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The conversation for the next half hour was easy, and my nerves slowly drained away. By the end, when Jesse was visibly tired and was having trouble keeping his eyes open, it was clear how easy it was to get used to this. To slip into Court’s world—into his family—and carve out my own space.

When we left, Court took my hands in his, and asked, “You ready to go home?”

All the tension drained from me and I smiled up at him. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

Something crunched behind me, and before I was able to turn and look, two big hands were shoving me into motion. My scream pierced the quiet evening, and I gripped the rope hard as the swing pitched forward, my feet flailing beneath me as the ground disappeared. Then I was moving backwards, my hair flying in front of my face, the pure thrill of the motion making a laugh bubble and choke to the surface.

Two hands wrapped around my own when the swing reached the ground again, ceasing the movement.

“Fuck, give a girl some warning!” But there was no bite in my tone, just a breathless exhilaration.

Court’s soft laugh drifted over me. “Stand up.”

I peered over my shoulder at him, meeting eyes that took the last of my breath away. “Why?”

“Just do it, Whitney.” He pried my fingers off the rope and drew me to my feet. Then he moved around and settled his big body onto the little wooden plank, and before I could say anything, he dragged me forward. Lifted me and wrapped my legs around his hips. I braced myself on his chest, his warmth searing into my palms.

“Court,” I said, getting lost in his eyes. “We’re gonna bring the whole tree down.”

“You worry too much.”

Before I could argue, he pushed the swing into motion until the only thing I could do was wrap my arms and legs around him and bury my face in his neck and hold on. His laugh rumbled through my entire body.

“Jerk,” I muttered.

Court pushed us along, and the unfiltered joy that flitted through my being made something inside me sing. Every time we reached that perfect height, when we hung there for the briefest moment, it felt like time stopped. And then gravity kicked in and my stomach plummeted and I was squealing in his ear.

Laughing. I was laughing. A lot. He’d probably have tinnitus after this, but I felt like that was on him.

When he finally let the swing slow and then stop, I loosened my death grip and drew my head back. My smile was so wide it was almost painful.

“And now,” Court said, his eyes soft, “you’ve been on a swing.”

As I stared into his eyes, trying to get my racing heart under control, a sweeping wave of affection crashed through me. His lips were curved in a gentle smile and I leaned forward, wanting that happiness for myself.

He tasted like every good thing in this world that I’d been denied.

His hands found my waist as I threaded my fingers through his hair, and when I slid my tongue along the seam of his lips, he parted them with a groan. My hips rocked into his and my back arched as I deepened the kiss, as my tongue met the wet heat of his own.

One of those big hands smoothed down my lower back and slipped beneath my pants and underwear, the roughness of his palm sending shivers of awareness through me. His other hand quickly followed until he was moving me against his hard length, thrusting me in time with his tongue, showing me exactly how he’d like to fuck me.

“I love you,” I mumbled against his lips.

He froze beneath me, and then his arms squeezed around me so hard the breath was pushed from my lungs. “Fuck, I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”

I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of saying it. And every moment I spent with Court, that love only grew. And while things weren’t perfect, they were…good. So damn good. I’d gotten used to my life with him in this picturesque house in the countryside.

It was just us in this house because five months ago, everyone had moved onto Frank’s compound. Cade wanted to be close to Jesse while he went through all his treatments now that we were finished with everything. Brooks and Vincent had only lived in Court’s house temporarily anyway, they had rooms at the compound, so they’d essentially gone home.

Court and I had this house all to ourselves.

Thorne’s name had been all over the news for a few months after everything happened. Unfortunately, that meant they showed the clip of Court kidnapping me a lot, but fortunately they never figured out who he was. The Barons had essentially backed off of Frank and the Sainted because Angelo Rossi had threatened to expose their connection with Thorne if they dared make a move against anyone in Davenport again.

I thought maybe Vincent had something to do with that, but never managed to find out. It was one less threat to worry about, and that was all that mattered.