I glanced back up at her, only to see her smiling.

“If I have to do this, you have to play with yourself.”

I grabbed my dick and started moving my hand up and down. I watched her as she just stared at me while I stroked myself. When she bit down on her lip, I let out a small moan.

“Whit…”

She moved her eyes back up to mine. She turned up the vibrator, threw her head back, and let out a moan. I moved my eyes down her beautiful body and watched as she worked the vibrator in and out.

So fucking hot.

“Jesus, Whitley. You drive me insane. Go faster, baby.”

As I watched her, I could feel myself getting closer and closer. I did everything I could to hold myself off.

Think puppies…babies—

No, not babies.

She was letting out more and more moans. When she reached down and grabbed my dick, I almost came on the spot.

“Layton. Oh God, it feels like I’m going to come. Oh God…”

The next thing I knew, she was calling out in pleasure. I pushed her hand off my dick, grabbed the vibrator, and pulled it out of her as she was still coming. I turned her over onto her knees and hands and slammed my dick into her as deep and hard as I could. I reached my hand around the front of her, and I started to play with her already sensitive nub.

“Oh God…Layton. Harder. It. Feels. So. Good.”

I moved faster and harder as I rubbed against her clit.

“Oh God! God, yes…yes…Layton.”

She just kept calling out my name over and over again as I felt her getting tighter and tighter around my dick.

Just when I didn’t think I could hold off any longer, she pulled away from me slightly and then pushed back against me.

“Ah…Whitley! I’m going to come, baby.”

I grabbed her hips and pumped as hard and fast as I could. I could feel every ounce of me pouring into her as she repeated that she loved me.

As I came to a stop, she collapsed onto the bed, and I followed, lying on top of her.

Trying to catch my breath, I whispered into her ear, “Every time gets hotter and hotter with you, Whit.”

She let out a giggle. “I don’t know how it keeps getting better.”

She started to roll over, and I moved to the side of her.

“Wow. That was intense and felt so good. Thank you. I hope that made up for last night,” she said with a wink and the cutest damn smile I’d ever seen.

“How is it you can look so damn sweet and innocent right after having some of the hottest, mind-blowing sex of my life?”

She shrugged her shoulders as I kissed the tip of her nose.

“I guess I need to go do some work before we have to get ready for tonight,” I said as I kissed her neck.

Whitley sat up in the bed and yelled out, “Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!”

I put my hand on her back. “What’s wrong, babe?”

She glanced back down to me and slowly shook her head. “I left the necklace at home last night. I forgot to grab it.”

“It’s okay, babe. We’ll just run back to your house and get it.”

“No, that’s going out of the way. The restaurant is in Marble Falls, Layton. I’ll just get dressed and run home and get it. I have to pick up a few extra changes of clothes anyway. I mean, that’s if you still want me to stay through my birthday,” she said with a wink.

“Of course I do, Whit, but I hate the idea of you driving all the way back to your house. We can just leave early.”

She jumped up and pulled on her black lace thong and Victoria’s Secret sweats. “Honestly, it’s okay, babe. I have to grab a few other things. I promise, I won’t be long. Let me run now, so I have time to come back and get ready.”

“Okay. You want me to go with you?” I called out.

She stood in the bathroom, throwing her beautiful long brown hair into a ponytail. “Nope. Take care of what you’re supposed to be taking care of with Reed. I’ll be back soon.”

After walking back toward me, she leaned down and kissed me so softly and passionately that I almost wanted to rip off her clothes and make love to her again.

She pulled away and smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’re thinking you want to make love again.”

I smiled at her and laughed. “Yep, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

She stood up and took a few steps away. “Well, Mr. Morris…that was not making love. That was fucking.”

I felt my dick jump at just her mentioning the word. She arched her eyebrows at me and laughed.

“Did you enjoy that, Miss Reynolds?”

“Yes, I did very much indeed, but I’m thinking I’d love some sweet, soft, romantic lovemaking this evening.”

I smiled as I stood and let the sheet fall away from me. I watched while she looked greedily up and down my body as she chewed on her lower lip.

“Your wish is my command, baby.” I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her softly on the lips.

“You’re killing me, Layton. Killing. Me.”

I stepped back and watched as she made her way out of the bedroom. She looked once over her shoulder to give me a wink.

“I love you!” I shouted after her.

“I love you more, baby!” she said as she rounded the corner.

After she was gone, I made my way to the shower with a smile on my face, thinking about next week.

What will her reaction be when I ask her to marry me? Will she cry?

Shit, I hope she doesn’t laugh. Shit! Shit! Shit!

Is it possible for me to miss her already? She’s only been gone two minutes.

