Hutch

“No peeking,” I warn Ava, shooting her a quick glance as I round the final curve.

She groans but keeps her hands covering her eyes. “This better be good, Hutchins. I’m getting carsick.”

I give her thigh a little squeeze, making her jump. When I pull to a stop facing the A-frame cabin, I can’t help but grin. After a year of work, our little getaway is finally finished. The new open-platform porch extends the width of the cabin and wraps around the right side. From the back deck is a killer view of the mountains, perfect for watching the sunset. Inside, it’s cozy and quaint, with a big bed in the upstairs loft bedroom, a clawfoot tub in the bathroom, and an open kitchen with a wood-burning stove and a big, comfy couch.

“Now can I look?” Ava asks, worrying her bottom lip.

“Not yet.” I jump down and race to her side, then open her door and lift her down. I’m tempted to hold her here a moment longer, kiss her until we’re both breathless, but I’m too excited to get us inside and surprise her.

Five years ago, she said yes to my crazy plan. The day she walked down the aisle and let me officially make her mine was the best day of my life. But I quickly learned that it was only the beginning. Because every day since has been a gift.

“Keep your eyes closed,” I warn, taking her by the hand.

“What if I fall and break my neck?” she asks, a worried expression playing across her scrunched-up face.

“I won’t let you fall.” I lead her carefully from the truck to the wide stairway. I place her hand on the railing and coach her up the steps, my anticipation growing. We weren’t exactly looking for a vacation property, but last year, when this little cabin went on the market for cheap because of the work involved to spruce it up, I couldn’t resist. Ava and I agreed it would be a work in progress, something we could tackle in our free time in the coming years. A place to bring our kids for ski trips or a quiet retreat for just the two of us, with no distractions. A place for celebrating, relaxing, and just being together.

At the top of the stairs, I steer Ava to the front door and unlock it while she waits like a good girl, eyes still squeezed shut. When the door creaks open, I shuffle her through. The wood creaks a little under our weight as I gently close the door behind us and flick on the lights. A soft, pearly glow brightens the space.

“Now?” she asks, giving a little wiggle of excitement.

“Yep. Go ahead.”

She blinks her eyes open and I savor the way her face lights up as she takes in the details. I only told her that I was whisking her off to the mountains for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary, leaving out the where.

It takes her a split second to figure out something’s up. “Wait a sec…Hutch…” She takes another look around, and her mouth drops open. “This cabin…it’s…”

“Ours? Yeah.”

She screams, making me laugh.

“You!” she gasps, shaking her head. “How?” Tears glisten her eyes but she wipes them away with her fingers then tugs on my hand. She screams again when she sees the redone kitchen and living room, the expansive deck outside.

She grabs my face and presses a lusty kiss to my lips. “You’re in so much trouble.”

I pull her close. “You can take it out on me later.” I kiss her back, the contact of her body making my blood race.

“I’m going to enjoy that,” she says, leaning back to grin at me.

“Pretty sure I will too.” I pinch her bottom, making her jolt.

“I was supposed to help, remember?” she says.

I smile because I knew she’d protest. That’s why I left the furnishings and accents for her to do. “It still needs your expert touch.” I slide my nose against hers.

She kisses me again. “You’re too good to me.”

“Get used to it, Greely.”  

“Show me everything,” she says, sliding her hand into mine.

I lead her to the bedroom under the stairs. The skylight lets in the warm glow of afternoon sun filtering through the trees, making the refinished wood floors gleam a soft red.

“It looks so good!” Ava says, sashaying into the room. For now, there’s only a futon couch and a small, braided rug, but this could easily become a kid’s bedroom with a set of bunk beds and a dresser.

I tug her to me for another kiss.

“That futon is looking awfully inviting,” she says, arching her hips against mine.

“You need to pause the tour, just say the word.”

“Tempting,” she says on a sigh, then grabs my hand and tugs me from the room. Laughing, she drags me up the stairs that took me a week to strip off the old paint, sand, and refinish, bringing out the cedar’s rich hue, to the second floor. From the open loft space, through the giant triangular windows, the snowy, jagged Bitterroots poke into the pale blue sky.

“It’s even better than I remember!” Ava swipes at her eyes, then pulls me close again, smiling so bright. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

Fuck, I love seeing her so happy. “You said to surprise you.”

She throws her arms around my neck then nuzzles my nose with hers. “I thought you were talking about the type of roofing and the stain color for the deck. Not this.”

I caress down her back and kiss her. “Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding me? I love it.” She kisses me back, slipping her soft little tongue past my lips. I savor the way her body fits inside my embrace, the excited hitch of her breaths, and the anticipation of having her all to myself this weekend.

She breaks away. “Show me the bathroom, then I think I’ll take that intermission.”

My pulse jolts, and as much as I’d like to throw her over my shoulder and march her to the bed, I can’t resist showing off the room I’m most proud of. Inside the bathroom, the steeply slanted wall with the skylight creates an alcove for the clawfoot tub. On the left is the narrow glass-enclosed shower, with the sink against the center wall to the right. This room was by far the most challenging in terms of space, but I consulted a couple of pros—Everett’s older brother Linden, a firefighter who renovates these types of structures in his spare time, and Kirilee, our resident creative genius.

Ava shakes her head, awestruck. “I hardly recognize it.”

“Right?”

“The skylight is perfect. Was it hard to do?”

I step behind her and wrap my arms around her, rocking her against me. Together, we gaze up through the glass to the pale blue sky filtering through the lacy branches of the surrounding forest.

“It sure felt weird cutting a hole in the roof. But once I got over that, it wasn’t hard at all.”

