Always Conall (Bitterroot #2) (24 page)

Grinning back at her, I quickly glanced down at the paperwork on the table, then back over to Robyn
who’s features had softened some. A faint hint of bemusement lit her eyes.

“Okay,” I said a bit dazedly,
then looked back down at Sage. “Let’s go get Mattie and get you guys moved.”

Sage

The first thing I felt was Conall’s fingertips brush lightly down my ribs and the heat of his hard, muscled body pressed against my back. Then his hot mouth as he kissed my neck and the broad head of his cock push inside me.

My hand rose to catch his as it glided down to clutch my hip. My moan was swallowed up by the pillow. Our fingers intertwined and he slowly stroked in and out from behind.

“I wish I had known,” he murmured in my ear. “I wish I had been able to see you, swollen with my child.
Watched your body change, knowing that it was all us.”

“Con…” I breathed shakily. Barely awake, the sensation of his body moving in and around mine made me tremble, but the words he said made my soul ache.

“I want that, Sage.” His voice rumbled with a fierce need. “I want another chance.”

Oh God, so did I
.

“I wish you weren’t on the pill right now. I wish I could knock you up again when I spill inside you.” He sucked hard at my neck, down at the base just shy of the nape. “I’ve loved you for so long, baby.”

My body began to shake as my orgasm approached. And still he fucked me, intermittently slowing to draw out the fabulous need. I subconsciously tightened against him every time he slid back, begging to keep him.

Conall shifted us again, pulling my top leg up and over to his side. My shoulders rested flat against the pillows and my eyes opened to see him above me, still kneeling and upright, looking down at me. His heavy, strong hands slid under and cupped my ass, pulling me up to his beautiful cock. His gaze focused on our connection as he pushed back into my wet depths with a rough groan.
Watching the play of muscles across his shoulders, the fabulous ripple of the tats down his arm, the delicious tightening of his abdominals as he pulled me towards him and thrust against me.

It was the fucking hottest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

Then his eyes rose up to mine, and he pulled his hand up, resting it lightly over my flat stomach. His haunted expression shredded my heart as his fingers feathered across my sensitive skin. “Fuck, I wish I’d known,” he whispered again, frozen with the exception of his fingers that danced lightly on my skin. His jaw clenched, his eyes pierced mine, lost in the emotion of the moment.

My breathing
shallowed and tears stung my eyes. My hands reached down to his, spreading over his fingertips and holding them against my abdomen. Then I smoothly rocked my hips, circling them slightly to maximize the glide of him inside me.

“Someday,” I promised him.

Conall’s eyes shut tightly and his jaw clenched again. Then he opened them to look down at our hands, at our intimate joining. His hips pressed into mine, pushing him deeper and drawing a gasp from my throat.

Slowly, it began to build inside me, and the burgeoning intensity pulled at my heart. The deliciously slow, deliberate movements became frenzied and fierce, and my body arched completely off the bed. With my head on the pillows, the rest of me seemed to float, impaled by Conall’s hard length and held aloft by his strong hands.

Just as the tremors began to overtake me, he pushed me back down to the bed and fell over the top of me, still connected as he continued to pound into me. His thick arms cradled my body against him, and my legs curled around his hips as my fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders. And suddenly the hot wash of his release rushed through me, setting off my own. I fell apart around him, with a muffled cry against his chest.

Conall

My movements slowed, almost stopping, but occasionally I couldn’t help from pushing back into her with a short, gentle stroke. This was followed by every muscle of Sage’s pussy tightening around me. Which was followed by my arms tightening around her. And another gentle stroke. My lips trailed over her forehead, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair that had become even more pronounced from our exertion. Her clutching fingertips started to relax as her body calmed into a post-orgasmic state.

Knowing she could barely breathe with my weight compressing her lungs, I shifted slightly, losing that intimate contact with her. I lay on my side and traced her jawline. Sage
’s eye fluttered open, and she softly smiled before she nuzzled her face into my chest.

I couldn’t seem to get enough.
Ever
. It had been a month or so that she’d been out on the ranch with me, since we’d packed up everything from her and Mattie’s apartment and made this thing between us official. In that time, I’d had her in every way, shape, and form. Lying here with her, still reeling from the heaven of her touch, I wanted her more than ever.

Because she still wasn’t
totally
mine. Not yet.

But she would be.

“So,” I said with all seriousness, “you’re gonna marry me, right?”

Sage pulled back and lifted her gaze to meet mine. Exhausted and sated
… and a little bit surprised.

“
Are you… proposing?”

“
Not very well, I don’t think, but… yeah.” I laughed lightly, then forced the amusement from my voice. Because I meant every word. “We kinda did things backwards, but I fucking love you, Sage. I don’t ever want to be without you. You and Mattie…” I grinned down at her, “and all her little brothers and sisters.”

“
All?” Sage smiled, her sapphire-blue eyes growing wide. “Just how many are you thinking?”

