“Grant,” she warns and I step back, releasing her body.
“Fine, but be warned: I plan on having my dessert later and I don’t intend to have just one serving.”
The event is boring, as I predicted. I fucking hate these things, but I know it’s for a good cause. If we can get these billionaire schmucks to part with even a tiny part of their fortunes, we can put in a new wing at the hospital.
“Doctor Rossi,” Amelia VanGuard purrs as she walks across the floor with her arms outstretched toward me.
Speaking of billionaires, the VanGuards own half of Denver and they’re always a top spender at these events. Amelia has a special interest in doctors—at least the ones who are younger than her. She’s been previously married to two plastic surgeons, and it’s clear she let them use her body as a canvas.
“Mrs. VanGuard, you look absolutely stunning,” I say, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips to avoid hugging her. She’s the touchy type, and after a few cocktails, her hands like to wander.
“Oh, Dr. Rossi, it’s Amelia. You know that.” She playfully smacks my chest, letting her fingers linger a little too long for comfort.
Her short cropped hair is dyed an unnatural candy red, which matches her long pointy fingernails. Her thinning leathery skin is pulled taut across her bony frame, accentuating her obviously fake breasts and overfilled lips. She’s only a few years older than me but could pass for my aunt.
“Dr. Rossi.” Her husband, Niles VanGuard, steps up beside her, clearly annoyed by her antics but also used to them at the same time. He’s got 30 years on her, which is evident by his thinning white hair and deep-set wrinkles.
“Sir,” I say, placing my hand in his. I attempt to schmooze with him but Amelia is intent on stealing our attention.
“When are you going to come to our mountain retreat?” Amelia coos as she sways and bobs her skeletal frame around my body like her husband isn’t standing two feet from us. He’s completely unfazed, rolling his eyes at her behavior and giving me a helpless we both know I can’t do anything to help you shrug.
I glance over and spot Leigh watching us, a coy smirk on her face. I glare at her. She’s getting a kick out of this.
“Oh, I want to introduce you to someone,” I say to both VanGuards as I raise my arm and motion for Leigh to come over to us. She shakes her head at first but then sees the pleading look in my eyes and relents.
“This is my wife, Leigh,” I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against me tightly as Amelia’s countenance falls.
“I didn’t know you were married,” she gasps, clutching at the giant diamond hanging from her neck.
“And expecting,” I say placing my hand on Leigh’s lower belly. I see her head whip to look at me in surprise before accepting Amelia’s hug as she pulls her in almost violently.
We go through the general congratulatory conversations for a few moments before Amelia is already distracted by a younger doctor and goes flitting through the room, her poor husband trudging behind her.
I can’t take much more of this party. I’m itching to get my hands and tongue on every single inch of Leigh, and it’s starting to make me irritated that I can’t. I grab her elbow, walking her quickly across the great hall of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and up two escalators.
“Where are we going?” Leigh asks as I quicken our pace. “Grant . . . wait.”
I stop and pull her toward the railing at the far end of the third level. I spin her around so her hands are on the railing.
“What are you doing?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at me.
“I told you, I want dessert.” I place my hands on her shoulders, running them softly down the smoothness of her bare skin. I follow the movements with a kiss on each shoulder.
“Here? No, Grant!” She spins around, placing her palms flat against my chest.
“Now, is that any way to talk to your husband?” I smile as I brush a tendril of hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, what was that about and when did we decide to tell people about the baby?”
“We got the okay from the doctor, and honestly, it’s killing me to keep it inside. We’ll tell our friends and family together; I just had to tell someone.”
She smiles and runs her hands over my chest before lifting herself up on her tippy toes and kissing me gently, but it doesn’t stop there. I press against her, deepening the kiss and growling into her mouth.
“You drive me fucking crazy.” I grab her hand, trailing it down my body until I settle it on my raging hard-on.
“You feel that? That’s what you do to me.” I nip at her lips, my tongue sliding into her mouth as she runs her hand up and down my length before releasing me.
“Grant,” she moans, but I cut her off before she can protest again.
“Your hips look fuller, and the material of this dress accentuates it. I’ve been staring at it all night—the way your ass moves beneath it.” I lean down and drag my tongue up her neck. “The sway of your hips as you walk. All I can think about is licking your tight, pink pussy and having you come on my tongue.”
I’m like a starving man right now, pawing at every inch of her body as I lose my mind.
“Be a good wife and turn around so I can have a taste,” I whisper in her ear as I spin her back around.
“I’m not your wife,” she teases, “but seriously, cameras.”
I cock my hand back, bringing it back swiftly to land on her ass with a loud smack! She yelps but I shove my tongue down her throat to muffle it.
“You will be my wife,” I say. “Now, put your hands on the fucking railing and don’t say another goddamn word unless it’s my name.” This time she obeys, the tone of my voice clearly conveying to her that I’m not messing around.
I continue exploring her body with my hands, running them over her warm skin as I kick her legs further apart. I squat down for a second, placing my hand beneath her dress at her ankle before dragging it slowly up her inner thigh.
