by S. Nelson
Brick pulled back to look at me but didn’t sever our embrace. “You gonna tell me what you meant by that or do I have to guess?” The arch of his brow made my stomach flip, and not in the bad way.
There was something I needed to tell him, and it seemed like now was as good a time as any. “Do you remember when I had strep throat a few months ago?”
“Yeah,” he answered, a touch of trepidation weaved into his deep voice.
“It turns out that taking antibiotics can interfere with the effectiveness of the pill.”
“Okayyyy.” The crease between his brows deepened and I could see the cogs of his mind winding up. “What does that mean?” I didn’t say anything else at first, believing that if he spoke the words, it might be easier for both of us to accept. Asinine, I realized, but I continued to stretch the silence until he finally broke it. “Are you sayin’ what I think you are?” My head bobbed up and down. “You’re pregnant?” Another nod. He finally stepped back, clasping his hands on top of his head, his eyes moving from mine to my belly and back again.
“What are you thinking?” I finally asked, allowing the moment to sink in, for us both.
“I’m thinkin’… I don’t know what to think.” He cocked his head, his teeth working over his bottom lip in uncertainty. “How do you feel about this?”
“I’m still wrapping my head around it,” I replied honestly.
“You were adamant you didn’t want kids, though.”
“I know. But ever since…” My voice faltered briefly. “Everything has changed. Everything,” I echoed. “The way I view myself, the world, what I thought I wanted, needed. And yesterday, when my doctor told me I was in fact pregnant, I wasn’t afraid like I thought I’d be. I’m scared, of course, but I think I’m happy about it.” I only allowed two seconds to pass before I clarified, “Yeah, I’m happy.”
“Wow.” Brick’s heavy arms fell to his side.
“How are you feeling?” I took a step back to give him more room to breathe in the small space we occupied. My retreat wasn’t appreciated, his frown morphing from confusion to irritation.
Catching my hand, he tugged me closer until I collided with his chest. “I’m happy. Really happy, Zo.” His hand slid between our bodies and rested over my still flat stomach. I hoped he was still happy when I was big and fat and waddling around. “How far along are you?”
“Around ten weeks.” He looked upward toward the ceiling trying to do the math. “October,” I blurted. “That’s when she’ll be due.”
“She? You already know it’s a girl?”
“No, not officially but I have a feeling.”
“Well, I hope that feeling is wrong because I don’t think I can deal with having a daughter. I see the way Ryder was with you and how Stone is with Riley. I might be worse.”
“Worse than Stone?” I laughed at the thought. I didn’t think anyone was more overboard protective than him.
“Maybe.” A soft laugh popped out of Brick’s delectable mouth. “You know this baby is gonna need a sibling, right.” How the hell was he even thinking about another baby before I even started to show with this one?
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Let’s get through this pregnancy first, okay?” My shock at his statement seeped out and weaved through each word of my response.
“Deal.”
If anyone would’ve told me a year ago I’d be happy about an unexpected pregnancy, I would’ve told them they were crazy. But here we are, my elation about starting a family with the undeniably sexy and loving man in front of me increasing every second we stayed locked in each other’s gazes.
* * *
I couldn’t take my eyes off Zoe the entire time she was getting ready, and I especially didn’t want to stop staring while she stood there in her black lace underwear, my cock stirring to life before I could talk him down. We didn’t have time for a quick romp because we were already running late.
“Maybe we should keep this to ourselves for now. I don’t want to steal anyone’s thunder.” She finished curling her hair, the thick strands falling over her shoulders. My fingers twitched with the need to grip them tight and hold her in place while I had my way with her.
“From a baby?” I asked, knowing damn well Silas wouldn’t mind us sharing our news. We’d be talking about his niece or nephew, after all, not that he would have any clue as he was only a year old today.
He was born a couple weeks premature but was healthy. Ryder was ecstatic he had another son. He told me he would’ve gone to an early grave for sure if he had to raise another daughter. I laughed, only now fully understanding the impact of his worry now that there was a possibility I might have a daughter of my own.
She parted her lips to say something, but snapped them shut, taking several deep breaths.
“Are you okay?” I was across the room and next to her in the blink of an eye.
“Morning sickness, although I’m not sure why they call it that because it hits me at all different times.” Her smile returned a moment later, waving me off when I started fussing over her. “I’m fine. Hopefully, it stays like that for the rest of the day.”
“We can cancel if you’re not up to it. I’ll call your dad right now.” I snatched my phone from the dresser and swiped the screen.
“I’m fine,” she reiterated, walking by me on the way to the closet. “I want to be there for Braylen, and of course, Silas.”
“If you’re not up to it, don’t force it. I’m sure she’d understand. I’m gonna call Ryder.”
Zoe popped her head out from the closet, pointing her finger at me. “Don’t you dare. We’re going. End of discussion.” Huffing, she disappeared again.
“Is this what I have to look forward to for the next seven months or so?”
“Yeah, so get used to it.”
