Chapter 6

6

DANIKA

T his morning is different.

The sun has finally broken through, the sky a brilliant blue, and the air fresh, clean, and inviting.

It's a beautiful day—something I haven't seen in years. A decade even. I rarely smiled these past few months, but now I can't stop. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and I'm not complaining.

"Penny for your thoughts," Matt says as he squeezes my hand.

"We never did this when I lived here."

He chuckles. "Because you hated how dirty you felt afterward."

"I did. I was so immature, wasn't I? When I lived in the city, I missed the sounds of nature. I preferred that to the traffic noises and my neighbors always banging on walls and moving furniture when I was about to sleep."

"I do, too. That's why I moved here. The ranch was okay, but being in the mountains gave me the solitude I could never experience anywhere else."

We're taking advantage of this weather, so we set off hand in hand to the river. Even with this massive mountain man by my side, it's a challenging walk, and I almost fall on my ass thrice. We're not even halfway through when he decides he's had enough and tosses me over his shoulder like I'm nothing but a burlap sack. I'm laughing while face down and pounding lightly on his back.

Matt responds by smacking my ass and kneading it, which immediately shuts me up.

When I got here the other day, I never had any chance to appreciate the surroundings. Probably because there wasn't much to appreciate. Now I can totally see why Matt likes it here. As a teen, I couldn't wait to get out of Sweetheart Falls, but I wonder how much I missed because I wasn't looking, because I was too busy planning for my future far away that I failed to see what was right in front of me.

Matt finds a spot beneath a large tree by the river, puts me down on my feet, and spreads out the blanket. I sprint to the river and leave him to it.

Honestly, one of the things that surprised me the most was how Matt grew into this … independent, self-sufficient man. He was reliable when we were younger, but like every boy his age, he was the happy-go-lucky type. If his parents only left microwaveables, then that was what he ate for the rest of the week. He did enjoy DIY projects at school, but that was the extent of his being a handyman. His dad tried to teach him how to run the ranch, but he just wasn't interested.

When I found out that he built his cabin along with his childhood best friend, Milo, I was blown away. I guess people do change. I mean, I have. For better or worse, only time will tell.

"Matt?" I call out to him, standing by the shoal, the water up to my ankles.

He's sitting on the blanket, weaving his fingers through Goldie's fur. He looks up and smiles, and by God, that smile always takes my breath away. Matt's not the smiley type of guy, but he always has one reserved for me. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever made love out in nature?"

He quirks a brow. "Does the terrace count?"

"No."

"Then not really."

"Ah, there's always a first time for everything."

"What do you?—"

He doesn't finish his question because I pull his shirt over my head and throw it on the nearest dry land. I then slide out of the loose shorts and throw them as well. I don't have anything else on.

His eyes bulge out of their sockets, and even all the way from here, I see him clench his jaw, his chest heaving, the front of his pants forming a tent.

Good to know I'm not yet rusty in the seduction department.

I have to laugh at the way Goldie finds so many interesting things in the nearby trees, sniffing the underbrushes farther and farther away until she's no longer in sight.

Now that's a good girl.

"What are you trying to do right now, Dan?"

I turn to find Matt stalking toward me like a predator, trying to trap his prey. The dark, dangerous gleam in his eyes weaves warm, tingly sensations through my legs, up my thighs, and in my apex.

"I'm trying to get you to fuck me out here."

"Oh, is that what this is?"

"What else could it be?"

"What if someone sees us, Dan? What would you do then? The terrace was fine since it was raining heavily. But this? What if, just like us, someone decided to have a picnic today?"

He's so close that his breath tickles my forehead, but he doesn't do anything else. He doesn't touch me or even just brush his skin against mine. And my God, it's driving me crazy with want.

"Then they'd have to enjoy the show."

"And you think I'd let anyone, a man specifically, watch this delectable body of yours, and I wouldn't gouge their eyes out? You think any other man can gaze at this"—he squeezes one breast with his hand and skims my nipple with his thumb— "or this"—he lowers his other hand and cups my pussy, his palm rubbing against my clit— "or watch me do this."

Matt slides a thick digit inside me, and dammit, it slips so easily because of how wet I already am for him. Shamelessly, I suction my muscles around it and move my hips, seeking the friction I desperately need.

"Look at you, desperate for my cock that even one single finger will do."

"Please, Matt."

"I always liked to hear you beg, Dan. You sound so needy, like you'd do anything to have my cock buried inside your tight pussy."

The words—his words—always do something to me. This time is no exception. I grip his shoulders and grind on his hand, imagining it's his cock, filling me, pushing me ever closer to the edge.

And then, Matt pulls out.

I let out a low, guttural groan and throw him a death stare, which only makes him chuckle. "Do you want my cock, Dan?"

I don't even hesitate. "Yes."

"Do you want me to fuck you out here and make you come so hard your legs will continue to shake even as we head back home?"

"Yes."

The corners of his mouth lift into a sly, almost imperceptible smirk. My hands are still on his arms, and while he looks relaxed, there's a coiled tension in his frame, just like a cat ready to pounce … on me.

He lowers his mouth to my ear and lightly bites the top. "Then listen to me. I need you on that blanket on all fours, your ass and pussy facing me."

"W-what?"

"Five seconds, Dan. Five … four …"

I don't care what I look like, but I hurry like my life depends on it. When I reach the blanket, I fall to my knees and hands. The pebbles underneath crunch and press against me. They might leave scars, and I don't care.

"Such a good girl, Dan."

I wiggle my ass at him. "Matt, stop torturing me."

I hear another dark chuckle before he drops behind me, and my nerve endings crackle with sparks. The anticipation and excitement only make me even wetter.

His hands squeeze my ass, and his fingers part my folds. My body jerks as he drags his tongue from my clit to my pussy and slips it inside me.

Oh my God.

The pleasure I feel is exquisite. It's so good that I push myself to him so I can take his tongue deeper, my flesh parting for him. And deeper he goes. He eats me like I'm his favorite meal, and when his finger grazes my clit, the orgasm hits me like a freight train.

"Oh God. Matt, fuck!"

I'm not done pulsating when he pulls away and growls, "We are not done yet, Dan. You come next on my cock."

An almost inhuman moan escapes my throat when he shoves his thick girth inside me. He yanks me against his body until his pelvis presses against my butt, and there's not even an inch of space between us.

I don't know when the last orgasm ends and the next one begins, but as he winds my hair in his knuckle and tugs on it, his cock driving in and out of me, my second climax rushes to the surface, and I tremble uncontrollably.

"Dan…"

His voice sounds like a mix of a grunt, growl, and groan, and when he buries himself home, he swells inside me and fills me with hot, endless spurts. His come slides out of me and down the backs of my thighs, and damn if it doesn't feel so good.

Like he's branding me. Laying a claim on me. Marking me as his.

God knows I've never really been anyone else's.