by Anthology
“How could you think I don’t want you?” He asked in a harsh whisper. “Goddamit Jade, I always want you.”
Before I could respond, and possibly explain, his lips found mine again, and his hands slid down to my thighs. He lifted me up, and turned us towards my bed. With little effort, he climbed to the middle of my mattress, and held me against his body.
“Reid.” My voice sounded so…breathless. Apparently the lack of orgasms and the way Reid was looking at me turned me into a puddle of incoherence. I was not this woman – desperate and wanting. I was a strong, confident mother-to-be, and…oh fuck it. I was too turned on to care about that shit. I wanted Reid to fuck me already. His gaze was heated and I’d been waiting for him to look at me that way again for so long that when he did, it knocked me off kilter.
“I’m thinking you’re overdressed,” he said between gritted teeth. “As much as I like you in my shirts” – he lifted his Henley, his fingers brushing against my hot skin, and pulled it over my head – “You look so much better without it.”
His gaze dropped to my breasts, and a smirk played at his mouth. “No bra?”
“No,” I croaked out. “I was uncomfortable so I took it off.”
His head dipped, and he sucked a taught nipple into his mouth. I lifted a hand and threaded my fingers through his gold locks while he continued licking at my sensitive flesh.
“Hmmmm,” I hummed between the breathless wisps of air escaping my mouth. He moved to my other breast, paying it equal attention until I was squirming in his lap. His jeans were tight, and when I slipped my free hand between us, I could feel how hard he was.
“I need you naked,” he rasped, digging his hands into my hips. He moved me so that I was lying on my back with my legs on either side of his thighs. With deft hands he had my Uggs off my feet, and my cotton shorts down my legs, leaving me completely exposed to him. He licked his lips, his eyes trained on the apex of my thighs.
“Jesus,” he muttered. “You’re going to kill me.”
I gave him the best smile I could manage – because really, who the fuck could smile properly when they were so eager to have their brains banged out? – And lifted my feet so that I could nudge his shirt with my toes.
“So impatient,” he said, lifting his shirt.
“Shut up,” I replied. “Or I’ll be coming without you.”
His answering grin was salacious, filled to the brim with dirty promises.
“You’ll come when I tell you to,” he states, stepping off the bed to remove his jeans. I’d almost forgotten what Reid was like in bed. He liked to be in control, but only got it right some of the time. Other times it was a constant battle between us, and it usually ended up in a heated physical showdown that left us breathless, sweaty, and sated. Thinking about that made me shiver.
I watched with bated breath as Reid stripped, exposing his gloriously defined body. He crawled over me, holding his weight on one arm while rubbing the head of his erection between my wet lips.
“Tell me if you get uncomfortable,” he told me, gently thrusting his hips forward. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I shifted lower, resting my thighs against his, and held on to his biceps as he pushed all the way in.
I closed my eyes, and moaned, savoring the feeling of him inside me.
“Fuck,” he grunted, his hot breath hitting my neck. “You’re already close.”
The room filled with my whimpers, and Reid’s hoarse murmurs, and before long it was joined by the steady strikes of our sweaty skin.
“Harder,” I begged without shame. I writhed, and fisted the comforter in my hands.
“I’m not going to last if you keep squeezing…Fuck, Jade.” I managed a grin when I did in fact tighten my muscles around him.
“I swear to God, do it again,” – he groaned loudly – “and I’ll have no choice but to,” – I squeezed again – “Fuck!”
I giggled, watching him closely, but it was cut off when he lifted his arm, and brought his hand between us.
“Two can play at that game,” he said, his voice thick with wicked intent.
He brushed his thumb over my clit, and increased his pace, hitting me deeper than before.
I sucked in a breath, and with one final brush of his thumb, my body bowed off the bed, and I screamed. I reached for Reid’s thighs, and dug my nails into his flesh while I shook, almost violently. He fell forward, and dropped his head to my chest, thrusting twice before I felt his teeth sink into my breast to stifle his loud groan. He was careful to keep his upper body off my belly, but the feel of his hot, sticky skin against mine felt magnificent.
