Riding the Storm

by Delilah Hunt

  Oh God. He was going to come from the mere sight of her lips snug around his prick, his testicles hitting her delicate chin.

  “I love you,” he murmured, extending a hand to stroke her hair. Have to touch her. Her mouth worked up and down his shaft, sucking hard on the head. A tear slid down her cheek and he wiped it away.

  “You belong to me now. I’m never letting you go, Z.”

  Her eyes fluttered closed and a gentle hand touched his thigh. Low cut fingernails dug into him with each pull of her mouth suckling deep on his cock.

  Matthew brought back his head. His eyes misted with love and arousal. Zara was the depiction of utter perfection. Raw female ripened with pregnancy pleasuring her male and bringing him to come. Not going to last.

  “Zara,” he grunted. His cock jerked with need and hot semen rolled up his shaft. He could feel the muscles in the back of her throat contracting. His seed burst forth, racking his entire body and wetting the back of her throat, over and over.

  Oh God. He was going to drown her in his cum. He tried to pry her head from his cock but her fingers sank into his thigh, her mouth refusing to let up as she greedily milked him dry.

  Chapter Nine

  Zara fastened her gaze on Matthew. She would never get tired of looking at him, the hard muscles rippling as he helped her to rise off the pillow. She looked down at his cock, which had gone soft less than a minute ago. It was already hardening and swelling in size, the head brightening to a rosy shade of red from the blood circulating. She bit her lips and her pussy throbbed. He was so big. She still couldn’t believe she was able to fit him entirely inside her mouth.

  “Are you still fine with this?” he asked, a worried hitch to his voice.

  Nodding, she looked over to the bed then back at him and below them, her rounded stomach a buffer between them. Hmm.

  His palms found her breasts, fondling the sensitive nipples. “Let’s lie down together.”

  She followed him onto the bed, pausing when his hands went around her waist, guiding her to face away from him. “It’s better if we do it like this. Me fucking you from behind.” He kissed her shoulder, his cock brushing against her pussy from beneath her bottom.

  A moment of fear gripped her. “You won’t do it too hard?” She had felt sore after their first encounter and, delicious as the feeling was, she didn’t think she could physically handle Matthew using all his strength on her. Not now.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he said, sliding his fingers between her legs petting her sex. “You’re the last person in this world I’d ever want to hurt.”

  Zara moaned. His fingers felt amazing. More so when he delved two of them inside her. He spread his fingers apart, scissoring them within her walls. Zara raised her hips and craned her neck, reaching for his lips. “Matthew.”

  He kissed her back and leaned over to nip her earlobe, stroking inside her wet cunt. “I think I’ve never met a woman as hot for me as you are, Z.”

  Zara blinked, wriggling her hips, unsure if she wanted to push him away or not. Was he insulting her? Had she been too eager? Her heart quivered.

  “Relax,” he said thickly, his fingers thrusting into her. “Don’t ever try to push me away.”

  Zara whimpered and relaxed against him. He kissed her hair and his strokes returned to loving caresses. “I love it, sweet girl. It wasn’t an insult. I want you to stay wet for me. I want to be able to fuck you anytime I please, and I think you want that too.” He withdrew his fingers, replacing them with his cock, sliding into her entrance.

  “I want it, Matthew. Just promise you won’t stop making love to me even when I get bigger than I already am.” She couldn’t bear the thought of him no longer wanting her.

  A firm thrust. His fingers curled into the flesh on her bottom and Zara rotated her hips, working herself on him.

  “Christ,” Matthew grated. “I don’t think I can go a day without fucking you. You, sweet girl. Only you.”

  His arms clasped about her middle, hugging her belly. Warmth torpedoed into her heart. With her palms flat on the bed, Zara braced herself, riding the decadent storm of Matthew’s cock fucking her with heart wrenching tenderness.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too,” Matthew whispered on a ragged breath, increasing his strokes.

