Falling in Vermont (Cozy Nights in Vermont #2)

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

BLAKE

B lake’s feet hit the bottom of the staircase right before Star’s did.

He was dead on his feet after yet another terrible night of sleep, but he had to get an early start. He’d promised to install the large painted sign Sophia had worked so hard on, and today was his least favorite day of the month: bookkeeping.

She insisted his business would increase if tourists drove by the farm and actually knew they could stop. He’d hit his forehead with how obvious an improvement it was. They’d worked all night painting the sign she’d designed. They’d then taken a very long, very sexy shower together.

Like he did every night since they’d first had sex, he’d kissed her goodnight and dropped her off at her bedroom door. He didn’t want to subject her to his tossing and turning. At least one of them could get a good night’s sleep.

As he rounded the corner, in the early, dim light he saw Sophia looking like his every fantasy. She was in a long rumpled sleep shirt, half sloped over her shoulders, with her messy bun still looking like cats had fought in it. She stirred a giant bowl that smelled like home. Clove, pumpkin, and vanilla perfumed the air. Every kitchen surface had some ingredient on it.

If she was here permanently, I could wake up to this every morning.

Her cheeks were rosy from the heat of the oven, and she had a sleepy smile on her face. “Morning, roomie,” she said in a low, throaty voice.

His heart clenched, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind as she stirred the contents of her bowl. He buried his head in the curve of her neck, inhaling her vanilla scent, kissing her there. Couldn’t get enough of it.

Only three more weeks of her here.

She leaned into him, and he squeezed her, trying to savor this memory.

She set her bowl down and turned around to wrap her arms around him. “Did I wake you up? I was trying to be so quiet.”

They hadn’t officially outlined the rules of their “with benefits” arrangement, but he was glad she hadn’t seemed bothered that benefits included kisses, hugs, and as much sex as their tired bodies could handle.

He bundled her against him. “I woke me up. Just like always.”

Star huffed and stamped her paws, eager for breakfast. She stood by her food dispenser, demanding her kibble with specials on top, which were stupidly expensive meatballs that he splurged on because she was the best dog.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’,” he grumbled in the direction of her food station.

Sophia looked like she’d fall asleep standing up as she stirred her batter.

“Hey, you don’t have to make anything today. We can cut back if you need to rest.” He didn’t like seeing her so tired.

“No, no, I couldn’t sleep either,” she said, cracking one eye open as she stirred.

Her cheeks and lips were a dark rosy color, and he fought every nerve in his body that urged him to walk over, toss her over his shoulder, and go back to bed together.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m nervous about whether I can get everything done. What if I can’t find enough recipes that are really mine, you know? Really me on the page. It’s the best part of my day to talk to everybody and ask their opinions.”

“What are you making today?” he said. Star inhaled her kibble, and he sipped his coffee waiting for her to finish so they could go to the barn.

“Everything pumpkin. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread. Tonight I’ll try my hand at pumpkin ravioli.”

“Mmm,” he said noncommittally, thinking pumpkin ravioli sounded like a punishment. But if anyone could make it good, it was probably Sophia.

“I can’t help it, you have amazing pumpkins,” she said with a shrug, “so we’re trying everything. Where are you off to at the crack of dawn?”

“I’m gonna put up your sign—looks good, by the way.”

“Yeah? We have so many good things coming up.” She started bouncing on her toes, waking herself up. “I wanted everybody to be able to find us, and I thought you deserved a face lift.” She stumbled over her words. “I mean, not you, you’re very handsome. I meant the farm.”

Very handsome.

The most gorgeous woman in the world thought he was very handsome.

He let that bombshell roll around in his head, gripping the counter so that it wasn’t obvious his world was tilting.

Yeah, they’d had sex. Yeah, he still dreamed about her every waking moment, but a sneaky voice in the back of his head thought, I’m just convenient. Just a distracting toy for her to play with while she’s away from home.

