The Ocean’s City
Chapter 44

The sun was high in the sky; it heated down on me through the window. Still, I wanted to allow myself to drift into sleep. There was a light touch that called me to wake instead. My eyes fluttered open to see Dalton sitting over me, looking like he was watching an angel sleep.

He laughed to himself, leaning in to kiss my forehead softly as I fought the haze of my sleep. My arm wrapped around him, asking him not to make a space between us. It felt like I was in a dream, and he would drift from this forsaken place again.

“I’m here,” he whispered softly, his voice heavy with desire. He dusted my cheeks with kisses, and I sleepily held him in place. His hand glided from my face down to explore the rest of my body. My thighs were already opening to the warm sensation of his palm.

When he found my core, his lips found mine. They softly asked for entrance. I opened both my doors, hips shifting to enjoy the sensation building with his fingers on my bud.

Our kisses were long and soft. Dalton’s breaths remained in control as he whispered in the curve of my neck, “Mmmm, so wet. Were you having naughty dreams?”

I felt his knees gently slide over my leg and opened my entrance to him, and his member touched my hole. My body yearned for it as he slowly rubbed himself there for a moment.

As he tried to enter me, I fought the haze of my sleep, remembering my regrets from the last time we had been intimate. He searched my suddenly urgent face.

The tension of unfed desires built between us as he waited for me to speak.

“Dannie.” my voice came as a whisper. His body slumped in disappointment, but a part of him understood.

He crawled on top of me, his groin where I wanted him most, just not doing what I wanted it to. He barricaded my face with his arms, and he looked down his nose to look straight at me, causing me to feel vulnerable.

My breath stilled as he spoke. “We will get Dannie, then we will go somewhere where you can learn to trust me enough to fall in love with me the way I am with you.”

His confession shocked me. Did he love me? Before I could consider it, he was getting up and putting his pants on. The visible wall comes back up into place.

His abs glistened as his muscles worked to dress himself. “With Dannie there too, right?”

He let out a grunt. “As long as this time, she isn’t a distraction.”

I quickly shook my head.

“Get dressed.” he gave a curt nod before leaving the room.

…

The farm was busily filled with rugged cowboys like they had been here since day one. Hutson stood in the center of all the action, looking like the man in charge. Two men were saddling horses to a wagon parked in front of the property. Another few were loading sacks into the wagon. There were rows of horses, some saddled, some waiting to be saddled.

“Ready?” Dalton spoke somehow, sneaking up behind me and causing me to turn a bit too fast at the sound of his voice. He quickly glanced over before handing me a steaming tin cup.

I took it and turned back to observe the scenery. “That’s a lot of men.”

“I suppose for the wild west it is. But really, it’s nothing in comparison,” he spoke, unimpressed.

“Compared to what?” I looked at him, but he gave no response. Instead, he walked down the steps, whistling for the men’s attention. They all stopped what they were doing to wait for his orders.

“let’s take off!” He declared, and they all instantly scrabbled like army ants, ready for the day’s work. Men finished what they were doing and climbed onto their horses.

Hutson walked to Dalton, leading the familiar two horses with them. Dalton took the reins and got on.

The sounds of feet dragging in the dirt pulled my attention from the boys, and I looked to see Jones walking with not much pep in his step. Fran meekly walked behind him, her eyes on me like a child wanting to run to her mother.

The boards under my feet creaked as my feet scurried off of them and toward Fran. At first, her expression seemed full of fear seeing me, but she still welcomed me with open arms. Her voice was almost nonexistent as she whispered into my ear. “Are you alright?”

I nodded my head in the muffle of our embrace. “You?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, I felt Jones gently pry her from my arms. “Fran,” he gently warned.

Fran released me and took a step back. Her actions were obedient, but her eyes were defiant. She gave me a solid stare, as if trying to convey a message.

Jone quickly yanked Fran behind him as the horse’s hooves approached us, casting a shadow where we stood. I looked up to see Dalton staring down at me, his hands out for me to grab. I took his hand and let him pull me up onto the horse.

“Where are you going?”

“To the next realm.”

Dalton kicked the horse into gear, and I had to clutch him so I wouldn’t fall. Haws and whistles flowed in our dust as others took off. I tried my best to look over my shoulder and search for Fran. She was helping Jones onto a horse. He seemed to struggle as he climbed on.

As if sensing me staring, Fran looked toward me. I was already too far away from her to see her expression, but I imagined it looked like mine.

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