Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

of my time outdoors, but we only had fir tree forests near our house.

“These used to be two separate farms. My parents were neighbors as kids. After they got married, they took down the fence separating the properties.”

“Neighbor to lovers? That’s so romantic,” I said. “They seem very happy.”

“They are. They’ve always had a strong marriage, full of respect. They’re great people, and they’ve always been supportive. They were never annoyed that I was spending so much time with my music instead of helping around the house.”

I liked the excitement in his voice. He looked genuinely happy reminiscing and sharing it all with me. This was a part of himself he didn’t reveal to the public, but he wanted me to know. It made me so happy!

A barn appeared in our line of vision, and we headed toward it.

“This was my ‘headquarters.’ It was rarely used, so I was mostly on my own here.”

We stopped in front of it. He opened the door, and the smell of hay was thick inside. There were several heaps around us, but it was mostly empty. I imagined it was filled at the end of summer.

“By the way... rumor has it that you played the guitar. Why switch to piano?”

“I got the guitar as a gift from an uncle and went along with it. It was a great way to explore music. In my freshman year at NYU, I tried out a piano. It was love at first sight.”

“Why did it feel different?”

“Because when I’m sitting at a piano, the world around blurs. It’s like background noise. Even in concerts. Especially in concerts.”

“Ah, that would explain why you’re sitting at a piano 99.9 percent of the time during a concert.”

He whirled me around so we were face-to-face. “I thought you hadn’t watched them.”

I smiled slyly. “Not when I first met you, but I’ve caught up in the meantime. Especially in that week when you were in Nashville. I binge-watched your concerts. You look hot at the piano. Buuut Lars is no slouch with that guitar.”

“Don’t try to make me jealous.”

My smile turned into a grin. “I wasn’t... but I see you’re jealous anyway.”

“Seems I can’t help myself with you.” He looked at me intently. “Thank you for talking me into coming here. And for joining me.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, rising on my toes. “My pleasure. I really like your family. They’re friendly and fun.”

“They like you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because they told me in no uncertain terms. Dad made a point in emphasizing I shouldn’t mess it up. He’s rarely serious, so he means it.”

“Now you’re just giving me more reasons to like your parents.” I gave him a quick peck on the lips and shimmied against him, deciding to rile him up a bit. “Now... we’re in a barn, and you made a big deal out of being a country guy. How about proving it to me?”

Chapter SeventeenBrayden

“I’ll show you proof.”

I wrestled her deeper inside the barn, kissing a line from her temple to her cheek and then farther down her neck.

Laughing, she nearly lost her balance, but I held her waist firmly.

“Hey, can you show me what’s beyond the barn too?”

“Later,” I growled.

I hadn’t expected Isabelle to not only fit in my old life so well but to embrace it like this, hitting it off with my cousins, bonding with my mother. I’d kept this side of my life so tightly under wraps, not wanting the press to hound my family, that I wasn’t used to sharing it with anyone. I wanted to show everything to Isabelle, and not only because I didn’t want to keep anything from her. It was a true delight to experience things through her reactions. It was like rediscovering a part of myself.

She sighed, moving her hands under my shirt. Her intention was clear. She wanted to yank it off.

Pulling back, I smiled down at her. I’d wanted to kiss and explore her all day, but I’d had to hold back. All that need had bottled up, and now I was on the edge.

I took off my shirt, and Isabelle looked down at me slowly, then back up.

“We’re surrounded by hay, and you’re shirtless. Doesn’t get more country than this, does it?” she teased.

I laughed. “Yes it does. I want you naked. Completely naked.”

She swallowed hard, sweeping her gaze around us. “Here?”

“Yes, here.” I closed the distance between us. Tipping my head, I captured her mouth, kissing her hard and deep. Gripping her hips, I pulled her against my erection. She moaned, then slid one hand between us, undoing the button of my jeans. She lowered her hand inside my jeans and boxers, touching my cock.

“Isabelle,” I groaned, driven purely by instinct. I pulled her dress up her legs, then yanked it over her head. Fuck, I loved seeing her like this, only wearing lingerie, waiting for me to do whatever I wanted to her.

And what I wanted was to make her come.

I kissed a straight line from her shoulder up the side of her neck at the same time as I moved my fingers along the rim of her panties. I liked teasing her like this, slowly building up the anticipation. Her breath was frantic, her hands desperately roaming on my chest. Every time she wanted to dip a hand inside my pants, I stopped her.

“I want you to come first. Then you’re allowed to touch me all you want, Isabelle.”

She gasped, rocking her hips against mine. A faint blush spread on her neck. I parted her legs with my knee, moving two fingers over the fabric covering her pussy. I kissed her hard, moving my tongue and fingers in the same rhythm. The more I touched her, the more impatient she became, and when she soaked her panties through, she turned completely wild. She took control of the kiss, and of her pleasure, grinding against my hand at her own pace.

She was so damn sexy that I was about to explode in