He winked at me and smiled. “I’ve never done anything like this before, Whit,” he whispered.

“Neither have I. I’m so excited at the idea of you touching me there, but I’m so scared at the same time.”

“Please tell me if anything hurts, okay? Promise me, Whit,” he whispered as he kissed along my neck.

I began panting. Just the thought of what he was going to do to me had the desire building even more.

“I promise, Layton. I promise you.”

“Roll over and get up onto your hands and knees, baby.”

My heart started pounding harder as I did what he’d said. I was breathing so heavily that the sound of it was turning me on even more.

I watched as he reached for the vibrator and the lube. I jumped when I felt his fingers slowly enter me. He moved them in and out until he stopped and moved his finger back to my ass. The moment he touched me there, I gasped.

“Oh God…” The feeling of him touching me there was more than I could take.

“Fuck, Whitley.” He leaned down and kissed my back as he moved his hand around to the front of me and began playing with my clit.

I dropped to my elbows and wanted nothing more than for him to touch my ass again. I began pushing my ass back toward him.

“Layton…touch me…please.”

“Whitley, I’m not going to last two minutes.”

I turned and looked back at him with a smile. He sat up and never took his eyes from mine as he lubricated the vibrator. My breathing started picking up again.

I turned back around and closed my eyes. Then, I felt him slowly entering me, moving in and out, as his finger played with the outside of my ass.

“Oh God! Oh my God.”

I could feel the orgasm coming on already, and all he was doing was touching the outside of my ass.

“Layton, oh God.”

I felt his finger slowly enter my ass again as he started moving faster. Having sex from behind like this made his dick feel so damn big, and he was going so much deeper this way.

“Faster, Layton.”

I felt his finger moving in and out, and the feeling was amazing.

I want more. I need more.

“More, Layton.”

I pushed my ass back into him, and he moaned.

“Whit…I’m trying to hold on here, but fuck…”

“More, Layton…please…more.”

He must have either placed more fingers in or the vibrator because it began stinging. I let out a whimper, and he stopped.

“Whitley, do you want me to stop, baby? I don’t want this to hurt you.”

Oh my God…it feels so damn good.

“No, don’t stop, Layton!”

“Whitley…motherfucker…you look so damn good like this, baby.”

I put my head down and pushed back into him again. He slammed so hard and deep inside me, and I felt it building. I felt him moving the vibrator in and out of my ass. It burned so bad, but it felt so good at the same time. Then, I felt the vibrator turn on, and I about lost it.

“Layton!” I called out. “Oh God…I’m going to come!”

I yelled out as the orgasm took over my body, and Layton began going faster.

“Oh God…yes! Oh God, yes!” I couldn’t even form any other words. This was probably the longest, most intense orgasm of my life.

“Oh, baby…I can feel the vibrator…fuck…I’m going to come, Whit.”

I could feel him getting harder, and I swore I felt every ounce of him pouring into me. My orgasm was still going so strong that I could hardly stand it. I needed it to stop.

I was slowly coming down from my orgasm when I felt Layton pull out the vibrator. I let out a gasp. The next thing I knew, Layton collapsed next to me as we both desperately tried to get our breaths back.

Layton started to talk in between breaths, “Hottest. Fucking. Moment. Of. My. Life!”

I let out a giggle and rolled over onto my side. I watched as he tried to get his breathing back under control. My heart filled with so much love for him as I lay there and watched his chest moving up and down.

Is it even possible? We just met, and I feel like I’ve known him for so long. I don’t want him to ever leave my side.

Ever.

“Layton?” I ran my fingers up and down his chest and stomach.

He looked over and gave me that smile that just melted my heart.

“Yeah, baby?”

“I love you. I’ve never in my life felt this way or this comfortable with anyone. I’m almost scared because I love you so much, and we haven’t known each other very long.”

He rolled over and took me into his arms. He pulled me on top of him as he moved onto his back.

“Do you know what I dream about?”

I shook my head.

“I dream about you and me always—ever since the first time I saw you. I dream about riding along the fence lines with you, standing in the kitchen and making breakfast with you, you helping me birth a calf or run a horse. I dream about the look on your face when I ask you to marry me and the moment you become my wife. I dream about your stomach all swollen with our child. I’ve never in my life felt like this, Whitley. You are my entire life, and yes…that scares the hell out of me, but it also makes me so damn happy.”

I smiled as I felt tears rolling down my face. I could hardly talk. “Oh, Layton,” I whispered. I gently placed my lips onto his.

As I pulled back from his lips, he wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Thank you. Thank you for loving me, Layton.”

