Page 42 of Recklessly in Love

I look up into her eyes. Concern and something more is written there. To me? It looks like love. It’s not the first time she’s looked at me this way, and it’s why I was so confident she’d say “I love you” back. But the rawness I’m feeling right now makes her obvious feelings hit differently. I want to beg her to say it. But I know I can’t. She needs to say it when she’s ready.

“Just knowing you’re not upset anymore is all I need,” I promise.

She gives me a faint smile. “I’m not. I was never upset with you. I was upset with myself, which was silly. And so not me,” she says with a shake of her head.

I tug on an escaped lock of her hair. “I wasn’t exactly myself this week either,” I offer. “But I’m glad we finally talked. Forgive me?”

She smirks. “I’d say there’s nothing to forgive, but you were pretty moody all week. And apparently extremely oblivious to how that came off,” she teases, poking me in the stomach.

I wrap my hand around her finger and lift it to my mouth, placing a gentle kiss on the tip. “How can I make it up to you?”

Her smirk turns into a salacious grin. “Oh, I can think of many, many ways,” she murmurs, giving me a searing look as her hands trace my chest.

“So can I, city girl,” I murmur, running a finger down her cheek. “Starting with eating that pussy while you ride my face.”

Her pupils dilate, and a small, breathy gasp slips between her lips.

“Dirty boy,” she says mock-accusingly.

I can’t help but unleash a predatory smile. “Are you going to punish me?” I reply teasingly.

In answer, she lifts her shirt and tosses it aside. Her creamy breasts are a sight for sore eyes, and her nipples are tight. She brushes a hand down her chest, over one rosy peak invitingly.

“No, I’m going to reward you, silly. So. Do you want me to fuck you here or in bed, mountain man?” she asks sultrily.

My balls tighten in anticipation. “There’s not enough room here for you to ride me like I want, baby.”

Her back arches, and she inhales sharply, and I can tell she feels those words down to her core — a core I want wrapped around me as soon as possible.

I shift her off my lap and turn her toward the door with a playful smack on the ass.

And as she leads me to the bedroom, stripping off her pants as she goes, giving me a gorgeous view of her perfect ass, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders.

Yes, there are challenges ahead. But if we can end a week this epically awful with understanding and amazing sex? Well, it makes me realize that I can face anything with Joanie by my side.

I also realize she probably needs this as much as I do, though in a different way. So, I will also focus on reassuring her of how much she means to me and that it doesn’t matter if she’s not ready to leap. But that when she is, I’m here to catch her. With lots and lots of orgasms. And killer grilled cheese sandwiches, of course. What woman could resist that combo?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

JOANIE

Sunday, two days after Greg’s bombshell about his father’s legal action, I gather him, Nate, Mia, and Rae at Greg’s house for a strategy session. I’ve done enough research. It’s time to get this incorporation ball rolling. And maybe it’ll be a good distraction for Greg.

“Okay, folks,” I begin, spreading a stack of papers on the coffee table. “I’ve reviewed the codes and procedures for incorporating a town in Washington state and consulted with some lawyer friends who specialize in this area. Here’s what we’re looking at.”

I look up to make sure everyone’s with me. Greg slides his hand over my thigh encouragingly, and I look at Mia and Nate on the other corner of the sectional, then at Rae, who is sitting on a floor pillow by the window. They all nod that they’re listening, so I begin by outlining the key steps.

“All right. We have to propose town boundaries and then determine the population within those boundaries, which I can do using census data since it doesn’t have to be precise; that’ll come later.

“We also have to decide whether Alpine Ridge will have a mayor, which is an elected position, or a town manager, which is similar in function but is appointed by the town council members.

“Once we have those, we can file the incorporation proposal. I’ll handle the paperwork portion since it’s mostly legalese,” I assure them. “But we’ll need a surveyor or someone like that to help with the boundary map. Does anyone know someone?”

Nate raises his hand. “I’ve got one that did my property before we built. I know he’s worked with the county plenty, so I’ll call him and see if he can do that.”

I nod. “Great. Now. Should we ask the town for input on the mayor versus manager question or pick an option ourselves?”

Rae leans forward. “I think we should involve the community as much as possible. Builds trust and buy-in.”

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