Page 14 of Now and Then

I just pray someday she’ll see that things could be different with me. With us.

I whisper against her hair, “You know I’ll never let you fall.”

“What if”—she releases a breathy sigh—“what if I’m finally ready for you to catch me?”

The last few words are barely audible as she slips into sleep, but they blast through my body, lodging themselves into the corner of my heart that’s forever been reserved for her.

Because that’s the thing about Sutton and me—our very atoms know they belong to the other. We’ve been on a collision course for years, and we both know that when the moment of impact occurs, neither of us will ever be the same.

3

Sutton

It’s early when I come to, Hunter curled on his side and nuzzled into my neck. My body’s slung over his, leg wrapped up and over his hip. I smile.

His breath is steady and warm against my skin. I want to sink further into his embrace, give into this overwhelming feeling of rightness. What unsettles me most is that this wasn’t an accident. Last night, I chose this. Chose to roll into him. Chose to let myself sleep tangled up in him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

But I know as much as I want that—want him—I’m not ready to risk what we have.

I slip my leg from his body, hoping I don’t wake him.

“Where you goin’?” His mumble stops my retreat. He slides his hand under my arm and rests it on my shoulder.

“Nowhere.” I run my fingers over his exposed shoulder and he begrudgingly releases me. He rolls onto his back, exposing his trim torso. My fingers long to run through the hairs. I stifle a small giggle, remembering the time I waxed his chest. It only took one strip for him to realize he didn’t care if women preferred less hairy men because he was never “doing this shit again.”

The large picturesque window at the foot of his bed allows the sun, just starting to rise beyond the mountains, to fill his room with a golden glow. Scooting myself up onto the headboard, I cuddle in under the covers at the same moment Hunter wraps his arms around my thighs and rests his head in my lap.

This is my favorite time of the day. When most of the world is still sleeping, and no one expects anything from you.

Watching the sun come over the horizon, bathing the landscape in its warmth, I pull the covers up over his shoulders, guarding from the slight chill in the air. We don’t have much longer before fall will truly be in effect and we’ll need to turn the heater on. Well, Hunter will seeing as this isn’t actually my house.

It has been almost two years since Hunter begged me to help him find this house. He was ready to move out of his bachelor pad apartment but was absolutely no help at all in finding a new place. He just kept telling me, “You’ll know the house when you see it.”

And he was right. Between the small horse arena, barn, and sweeping vistas, this house fits Hunter to a T, even if it was more than outdated. He moved in almost immediately after closing and has proceeded to do absolutely nothing with it. No paint. No new carpet. Not even a horse.

My fingers drift through his wavy, brown locks like a waterfall. His breathing gets deeper. Has he fallen back asleep?

The wildflowers that normally create an ocean of color in his backyard are slowly browning and withering as September ends and fall creeps in.

“That feels so good.” He wraps his arm around my hip, pulling himself closer to me. I love that he reminds me of this every time I play with his hair. As if we don’t already know almost everything about each other.

“You should see this,” I whisper, nudging him to sit up.

He slowly releases me and slithers his way up my body. My lungs stop working when his stubbled cheek rubs along mine. Based on the smile on his face, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Hurry.” I nudge him with my elbow and gesture toward the window.

He settles himself back against the headboard. The sun fully emerges behind the mountains, shooting rays in every direction. The room heats a fraction of a degree as light washes over us, my sun-kissed skinned preening for more.

“It’s so beautiful,” I say.

“I know.” Hunter’s deep voice fills the spacious room.

I turn my head to the side. He’s looking directly at me.

“Hunter.”

My stomach somersaults. My hair must look like a rat’s nest, and I’m sure the tequila I consumed last night has made my face swollen, but this man looks at me like he wants to devour me.