“I’m sorry?”
I jump when his deep laughter shakes his body. The sound is so foreign to me, but so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh so…carefree before.
“I’m not sure hearing you say you’re sorry after I just fucked you is helping my ego here. Should I be glad you didn’t laugh when you saw my cock for the first time?” His body is still shaking with silent laughter, and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment.
“Oh, God! I didn’t mean it like that you jerk!” I chuckle. “I doubt you need any help with your ego, Ash. Something tells me you know just how mind blowing sex with you is.”
“Mind blowing, huh?” He leans up, his hand coming up and curling around my neck in the possessive way I’m coming to love. He sobers and looks down at my stomach. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I turn on my side, his hold on my neck flexing as I move. “No, baby,” I whisper, enjoying the way his face gets softer when I call him that. “Why do you do that?”
He gets this adorably cute, confused look before his face darkens, and I instantly question if I should have kept my verbal vomit in check. Way to ruin the moment, Chelcie.
“Do what?” he asks, but I know he knows what I’m talking about. He wouldn’t have gotten that look if he didn’t.
“Uh, dammit. Okay. When I called you baby, twice now, you’ve gotten this look that is so… It’s… Damn, I don’t know how to explain it. You look at me like I’ve done something so remarkable and all I’ve done was call you a silly pet name. I was just curious. I’m sorry.” I duck my head in embarrassment even though I’m not sure what I did to be embarrassed about.
“Chelcie, look at me.”
“Uh-huh,” I hedge.
“Chelcie.” The command in his voice couldn’t be missed, but still, I avoid looking up. “I’m not going to ask you again, Sunshine.”
After taking a deep breath and willing those stupid tears away, I look up. I swear, all I do is cry these days; pretty soon, I’m going to be like all of those annoying heroines in books that never stop leaking! I gasp when I see the smile on his face. His eyes are soft, and he looks so carefree and peaceful.
“I’m not mad at you. You aren’t doing anything wrong in asking me that. Let’s get one thing straight, okay?” I nod. “I will always be honest with you. Always. Even if you don’t want to hear it. The only thing I ask is that you do the same. I don’t want you to ever doubt what’s going through my mind or wonder if you should say something. No secrets, babe. I understand why you didn’t tell me about the baby before now. That’s in the past. From now on, I want you to be completely open with me. Think you can do that?” I nod again. “Okay, Sunshine. That’s good.”
He kisses me sweetly then pulls back and urges me to rest on his shoulder. His arm curls around my shoulders and his hand that isn’t holding me tight grabs my hand and places it over his heart, keeping his warm hand on top. The steady beats of his heart help to calm my own. We settle into a relaxing peace that almost has me drifting off until he speaks again.
“I know I told you about my mother. I don’t want to get into that deeper, baby. Just know that there was absolutely no love when I was growing up. I can’t remember her ever calling me anything other than a bastard. Constantly reminding me how unwanted I was.” He pauses when I sob softly. “Hey, none of that. I’ve come to peace with it. It’s taken me a while, but she has no place left in my life. I pretty much never had a relationship until I decided to give it a go once. I didn’t love her, but I enjoyed being around her. Figured what the hell, surely there was a woman out there who wasn’t full of evil like my mother. She wasn’t as bad, but I learned almost too late just what kind of person she was. We were engaged for almost a year and not once did she call me anything other than Asher. So, I guess, long story short…hearing you call me baby, hearing something so fucking pure coming from your lips, does something to me that I can’t even explain. But I love it.”
God, my heart breaks for this man. This incredible man who has had way too much pain in his life. I can’t even fathom how a mother could treat her own children the way his treated him and Coop. Just the thought of it makes me pull my hand from under his and place it against my stomach.
“Hey, talk to me,” he requests.
“I can’t imagine how that bitch of a mother could treat you like that. And that…that woman you were engaged to… Asher, I want to hurt them so badly.”