I was dressed and ready to go, wearing my customary jeans and T-shirt, my Knights cut hanging on the back of the chair for me to grab on our way out. Leaning against the wall, I scrolled through my messages, making sure I remembered to answer Linc about going to his fight tomorrow night.
Zoe cleared her throat. “Does this look okay?” I tore my eyes from my cell and looked up, almost choking on my swallow. This woman became more stunning every single day, and now that she carried my child, she was even more precious to me. She wore a sleeveless, knee-length, navy-blue dress that tied on the side. “My boobs aren’t popping out, are they?” She looked down at herself, then back up at me. I’d prefer if she wore a sack, hiding her incredible body from everyone but me, but I kept my opinion to myself.
“You look beautiful. But there’s somethin’ I need to check out first.” I crushed the small space between us, and yanked on her belt, her dress falling open before she realized I’d loosened the tie.
Cocking her head to the side with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, she took a step back, eyeing me warily when I licked my lips. “Don’t even think about it, mister. Not now.”
“But you look so good.”
“You say that all the time.” She laughed, separating the sides of her dress even more.
“I mean it all the time.” My eyes danced over her again, from head to toe. She still bore the marks of the attack but not many, as most of them had faded. The most prominent was near her hip bone, but even that one had diminished a great deal.
“Like what you see?” she asked, dipping her gaze from mine to look down at herself, raising her hand to cover the mark by her hip.
“You know I do.”
“Even with these scars?” She was still self-conscious whenever I looked at her too long, and no matter how many times I assured her she was perfect, it was gonna take her more time to believe me.
“Even more because you survived.” I repeated the same words she’d used on me when I asked her the same question after I first got hurt.
She was in my arms a heartbeat later, leaning up on her tiptoes, smothering me with kisses. “I love you,” she whispered against my mouth.
>
“Love you more, baby.” I grabbed a handful of her perfect ass and kissed her again. “Now let’s go before I tear this dress off and have my way with you.”
“Promises, promises.” She squealed when I seized her around the waist, but she managed to bat me away before I made good on stripping her naked. “I have to find my sandals and we can go.”
“Okay, I’ll wait downstairs for you.” I threw on my cut and walked down the hall, my phone ringing when I was halfway down the steps.
“You there yet?” Kaden seemed out of breath and I didn’t want to ask why because if he affirmed my suspicions, I was gonna get pissy, having to wait until later to ravage Zoe.
“No. We’re leaving in five. How long before you get there?”
“Um, I think—”
“Just put your pants on and get your ass to the party,” I gritted, already becoming irritable the more I realized my restraint was gonna be tested watching my woman all damn day without being able to touch her the way I wanted.
I heard Riley laugh in the background, verifying what I thought all along.
“We got some news, brother.”
“We do, too,” I added, smiling, and washing away some of my annoyance. “See you soon.”
“What’d he say?” Riley craned her neck and looked up at me, her nakedness pressed against mine. I felt the familiar stirrings even though we’d just had sex.
“He said they’re leaving in five.”
“Why did you say ‘we got some news’? What does that mean?”
“Nothing.” I raised my head to peek at the bedside clock, needing to change the subject and quickly. “What time does the party start?”
“One. Why? What time is it?” She tried to roll over to check, but I kept her anchored to me with a firm grip around her waist. “Kaden. Let me see.”
“Nope because you’re gonna freak out, and I wanna enjoy a few more minutes of calm.”
She smacked my chest and still I wouldn’t relent. “If we’re late, you’re gonna be the one to hear it from Braylen, not me.”
“I’m not afraid of her.” Truth be told, I was a little scared of Braylen. Not so much now but when she was pregnant. She was somewhat evil toward the end of her pregnancy.
“Not anymore you mean.” Riley tried to move again, only this time I let her so I could get her on her back, settling between her legs, ready to go again. Her head turned to the side, shouting at me to get off her when she saw we only had thirty-five minutes to get to Silas’s birthday party.
I couldn’t believe the little guy was one already. Time was flying by way too fast for my liking, although one good thing came with the passing year. Stone stopped giving me a hard time about being with Riley. He’d initially pretended that he wasn’t still threatening me, otherwise Addy wouldn’t have let him back home. But he still threw out warnings here and there, usually when no one was around to hear them. It wasn’t until after we finally got rid of the Reapers around here that he stopped for good, although he still cast a disapproving look toward me when he saw me kissing his daughter. I wondered what he was gonna say when we shared our news later, news Riley still didn’t have a clue about.
“Come on,” she whined. “I still have to take a shower.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not going to a baby’s birthday party smelling like sex.” She blew a strand of her blonde hair out of her face in frustration.
“You want me to get off?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I’ll get off, but so will you.” I wedged her legs further part with my knee, burying myself in a single thrust.
“You don’t play fair,” she moaned, her green eyes darkening when I swiveled my hips. “Do it again.”
“I thought you had to take a shower.”
“Shut up and do it again.” Another moan fell from her lips as I fucked her how she liked, hitting that perfect spot with each rotation of my hips. But because we had to be quick, and I wanted her to come before me, the best position was with her on top of me. She groaned her disapproval when I pulled out and rolled onto my back. “I was getting close.”
