Pleasured By You
Page 26
***
When we arrived at the airport, Harper’s private jet had its steps drawn down, ready for passengers. The drive from the reception had only taken five minutes, so whoever Dad had been talking to earlier must’ve listened. In a flash, we got out of the limo, eager to board and get back to New York.
Before I took the first step up onto the plane, Fletcher grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
“What is it?” I asked, searching his face. “I know you don’t like flying, but we have to go if we want to be there for the birth.” I gave him a playful nudge, smiling. “And I promise not to push you out of this one.”
He laughed and took my hands in his. “That’s not it. I just . . . I have something I need to say to you.”
“Okay,” I said, tangling our fingers together.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered himself and looked me in the eyes. “I love you, Bayler, and I know that’s really scary for you to hear. I know you don’t open your heart easily, and you’re worried about getting hurt, but . . . Do you remember what you said to me after you pushed me out of the plane?”
“How could I forget?” I laughed, blinking back tears. “I told you that you had nothing to worry about because you had a parachute.”
“Let me be your parachute.” His hands cupped my face as he stared down at me intensely. “Let me be your parachute, and I promise you’ll never have to worry about getting hurt. Sure, we’re going to fight and disagree, and there are going to be days where we hate each other, but I will always be there for you because I love you.”
Tears fell out of my eyes fast as I held onto him and smiled. “I love you, too.”
Then he dropped his mouth to mine and delivered a kiss so pure and raw, I felt my heart open the moment his tongue tangled with mine. Running my fingers into his soft hair, I delved deeper, reveling in the deliciously hot taste of him, so bold and sensual it ignited a pleasurable throb between my legs that I’d been yearning for for weeks. It’d been so long since our last kiss that we lingered now, welcoming each other home and exploring all the sweet places we’d been before.
“Hey, you two!” Mom shouted. “I have a granddaughter to meet! You can make up on the flight!”
We broke apart laughing, resting our foreheads together and staring into each other’s eyes. Taking his hand, I gave him another chaste kiss on the lips and smiled. “Let’s go meet our niece.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time we arrived in the waiting room, Harper had just given birth, but the grandparents were given first dibs on seeing the baby. So, Bayler and I took a seat along with the rest of the gang, and the room practically buzzed with excitement as we admired the picture of the little bundle of pink that Maverick had sent. We still had no idea what they named her, but the bet was the last thing on any of our minds.
Finally, Maverick walked into the room. He was wearing a huge grin, but I could tell he’d been crying from the red tint in his eyes.
“You guys can come on back now,” he said, as his mom and Bayler’s parents and grandparents filtered back into the waiting room, each of them smiling and chatting amongst themselves about the baby.
“Yes!” Bayler cheered, dragging me up from my chair.
We followed Mav back to the delivery room, and when we walked in, we found Harper sitting up in bed, holding a tiny human swaddled in a pink blanket.
“Hey,” she said softly, eagerness evident in her voice. Her eyes shimmered with emotion as Maverick gave her a kiss on the forehead and leaned over to admire his little girl. Everyone gathered around her bed, anxiously waiting to be introduced to the newest addition to our group. “We’d like you all to meet Seghen Charlotte Jones.”
“Weighing in at eight pounds six ounces and twenty-one and a half inches long.”
“She looks so tiny,” Tessa exclaimed, smiling.
“Look at all that dark hair,” Elly said, peering down at Seghen. She smiled up at Harper and Mav. “Can I hold her?”
“Of course,” Harper said, placing her in Elly’s arms.
“Hello there, Seghen,” Elly cooed, running her hand over the back of the baby’s head. “You are so beautiful.”
“She is,” Bayler said, squeezing my hand.
“Look at those cheeks!” Tessa laughed.
Paige walked over to Harper and Maverick and gave each of them a hug. “Congratulations, guys. She’s adorable.”
“Thank you.”
As the girls passed Seghen off to each other, oohing and awwing over how cute she was, I watched Bayler. She had Seghen in her arms now, talking to her as she rocked, and Seghen had her tiny baby hand gripped around Bayler’s finger. Then she looked over at me and smiled, waving her Seghen-clad finger at me. She was at such ease holding her, no worries whatsoever, like it just came natural to her. I had to swallow back the emotions settling in my throat at the realization that she was the woman I wanted to have my children.
Walking over to her, I placed a hand on the small of her back and admired our niece. Her eyes were shut, and her precious mouth was slightly ajar as she slept. Her cute, fat cheeks had a pinkish tint to them, making them the cutest, fattest cheeks I’d ever seen.
“Do you want to hold her?” Bayler asked, smiling.
“Mhm,” I said, reaching out for the baby.