She poured batter into a greased muffin tin. “Also, don’t forget we’re going to pick up the pumpkin carving kits later today.”

He craved one kiss before he left to go to the cold, empty barn. “I won’t forget,” he said, staring down at her lips, which she bit.

She beamed back. “I already got ten insta-vite responses for the event.”

He shook his head, amazed at her. Tilting her chin up, he kissed her with a slow, lingering nip. She tasted like coffee, and he inhaled her scent he’d never get tired of.

He wanted more, desperately. No time to get distracted this morning. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do when…” When you’re gone. “Uh...when all this is over and we have free time,” he said, changing his mind. Don’t sound desperate.

She kissed him quickly and went back to her recipe. “You know what I thought we should do before Halloween? A pet costume contest. Maybe at the same time as the pumpkin carving day. Make a whole thing of it.”

His eyes went wide. A pet costume contest? His brain spiraled trying to understand the logistics of how he could do something like that.

“Oh, don’t make that face. It’ll be so cute, and I just did a one-off little post with Star the other day because I was so excited for the Pumpkin Treat-o’s I made for her, and people asked about bringing their dogs to the farm.”

Upon hearing Treat-o’s, Star’s tail slapped on the floor. “Now look what you did,” he said with a shake of his head.

She grabbed one of the orange bone-shaped biscuits she’d made and broke it in half for Star. “You can’t help that everyone loves you, can you?” Sophia asked as Star politely gobbled up the treat from her hand. “It’ll help celebrate the end of the season, you’ll get rid of the rest of your stock, and I’ll get to see several dogs in costumes. It’ll be a great time.”

“If it makes you happy,” he said with a smile full of wonder, “we should do it.”

She fist pumped and shook her ass. “ Yuuus . I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll handle everything.” She pecked his cheek as she went back to her recipe.

It was like living with a sexy, industrious energizer bunny.

He tapped his leg for Star to follow him out to the barn before he lost his control and really did haul Sophia back to bed.

As he stepped outside, the crisp air that slapped him in the face was far more effective at waking him up than the coffee in his cup. His boots crunched on leaves that were starting to turn brittle in the near frosty morning. Fog settled over the hills and fields, looking magical meandering through the pines.

The old barn had been standing on the Jameson Family Farm for well over a century, but about thirty years ago, his father had put in a small office leading out of the back of the barn. He’d installed a huge bolted safe to the concrete where Blake fed in the cash every evening after they closed. The safe was waist-high, and he absolutely hated unlocking it every month only to see a few measly bills at the bottom.

As Blake sat down in the small office, he tried to figure out what felt so different than the last month. Normally he dreaded this part of the job, tallying up just how much he owed everyone and seeing if he needed to dip into his savings yet again.

An unexpected feeling registered as he sat down. I’m…happy?

It almost didn’t matter how much money they did or didn’t have in the safe.

Business had been so good in the last few weeks due entirely to Sophia. He hadn’t tried to get his hopes up because honestly he rarely kept track of what they earned day-to-day. It all netted out at the end of the month anyway.

He dialed in the code for the safe—his parents’ first-date anniversary—expecting to see a few more bills than normal.

A flood of money spilled out of the safe as he opened the door, and Star barked in surprise.

How…what…

What the actual fuck. He’d been so distracted by the joy that Sophia had brought that he hadn’t thought much of what he’d put in the safe every night.

After counting them all up and double-checking his math, he realized they were ahead of schedule for the entire season.

So ahead that he might be able to repair the cottage and still actually make a profit.

He laughed, scratching his head in wonder.

He’d have to show Sophia how grateful he was to have her in his life.

* * *

That night, Blake turned onto a small country road as his old Chevy bumped through the dips in the road. His hand was on Sophia’s thigh, and he couldn’t remember a time he’d been happier in the last few years than he was then.

