In Between Heartbeats (Hearts in Waiting Duet: Book Two)

by Amanda Cuff

  “What’s a hussy?” Willow asks, carefully rubbing the cream on her legs.

  “I’ll tell you when you’re fourteen,” Chase gruffs out. He checks his watch with a sigh. “I have to get to work. Can you ladies handle it from here?”

  Emily looks offended and, unfortunately, I don’t think she’s pretending. “Yep, been doing it for years, thanks.”

  Chase opens his mouth to smart back, but he must notice both mine and Willow’s eyes on him, and thinks better of it. Instead, he takes a deep breath and smiles at me. “See you later.”

  Willow’s little head pops up, tongue caught between her teeth in concentration. “Byeeee!” she yells.

  When he walks out, I turn my attention back to Willow. “Okay, let’s smooth out some of this shaving cream. If it gets too thick, the blade won’t cut.”

  She continues to listen as Emily and I direct her through the motions; and when all is said and done, she walks away with only three cuts. A lot less than I suffered through my first time shaving.

  I rise from my kneeling position and snag the clean towel from the top of the toilet seat, while Willow pulls the plug to the tub and stands. She stretches the goggles up high on her head, showing off two red rings around her eyes. Then, she places her hands on her hips and grins proudly despite the watery blood that trails down the nicks on her legs.

  “I feel like a new woman,” she says, shaking the water off her legs like a wet puppy. “Can we talk about that bra now?

  ✽✽✽

  “Hey.”

  I swivel my head toward the sound of Chase’s voice. He’s leaning up against the frame of the kitchen doorway, wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a white V-neck that does crazy things to my libido.

  His eyes slide over me, spending a little extra time on my bare legs, crossed at the knee and resting on the barstool.

  “How long have you been standing there?” I ask, setting my phone down on the countertop and twisting the top of the stool so I can face him.

  “Damnit, Addison,” he groans. He runs one hand over his face then saunters toward me.

  I don’t even think he means to be so sexy, but the way he comes at me—like a predator stalking his prey—has me hoping he’ll rip my clothes off and sink his teeth into me.

  I follow his eyesight down to my open silk robe and spaghetti strap tank top that’s pulled low, thanks to my ever-growing cleavage. I smirk, pulling at the top of my shirt to give myself more coverage.

  “Hey,” he protests, reaching out to yank the fabric back down an inch. “Much better.” He leans down, placing a kiss to each side of my collarbone.

  I sigh and lean into his lips, hoping he’ll go lower, but instead, he pulls away. At first, I want to protest, but when I see him pull out the container of Chex Mix him and Willow made a few days ago, I zip my lips. He completes our midnight snack with two water bottles from the fridge.

  “We should really switch to a more ecofriendly option,” I say, eyeing the water.

  He hums in his throat, a thoughtful look on his face. “We can do that,” he says. “Can’t sleep?”

  “Nope. It’s been a struggle the past few nights,” I shrug my shoulders and grab my phone, turning the display back on. “So, I’ve been on Pinterest and Google researching all things baby.”

  “Oh yeah?” His grin spreads on his face as he straddles the barstool beside mine. “What did you find?”

  I go to my bookmarks and scroll through the saved pages, clicking on a random one. “See these blankets? Apparently, babies like to be swaddled because it reminds them of the womb.”

  He tilts the phone in my hand to see what I have pulled up. He nods once and says, “Text me the link and I’ll order them.”

  “If I knew you were buying, I would have shown you something more expensive!”

  He laughs and kisses the side of my head. “Send me whatever you want, Addison. I’m good for it.”

  “I was only teasing,” I say, chewing over my next words carefully. “But you know…we’ve never discussed finances. We could do that now.”

  “Or we could make-out,” he counters.

  “Or we can discuss finances and then make-out.”

  He pops a few almonds in his mouth and considers my words. “That’s a very couple-y thing to do.”