Bayler placed her in my arms and continued to adore her. Seghen stretched her hand out, and I took it with my index finger, allowing her to wrap each of her tiny fingers around mine. “Hey there, pretty girl,” I murmured, smiling down at her. “Daddy’s going to have his hands full with you. You’re going to have boys knocking on your door like crazy.”
“That’s no joke,” Cash said, laughing. “She’s only minutes old, and she already has Fletcher wrapped around her fingers.”
“She’s the prettiest baby I’ve ever seen,” Justin declared. “And babies usually aren’t pretty.”
Maverick laughed. “Well, that’s what I have you guys for, to help me keep all the boys away from her.”
“That’s right,” I said, caressing her cheek. “We won’t let anyone break that pretty little heart of yours.”
“You’re so good with her,” Bayler stated softly, admiring the two of us. “And you look so hot with a baby in your arms.”
Gazing up at her, I leaned over and kissed her. “Promise you’ll give me one of these someday.”
“Someday,” she promised, giggling against my lips. “Years from now.”
“I’ll take it!” I laughed.
Carter shoved past the girls and headed toward me with his hands held out. “Okay, okay, time to hand her over to her favorite uncle.”
“Favorite, my ass,” I huffed, rolling my eyes.
“Guys,” Harper warned with a wince. “I would really love for our daughter’s first word not to be a curse word, so . . .”
“Watch your language when you’re around Seghen,” Maverick finished.
“Yeah, Uncle Fletcher,” Carter chastised with a smile as he took her from my arms. “Watch your mouth.”
The group erupted into laughter as he sat down on the end of the bed with her. Then the girls started handing Harper the gifts they’d brought for Seghen. Reaching into my suit pocket, I pulled out the package of pink cigars I’d bought earlier in the hospital gift shop.
“Here you go, man,” I said, handing them to Maverick. “We’ll celebrate with these later.”
“Thanks, Fletcher,” he said, giving me a pat on the back.
“If you guys need a babysitter,” Tessa said, holding her hand up. “You know who to call.”
Harper laughed. “We’re holding you to that.”
“Seghen, do you think you can keep a secret?” Carter asked. His words instantly grabbed everyone’s attention as he tuned us out and continued talking to her softly. “Nobody knows yet, so this has to stay between us.” Playing with her fingers, he chuckled and then carefully placed an easy kiss on her hand. “I cannot wait to meet your cousin.”
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Writing a book takes a team of people, and it’s been a pleasure working with these specific people who helped make Pleasured By You happen:
Beth Suit at BB Books: You’re seriously a rock star. I know you love my characters as much as I do, and I am so thankful for all the time and energy you put into editing my story. I am so lucky to have you on my team, and I can’t wait to start working on the next one with you.
April Faulkner: You made copyedits a breeze with this book, and I cannot tell you how thankful I am for that. I’m so stubborn and I like to stay true to my characters, and you did just that and more by taking my words and making them better.
Michelle Preast: You have a knack for listening and giving me exactly what I want. I wanted a certain picture on the cover of Pleasured By You, and you made it happen. Thank you so much for always giving me the perfect cover.
Brenda Wright: Thank you so much for taking the time to format my book. Your turnaround time is excellent. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you!
Nuss’ Navy: To my group of fans on Facebook, thank you all for the endless support for the Love in the City books. I’m so thankful to have readers who love my stories as much as I do. I enjoy getting on Facebook everyday just to chat books with you!
Book Bloggers: Thank you for sharing my books with your followers and helping spread the word about the Love in the City series. Word of mouth is the greatest marketing tool, and I’m so grateful for each of you taking the time to share your love of reading. Your support does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Seriously, thank you for running your blogs and helping all of us authors.
My family and friends: Thank you for standing by my decision to self-publish this book. You know how stubborn I can be, and I know I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you for embracing the control freak that I am and for always cheering me on. I love you all.
Gunner: Thank you for always understanding when I’m too busy writing to take you on a walk. I know I probably owe you a million by now, and I know you’ll never let me forget it. You keep me sane and healthy. You’re the greatest dog a girl could ask for. Thank you for loving me even when you hate me for saying, “We’ll go in a little bit.” And we never do. I promise I’ll make it up to you after I’m done writing these acknowledgements.
Steph Nuss was born and raised in rural Kansas, where she currently resides with her black Labrador son named Gunner. She grew up with a passion for reading and writing. When she’s not immersed into the land of fiction, she enjoys listening to music that came before her time, watching movies and reruns of her favorite shows, and hanging out with her family and friends. She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology that she’ll never use . . . unless she’s profiling her characters of course.
Steph’s Website: http://stephnuss.com/
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Acknowledgements
About the Author