Page 88 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Chloe perks up just enough to see me slide off the bed and then lies back down on her overstuffed dog bed. I can tell she misses Finn when we stay at my place. She doesn’t like the excuse that he’s on duty at the ranch.

I softly hit the floor and slink out of the room on my tiptoes. Making my way down to my spare bedroom, I open the closet door and pull out Lachlan’s gift. As I start to wrap it, I hear the telltale sign of nails clicking down the hallway. A gentle scratch at the door tells me I’ve been found.

I pause from wrapping his present and go to the door on my hands and knees. I reach up and twist the knob, cracking the door open just enough for Chloe to nose her way inside.

“Morning, Chloe,” I whisper and ruffle the hair behind her ears.

I crawl back over to my present-wrapping adventure and place a few more pieces of tape around the box. I hope he likes what I found. I had fun shopping for him. I’m not a huge fan of attention being on me and receiving gifts, but I love finding something special for others. It brings me such joy to see their eyes light up when they unwrap what I found them.

Picking up the present, I put it under my arm and sneak downstairs. Time to get the coffee going. I start a pot of coffee for Lachlan and mix the ingredients for my protein shake. I place one banana, half a cup of frozen strawberries, almond milk, ice water, and a scoop of Vega protein powder in my mixer. Putting the silencing box over the blender, I turn it on low, glancing toward the stairs to make sure Lachlan is undisturbed.

The smell of coffee fills the kitchen as I sip my shake. The sun is shining as it rises over the lake, and the trees cast long shadows across the ground. If I didn’t know the lake was made of water, I would assume it was a mirror. The surface is so still, I can see the reflection of the clouds. This house is a slice of silent heaven.

Grabbing my new Kindle off the kitchen counter and my sweater off the hook, I slide open the back door, and Chloe lazily trots into the backyard. Her nose is to the ground as she picks up all the scents from overnight visitors. Wrapping my hands around my blender cup, I lower myself into my Adirondack chair. I tuck my feet underneath me and pull my sweater tighter around my body. The morning is crisp, and the air feels fresh.

By the time I finish drinking my smoothie, I've completed the next chapter and decide to do a little yoga before Lachlan awakens. I roll out the yoga mat, which I keep tucked just inside the sliding glass door, and start with a basic sun salutation. AsI lift my hips into downward dog pose, I feel warm, calloused hands grip my hips through the thin fabric of my sleep shorts.

“Mornin’, Hurricane,” he says in a raspy voice laced with either sleep or lust.

I look under my arm up into heavy-lidded emeralds. The longer I stare, the larger his pupils grow. His eyes follow the path of my tongue as I lick my lips, and I realize something hard is pressed against the seam of my shorts.

“Happy Birthday, Lachlan,” I say in a husky voice.

“Best birthday wake-up I've ever received. The smell of coffee wafting up the stairs and you flashing me through the kitchen window. I about dropped my coffee cup when I looked out and saw you bent up like a pretzel.”

I walk my hands back toward my feet, pressing myself further against his length. Slowly, I bring my back up and find myself pressed to his chest. His hands move from my hips, wrapping around my stomach in a warm embrace. I shiver when his breath fans my neck and his lips delicately graze my skin.

Tilting my head back, I reach up and pull the back of his head to my mouth. Our lips dance in unison for a few minutes before I feel his hand slowly move under the hem of my shorts. His fingers end at the place where the elastic of my underwear meets the apex of my thighs.

He groans, closing his eyes. “You’re soaked.”

“Well, you are kissing and touching me,” I tease. “Isn’t that the response you were expecting?”

Growling into the kiss, he responds, “Yes, it was, Aislinn.” As his touch ghosts along my sides, he whispers, “You are breathtakingly beautiful.”

I love it when he says my name, and the ‘l’ rolls off his tongue. No one has ever said my name with the passion he doesor looked at me like I am a goddess among mortals. I turn in his arms and plant a kiss on his chest.

“I'm so excited it's your birthday. Your birth is definitely worth celebrating. I love you to the moon and back,” I announce with a lilt to my voice.

His hands continue to explore as he rumbles, “To the moon and back, huh? What about to the sun and back?”

I smile against his lips. “It’s just a phrase my mom and dad used to say to each other. I always hoped for a love like theirs. Knowing I have found it makes me happy.”

He stills his hand and holds me in his arms. “I found it, too.”

Leaning his forehead against mine, he nuzzles my nose and releases a contented sigh.

“Are you going for your morning run?” he asks against my forehead.

I bite my lip, looking up at him through my lashes. “No, I’ve decided you are my own, personal brand of endorphins.”

He chuckles into my hair. “I'm okay with being your form of addiction. I know I am so addicted to you, too. I would cross the seven seas for you or try to stop a tornado with my bare hands.”

“You know what?” I start to say. “When I was a little girl, my family and I went camping, and one day we were having a picnic. Halfway through our meal, this boy about my brother’s age came through the trees with his parents and started to eat lunch. All through my lunch I felt the boy’s eyes on me, and when I asked my dad if there was something wrong with me, you know what he said?” Lachlan has gone still and shakes his head no, so I continue. “He told me to one day find a man who looks at me like that boy did. Someone who would stare down the eye of a hurricane for me. I found that with you, Lachlan.”

Tears form in Lachlan’s eyes as he audibly swallows. His voice comes out hoarse. “Were you in a green canoe?”

I wrinkle my forehead and look into his eyes. “Yeah, how did you—” But before I can complete that thought, it hits me. “You were the boy with the peridot eyes,” I whisper with bated breath.

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