Page 76 of Castleton Hearts Boxed Set

Chapter Fourteen

Esmeand I slept in the next morning, but were awoken by a dog that needed to go out and a cat who decided he needed to be fed.

“I’ll deal with the dog, you deal with the cat,” Esme said in a tired voice.

“Deal.”

Once the pets were handled, we got back into bed to snuggle.

“How do you feel about quiche for breakfast?” I asked.

“I feel great about quiche for breakfast. I feel even better about you for breakfast,” she said, and before I could react, she was under the covers.

I helped her pull down my shorts and then her tongue was on me and I was treated to a sweet and slow orgasm that unfurled slowly and gently before rocking me completely and leaving me breathless.

I pulled back the blankets and Esme’s head popped up.

“That’s a great way to wake up. Much better than an alarm,” I said. My entire body tingled. “I’m going to get the quiche started. Do you want some coffee?” It seemed only fair that I’d make her breakfast after she made me an orgasm.

Esme pulled herself up next to me and flopped on her back.

“Sounds perfect.”

* * *

I took longerto make breakfast when she came out and kept trying to distract me, but eventually we got everything on plates and had it in bed while fighting off the dog and the cat from trying to sneak bites.

“So I love hanging out with you here, but I was thinking maybe we could go out for a hike today? And get some lunch somewhere?” she said.

I was absolutely on board with that plan, so we packed some snacks and water and sunblock and loaded up Stormy in Esme’s truck and headed north to a cluster of small mountains that could be hiked pretty easily and had phenomenal views. Stormy lost her freaking mind when we got out of the car and headed into the woods, practically pulling the leash out of Esme’s hand.

“This is so nice,” I said, when we stepped beneath the cool shade of the trees. For the first bit of the hike, you could still hear the noises from the road, but soon they faded into rustling leaves, birds, and other critters scurrying around in the underbrush.

Esme and Stormy took the lead, naturally, and I fumbled on behind. I wasn’t going to tell Esme that I couldn’t remember the last time I had actually hiked an actual mountain.

“How are you doing?” Esme asked, looking back. I put my hands on my knees and panted. “Good, great.”

“We can slow down.”

I waved her off.“No, I’m fine,” I wheezed.

She didn’t look like she believed me.

Once we were well on our way, Esme let Stormy off the leash, and she’d run up ahead and then back to check on us and then back out.

Esme definitely slowed down and I was better able to keep up.

“You want to take a break?” she asked when we reached a little stream that ran through the trail.

“Sounds good,” I said, and tried to hide my grimace when I sat down on a rock. Oh, I was going to be sore tomorrow.

Esme shared her water with me and I pulled out the snacks. We traded the bags back and forth in silence. We’d walked for long periods without talking, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful.

Stormy also got treats before running off to chase a squirrel. A few people passed us, either coming down or going up the mountain. Esme and I started a game trying to guess what was in their packs.

“Well, I hope she has a spare pair of shoes, because she’s going to need them,” Esme said, as we watched one woman trudge past us up the mountain wearing flip flops and carrying a designer bag instead of a pack. “I also hope she’s got water in that purse.”

The woman had looked miserable, but the guy she was with had smiled at us and looked like he was a happy camper.

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