Dinner is always loud. All of Austin's brothers have dinner every evening at the ranch house with Lilith and Olivia close to their sides. She learned while at the waterfall that Lilith and Olivia also grew up in the city - she is beginning to believe that curse. Especially because Ren refuses to speak to city girls given he is not ready to settle down. Matty can't wait for his city girl. She watches how they interact with each other - tons of love and kind words. There is not a toxic bone in any of them. Evelyn and Jimmy treat each boy the same, including Lilith and Oliva. Jimmy listens quietly to the stories Josh and Burt tell him about their ranch and he gives them quiet advice. His face proud. When Ren tells him of his bull riding and the new records he has broken Jimmy looks just as proud and when Matty speaks of the dreams he is yet to accomplish, Jimmy says he has all the faith in the world he will achieve them. Evelyn speaks quietly with Lilith and Olivia, they include Indy in their conversations, and she does not feel like an outsider. How do they love all their children so effortlessly? As if there is enough love to go around.
Indy likes it. She loves it. She had always wished family dinners could be like this, but they never were. If she and Austin ever think of having children she is going to convince him they should have one hundred and she is going to love them all, she is going to tell each one of them how special they are and cuddle them all the time. And family dinners? She is going to have family dinners all the time. "Bedtime, darlin'," Jimmy says suddenly as he stands. Evelyn smiles at him and then stands too. "Good night. I love you all," she says then brushes Indy's shoulder as she passes. "You too, little dove," she whispers before she disappears with Jimmy.
Indy has to clench her jaw as her emotions practically explode. She said that so easily. As if it was true. Is it true? It certainly feels like it. "Been a long day, best we get going," Burt says quickly and ushers everyone up and out the door ignoring their protests. Once they are alone Austin takes Lucky carefully from Indy's arms and places her in the bed Indy had made earlier under the kitchen table. She will sleep now that she has just had a feed. He sits back down and pulls her onto his lap.
"You need a moment?"
Indy nods. "Take your time, sugar," he whispers. Indy buries her face in his shoulder and has a little cry. Austin does not bug her while she takes a moment, he just rubs her back gently. Eventually, she gets a handle on her emotions and sits up.
"Better?"
"Yes."
"Feels good, huh?"
Indy gives him a watery laugh and wipes her cheeks, fixing her face. "Yeah. It feels really good," she says. "I promise you, Indy, you'll never have to beg or even hope for love again. You have it. Freely," he says.
"I just...I don't feel like I'm w-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence. Don't you dare say or think you are not worth it. You are. I said you would win every fight but not that one. Call me a liar if you must. But, I will fight and I won't relent on that one. Do you understand me?" he says. Indy smiles softly at him. He gets a little crease right in the center of his brows and his eyes squint closed slightly when he is angry. His voice goes slightly gruff, not as gruff as it was with Bella or her father, but still gruff. His nose scrunches slightly too. It's very cute. She slides her fingers into his beard and pulls his face close to hers. "I understand that you love me very much," she whispers. "I do," he whispers back.
"You are very cute when you are angry."
"Oh?"
"Mhmm...I am missing the privacy of our house right now."
"I can fix that."
"You can?"
"Up."
Indy stands up and Austin takes her hand then slips out the kitchen door with her. "You wanna do this properly?" he asks with a grin. "I have no idea what we are doing so yes, why not?" she says shrugging. "Ok. Keep very quiet. We aim to keep out of sight and not get caught," he whispers. He walks quietly down the kitchen steps and then pulls her against the side of the house.
"What-"
"Shhh, sugar," he whispers. She cocks her head as she watches him scope out the quiet ranch house yard then slide along the side of the house, tugging her with him. When they get to the corner he peeps around and then looks back at her. "I am going to run to that bush, I will signal to you when it is safe to come," he whispers. "Ok..." she says completely confused. He darts across the yard and ducks behind the bush then pops his head up from behind it and looks at her. He signals for her to run then changes suddenly and signals for her to stay put. She peeps around the corner of the house and looks up to where he is looking. His parent's window is open and Evelyn's head is poking out. She is scanning the yard with a suspicious face.
