Page 61 of Careless Hope

As we moved together, the world outside faded until there was nothing but the heat between us. This wasn’t just another tumble between the sheets; it felt like staking a claim, but was she claiming me or was I claiming her?

“Caroline,” I breathed out, my control fraying.

Her hips moved faster, each thrust harder, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. I reached up to grab her hips, trying to pull her closer, needing her deeper. She moaned, the sound low and needy, and I knew she was close too.

I felt her body tense, and then she cried out my name, grinding out her orgasm on my cock.

“That’s it, baby. Ride it out. I’m so close, too.”

A second later, she was off me, discarding the condom, and taking me deep into her mouth. I groaned out nonsense at the surprise, reveling in the feel of her warmth.

“Fuck . . . ”

I couldn’t take much more. Each sensation was stronger, more powerful than the last as she bobbed her head, sucking and licking with abandon.

“You wanna swallow my cum, don’t you?” I asked, and her greedy little smile around my cock was the sexiest answer I could have asked for.

Not even three seconds later, I was shooting my load down her throat, moaning at the feel of her swallowing it around me. She continued to lap at me for another minute while I came harder and longer than I ever had.

“Holy fuck, baby.”

She kissed the tip, then swallowed the last bit, her prideful smile shining across her face.

“Come here,” I said with a smile, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down to me.

The warmth of Caroline’s body against mine, her head resting on my chest, felt like a brand—marking me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. The rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing matched the slowing beat of my own heart as we lay there, tangled in the sheets that had earlier been twisted in our fervor.

“Wow,” she murmured, her voice a soft whisper against the silence of the room.

“Yeah,” I replied, my throat dry, the word barely audible. It was an understatement, but anything more seemed beyond me. Outside, the distant sound of a lone coyote cut through the night, a reminder of the world waiting beyond my bedroom walls. But I didn’t want to face the world yet. I wanted to stay here with Caroline forever.

The moonlight spilled through the window, casting a pale glow over Caroline’s bare shoulders. Even in the dim light, I could see the flush of her skin, the satisfaction in her relaxed features. But as much as my body was still humming from the intimacy we’d shared, my mind was racing ahead, corralling thoughts that were straying too far from the here and now.

This wasn’t just a lesson anymore. Somewhere along the way, the lines had blurred, and what started as teaching confidence had morphed into a genuine connection—one that scared the hell out of me. Caroline might be content with the arrangement, seeing it as nothing more than what it was intended to be, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was standing at a crossroads, one path leading to familiar territory and the other . . . well, I wasn’t sure where that one went.

I needed to maintain boundaries, for both our sakes. But as she shifted slightly, her leg brushing mine, I wondered how I was going to keep my emotions roped in. This was new ground for me, uncharted and intimidating.

“Are you okay?” Caroline’s voice pulled me back from the edge of my reverie.

“Never better,” I lied smoothly, hoping my voice didn’t betray the turmoil inside. The truth was, I was better than okay; I was lost in a feeling I’d never given myself permission to explore. But admitting that would mean acknowledging the possibility ofsomething more, and that was a gate I wasn’t sure I was ready to open.

Outside, the sound of the coyote faded, and I imagined it moving on, solitary and purposeful. I envied its simplicity, its uncomplicated existence. Tomorrow, I’d face the ranch, the animals that depended on me, and the family legacy that was heavier than any saddle. Tonight, though, I’d allow myself this moment, this illusion that nothing else mattered but the woman in my arms and the afterglow of our shared passion.

20

Caroline

It wasone of those rare, quiet mornings in Whittier Falls where the sun peeked through my bedroom curtains with a lazy sort of promise, and I found myself tangled up in thoughts instead of sheets. Lately, my return to town had sparked some kind of strange revival in the local bachelors—an oddity that left me more bemused than flattered.

It wasn’t only my newfound confidence with dating that attracted them. It was the fact that, as far as they knew, I had attracted Walker Anderson’s eye.

I wasn’t naive enough to think that wasn’t a major factor. News of our ‘relationship’ had spread like wildfire and the idea that I could get the notorious town bachelor to settle down had become a point of intrigue to many.

The attention was flattering, sure, but every polite decline reminded me of the inconvenient truth nipping at my heels like a persistent pup: it wasn’t their invitations that set my heart racing—it was Walker’s crooked grin.

I sighed, getting out of bed to start my day. Confusion clouded my head over why, after all these years and so many milestraveled, my pulse quickened for a man who personified everything unpredictable. I’d protected my heart for my whole life. And suddenly, I’d developed feelings for a man who had no intention of ever settling down? Fate was cruel.

The sound of a truck approaching pulled me from my thoughts, and I glanced out the window to see Walker rolling up the driveway. My stomach performed an involuntary somersault. We were supposed to go to the farmer’s market today and then out to brunch. Just another ruse to keep up appearances, but lately, those moments felt less like a charade and more like a cruel game my heart played on me.

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