  She felt his hand tightened around her as he gave one hard thrust and then another. Her body went bowstring taut. Lifting her head off the pillow, Zara cried out her orgasm. Unrelenting, Matthew held her firm while releasing a harsh cry, his hips pressing into her ass and his cock pumping, unleashing a flood of hot semen inside her wanton cunt.

  Moments later Zara turned toward him, noting the seriousness of his features in light of their lovemaking. No, Matthew, don’t ruin it. He was going to say something awful to her, tell her he’d changed his mind about the two of them being together. Familiar sadness stirred within her chest. “I want you to stay here with me.”

  She blinked in surprise. “I told you I’d spend the night.”

  “Not just tonight.”

  Her gaze followed his out the window to the snowfall. “I don’t like it that you live so far from the hospital. You know how that damn road gets during the blizzards. I don’t want to take any chances with you or the baby.” His eyed clouded over as he stroked beside her lips with his thumb. “I can’t. I can’t bear to lose another person I love.”

  Zara saw the worry in his eyes. She understood it. However, moving in with him? Did he mean permanently or until the baby was born? Best to assume the latter.

  “The roads aren’t that bad,” she argued. “I can’t just pack up my belongings and move in here for three months. It’ll be fine.”

  Matthew scowled. “I wasn’t talking about until the baby comes. You think I’m going to bring you into my home then kick you to the curb after you give birth?”

  Zara looked at him and sighed. They needed to talk. There was no way she could keep sleeping with him and skirt around the bigger issue, the one that she feared would always come between them, starting with the pictures she’d noticed in the living room earlier. Pictures that hadn’t been there on the day they had conceived the baby.

  “The pictures in the living room,” she began on a shaky breath. “Did you put them up because of what happened between us?”

  Matthew jerked upright on the bed, staring at her. A line of frustration, maybe anger, marred his forehead. “I’ve told you I love you. Why do you need to know why I put up the pictures of my wife?” He shoved a hand through his hair and sighed. “Look, I didn’t know you’d end up coming home with me.” His features softened. “I would have taken them down.”

  “That’s what I mean,” she whispered. “I don’t want to feel like I’m an intruder in your home. I don’t want you to take down her pictures because I want you to. You have to do that when you’re ready to let go and commit fully to me.”

  Matthew lifted his brow, straightening. “Does that mean you think I was lying about my feelings for you?”

  “No. I believe you, but I also believe that your heart is still with her and you’re unsure if you want to give it all to me.”

  “That’s what you think?”

  Zara nodded, feeling slightly guilty for the pained expression on his face.

  Matthew ran a hand across his jaw and closed his eyes. “You’re wrong. My heart belongs to you and only you and that, sweet girl, is why I’ve been feeling like shit about this.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He leaned against the headboard. “I loved Kristin, but we both got married for the wrong reasons. She was trying to please her family and, well, I was trying to please her. I think I knew right off the bat that it was a mistake. But we had our vows and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to break them, at least not when it came to cheating.”

  Zara swallowed back the lump in her throat and nodded. Had he been worried about cheating with her the day he broke off the kiss. He’d made it seem so meaningless at the time.<
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  “Did you ever regret meeting me?”

  He shook his head. “Never. I told you I loved Krissy. But you, Zara, you’re my best friend, the one person I love most in this world.” He drew her up next to him. “You are my everything.”

  Her breath quickened and that niggling of guilt and omission assailed her. She should tell him, at least let him know so the terrible weight on her chest of holding back information from him would be relieved. He’d have to understand when she explained her sorrow for breaking his trust.

  “Did the two of you ever argue because of me?”

  “We did. A couple of times.”

  “Oh,” she opened and closed her mouth. What did she expect to hear?

  Matthew held her hand. “You shouldn’t feel bad. We both know you did nothing wrong. Sometimes it’s just easier to lay the blame elsewhere than having to look inside yourself.” The corner of his lips curved into a smile. “That’s a mistake I don’t want to make with you, with us. Allowing outside influences to distract from what’s important.”

