Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“She takes you so well,” Cody says. “She takes both of us so well.”
And it's true. This city girl knows how to rock a cowboy's world like no other woman we've ever known.
Cody's thrusts grow harder and faster, and Gracie groans around my dick when he slaps her ass again and comes with a growl.
“That's it, baby,” I tell her, stroking her hair from her face. “I'm so close.”
When I release the second time, it's in slow pulses I release over the throat and breasts. Cody turns her to kiss her, unbothered about where her mouth has been. “That was the best-damned breakfast I ever had,” he says, dipping her low like a nineteen-twenties film star.
I crowd them both, running my hand down her spine and leaning in for a kiss when Cody's done.
I cup her face and stare into her pretty eyes, dazed by pleasure and overflowing with warmth. “I used to think this kind of life… this kind of love was something other men found,” I say. “Not me.”
“You deserve everything,” she says, kissing me softly.
I look at her then, at all that strength and softness bundled into one brave woman. “You get it now,” I say. “We'll never let you forget how special you are.”
She leans into me, forehead to chest, and I wrap my arms around her all over again. As if we're still holding together the cracks that we brought to this relationship.
“I want to remember everything. Every part of this.”
She pulls back, still wearing the sexy pink panties and the sassy boots, with Cody's handprint on her ass. Her hair is messy, her lips swollen, and her eyes bright.
“Damn, Gracie. You look like trouble.”
“I'm your problem now,” she grins.
“Damn right,” Cody mutters and kisses her one last time.
51
GRACE
The bathwater laps at my shoulders, warm and laced with lavender oil Cody found under the sink. He poured it in with care that made my chest ache, big, rough hands handling the tiny glass bottles like an alchemist, using his elbow to test the water temperature. Now, he’s perched on the edge of the tub, one boot off, the other hanging from a bent knee, watching me with a lazy smile on his face.
“You look like a siren in there,” he says quietly, swirling the bath bubbles with one finger. “Or maybe a mermaid. I haven’t decided yet.”
I smile, sinking deeper, letting the heat soak into sore muscles. “You draw a bath for all your sirens?”
“Nope.” He leans down and brushes a damp curl off my forehead. “Only you, baby.”
For a long beat, neither of us says anything because this peace between us is comfortable and precious. I close my eyes, listening to the creak of the house as it wakes up around us. Somewhere downstairs, someone’s put on coffee. A pan clangs. Boots thud.
“Last night felt like a dream,” I whisper. “All of it.”
“It didn’t for me,” Cody says. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more awake. You came back. None of us let ourselves hope.”
“I never wanted to leave, Cody,” I admit. “Deep down, I knew what I wanted, but didn’t feel like I could admit it. I was too wrapped up in my life and my fears. But I’m not anymore.”
His grin is boyish, and that softness—that real sweetness that’s all Cody—makes me feel like my ribs are cracking open in the best way.
“I knew you were brave, Grace,” he says, more serious now. “But coming back after everything? To take on this life? You’ve got more guts than all of us put together. I need you to know that.”
“Thank you,” I say, barely above a whisper.
A knock at the door pulls us both back to the moment.
“Don’t shoot,” comes Brody’s voice through the wood. “I’ve got breakfast.”
Cody chuckles. “We’re decent.”
The door opens, and Brody steps in, tray balanced in his hands, but his eyes go straight to mine. His jaw softens, and he walks over, smiling. His usually guarded expression is warm and open.
“Morning,” he says, voice low and affectionate. “Did you sleep?”
“Yeah,” I murmur, and I mean it. Last night, after their sweet welcome home, they tucked back into my bed and urged me to get a good night’s sleep. “Thanks to all of you.”
He leans down and brushes his lips over my forehead, slowly and reverently. It’s a kiss that feels like home. Then he presses one to my temple and one to my cheek before setting the tray down on the counter. “Made your favorite.”
My throat tightens. “Thank you.”
He sets the tray on the counter with zero fanfare, but I catch the way his eyes flick to the water like he’s hoping he’ll catch a look. Too bad Cody insisted on fluffing up so many bubbles.
“You didn’t have to. I would have come down.”
“I wanted to,” he says gruffly, but there’s a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth now. “Eat before the coffee gets cold.”