“Then hop on.” My fingers circled around the base of my cock, our eyes colliding as I stretched her to fit around me.
She didn’t utter a word, grinding down on top of me to revive her fleeting orgasm. This was one of my favorite positions because I was able to go deeper, and I could see all of her. Her gorgeous tits bounced as she rocked back and forth, her skin flushing a sexy shade of pink.
My fingers dug into her waist, my own release well within reach. My eyes dipped to the tattoo on her hip. Believe. I was pissed when I first found out she let some random fucking guy ink that on her, the fact we weren’t together when it happened doing nothing to ease the jealousy I felt. But I thought her choice was perfect, and every time I saw it, I was reminded to never give up, to keep striving forward, no matter what happened. To believe that everything would work out. There had been many obstacles in the past that had kept me and Riley separated, apart from my decision not to make things right between us sooner than I had, but not a day went by that I didn’t thank God she gave me another chance.
“You wanna come, Ry?” Her quick nod was her only response. Then she tossed her head back when I jerked my hips upward, my thumb circling her clit, shoving her closer and closer.
“Please… don’t stop.”
“Look at me, baby.” She dropped her head and her eyes tumbled to mine. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you,” she whispered breathlessly.
“Tell me you’re mine.”
“Always.” She fell forward and pressed her hands into the mattress beside my head, sealing her mouth over mine while I continued to work her over with my body and hand, giving her the perfect amount of friction to make her come.
I swallowed her moans as her inner muscles convulsed, and several thrusts later, I joined her, spilling myself deep inside her, professing my love and promising her the world with the stroke of my body.
We were both left panting, suffocating on the shared air between us, but after a few moments of her resting on top of me, I smacked her ass.
“Ow. What was that for?”
“I’d love to stay like his forever, but we gotta get up. We’re late as it is.”
“Oh shit!” she yelled, bending the wrong way when she tried to get off me.
Now it was my turn to complain. “Damn, woman. You almost broke it off.” I clutched my dick and grimaced, glaring at her when all she did was shake her head at me as if I was being a baby. “You’re gonna pay for that one,” I shouted after her right before she closed the bathroom door.
I retreated from the room and showered in the hallway bathroom. If I joined Riley in ours, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off her, especially when she was all wet and soapy, and if we didn’t get out of this house soon, we were never gonna leave. After drying off, I quickly dressed, walking back into the bedroom, thankful Riley didn’t have to wash her hair; otherwise, we’d be here another hour.
As she flitted about the room getting ready, first rubbing in her lotion, then putting on her underwear, white cotton panties I was gonna rip off as soon as we got home, I knew the time was coming. I just had to find the perfect opportunity, and it came when she walked into the closet to choose her clothes.
Having barely enough time to grab the box from my dresser, I breached the small space and dropped to one knee. She almost ran me over when she reemerged, still in her underwear and looking sexy as hell. She stared at me in confusion, until it clicked why I was in the position I was, holding a tiny black ring box.
I hadn’t said a word and already she was crying, wiping away her tears as quickly as they fell. I had a whole speech planned, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember any of it, so I went with what was in my heart.
With sweaty palms and a heart beating so fast I could hear the thrumming in my ears, I opened my mouth and prayed I didn’t fuck this up.
“Riley, I’ve known you my entire life and I’ve loved you for all of it. First you were my best friend, then you were the only girl I ever wanted to be with. And I know I messed things up there for a while, but I’m so happy we found our way back to each other. I never dreamed I could be this happy, and if you’ll let me, I would love to make you feel as happy as I do every day for the rest of your life.” I popped open the box and raised it in the air. “Will you marry me?”
At first, she didn’t say anything, and I got even more nervous, so I stood up, preparing myself to hear her refusal. But then she flung herself into my arms and nearly knocked me over.
“Yes,” she cried. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” Our kiss was hurried and excited and messy. It was perfect.
“Do you want to put the ring on now?” I mumbled against her mouth, laughing when she stepped back and thrust her hand in front of me.
She gawked as I slid the two-carat stone onto her finger. Perfect fit.
“It’s gorgeous.” Her eyes widened a little more the longer she stared at it. “I love it.”
“I love you and thank you for saying yes. You freaked me out there for a sec.” I could laugh now, but for a moment I thought she was gonna say no.
Even if she had, there was no way I was ever letting her go again.
“I can’t stop looking at it,” I gushed, twisting my hand from side to side, the stone catching the sunlight when we walked outside. “You did good.”
“Thanks. I thought you’d like it.”
“Love it,” I corrected. “Did you have any help?” I couldn’t look away, my eyes glued to the new addition to my finger.
“Nope. That’s all me, baby.” He paused for a beat. “Me and the saleslady.” I smiled over at him, loving how his beautiful blue eyes revered me. I’d never tire of looking at him. I loved his heart, but it didn’t hurt one bit that he was a sexy beast of a man.