  Zara gulped and felt her heart race. Matthew was right. The past wasn’t important and hashing up her argument with Kristin would serve no purpose. They were moving on and it was she who held his heart and was about to start a family with him. Their happiness was paramount to the regret she felt for breaking her word.

  Chapter Ten

  Matthew knelt on the floor tugging the boots over Zara’s jeans, looking up past her belly, which had grown even more in the month since she had moved into the house. The baby was moving around all the time and he was amazed at the way her stomach shifted and rose with each movement. It was nothing short of amazing to watch, more so to know he was sharing this with Zara.

  She rose from the couch and Matthew held the front door open, his hand on the small of her back. The ranch was sheathed in snow, long pine trees shimmered with the traces of sunlight that hit the snowflakes. It didn’t matter. It was a ritual for them. Each afternoon when they were finished with work they would take a stroll around the lake he’d first shown her on the tour nearly eight months ago.

  Matthew looked over at Zara, her gloved hand in his. Her skin glowed despite the dry frigid winter. The crushing guilt he’d felt at moving on and finding happiness with Zara had all but faded.

  “All the way around today?”

  She gave a quick nod. “I love this baby, but I can’t wait to get it out of me. Feels like I’m carrying around a ton of bricks.”

  Matthew chuckled. Although she had gained some weight, she was still slight, her petite frame hampered down by her belly. “And here I thought you loved being pregnant with my child.”

  She flashed him one of her classic Zara smiled, the type that made him kick himself for denying their love months ago. “I do, but your son doesn’t seem to have any respect for not kicking a woman.”

  Matthew grinned at her. “You really think it’s a boy, don’t you?”

  “It’s a feeling.” As if on second thought, she asked. “Would you like a son?”

  Matthew squeezed her hand. “It would be nice to have a son to pass on the ranch to, but I think a little girl of mine could run this place just as good.”

  “Or, they could all do it together.”

  Matthew stepped in front of her, running his hand along her cheek. “You plan on giving me more than one?”

  “I like children.”

  Matthew crushed his lips to her, pausing when he remembered where they were. “Shit, Z. If it wasn’t freezing out here, I swear I’d back you up against that tree to do a practice run.”

  Smiling, Zara pushed him away. “I hardly think you need any practice.”

  Matthew grinned as they made their way around the frozen lake. A tepid wind blew whipping through the air. Zara huddled closer to him.

  “Let’s head back.” He swung his arm over her shoulders.

  Inside the house, Zara headed for the bedroom while Matthew remained by the door removing his boots.

  The doorbell rang. Better not be Caleb. Ever since Zara had taken it upon herself to invite him over to dinner, Caleb had gotten it into his head to show up uninvited at odd times during the week. After the last time, he’d forbidden her from standing around for too long cooking in the kitchen and made sure to tell his cousin to get lost and eat somewhere else.

  Matthew turned the knob. Blood drained out of his face. Kristin’s parents stood dour-faced in front of him, awaiting a response.

  Recovering, Matthew greeted his former in-laws.

  Walter Phillips shook his hand and Matthew turned toward Eleanor Phillips. The woman reminded him so much of Krissy despite her graying hair, which was styled into a bob.

  She nodded and Matthew could almost feel the accusation in her eyes. It was his fault her daughter was dead.

  “Come in.”

  Matthew pressed his back against the door as they walked through into the living room. Why? Not once had he heard a word or seen them since his wife’s funeral. Out of the blue they were in his house. He didn’t like it.

  “How have you two been?”

  Mrs. Phillips glanced at her husband, a strained look on her face. “We lost our only daughter, Matt. How do you expect us to feel?”

  Matthew sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Did they really come here to lay blame at his feet?

  “Listen, you’re not the only ones who were hurt by her death. In case you’ve forgotten, I was the one with her every day for the four years we were married. I loved her, too, so don’t stand there and act like I never cared about your daughter.”

