Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Zach

" Z ach, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Rae called out from behind me. "I really do have a ton of work to do. I don't have time for a midday ride."

I walked past her, ignoring her complaints as I guided Sassy and Roam out of the barn by their reins. It had been three weeks since my adoption party, and a lot had happened in that time. I'd resumed Rae's horseback lessons, taking them back from Hal now that my girl and I were in a good place. A great place, actually. She was comfortable enough in the saddle to ride on her own, and after weeks of working with Sassy, the girl was finally ready for more than a few loops around the corral. Today was as good a day as any. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there wasn't a cloud in sight .

Rae had officially taken over the administrative work for the ranch right after the party, and as she claimed, she'd excelled at it. The filing was in order, all the invoices were going out on time, and she'd scheduled everything out almost a year in advance. She was a whiz at the payroll system, and she'd even managed to fly through the old ledgers, digitizing the old files from back in my grandpa's heyday a hell of a lot faster than I would have. I was beyond grateful to hand all those tasks over. I could die a happy man knowing I never had to sit behind that desk again. But the thing that mattered to me the most was Rae seemed to love what she was doing.

However, she was also working insane hours. Most nights I had to track her down, and nine times out of ten, she was still in that office. It was hers now, and I'd given her free rein to make it her own, something she hadn't hesitated to do. She'd replaced the shitty old executive chair and the ratty old sofa that had been resting against the back wall. She bought two new chairs to go in front of her desk for visitors, something she seemed to have regularly now that she wasn't doing ranch work or taking shifts at the lodge. The people there and my crew here had really come to love her, and now that they didn't get the chance to see her regularly, they'd come in to catch up whenever they could. She had a ton of friends here. She was slowly building a foundation, and I wanted desperately to take those roots and sink them deep into the soil of this place.

The office was now cleared of clutter, everything placed in pretty, feminine file folders she ordered online. She kept the desk, claiming it was an antique, but had spent an entire day stripping, sanding, then re-staining it to return it to its former glory. The new furniture fit the esthetic of the new office. A style Rae referred to as barn-chic. Whatever the fuck that meant.

She'd made the place cozy and comfortable for herself and dove headfirst into her new job. She'd taken every job she'd done since arriving on the ranch seriously, but this was different. I could see the actual passion in her eyes for what she was doing when I went in to visit her or force her to shut down for the night. She loved this work, but more, she told me she loved being a crucial part of the ranch's structure and took keeping this place functioning to its full potential very seriously.

I wished she didn't push herself so hard. She still woke up with the sun, just like me, and most days, she was still at it long after it had set. She would overdo it if she wasn't careful. Burn herself out. That was why I decided I was going to force her away from that desk and out of her office today even if I had to drag her kicking and screaming.

"Get on the horse, Hollywood. "

She shot me a scowl, planting her hands on her hips and staring me down for several seconds. When it became obvious I wasn't going to back down, she let out a dramatic huff and let her arms flop down at her sides as she stomped toward me and the horses I'd already saddled. "Fine. But if something happens while we're gone, I'm holding you responsible."

"I can live with that. Now climb on up."

She put her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself onto Sassy's back, gathering the reins in her hands like she'd been doing it for years. It was hot as fuck seeing her so controlled and confident on the back of the animal when she used to be so nervous. My woman had a spine of steel. She was so much stronger than she gave herself credit for. I hoped that one day she'd see herself the way I saw her.

I was convinced there wasn't a woman on the planet more perfect for me than her. My family adored her, she was smart and funny and absolutely beautiful. And she loved this ranch almost as much as I did. This place meant something to her. I'd always hoped I'd find a woman who understood my love for this place, and Rae did.

I kept expecting her to ask where we were going as she guided Sassy along the side of Roam, but instead, she was too caught up taking everything in. She'd seen a good bit of the ranch so far, but this was all new to her, and I could tell by the wonder on her pretty face that she found it as beautiful as I did.

I noticed the way her back straightened as soon as we got close enough to hear the sound of rushing water, and the minute we cleared the tree line, the river that stretched through the property coming into view, she pulled in a gasp.

I climbed down from Roam and moved to Sassy, leading both horses to a tree and tying off their reins before reaching up, taking Rae by the waist, and pulling her down. "What is this place?" she asked as she moved toward the water.

"This is my special spot. I told you I'd bring you here one day. Well, today's that day."

