Epilogue

Brynne

T wo weeks later…

"Do I get to have my own horse one day?" I asked, glancing over at Booker where he rode beside me on his horse, Onyx.

"That what you want, Darlin'?" His voice was gruff from being up way too late with me, but regardless, he still got out of our bed at four a.m. sharp to start work on the ranch.

I looked down at the gray under me, admiring her long mane and speckled coat. I let out a thoughtful hum. "Maybe."

Booker adjusted his gloved hand on the rein as the sun set in the distance, casting a warm orange glow over the yellowing grass surrounding us for miles. "Whatever you want, just say the words, and I'll make it happen."

I cocked a brow in his direction, peeling my eyes away from the mare as she stepped over cow pies. "This side of you is weird."

He let out a hoarse chuckle, turning that dark gaze on me. Instantly, I was starving for the taste of him. "What side?"

I waved a hand at him. "This…caring side."

Under his full beard, he smiled. "Don't like when I spoil you, huh?"

I shook my head.

"What do you like, then?"

I fought the urge to curl the sides of my lips up, but there was no way to stop the heat that crept up my neck. "That's a loaded question."

He studied me, then reached a hand over to gently tug my reins back to stop the horse. Onyx followed suit, and Booker had him sidestep so his stirrup was touching my leg. He released the rein, moving to grab the back of my neck. The bruises had faded completely in the last couple weeks, and Booker had somewhat kept his promise of staying away for one week. He'd taken to giving me orgasms in his bed only, and after seven days, he finally gave me what I craved behind the barn. He'd sunk his cock so deep inside me, my body had taken forever to adjust to the size of him again. He'd been so gentle, too. Like he was scared I might shatter to pieces in his arms if he tore his eyes away from mine for merely a second.

That night stuck with him the same it did with me, but I was convinced he was more affected by my disappearance than I was. I'd gone through my share of waking from nightmares, but so did he. When my gaze found him in the parking lot that night, I'd never seen the man look so…petrified. Like his world was chipping away piece by piece, threatening to crumble completely if I stopped breathing life into it.

Since then, we'd declared that would never be a possibility. We'd be together through this life—no matter how quickly things progressed.

Sometimes, you just knew. And with Booker, it felt right.

"I've got all the time in the world to listen, Darlin'," he said.

I nearly laughed. "I want my broody rancher back. You're starting to freak me out."

The ghost of a smirk crested his lips, and then he was sliding a hand into the saddle bag on the opposite side of the saddle right as a cloud floated in front of the dimming sun.

"Your wish is my command."

My eyes fell to the mask in his hand as he lifted it. Removing his cowboy hat, he adjusted the mask over his face, then set the hat back on his head.

"Much better," I teased as a crack of thunder rolled in the distance.

He reached out, threading his fingers through my hair. "Which do you prefer more?" He gave a small tug, sending goosebumps up my arms as his fingertips ghosted my scalp. "Gentle?" Then, his grip changed, and he was pulling my head back by my hair, exposing my neck. "Or rough?"

A gasp escaped me as he brought his face closer to my neck, inhaling deeply. "Both," I replied.

"And which do you want right now?"

My core heated, and I wanted nothing more than to clench my thighs to alleviate some of the ache, but that would only make the horse move, and I needed to stay put. To keep Booker's hands on me.

"Rough," I managed to get out on a breath.

"That's my girl." His fingers tightened the slightest before he released me, and then he was dismounting. He slid the bit out of Onyx's mouth, then clicked his tongue and patted the horse's ass. He took off at a gallop, heading back in the direction of the barn.

I swiveled in the saddle to watch Onyx disappear. "How are you going to get back?" My sentence ended on a yelp as Booker lifted me off the horse.

"We'll ride together," he said simply as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He still had the bridle looped over his shoulder as he lowered me to the ground. He gently laid my head in the plush grass, his weight a welcome pressure. As if he couldn't help himself, he shoved the mask up his face to reveal his mouth and began peppering slow kisses down the side of my neck to my collarbone. "Anything you want," he repeated in between kisses. "Say the words, and I'll do it."