He’d driven them further and further into the backroads, far away from any other houses. The night was pitch black, and only the Chevy headlights illuminated the bumpy country road in front of them.

It was one of his favorite places on a clear night like this.

Sophia was texting on her phone like a madwoman.

He squeezed her thick thigh and sighed in pleasure at the feeling of it. “Everything okay? You might lose signal soon. Gets a little spotty out here.”

“Just…thought of how…to fix…the ravioli,” she murmured as she typed. “There. Phew.” She sighed and put her hand over his. “I will not be deterred. I’m gonna crack it tomorrow.”

“It was good,” he lied. They’d dined on leftovers before leaving. His fridge was at max capacity with delicious food.

He’d volunteered to eat everything…other than that.

“It was not,” she said, squeezing his hand. “But thank you for trying to make me feel better. Tomorrow is another day. Where are we?” She peered out the window.

“This is an extra plot of farmland the family has. I haven’t needed to plant it, but it’s here if we ever were able to expand operations.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Did you always want to be a farmer? You said you moved here after Angie died.”

“Sort of.” He pulled off onto the patch of dirt in the middle of the field. “As a kid, I wanted to get as far away as possible. See some of the world. But I realized, the world isn’t that great. Coming back is something I always dreamed about as an escape when I worked in an office.”

“You? In an office? I can’t believe it.”

He shoved the gear stick into park. “Took after my mom. Was a CPA for about eight years.”

She tossed her head back in surprise. “What the what?” she shrieked. “And that doesn’t stand for Certified Pumpkin Analyst?”

He laughed, kissing her cheek. “Don’t think I can handle numbers?”

“No, I’m just trying to picture a tie around your flannel shirts. You’re so at home on the farm, I can’t picture you anywhere else. I was an accounting major too. And I hated it way more than you did, because I only lasted for one year. Luckily a couple of my videos went viral with my first big recipe, and I’ve been hustling on my own ever since.

“I hated being trapped in an office,” he said, his hand scratching his chin. “It felt like I was suffocating. I wanted to be outside, move my body. Not sit behind a desk and stare at a screen all day. I missed this.”

“A pitch-black field?” She looked quizzically at him.

He smiled. “Not quite.” He hopped out of the truck. “Just stay put. I need to get some things ready in the bed of the truck.”

Her eyebrows rose. “If you’re going to murder me, I’m going to be so mad at you.”

He unfurled the air mattress he’d tossed in his truck bed and hit the button on his portable pump to start inflating it.

While the pump worked, he tossed two blankets over the air mattress and tucked two more off to the side.

He’d grabbed a few of the battery-operated flickering candles Sophia used for decor on the snack and drink tables. He turned them on and scattered them around the air mattress.

Candles don’t make something a date. It’s for…safety.

Yep. Safety.

The thermos of hot toddies he made? Well, maybe that’s edging toward a date.

He walked to her side and opened the door. “Time for you to experience some of the Vermont sights.”

“Is this one of those things where you teach me to hunt for a pretend animal?” She narrowed her eyes.

“No, I’m not hazing you like some fifth grade Boy Scout. Come on.” He held his hand out for her as she stepped out of the truck.

He squeezed her hand. “Now, look up.”

Her jaw dropped.

“Holy…stars,” she whispered.

His field was next to a registered dark sky state park. Bright stars blanketed the sky in an unimaginable density.

“It looks like when I spilled powdered sugar over the pumpkin loaf today.”

He loved how her brain worked. “There’s hardly any light pollution out here, and new construction is prohibited near the state park so that people can come from all over to see the stars like this.”

“Blake, this is…I can’t even process what this is.”

It’s a date, he thought with a tinge of shame at going back on their agreement. “C’mon, there’s more.”

He pulled her by the hand to the truck bed. “Let me help you up. I thought we could stay awhile.”

“…Blake.” She turned to him with wide eyes.

Oh fuck. Had he done something wrong?

“You did this for me? You even grabbed the little candles.”

