“Life’s a risk, Margot. If you never take risks, you never get the amazing rewards that come from falling in love with somebody.” She takes my hands in hers, squeezing tight. “You’re stronger than you think. Heck, nobody thinks they can handle these things…divorce, bereavement, illness…but people do it every day, baby. If you spend your whole life hiding from the rain, you’ll never get to see the sunshine.”
I blink at her, and her face splits into a smile as she says, “I got that last bit from an Instagram post, but the point still stands.”
Suddenly, I’m laughing and crying all at once. A million emotions are raging through me, but all that matters is that deep down, I know my mom is right. I told myself I was protecting myheart, and maybe I even believed that. But really, I was letting fear control me. And that’s no way to live.
“Thank you, Mom,” I tell her, squeezing her tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.” She looks guilty as she adds, “Don’t worry about me and your dad. I’ll talk to him. We both need to be reminded that this divorce doesn’tonlyaffect us.”
I nod. “It’s not just for me. I think you’d both feel a lot better about things if it wasn’t all so…”
“Petty? Nasty? Stupid? There are plenty of words for it.” She chuckles wryly. “We’ll figure it out. Now get out of here! Go get your man.”
I’m already standing up, grabbing my keys. My mom waves me off as I get in my car and drive back toward Declan’s cabin, my heart in my throat. I never should have run away like that. It was dumb and cowardly, and now I just have to hope that the man of my dreams will accept my apology.
8
DECLAN
When Margot left my cabin,I followed her out through the trees and watched her as she got into her car. After the lake incident, I had to make sure she was safe. The whole time, I was seriously considering pulling her into my arms and carrying her back home with me, but I figured that would only push her further away. So instead I watched her disappearing taillights with a heavy heart, wondering how the fuck I managed to mess things up so badly.
Now I’m in my living room, pacing back and forth, wondering what the hell to do. I understand Margot’s fears, but dammit, I’m not giving up. All I need is an opportunity to prove I would never hurt her. From the second we met, this curvy angel has taken over my whole life, and I want her to know that. But I have no way of contacting her. No number, no address. I could go to Cherry Grocery tomorrow and try to find her there, but fuck, I need to see her now. Right now. I should have tried harder to make her stay, even if it risked pushing her away. At least she’d be here…at least I could see her, talk to her.
I grab the keys to my truck and head outside into the night. Cherry Hollow is a small town. I’ll head to a few bars, ask around, hell I’ll knock on fucking doors if I have to. Jawclenched, I get in the driver’s seat of my truck and slam the door closed. But before I can turn the engine on, I see headlights coming toward me, driving up the snowy path that leads to my cabin. My heart leaps, and I watch eagerly as the car stops in front of mine.
It’s Margot.
She jumps out of her vehicle, and I do the same, staring at her. She’s lit up by headlights, eyes red like she’s been crying, but there’s determination in her gaze, and before I can say a word, she’s running toward me. Her arms circle around my neck, and she kisses me hard, her plump lips soft and sweet. For a second, I’m frozen with shock, then a flood of relief rushes over me as I pull her into my arms, savoring the way her soft curves fit against me. Her mouth is warm and desperate, and she holds me like she never wants to let go, her hands running through my hair until she finally pulls away with a shuddering breath.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice overflowing with emotion. “I’m so sorry for freaking out like that and running off. It was stupid.”
“Margot, it’s okay.” I hold her close, savoring her sweet vanilla scent. All that matters is she’s here, safe in my arms where she belongs.
“It’s not okay.” Her voice is muffled against my chest. “I was being a coward, trying to run from my feelings.” She pulls back to look at me, tipping her head up. Her pretty face glows in the glare of headlights as she says, “I like you, Declan. A lot. I’ve never felt like this before, and it made me feel vulnerable. So I freaked out and left instead of being honest with you. And I’m really, really sorry.”
My heart swells like a fucking balloon at her words, pure happiness rushing through my veins. I never imagined this beautiful angel would fall for me, but she’s looking at me like I’ma god, and I scoop her into my arms, showering kisses across her soft face.
“I forgive you.” My mouth brushes her ear, my words soft. “You came back. That’s all that matters.”
She exhales deeply, a sigh of relief, and I kiss her again, sucking on her pouty bottom lip. My cock is throbbing as she whimpers against my mouth, raw emotion pulsing in the air around us. I need to make her mine, like I’ve wanted to do since the moment I met her.
“Let’s go pick up where we left off,” I mutter, running my hands through her hair.
“Good idea.” She beams at me, her eyes twinkling. I’ll never get used to how fucking pretty she is. There’s an animal need growing inside me, crying out for Margot. I want her in my bed: squirming, moaning, screaming. She’s mine. All mine. And it’s about time I show her that.
The minutewe’re through the front door of my cabin, I slam it closed and push Margot back against it, lifting her up to my height. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I kiss her hard, teeth clashing, tongues melding in a frenzy.
“Fuck,” I groan between kisses. “You’ve been driving me crazy, Margot.”
In response, she tightens her grip on my shoulders, trembling as I grind my cock against her. Her body is so soft, so responsive. I want to see it—feast my eyes on her curves and worship every inch of her.
I carry her away from the door and into my bedroom, laying her down on my giant four-poster bed. Her dark hair fans out on the pillow, her breath coming fast as I climb on topof her, settling between her open legs. My hands grab at her sweater, and she helps me pull it over her head to reveal her lacy bra, straining against the pale flesh of her breasts. I unclip it feverishly, and Margot shrugs it off, tossing it aside. Her rounded tits spill out, soft and plump, her pretty pink nipples begging to be touched, licked, sucked.
“You’re so fucking pretty.” My voice is a throaty whisper. She’s so perfect I can’t even speak—and I fill my hands with her softness, bending down to suck one puckered nipple.
“Oh!”
Her whole body shivers as I tease her with my tongue, my hands grasping at every inch of her—the curves of her hips, her waist, her belly. I want to memorize her perfect body, learn it by touch. But first, there’s more I want to see.