Once she seems satisfied she pulls her head back into the window and closes it. She looks back at Austin who is still looking up at the widow with his hand raised then he looks back at Indy and waives his hand in indication for her to run. She takes a deep breath and pushes away from the wall. She sprints as fast as she can to Austin as he silently cheers for her to run faster. Just as she gets to him she hears the window slide open again and both she and Austin duck under the bush. Evelyn scans the yard again with a suspicious frown. "What are you doing?" they hear Jimmy say. "I swear I saw a shadow pass by the window, twice," Evelyn says.
"You have had too much sun. Turn the light off and come back to bed."
"Will you go check the yard please?"
"Woman, you are a pain in my ass," he says but they can hear the stamping of his feet as he gets out of bed. Evelyn closes the window and Austin grabs her hand. "Run, baby, if he catches us we are done for," he says tugging her up and darting toward the barn. They laugh quietly as they run, checking over their shoulders just in time to see the front door open. They are out of the mowed lawns of the ranch house yard and Austin drops them into the long grass covering Indy's mouth when her laughing gets a little too loud as he chuckles in her ear.
They watch Jimmy walk around the yard, checking the bush they had been hiding behind then scan the yard again before he walks inside with a shake of his head. Austin keeps them in the grass until their bedroom light goes out. "I think we are safe," he whispers. "I think so too," Indy giggles. They stand and walk down to the barn. When they get to the barn Austin grabs the oversized lock on the barn doors and shakes his head. "That sneaky woman," he says and then pulls her around to the back of the barn. He rummages around in a pile of wood and then pulls a ladder out from under the pile. Grinning triumphantly at Indy he leans it against the wall under a small square window.
"Darlin'," he says gesturing for her to climb up with a devious grin. Her adrenaline is still pumping from getting away with sneaking out of the house. She still does not know why they did that but it was fun. So without much thought, she climbs the ladder, Austin right behind her. It's dark in the barn so she stays close to the window for the little bit of light the moon offers while Austin hauls up the ladder and leans it against an inside wall. Then he bends and knocks on a few floorboards until he finds a hollow-sounding one. He lifts it slightly and pulls out a torch. He turns it on and points the beam down then stands and holds out his hand. Indy giggles again and takes it. He walks them down the stairs and then to a corner of the barn that is hidden behind bales of hay. He hands her the torch then pulls handfuls of staw out of the hay bales and throws them on the floor until it looks soft and comfy.
Then he grins at her and wriggles his brows as he takes off his coat, laying it over the staw. "Your bed, my Darlin'," he waves his hand at it as he took the torch back from her. She giggles again. She may be in a little love bubble. "Why, thank you, sir. Such a gentleman," she says and sits down on his coat. "Is this why the barn is always locked?" she asks. Austin switches the torch off and plunges them into darkness. "This is exactly why the barn is always locked. A rancher with four handsome teenage sons would be would be stupid not to," he says. She feels him climbing over her, pushing her down, and fiddling with the buttons of her jeans.
"There are two things amiss."
"What's that?" Austin asks getting her button undone and pulling her jeans off. "Well none of her sons are teenagers anymore and Matty is still a child," she says undoing the buttons of her shirt. She is getting impatient. She hasn't had him between her thighs for three days now - that's way too long. It's just not right. Austin laughs softly as he pulls her panties off. "True, but we still like to sneak in here, makes us feel young. And the other?" he asks, she can hear him removing his clothing.
"Handsome?" she asks and then covers her mouth as she laughs. "Oh, she is funny," Austin says running his hands over her body, they have become slightly rough from working on the ranch. It sends a shiver up her spine. "I am just joking, you are very handsome. But, even if you were not, it's your heart that I am in love with," she whispers holding out her hands and searching for his face. It's so dark she can't see anything, she can only feel him. She eventually finds his face and slides her fingers into his beard. "I have known love all my life, Indy, but your love is the sweetest," he whispers then disappears.
