“Can we talk about that later?” she asked and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. I followed her, then took over the task as I watched her trembling fingers drop the washcloth. Once, then twice.
Turning her, I lifted her carefully until she was sitting on the counter, then ran the cloth under warm water. I washed her face, then her neck and chest. Then lifted her hands and washed her fingers one by one. Anything to keep touching her, to stop her from sending me away.
“How are you?” she asked.
I met her eyes. “To be honest, I’m not sure.”
She lifted her hand to my cheek. “Not just today. How was rehab? You look good. Amazing really. Are you… well?”
I took her hand from my cheek and pressed it against my heart. “I’m good. Clean.”
For now. I didn’t let that part leave my mouth. Refused to give it any more thought.
“That’s good.”
I smirked at her. “Turns out I’m a sex addict too.”
She smirked back. “Really?” she said in full sarcasm mode. “I’m shocked. Stunned. Sur—”
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
God, it felt good to laugh.
The hand on my heart moved up to my shoulder. “Wow, I think you’re even bigger now, more solid.”
I waggled my eyebrows at her. “Prepare to be amazed.” I stepped back and bent down until my palms were flat on the floor. She clapped, and when I looked up, she seemed sincerely impressed. “Yoga,” I explained. “I’ve been working out like a fiend, but then also doing this yoga shit too. Lots of agility training, keeping my reflexes alive. I think I might be in better shape now than I was in my twenties.”
Her eyes glimmered. “I’m really proud of you.”
“So, how are you?” I asked her and placed a hand on her belly, hoping to feel the baby kick again.
“I’m good. Been staying busy opening Ace’s Cake Batter. Thank you for that. I mean it. Thank you.”
I kissed her nose. “You’re welcome. From what little I saw, it looks incredible.”
She frowned. “About what you saw. That was actually the first time I’d seen Jack in months. I’d been staying away from everyone because of this…” She looked down at her stomach. “Turns out, he and my sister might be hooking up. They met, had coffee. They seemed to like each other. That’s why I was happy when you walked in. I was happy for them.”
“I thought…”
“I know what you thought. There was no way you could have thought differently. The timing couldn’t have been worse.”
I rubbed her belly again. “Speaking of timing. December third? A Christmas baby?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m going to be big as a cow at Whitney and Calvin’s wedding.”
“You’ll be beautiful at their wedding.”
Silence stretched between us as we gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I do want to marry you, Ace. Some day when—”
“When you know you can trust me?” I finished for her.
She bit her bottom lip. “Not just that, Ace. We need to really spend a lot of time together, make sure we can work. We shouldn’t get married just because of the baby. I’ll be proud to put your name on his or her birth certificate, give him or her your last name if that’s what you want. I’ll love you whether I have a ring on my finger or not. Let’s not rush things. I want you to be sure, absolutely certain, that this is what you want. Because if we get married, and I find out you’re fooling around, I will personally cut your balls off and stick them up your ass, then pull them out and stuff them down your throat.”
Wow. That was hot.
And just a little scary.
“Okay, I understand. Will you come live with me then?” I saw the hesitation in her face. “I’ll sell my place, maybe find something closer to here. I noticed several for sale signs on our way in.”
Her eyes glittered again, making them even bluer, if that was at all possible. She nodded. “I think I’d like to try that. Hannah could have this place to herself and—”
She couldn’t finish because I was kissing her. And she was kissing me, then pushing my t-shirt over my head.
Lifting her, I carried her to the bedroom, being super careful of the precious cargo between us.
Shit.
“Is it okay to, you know, do this with—?”
Her tongue was in my mouth again, so I took that as a yes. Next to her bed, I put her on her feet and began the delectable process of undressing her, marveling at how her body had changed since I’d last seen her.
Her breasts, so full before the pregnancy, were even more so now, her nipples larger, darker, but just as sensitive. She groaned as I took them into my mouth, sucking. Knowing that our baby would be nursing there soon only added to the reverence of the moment. Her body was so strong and capable, doing everything that was needed to provide for the baby growing inside of her.
Lowering her to the bed, I took my time kissing every inch of her stomach, laughing when my son or daughter kicked me in the face. Then I was between her legs, lapping at her swollen labia that looked even more delicious in her condition. She cried out, sensitive to the extreme, when I wrapped my lips around her clitoris.
It was funny. I was used to being able to look up and watch her face from this position, but nothing but belly met my gaze now. And that was okay. More than okay. It was right. Real. Beautiful. And so very special.
After her second climax, I stood up and took off my clothes, then remembered the slip of paper in my pocket. I pulled it out and handed it to her.
She blinked a few times, still coming down from her explosion. “You want me to read this now?”
I grinned. “It’s my clean STD test. I wanted you to know for sure that being with me is okay.” I moved between her thighs and kissed her belly. “And since we don’t need to worry about birth control…” I raised an eyebrow in question.
She tossed the paper to the floor and grinned. “Skin on skin?”
I looked down at her, lifted her thighs, put them back down. “Yeah. If I can figure out how to get my damn dick inside you without killing our baby.”
She laughed and rolled to the side and pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Lay down,” she instructed. Who was I to say no?
When her body closed around me, tight and wet, my eyes rolled back into my head. It had been so long since I’d been with a woman. Been with Holly. It took every bit of control I could muster not to explode inside her on the spot.
“Open your eyes,” she instructed, and I did. Our fingers linked together while she rode me, slow at first, then faster. Wet heat slid up and down my shaft, over and over. The moment she exploded, I exploded too.
We made love several more times after that. Once with her on her knees. Once with me spooning her from behind. Once with me coming in her mouth.
She was insatiable, as greedy as me. And I loved it.
I loved her.
Loved our baby.
Much later, when she was sleeping in my arms, the little one seemed to roll inside her, her belly lurching and shifting under my hand.
I didn’t think about cocaine. Or pills. I didn’t need a drink to make me drowsy.
I knew I’d struggle with all of that in the days, weeks, years to come.
But not today. Not tonight.
Tonight, I closed my eyes and went to sleep, my reason for existing in my arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Holly