Then he reached around to press a finger against my clit, and I exploded, bucking underneath him as every single neuron in my body shot off like dynamite. It was too much. Too much, everywhere, all at once. Rainbow-colored stars flashed across my vision, goose bumps rippled over every inch of my skin, and cum poured from me like water from a fountain.
Reeve said words as he chased his own orgasm, dirty words, words of praise, curse words, words I didn’t understand or remember. I was still coming, or coming again, I wasn’t sure, when he stilled, grinding hard against my backside, still tender from being whipped in the barn.
He pulled out of me, and I collapsed on the bed, completely spent. Completely transformed.
Reeve fell on his back next to me. His eyes danced as he let out a content sight. “Next time we do this, you’ll be on top so I can finger fuck you at the same time.”
If I weren’t so exhausted, I would have laughed. Already planning for next time, was he? So typical.
He exhaled once more then turned on his side to face me. He drew me to him, tilting my chin up to study my face. “How are you?”
I answered truthfully, “Perfect.”
“Yes,” he smiled. “You are perfect.” He kissed my forehead then my eyes. Then my nose. Then his mouth found mine. My lips molded to his as if they’d been made to fit each other. The way every part of my body was made to fit his. He was perfect like that, too. Perfect for me. And I told him that as perfectly as I could in the form of the most perfect kiss.
I’d just begun to doze, my cheek pressed to Reeve’s shoulder, when something occurred to me.
I lifted my head and rested my chin on the back of my hand, which was on his arm, so I could look at him better. His opposite arm was draped over his eyes so I couldn’t see if he was already sleeping, but I said anyway, “You didn’t tell me who the other woman was you loved, the second one.”
“Mm,” he said, then was silent. His breathing was steady underneath me, and after a few seconds, I laid my head back down, deciding he was too out of it to talk now.
I’d ask him later, I decided. Or not at all. If it was important, he’d tell me. I let my lids close.
But then he said, “The problem with her is she’s the first one’s best friend.”
My eyes flew open. “What?”
The phone by the bed started ringing, sounding through the dark room with an unusual tone. The kind of tone that signaled the call was from someone specific. The front gate, maybe. Or Brent. In the middle of the night, it had to be one of the ranchers.
But even with the blaring of the phone, all I could hear was the siren in my head shrieking its own alarm.
“Wait,” I said, as he reached for the phone. “What did you just say?”
He seemed to consider my question for a fraction of a second. Then he picked up the phone. “This better be important.”
The distinct voice of a man buzzed through the line, but I couldn’t make out anything of what he was saying.
Whatever it was, it alarmed Reeve. He bolted up to a sitting position. “When?” A slight pause. “How bad?”
He jumped out of bed and cradled the phone on his shoulder while he put the jeans on he’d worn earlier. “Yes. Let him in. And get Jeb.” He tossed the phone on the bed and slipped a sweatshirt over his head.
He was pulling on a boot now, obviously on his way out.
I sat up. “Reeve, wait.” He glanced at me but didn’t say anything, putting on his other boot. “Where are you going?”
“Stay here,” he commanded then rushed from the room, shutting the door behind him.
I fell back onto the bed with a groan. He’d mentioned Jeb, the ranch vet. Likely an animal was sick or one of the pregnant cows was having trouble with her birth. Reeve had mentioned it was calving season when we were on our horse ride, saying it was the most stressful time of the year because of all the complications that could occur.
It was just my luck that one would occur right when I was in the middle of one of my own.
The panic that had begun gathering from Reeve’s declaration was swirling inside me, waiting to be calmed or stirred up further. Calmed was most appropriate. Surely I hadn’t heard him right. Maybe I’d been dreaming.
But I’d been awake when he’d said it. And I didn’t think I’d heard him wrong.
Which still didn’t mean he’d been talking about me. It was possible Amber had found a new best friend. In fact, it was likely, wasn’t it? It had been six years. More than enough time for her to have bonded with someone new.
Except what were the chances that she’d had another friend that had hooked up with Reeve?
So if he did mean me, if he was in love with me…
Well, first of all, I was flabbergasted. And overwhelmed. And overjoyed too. I hadn’t even known how much I’d hoped that he felt that way until there was a possibility that he did.
And I couldn’t think about that because if it was me he was talking about – then he knew about Amber and I and probably knew why I’d sought to get close to him in the first place and if he was still declaring that he loved me, did that mean he didn’t care?
Dammit. I had to talk to him now.
I flung the covers off of me and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking. I could go to my room, get dressed, and try to find him in the stables. One of the security guards would be awake and could tell me how to get there in the dark.
Though, now that I thought about it, if there was a ranch emergency that involved the vet, wouldn’t he have been called before Reeve? And if I paid attention, I was pretty sure I could hear voices downstairs. An injured animal wouldn’t have been brought to the main house.