I looked down at my growing dick. “Down, boy…she’s not even here. Christ.”

I turned the shower on full blast and moved it over to cold. I stood under the water, thinking about Whitley.

I’ve never in my life loved someone as much as I love her. I would lay down my life for her.

At that moment, I had the strangest feeling come over me, and I remembered my dream when Mike had told me that someone needed my help.

I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and then got dressed. The whole time I was trying to shake the bad feeling I had.

As I made my way down to the barn, I kept hearing the same thing over and over in my head.

Go to her. She needs your help. She needs you to save her.

I walked into the barn and was startled to see Courtney sitting in there, reading.

“Hey, Court. I thought you and Mitch were heading to Enchanted Rock.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I guess something happened with a cow or a calf or something. I think Reed sent you a message on your phone. They headed to the north pasture to go take care of it. So, I thought I’d get caught up on some reading, but I just can’t seem to concentrate. I’ve had the strangest feeling all day.”

I stopped saddling up Hope, my new paint horse, and turned to look at Courtney. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “It just feels like I’m being watched. I’ve felt like this for the last few days. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just worried because everything seems to be falling into place, especially for Whitley. It’s like I’m waiting for the floor to fall out from under her feet. Ya know what I mean?”

Just then, Mitch and Reed came riding back in. Reed jumped off his horse and walked straight up to me.

“Dude, there was someone on the ranch.”

“What?”

“Mitch and I were in the north pasture, trying to get some barbed wire off a calf when I glanced up and saw a car driving on the ranch. Mitch and I got on the horses and headed over, but by the time we got there, the car was gone. A hole was cut in the fence line, and we could tell the car had driven in and out, maybe once or twice.”

My heart started pounding. I looked at Courtney, who was now standing up.

“Whitley. Did she tell you that she thought she was being watched, too?” she asked.

I nodded and turned back toward Reed. “What kind of car was it?”

“Oh, um…shit, I don’t know. A sports car, wouldn’t you say, Mitch?”

Mitch nodded and then said, “Maybe a convertible because it almost looked like the top was down.”

“Motherfucker.” It all hit me at once. “Pete Miller.”

“Who’s that?” Courtney asked.

I looked up at Reed and Mitch and then over at Courtney. “I met him after I bought Whitley’s engagement ring and—”

Mitch and Courtney said at the same time, “What?”

“Oh my God, Layton! You’re going to ask Whit to marry you? When?” Courtney began jumping up and down.

I smiled. “On her birthday. I have the whole thing planned out.”

Courtney put her hand up to her mouth, and I saw tears building in her eyes.

Mitch walked up and shook my hand. “Congratulations.”

“Damn, dude, I still can’t believe you’re getting married.” Reed gave me a quick hug.

Courtney snapped her head and looked at Reed. “You knew about this? Why did you…” Then, she stopped talking as she quickly looked back at me. “That’s great, Layton! She’s going to be so surprised.”

“Thanks, y’all, but listen, back to what I was saying. This guy knocked on my window. He said he was in town for his cousin’s wedding and needed to find a hotel ’cause he lost the paper with the name of the hotel he was supposed to stay at. He was driving a convertible, and something about him just didn’t sit right with me. I asked him how long he was in town for, and he said only long enough to get back what was his. I thought it was strange because he mentioned being in town for his cousin’s wedding.”

Reed’s face turned white as a ghost. “I ran into that guy. After the football game last night, he walked up to me and asked me if I knew Whitley and Courtney. He said he needed an event planner for his sister’s wedding, and someone had given him Whit’s name. I’d never seen him before, so I asked him why he would ask me. He said he saw me, um…he saw me talking to Courtney, and he thought he had recognized her as Whitley’s friend. Now, looking back, the whole thing doesn’t make any sense, but then, I’d had a few beers in me, too.”

Courtney started shaking her head. “Oh God, Reed…did you tell him anything?”

“No, of course not. I told him I didn’t have your business card, so I didn’t know your numbers offhand. Then, I went to get my truck. Anna stayed behind and talked to him, and—oh fuck.”

Reed reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Anna, hey, it’s Reed. That guy you were talking to last night when I went and got my truck…yeah, the guy who got into the convertible. What did you say to him? Did you tell him anything about Whitley or Courtney?”

Reed’s mouth dropped open, and he looked over toward Courtney. “Fuck! No…no, it’s okay, Anna. Listen, I can’t explain right now. I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up and looked at me. “She told him where Whitley lived.”

“What the fuck? How in the hell does she even know where we live? And why would she tell him that? She doesn’t even know him! Who does that?” Courtney shouted as she pulled out her cell phone.