She shudders a little as my fingertips trail her skin. I lean my chest against her back, kissing along her neck as I begin to whisper every filthy thought I’ve had about her this evening.
“All I’ve thought about tonight is the taste of your sweet juice on my lips,” I murmur as I run my fingers softly over her warm mound. The silk of her panties is already wet. I push it aside, running my middle finger over her slick folds a few times. I see her head fall forward a fraction as she grips the railing in front of her. As I slide my finger inside her, a small moan escapes her throat as I pull it out and do it again. I repeat the motion, picking up a steady pace before inserting a second finger inside her.
“Tonight when we get home, I want you to sit on my face. I want you to grip the headboard on our bed and fuck my face with this juicy pussy. And after you’ve come all over my tongue, I want you to lie back so I can slide that toy we got you inside here.” I drag my fingers out of her heat and move them to her taut asshole. She gasps and I shove my fingers back inside her pussy and begin thrusting harder and faster.
“I want that toy in your ass so when my cock is plunged deep inside you, you’ll be so full you won’t be able to think straight.”
She grips the railing tighter, her breath coming out loud and jagged as she bites her bottom lip to stifle the moans I know she wants to let loose.
“Every time I slam my cock inside you, you’ll feel that toy deep inside your ass too.” She quivers, her insides tightening around my fingers so hard as her fingers curl into the railing. The orgasm is long and intense as it washes over her, wave after wave.
I slowly pull my fingers from her body and bring them to my lips. I inhale the scent first and look as they glisten in the moonlight that penetrates the hall. I place them in my mouth, licking every ounce of her off of me before spinning her around to face me.
“You have no idea how hard it is not to take you right now,” I say as I reach in my suit pants and adjust my cock.
This ti
me it’s Leigh who grabs my hand, pulling me wordlessly down the hall and into the women’s restroom. She flicks on the light before reaching around me to lock the door.
“Fuck me,” she says breathlessly as she grabs my coat and pulls my mouth to hers. It’s frantic and rushed. I grab her by the waist and set her on the counter. She rushes to pull her dress up her thighs as I hurry to free myself from my pants.
If I had to guess, it’s maybe 90 seconds of flesh-slapping, grunting, and pounding before we’re both grabbing at each other and coming undone. I rest my forehead against hers as we catch our breath. I kiss her before helping her off the counter.
We both clean ourselves up, readjusting our clothes and fixing our hair.
She turns to face me. “Do I look okay? Or do I look like I just got ran over by a train?”
I laugh, running my thumb over her swollen bottom lip. Her cheeks are flushed, and so is her exposed neck and chest. Her hair is mussed and sexy.
“Sweetheart, you look like you just got the ever-loving shit fucked out of you.”
23
Leigh
“Are you . . . ?” My mom’s chin trembles as she and my father hold the sonogram picture.
“Yes,” I say gleefully, choking back tears.
Grant pulls me closer to him as his mother stares at the same photo in her hands. She covers her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she leaps up and hugs us both.
We decided it was beyond time for our families to meet, so we invited them over to Grant’s condo for a home-cooked dinner. I had told my parents a few weeks ago that I was dating someone, but that I wasn’t ready to elaborate on things yet. Even with the heads-up, they were more than shocked to find that not only were we living together back in Grand Lake, but that I’m now pregnant.
After dinner, everyone makes their way into the living room for coffee and dessert, but first Grant gives my father a tour of the penthouse—or rather, my dad is using it as an excuse to have the talk with him.
“I’ll go serve up the coffee cake,” I say as Lucia steps out to call her friends to tell them the happy news.
“I’ll give you a hand, sweetie,” my mom says, following me into the kitchen.
I pull the cake out of the oven where it’s been warming, and my mom opens cabinets until she finds the small plates and retrieves them.
“Leigh, honey,” she says, walking over to me and grabbing my hands, “is he the one? Are you happy? This all feels so sudden.”
“I know, Mom. The funny thing is,” I can’t hold back the smile when I think about how far he and I have come, “I used to hate him.”
“What? Why’s that?” She laughs.
“We just didn’t start out on the right foot.” I don’t get into detail about our history of each dating the other half of a couple that’s now married.
“It doesn’t matter now, but Mom, I promise you, he’s good to me and for me. He’s . . .” I can’t even put into words how I feel about this man. “He’s the love of my life, Mom.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.” She pulls me into a tight hug just as Lucia enters the kitchen and walks over to join us in a group hug of tears and excitement.
I answer the dozens of questions thrown at me as best I can. I fill them in on my due date, when we’ll find out what we’re having, which hospital I plan on delivering at, and on and on. The only one I don’t know yet is where we’ll be living.
We’ve discussed the advantages of living here in Denver—of having family and Grant’s main hospital close by, plus he already owns this massive penthouse, but that would mean leaving behind my business in Grand Lake and the friends and connections we’ve made there.
I excuse myself and find the men talking in Grant’s office. I try not to spy, but I see Grant lean down and place something back in his safe before closing it. My dad shakes his hand and then pulls him in for one of those manly half-hugs.