Layton placed his hands on my face and gently began kissing me. He rolled me onto my back as he continued to shower my body with sweet kisses.

He pulled the covers up and over our bodies as we settled in next to each other.

I began to drift off into sleep, but not before I barely heard Layton whisper, “I’m madly in love with you, and I want to marry you, Whitley.”

My heart started pounding as I listened to him fall asleep.

I closed my eyes and felt tears running down my face.

This has to be the most magical moment of my life.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Layton

It was the middle of October, and two months had passed since the night Whitley and I shared in Austin. I couldn’t believe how close we’d grown. She was always at my house, and when she wasn’t, I felt completely and utterly lost without her.

I smiled, thinking about this morning. Neither one of us had wanted to get up and leave each other.

I stood outside the jewelry store, just staring into the window. I couldn’t tell if my body was shaking from the idea of what I was about to do or from the cold that had moved through, making it chillier than normal. I was glad Whitley had talked me into bringing a light jacket even though I’d insisted it wasn’t that cold out.

I smiled to myself, thinking about how excited Whitley was to go to the high school football game tonight. I knew she was happy about spending time with Kate and even more excited that Kate was going to stay the night with us tonight. During their little conversation at dinner the other night with Jen, all I’d heard were words like princess, tea party, dress-up, and something about Uncle Layton being the king.

I glanced up and saw the saleslady grinning at me. She waved her hand for me to come in, so I smiled and took a deep breath.

This is it. I’m really going to do this.

As I stepped in, I noticed two other ladies. They all made a beeline right toward me.

Ah hell. Maybe this is a mistake, coming to a jewelry store right here in town.

I recognized one of the girls right away. Anna Macbeth was her name, and Reed had had the biggest crush on her in high school.

“Well, if it isn’t Layton Morris. My God, I haven’t seen you in years!” she said with a huge smile.

I noticed how the other two ladies backed off immediately once they realized Anna knew me.

I smiled as I reached my hand out to shake her extended hand.

“Anna, isn’t it?” I asked with a smile.

I was pretty sure I’d heard one of the other girls say, “Oh God,” when I’d smiled. I glanced over, and her face instantly turned red. I gave her a wink, which only caused her to giggle.

Anna snapped her head back and looked at the girl. “Sweetie, don’t you have some things to do in the back or something?”

The girl who giggled shot Anna a dirty look and nodded before turning and walking into the back. The other girl turned, grabbed some window cleaner, and began cleaning the glass on the display cases.

Anna turned back toward me and winked. “So, Layton, what brings you into my grandfather’s jewelry store?”

I let out a laugh. “Oh shit! I forgot your grandfather is Jim. I thought you moved to Dallas for college, and last I heard, you were fixin’ to marry some oil tycoon up there.”

Her smile faded just a bit before she grinned from ear to ear again. “I missed the country life along with my parents and my younger sister as well. It’s her senior year in high school, and I wanted to be here for her. Plus…the oil tycoon turned out to be a cheating bastard.”

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. How long have you been back in town?” I asked.

“About three weeks. Today is my third day back on the job here. Almost feels like high school again,” she said with a wink.

“Does Reed know you’re back?” I asked with a chuckle.

She tilted her head and gave me a shit-eating grin. “Reed Moore? Is he living in Llano still?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he works for the Texas Parks and Wildlife, and he helps me out on the ranch a lot as well. Trying to talk him into going in as business partners.”

She nodded and seemed to be making a mental note. “Well, when you see him, tell him to stop by. I’d, um…I’d love to catch up with him.”

I agreed and made a mental note myself to call Reed the moment I stepped outside this store. He had been drinking himself drunk almost every night for the last few months—ever since Courtney had started dating Mitch.

Maybe Anna is the distraction Reed needs to move on from Courtney.

“So, what brings you in, Layton?”

I felt my whole body start shaking again. “I, um…well…um…I’m actually looking for…well, I’m looking for a ring.”

She let out a small giggle. “What kind of ring?”

I looked around and then back out toward the windows. When I looked back at Anna, her smile caused me to chuckle.

“A, um…well…an engagement ring.”

“Oh, Layton! Are you and Olivia getting married?” she asked as she jumped up and down.

Wait—what?

“No! God, no! Damn, you have been gone a while.”

She stopped smiling and came to a complete standstill. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Um…I didn’t know if I should bring this up or not, but I’m really sorry to hear about your brother. He was a really great guy.”

I gave her a weak smile. “Thank you, Anna. Yeah, he was. Back to the ring. It’s for my girlfriend, Whitley.”

“Oh my God! Whitley Reynolds? The girl from New York?”

“Yeah. How do you know her?” I asked.