“
A whole bunch,” I grinned back as her mouth gaped.

“
I think you need to spend a lot more time with Mattie so you can make a more informed decision. Those little buggers are a lot of work. Even more so when they’re tiny.”

“
Okay, we’ll compromise. How about we start with one and see how it goes?”

“
Conall,” she whispered hesitantly, “we are just now kind of finally getting our own shit straight. We might want to avoid rocking the boat for a while. Maybe wait a bit before starting this whole baby-making thing.”

“
Fine, we’ll start the baby-making after you marry me then.” There was a flicker of relief in her eyes. I gathered her closer, holding her tight. “So, let’s pick a date.”

“
You know,” Sage’s lips tilted in a sarcastic grin as she giggled lightly, “it’s usually the chick pushing for marriage and kids. You going soft on me?”

I kissed her hard, possessing her mouth, stealing her breath, and enveloping her body with mine. I
’d just had her, and I already wanted to be inside her again. My dick was already pulsing and hard. Nudging my way between her sexy, silky thighs, I rose above her and caught her gasp as I slid inside her once again.

“
Far from soft, baby,” I groaned into her mouth, swallowing her low moaned response. I performed a long, slow stroke through her silken depths, then I paused, cradling her beneath me and catching her face in the palm of my hand. “Sage,” I whispered against her lips, “a date. Give me a date.”

“
How about we discuss this later?” she breathed, and I stopped. Frozen, doing my best to ignore every little squeezing and tightening sensation while she squirmed below me. I released her jaw and slid my hand down to her hips to keep her from moving.

Fuck
…torture, pure and simple. The wet heat of her delectable little pussy clenched tightly.

“
Give me a date, Sage,” I growled, “or I might have to cut you off from sex.”

“
Why punish yourself?” she gasped, still straining against my hold and killing me with every quiver.

“
A date,” I repeated. My thumb slid across her hip bone to lightly tease her swollen clit. A deep moan erupted from her throat as I increased the pressure. I felt her body contract around me, nearing the beauty of her release.

And then I stopped.

“Con…” she gasped. “Please…”

“
Give me a date,” I demanded in a hoarse, brusque tone. She was going to kill me off if she didn’t give me an answer soon. My cock throbbed with the need to move inside her.

“
April…”

“
Too far away,” I cut her off, kissing her ravenously. With my lips still brushing hers, I whispered into her mouth, giving her clit another flick of my thumb as I pushed into her with a long, slow thrust. “I don’t want to wait that long.”

“
Con,” she gasped, clawing at me with her trembling fingers. Her hips strained against my hand, trying desperately to move against me, to reach her blissful release. But I held her firmly, determined to get what I wanted.

“
Christmas, Sage,” I breathed against her lips. “I want you for Christmas. Say yes, and I’ll let you come.”

“
Okay, Christmas…” she finally whispered, and I stroked long and deep inside her. I felt her tighten around me, desperately trying to keep me there, as a long, low, breathy moan left her parted lips.

And then I stopped again.

“Actually, make it Christmas Eve. I want to wake up on Christmas morning with you in my arms knowing that you’re truly mine.”

“Okay,” she gasped, and I pressed my lips hard against hers, plundering and ravaging in my conquest, then moved along her neck. My hips pushed hard against her, controlled as every muscle in my body went taut to hold my dick inside. A choked sob sounded in my ear, and I felt the sharp cut of her teeth against my shoulder.

“Fuck, I love you, baby,” I growled as I rolled to my back so she was above me, straddling me. I jerked her sweet, wet pussy down on my cock, roughly guiding her to slam down on me again and again. “I’m all yours,” I promised with a groan as she rode me, “fuck me all you want…”

And she did. And it was simply phenomenal.

Mattie

My dress was purple!

It sorta looked like my mommy’s, but hers was all white. She held some purple and white flowers all tied together with purple ribbon. And
her and I walked through the church to my daddy on Christmas eve.

He gave her a ring.

And he gave me a necklace.

He kissed me on the head.

But then he
really
kissed Mommy.

And we became a family.
For realsies.

My mommy didn’t let me wear my purple dress very often. It was too fancy for the ranch, she said. But today was my birthday. I was five, and some of my friends came to the ranch for a party.

Daddy got me a bunch of purple balloons.

And a pony!
A real life pony!
And I got to name her.

Of course, I named her Twilight Sparkle.
Even if she wasn’t purple. And she didn’t have a unicorn horn. Or wings.

But she was so pretty, and she had purple ribbons in her mane and tail. Just for me.

Mommy brought out a cake with the candles lit. And I made a wish before I blew them out. I was a good girl and didn’t tell anyone my wish. So far, all my wishes had come true, so I really hoped this one would. After all, a long time ago Mommy sorta said maybe.

And I already had a kitty.

Conall

Mattie was finally asleep. The sugar rush from her fifth birthday and the excitement from her very own real-life pony had left her completely wired.
Then emotional and overwrought as she crashed. Heaven help us when that kid hit puberty.

