Epilogue

EPILOGUE

GILLIAN

" R emember the first time we were here?" Kane whispered in my ear as we sat around a campfire with our closest friends.

"How could I forget?" I asked, returning his smile.

It had been eight years since the day we made love on the rock that was just feet from where we sat right now. There would be none of that tonight, but I was hoping for a little alone time when we all retired to our tents.

We were enjoying a small campfire at the top of the mountain with our small friend group of three couples. We'd roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and told spooky stories, but I was getting restless for some alone time with my husband.

Soon after we got married, Kane and I moved closer to town. We needed a bigger place for the kids we planned to have. But being closer to the kids' schools and daycares was a huge benefit too. With three boys under the age of six, I needed all the time savings I could get. Especially with me working part-time as a copy editor for a marketing agency and my husband working full-time as a park ranger. We both loved our work, but we were long overdue for a vacation.

"Guys, I think we're going to turn in," Kane's friend Scott said, pushing himself to his feet. He reached out a hand for his wife, Brenna, who gave him a smile before letting him pull her to her feet.

"What do you say?" Kane whispered. "Do you want to hit the hay early?"

When I looked over at him, I knew sleep was the last thing he had in mind. But my first hint had been when he zipped our single sleeping bags together to create one double sleeper. We'd gotten good at making love quietly right before bed. It looked like we'd be doing that again tonight.

"It's a little chilly away from the fire," Kane said as he zipped up the tent flap behind him after we said our goodnights to everyone.

I laughed. "A little?"

It was a beautiful fall night, but there was no denying the nip in the air. Being inside the tent helped, though.

After taking off our shoes and jackets, we both climbed into bed in the jeans and sweaters we'd been wearing. I'd brought PJs, but right now, I just wanted to be in his arms.

"Thank you," he whispered once we were snuggled inside.

I looked up at him. "For what?"

"For saving me."

We'd discussed this many times. When I met my husband, he'd distanced himself from everyone. He'd planned to spend the rest of his life alone. But that had all changed, and now, we regularly visited his brother and his family in Rosewood Ridge. They sometimes came here to stay with us. We'd even discussed moving there to be closer to them, but Kane loved the smaller town feel of Sweetheart Falls.

"You know, there's one way we could warm up," I said, moving my hands from his lower back to his ass. "We'd just have to be really quiet."

He smiled down at me. "I was about to suggest the same thing."

And those were the last words we spoke. Instead, we let our hands do the talking as our mouths met in a hungry kiss.

I'd expected the passion to fade over time, but it seemed to only get stronger. We were better at this now, though. More experienced. I knew exactly what turned my man on.

As his hand slipped under my shirt, shoving my bra cup aside to thumb my nipple, I was working the fastening on his jeans. Laughter surrounded us as my hand slid inside his underwear, reminding me that at least a few of our friends hadn't gone to bed yet. A thrill passed through me at doing this while so much activity was happening just feet away.

But then I forgot about our friends and focused on Kane. He helped me push his jeans and underwear out of the way so I could stroke him freely. Finally, I broke the kiss and pushed myself up, giving him a naughty smile as I moved down his body, dislodging the sleeping bag as I went.

As I ran my tongue over his erection, then took it fully in my mouth, I watched him watching me. It turned me on, the intensity in that stare. He loved to watch me while we made love. And I couldn't get enough of it.

It was rare he'd come in my mouth, and tonight was no different. He stopped me just a few minutes in, nudging me upward and reaching for the button on my jeans. I helped him, removing them along with my underwear, then straddling him as he pulled the sleeping bag up to cover both of us. It was too cold to stay out in the open—or so I thought.

But soon enough, I didn't care about the chill in the air. With his cock buried deep inside me, I sat up and rode him, closing my eyes as heat filled me. When he began massaging my clit, I bit my tongue to avoid crying out, all too aware of the voices I could still hear just feet away.

Within another few minutes, my orgasm was well on its way. I rode harder, faster, and his movements over my clit sped up as well. I came within only a few minutes, this time squeezing my lips tightly together and still having to suppress a squeak from making its way past my throat.

And then it was his turn. If it weren't so cold, I would've lifted my sweater and tossed it aside, then lost the bra. I knew how much he loved watching me riding him naked. But as it turned out, he didn't need anything to get him there tonight. He pulled out and rolled me over, putting me on bottom as he settled in for the missionary position.

We rarely used that position, but tonight it was clear his main goal was keeping me warm. And being in the sleeping bag with him on top definitely warmed me up. I wrapped my legs around him and stared up at him as he plunged into me, his movements getting faster and faster until finally, he let out a long exhale and stilled.

Only then did he open his eyes to look down at me. Gradually, his mouth spread into a smile, and I got it. My smile matched his. Soon, we were quietly laughing. We were like two kids, celebrating that we'd gotten away with breaking the rules.

Nobody outside the tent knew what had just happened, but hell, they might do the same thing in their tents at bedtime. The couple who'd already gone to bed could be doing this very thing right now.

They might, but they wouldn't be as happy as we were. That was impossible.

Kane once again snuggled next to me, not even bothering to pull up his jeans and fasten them. I'd get out and grab my underwear and jeans in a few minutes, but right now, I didn't want to leave. This just felt too good.

"I love you," Kane said as he held me against his chest. "You and the kids are my world."

"And we love you," I said. "More than you'll ever know."

Kane's buddy Clay tries to rescue a naked woman in a tanning bed in Trapped with the Mountain , Book 1 in the Rosewood Ridge Fire series. Check it out here .

Have you read all the other books in the Sweetheart Falls series? Go here to see the whole series.

Click here for a complete list of Lilah's books.