Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

Durango

After our talk outside, it felt like a load was lifted off my shoulders. All four of us are in the kitchen when Axel claps his hands together.

"Okay. We should discuss sleeping arrangements. I have my room. There is a guest room with a queen bed. The third room has an air mattress on the floor."

"We can share the guest room," I suggest.

Axel's brows go up. "All right. Things are good with you two. That's great. So, Samantha…"

"Yes?" She grins.

Axel rubs the back of his neck. He appears nervous, not a look I usually see him wear. "Are you all right with the air mattress?"

Her smile falls. "Oh, well, yeah, I guess."

Willow arches a brow at me.

"I mean, I could share my bed," Axel says. "It's king-sized." He rubs the back of his neck again.

Samantha crosses her arms. "Share?"

Well, now I'm uncomfortable. I can't tell if Axel is trying to be nice or if he's flirting. If it's the latter, he's doing a bad job. "Willow, why don't we go upstairs and let these two discuss this privately?"

"Sounds good to me."

We retreat from the kitchen and go upstairs. We aren't even in the room one minute when I hear footsteps on the stairs. Our eyes lock as we listen. Two sets of footsteps continue down the hall to Axel's bedroom.

"I'm not used to seeing Axel nervous," I say.

She laughs. "Samantha seemed nervous, too. I'm just happy there is a bathroom between us, so I don't have to hear them."

"Me too." I sit on the bed.

She sits next to me and leans in as I wrap my arm around her. "I'm surprised you left the service," she says. "Back in Virginia, you told me you planned to stay until retirement."

The pang of loss hits but is fleeting. I'm more surprised she is bringing this up now. It's something I want to talk to her about, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. "I did plan on staying, but something happened."

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." She sits up, and I scoot back on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "No, I want to tell you. It's what changed everything for me."

She crawls up and sits next to me. Snuggling close.

"My dad died shortly after I last saw you in Virginia. It was sudden and unexpected."

Her hand finds mine, and she interlocks our fingers. "I'm so sorry. I know you were close to him."

I nod. "I went home for a few days, and I thought everything was going to be all right. The twins were in college. Pricilla seemed to be doing all right working in town." I take a deep breath as it all comes back to me.

"I quickly learned my parents hadn't planned well if my dad died first. I called Pricilla one day to check in, and she said Mom had received a foreclosure notice on the house. I couldn't understand that because I thought it had been paid off."

I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling. "My sister dug into my mom's finances and discovered a second mortgage had been taken out years before. Also, there was a savings account that should have lasted her several years. It was depleted because she was covering tuition for the twins at college."

When I talked to my younger brothers, they had no idea how bad the situation was for Mom.

"I knew I could make more money doing private security than I could make in the service because a guy I served with was doing it. I reached out to him, and while his company didn't have any openings, he introduced me to David Hawthorne. Hawthorne hired me, and I've been able to keep my mom in her home. The twins ended up taking out some loans for tuition, but I helped them when I could."

Finally, I turn to her, and there is pure awe in her eyes.

"Wow. You gave up your dream to help your family. You're amazing."

"No, I'm not. I did what had to be done. I protected my family."

"Not everyone would have done that. You truly are amazing." She leans over and kisses me.

"Losing my dad was hard. Almost losing Piper to her asshole ex was hard. I couldn't take losing you."

Her hands cup my face. "You won't lose me."

"I've wanted you for so long."

"I feel the same." Her hand goes to the bottom of my T-shirt and pulls it up.

I stop her. "I want to take this slow."

She smirks. "Slow?"

"I want to do this right. Take you on a date and take our time."

Her lips turn up. "Is that so? Considering we've known each other for nearly twenty years, I don't think we can take it too fast."

We have known each other since I was in high school and she was merely my little sister's best friend.

"Well, you might have a point." I grin.

She wraps her arms around my neck. "A very good point. But are you up for it, or should you be resting?"

"Right now, I feel fine."

She kisses me again. The kiss deepens and her arms move to my back and around to my chest. "You're so muscular everywhere," she says. Her hand moves to the front of my jeans, and she cups me while making a moaning sound. "I want you, Durango."

That's all I needed to hear. I scoot us both down on the bed. Then I kiss her neck and back up. She pulls on my T-shirt again, so this time, I sit up and pull it off. She sits up a little and pulls her shirt off, too.

"Take your pants off now," she orders.