  I smile and drop my head to his shoulder, batting my eyelashes up at him obnoxiously. “It is, huh?”

  He shrugs his shoulders, but not enough to disturb my head. “Guess we’re just gonna have to call it like it is then. We’re a couple.”

  I sit up straight like an eager puppy, clapping my hands.

  “What?” he asks in amusement. “Weren’t we already?”

  “Well, not officially.”

  “See, I seem to remember a beautiful brunette sitting on the steps of a quaint little cabin at the top of a mountain, telling me all the reasons I should be her vacation boyfriend.”

  “Well, vacation is over,” I say with a shrug. “Has been for a while.”

  He leans forward and gently places his lips against mine. “Every day is a vacation with you.”

  “So cheesy.” I groan. He can’t even keep the smirk off his face, probably because he knows how ridiculous that line was. “Okay, back to adulting, boyfriend.”

  “Right.” He straightens and takes a quick gulp of water. “Well, I have no credit card debt, my student loans and truck are paid off, and I have a big chunk of savings in case of emergency.”

  “All of that is good to know, but it’s not quite what I wanted to discuss.”

  “Okay, shoot.” He picks out a few peanuts from the mix and holds his hand out for me; the peanuts are my favorite.

  “Well, I’m kinda starting to feel like a leech,” I answer, wrinkling my nose. “And I was wondering if you’d be okay with me paying rent.”

  For just a second, he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind before he busts out laughing. “Baby, no. This is your home. You’re not paying me to live here.”

  “It just doesn’t feel right, not contributing anything.”

  He turns his barstool my way, then reaches out to grab my hips and spins me so I face him. I do my best to ignore the heat from his palms on my thin sleep shorts, but holy shit.

  I’m starting to regret not skipping straight to the making out.

  “You may be a newbie around here, but this is still your home.” He pauses and cocks his head. “I understand where you’re coming from, though. I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable about anything, but for now, I’d rather we keep things the way they’ve been. Besides, you don’t even have income right now.”

  “Yes, but remember, I have plenty saved up.” The way his fingers trail up and down my thighs is making my words come out a little breathy. I think he notices, because one side of his mouth curves upward.

  “I thought that savings was for your dance studio,” he says.

  “Yeah, but plans change.”

  He shakes his head and leans forward so he can grab my hands. “Addison, I know life is a hell of a lot different than you thought it was going to be, but you’re not giving up on your dream just because you had a change of circumstance. You just say the word and we’ll start working on it.”

  “It’s just that easy, huh?” I joke.

  He shrugs. “Yeah, why not? There’s no need to complicate things. We have enough of that going on around here.”

  I nod, remembering my discussion with Indira. “Okay. Well, we’ll see how things go.”

  “Deal,” he says. “How about that make-out session now?”

  “Hmm…I’m kind of tired,” I say. I stand slowly, grinning as his eyes fall downward. I stretch my arms over my head with an overly enthusiastic yawn, causing my breasts to graze against his hard chest. My nipples pucker against the fabric of my sports bra, aching for his touch.

  “What a coincidence,” he says. “‘Because I have a bed.”

  “Perfect.”

  18

  Chase

  Lik
e a dutiful puppy, I follow Addison up the stairs, reaching out to tease her as she walks. Her sleep shorts hang just long enough that her ass is covered, but still short enough to drive me wild at the sight of her creamy thighs.

  She makes a beeline straight for my bedroom, stopping once she reaches the bed. I shut the door behind us and do my best not to drool as her silk robe slides down her arms.

  Her shirt is next to come off, followed quickly by her shorts, and now she’s standing in front of me in cotton boy shorts and a sports bra. Addison can drop me to my knees in even the plainest of underwear and I have to lean back on the door for a moment to keep myself from doing just that.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I whisper. “You’re not leaving this room until I’ve tasted every inch of you.”

  Her response is a sexy grin and I have to hold myself back from telling her right then and there that I love her. Because that would be really fucking insane, right? I mean, I can’t possibly…

  Holy fuck.

