Dom didn’t hesitate to whip her into his arms and carry her through his house to their new bedroom. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”
She hummed her answer against his neck where she buried her face. He lay her on the bed and followed her down. “Each step is a milestone,” she whispered, stroking his jaw.
“It took us a while to get here.”
“And we didn’t go about it in a conventional way.”
“What matters is we got here. I love you, Jada soon-to-be Cole.”
Her heart pattered with love for him, and she jerked him in for a kiss. The soft flip of his tongue over hers filled her with passion, and she poured all her emotion into the kiss as she stripped his T-shirt overhead. Latching on to his shoulders, she relished the close feel of his steely chest against her breasts.
She wiggled restlessly, and he groaned against her lips. “There’s one layer too many between us.”
“Yes!”
He removed her shirt and cupped her breast through her bra. As he swished his thumb over her nipple, it puckered to his touch. Heat throbbed in her core, an ache that only Dom could satisfy.
To think she might have thrown away their feelings forever, but life had forced her to continue giving him chances, working with him and forgiving him even as it taught her that everything didn’t always get wrapped up in a perfect package tied with a bow.
Life was work. Love was work. But it was all worth it in the end.
She wrapped her ankles behind his carved ass and rocked against him. The rigid length of his cock lay against her pussy, and their eyes met a moment before they tore at each other’s clothing.
Passion overflowed, and she rolled with him, kicking free of boots and jeans. When he edged his finger underneath the damp strip of her panties covering her pussy, she froze.
He zigzagged his finger over her seam to her hard, aching bud, and she bucked into his hand as sensation struck. Her pulse hammered in her ears, faster with every strum of his finger. Juices squeezed from her folds to wet his fingers, and she fisted the sheets in one fist and latched onto his biceps with the other.
His eyes glowed as he watched her shake, tremble and finally come apart for him. “That’s it, gorgeous. Come on my fingers. Let me feel you squeezing me.”
A roughened cry escaped her as her peak stole the last of her mind. When she came to her senses, his condom-covered cock pressed at the crux of her. She met his stare. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you.” In one hard shove, he filled her.
The bed rocked beneath them, and he lifted her ass in one palm, guiding her against his every thrust. His mushroomed head tunneled inside her, deeper and deeper, bumping her G-spot on the way out and then stretching her once more.
Their mouths collided in a seeking tangle of tongues and moans. Her still-sensitive clit brushed his body over and over. She splayed her leg high on his side to give him deeper penetration, and her second orgasm hit with a force that stole her breath.
“Oh fuuuuck!” He pounded into her faster, and she felt him go stiff and then collapse forward, jerking with each spurt of his release. She held him to her and rode out the final blissful shocks of her release with him.
Eyes closed, they rolled apart and then fit their bodies into a lover’s hold, with her head pillowed on his chest and his palm molded to her spine right above her buttocks.
His heavy breathing slowed in time. “I’d say we christened the bed,” he rumbled.
She smiled against his warm skin. “What’s next? The shower?”
He chuckled. “Floor.”
She giggled.
“Then that wall over there.”
“Kitchen counter?”
“You know it.”
“Am I a sex maniac if I admit I can’t wait?”
He ducked his head to suck at her earlobe. “You’re not the only one sweetheart.”
She rubbed her fingers over his angled jaw, sandpapering over the five o’clock shadow growing there. “You can let your beard grow back if you want.”
He cracked an eye at her. “Do you want me to?”
“Well”—she shivered—“it does have its benefits.”
“Mmm. What kinda benefits?” He scuffed it against her cheek lightly, and she scrambled onto her knees and then walked up the mattress to straddle his face.
He stretched out his tongue and lashed it over her slippery folds even as he gently scrubbed his jaw over her inner thigh. She moaned out and braced herself on the wall as he stole the last of her mind, heart and soul.
Epilogue
Jada, Joss, Kaoz’s wife Brielle and Aidan’s wife Liberty formed a serving line for the men all coming for food.
The new hay shed on the Bellamy was well underway, with the walls and roof erected. By nightfall, they’d have it roofed and the sides completed. The extras would go on over the next few days, but seeing their efforts warmed Jada.