“Finally,” I sighed, trying to reign in my rapid heartbeat. My limbs felt like jell-o and I couldn’t quite remember ever having an orgasm of that intensity.
Reid pushed off me, and the movement sent aftershocks through my legs. “Shit.”
Reid chuckled, and I opened my heavy eyelids. “That was….” he said, shaking his head.
“Yeah,” I laughed, my chest still heaving.
We were quiet for a few moments, and when Reid had caught his breath he lowered his face to mine and held my chin. His touch was gentle, but his eyes were hard, and resolute.
“I don’t want you to ever think I don’t want you, Jade.”
I wanted to look away, maybe hide the fact that I was starting to feel embarrassed by my behavior, but I couldn’t. I wanted to Reid to see the array of feelings as they flitted across my face – love, lust, embarrassment, confusion. All of them. I’d never hidden anything from him, and I didn’t want to start now.
“I just -” He pressed his finger to my mouth to silence me.
“Whatever you’re thinking, just stop. I thought I was doing the right thing by taking things slow, but I realize now that ‘slow’ doesn’t work for us.”
“I’m sorry I acted the way I did,” I replied, talking against his finger. I moved his hand, and held it against my chest. “I just thought…” My words fell away when Reid shook his head.
“I know what you were thinking, and you’re wrong. I want you, always, in my bed, at my side, even when you’re behaving like a sex-starved, certifiably insane woman.”
His deep, throaty chuckle relaxed me, and my lips lifted into a sheepish smile. “It’s your fault I’m sex-starved.”
He let out a sigh, and replied, “I wanted us to do things right this time,” – like Kennedy had said, I remind myself, - “I’m not losing you again, Jade.”
“You won’t. I’m yours, and I’m pretty sure I always have been. It just took a while for us to get here.”
I sat up, and Reid’s hands held on to my hips as I moved to straddle him. We were both exhausted, but I wasn’t quite ready to let him go just yet. A sharp movement in my stomach made me jolt, and I brought Reid’s hands down to where our daughter stirred.
“Someone’s awake,” I said, smiling. Reid’s mouth tipped up, and he moved his hands in circles, caressing out growing baby. “I can’t believe she’ll be here in a few short months,” he mused. “I hope she looks like you.”
“I hope she has her daddy’s green eyes,” I replied, stroking Reid’s face with reverence. “And his blond hair, and his smile.”
“I already love her.” His voice lowered. “And we haven’t even met her yet.”
“It’s weird isn’t it? To love someone so much it hurts?”
“Not at all,” he replied. “That’s how I’ve loved you all my life, Jade Matthews, and I will love you that way until I take my last breath.”
He was staring into my eyes with such deep adoration that I felt irrevocably tethered to him. How I loved him was soul-deep, and I knew he was and had always been my other half.
Chapter 16
Reid
“Welcome home, baby.”
Jade was fidgeting anxiously in the passenger seat beside me, and I had to smile. She had a blindfold on and wore one of my U of B hoodies with jeans and her favorite Ugg boots. She looked adorable, but more impo
rtantly she looked happy. Excited.
After last night I decided that we weren’t going to ‘take things slow’ anymore, simply because it wasn’t what we’d ever really done. We might have rearranged the order in which we did things – like have a baby before we graduated, got jobs and got married – but I’d finally accepted that we were exactly where we supposed to be.
“Reid,” she whined. “How much longer?”
“We’re here,” I replied, stopping outside the house that was going to be ours. “But you can’t take the blindfold off yet.”
I jumped out and shut my door before I could hear her complain, but still laughed at her impatience. She was impossible to surprise, but I was hoping I’d get it right this time.
I opened her door, and took her hand as I helped out of the car. “A few more minutes, baby,” I told her. I led her up the driveway, and stopped at the front door so that I could fish the keys from my pocket. I’d collected them early this morning when Jade was still sleeping, and couldn’t wait to show her where we’d be moving into in just a couple of weeks.
I unlocked the door, and pushed it open. “You ready?” I asked her, nudging her into the foyer.
“I’ve been ready all morning,” she huffed. “Can I look now?”
