by Marilyn Lee
“Then, if he truly loves you, in time, he’ll forgive you. Just as your father forgave your mother. And you can think of her with a little more...charity and understanding.”
“If this is what she felt for him...I suppose I can understand why she left my father. But not why she left me.”
“Maybe, because like you, she knew how she was hurting him, and couldn’t take everything from him. I think your mother was probably just a woman so in love that it overwhelmed all her finer instincts...as my love for you did mine.”
“Maybe you’re right and I need to stop disparaging her.”
“I will always think fondly of her because she gave you life.” He touched his mouth to hers. “And oh, God, I love you so much. Just say you’ll marry me and we’re work though whatever life throws at us together.”
“Hank made it clear he’s not going to make the divorce easy.”
“I can’t say I blame him. I’d have a difficult time letting you go as well.”
“I’m no bargain.”
“You are everything I want, need, and love in a woman. My wyanet.”
She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, smiling.
“Are you sure?”
“About being pregnant?”
He nodded.
“Yes. I’ve already been to the doctor and he confirmed that your baby in growing inside me. Oh, Elkhorn, I am looking forward to being your wife.”
“Not just my wife...the center of my world. My everything.”
“I promise you, I won’t stray.”
“Neither will I.” He curled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her until she tore her mouth away from his and burrowed into his arms.
He held her for several moments, offering up a silent prayer of thanksgiving, before rising, and lifting her to her feet. “I need a fuck,” he whispered against her ear.
She lifted her head to meet his gaze, while cupping a hand over his crotch. “Are we going to discuss what hussy has been enjoying my rightful property?”
“The woman who had the nerve to sleep with her husband as soon as my back was turned wants to know what?”
She suppressed a smile. “You heard me. How many?”
“Since I left Sunday? None. I told you. I’m not a boy.”
“Were you going to reestablish your relationships with your two hussies?”
“They’re not hussies and the answer is no. If either of them had been able to make me forget you, I wouldn’t be even more in love with you now than I’ve ever been. And I think I told you that I wasn’t going to treat them with disrespect.”
“That’s one of the many reasons I love you; your concern for others. Your insistence on respecting them and the way you never once disparaged Braden is another.”
“He’s my brother and best friend. I can and do love you without wishing or wanting to tarnish what you two shared.”
“Oh, damn. You are so wonderful.”
“I am. And if you have nothing else you want to discuss, I need a fuck.”
“In the middle of a conversation?”
“Yes. Right now.”
She leaned back against the door and lifted her dress. “The come and get you some pussy, Elkhorn.”
He shook his head and took her hand in hers. “Let’s start off right this time. I’m going to romance you first.”
“First? Before sex?”
“Yes.”
“So...romance first and sex later?”
“Yes—starting tomorrow.”
She smiled. “And tonight?”
“I’m going to fuck you senseless and maybe make twins.”
She laughed. “That’s not how it works.”
“Tell that to my aching dick.”
“And you’re not going to make an issue of my sleeping with Hank?”
“No. Yesterday is set in stone. Do I have your promise that you are going to follow through with the divorce?”
“Yes! I’ve already spoken to my lawyer and made it very clear to Hank that our marriage ended when he walked out of me.”
“Thank God he did or I would never have stood a chance with you.”
“I’m not so sure of that.”
“I am.”
She frowned. “How can you be?”
“We’ve already had this conversation.”
“I know, but had I been happy with him, I would have followed him and insisted we work on our marriage. I didn’t. I let him walk away, but I couldn’t let you go.”
“For which I’ll be eternally grateful.”
“And if you wanted me to destroy the pictures of my relationship with Braden, I would.”
He shook his head. “I don’t begrudge your having loved him first. And the fact that you let him go as well as Hank, but came after me, tells me all I need to know about your feelings for me. So let’s agree to live in the here, now, and tomorrow.”
She nodded.
Smiling, he took her hand in his and they walked upstairs together.
IN THE MASTER GUEST bedroom, Kania watched as he quickly undressed and then disrobed her more slowly. When she stood in front of him nude, he knelt to kiss her stomach before smiling up at her. “So we’re having a baby together?”
“Yes. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Extremely so. Were you tempted not to tell me?”
“Not even for a second. I wanted a baby with you from the moment I allowed you to come inside me. The only thing that’s changed is that I now realize I was primed to fall in love with you years ago.”
“Years ago? That’s news to me.”
“Me too,” she said laughing. “But all that flattery and shameless flirting worked its way into my heart. When I think back, there was probably a part of my heart that let Braden go because it wanted...needed you.”
“Oh, fuck. Are you saying I interfered in your relationship?”
“No! I’m not. Despite all your flattery, if Braden had proposed, I would have gladly accepted. And, as I’ve mentioned before, I would have been very happy with him. But I’m very glad he didn’t because now I get to have your baby and be your wife. And in my heart of hearts, that’s the way I think it was meant to be. You and me.”