  Instead of answering him, Mr. Phillips shifted his gaze toward the hallway. Damn. Zara had to be standing there. He knew exactly how it would look to them. How it would look to any sane person, especially in this part of the state. He didn’t know of any other white rancher who had a pregnant black woman living inside his home for the sheer heck of it.

  “Matthew?”

  Zara stood in the hallway wearing a pajama bottom and a thin fitted top, revealing every curve of her swollen belly. She drew her brows together looking at him and the older couple in confusion.

  Mr. Phillips fastened his staunch gaze on her then back at Matthew. He reached for his wife’s hand and the woman shot daggers at Matthew. “I had heard the rumors, but not once did I believe them to be true.” She narrowed her eyes at Zara. “You’re Zara Whitley, I presume.”

  Zara nodded slowly. “I am.” A flicker of worry slashed across her pretty face.

  They weren’t going to upset Zara. Matthew hardened his jaw and strode over to her. He hoped to God they didn’t intend to bring her into whatever issue they had with him.

  Mr. Phillips snorted. “You know if I didn’t witness this with my own eyes I never would have believed a word of it.”

  “A word of what?” he bit out. “That I’m moving on with my life? That I have a girlfriend?”

  Mrs. Phillips shook her head in consternation. “No one is blaming you for trying to move on with your life, Matt.” She looked over at Zara and Matthew grew angry at the accusation he saw in her eyes aimed at Zara. “However, I’m appalled that after everything that girl put my daughter through you didn’t waste a minute in bringing her into the home you shared with Krissy.” Mrs. Phillips let out a hysterical laughter and gestured toward Zara’s stomach. “And she’s pregnant no less. When Beverly Arlen called me, I refused to believe it. I’m actually ashamed to say you were a member of our family.”

  “What’s wrong with them?” Zara whispered, clutching his shirt.

  Matthew ignored her, turning his anger on the couple. “The feeling is mutual at this point, and I believe you’ve also worn out your welcome. Despite what you might think, Zara was never the cause of our marital problems. They began long before I met her. Not once did I ever cheat or even think about cheating on your daughter.”

  “Matthew, don’t argue with them, just tell them to leave.” Her tone hung at the edge of panic. Shit, they were frightening her.

/>   “I find that hard to believe, especially since my daughter got off the phone after speaking with Ms. Whitley and left, rushing out of the house to get home to you.”

  Matthew felt Zara stiffen beside him and he looked over at her with his brows drawn. Kristin and Zara had spoken? Before she left to see him? Why didn’t Zara tell him?

  Mr. Phillips plodded over to them, his old face filled with anger as he ambled closer to Zara. Matthew placed his arms around her, daring the older man to make another move.

  Mr. Phillips backed off. “Both of you are disgusting. Before Krissy left the house she was almost in tears because your girlfriend told my daughter that she was in love with you and the two of you had been intimate.” Beside him Zara gasped in outrage, but Matthew paid her no attention as Mr. Phillips kept talking. “Krissy was beside herself as she already knew the girl wanted nothing but to cause problems.”

  Eleanor Phillips curled her lips at Zara. “How you manage to sleep at night is beyond me, knowing that if it wasn’t for you my daughter would probably still be alive?”

  Matthew’s heart thundered inside his chest as he turned to Zara. They had to be wrong. Why would Zara say something like that to Kristin? It sounded sick, telling another woman you’re in love with her husband. “Did you say that?” he asked, keeping his tone detached.

  “Look at her.” Mrs. Phillips snarled. “She knows what she did, what she tried to do for months before my daughter died.”

  Turning his head, Matthew glanced at Zara whose eyelids were lowered. His breath halted in his throat. She was guilty. She had given him her word not to mention their kiss to his wife.

  “Good. At least you have nothing to say for yourself.” The older woman turned her attention to Zara’s stomach and shook her head. “God help the child you have inside of you, to have such a heartl—”