It was hunger.
It was home.
I pulled him down with a hand behind his neck, and our mouths found each other again, wetter this time, messier. The kind of kiss that left me aching even before it was over.
The saddle blankets cushioned my back, scratchy and familiar. His hands moved with purpose—calloused palms grazing my thighs, the dip of my waist, the swell of my breast like they'd never forgotten their path. I gasped his name, and it came out half-broken.
He froze, just for a breath. His eyes locked on mine like he was checking one last time.
So I said it again. Stronger.
"Colt."
That was all it took.
He sank into me with a groan so deep it rattled something loose inside me. I arched into him, my nails pressing into his shoulders. The tack room closed in around us—warm, close, alive. Rain drummed on the roof. Hay scratched our skin. And every thrust reminded me of what it had been like to belong to someone without ever saying the words.
He whispered my name like a secret between kisses. His body moved with mine like no time had passed at all.
Then, a nudge at the door.
A soft snort. A curious muzzle poking through the gap.
We both froze.
Windstorm—or maybe Biscuit—let out a breathy huff, nostrils flaring as she blinked into the room like she was personally offended.
We broke into laughter, breathless and wild.
Colt pressed his forehead to mine, still moving inside me, a grin curving his lips. "Think she wants in on the action."
"Tell her to get in line," I gasped, pulling him back down.
We kept going, chasing the rhythm that pulsed through us, drowning out everything else until the ache in my chest mirrored the electric high curling in my belly.
I came apart beneath him, clinging to his name as if it were the only truth left in a world gone hazy.
"God, Cowboy. I've missed you…"
Colt shivered. "Get it, Tess, get it with me."
His breath hitched as he filled me, a rush of heat surging through our intimate bond. I shattered alongside him—intense, electric, and utterly consuming—my body clenching around his in perfect harmony.
The tension that had coiled between us exploded in an exhilarating climax, leaving us both gasping for breath, our bodies spent and quivering from the aftershocks. I could feel the rapid thump of his heart against my skin, a primal rhythm that echoed the waves still coursing through me.
Afterward, we lay entwined on the damp blankets, our skin glistening with more than just rain. His arm draped possessively across my waist as he held me tight.
I gazed at the ceiling above us, lost in a haze of blissful thoughts while the storm outside began to settle. The raindrops danced against the window like a soft lullaby, each patter punctuated by distant rumbles of thunder that seemed to echo our shared satisfaction.
Colt shifted, brushing a kiss along my shoulder. "We were careful, right?"
I tilted my head toward him, lips curving.
"You remember us ever being careful?"
He huffed a soft laugh.
Then I added, quieter now, "I'm not taking anything. Guess I'm still a little wild and crazy."