Sage had been resistant to the pony at first, but every kid who lives on a ranch needs a pony. I eventually convinced Sage of this. Sort of the same way I convinced her to set a date for our wedding.

And Mattie was ecstatic. Even if the pony wasn’t purple. Sage and I had tied a bunch of purple ribbon on it to make up for that, and it seemed to do the trick.

Sage had just finished putting away the leftover cake as I walked back out into the great room of the cabin. I stepped up behind her and held her tightly as she melted into my frame.

I’d never known this sort of peace could exist. I’d never felt anything remotely close to the comfort, security, and warmth that life had given me. My wife and our daughter. Everything I’d always wanted, but never felt I deserved.

Sage turned in my arms to look up at me. Her baby blue eyes caught mine, dancing with a hint of mischief. “You know,” she whispered, “I have a little present for you, too.”

“Do you?” I smiled. “It’s not my birthday.”

“I know,” she murmured, “but I can
’t really wait to give it to you.” I kissed her on the tip of her nose, and she smiled shyly, telling me to go get it. In the bedroom in the top drawer of her dresser was a little box.

I gazed at her curiously for a moment. “Okay,” I said, “you stay here.”

I made my way down the hallway and into the master bedroom. Top drawer, huh…
lingerie, maybe? Sweet!

As I pulled it open, I saw a tiny box. Sort of slender, a few inches wide and a few more inches long.

That would be some pretty damn little lingerie.

But as I pulled out the little box, something else caught my eye.
A purple bag with the word Eden across it.

I’d heard of Eden, and I was more than surprised to see a bag from there in Sage’s dresser drawer. So I pulled the bag out instead.

“Oh, shit… not that,” Sage gasped from the bedroom doorway.

I glanced over to see her walking towards me and reaching for the bag. So I held it up out of her reach.

“Conall, no,” she begged.

“What is it?” I grinned, delighted by the vibrant pink tinge to her cheeks. She was mortified. This delighted me.

Sage’s face flooded with color. “I forgot that was in there. That’s not what I sent you in here for.”

“Okay…” I said, not willing to change the subject. Sometimes, the urge to tease her, just like when we’d been kids, totally came back. And this was so one of those times. I stepped back and quickly pulled the package out of the bag. And I sort of froze. It took a lot to shock me, but…
wow
. “Sage… honey… this kind of looks like a pretty little pony tail.”

Sage buried her face in her hands.
“Oh my God. It is. I mean, it’s nothing… really. Just kind of a joke.”

“Where did you get this?”

Her teeth caught at her lip and lowered her hands to twist them together nervously before she answered in a subdued voice. “Brynn wanted to get something to surprise Kian, and she made me go with her to this sex toy place. She thought the pony tail was hilarious, so she bought it for me… more to embarrass me than anything else, I think.”

I lifted my chin a little, looking down at her. “You should try it,” I suggested.

Sage’s wide blue eyes flashed with all kinds of emotion. Surprise. Lust. Naughtiness.

I popped the packaging apart and pulled out the plug. Holding the tip between my thumb and forefinger, I pulled the strands across my other hand, letting my fingertips sift through the silky purple swirl of hair.
“Really. I’m intrigued.”

Sage

So, I broke my little vow about the pony tail. And it was awesome.
Seriously
awesome.

Something I hadn’t even known existed.
And was then very determined to
never
use. But,
oh my
…

The feel of it… and him… a slight, well-timed tug on the strands.
The combination of just a hint of pain with the pleasure. The fullness and the sensations it all drew from my body.

I quickly decided, after coming down to earth from one of the most incredible orgasms that had
ever
rocked my world, that I needed to go back to Eden. And maybe take a little more of Brynn’s advice.

But I also decided that it could wait a few days. Because, lying in Conall’s arms in a delirious, delicious fog, I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to move for a week. My brain didn’t want to form a complete thought.

Until I remembered…

…what I had actually sent Conall in the bedroom for in the first place. What I had placed in a small box that morning and set in the top drawer for him to find.

“Conall?” I whispered.

Nothing but a steady, sonorous breathing.
He was fast asleep. I lifted my head and looked at him closely, grazing my fingertips across the hard angle of his jaw. As he slept, his fingertips fluttered against my shoulder. I watched him for a moment in the faint moonlight that streamed through the windows.

He was, quite simply, the love of my life.

He had been
all
my life.

The only constant, even when he was gone, really. His absence had made me stronger, but never made my love wane. While it had been tinged with other emotions, the deep, intense love always won out. And, in the end when he came back to me and chased all the other frightening feelings away, my heart still beat for Conall.
Only Conall.

Always
Conall.

So, I let him sleep. I curled up to his side, and he instinctively pulled me closer. I pressed my face against his chest, breathed in his scent, and closed my eyes.

I could always show him the positive test tomorrow.