"Oh, Zach," she breathed, taking everything in. "This is so beautiful." The sunlight bounced off the water as it rushed past us over the rocks and tree limbs that had fallen with time. It created a white noise that I'd fallen asleep to more times than I could count.

"This is where I come when I need peace. When I need to silence my mind and find my center. I come here." I guided her to the tree I always sat under and lowered myself to the ground, pulling at her hands until she was settled in my lap. She sank back against me, her head tucking beneath my chin as I wrapped my arms around her and held her against me.

"No wonder you love this place so much," she said after a few minutes of relaxing silence. "It's so tranquil. You can sit here, listening to the water, and almost forget the rest of the world exists."

She was it for me. I knew it right then and there, the realization slamming into me with the force of a runaway train. There would never be anyone else.

"I knew you would understand. That's why I wanted to be here the first time you saw this place."

She twisted her neck, looking back at me and smiling so beautifully I couldn't stop myself from closing the distance and sealing my lips with hers. She opened for me, her immediate acceptance making my cock stir to life. No amount of touching or kissing calmed the fire inside me that burned just for her. The need for her never eased, it only grew. The kiss went from slow and sweet to hungry in less than a second. I couldn't help myself. I swept my tongue against hers, swallowing her needy moan as I lifted her up and spun her around so she was straddling me.

"I need you," I groaned into her mouth as she tilted her pelvis, settling herself over the throbbing erection behind my jeans. Her lips parted on a stuttered breath as she rocked against me, causing stars to burst in front of my eyes. "God, I always need you."

"I'm yours," she whispered against my lips.

My control snapped. I had us both stripped naked in a matter of seconds and spread Rae out on the lush green grass, leveling my body over hers and settling my hips between her thighs as she wrapped her long, lithe legs around me.

Our kiss went from hungry to frantic as I reached between us and lined my cock up with her entrance. The moment the head notched into place, I pushed in to the hilt, sheathing myself in that silky wet heat. Her body stretched to accommodate my girth. She cried out my name as her back arched off the ground and her head pressed farther back, exposing the long, delicate expanse of her neck. I dragged my teeth over the column of her throat, my body igniting with the sounds she made as I thrust in and out.

"Zach," she whimpered, her nails digging into the back of my neck as she held on tightly. "I need more. I need you deeper."

I hooked an arm behind her right knee, pushing it up toward her chest so I could drive into her even farther. "Yes!" she shouted up at the bright blue sky. "God, yes! Just like that, baby. Don't stop."

"Never," I growled, pumping in and out of her, beads of sweat building and trailing down my spine as her pussy clutched me like a fist. "You're close already. I can feel it."

"You feel so good. It's always so good."

"Rae, I—" I had to force myself to stop, those three little words right there on the tip of my tongue, desperate to escape. I love you . It had been beating around in my head and in my chest for days... weeks. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was true. That what I felt for her was real, but I didn't want to scare her away. I knew what she felt for me was as strong, but I needed to let her go at the pace that felt right for her. "I'll never get enough of you." She blinked those warm caramel eyes up at me. "You are so beautiful."

"Zach, I'm—" She exploded around me, her cunt clamping down around me like a vise. She screamed my name up at the sky as her body forced mine to follow her over the edge into the abyss. I let out a roar as the first hot ropes of cum let loose, coating her walls. Her pussy milked me dry, pulsating and quivering around me until every drop had been drained from my balls, until I could no longer hold myself up.

I collapsed on the ground, shifting us both to our sides so I didn't crush her beneath my weight.

"I think I love this spot even more now," I panted as my dick started to soften inside of her .

She let out a giggle that filled me with joy. "Glad to be of service."

As much as I would have loved to stay with her like that forever, we still had other things to do. I gave myself five more minutes to cuddle before forcing us both up. "Come on. We need to get dressed."

She blinked sex-drunk eyes. "What? Why?"

I grinned wickedly as I pulled my jeans back on. "Because there's one other place I want to take you today, and as much as I'd love to experience having you naked all day long, it requires clothing."

She twisted her arms in the strangest ways as she settled her bra back into place and managed to hook it from behind without seeing. "Fine," she said, giving a little hop as she hiked her jeans over her luscious ass and hips. "But once we're home for the night, I think we should revisit this whole naked thing."

She would be getting no argument from me.