Devin rolled over and faced a still-sleeping Liberty. He drank in the soft set of her mouth and the way she angled her chin upward in challenge, even in rest. Propping himself on his elbow, he gently brushed a section of blue hair from her cheek and let his fingers trail down the arch of her neck. His lips curved into a possessive smile when he saw the hickey at the base of her throat. Pity it’d started to fade. He liked seeing his mark on her skin—proof of their passion. A reminder that the woman made him so f**king crazy with heat and need that he’d lost his head entirely.

They’d been out in the woods target shooting. No surprise Liberty kicked his ass on accuracy, no matter which weapon she fired. With the temperate weather, a hint of autumn in the air and his sexy, sassy woman by his side, Devin couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so hard, had so much fun, and yet was so totally relaxed.

When Liberty had finally given in and showed him how fast she could pull her gun, his awe and pride had immediately been supplanted by lust.

He’d taken her right there against the trunk of a tree, their camo shorts kicked into the leaves, her thigh wrapped around his hip, her molten core as wet and ready for him as it always was. He’d f**ked her hard, fast and deep, lost in everything that was her—her strength, her heat, her spontaneity. With the ground at their feet littered with spent shells and the air eddied with gun smoke, the moment was perfect. And so perfectly . . . them.

“That’s an awful cocky smile you’re wearing,” she said softly.

His eyes met hers. Then he leaned forward, placing a kiss on the mark on her neck. “It’s not cocky, sweetheart. That’s how I look when I’m content.”

Liberty curled her hand around the side of his face. “I am content too. I’m really glad you invited me to your cabin.”

Devin kissed the inside of her wrist. “I could get used to lazing around in bed with you all day.”

“Bull. You miss playing, performing and writing music.”

“But I like wakin’ up late, f**king whenever and wherever we feel like it.”

“We have done plenty of that the last couple of days. Plenty.”

He grinned. While they’d been in close quarters on the bus for the past three months, being together at his cabin put them on equal footing. Here they weren’t protector and protectee. Here they were a couple on a romantic getaway, exploring levels of intimacy. Since she was the first lover he’d ever invited to his cabin, he was determined to christen every room. Twice. And this wasn’t the typical small one-bedroom cabin.

She sighed. “It has been the perfect vacation. Not just because of all of your firepower—although you do get serious brownie points for your kick-ass firearm collection. What I like about this place? The freedom to do whatever we want and no one around for miles to tell us what we can’t do.”

“Exactly. That’s why I bought a bigger acreage. I could raise pigs and goats out here, and no one could say shit about it.”

A bark of her disbelieving laughter echoed. “Country superstar Devin McClain raising pigs? Never gonna happen, hot stuff. And I know you’ve heard all about Harper’s great goat catastrophe, so that’s a double no on livestock.”

“I’m wounded, darlin’, that you have so little faith in me. But I get what you mean about the freedom. Maybe it’s a simple joy, but I like hopping on the four-wheeler and following a random trail to see where it leads.”

Shame flitted through her blue eyes and she looked away.

Devin forced her attention back to him. “Hey. It’s nothin’ to be ashamed of.”

“I had a flashback in the middle of the damn day, Devin. On a f**king ATV.”

“Something triggered a memory and you dealt with it.”

“You dealt with it,” she murmured. “Thank you for not thinking I’m a total freak.”

“Never.” Yesterday they’d taken off to explore. One minute they were zipping along through the woods just fine and the next, Liberty screamed for him to stop the vehicle. Then she bailed out and hit the dirt, curling her body into a ball. He’d managed to keep his cool even when he knew she’d literally loaded herself for bear. Then he’d calmly broken through her near-catatonic state and wrapped himself around her until the shaking ended. After they’d returned to the cabin, he’d dealt with her surliness and self-recriminations by mixing them both a stiff drink and forcing her to sit on the porch swing with him as day dimmed into night. It gave him a sense of purpose to offer her his strength when she needed it.

“So admit that you need this break but you are ready to get back to it.”

No surprise she changed the subject. “Yeah.”

“Why don’t you have a guitar at your cabin?”

“I come here only when I really need to get away or during huntin’ season. I bought this as a place to have fun, not to work. As much as I love my job, it’s still a job.”

She poked him in the chest. “Speaking of work, it’s your night to cook.”

“That’s not work, Liberty. I like cooking for you.”

“Stop being so sweet, or we’ll end up bouncing on the mattress again.”

“Like I said”—he brushed his mouth across hers—“I could get used to this kind of life with you.” Or any kind of life with her. He rolled away before he saw that guarded look in her eyes. Whenever he’d brought up continuing their relationship at the end of the tour, she turned silent. He’d let it slide for now, but the past three days had just proved to him that they belonged together.