“I noticed.” Her eyes scanned my face. “Is that a bad thing?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay with having a side of me only you see…just don’t tell anyone.”
She mimed zipping her lips.
Kyle launched himself onto the bed without warning and marched across my ribs. Skye laughed as he settled between us, clearly happy with this turn of events.
Skye scratched under his chin. “I think he likes you more than me now.”
“If he does, he has bad judgment.”
“Says the man who tried to save me from a leisurely swim.”
I wrapped an arm tighter around her waist. “Pretty sure you’re screaming was to blame.”
“Details.” She tilted her head up to look at me, some of the teasing easing out of her expression. “So…what now?”
That question should’ve terrified me. A month ago, it probably would have.
Instead I looked around the cabin. At the cat currently shedding all over my blankets. At the woman tangled against my side like she’d always belonged there.
“Now?” I brushed my thumb over her hip. “We sleep. Tomorrow, we figure everything out. How to combine order, chaos and cat care into a life.”
Her smile hit me right in the chest. More sweet this time instead of playful.
“Good,” she murmured. “Because I’m kind of attached to my grumpy mountain man.”
I huffed a laugh and pressed a kiss into her hair while Kyle purred loud enough to rattle the mattress springs.
I lived in the mountains because I wanted to be alone, turns out I just needed the right person - and creature - to share it with.
Epilogue - One Year Later
Aaron
Ascream broke the quiet of the morning. Luckily, we were far enough away from civilization there was no one to hear it.
Sweat prickled my brow and my lower back ached, but I didn’t let up. I couldn’t until the job was done.
Skye screamed again. “Yes, fuck, I’m so close.”
I thrust into her again and again, holding off my own finish by sheer willpower until she broke under me.
“That’s it,” I muttered, voice rough with effort, eyes locked on her. “Come for me.” She did exactly that, writhing and moaning on the makeshift bed in the van.
I followed her over a few seconds later and collapsed onto her chest. We lay like that in the bed in her van, naked, sweating and pressed together.
I rolled off her after a moment and tucked her under my arm. She nestled into my chest, her blonde hair sticking to her forehead with sweat.
Outside the van, the sun had risen and the air was cool. Inside, we’d turned the place into a sauna, the air thick with our combined body heat.
“Morning sex is the best,” I said between breaths.
“Adventuremorning sex is the best,” she corrected.
“Of course you’d add branding to it,” I muttered. “You’re going to start a travel blog about all the wild places I’ve bent you over?”
“Don’t tempt me,” she said lazily. “You’ll find your cock on a logo.”