He rose and moving behind her, he cupped his hands over her belly and kissed her neck. “I am so thankful that I’ll have the opportunity to watch your stomach get round as our baby grows inside you.”
“I think you mean rounder.” She leaned back against him, tilting her head. “It hasn’t really been flat for years.”
“So? There isn’t a single part of your beautiful body I would change if I could. You are and always will be my ideal woman. And you should know by now that I prefer women with warm, dark skin, and a sexy curvy belly with or without my baby growing inside.”
She turned in his arms. “Speaking of inside. That’s where I need to feel you. However, I think you should know that it was just the one night with Hank—”
“Once?”
“One night, but two times.”
“And?”
“And I didn’t have the heart to set conditions, so...”
“Yes?”
“The sex was...”
“Raw?”
She shook her head. “It was unprotected. Sex with you in just as I love it—raw.”
“I don’t care. We’re together now and that’s my only concern. But you should know that I’m going to need a really hard fuck the first time,” he said.
“Lots of hard, deep thrusts right into my inner core and into my heart. Sounds like something we should have started ten minutes ago.”
“Damn, woman, but you are prefect.”
“So are you.”
He led her over to the bed.
She smiled and welcomed him with open arms and parted legs when he joined her.
They spent several minutes kissing and caressing each other. When she was damp and he was erect, she urged him off her.
“Am I hurting you?” He asked.
“No.” She tur
ned onto her stomach and glanced at him over her shoulder. “But sometimes I like to lay on my stomach with my legs closed.”
He positioned himself over her, keeping his weigh on his outstretched arms. “And why am I just hearing about this?”
“Because I also like having you between my legs with your chest crushing against my breasts so we can kiss as you thrust the best cock in the world as deep inside my pussy as possible,” she said and made a purring sound.
“Hmm. Is there anything else I need to know but don’t?”
“There are lots of things you don’t yet know, Elkhorn.”
He brushed his lips against her neck. “I’m listening.”
“Hey. We’re going to be together forever. If you want to know my innermost sensual secrets, you have the rest of our lives to figure them out. Think you’re up for the challenge?”
“Fuck yeah,” he said, lowering his weight onto her body and pressing his cock between her ass cheeks and against her entrance.
She sighed with a deep sense of pleasure and satisfaction as he pushed inside her with one hard thrust. “Oh! Yes, Elkhorn. Fuck me,” she encouraged, eagerly lifting her hips to meet his downward movements. “Love me as only you can.”
Sliding his hands down to grip her hips, he burned hot, demanding kisses against the corner of her mouth, neck, and shoulders.
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to just feel the absolute bliss of having him fuck her with deep, passionate plunges that she felt down to the tip of her toes.
Oh. Lord. So good. At some point, he maneuver his hand under to finger at clit and pussy. And oh God. He made her burn and ache for him with an intensity that bound her heart forever to his. With her pussy on fire and ready to explode, she reached back to clutch his ass.
In response, he pushed deep and hard into her. With a jolt of heat blazing along with nerve endings, she moaned, and came all over his cock. Her release was so strong, she felt as if her entire body was on fire. And then she floated in a world of white-hot contentment so profound, it almost hurt.
He continued with the fast, almost greedy movements until finally, he groaned, clutched her even closer, and detonated inside her.
Then he put his full weigh on top of her and whispered against her neck. “Shit!”
“Good pussy, huh, Elkhorn?”
“Good isn’t a good enough word to describe making love to you. Damn woman, I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered, smiling. “So much.”
Still inside her, he lifted his head. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ve felt it all along, but I didn’t feel as if I had the right to say it. Now I don’t care what’s right or wrong. I just know I’m ecstatic to be carrying your baby and that I love you madly, Raven Elkhorn. And only you.”
He kissed her again and eased out of her.
She sighed and turned onto her side to face him. “I hate when that happens.”
“When what happens?”
“When you pull out of me.”
He laughed and kissed her again before turning to spoon his body behind hers. “Unfortunately, the laws of nature dictates it has to happen sooner or later.”
“Having a pussy full of your seed makes it bearable.”
“Hearing you say that takes away some of the sting of loving you for so long.”
“I’ll spend the rest of our lives together trying to make up for that hurt.”
“No. No looking backwards. Just forward to our lives together.”
Smiling, she placed his hand over her belly and drifted into a deep, contented sleep.
When she woke later, he was seated in a chair near the window on the phone. “I know I promised I’d be home for Mother’s Day, Mom, but...yes and she’s important...I love her...” He glanced across the room to smile at her. “Yes. She loves me...I know you’re eager to meet her, but we’ve just confessed our love for each other today and I need a few days to be alone with her...Can you forgive me for missing another’s Mother’s Day...? Yes. I promised I’ll come home as soon as I can. Please give me a week or two alone with her. It’s still so new and...yes. I’ll bring her with me...I love you too...Happy early Mother’s Day, Mom. Goodbye.”
