Sunlight (Haven River Ranch)

Hiccup. Sasha giggled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” That laugh. Every time she hiccuped, she laughed. I hoped those hiccups never went away.

“Champagne is my favorite, but it always gives me hiccups. What’s your favorite drink?”

“Bourbon. Whiskey. A cold beer after a long day.”

Sasha hummed, relaxing her head against the back of her seat. Another hiccup. Another giggle. “You know? I’ve never ridden in the passenger seat of my car before. I’m always the driver.”

“And?”

She crossed and uncrossed her legs, her knees knocking against the glove box. “How did you even fit over here? You’re huge.”

“Sit at an angle.” This wasn’t the first small car I’d crammed myself into. The trick was sitting diagonally.

Sasha twisted, and this time, when she crossed her legs, she cleared the dash without issue. Hiccup. A giggle.

If I’d have known that all it would take were two glasses of champagne for her to finally relax around me, I would have been bringing bottles into the lodge every day for the past three months.

“Did you have fun tonight?” I asked her.

“Surprisingly, yes.” Her smile was easy, unguarded. Her beautiful face was cast in shadows and the glow from the dashboard lights. “Did you?”

“Yeah. I had a great time.” Especially the last two hours.

Sasha and I had stood at a table toward the back of the room, talking with each other and anyone who’d come over to visit.

She’d been quiet at first. Withdrawn. Probably because of that slip she’d made about her parents. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she hadn’t meant to share.

As much as I’d wanted to ask about it, there also hadn’t been a doubt in my mind that she would have raced out of the building.

So I’d changed the subject. I’d gossiped with her about the guides. One of the guys had a crush on a masseuse, and I’d pointed them out in the crowd. Another one of the guys had just gotten dumped, and his ex had come on the arm of our weekend bartender—cheating rumors were running rampant.

Maybe it was the gossip, maybe it was the champagne, but Sasha had eventually relaxed. And then she’d charmed. Me. Employees. Everyone.

Her smile had been contagious. She was absolutely enchanting. With every visitor to our table, she’d been funny and smart. Her dry sense of humor made every person laugh, including herself. And God, when she laughed with those brown eyes dancing . . .

There was a very real chance I’d gone too far tonight. That I’d showed my hand to every employee on the ranch.

Except it had been impossible not to stare. Not to find her in the crowd.

The party had still been going strong when we’d left. The younger staff members would likely stay behind to drink and dance until the last shuttle left around two. But after West and Indya had taken the boys home, I’d ushered Sasha to the door.

There was a chance that us leaving together would start rumors of our own, but I didn’t give a shit. Not when she’d gone willingly. Not when she’d let me help her into her coat. Not when she’d let me take her arm and escort her to the car to drive us both home.

Hiccup. She giggled. “Thanks for driving.”

“Welcome.” I’d stopped drinking after the toasts, not that I’d had much before that point anyway. My focus had been on Sasha all night, not the whiskey in my glass.

She leaned closer to her window, peering up to the heavens.

Winter nights were my favorite. When the moonlight glittered on the snow and the midnight sky sparkled.

“The stars are beautiful,” she whispered, almost like she didn’t want me to hear her admit it.

When my house and her cabin came into view, she sat up straight.

“Tired?” I asked.

“Not really.”

“Want to come in for a drink?”

“As long as by drink you mean water. I’ve got a perfect buzz going but have no desire to be hungover tomorrow.”

“You’re in luck. I happen to have water.”

“That is lucky.” She laughed, no hiccup necessary this time.

I parked outside my house so she wouldn’t have to walk far in the snow, then slipped out of the Mazda and rounded the trunk to open her door.

She stepped out, glancing to the sky one last time before following me to the house.

“Make yourself at home,” I said, toeing off my boots and putting them in the rack beside the front door along with my hat.

Sasha bent to unstrap her heels before she took off her coat. Then she padded through the entryway, following me to the open-concept living room and kitchen. “This is lovely.”

“Thanks.” I filled a glass with ice water, handing it over before making myself a bourbon on the rocks.

“You did most of this yourself, right?” She ran a hand across the island’s surface. “Indya mentioned these were built by your grandfather as employee housing but had sort of fallen to shambles.”

“Yeah, I’ve been remodeling for a while now. Mostly here. I added on the garage and two bedrooms.”

She wiggled her bare toes on the hardwood floor. “These are the same as in the cabin.”