He scratched his ear, nervous he’d fucked up whatever good thing they’d just started. “Uh…yeah? We can go home if?—”

“No.” She swirled on him, her voice full of awe. Her hands came to her face as if she was processing it. “This is so thoughtful. I love it.”

I love you .

Fuck .

It had been on the tip of his tongue.

Jesus.

Apparently, his soul, his cock, and his brain had all gotten together without his permission to create a laser beam of attraction and had aimed it at a total of two other people in his lifetime.

And number three was staring at his old beat-up truck as if an air mattress and some lights meant he was special enough to be with her.

So much for casual dating.

“Let me help you up.” His hands came to her hips, and he lifted as she jumped, causing her to fly up and backwards.

She burst out laughing as she landed.

“Did I say jump, woman?”

She cackled. “I was helping. I’m not used to being with a guy who can toss me around.” She crawled onto the air mattress, and he enjoyed the sway of her hips in her jeans as she crawled.

He hoisted himself up and reached for the thermos.

She settled under a quilt and looked up, her eyes big—full of awe. For the first time since he’d met her, she was quiet.

“You said you’d always wanted to stare up at the stars and just think for a little bit, so I thought this was the best place I could find to make that happen,” he said, pointing up.

“You remembered that?” she whispered under her breath.

He handed her a mug with the steaming drink he’d brought.

“Look at you,” she said, impressed. “Thought of everything. Is this a hot toddy? Mmm.” She cradled the mug. “I love the touch of cinnamon in it.”

He lay down on the mattress next to her and poured a small one for himself since he’d drive in a bit.

“This is…unreal. I’d look up at the stars sometimes at home—at your house,” she corrected. “But it’s not like this.”

He fucking loved that she thought of his house as home.

“Sometimes when I was a teenager, or after I moved back, I’d come out here and think. Easy to remember you’re just a speck of dust in it all here.”

“What made you want to move back to your homet-t-t-town?” Her teeth chattered.

He lifted his arm and tucked her into his side as he pulled his blanket onto her. “I had good memories growing up on the farm as a kid, and it seemed like good timing with my parents wanting to sell. It’s been in our family for a hundred and fifty years, and I couldn’t bear the thought of it going to some New York tech bro who wanted to escape the city. It felt good to get some space from my life before that too, start over somewhere familiar. But I always feel like I’m two steps away from failing my family,” he said quietly.

“What? How? You’re doing great. Need I remind you that a small child literally fell over from trying to carry too many pumpkins today.”

He snorted. “And the fact that his face was painted a pumpkin, just…cherry on top.” Sophia had convinced him to hire the local art teacher to come and do face painting for an hour in the afternoons, and the kids had been delighted by it.

“There’s just always something that I feel like I should have done better. Like I should have had the tree taken care of when I first noticed something wrong with it.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if something had happened to you.”

Her head rested on his chest, and she grabbed his hand. “You take your responsibility in the world very seriously. It’s a refreshing change from the ‘I’m forty-five and maybe I’ll start settling down sometime soon’ guys I’ve been knee-deep in for the last few years.”

“Even though I’m stressed and think I’m usually failing, the worst day on the farm is still better than my best day behind a desk. Especially lately,” he said, squeezing her to him.

She sipped the rest of her drink and set her mug to the side. Staring at him with an intensity that echoed inside of him, she reached her hand up and scratched her nails gently along his short beard.

“Why did you shave? When I first moved here.”

Ah shit. His beard had been to his shoulder when she’d moved into the cottage. He’d taken the not at all subtle advice of his aunt and gotten his shit together, pronto.

“That’s enough questions for today,” he said, squeezing her closer so that her leg fell over his. “How about we just stare up at the stars?” he said with an embarrassed smile.

She pushed up to straddle his lap, the blanket falling off of her. “I’m more interested in my question.”

Her chestnut curls were thick and tumbling over her shoulders as she impishly smiled at him.

