by Marie Force
Laura had plenty to do, plenty to keep her mind occupied with productive, proactive thoughts. There was absolutely no need to dwell on the things—and people—she couldn’t change. Determined to proceed with grace and forbearance, she leaned her head on Owen’s shoulder and tried to decide how she should proceed with him.
He’d done so much for her, had been there during some of the darkest days of her life, had been a friend, a confidant and almost-lover. On top of all that, he’d changed his plans to spend the winter with her. What more could she want from any man? What more did he have to do to prove his devotion to her? Absolutely nothing, she decided. He was right—if she let Justin’s bitterness spill into their relationship, she’d be risking her best chance at the kind of love that lasted a lifetime. She could tell she surprised him when she reached for his hand and closed her fingers around his.
He squeezed her hand and cradled it between both of his. “Feeling okay, Princess?”
She nodded. “I’m feeling great, actually.” The closer she got to her beloved island, the more her burden seemed to lift, freeing her to pursue the many things that interested her now, including the handsome man sitting beside her.
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And what brought this on after the twenty-four hours you’ve had?”
“You did.”
He looked down at her, seeming perplexed. “What did I do?”
“Nothing and everything.”
“You’re talking in circles, sweetheart.”
She smiled at him. “Am I?”
“You know you are.”
“It means so much to me that you came with me on this trip, that you held my head—again—when I was sick, drove me to my dad’s, came to the showdown with Justin and put up with my mood last night.”
“I didn’t mind doing any of that.”
“I appreciate it, and I don’t take it for granted.”
He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head when she snuggled into his embrace. “I seem to be a lovesick fool where you’re concerned,” he said. “I’d rather be holding your barf bag than doing anything else with anyone else.”
Her heart literally skipped a beat. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Owen snorted with laughter. “You’re also rather easy to please, which is another thing to love about you.”
She ventured a glance up at him. “You’re throwing an awfully big word around there, buddy.”
His gaze met hers, steady and true. “I know.” He cupped her face and bent to kiss her.
Reaching up to smooth his perpetually messy hair, she said, “That’s something we should probably talk about at some point.”
“We’ve got all the time in the world to talk about everything.”
She wrapped her arm around him and rested her cheek on his chest. His heart beat faster than usual, letting her know he wasn’t unaffected by the conversation. “Owen?”
“Hmm?”
“Things are apt to be a bit…messy…for a while yet, but I want you to know…”
“What, honey?”
“That I want to be with you. I want to make this work. I want…everything with you.”
The next thing she knew, he had pulled her onto his lap, and his strong arms were tight around her. Fortunately, they had their corner of the ferry cabin mostly to themselves as two other nearby passengers slept through the crossing. “I want that, too. More than you know.” He rested a hand on the baby bump. “I can’t wait to meet this little person and have him or her change both our lives forever.”
Overwhelmed by his softly spoken words, Laura nestled into his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of him and nuzzling his warm, soft skin.
A tremble rippled through him, and he tightened his arms around her.
She loved knowing she could make him tremble, make him want. “When we get back to the hotel, do you think maybe we could, you know, pick up where we left off this morning?” she whispered in his ear.
“Your bed or mine?”
Laura laughed, feeling happier than she had in longer than she could remember. The situation with Justin was out of her hands. He knew about the baby and knew she wanted a divorce. She was never going back to him, so there was nothing stopping her from moving forward with Owen. “Yours is closer to the door.”
“I like how you think.” His hand tunneled under her jacket and sweater, seeking skin.
Laura wriggled on his lap, encouraging his touch.
“You might want to sit still, or you’ll damage my most important parts—and we’ll be needing them later.”
Her laugh died on her lips when his hand moved from back to front, sliding over the baby to cup her breast. When he tweaked her nipple, she let out a ragged moan.
“Shhh,” he whispered, his lips close to her ear, reminding her of where they were.
“How much longer?”
He twisted his head around to look out the window. “Just passing the bluffs. A few more minutes.”
“Good,” she said, feeling a sudden sense of urgency after months of significant moments leading to this one.
“Feeling anxious?” He played with her nipple relentlessly, making Laura hot and tingly and needy.
“Very.” She ran her hand over his chest, shivering when she remembered how his rough chest hair felt against her extra-sensitive breasts. “Pregnancy is known for ramping up the sex drive, so I’ve got five months of bottled-up frustration I need to expend. If you’re up for it, that is.”
Using her hair to muffle his groan, he pushed his straining erection against her bottom. “I’m definitely up for it.”
Laura giggled at the tortured sound he made.
“Has this damned boat ever taken longer?”
She kissed the scowl off his face. What she’d intended to be a quick tide-me-over kiss quickly became a heated, sensual duel, each of them straining to get closer until he finally pulled away.
“Gotta stop before I forget where we are.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in during the endless minutes before the ferry crew called car owners to the lower deck to prepare for landing.
