Page 96 of Feverburn

“I like the sound of that. Why don’t you pack a bag, and we can hide out at the cabin.”

She got on her tippy toes for a kiss. “All in?” she whispered with doe eyes.

“All in.”

The drive home was quiet. Once we got to the bedroom, I fetched a bottle of melatonin gummies from my bedside table.“Rosie, Iloveyou very much, but I have a vulnerability hangover, and I’m fucking tired. I spend every waking moment doing the two things I know I’m good at—working or worshiping you.”She chuckled at how blunt I was being. I was rummy with exhaustion.“How ‘bout we pop two of these and get some real sleep?”

“True romance,”she teased, walking closer to me.“You gave me the D. Now let’s get some Z.”She fought a giggle, opening her mouth to stick out her little tongue. I plopped two gummies andsealedthe deposit with akiss.

Rosie played with my hair and tickled my back as I used her boobs as the perfect pillow. “It’s all over, Carson. We’refree. You can live your life now.”

“Thank you for loving me.”

“Thank you for loving me,” she echoed. “I think we started some serious healing tonight.”

“Tomorrow will be better.”We shared sleepy smiles before drifting off.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Carson and I spent the day after the smutty summit in a bubble of bliss. It was anunspokentruth that we craved more time together before the rest of the world knew. There were no talks of when or how to tell people.

With our melatonin-induced coma, we slept until noon. Since we were both early risers for work, that was disorienting enough. With the added hangover of too much sleep, we shuffled around in a lovey-dovey daze, too tired to go for a run or drive. Instead, we lounged around, cuddling or eating, talking or drawing, playing with Kiszka, and breaking out in the occasional drunken dance when a good song came on. I had an entire playlist titled Carson’s Cabin that I made over the months we had been dating. It was an audible map of ourlovestory.

When the night crept in, we had thegeniusidea of dragging the mattress from his guest room in front of the fireplace and then covering it with fuzzy fur blankets and quilts. It became a cozy nest I didn’t want to leave. We had everything we needed right there with the flames.

Eventually, we both found ourselvesnakedunder the furs. Carson laid on his side, propping his head up with his arm while he turned to look at me and the hearth. I waslyingflat on my back, loving the warmth of my man and the fire. I traced lazy lines through his chest hair and over the necklace I gave him. The crystal gleamed in the firelight and radiated good energy.

He pushed the blanket below my hips, his hand roaming from my throat to my pussy, then down my thighs, only to travel back up. His hungry eyes followed his path each time, and his touch still made me shiver, even with how much we’d been making love lately.

He draped over me, our legs entwined.“Iloveyou like this, all soft and warm.”He nuzzled between my breasts and kissed each one.“I just want you like this forever. Nothing between us.”

“Deal,”I wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer.

“How can you be so sure?” he whispered with a slow blink of his long lashes.

“What do you mean?”

“I justworryyou’ll get sick of Pine Bluff. I never want you to resent me for having to live here because of my store.”

“Iloveit here. It’s so calm. I came here for healing and found it alone, but I also found it with you.”I fixed my gaze on the blaze reflecting in his honeyed hazel eyes, hoping to relay my sincerity.“Baby, you did that for me. You showed me it’s okay to accept help and have people watching out for me. I needed that so badly. I was in survival mode, and you helped me out of it.”

He licked his lips, gathering his thoughts. “All I have are traditions and obligations. How could that be enticing?”

“Because I never had any of that. No safety net, no normalcy. My mom did herbest, but I didn’t have a big family around me. No legacy, no memories except with her. It’s hard to admit, but it waslonelysometimes.”

“I’m sorry,”he frowned for a second before he brushed a tendril off my forehead.“You know, you showed me things too. You helped me realize I’m not damaged because of the bad shit in my past. And you listened to me better than anyone ever has.”

“Kissme,”I whispered, needing to feel hisloveinstead of hearing it. He slanted his mouth over mine, weaving his hand through my curls. I lost myself in the kiss with his taste and his muscular pecs scraping my tender nipples. I wiggled closer, a dull ache forming that only he could remedy.

He rolled himself fully over me, the veins on his arms bulging slightly in the firelight as his hip muscles flexed, settling between my legs. He nipped at my tummy, then a boob, before whispering, “I told you I’d have you all flushed and fucked properly in this cabin if you’d just let your guard down.”

I kissed along the long line of his shoulder. “Go on,” I teased, my giggle becoming a gasp as he rocked his hips, sliding up between my pussy lips. I couldn’t help but push at his shoulders to look down at his groin. I loved how right above the root of his cock had the most delicious mix of taut muscles, veins, and hair.

“Mm, my greedy girl wants to watch,” his gravelly voice covered me, as he bent my leg closest to the fire, so my knee was by my chest. With my core exposed, he ran his length up through my pussy, slicking it.

I shuddered. “God, that’s so fucking hot.”

He pulled back, doing it again, trailing my clit with every inch, every vein. With each pass, the crown glistened more and more.

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