Chapter Thirty-Six

Brayden

Nina: I'm ready to talk. Meet me here.

I've barely read Nina's text, or seen the picture of the crashing waves, before I jump up.

"What's going on?" my mom asks, sitting next to my dad at the table across from where I was, our lunch spread out between us. I look to both of them, then to Hazel, who'd been sitting next to me.

"I have to go," I say, hardly believing what's happening.

"What is it? Is it one of the guys?" Hazel asks. "Is it…" She pauses, then mouths, "Nina?" I nod, and her grin tells me everything I need to know.

"I'm going to get my girl," I say, yanking my boots on before running from the room. In my wake, I hear Hazel's excited whisper, Nina's name on her breath.

Sara is waiting for me in the stable, her eyes watching for me almost as if she knows. Next to her, Meredith knickers, poking her own head out to see what the commotion is.

"Not this time, Mere," I say. "But soon. You're going to get a lot of rides in, I promise."

I saddle Sara quickly, then fit one boot in the stirrup before swinging my leg over. I nudge her hind, and she's off. Can she hear the song of my soul, calling out for Nina? Can she feel my heart beating as she runs towards the woman I love?

We reach the trail, and Sara navigates it like a pro. Soon we're on the beach, flying down the sand as the waves crash next to us. My hat flies off my head, but I don't care. All I see is the end of the beach and a small figure standing against the solid rock cliff that looms above her. We keep going, me kicking Sara to run faster and faster, until we're finally there, and I slow her to a halt. She's barely stopped before I jump off and tie her up, then I land on Nina with a crash. I know there's so much to say. I can't even think that she might want differently, and am relieved when her mouth crushes against mine, our arms grasping each other, my body engulfing her as if I can bring her inside me just to get closer.

"I love you," I whisper in between kisses.

"I love you too," she murmurs back, her lips never leaving mine. Her face is wet from tears. Mine or hers, I don't know. All I know is I can breathe again now that this woman is in my arms, and I am never letting her go.

We finally catch our breath, sinking onto the sand. It's taking everything in me to not rip her clothes off and take her right here. But I restrain myself. I can't seem to let go of her hand, though, and my other hand can't leave the firm grip it has on her thigh. She's not going anywhere, but I still hold on to her as if she might fall through the earth. I can't lose her.

I look at the stretch of beach I just rode down, and I realize she doesn't have a horse. It dawns on me the lengths she went through to get here .

"It only took an hour or so," she says, though her cheeks are still pink. It took me fifteen minutes to get here, so I know she's still catching her breath.

"I have water in the saddle," I say, grateful I'd thought to add it at last minute. She nods, and I snag it for her. But then I'm right back to holding her, even as she drinks. "I don't ever want to know what it's like to lose you again," I say.

"Me either," she whispers. "Jordy came to see me yesterday, and while she's still mad, I guess you could say she gave us her blessing."

I shake my head. That woman is full of surprises. "I hope one day we can all be friends again."

"I want that more than anything," she says. I look down at her.

"Anything?"

"Well…" She slips on a sly smile. "I guess I can think of a few things I want more."

"How about my ring on your finger."

Her smile falters slightly, but her eyes are shining.

"I won't ask you yet," I continue. "But you're the one I want to marry. I want to spend every morning waking up to you and every night making love. My life is yours, if you'll have me."

She tilts her head. "How about you try on how it feels to not be engaged for a while."

I laugh, a low rumble deep in my chest as I pull her closer. I smell her hair, mixed in with the ocean air, as we both watch the waves roll in and out. I can feel every breath she takes and the rhythm of her heart as she trusts her full weight against me. I wrap my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes as I memorize this moment. It hardly feels real, and yet, it also seems like I never existed before I met her.

Nina. Her name runs through my veins.

"So, while you were ignoring my calls," I say, and she laughs, nudging me, "what have you been doing?"

She tells me about the new shop she's created, and how she's letting it help her split the inheritance money. She also tells me about the investment funds she's in the process of creating, making things far more equal. Even split four ways, all of them will be very wealthy thanks to her Nanna Dot's smart handling of money and investments.

