“I just want it to be us,” she says against my neck. “Do we have to stay long?”

I chuckle against her hair. “Believe me, the first opportunity I have to pull ya away, I will.”

“Promise?” she says, a little sex-kitten look on her face, her eyes burning with desire.

“On my life,” I state before giving her a suggestive look. “I can even take ya right here. You tell me.”

She grins as she looks around and I do the same, even though I know where we are. We’re off pretty far from the estate, and I doubt we’ll be bothered, but even I know that it doesn’t feel right. As much as I want to be buried inside of her with no cares in the world, I also want to it be perfect. Memorable.

Looking back at me, she holds my gaze as she shrugs.

“I mean we could…” she says, her voice trailing off. I can feel her heart pounding against her ribs, vibrating against my chest.

“But it doesn’t feel right,” I supply since I can sense the “but.”

She smiles shyly. “Yeah, it doesn’t feel right.”

I smile back at her as I wrap my arms tightly around her, almost making us sway in the cool air of the day. Staring into her eyes, my heart kicks up in speed. It always does. There is something so magnificent about this woman that just does it for me. Lacing our fingers together, I pull away and then lead her to a flat area for us to lie. Spreading out the blanket I brought with us, I sit down first before she comes down to sit beside me. Lying back, she cuddles into my side, her fingers dancing along my ribs with the sounds of our horses grazing around us.

Closing my eyes, I turn my head so that my nose goes into her hair before taking a deep breath in. This feels so right. So perfect even, and I honestly still can’t believe that I get to do this for the rest of my existence. Curving my hand along her hip, I smile as she cuddles deeper into me. I know that we’ll do this a lot. Just the two of us. Lying back, I let the sun warm my face as we both relax in the warmth. Along with the noises from the horses, I can hear the fish flopping out in the pond, and I have the urge to go out there. Maybe take Amberlyn out.

“Do you like to fish?”

I feel her shrug against me. “Yeah, it’s okay.”

“We’ll take my boat out soon.”

“That sounds relaxing and fun,” she mentions and I nod.

“Yeah, it will be nice. Get away a bit in the boat I made.”

“You made a boat?”

“I did. Kane helped.”

“And it still floats?” she teases and I laugh, my hand tightening along her hip.

“Yeah, it does! It’s in top shape, thank you.”

She giggles beside me, and my face breaks into a grin when her nose tickles me along my jaw. “Let me know when.”

“Will do,” I agree. “It will be soon.”

“So you’ll be able to get away?”

I smile. “I’m gonna fucking try. I’ve never worked this much.”

“I know,” she agrees. “But it’s okay. Once I start school, I’ll be busier too.”

“Yeah,” I say, and I can’t help but think of what my ma said about her job and how she needed to quit.

While I don’t agree—I feel she can do what she pleases—I know that the expectations of my family are different. Amberlyn is to marry me, and we must try for a baby as soon as possible like an O’Callaghan should. I’m sure she doesn’t feel that way, and I should probably be honest with her, tell her the expectations, but that’s only what they are. They aren’t rules; they are what we have to do, but these expectations have been pounded into me since birth. I adore my family’s ways, and I do want to do what the men of my family have been doing since the beginning, but not at the expense of losing the love of my life.

“Do you know Keeva?”

My eyes shoot open, the sun blinding me. I close them once more before looking over at her and rubbing them gently. “What?”

“Keeva O’Malley? She was at the tea thingy, and you two were looking at each other weird.”

I clear my throat before opening my eyes again to look at her. Honesty is the best way here and I nod. “Yeah, I do.”

“Who is she? Why were you two looking at each other like that?”

Looking down at her lips, I gather my words. I’ve always heard of women being insanely jealous of exes, but surely Amberlyn is above that. “We dated for almost a year.”

She shoots up and out of my arms, looking down at me. “What?!”

Okay, maybe not.

“I used to date her.”

“Keeva? Really?”

Coming up on my elbows, I nod. “Yeah.”

“For a year?”

“Yeah,” I say again.

“She’s very gorgeous, runway pretty.”

“Eh, she’s all right, but she’s a horrible person.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Broke up with her ’cause she was using me for my money.”

“Oh wow. What a bitch,” she decides and I laugh.

“That’s how I felt about her most of the time. She was always asking me for money and shite. Drove me mad.”

“I bet. I’d never do that.”

“Oh, I know,” I guarantee her, squeezing her above her elbow. “She’s still in love with me apparently, but I don’t want anything with her.”

Amberlyn looks down, bringing her bottom lip between her teeth. She’s always so cute when she does that. Reaching up, I press down on her chin, releasing her lip from her teeth. Grinning at me, she asks, “Are you sure?”

I scoff. She has no reason to ask that.

“Yeah, very sure,” I say very forcefully. Maybe a bit too harshly by the look on her face. “I promise ya, Amberlyn, I love you. Only you. She doesn’t add up to you in any way. I promise ya that.”

A little grin comes over her face before she leans down, pressing her lips to mine. Taking her by the back of her head, I don’t allow her to go anywhere as I deepen the kiss, plunging my tongue into her mouth to taste her. I crave the taste of her. So sweet and perfect. When her leg comes over my body to where she is straddling me, her hot center burning against my cock, I gasp against her lips.

Taking her by her hips, I hold her in place as she devours my mouth, taking over the kiss and blowing my damn mind. We play, tease, and even bite a bit, her mouth so hot as she kisses me over and over again. When she starts to move against me, I swear I am having a heart attack. My heart feels as if it is gonna come out of my damn chest right here! Stopping her, I pull back, looking up into her flushed face. She has those sultry little sex-kitten eyes, and I know I’m in danger of keeping my control intact.