“They are.” I took a sip, joining her at the island.

She leaned against one corner while I leaned against the other, three feet of smooth, polished granite between us.

“I like them,” she said.

I liked her.

I liked that Sasha had taken off her shoes when we’d come inside because I’d taken off my boots. I liked that she hadn’t batted those pretty eyelashes when I’d invited her inside. I liked that for the first time in months, she was the woman I’d met at the grocery store.

“Tell me a lie.”

She arched her eyebrows, a smile toying on her mouth.

I liked that too.

“This again?”

I shrugged and took a sip of my drink. “Unless you’d prefer small talk about the weather.”

“All right. I hate how you look in a cowboy hat.” She lifted her water, hiding a smile behind the glass’s rim. “Your turn.”

“You look hideous tonight.”

Pink tinged her cheeks as she dropped her gaze to a button on my shirt.

“Tell me a secret,” I said, closing the gap between us to a foot.

Sasha didn’t so much as blink. “I hate green beans.”

“That’s not a secret.” My hand itched to twirl a lock of her silky, dark hair around a finger.

So I did.

This time, she blinked. It came with a hitch in her breath, and the entire world narrowed to her chocolate eyes.

“Tell me another secret,” I said, my finger still twining that hair around a knuckle.

“You’re handsome.”

“Also not a secret.”

She rolled her eyes as I chuckled. “I don’t want to tell you another secret.”

Another secret. She wasn’t talking about the green beans. She meant her parents. That was the real secret she’d shared tonight. That was enough. “Want a secret of mine?”

“Yes.”

“I want to kiss you.”

She swallowed hard as her gaze dropped to my mouth. “Is that really a secret?”

“As secret as your hatred for green beans.” I took the water glass from her hand and set it on the counter along with my tumbler.

Sasha shifted her weight from one foot to the next as I stepped close enough to dive into that hair, my fingers threading into the silky strands at her temples.

Her mouth parted, but before I could capture her lips, she whispered, “I want you to kiss me. That’s a secret.”

A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Maybe for you. I thought it was fairly obvious with how you were staring at me all night.”

She stiffened. “You were staring at me.”

“Because I want to kiss you.” I bent, brushing my lips across hers. It was a tease. A test.

Either she’d pull away and walk to the door. Or . . .

She leaned in. She lifted on those delicate toes.

Hell yes. This time when my mouth touched hers, there was no teasing. No gentle caress. I crushed my lips over hers, my tongue sweeping inside.

Sasha let out a soft hum that shot straight to my cock. She melted against me, her hands sliding up the starched cotton of my shirt.

I slanted my mouth over hers, banding my arms around her back to haul her close. Then I savored the way her tongue tangled with mine, delving into every corner of her mouth until I’d licked them all.

The way she fit against me was perfect, like puzzle pieces snapping together.

Her hands snaked around my waist, her hands sliding up my spine until she couldn’t reach any higher. Then she fisted the fabric of my shirt, clinging to me for dear life.

Not that I had any intention of letting her go.

I kissed her until she whimpered, until my pulse pounded through my veins. Until my entire body thrummed with heat and my arousal strained against my jeans.

“Damn, baby.” I tore my lips away and kissed a line across her jaw before dropping to lick her throat.

“Jax.” Her hands threaded through my hair, tugging at the roots. “More.”

I bent lower, sucking and tasting every inch of her neck. My hands roamed up to her shoulders, then down her ribs, drifting lower until I cupped her ass in my palms and squeezed. Hard.

She moaned. “Yes.”

“I want you, Sasha. So fucking much.”

“Then take me.”

I pulled away, meeting her gaze.

Those beautiful eyes were clear. Confident. When she gave me a slight nod, that was all the invitation I needed to pick her up and carry her down the hall.

My bedroom was cast in silvery shadows, the dim light from a clear winter night slipping through the windows. It was just enough light to see Sasha’s eyes widen as I laid her on the mattress.

Her hair fanned out on the charcoal bedding as I came down on top of her, capturing her lips in another kiss.

My hands continued to wander, memorizing every inch, every curve, until I reached the bare skin of her thigh and skated beneath the hem of her skirt.

She broke the kiss, panting as she arched into my chest. “Jax.”

Every night. I wanted my name on her lips every night. My clothes felt too tight, too hot. I needed skin. Hers. Mine. I wanted this dress off her body and to cover her with mine. But I forced my hand to slide up her leg one inch at a time, savoring the trembling in her limbs as I moved higher.