She smiled at the ranch hands holding out heavy plates as they moved down the line. Joss dumped potato salad onto each, and Brielle served up cornbread and corn on the cob. Liberty heaped potatoes on their plates with a wide smile for all. And finally, Jada served up their famous brisket.
“Thank ya, Mrs. Cole.” Theo nodded to her as he moved through the line.
She beamed at the new name. It still shocked her that she and Dom had tied the knot just the week before.
“Mrs. Cole.” The low rumbling tone at her ear made her insides knot at the last time Dom had called her that, just hours before when he pulled her out of bed and toward the shower.
She leaned against him, and he slipped an arm around her waist. “The shed looks great.”
“It does. So do you. Good enough to eat.” He bit into her earlobe, and she suppressed a shiver and the urge to grab him by the hand and find a hiding spot for the two of them to continue their honeymoon celebration.
Cort reached her part of the line, and she served him brisket. Since he was the final cowboy, all the ladies grabbed plates of their own and took seats at the various tables set up in the shade of the garage.
She and Dom settled with Cort and Joss, and baby CT was brought outdoors to join them. Joss cuddled him in one arm while forking food into her mouth in true mom style.
Jada couldn’t believe how much happiness surrounded them—and then she looked up to see Theo seated off away from the others.
She nudged Dom. “Why is he sitting by himself?” she whispered.
He and Cort exchanged a look. “Some o’ the guys are claiming he set the fire in the hay shed,” Dom told her quietly.
“What? He wouldn’t do that. Besides, I thought he was in the field with Dom at the time.” She sent Cort a look to get his take on the matter.
Cort shook his head. “I don’t believe it either. And he was in the field, but he was last one into the shed, and they thought he might have dropped an ash or something.”
“Theo doesn’t smoke!”
“Well”—Jada stood—“I think he could use a slice of my special pecan pie.” She bustled to the table and grabbed a slice that was already served onto a small paper plate. She carried it over to Theo and set the treat in front of him.
He glanced up with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you, Jada.”
She smiled and sat across from him. He focused on his plate.
“The guys told me what happened. You know, Dom and I had plenty of misunderstandings. Sometimes things looked like sabotage and they weren’t. It all worked out in the end.”
He bobbed his head.
“I think the truth will come out here too. I hope you aren’t thinking of moving on from the Bellamy, Theo. Everybody loves you here and they need you.”
“That’s true.” Cort dropped down to the seat be
side his ranch hand and friend.
“You are always tryin’ to persuade me to come back and work here,” Dom added, sitting on his other side.
Cort grabbed the fork from Theo’s hand and dug into the pecan pie.
“Hey!” Theo grappled with him for the plastic fork, and it ended up splintering in their hands. So Theo picked up the entire slice and stuffed it whole into his mouth. His cheeks bulged as he grinned around it.
Jada and Dom laughed at their antics, and she suspected the lighthearted moment was exactly what Theo needed. She and Dom’s gazes met, and he dropped her a wink. Her heart filled and overflowed with love and affection for her husband, family and all their friends and ranch family.
The sun was definitely shining over Crossroads today.
THE END
Sometimes attraction isn’t enough…but it might be a start.
Ranch hand Theo Sutton is a disappointment to his family for dropping out of college, but he’s determined not to let down his bosses on the Bellamy Ranch. That’s why he covers for the runaway kid who keeps making trouble for him. Proving himself never seemed so important, especially when it comes to the beautiful newcomer to their small town. She only wants Theo to warm her bed once in a while, but every encounter with her leaves him wanting more.
A young widow like Sadie James can’t be too careful with her heart. The last thing she needs is another daredevil man who ends up leaving her. Besides, she’s too focused on getting a fresh start in Crossroads and building her fixer upper consulting business. But she can’t seem to stay away from Theo—or out of the back of his truck or the nearest hay bale.
To Theo’s mind, three people who need love are already a family, but the runaway boy is too stubborn and he’s starting to think Sadie is irreparably damaged. When love overrides loss and they all face a crossroads in life, decisions must be made that could leave them all devastated…or give them the happily ever after they all deserve.