She leans back against my chest. “Think we’ll be able to see the stars?”

I kiss her temple. “Hoping so. In more ways than one.”

She laughs. “Is that a promise?”

My cock gives an urgent pulse inside my jeans. “Fuck yes.”

She spins in my arms, and her eyes flutter closed as she kisses me softly. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

I kiss her back, lingering on her lips just a little. “I wanted to. And it’s not just for you. It’s for us. And our family.”

She kisses me again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Take me to bed,” she whispers. “Please.”

It’s the please that does me in. In one motion, I lift her up. Trying to walk while kissing her is hazardous to our safety but I can’t not kiss her when she’s looking at me like this. Like I’m her favorite person too, like the love we share has no bounds.

I bump into the wall and stub my toe on the railing as I shuffle down the hall to the triangular-shaped bedroom at the front of the house. I made sure to position the bed to give just the first blush of the sun rising over the Bitterroots. The dresser and bed are remnants from the bungalow Ava rented before we moved into our own place on Moonbeam Farm. I’m sure Ava will want to put more of her ideas to work in here, but it’s certainly cozy enough for now.

The second I set her on her feet, we’re undressing each other. Buttons come undone and zippers zing as we hurry, laughing at our haste. She’s down to her bra with her pants halfway past her hips when I scoop her up and lay her sideways on the bed. Kissing down her body, pausing just long enough on her erect peaks to make her squirm, I step back, taking her pants with me, then tug her to the edge of the bed. She yelps in glee, her eyes so bright.

I plant more kisses up her inner thigh while she trembles, caressing the curves I love so much. The scent of her arousal cranks my hunger another notch, so that by the time I tug the lace past her hips and drop it to the floor, I’m ravenous. I caress her with the edge of my thumb as I nibble closer. Fuck, she’s wet, and so soft.

She combs through my hair, the edge of her fingernails on my skin heightening the sensations zipping through me. When finally I part her open with my tongue, she gives a desperate little whimper.

“That feels so good,” she says in a rush, panting as I stroke and tease.

I don’t have the willpower right now to take my time. Maybe I will later. We could curl up on the couch together after dinner, then take a bath under the stars where I can caress every inch of her, then make slow, sweet love to her.

Ava comes in a series of cries that make my heart vibrate inside my chest. Pleasuring her is the sweetest, most precious gift. I move with her, savoring every drop of her release until she shudders, her body going limp.

“Oh my god,” she whispers, laughing. “That was incredible.”

I chuckle as I kiss my way up her body. “And that’s only the start of what I have in store for you.”

She gives a happy sigh. “Lucky me.”

I stand and slip off my pants and briefs, then lock eyes with her as I stroke myself.

The effect on her is immediate. She licks her lips and her face tenses with need.

“Take off your bra,” I say.

She arches her back to get at the clasp, then slips it off. I climb between her knees and scoop her body so her head rests on the pillows. With the warm light coming in from the big windows and her dark hair splayed on the covers, she looks every bit the woman of my dreams. My brave girl. The woman I would fight to the death to protect. The woman who has filled my heart with so much love.

I lean down to kiss her. She caresses my back, her touch sensual and caring. Our tongues dart and tease in a sensual game of chase, igniting that little fire in my belly. I glide into place and drive inside her. She gives a soft groan, arching her hips to meet mine. She’s so impossibly tight around me, so plush and wet. I lose myself in the rhythm of our bodies, in her tender touch, in her needy breaths and warm lips. It’s almost impossible to believe that I ever lived without her. Or that I ever doubted I could love her enough to keep her.

Ava comes, her walls fluttering around my cock, her cries turning my thirst inside out.

“One more, sweetheart,” I say, pulling out and flipping her to her knees.

Sides heaving from her release, she whips her hair to one side and arches for me. “Idunnobabe,” she huffs. “That was…”

I stroke her pussy with my thumb.

Her mouth opens in a needy sigh.

“That’s it,” I praise.

She bites her lip, and her fingers curl into the pillow.

I grip her hip to steady myself and gently thrust inside. “Fuck,” I groan, arching that final inch so there’s nothing between us. “You feel so good.”

She braces off the headboard with one hand and turns to watch me, her eyes dark with desire. Folding over her, I kiss her softly, then caress down her spine to cradle her hips. I start slow, trying to make everything last, but everything feels too good. I barely get Ava there again, her body pulsing hard around me, before my climax spikes. I surrender to the pleasure and bliss spiraling up through me, let the sweet fire consume me.

Breathing hard, I come down to the sunlight filling the room and the soft covers under my knees and Ava’s contented sighs. Gently, I pull out and curl up with her. We stroke and kiss as we catch our breath. But before we get too lazy, I scoop her into my arms and carry her out of the room.  

Dazed, she gives me a languid grin. “Where are we off to now, cowboy?”

I kiss her, then continue to the bathroom. “Quick shower, then I’m going to make your favorite dinner.”

She caresses my face. “Which one is that? I have so many favorites.”

“The one I made that first time.”

Her face lights up. “Marry Me Chicken.”

“Yup.” I set her down and reach in to turn on the shower.

“Yum.” She wraps her arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Then can you be my dessert?”

I laugh and press a soft kiss to her lips. “I can’t promise it’ll be sweet.”

She gives a satisfied sigh. “That’s exactly how I like it.”

We get into the shower and I pull her to me. “I love you, Ava.”

“I love you back,” she says, rocking up on her toes to kiss me. “For now and always.”

“I love hearing you say that.” I kiss her.

“Lucky for you I plan to keep saying it.” She wraps her arms around my neck.

I caress down her body. “Lucky me.”

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