Sasha reached between us, frantically working the buttons on my shirt loose until it was open to my navel. She pushed at the cotton, trying to get it off my shoulders. “Take this off.”

“Patience.”

She squirmed beneath me, her legs widening. “Touch me. Please.”

What was better? My name? Or hearing her beg?

I peppered her collarbones with kisses, my hand beneath her skirt stalling. The moment my fingers stopped inching toward her apex, she let out a frustrated groan.

“Just wait.”

“I don’t want to wait.” She grabbed my chin, forcing my face up as she slammed her mouth onto mine. Her tongue pushed between my teeth, flickering before it twined with my own.

I let her have control for a minute, let her take what she needed. Then I broke away and stood to yank my shirt from my jeans and finish with the buttons. The clang of my belt filled the room as I unbuckled the latch.

Sasha pushed up on her elbow, reaching for the waistband of my jeans, but with a hand over her heart, I eased her back onto the mattress.

She frowned.

I liked that frown.

When I slipped my hands beneath her back, reaching for the zipper on her dress, she shifted up to help, but I stopped her with a shake of my head. “I’ll do it.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as I stripped the fabric from her body. First her left arm, then the right. I eased it off her naked breasts, dragging it over her ribs and down her stomach.

It was like unwrapping a present, and tonight, I wasn’t going to rush.

“I’ve been wanting to take this off you all night.”

Her mouth parted as the cool air kissed her skin. Those nipples, pebbled and pink, made my mouth water. I bent, taking one between my teeth to pull into my mouth.

“Oh God.” Her hands dived into my hair as she moaned.

I sucked harder, earning a hiss, before moving to the other nipple to give it the same treatment. My hands kept moving, tugging until the dress was over her hips and she wiggled, kicking it to the floor to join my shirt.

The moment my bare chest pressed into her skin, I groaned, a nipple still in my mouth. The heat between us was scorching. A zing shot down my spine, my erection becoming painful behind my zipper.

Sasha arched into my mouth, her eyes fluttering closed as I kept her pinned to the bed, tormenting her breasts. While my mouth worked one nipple, my fingers rolled the other, pinching and plucking until a string of mewls escaped her lips. That grip she had on my hair tightened.

“Could I make you come just from this?”

She nodded, her mouth parted.

I let my hand trail along her belly, tickling her ribs before slipping beneath her black lace panties. “Are you wet for me?”

She gulped.

That was a yes. I stroked a finger through her slit. “Drenched.”

Sasha brought a hand to her face, covering her eyes as she tried to bring her knees together. “Oh my God.”

“Don’t hide, baby.” I wrapped my hand around her wrist, pulling it away. “It’s so sexy that you’re wet for me.”

She nibbled on her lower lip again as I pulled her panties to the side, dragging a finger over her clit. She bucked into the touch. A cross between a moan and a cry echoed off the walls.

I kissed her inner thigh, about to yank those panties off, when she shifted, her knees closing.

“I don’t like it.” She pulled on my forearm, a feeble attempt to drag me into the bed.

“You don’t like it?” Seriously?

“No. Not really. I don’t . . . I just . . .” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Just fuck me, okay?”

There was more to this, but for tonight, for this first time, I’d let her make that call. But sooner rather than later, I wanted her sweetness on my tongue. I wanted to taste every inch of her body and feel her come apart beneath my mouth.

I stood and gripped the sides of her panties, yanking them off her legs. Then I unzipped my jeans, shoving them and my boxer briefs to the floor.

Sasha’s eyes widened as she stared at my cock. “You’re . . .”

Huge. Like she’d said in the car. A grin stretched across my face as I fisted my shaft, giving my dick a few hard strokes. She watched, eyes fixed on my every move. Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.

Someday, I’d taste her. Someday, I’d have that mouth around me. Someday, we’d play.

Because I’d be damned if this was the only time she was in my bed.

I reached for the nightstand and fished out a condom from the drawer. And when I was sheathed, I settled into the cradle of her hips, framing her face with my elbows.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but at my face.

“Sasha,” I murmured.

She closed her eyes.

“Don’t shut me out.” I pushed a lock of hair off her temple, waiting until she met my gaze. “We can stop this right now.”

“No, that’s not . . .” She sighed. “I’m nervous. I don’t . . . I’m not good at this.”

“This?”