Owen was on his feet in a flash, giving her a second to land, before he grabbed her hand and tugged her along behind him to the stairs. Once in the car, while they waited for the signal from the crew to drive off the boat, Owen tapped his fingers impatiently on the wheel.
Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she linked and unlinked her own fingers, over and over and over again until she thought the tension would literally burst from her chest.
“Do we need condoms?” he asked after a long, charged moment of silence.
“You tell me.”
“I’ve never had sex without one. I have a physical every year, and I’m healthy.”
“In that case, since pregnancy isn’t a worry, I don’t see why we’d need one.”
“And you’re sure it’s safe? For the baby?”
“Perfectly safe.”
He blew out a choppy breath. “I think it’s very possible I might be having some sort of cardiac incident.”
Laura smiled and reached over to cover his hand, hoping to calm him.
He turned their hands and pressed hers palm-down to his throbbing cock, drawing a tortured groan from both of them. “What the hell is taking so goddamned long?”
“There were a couple of trucks that came on last.” Laura had a better view of the action from the passenger seat. “They’re unloading them.”
After what seemed like an endless wait, one of the crewmembers waved at them to proceed off the boat. Five minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot behind the Surf.
“I’ll come back for the bags later,” he said as they got out and met in front of the car. He took her hand and propelled her up the back stairs to the hotel, fumbling with the key and swearing under his breath when the lock fought back.
&nbs
p; “It’s all in the wrist,” she said, pushing his hand out of the way.
“Very funny.”
When the door swung open, he half dragged her in behind him, slamming the door shut and pushing her up against it. He devoured her mouth in deep, searching kisses that made her legs weak and her heart race.
“Laura, Laura, Laura, my sweet Laura,” he whispered, turning his attention to her neck, kissing and licking and nibbling. “God, I want you. I’ve wanted you for so damned long.”
She clutched his shoulders, needing him more than she’d ever known it was possible to need anything. “I’ve wanted you, too, for just as long and just as much.”
And then he scooped her up and carried her through the kitchen, across the lobby and into his suite.
In what had become their pattern when he was picking her up off the bathroom floor after a bout of morning sickness, she looped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
He put her down next to his bed and started pulling at clothes with barely restrained urgency.
With their clothes in a pile at their feet, he yanked at the bed covers and urged her in ahead of him. He was right behind her, reaching for her.
Laura decided that the heat of his skin against hers was about the best thing she’d ever felt.
“I’ve dreamed about this moment.” His hand slid down her back to her bottom, tugging her in tight against him. “And it’s better than anything I could’ve imagined.”
“Mmm, so much better.”
She couldn’t stop touching him—his chest and belly, caressing him until he groaned in frustration. Curling her hand around his cock, she stroked him the way he liked, hard and quick.
His eyes closed, and his hips pushed against her hand, urging her on.
Empowered by his reaction, she kissed her way down the front of him. Since his eyes were still closed, he didn’t realize her intention until she’d taken him into the heat of her mouth.
His eyes flew open, and his fingers gripped her hair so tightly it was almost painful. “Laura,” he said in a choked tone. “I can’t take that right now.”
“Yes, you can.” She ran her tongue down the length of him and below, paying homage to his most sensitive parts. “What did you say last night? You take care of me, and I take care of you?” As she spoke, she kept her lips close to his shaft. “I’ve got a lot of taking care of you to do if I’m going to even things up between us.”
“You don’t have to…” He nearly levitated off the bed when she dipped her tongue into the slit at the top. As he released an inarticulate sound, his hips surged, pushing his cock into her mouth.
Laura took him deep again, as deep as she could, and lashed at him with her tongue. She looked up to find him watching her with feverish eyes. His hands had fallen to his sides, giving her complete control.
“Mmm,” she said, making sure her lips vibrated against his sensitive skin.
“Baby, stop. Stop.”
Rather than stop, though, she sucked on him and cupped his balls, squeezing gently.
With a harsh cry, he erupted into her throat.
Feeling a sense of power unlike anything she’d ever experienced, she licked him clean as he quivered and trembled beneath her. She kissed his belly and chest, tongued his nipple and drew another sharp cry of surprise from him.
As she stretched out on top of him, his arms encircled her. “You…that was…you’re amazing.” He turned them so he was on top but kept his weight off the baby. “I’ve never felt anything like that.” He kissed her. “Ever.” His eyes glinted with humor and devious intent. “My turn.”
Her entire body hummed with anticipation that surged into a sharp tingle between her legs.
He worshiped every inch of her, paying particular attention to nipples made extra sensitive by pregnancy. By the time his broad shoulders pushed her legs apart, she was already on the verge of an explosive release. The first touch of his tongue on her throbbing clitoris was all it took to set her off. His fingers slid into her slick channel, riding the wave of her climax. “Again,” he whispered as he set out to drive her mad a second time.