“What are you handsome men up to?” I say as I open the door and step inside.
“We were just about come find out what that delicious smell is,” my dad says, placing his arm around me as we head back out to the living room.
My parents are speaking to Grant as he points out different landmarks around Denver from the living room.
“You make him the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
I spin around and find Lucia sipping a cup of tea as she approaches me. She slips an arm through mine.
“You and your husband raised an amazing son.”
She nods her head. “He’s just like his father. I don’t know how much he’s told you, but his dad was an amazing man. He put his family above everything else.”
She turns to face me, placing her teacup on a small table. She grabs my hands, holding them in her own as her smile reaches her eyes.
“You are a wonderful woman and I’m so glad that you’re the one who won his heart. You’re going to be an amazing mother.”
She squeezes my hands a little tighter before glancing over her shoulder at the laughter coming from Grant and my parents.
“But if he ever breaks your heart or treats you less than you deserve, you better tell me so I can remind him how he was raised,” she says, winking. “We both know he can still be a hard-headed man sometimes.”
“A girl?” I can’t hold back the tears as the doctor nods.
“A very healthy baby girl.” He smiles and stands. “I’ll let you two have a moment. I’ll meet you up front when you’re ready.”
I leap off the table and into Grant’s arms when the doctor steps out of the room. He spins me around, kissing my face.
“I—I,” he runs his hands through his hair after setting me down, “I don’t know how to raise a girl,” he laughs as he begins to pace back and forth. “What happens when she starts liking boys or needs me to braid her hair if you’re not home?”
I laugh, taking his hands and placing them on my belly as I wrap my arms around his neck.
“It’s kind of cute to see you all exasperated.”
“It doesn’t feel very cute.” His eyes look worried as he studies my face.
“It’s just that you’re always the level-headed, cool one. It feels nice to be your rock for once. Don’t worry, I’ll be right by your side through raising a girl. I know a few things.” I lean forward and kiss his lips.
The last several weeks have been surreal. It felt like time flew after my 18-week appointment. It also feels like all of the pregnancy hormones kicked in at once, which Grant has been appreciating.
We just entered month five, and my belly has officially popped. I’m still adjusting to trying on clothes only to realize they no longer fit. I’m also getting used to having crazy vivid dreams, heartburn at the drop of a hat, and fun new cravings that have me rummaging through the fridge at all hours of the night.
I was worried being pregnant would make me feel like a stranger in my own body, but Grant has made sure that hasn’t happened. I think he might like my body even more when I’m pregnant, which I didn’t think was possible.
“Mmm, there you are,” he says, coming up behind me as I fold the massive set of onesies, bibs, and clothing we received at our baby shower yesterday. I smile as he wraps his arms around me, his hands immediately going to hold my growing belly.
“Look at you nesting.” He runs his nose up my neck, causing a tingle to run through my body. “The nursery looks amazing.”
“Grant, we need to figure out our living situation.” I spin around in his arms to face him. I place my hands on his chest.
“Are we going to keep splitting our time between here and Grand Lake? Our daughter needs stability. I need stability, especially in the beginning.”
“Where do you want to live, baby?” He brushes my hair back. “It’s completely up to you.”
I study his face for a moment. “What if I said Grand Lake? How would that work with your primary job being here in Denver?”
“Then I would switch to being the primary
doctor in Grand Lake full-time. We’d make it work; I’m not worried about that.”
“You mean that?” I’m amazed at his constant selflessness. He nods his head.
“Well, as amazing as that is, and as much as I love Grand Lake, I do think staying here in Denver makes the most sense.”
“Honey, if you want to live there, let’s live there. Don’t do this for my job.”
“I know, but your mom is here, my family is here, and it just makes sense. Plus, once she’s six months old, we can easily take weekend trips back to Grand Lake and I’ll feel more comfortable going back and forth to the studios.”
Steph is already running the Grand Lake studio like a pro, and she’s also been auditing classes when Janelle teaches, and working on her own certifications. We both know she might not stay in Grand Lake come next year, but for now, she’s killing it and I’m not going to take that away from her on the off chance she has to skip town.
“Driving back and forth? How often?” His brows knit together.
I turn back around to finish folding the items. I shrug. “Not sure yet, but we’ll figure it out,” I say nonchalantly when I feel him reach down and pinch my ass, causing me to yelp.
“Hey!” I say, smacking his hand away.
“You’re not going to just be driving back and forth between Denver and Grand Lake, Leigh. Not unless I’m with you.”
“Okay, I didn’t mean I’d do it with the baby all the time, and you’re not going to tell me what to do.”
I go to turn back around, but he grabs my arm and walks me forcefully backward until I gently hit the wall.
“I will tell you what to do. You’re mine and I want you safe.” His nose is practically touching mine and his look has gone from commanding to possessive in an instant. I know there’s no point in arguing with him when he’s like this, but I like the results when I tease him.
Only For Forever: An Enemies to Lovers, Small Town Romance (Men of Rocky Mountain) Page 15
