Page 77 of Wild & Worthy

“Chace.” She holds my gaze, pulling me closer. “I need all of you.”

Fuuucckk.

I bury my face against her neck as everything finally breaks loose between us, holding her as tightly as I can while she comes apart with me, my hips driving into her as I spill every bit of myself inside her, and my name echoes on her lips under the night sky.

For a few seconds, there is nothing but Addie in my arms, her breath against my skin, and the terrifying realization that I have never felt closer to another person in my life.

As our breathing finally slows, I reluctantly pull out of her, and she lets out a pitiful little sound at the loss of me. I shift beside her and pull her against me, laying us down. I wrap my arms around her and she settles herself against me.

We lie quietly beneath the stars for a long time, neither of us speaking. The fire crackles beside us, the wind moves softly through the trees, and somewhere below, I can still hear the faint rush of water through the valley. I’m not sure what the hell either of us is supposed to say after that.

Her fingers drift lazily through the hair on my chest while I stare up at the sky, holding her a little tighter. “Addie,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

“Yeah?” she murmurs, her fingers still moving in lazy circles against my chest.

For a second, the words are right there. I want to tell her so badly my chest fucking aches with it. Instead, I press a kiss to the top of her head and tighten my arms around her. “Thank you.”

She doesn’t ask what for. She just snuggles closer, tucking herself against my side until her breathing slowly starts to even out.

I lie there long after she falls asleep, staring up at the stars while the fire burns quietly beside us. Her cheek is warm against my chest, one leg tangled with mine, and I don’t move. I don’t want to wake her. Hell, I’m not sure I want this night to end.

Tonight, I gave Addie every truth I’ve spent so long keeping to myself. The money. Nana. Cole. All the shit I was convinced would deem me unworthy. Turns out there’s one more truth I haven’t told her yet.

I’m hopelessly, desperately in love with her.

Chapter twenty-nine

Addie

It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I’ve seen him on the back of a bull; my heart is always in my throat, and those eight seconds are always the longest of my life.

The bull thrashes beneath him, slamming against the sides of the chute in undeniable rage, but Chace looks completely calm. More than calm, he looks alive. There’s an energy in him I only ever see when he’s sitting on the back of one of these damn animals, and as much as I hate every second of watching it, I understand why he couldn’t walk away completely.

I stand beside the chute as the other men surround him, making sure he’s set, and before I can think better of it, I climb onto the rail and lean over far enough to plant a kiss on his lips. “Ride clean, Cowboy.”

His grin presses against my mouth, but before I can pull away on my own, Wyatt grabs me around the waist and hauls me backward.

“For the love of God, Dawson. Don’t we get enough of you two going at it all night as it is?” He drops me back onto my feet. “He’ll be right here in eight seconds, and y’all can fuck to your hearts’ content somewhere else.”

I should be embarrassed that Wyatt can hear us at night, but for some reason, it only makes me laugh. “You’re just jealous,” I tease.

“You better watch what you say next, Stone. It’s only going to take me eight seconds to get off this bull and kick your ass,” Chace chimes in.

Wyatt only rolls his eyes and steps away from the chute. “Yeah, yeah. Just try not to get your pretty face stomped on.”

Chace looks at me one last time, that cocky grin still firmly in place, then wraps his hand tighter around the rope and gives the gate man a sharp nod, and the gate flies open.

The bull explodes into the arena, twisting hard enough that my stomach drops. But Chace moves like he was built for this. His body follows every buck and turn, one arm held high while the other stays locked on the rope. I don’t breathe again until the buzzer finally sounds and he clears himself.

Chace gets to his feet with that same wild grin on his face, and God help me, I understand exactly why he keeps coming back. His gaze finds mine immediately, and he winks. Without thinking, I reach for the hem of my shirt, lifting it with both hands just enough that he thinks I’m about to flash him.

His hands shoot out, pointing at me, and even from here I can see him mouth, “Don’t you fucking dare!”

I drop my shirt and laugh as he smacks one hand against the other, making it very clear what he plans to do to me later. And Lord help me, the thought alone has me clenching my thighs in anticipation.

It’s been two weeks since Chace confessed everything he’s been carrying alone and then made love to me under the stars. Somehow, these last few weeks have made me feel more alive than I can remember feeling in my entire life. It’s hard to believe that Chace and I have been… whatever this is between us… for almost a month. We haven’t really talked about it, not explicitly. It’s more in the way we just exist in this without either of us having to put a label on it, and right now, I’m fine with that.

But I don’t know what this looks like when we get back to Ashford Ridge next week for Hazel and Eli’s engagement party. I don’t know what he wants. I don’t know what happens when we can’t hide behind the rodeo anymore. I just know that right now I'm content, and that will have to be enough.