Chapter Forty

Charlotte

Saying I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I was completely blown away.

Jesse was more romantic than he’d ever been, and everything was so perfect I found myself lost in the moment. It was far more perfect than a night in Paris. I realized that in that moment, we could be anywhere, as long as it was the two of us, and it would feel just as perfect as I thought Paris would be.

“This is delicious,” I said, putting the last bite of the incredible pie into my mouth before I tapped out. “I mean, Randy really outdid himself here.”

“He sure did,” Jesse said. “I have to hand it to him, I could not do that. Ever.”

I shrugged. “Keep working at it and you might get there. I will help teach you.”

“Now that sounds fun,” he said. “We could have a lot of fun in the kitchen together.”

“Depending on how many other people are in the house, we can have a lot of fun.”

Jesse smiled as he wiped his lips with a napkin and placed it over his plate. Standing, he came around to my side of the table and offered his hand. I took it, and he pulled to lift me up as he scooted my chair back for me.

“Come with me,” he said. “I would love to take a little walk with you.”

“A walk sounds nice,” I said. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he said.

Giving in to the moment, I took his hand and walked with him through the house and out of the back door. It was a nice night for once, the oppressive August heat dampened by a couple days of rain and a cool wind coming down from the Rockies. The dress helped too. I felt so pretty in it, and it was breezy, which helped. It even had pockets.

We ambled slowly across the back yard, crossing by where the chicken coop was and out into the fields. He guided me past an old tree that stood majestically against the clear, starry night. A half-moon hung in the sky, a little fishing hook for the gods, and it lit the ground so well that we didn’t need flashlights or our phones to find our way.

I was a bit puzzled as we made our way to one of the horse barns, but he brought me inside. I laughed in surprise when he let go of my hand and disappeared into the darkness.

“Why did you bring me here?” I laughed. “Are we going on a midnight ride?”

“No,” he said from the shadows. A sound like a heavy door opening filled the night, and he reappeared, wincing. “That was loud. Sorry. Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Up.”

“Up?”

“Up.”

Shrugging, I took his hand again, and we walked into the darkness. A second or two later, my eyes began to adjust, and I saw what had made the heavy door sound. Thin attic stairs were extended from a hayloft above, and he was heading for them. He let me go ahead of him, in case I fell, and as I reached the top, I realized this must have been prepared for a while.

There were three windows and two big barn doors up there. All of them were open, letting the breeze through and giving a lovely view of the night sky. In the center of the room was a thick comforter, a few more folded blankets below it. A bucket of ice, somewhat melted, sat on a table nearby, a bottle of champagne in it and two glasses beside the bucket.

“Oh, you thought this through,” I said.

“I don’t get many chances without people crawling all over the place,” he said. “I wanted tonight to be perfect.”

“So far, it has been,” I said.

The blanket was close enough to the barn doors that it was almost outside of it. He led me to it and sat down, kicking off his boots. I sat down beside him, taking off my flats as well, and we lay back, our heads at the barn door, the night sky bright above us.

“This is amazing,” I said.

“It’s my favorite place,” he said. “A lot of times, I actually sit out on the roof itself, but I don’t want to make you go out there. It’s a little dangerous for two, I would think.”

“I appreciate that,” I said.

“But here, we can still see the stars. It’s just like out there but safer. I love it.”

“Is this where you would dream about me?” I asked sassily.

“Yes,” he said flatly. “Often.”

I curled up into his arms, forgoing being able to see the stars for being able to hear his heartbeat. The smell of his cologne mixed with the hay was intoxicating, though I had put away a half bottle of wine by myself, so that might have played a part.

My fingers traced the buttons on his shirt, going up and down his chest as we lay there in the quiet. A hand reached down and touched my chin, and I lifted my face to his. Our lips pressed against each other for a long, sweet kiss. When it broke, he shifted, and I sat up with him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why did you sit up? Is everything okay?”

“More than okay,” he said. “I just… I need to ask you something.”

My heart dropped. What could possibly ruin this moment? Was he still worried about Graham? Or that he wasn’t good enough? Whatever it was, I just wanted to assure him he was wrong. I was here. For good. And his.

“Go ahead,” I said, my voice trembling.

Jesse turned, reaching for the table, and I assumed he was going to grab the champagne. I breathed deeply and looked out of the barn door at the gorgeous night.

When I turned back to him, he wasn’t holding the champagne or the glasses. He was holding a small box and smiling.

My breath hitched and then simply stopped. The whole world seemed to zero in on that box. When my eyes finally floated back to his, he opened it, and the glittering diamond inside shined in their reflection.

“Charlotte April Garafalo, will you marry me?”

I couldn’t speak, but I could nod. So I did. Tears streaming down my face, I nodded until he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. I buried myself into his shoulder and let my tears dry on his shirt. As I pulled away, he kissed me deeply.

As he slipped the ring on my finger, I felt like every part of my body was tingling with excitement. If I had been overwhelmed before, this was completely over the top. He leaned in to kiss me again, and I let myself fall back. He came with me and slowly settled over me.

His lips moved from mine to my cheek and down my neck, and I let my arms fall loose when he took the strap over my shoulder in his teeth and moved it down. I gasped as the cool air brushed over my nipple when the fabric folded past it. He took it into his mouth and warmed it, his strong, wet tongue flicking it playfully.

“I need you,” I said.

“I need you.”

My hands reached down to his belt and pulled. He hovered above me, pressing his lips into the center of my neck and moving to the other side of me. I unzipped him and pushed on his waistband until I heard him shuffling his pants down. When his lips met mine again, I could feel his thick, hot cock pressing against my soft, cotton panties.

I reached down and hooked them with my thumbs, pulling them down slowly, until he took them and pulled them the rest of the way. Tossing them aside, he grinned and lowered down over me again. I opened myself to him, and he settled between my thighs. The head brushed through my folds, and I gasped. I was wet and hot and ready.

He slid inside.

Never in my life had my body felt more alive. As he rocked slowly into me, he stretched me, and I molded myself around him. Soft moans filled the air as he increased his speed, and I grasped the back of his neck with my hand and stared deeply into his eyes.

We made love under the stars for hours, our bodies dripping with sweat against the cool air, naked and exposed in the open doors of the barn. It was a freedom I’d never even contemplated. It was pure. It was carnal. It was incredible.

I rode him until he couldn’t take it anymore and rolled me to my back again. His head buried into my neck as he grunted with effort, slamming into me as I drifted in and out of reality, a seemingly never-ending climax lighting my body on fire, bringing it anew, rebirthing me into this person that I was becoming.

April was gone. Charlotte had grown.

I was not just me.

I was his.

Fully, completely, totally his. And he was mine.

My voice raised into the night until his matched it. He roared as I cried out into the stars, and he came. Slowly, joyfully, he lowered himself, completely spent, into my arms. And there we lay for quite some time, naked and peppering each other with kisses, under the velvety black night and its bright, shining moon.