Laura would’ve sworn she couldn’t do it twice, but she’d learned not to underestimate him. He took his own sweet time leading her up and leaving her hanging at the precipice three times before he took her over in a second wave that was more powerful than the first.
On his knees, he spread her legs even farther apart and wrapped his hand around his hard cock, stroking himself. Keeping his gaze fixed on hers, he aligned their bodies and began to push into her.
She was so primed his entry should’ve been easy, but he was big, and he had to work his way in slowly.
He held himself up on his arms when he dipped his head to kiss her with sweeping, insistent strokes of his tongue over her lips and into her mouth. All the while, he kept up the slow, steady push and pull.
Needing to breathe, Laura broke the kiss and gulped in greedy breaths. She smoothed her hands over his sweat-slicked back, curving them over the rounded globes of his ass. She squeezed, encouraging him to keep going.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
“No, no. Feels so good.” She arched her back, wanting more, wanting everything he had to give her.
“For me, too, Princess. Nothing has ever felt so good.” He pressed his lips to her neck, which made her shiver.
“It’s because you don’t have to wear a condom.”
He shook his head, gazing down at her with love and affection and desire in his eyes. “It’s you. You make all the difference.” Glancing down to where they were joined, he said, “About halfway there.”
She let out an unsteady groan. “Seriously?”
He laughed softly. “You can do it.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
Sliding a hand under her, he turned them in a smooth move that startled and stirred her. Somehow he managed to remain lodged within her. “You do the rest,” he said, his hands on her hips guiding her as she straddled him. “Relax and let it happen.” He flattened his palm on her belly to steady her before moving both hands up to cup her breasts. Under her, he shifted slightly to sit up a bit. The new position sent him deeper into her and put his mouth in direct proximity to her breasts. He rolled her nipple between his lips and dropped one hand to the V of her legs, teasing the firm nub of her clit between his fingers.
The combination made it easier for her to slide farther down on him.
“Two more inches to go,” he said as he dabbed her nipple with the sharp point of his tongue.
“You’re lying.”
He took her hand. “Feel.”
Sure enough, a good two inches remained. “You got way more than your share, mister.”
Laughing, he said, “Never heard any complaints before.”
“I’m not complaining,” she said as a fine sheen of sweat coated her skin from the effort to relax and allow him in. “Exactly.”
“Come here.” He put his arms around her and brought her in tight against his chest, capturing her mouth in a heated kiss that was all slick lips and eager tongues. His fingers dug into her hips to stop her from moving as he once again kissed her stupid.
Her entire body throbbed, but the epicenter was between her legs where he remained wedged. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he was getting bigger.
She moaned against his lips. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “He has a mind of his own.”
“He thinks an awful lot of himself.”
He flashed that devastating grin that got to her every time. “He does have a rather healthy ego.” Cupping her ass, he squeezed and teased as his hungry mouth went to work on her other nipple. “We’ll have to practice a lot so it becomes routine for you.”
She choked out a shaky laugh. “I don’t think he will ever become routine to me.”
“Do you want to stop?”
“If you stop, I’ll kill you.”
That made h
im chuckle softly as his fingers delved deeper into the cleft of her ass, leaving no part of her untouched or unexplored.
Laura let her head fall back as a riot of sensations bombarded her. Suddenly, she needed to move and squirmed against his tight hold. His hands moved to her hips, but he let her set the pace and gasped when she finally took all of him.
She cried out when he rolled her clit between his fingers while he flexed his hips, pushing deeper and touching a spot inside her that had never been touched before. Losing herself in the intense spasms that rippled from the soles of her feet to her scalp and every pressure point in between, she came hard. One wave followed another, stealing the breath from her lungs along with any remaining doubts that this man was the one meant for her. When she returned from the heavenly ride, he was poised above her, looking down at her in amazement.
“Wow,” he said reverently.
How had he turned them over again without her even knowing? “Yeah.” Still breathing hard and throbbing at all her pressure points, she brought him down for a kiss. That was when she realized he was harder than ever and still buried deep inside her. “You didn’t…”
Smiling, he shook his head. “Wrap your legs around my hips.”
Tentatively, Laura did as he asked.
“Ready?”
Biting her bottom lip, she nodded, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to but trusting him implicitly.
“Hold on to me, baby.” He reached beneath her and gripped her bottom, the position opening her to him even more than she’d been before. Slowly, gently, he began to move in steady strokes.
Even though the pressure was intense between her legs, her entire body was on fire for him. She’d never had sex like this—all-consuming, full-body sex.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said against her lips as his tongue dipped into her mouth, teasing and withdrawing before she could catch it. He looked her square in the eye. “I love you, Laura. I wanted to be deep inside you, with your arms and legs wrapped around me, the first time I said those words to you. I’ve loved you for almost as long as I’ve known you.”
Tears filled her eyes as her heart pounded in time with the steady, unrelenting motion of his hips. “I love you, too. I’m so glad you stayed here with me.”
