Page 98 of Live for Me

When she did, even my hand couldn’t completely muffle the cry that escaped her.

Thankfully, Lance and Lawson were too busy yelling at each other to notice.

Hours later. The Cabin.

Abbie turned around to face me, holding a plate of food out for me as the steam from the stove rose behind her, the glow of the candles in the windowsill above the sink highlighting her perfect cheekbones. My stomach rumbled as I took the plate of rice and beef from her, the scent of the spices filling my nose. “What is this again?”

A small, shy smile teased her swollen lips before she turned back to the stove. “It’s called Messy Skillet.”

I stayed were I was, feet planted until she fixed her plate and shut off the stove. When she turned to face me, I plucked her plate from her hands and jerked my head. “Go on,” I ordered after she stared at me for a second.

“I can carry my own plate, Beau.”

“Never said you couldn’t, but you aren’t going to around me,” I deadpanned, opening the drawer and grabbing our forks and napkins.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes as she moved into the living room, taking a seat on the left side of the couch, the same place she’d been sitting all week. She crossed her legs, and the cotton shorts she wore shifted, revealing more of her skin as I handed her the plate. “Thank you,” she muttered, settling in as I put my plate on the coffee table, taking my seat beside her and leaning forward, ready to dig in.

I could feel her watching me as I took the first bite. An explosion of flavor hit my tongue. and I groaned. “Fuck me, Abbie.” She laughed quietly as I looked back at her. “This is fucking good.”

“Are you saying that because it’s true or because you’ve been eating bunkhouse food for so long?” Abbie teased, taking a bite.

I shook my head, returning my attention to my food. “The bunkhouse food isn’t all bad. Only when the twins try to cook something up.”

Silence followed at the mention of the twins, and I heard her shift her legs, clearing her throat. “Need some water, baby?” I asked calmly, twisting my neck to find her face beet red. She covered her mouth and coughed again before nodding.

A smirk formed as I rose from the couch, heading into the kitchen to grab her a bottle. When I returned, she wouldn’t look me in the eye, simply taking the bottle and muttering a thank you. I sat down and studied her, watching her take a few sips,loving the way her cheeks heated at the memory we created only a few hours ago.

“You embarrassed?” I guessed.

She looked down to her plate, shifting her food around. “No.”

“Did me doing that in front of them make you uncomfortable?” I’d never forgive myself if that was the case. I’d been so lost in the moment—in her—that I didn’t give a fuck about anything else. I finally had my wildflower back, and I didn’t want to miss a second of this—of us.

Abbie’s head shot up, her hair shifting back on her shoulders. “What? No, no—”

“—did you like it?” I pressed before I bit down, bracing for her answer.

The blush on her cheeks deepened as her lips parted. “You know I did, Beau,” she rasped. “I like anything you do with me…or to me.”

Fuck, she was going to make me hard all over again, and I didn’t want the dinner she made to get cold.

“Drive me fuckin’ insane, Abbie Spears,” I murmured, reaching and rubbing my thumb across her bottom lip. “Do me a favor, yeah?”

She waited, her eyes searching mine.

“Don’t ever stop,” I whispered. “Don’t you ever stop driving me insane, Wildflower. You understand me?”

“I won’t stop,” she promised, wrapping her fingers around my wrists, her thumb stroking the skin there.

I said nothing for a few moments, savoring her presence, and I’d never been so fucking thankful for anything in my entire life. When I pulled my hand from her, I ordered, “Eat, baby.”

Both of us ate in silence then, and when we were both finished a few minutes later, I cleaned up the plates. As I set to washing the dishes, I felt her come up behind me. “Beau?”

“Yeah?”

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

I knew it was coming, but fuck, I’d thought we could at least have a night together without the rest of the world getting in the way. I shut the water off and grabbed a towel, wiping my hands as I turned to face her, leaning against the counter. “That depends on you, Abbie.”

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