Without hesitation, I stand up and remove them. She takes hers off while still on the bed, leaving her in a matching bra and panty set in a beautiful shade of purple.

"Damn, you're gorgeous."

She squirms as if uncomfortable by my compliment. But I want her to be clear about how I feel.

"You're everything I dreamed of."

I get back onto the bed and move between her legs. Her hands slide over my chest as I lean over her. Her fingers trace every ridge of my stomach and my chest as I just stare at her in wonder. Finally, she meets my gaze.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asks.

"I'm just so happy to be here with you."

Her eyes well, and I bend down and kiss her. It's meant to be tender, but with the fire building between us, it quickly turns hot and urgent. She wraps her legs around my waist and I'm grinding into her as we kiss.

I reach behind her and unhook her bra, tossing it onto the floor. She has the most perfect breasts I've ever seen. Okay, I'll admit I'm a little biased right now. I lean down and take her nipple into my mouth and suck. She moans and squirms underneath me.

"You like that, don't you?"

"Uh-huh."

I do it again, but this time my hand slides its way underneath her panties until I find her clit. I rub it once, and she bucks up into me.

"Please, make me come," she asks.

"As you wish," I say.

I move off the bed, then glide her panties off. Instead of crawling back over her, I kiss up her thigh until I'm right there. But then I kiss down her other thigh, teasing her.

"Please, Durango."

Something about her begging turns me on even more, and I can't hold back any longer. I dive in, running my tongue along her slit and then focusing in on her clit. She continues to buck, and I have to hold her still while I suck and lap at her. It doesn't take long before all her moaning slows down. She's close.

"Put your fingers inside me," she gasps.

I comply and also suck a little harder.

"Yes! Durango! Yes!"

Her walls clench around my fingers as she rides out her orgasm. I continue to suck on her clit but lighten up. I climb up over her and kiss her hard while her hands push down at my underwear.

That's when I realize I don't have a condom.

"Fuck." I still.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I don't have a condom." I sit up. "I can ask Axel."

She laughs. "I wouldn't interrupt him right now."

I frown. "You're right."

"I'm clean. I was tested after I left Tyler. And I haven't been with anyone since."

"I'm clean, too. It's been a while for me as well."

"Oh yeah? How long."

"A year."

Her brow shoots up. "Really?"

"Yeah. And I appreciate that we're both clean, but?—"

Her hand goes to my chest. "I'm on the pill."

"Yeah?"

Her hand wraps around my cock, and she slowly pumps it. "And I want you now."

I cannot deny this woman. I finish taking my boxer briefs off and climb back over her. She again wraps her legs around me and pulls up, pressing herself to me.

"You're so wet."

"I've never been this turned on in my life. Please, Durango."

I line up at her entrance and slide in. She's so tight around me that I think my head is going to explode at the pressure and ecstasy.

I'm still for a moment because if I let the reality of all of this really settle in, I won't last. I've wanted this woman for so many years. No one else has ever compared. Not that I was trying to compare them, I just never found anyone I wanted to try with. But with Willow, I'd do anything for her.

Slowly, I move in and out. The frenetic pace I'd felt before gone, pushed away by the burning desire to memorize and enjoy every moment with her. I gently kiss her chin, neck, then her lips as I move.

A tear leaks from her eye and I stop.

"What's wrong? Am I hurting you?"

She shakes her head. "It's all good. I'm just a bit overwhelmed."

I smile and kiss her. "Me too. I've never felt all of this with someone before."

She gives me the biggest smile, and I feel like my chest is about to burst open. And in that moment, I realize I'm not simply falling for her; I'm already there.

I reach down and rub her clit while I pump a little faster.

"Oh, yes!" she yells.

Her walls clench around me as her orgasm hits her. It's too much, and I'm not going to last. I speed up, and my own orgasm takes me.

She kisses my forehead, and I grin at her.

"Sorry, I'll last longer next time."

Her brow jumps up. "You gave me two orgasms and are apologizing? That was incredible, Callan Myers.

"You haven't called me that since we were in high school. I like it."

It's true. Once my sister found out my call name, she told Willow, and that's all she has called me since.

"I'll be right back." I jump up and go to the adjoining bathroom for a washcloth.

I return and help her clean up. Then I pull her into my arms. Tonight, I will enjoy this moment. Tomorrow, the hunt for Tyler is back on.