“Sex,” she whispered.

“Who said?”

She shrugged. “I said. I have a hard time, um . . .”

Orgasming. Either because she’d had morons for past lovers, not something I wanted to think about at this very moment, or because she was stuck in her own head.

Both problems I’d be happy to solve.

I kissed the corner of her mouth as I reached between us, dragging the tip of my cock through her center and up to her clit. When she gasped, I kissed her again, rocking against her.

“We’re going to fuck. And tomorrow, when you wake up, we’re going to fuck again. Then you can decide if you’re not good at this. But not yet.”

Sasha’s mouth parted. “I—”

Whatever she was going to say, I captured with my lips, kissing her until she clung to my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin. When she started to rock against me this time, seeking that friction, I lined up at her entrance and thrust home.

“Fuck,” I hissed. Tight. She was so tight. “God, you feel good.”

“Jax.” Those nails dug deeper as she stretched around me. “Move.”

I gave myself a moment so I wouldn’t come like a teenager, then I eased out and drove forward again.

Her inner walls were already fluttering.

Not good at this? Her entire body sparked mine. That bite of her nails. Those nipples dragging along my chest. Her long, toned legs wrapping around my hips.

“So damn good.” I gritted my teeth. This was going to last five minutes if I didn’t rein myself in.

Sasha let out a shaky breath, but instead of sinking deeper into this, of letting go and enjoying the ride, a tension crept into her body.

“Eyes on me, baby.”

She opened them, reluctantly, and this time when I kissed her, it was sweet. Gentle.

I rocked us together slowly, flicking the tip of my tongue against hers as I matched the rhythm. And the whole time, I held that dark gaze.

It took five strokes before she finally melted beneath me. Until that fluttering in her pussy returned, stronger and faster.

Every time she tried to look away, I’d take her mouth, forcing her to stay with me.

“Look how you take me.” I glanced between us to where we were connected, slowing so she could watch my cock sink inside. “It’s fucking magic, Sasha.”

Her entire body trembled. “Oh God, Jax.”

I pistoned faster, loosening the hold on my control, just a little.

Her eyes drifted closed as her breaths turned ragged. Her face twisted, like she was trying so hard to get there except that beautiful mind of hers was still in the way.

I bent and sucked a nipple into my mouth. Then I reached between us and found her clit.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”

I circled the bundle of nerves with my finger, faster and faster. Until finally, her neck arched, her back coming off the bed. And she shattered.

Pulse after pulse she quaked. Her face was unguarded as pure ecstasy washed over her features. Her lips parted in a silent cry as the orgasm rocked through her, shaking every muscle, head to toe.

She’d never looked more beautiful.

I closed my eyes, savoring the sound of her incoherent moans. Then I let go, joining her as we both toppled over the edge.

“Fuck, Sasha.” I poured inside her, my mind gone to anything but her.

Every bone trembled through the release, every nerve ending buzzing. It was like being shaken upside down and whirled right side up. Like I was spinning faster than the earth itself and gravity lost its hold.

There was thunder in my chest, lightning zapping through my limbs. Reality returned slowly, like a morning fog clearing off a spring meadow as the sun burned it away.

I collapsed on top of Sasha, burying my face in her hair as I inhaled.

Damn. That was the best sex I’d had in, well, ever. That changed . . . a lot.

She clung to me, her legs wrapped around my hips and her arms locked over my shoulders. Our bodies, still connected, were slick with sweat. Our heartbeats raged, and our chests heaved. But neither of us made a move to untangle, not until the stars fully cleared from my eyes. Then I rolled to the side, hauling her onto my chest.

I needed to deal with the condom, but I kept her tucked close, not ready to lose her quite yet. “Still think you’re not good at this?”

She pushed up onto an arm, staring down at me with that adorable crease between her eyebrows.

“It was an easy question, Sasha. With an easy answer.” I pushed a lock of hair off her forehead, threading my fingers through the tresses until I reached her nape. Then I urged her close until our mouths fused.

We burned through three more condoms before we collapsed into a pile of twisted limbs. Her back was tucked into my chest, and as I closed my eyes, exhausted, I breathed in her hair.

“Good night, Sasha.”

She burrowed into my hold. “Good night, Jax.”

It shouldn’t have surprised me to wake up alone the next morning. Not after she’d been keeping me at arm’s length for three months.

But damn if it didn’t burn.

It really fucking burned.