this good in the world, let alone that I’ve fallen for one.
My heart fills with gratitude and I push off the counter, but my legs buckle under me.
Joseph catches me in his arms.
“You must be exhausted.”
He’s not wrong. The exhaustion from the last several months has finally caught up with me. Living on the edge, never sleeping properly in case something happened to Rose. For the first time in months, I feel truly relaxed, and it makes my body heavy.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
Joseph leads me to the bedroom and I lean into him, feeling safe and satisfied.
“Stay with me tonight,” I say, not wanting him to sleep on the couch.
“Trish, I’ll spend every night with you for the rest of my life if you ask me to.”
After checking Rose, I crawl into bed and Joseph wraps his arms around me. My body relaxes completely. I have him, and my daughter is safe. There is nothing to be anxious about. I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
11
JOSEPH
Amewling noise drags me from my slumber. The bed shifts next to me, and I smile as memories of last night fill my head. The taste of Trish’s sweet pussy, the way she came, dancing on my tongue, and the release I gave her that she so desperately needed. And how we fell asleep, her warm body molded against mine like it was always meant to be there.
Rose’s cries drag me from the memory, and I flick on the bedside light.
“Sorry,” Trish whispers, “I’ll take her out to the living room and change her.”
She cradles Rose to her chest, but the baby doesn’t stop crying.
“Don’t apologize.” I swing my legs over the side of the bed and catch her arm before she can scurry out.
“Change her here.”
She kisses the top of Rose’s head and rubs her back, trying to calm her. I smile. I’ll never get sick of the sight of the two of them in my cabin, even at five o’clock in the morning.
“Don’t ever apologize,” I say. “This is where you and Rose belong now, Trish. Don’t apologize for the needs of your daughter.”
She gives me a grateful look as she grabs the changing mat, and a flare of anger goes off inside me. That asshole ex of hers probably hated the baby crying. From what Trish has told me, he blamed her for Rose’s crying instead of helping out with the baby like a parent should.
“I’ve got traps to check anyways.”
Getting out in the woods will help with the rage I feel toward that scumbag. I’ve been neglecting my traps and haven’t been hunting for the last few days. I need to get out to see if there are any animals I need to process.
Rose’s cries have turned to giggles as she makes a grab for Trish’s hair. Trish distracts her as she changes the diaper, shaking her head so her hair tickles Rose’s face.
“She’s wide awake now.” Trish sighs. “I guess that’s all the sleep I’m getting tonight.”
But she’s got a smile on her face, and who can blame her? Her daughter’s giggles are infectious.
“You two climb back into bed. I’ll fix you a bottle and a coffee.”
