Page 41 of Roping Reba

Johnny released Onex and climbed over the fence to meet me. When he stepped forward, his fingers skimmed down my arm before he intertwined them with mine. “I mean I love being Jax’s dad. And I love being your husband. But I keep thinking about what it’d be like to have another little one running around here. A baby that’s a little bit me and a little bit you.”

I sucked in a breath, my chest tightening with emotions I hadn’t expected to feel so strongly. I had always been content with Jax. He was my son in every way that mattered, but the thought of carrying Johnny’s child, of having a baby together, made my heart ache in the best way possible. I’d be lying if Isaid it wasn’t something I’d considered. We had just moved so fast with everything that we never really talked about it. I guess I kind of assumed if it was meant to be, we’d discuss it and move forward, but I was perfectly happy with just the three of us as well.

“You really want that?” I asked, my voice softer than I intended.

Johnny let out a small laugh, almost as if the thought of me questioning it was ridiculous. “Hell yeah, I want that. I’ve never wanted anything more. But I need to know what you want, Reba.”

Could I do this? Could I take this next step with him? The answer came before I even finished the thought.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I want that too.”

The relief in Johnny’s eyes was instant, but it was quickly replaced by something else, something darker, something familiar. Desire.

“Then let’s get started,” he murmured, his voice a low growl as he reached for me.

A giggle bubbled up from my throat as he grabbed my waist and lifted me effortlessly. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing against him as his lips found mine. The kiss was slow, deep, filled with the kind of promise that sent heat pooling low in my belly.

“Johnny,” I murmured against his lips, threading my fingers through his hair. “We should probably take this inside.”

He groaned, nipping at my lower lip before pulling back just enough to look into my eyes. “Fine. But only because I don’t want the horses to judge me.”

Laughing, he placed me back on my feet and I took his hand, letting him lead me back toward the house. The balance of mom and dad time with parenting had become tricky. It took us a bit to figure it all out, especially when it came to how much wewanted to explore the kinkier side of our relationship, but we made it work. Jax was a heavy sleeper, a side effect from being a bona fide farm kid, and we took full advantage of all his acquired aunts and uncles who lived on the ranch.

By the time we made it inside, the door barely clicked shut before Johnny spun me around and pressed me against it. His hands roamed my sides, memorizing, claiming.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he murmured, his lips ghosting over my jaw, down my throat.

“I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

He pulled back just enough to cup my face, his expression turning serious. “I mean it, Reba. You’ve changed my whole damn life. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He began pulling at my clothes, making me laugh a bit louder than I should with our son sleeping so close. Johnny put his hand over my mouth, looking at me wide-eyed while we both froze in place listening to see if today would be the first time we woke up Jax. Even though he slept well, the fear of being caught was always there.

“Race you to the bedroom?” he asked with a glint in his eye.

I didn’t bother answering. I just ducked under his arm and took off, throwing my clothes at him as I went. I loved him. There was no doubt about that but I still loved a solid competition and I loved winning even more. By the time he made it to the bedroom, he was stumbling over himself, carrying my clothes.

“Not fair!”

“You didn’t state it wasn’t a stripping run.”

He threw my clothes at me while I finished undressing and he did the same. The fun that stretched between us wasn’t something I’d ever expected. Sure I had relationships before but Johnny was more than just my husband, he was my best friend. When you live on a ranch and you’re responsible for not only thewellbeing of staff but also animals, it didn’t leave a lot of room to play around. We did the work because we enjoyed it, but other than Johnny, I’ve never met a foreman who was so easygoing. After years of the work, many of them felt hardened to the job and it leaked into their personal life. Johnny wasn’t like that though. He was all about daily enjoyment and I loved that he set that example for our son.

I reached into the nightstand and pulled out some rope, throwing it in his direction. “Tie me up? Sir?”

A slow smile came over him. “Of course.”

We had made a few upgrades to our bed, hooks that hid away without a problem, restraints that I concealed under the mattress and a whole box of toys that slid underneath. I let my gaze run up to the hooks he’d recently installed in the ceiling. We hadn’t used them yet and, damn, I was excited to try them. I knew he could suspend me there, but even just standing on the bed with my arms above my head would stretch my body in ways I was looking forward to.

“Up there?” he asked, pointing to where my gaze had settled.

“Please, Sir.”

Johnny stepped forward and helped me up onto the bed. “Tell me your safe word, Reba.”

“Sweetbreads.”

“Very good.”

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