Page 71 of Just One Spark

She shifted it around her wrist so she could examine each charm."I love it.Thank you."She reached over and kissed me softly.

"I have something for you too."She reached for the present and handed it to me.

I unwrapped it, not caring about the paper, until I got to a hardcover book, showcasing breweries.

"I thought you might like to have it on the coffee table.You can look at the pictures and get ideas for yours.I thought it might be good inspiration."

I paged through the first few glossy photographs."This is perfect.Thanks, Hattie."

She smiled."I wasn't sure it would be enough."

"For the record, you don't have to give me anything.I'm perfectly happy just spending time with you."

"I wanted to give you something special because you've done so much for me.You've given me a place to live when my apartment was unlivable.And you've shown me how a family should be.It's given me a better appreciation for where Mom and I are now, and I think we're going to be okay."

"Yeah?"

She nodded."We're going to come out of this stronger than ever."

"You know you have my family too.At this point, they probably like you more than me.I'm fairly sure Mom wanted more daughters, and she got stuck with us."

She laughed."I doubt that."

"Just ask her.I bet she'd admit it."I placed the towel on the warming rack and stepped back into the water.

Hattie did the same and joined me underneath the water.

"You saved me from sharing this bath with a random single woman who wanted to get into my trunks."

"I saved you, huh?"Hattie asked.

"Would the bath have been videotaped for social media or a picture shared on the front ofThe Telluride Times?I can't even imagine how awful that would be."I shuddered at the thought.

Hattie shifted onto my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck."It's a good thing I volunteered to be your girl then."

"Yes."My hands gravitated toward the dip in her waist.I was fully prepared to glide up to her breasts or down between her legs.My brain was all over the place.I wanted to touch her and taste her, but at the same time, I just wanted to be inside her.

"I can't imagine how awful it would have been to be the center of so much attention.All those women."She moved over my dick.

It was difficult to think straight with her on top of me."I only want you."

"You're a sweet talker," she said before she kissed me.

I wanted to argue with her and remind her that I was all in with her.I wasn't playing a role or telling her a story.I wanted her, not some random woman who won a contest.I could care less about the rest of the single girls in town.No one compared to her.

But she was nipping at my bottom lip and gliding over my dick.It was difficult to keep thoughts straight in my head.They kept forming, then splintering in half.I couldn't remember what we were talking about or why it was so important to tell her how I felt.

Surely, she knew.She was in my lap and had my undivided attention.There was no one I wanted more.It was clear to anyone with eyes that I loved her.

Oh, shit.I was in love with her.

It was the only logical solution for the emotions swirling in my chest.But I couldn't tell her when we were having sex.She'd think it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing and not real.

I had to be careful and navigate this situation with kid gloves.Except now, she'd moved off my lap to tug down my trunks.She didn't bother to remove them all the way.

She moved up my body, pausing to slide her suit to the side, and sank over me.

I wasn't prepared for her to move so quickly.I thought we'd have more foreplay, more time to enjoy each other's bodies.But I couldn't bring myself to lift her off me or to tell her to stop.I'd be crazy to put a stop to this.