He ended the call, put his phone down, and crossed the room to sit on the side of the bed. “That went better than I thought it would.”
“If you need to go for a few days, I’ll be waiting when you get back. I know how much she loves having her sons with her on Mother’s Day.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. Believe me, when I told her why I wasn’t coming, she was delighted. I think she was beginning to think she’d have to pay someone to marry me.”
“Wait. What? You mean there might be some financial benefit to loving you?”
He laughed. “I’ll work very hard to make sure you never have to work again...unless you want to.”
“I just want you, Elkhorn. If I have you, everything else is just icing.”
“My sentiments exactly.” He smiled. “Hungry?”
“Yes. As you know, I’m now eating for two.”
He kissed her stomach before lifting his head to smile at her again. “Do you want to get dressed and go out to eat?”
She shook her head.
They ordered food from her favorite app. When it arrived, they ate in bed before sitting and talking in the moonlit bedroom. “How did you get inside the gate and where did you park?”
“I parked about a block away because I didn’t want you to hear me coming and...”
“And what?”
“I don’t know. Take a runner out the back. Neida gave me the alarm codes.”
“Not Braden?”
“No. We had a very tense conversation and nearly came to verbal blows before he hung up—without telling me where you were.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean—”
“He was just doing what older brothers do—protect their younger siblings.”
“So you’re still fond of his slippery ass?”
She nodded, smiling. “Afraid so, Elkhorn.”
“Fuck. Guess I’ll have to learn to deal with it.”
“Nothing to deal with. In the words of that old country song, No Old Flame Can Hold A Candle To You. Not now or ever again. I love you and only you.”
“And this thing you have for Braden?”
“Lord, you’re a difficult man to convince. Just because I’m not bitter and don’t hate him does not mean I have a thing for him. Not only did I end our relationship, but I then went on to resist all his, and your, efforts to get me to reconsider. All the while, he made it clear, even when he knew Hank and I were dating exclusively, that he wanted back in my life.
“As you very well know, I continued to say no. I’ll admit that letting him go hurt like hell the first few weeks. And you didn’t make it any easier with your constant insistence that I had to give him another chance.”
“He was so lost without you and hurting.”
“I know, but by then I knew we weren’t meant to be together. He belongs to Neida and I belong to you. Get it?”
“Got it.”
“Good. But just in case you really don’t, let me remind you that I love you enough to cheat with you. I let him go, but I came after you. So let’s not have any more shit about my having a thing for his damned slippery ass. When it was good between us, it was really good. But you and I are going to be even better together. And please understand that I love you more than I ever loved him. For as long as you want me, you will never have any competition.”
“That’s going to be forever.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Elkhorn because I can’t see a happy future without you.”
“Oh, damn, cher. I’ll do my very best to make and keep you happy.”
“And I you.” She turned in his embrace to kiss him. “Now about your mother.”
“You heard her on the call. She knows she screwed up with Braden and won’t make that mistake with me. She’s alwa
ys been very fond of you. Did you know that she cried and grieved for weeks when she learned you’d lost your baby?”
“No, but she sent me a lovely letter that touched me deeply.”
“She said the only thing that helped with the sorrow was spending time with the grandkids. I think it hurt her so much because she knew that it should have been her grandchild. Trust me, she’ll welcome you with open arms, as will the rest of the family.”
“When are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going to call the guys tomorrow, but let’s wait a few days to tell her. Once she knows you’re pregnant, she’s going to want you under her watchful gaze and want to make you all kinds of family recipes.”
“That will require a move to the East Coast,” she said.
“No.”
“No?”
“Don’t you know by now that I’d happily live with you in a wet cardboard box on a damn sidewalk.”
Warmed by his reply, she laughed. “Wow. Can’t we at least live under an overpass so we have some shelter from the elements?”
“I hope you’re serious because you know you have the power to totally destroy me.”
She caressed his face. “Why would I want to do anything to hurt you when I...”
“When you what?”
“When I love you.”
He sucked in a breath. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I’ve already admitted it several times since arrived.”
“I know, but it’s going to take me a minute to get used to hearing you say it out loud since I was so sure you loved Hank.”
“I did love him, but not nearly as much as I loved and adored Braden. But what I feel for you overshadows my former feelings for Braden. I’ve never loved any man the way I love you, Raven Elkhorn. Period. No qualifications. I’m just so sorry I didn’t admit it sooner, but it—”
“No. Don’t ever feel you have to apologize for having moral issues with our relationship. I think we both know it was less than ideal.”
“Otherwise known as wrong.”
He shrugged. “Let’s just promise never to do it again.”
“Promise,” she said.
“As do I. So we’re good and will be even better once the divorce is final.”
She nodded. “I know how close you are to your brothers and that you’d prefer to live close to them.”