"And I've decided to sell the house. I thought I'd find something a little more modest that's suitable for one person, instead of this huge monstrosity that is just a graveyard for all of Nanna's stuff."

"Or I have a better idea," I say. "Sell the house and move in with me."

"Into your parents' home? No thank you."

"No, we have a house on the property that just needs a little fixing up. But it's livable. We could move in there and fix it up together, making it both of ours."

She tilts her head, her eyes narrowed even as she smiles. "There's no way your parents will go for that. They wouldn't even let Jordy live there."

"They won't say no," I tell her, because I know it's true. "But if they do, I'll convince them to agree."

There's excitement in her eyes, but she gives me a noncommittal "maybe."

Yeah, we'll see about that.

We ride back to the ranch, Nina sitting in front of me. I walk Sara just to make it last longer, reveling in how it feels to have Nina's ass pressed up against my cock. Hey, I love this woman, but her ass is easily my favorite physical part of hers. I will celebrate that ass every day she lets me.

My parents are on the porch when we ride through the gates, and Hazel is sitting on the steps. I'm no fool, I know they're waiting for us. I wave, and Nina lifts her hand shyly. I know she's feeling ashamed, knowing that just a few weeks ago, Jordy was here. But surely she sees the grin on my mom's face, and even the softened expression my dad is offering.

"Mom, Dad, Hazel, I'd like you to meet my…" I pause, twisting my body so that I'm looking at Nina. "Can I call you my girlfriend?" She bites back a laugh, then nods. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Nina Chance."

"Well, pleasure to have you," my dad says in his gruff voice. My mom looks at him with surprise, then pride. She gets up as Nina climbs off the horse, and I follow, then she throws her arms around my girl.

"We couldn't be happier," she says, and I note the tear caught in her throat. She pulls away, keeping her hands on Nina's shoulders. "Now that you're here, I hope you're around to stay. My son has been an absolute pain in the ass while you've been gone."

"Mom," I warn.

"It's true, Bear," Hazel says, joining my mom. "You've been a huge downer." I push her shoulder lightly, and she exaggerates a stumble backwards. Then, with a grin, she leans toward Nina for a hug. "I'm so glad it's you," she whispers.

"Hazel, what do you say you, me, and Dad go out for ice cream," my mom asks. Hazel is turning eighteen in a few weeks, and yet I see the gap-toothed five-year-old she used to be when she jumps up, clapping her hands.

"I'll go get my coat!" she yells, running back for the house.

We wait until they're gone before we head into the house. I hold Nina's hand, her skin soft against the roughness of my own. Everything about her is delicate, so absolutely perfect, and I have to keep looking at her to make sure she's real .

"What?" she laughs when she catches me staring again.

"I just can't get over that you're here. Just a few hours ago, I believed I'd never see you again. But now, here you are, and I can't stop looking at you." I close the space between us, tilting her head back with my hands in her hair as I touch my lips to hers. "I love you so much."

"I love you," she says. "I can't believe I actually thought I could live without you. I am never letting you go."

"Then move in with me," I say. "Don't think about what you should do, or what others will think, because I know that's what's rolling around in your pretty little head. Just be with me, every day. Stay here on the ranch. You can work here if you want, or spend all your time at the shop, or I don't even care what, I'll support you. I just want you here every night and every morning, and every other minute you'll give to me."

"Okay," she whispers. I kiss her again, this time a little deeper. She offers a slight moan in the back of her throat, which goes straight to my head, making me feel spun.

"I think we're going to have to christen this moment," I murmur.

"In our new home?" she asks, looking up at me. I laugh, then shake my head no.

"In due time. I may have oversold it a bit. We should probably put a little work into it before we take the plunge."

"Well, we'll just have to jump on that if you want me to move in so bad."

"I can get it livable by next week," I promise, knowing I'll be working on it day in and day out to make that happen. But it's worth it. "In the meantime, we have an empty house, and I have an empty bed just waiting to meet you."