“I should have known you’d be trouble,” he muttered as his hands came up to grasp her ass, pulling her toward him. He hoped her small moan meant she wanted more of that.

Her hands were warm as they framed his face. “I mean, you can’t seduce a woman,” she said, leaning down, her breath over his lips, “and then get mad when she’s been thoroughly seduced.”

Her lips were plump and full like perfect berries, and his hand came up to her chin to hold her in place while he took her mouth. His cock was already rock hard at the mere taste of her.

His tongue traced her lip. A cupid’s bow. He had to remember that for when she was gone. Had to remember how perfect his life was right now. And maybe that was all that mattered.

Her tongue met his as he grabbed her ass. Fuck, he wanted her. Constantly.

He kissed down her jaw, needing to hear her. She sighed out a small moan as he sucked on her earlobe, rocking against him.

“Blake,” she panted, pulling back. “Why did you shave your beard when I first moved here?”

Her eyes searched his. Their hot breaths were clouds of desire around them in the air.

“Isn’t it obvious, Soph?” he said, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I wanted to do whatever I could to have a chance with the most gorgeous woman in Vermont.”

Her eyes scanned his face as she pushed a hand up into his hair. He closed his eyes, savoring the cascade of pleasure down his spine.

“I…” She paused, looking like she’d changed her mind. “Kiss me.”

He pulled her down to him, his arms wrapping around her. She raked her hands up and down his scalp as their tongues fought, ratcheting up their need and desire.

Needing to feel the world’s most perfect pair of tits, his hand moved to her waist and pressed up, grabbing a handful of her breast like she’d done with him that first night they’d kissed. She spilled out between his fingers, and fuck, he’d never get tired of this.

“You are”—he kissed down her neck—“gorgeous.”

She moaned as he rocked her harder and harder against him. “Fuck, I might come from this,” she sobbed.

And a pop sounded in the quiet night, followed by an aggressive hsssss.

They stilled in surprise and burst out laughing. “What I’m hearing is a timed challenge,” he said against her mouth.

“Yeah?” she said, unsure and panting.

He rocked her harder against him as air hissed out of a hole somewhere.

She moaned.

He rocked her harder, and harder.

“Fuck,” she cried. “Yes.”

He yanked her sweater down and found her nipple, sucking hard as he rocked her harder. “Louder,” he ordered, shoving the other side of her sweater down and exposing both of her nipples. He was about to come just from this sight.

“Yes,” she screamed as she rode him. Her hands were on either side of his head against the cab of the truck as her tits bounced in his face.

Need curled in his spine, and cum erupted out of his cock as he lost control.

She moaned, but she still moved against him. He kept rocking her, wanting her to come so badly.

“That’s my girl. Tell me what you want.” He squeezed her hard buds, pinching and twisting them as she humped his cock.

“Did you come?” she panted, rocking against him.

His cock twitched as it calmed down, thinking of her kink. “Yeah. Does my girl need it?”

She threw her head back and sobbed, “ Yes .”

He unzipped his jeans, reaching in to find the slick of cum against his skin. Gathering it onto his fingers, he grabbed her breast and slicked his finger around and around her hard nipple with it. She moaned at the contact.

“You feel so good covered in my cum,” he growled into her ear.

She moaned. He sucked her other nipple into his mouth and gripped her hips with all his might, throwing her back and forward against him.

“Fuck,” she shrieked in a long cry, coming against him. She rocked and rocked until she slowed.

She stilled right as her knees and his ass and thighs hit the bottom of the truck bed, the air mattress having officially died. They burst out laughing again.

“We made it,” she panted, pumping a fist in the air.

God, he really, really did love her.

He pulled her sweater back up so she didn’t get cold and pulled her down for a long, slow kiss as they smiled.

Whatever happened between them, for the rest of his life, he’d remember a perfect night full of stars in his favorite place, with the woman who’d made him believe in love again.