Her first instinct is to call out, bringing him back to her. But, she is not scared. She knows he would never leave her here alone and she trusts him...she feels him in the air around her.
"Don't be scared, darlin'," she hears him whisper from somewhere in the dark.
"I am not scared."
"You are not?"
"No."
"You are not scared I might lose you in the dark?"
"You will find me. I have been in darker places than this...you found me. I trust you."
She hears a soft bang and then a small wooden window opens and a thin stream of silver moonlight filters through - chasing away the dark. Austin is standing in front of the window, his naked silhouette making her body react and she sits up.
"You are right, Indy...I heard you...I heard you calling. I will always hear your call."
"Come here," she whispers putting her arms out to him. He does not hesitate and walks to her, practically falling into her arms and pushing her back down as he settles over her. "You are my mountain," he whispers. Indy does not know what that means, but she knows with time she will. "I love you," she whispers. "And I love you," he says moving into a kneel between her legs. Her body reacts absent-mindedly again to him and her stomach muscles pull tight with the need for him. He slides his rough hands over her skin again, searching her body as if he is trying to catch the moonlight that is spread over her. "You are beautiful and I am in love with you...it grows stronger everyday," he mumbles then leans over her and she stops breathing a little when he connects their lips and kisses her. She can feel him resting on the crease of her thigh - hot and full.
He dances his fingers over her skin then breaks the kiss and dips down to gently bite her neck, collar bone, breasts, nipples, side of her hip, and then her inner thighs - his nipping ignites all her senses and her body shakes. He licks into her softly and she moans loudly in relief at finally having him between her thighs after so long. "You are so wet," he mumbles, more to himself than to her. The things Austin does to her body is indescribable. He slowly works his way back up her body and by the time he reaches her mouth once again, she can feel the promise of her orgasm spreading across her body like the moonlight. "Don't make me wait, please," she begs.
"Hush, darlin'."
"Please..."
Austin sits up in a kneel again and she lets her eyes roam his beautifully defined inked body. When her eyes meet his she can see there are promises in them that he will never break. His eyes drop and she watches him as he slowly scans over her body. He looks like he is committing every inch of her to his memory.
"I will love you till the day I die," she whispers, biting her bottom lip when she is caught off guard by her sudden emotions. Austin's eyes flick back to hers and he shakes his head. "Even death won't pull us apart," he whispers then leans back over her, burying his face in her neck and lining himself up. She rolls her hips and he grunts into her ear as he pushes into her carefully, the feeling of stretching around him making her whine. He lifts his head from her neck and looks at her when he has filled her. "OK?" he whispers. "Yes," she whispers rolling her hips again.
Then he sits up, taking her with him so she is sitting on his bended knees with him buried deep inside her. She wraps her arms around his neck as he starts slowly, lifting her hips and pulling her back to him in smooth deep strokes. "More," she begs. Austin raises them and she wraps her legs around his hips then without warning he pulls back and slams into her, making her back arch as he grips her tightly. He slams into her again and again. Her whimperings turn to soft cries, but she can feel a scream bubbling up. His powerful body is in control of her soft pliant mess of a body. She gives him control willingly while he continues to slam into her relentlessly as she clings to him. Her back arches more, causing her to break from his lips, that scream breaking out of her while he dips his head and patches onto her nipple. Her body starts to pop with electricity - she will explode soon. Austin knows her body better than she does at this point and he lifts his head to look at her - his hips never stuttering. "Let go. Show me," he breaths out. She lets go with a laugh, she is on top of the world how could she not? Her orgasm takes over and rolls over her body in warm waves. It's amazing. She feels Austin dig his fingers into her with a grunt as he too releases and then they fall. Hitting the soft hay on the floor is a mound of sated body parts and heaving breathing. "Fantastic," she giggles breathlessly. "Agreed," Austin mumbles just as breathlessly.
"Again?"
"Again," Austin says searching for her mouth and kissing her as he once again settles between her still-shaking thighs.