  How the hell did this happen without me even realizing it? My hand tightens on the doorknob while my mind spirals. Should I tell her?

  Nope. Dial it back, Chase.

  I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure of proper etiquette, but I don’t think telling a woman I love her right before sex is the best time. I don’t want her thinking I’m saying it for the wrong reasons.

  Instead, I take a deep breath and match her smile, taking her in from head to toe. Her breasts—which were already generous to begin with—have definitely gotten bigger, but it’s her stomach that holds my gaze.

  It’s rounded just enough that a stranger might start to notice and seeing it uncovered for the first time has my heart doing a triple fucking backflip off the high dive and landing right in the pit of my stomach.

  How could I have gone my whole life without her? How could I have walked away from her just months ago and ever thought I’d be okay? No way in hell am I ever making that mistake again.

  “Are you going to just stand there all night or are you going to come here and kiss me?” she asks.

  “I’d be fine just staring at you all night,” I say truthfully, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “But I think there’s something missing.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

  I’m quiet as I walk over to the dresser and open the top drawer. I don’t have to search long, it’s on top of my dress socks, right where I left it. I run my fingers over the silk fabric then place it behind my back as I walk toward her. “Turn around, baby.”

  Her eyebrows raise but she listens anyway, giving a small curtsy before ceremoniously turning her back to me.

  I lean in close and whisper in her ear, “Close your eyes.”

  The glint in her eye is ornery before she shuts them tight. I pull the fabric out from behind my back and wrap it around her eyes. Her hand flies up and she fingers the blindfold held close to her skin, letting out a nervous laugh.

  “You okay?” I ask her. I walk around to the front of her body, dragging a finger along her middle as I move.

  She nods quickly, her lips parting in quiet anticipation.

  I lean forward and place them against mine, just enough to get her taste on my tongue. She makes a small moan when I pull away and I crack a smile. I fucking love how responsive Addison is.

  Reaching out, I rest my palm against her cheek, slowly trailing it down to her neck, where one finger drags lazily over her throat. I watch in awe as her skin prickles with goosebumps, her breath already coming shallow and quick.

  Taking one step forward, my fingers dance over her rib cage, dipping under the band of her sports bra. Her arms raise without me even having to ask.

  “Good girl,” I whisper, pulling the fabric off her and rewarding her with a swirl of my tongue to each hardened nipple. I try not to get distracted as they pucker sharply in the air. As much as I’d love to spend an hour worshiping every inch of her, I’ve gone too long without her body against mine and I need her naked now.

  Dropping to my knees, I move on to her boy shorts, taking my time as I pull them down. I run my fingers up her calf and back down again, enjoying the way she wiggles and gasps under my touch.

  “Chase,” she squeals. “Stop teasing me.” She reaches an arm into the air, moving it around until it lands on the top of my head. Her fingers tangle in my hair and she tugs on it, trying to bring me closer to her body.

  Happy to oblige, I grip her hips. I plant a kiss on each hip bone before placing one at her center. She leans into me, widening her stance for better access while my tongue teases out to part her lips. It slides over her clit with purpose, searching, hoping to pull out the groans of pleasure that drive me wild.

  When her legs start to shake, I pull back, licking my lips and saying, “Sit back on the bed.”

  “Where is it?” she asks, her voice breathless and raspy.

  “Right behind you.” I pull up to guide her hips down to the bed, then watch as she scoots until she’s able to fully lie back. Her legs are flat on the bed and tight at the knees.

  “Put your legs up on the bed,” I say, ripping my shirt over my head and dropping my pants to the ground. I don’t want to miss a single moment.

  She hesitates, but brings her feet flat against the bed, legs still tightly pushed together. I close the distance between us to kneel in front of her, dropping a single kiss to each knee before replacing my lips with my hands. I rub them slowly down her thighs and up to her hips, parting her legs with my body as I move in closer. I take her lips in mine and she greedily accepts, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and digging her nails into my skin.

