Page 112 of One Last Rodeo

“Aww,” June coos, looking at the photo, clutching her chest. “Adorable. Have fun, you two!”

And then I’m gone—my legs eating up the distance, carrying us away from the noise, the crowd, the world. I want her all to myself now.

The moment we get inside her office, I’m dropping her onto the desk without breaking the kiss. It turns frantic fast. She unbuttons my flannel, dragging it off my shoulders, nails scraping over my back and down my ass. The sensation shoots straight to my cock, thick and aching in my jeans.

“Take these off,” I tell her roughly.

She lifts her hips, giving me access. I tug her pants and underwear down together, sucking in a breath at the sight of her bare pussy for the first time in weeks.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “I've missed you.”

I drop to my knees, pull her hips to the edge of the desk, and drag a slow, savoring lick across her pussy.

“Take off your shirt while I taste you.”

She does, lifting it over her head. Navy silk. A delicate bra with a diamond charm at the center. I reach up and swat it lightly.

“Is this new?”

She bites her lip and nods. “For you. I figured it was time to refresh my lingerie.”

Something that only I get to see.Something new for my eyes only. Another thing I'll collect in my memory.

I smile against her, drag my tongue over her clit again, then shove two fingers deep inside her, curling them just right and watching the way they disappear inside her warm, wet walls.

“I like that you were thinking of me when you bought that,” I say.

“Jensen,” she breathes, fingers twisting in my hair then nails scraping lightly against my scalp. “I’m sorry for punishing you for so long. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. Davis manipulated the situation… and manipulated me. I knew that all along, I think I just let my emotions over the way he hurt me in the past get the better of me. There was stuff I hadn't dealt with yet, and you were the one I took it out on.”

I lift my head and meet her eyes.

She swallows. “I didn’t tell you who Davis was because I was ashamed that he still had the power to hurt me. I want to start over. Is that even possible? Can we… I don’t know. Date?”

I chuckle softly. “That’s more than possible. That’s what I want too. But I think we’re past the casual stage, don’t you?”

I cup her waist, pull her closer, and kiss her mouth gently this time. She laughs, fingers threading through my hair kissing me back.

“I agree, but there’s something else,” she says. “I won’t be working any more series. I’m quitting the rodeo.”

“I figured.”

“Are you disappointed?” Her voice wobbles a little. “We can still date. I just… I’m trying to figure out my next move. I miss surgery, but I liked gen-med in Whitewood Creek. I thought maybe I’d try something new. Work somewhere that gets to blend a little of everything while staying closer to my roots. I never got to travel, and I’ve enjoyed the little that we've done with the rodeo.”

I kiss her again, slower now. This is what she needs—room to explore without losing her identity. Something that no one ever gave her the opportunity to do. She always felt like she had to be perfect. The sister who had it figured out and stuck to one thing, one city,one man.Now she's realizing she doesn't have to do that. That she can forge her own path while still doing something she loves.

“I’m not disappointed,” I say. “Because I’m done too.”

She pauses. “What?”

“Done riding,” I say calmly. “That was my last ride.”

Her eyes search mine, worry there. “Please tell me it’s not because of me. I never want to be the reason you quit.”

I kiss her softly. “I found something I love more. I think I was always looking for a reason to quit and never had a good enough one.”

"Your heart surgery wasn't enough?"

I shake my head. "No. But you are." I lean in. “I’m heading back to Tennessee to spend some time with my grandma. You want to come with me before we figure out where to go next? I’ll let ya pick.”