"Oh really," she laughs. I take her hand and lead her up the stairs. My family's photos line the walls, ones I used to avoid looking at because Amber is in so many of them. But lately, I've made it a practice to study them, to see those twin smiles from all those years ago. I'm coming to peace with what happened, and even the realization that it wasn't my fault. Not in the way I've been carrying it.

Life is full of ups and downs, celebrations and tragedies, love and loss. I've had my fair share of all of them, most humans have. But my role is not to be some martyr, saving others at my expense. My role is to move through the hard times to get to the good, and to honor the things I've experienced and the people I've loved along the way.

We get to my room, and Nina turns once she reaches the bed. She offers a shy smile, as I lean against the doorway and watch her. With slow, careful fingers, she lifts her t-shirt, showing off the lacy bra underneath, making me suck in a hard rush of air. She unbuttons her jeans, slides them down her gorgeous hips, leaning over to offer me a full view of her cleavage. She stands again, clad in nothing but her matching panties and bra, waiting to see what I do next.

There's no question. I close the bedroom door and lock it, just in case we're in here longer than it takes to finish an ice cream. I tear off my shirt, and her eyes land on my chest, then my abs.

"Fuck, I've missed you," she says, dropping to her knees to help me with my belt. I tug her back to standing, then gently push so that she falls on the bed.

"You'll have plenty of time for that later," I promise her. "Right now, I just need to feel your body under mine while I'm buried in you."

"Then hurry up, Winters."

I don't need to be told twice. My belt comes off, then my jeans, then everything else until I'm covering her body, nothing between us. She grips my cock, her tiny hand so strong as she slides up and down, nearly bringing me to completion before we've even started .

"Easy there, Sugar," I say. "It's been a while, and I'm afraid this might be quicker than usual, especially if you keep stroking me like that."

She gives a few more tugs, a wicked grin on her face as I groan, then grip her wrist. "Enough," I growl, but there's a grin on my face. I reach around her, unclasping her bra and sliding it down until her beautiful breasts are in full view. Holy fuck, she has such perfect breasts. I can't help but take one nipple between my lips, my hand cupping the other one as she squirms below me. Her skin is so sweet, so very tender, like my favorite dessert. I could inhale her, she's so delicious.

My hand finds the hem of her panties, and I slide them down her hips, pausing as my mouth grazes her luscious mound. She spreads for me, and I dip my tongue into her juices, lapping up that sweet nectar, savoring every taste of her.

"Don't make me come," she begs, tugging at my hair. "I want you to, but like you, I need you inside me. Please."

I don't make her beg anymore. I crawl over her body, then nudge my cock at her entrance. Before I enter, I look at just how beautiful we are together. Her glistening sex, swollen and pink, ready for me to penetrate. Then I do, sliding in, both of us breathing out a simultaneous sigh of relief. It's like coming home, and I move slow to savor every moment of it. I hold her body close, kissing her gently as she rocks against my groin. Knowing I'll soon have her every night has me nearing climax, and I have to cool my jets to regain control.

"Hold on," I say, stilling above her. She wiggles her hips, and I growl in reproach.

"Bray, we can do it again. Please, just fuck me."

I look at her, the way her hair falls around her like snow. Her swollen, rosy lips. The flush in her cheeks. The slight smattering of freckles that are barely noticeable across her nose. The love radiating from her eyes. I get this woman forever.

I slam into her, and she arches against me, meeting me pound for pound. I hope to God my family stays away, because neither one of us are quiet as we release every ounce of tension we've experienced all this time apart. I feel her clench around me, and I hold on as hard as I can until I feel her pulse, her head tilted back, her cries soft and helpless as I climax with her.

Once we've stilled, our bodies slick with sweat and juices, I lie next to her, tracing lazy circles on her belly. I marvel at her skin, how soft she feels. My finger travels up her side, then to her breast, and the way she arches at my touch has my cock responding. We offer no words, just quiet marveling as my hands explore her, and she explores me right back. I want to memorize her every curve, every sound she makes, the taste of her. I cup her face, my lips pressing against hers softly. She responds with the gentlest flick of her tongue, and I swear, it's like we never even fucked, because soon I'm inside her again, where I could live every day of my life.

I make a vow to move us into that house—come hell or high water—by the weekend.