Gillian had to be close to him. She pressed her body to his and rubbed her breasts against his chest as she moved slowly over him. His jaw was rough against her lips. She flicked her tongue out to taste his neck and pressed her lips to the pounding pulse in his throat. He groaned deeply and dug his fingers into her hips, pressing into her deep. She rolled her hips, and that sparkle inside her glimmered and glowed.
His hands slid over her back, down over her bottom and thighs, until they came back to grip her hips. The lazy pace she’d woken him up to was overcome by need that drove them ever faster to the final crest. He thrust, one last deep push, and emptied himself in her as her body tightened around his. Her breath exploded from her lungs on a satisfied moan.
He dug his hand into her hair and held her head to his chest. His other hand rested on the curve of her hip. When she snuggled into him, he relaxed.
“Good morning, love,” he whispered.
“Mmm, it is when I wake up with you.”
She went downstairs an hour later to meet Blake and everyone else for breakfast. A hot shower had loosened the muscles that making love to Blake hadn’t after her ordeal yesterday. Blake, Justin, and Grandma Dee sat at the kitchen table. Their concerned gazes locked on her when she entered. Grandpa spoke quietly with the sheriff in the living room. When the two men saw her, their eyes clouded with worry.
“Good morning, Sheriff. I believe I owe you my statement about what happened yesterday. How about we use the library?”
“That’ll be fine.” He nodded.
She went to her grandfather and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for taking care of Justin yesterday. I knew he could count on you, just like I can.” She held him tight for a moment. She didn’t miss the shine in his eyes when she stepped back.
A half hour later, she found them all sitting at the table in the kitchen. Justin was happily stealing whipped cream from his mug of hot chocolate and licking it off his finger. She went up behind him and kissed him on the head before going to Blake and sitting in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close as his arms wrapped around her.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
“I am now,” she said and kissed him softly.
They watched and waited to see if she’d fall apart or blame them for what happened.
“The sheriff will charge Ken with attempted murder and assault,” she said instead.
“Wait. What?” Blake asked. “Attempted murder?”
“He pushed Justin into the river, hoping Blake would go in after him and they’d both die so he could have me.”
“Justin, buddy, why didn’t you say anything?” Blake asked.
Justin stared at his hands in his lap.
“It’s okay, honey. You were scared, and that’s okay,” Gillian said.
“I thought I’d get to talk to the sheriff, too. Too bad you didn’t have your wrench with you. You could have hit him again to keep him from hurting you.”
“What do you mean, Justin?” Grandpa looked at Blake, puzzled. Blake turned his angry gaze on her.
“Ken was sitting on top of her behind the barn by one of the trucks. She grabbed a wrench and hit him and bloodied his face.”
They all looked at Gillian with anger and accusation in their eyes that she’d kept that to herself.
“What? He didn’t want Blake to find out that he’d hit me with a riding crop and cut my arm. Or that he’d made several passes at me. I let him know I wasn’t going to take his shit.”
“You have to eat extra vegetables,” Justin chimed in.
“She gets that one for free,” Blake said to Justin. “She deserves it after having to deal with Ken alone.”
“I’m never alone. I have all of you. Blake, I know it makes you angry that I tried to take care of the matter on my own. It wasn’t because I didn’t think you’d help me or couldn’t take care of it for me. I needed to know that I could take care of myself. I couldn’t let him take that from me. Not after everything that’s happened.”
He wasn’t quite ready to stop blaming himself.
“Besides, you saved me when I couldn’t save myself. I knew you were coming back. I knew you’d help me. I knew that you guys,” she looked at her grandparents, “would take care of Justin for me. I knew I could count on my family.”
The weight of guilt that they hadn’t done more to protect her faded from them.
Gillian held her arms out to her brother, and he came to her and crawled onto her lap. They sat together on Blake, and he wrapped his arms around the both of them.
Gillian held her hand out to Justin and showed him her diamond ring. He held her hand and turned her finger and watched the light sparkle in the diamonds.