1-click the next book in the CROSSROADS series, SHOW-OFF IN SPURS
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Em Petrova
Em Petrova was raised by hippies in the wilds of Pennsylvania but told her parents at the age of four she wanted to be a gypsy when she grew up. She has a soft spot for babies, puppies and 90s Grunge music and believes in Bigfoot and aliens. She started writing at the age of twelve and prides herself on making her characters larger than life and her sex scenes hotter than hot.
She burst into the world of publishing in 2010 after having five beautiful bambinos and figuring they were old enough to get their own snacks while she pounds away at the keys. In her not-so-spare time, she is fur-mommy to a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff.
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Xtreme Ops
HITTING XTREMES
TO THE XTREME
XTREME BEHAVIOR
XTREME AFFAIRS
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The Guard
HIS TO SHELTER
HIS TO DEFEND
HIS TO PROTECT
Crossroads
BAD IN BOOTS
CONFIDENT IN CHAPS
COCKY IN A COWBOY HAT
SAVAGE IN A STETSON
SHOW-OFF IN SPURS
Dark Falcons MC
DIXON
TANK
PATRIOT
DIESEL
BLADE
RIO
Moon Ranch
TOUGH AND TAMED
SCREWED AND SATISFIED
CHISELED AND CHERISHED
Ranger Ops
AT CLOSE RANGE
WITHIN RANGE
POINT BLANK RANGE
RANGE OF MOTION
TARGET IN RANGE
OUT OF RANGE
Knight Ops Series
ALL KNIGHTER
HEAT OF THE KNIGHT
HOT LOUISIANA KNIGHT
AFTER MIDKNIGHT
KNIGHT SHIFT
O’ CHRISTMAS KNIGHT
ANGEL OF THE KNIGHT
6-Pack Cowboys Series
6-PACK RANCHER
6-PACK WRANGLER
Wild West Series
SOMETHING ABOUT A LAWMAN
SOMETHING ABOUT A SHERIFF
SOMETHING ABOUT A BOUNTY HUNTER
SOMETHING ABOUT A MOUNTAIN MAN
Operation Cowboy Series
KICKIN’ UP DUST
SPURS & SURRENDER
The Boot Knockers Ranch Series
PUSHIN’ BUTTONS
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REINING MEN
ROPIN’ HEARTS
ROPE BURN
COWBOY NOT INCLUDED
CUPID COWBOYS
COWBOY BY CANDLELIGHT
THE BOOT KNOCKER’S BABY
ROPIN’ A ROMEO
Ménage à Trouble Series
WRANGLED UP
UP FOR GRABS
HOOKING UP
ALL WOUND UP
DOUBLED UP novella duet
STIRRED UP
GETTING WARMED UP
Another Shot at Love Series
GRIFFIN
BRANT
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Rope ‘n Ride Series
BUCK
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RIDGE
WEST
LANE
WYNONNA
The Dalton Boys
COWBOY CRAZY Hank’s story
COWBOY BARGAIN Cash’s story
COWBOY CRUSHIN’ Witt’s story
COWBOY SECRET Beck’s story
COWBOY RUSH Kade’s Story
COWBOY MISTLETOE a Christmas novella
COWBOY FLIRTATION Ford’s Story
COWBOY TEMPTATION Easton’s Story
COWBOY SURPRISE Justus’s Story
COWGIRL DREAMER Gracie’s Story
COWGIRL MIRACLE Jessamine’s Story
COWGIRL HEART Kezziah’s Story
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THE DALTON BOYS BOX SET BOOKS 1-5
BOOT KNOCKERS RANCH SERIES BOOKS 1-6 PLUS BONUS
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JINGLE BOOTS
A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS
FULL RIDE
Firehouse 5 Series
ONE FIERY NIGHT
CONTROLLED BURN
SMOLDERING HEARTS
Club Ties Series
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MARKED AS HIS
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ACE’S WILD
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STRANDED AND STRADDLED
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