He'd been like this since the night I was taken and nearly killed. Treating me like the most delicate shell on a beach full of abrasive sand. Like one wrong move, and I might shatter. With him, I didn't think that was possible. He held my head above water when all I wanted to do was sink some days, and every day, I'd gotten better—mentally and physically. But those demons still lurked in his mind. I tried not to feel guilty for it, but it was no secret he felt this way because of what happened to me.

"A dog," I said, to which his lips froze on my skin before he lifted himself slightly to peer down at me.

"A dog?"

I nodded, a smile pulling at my lips. "I want a dog."

His cowboy hat fell to the grass as he pulled his mask off the rest of the way to get a better look at me. Once he decided I was being serious, he said, "We'll have to talk to the guys."

A gasp escaped me as my smile widened. "We can really get a dog?"

"If that's what you want?—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I was shoving all my body weight at him to get him onto his back. I rolled on top of him, sprinkling kisses all over his cheeks, nose, and forehead. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Booker let out a chuckle. "Have you never had a dog before?"

I shook my head, ceasing my kisses. "My mother always said they were too messy and I didn't want it to be outside all the time."

"Messes can be cleaned," he declared, hooking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"You've proved that a time or two," I muttered.

He threaded his fingers into my hair in response to my dig, then tugged my head toward his. Before our lips could meet, I was shoving at his chest. "We need to go talk to Austin and Henley."

He propped up on his elbows as I stood, staring at me. "Can't wait until tomorrow?"

I popped a hip, waiting for him to get up .

With another low chuckle, he moved to stand, grabbing his mask and cowboy hat off the ground. As I turned for my horse, he caught me by the waist, spinning me around so that my chest was pressed to his. "The lady gets what the lady wants."

"Because I'm your lady."

"Damn right, Darlin'. No one else's."

After a kiss I lost myself in, we mounted the horse together and rode back to the barn to find Onyx waiting for us by the gate. Once Booker untacked them and sent them back into the pasture, we headed inside the house to find Austin and Henley playing a game of cards at the kitchen island.

"What's that grin for?" Austin asked, peering up at me from his hand.

I couldn't help myself as I bounced on the balls of my feet. "We're getting a dog."

Henley glanced over his shoulder at us, setting down his cards. "A dog?"

I nodded. "Mhmm. Booker said we could get one, but we wanted to make sure it was okay with you guys."

Austin glanced at Henley, a silent discussion passing between the two of them with the act.

"What?" I asked as a crease formed between Booker's brows.

"We actually wanted to talk to you guys about something, too," Austin started with another glance in Henley's direction.

"Well, fucking spit it out, then," Booker demanded.

Austin gnawed on his bottom lip before saying, "We were thinking of putting two double-wides on the property so you two could have your space in the house."

"Yeah. Plus, I hate dogs," Henley added.

My jaw dropped in Henley's direction, as if that was the more surprising information of the two.

"Is that really what you want to do?" Booker asked.

I looked up at him, finding the set of his jaw hard and his eyes slightly worried. Like he didn't want to be the reason they moved out of the house.

I set a hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "They'll still be on the property."

"Yeah," Austin confirmed. "We won't be far at all, and we have the extra land to spare for it."

Booker's throat worked on a swallow. I never thought I'd see the man get emotional over his two best friends, but here we were.

"You guys can take all the time you need with the process," I said, filling in for the words Booker wasn't voicing.

Henley dipped his chin. "Takes a couple months to get them delivered out here, anyway."

"You'll have us here to annoy you guys for a good bit still," Austin said, as if that was what Booker would be missing by them moving out.

Booker gave a hesitant nod, words still failing on his tongue.

"So…" Henley began. "What kind of dog?"

"I thought you hated dogs," I reminded him.

Henley pressed his lips into a thin line. "Doesn't mean I'm not nosey. "

Finally, Booker shifted his stance and said, "How soon can you move out?"

Then we joined them in their game as the night passed us by, nothing but a distant howl and sprinkling rain to be heard over our laughter and teasing.

THE END