  “God, that feels good,” I moan into her mouth, finding her breast with my palm and squeezing her nipple with just enough force to have her arms flying back to the bed, her hips jolting toward me.

  When her heat connects to my hardness, it tips me over the edge. I pin both of her arms to the bed and take her nipple between my teeth, enjoying her yelp of pleasure in response. With her feet still planted, she continues to lift her hips, sliding her wet slit against my dick in a frenzied pattern.

  I turn and give her other nipple the same attention, but when her movements become frantic, I pull back. I fist my dick, already wet from her grinding, and line it up with her center before driving into her. It slides in easily, her moans telling me exactly how she wants it—hard and fast.

  It only takes a few thrusts to have her coming apart. Her legs are wrapped tightly around me, pushing me to go deeper every time I surge forward. Her arms grip onto me, pulling me flush against her, so close it feels as though we’re becoming one. I can feel her frantic heart pounding against my chest, her moans of pleasure against my ear, her pussy tightening around my dick, urging me toward my own orgasm. And I fucking lose it.

  Even once our hips still, we stay entangled in each other, my wild heart thumping against my ribcage.

  Eventually, I have to roll off her because I can’t keep hovering myself in the air, afraid to crush the baby.

  “Stay with me,” I say, settling an arm under her neck. “Not just tonight, but every night.”

  “I’d love to.”

  19

  Addison

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Two strong arms wrap around me, squeezing me so tight I can barely breathe, but you won’t hear any complaints from me. At least for another thirty seconds, at which point I might have to tap out.

  Luckily, it doesn’t come to that, because he loosens his grip and rolls over onto his back, taking me with him. He’s still shirtless and I rub my cheek against his warm chest.

  “Mmmm,” I moan. “You’re so cozy.”

  He laughs, sneaking his hand under the covers.

  I start to get excited and wiggle my hips closer, but instead of landing between my legs, his hand begins rubbing circles along my stomach. A close second, I suppose.

  “We haven’t even talked about names,” he says. “What kind of soon-to-be parents ar
e we?”

  “The worst,” I respond. “But there’s no need. I’ve already chosen. It’s Bertha.”

  To his credit, his hand only stutters for a moment before falling back into its lulling rhythm. “Uh huh. And what if it’s a boy?”

  “Also Bertha.”

  He chuckles, his hand sliding up my body and grabbing my chin. “Bertha it is,” he whispers before placing his lips on mine.

  When he finally pulls away, I sigh, closing my eyes and leaning back into him. “Do you want a boy or a girl?” I ask quietly.

  “Oh, do I get to choose?”

  I roll my eyes and swat at his hand.

  “Baby, I don’t care what we have,” he says.

  “You don’t care at all?”

  “No?” he says, sounding unsure. “Unless that answer is going to get me into trouble.”

  “Of course not,” I say with a laugh. “I don’t have a preference either, but I was reading online that a lot of women have a general idea of what they’re having. Or they’ll have a dream it’s a girl and it ends up actually being a girl. But I don’t have any idea. The second I think it may be a girl, my next thought is maybe it’s a boy.”

  “We should probably go shopping at some point,” he says. “Or else our baby is going to come into this world without even a box of diapers to their name.”

  “Shopping?! When? Where?” I gasp in excitement, already running through my mind all the items I have saved in my bookmarks to purchase.

  “Today?” he offers. “I can take the day off work and we can drive into Denver. There’s gotta be some baby stores there.”

  Squealing, I sit up—rushing from the bed in nothing but my birthday suit—and hurry over to the closet. I grab a maternity top I bought back in LA but haven’t had the chance to wear yet and turn back to Chase.

  He’s still lying in bed, looking smug with his arms behind his head and a shit eating grin on his face.

  I jump back into bed and yank the blanket off him. I do my best to only spend a quick second ogling his goods before dropping a kiss to his lips and shouting, “Get up! We need to shower!”