I moved in front of her, and lifted the blindfold from her face. She blinked a few times, and then looked around with curiosity, and maybe a little confusion.
“Where are we?”
I watched her face carefully, and tried to squelch my own nervousness. “This,” – I looked around – “Is our house.”
“Our house?” She repeated, her brows furrowed.
“Yes,” I replied, swallowing anxiously. “I found it yesterday.”
Her mouth dropped open, but when she shut it without saying anything I started worrying that this wouldn’t be what she wanted after all.
She stepped away, and I followed her through the house. She stopped in every room, and because it was the first time I was seeing it all with her, I could feel my own excitement starting to escalate.
Jade stopped in the last bedroom, and did a slow turn before stopping in the center to face me.
“Say something,” I said, hoping that she liked it. If not, we’d have to find something she did like, and soon.
With her eyes fixed on me, her mouth started turning up, and she smiled. “I think this would be perfect for a nursery.”
I exhaled, relieved that I’d made the right choice. I crossed the space, and came to a halt in front of her.
“You like it?”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, stretching onto the balls of her feet. “I love it. You did good, Mr. Cole.”
I circled her waist with my arms, pressing her as close as her growing belly would allow, and spun her around. Her laughter rang through the room, and nothing sounded better in that moment.
“Welcome home, baby,” I murmured into her hair, feeling my chest expand. I dropped her back onto her feet, and she was smiling when I looked down at her.
“When do we move in?” She asked, doing nothing to hide her exuberance.
“Two weeks,” I replied, cupping her face in my hands. “Two weeks, and we’ll be home. You, me, and Peanut.”
“And where are we going to sleep?” Her brow lifted.
“In a bed,” I deadpanned. “It will all be taken care off. You won’t have to lift a finger.”
Her lips twisted into a pout. “But I want to help.”
I shook my head, and rubbed her nose with mine. “No. No heavy lifting while you’re carrying such precious cargo. There is one thing you can help with though, once everyone else has left.”
“What’s that?”
I lowered my head. “We’ll have to christen the rooms, and I’ll need your help.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Screaming,” I replied. “Lots of it. And a lack of clothing perhaps.”
Jade grinned, her eyes alight with so much life it consumed me.
“I think I can be persuaded.”
I pressed my mouth to hers again, feeling her smile against my lips, and held her to me.
God, I loved this woman.
To the end of time.
Chapter 17
Reid
28 Weeks
I ROLLED OVER IN OUR new king-sized four-poster bed, and opened an eye when I realized Jade’s side of the bed was empty. The clock on my bedside table read 1:00AM and I looked around our bedroom expecting to find her.
I climbed out of bed, and tiredly rubbed my face, still exhausted from a long day of moving, and unpacking boxes.
I walked out into the hallway, checking the other three bedrooms along the way, and then stopped in the living room. Jade was sitting on our new leather sofa, basked in bright moonlight as she stared out the open bay windows overlooking our backyard. When I stepped closer, I noticed she had her legs crossed with her hands rubbing circles on her belly.
I smiled, knowing I would never see a more beautiful sight.
The hardwood floor creaked under the weight of my foot, and Jade’s head whipped in my direction.
She gave me a small smile when I sat down next to her. “Everything okay?” I asked.
She nodded quickly. “Yes. I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here.”
“She moving a lot?” I pressed my hand against Jade’s stomach, and was somewhat relieved when I felt nothing. Jade had been tossing and turning in bed for the last few nights, and I knew she was also tired.
“No,” she replied, covering my hand with hers. “Baby’s fine. I’m just feeling restless at the moment.”
I stifled a yawn behind my hand, and Jade’s expression turned apologetic. “Go back to bed, Reid. I shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“Not without you,” I replied.
We fell silent for a few brief moments, and when Jade spoke again I saw that she was wiping her cheeks.
“Hey.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and tilted her face towards me. “Why are you crying?”
She sniffled, and gave me a watery smile. “It’s nothing. I’m just so happy…”
“So they’re happy tears?”
“A bit of both,” she replied. “I can’t help but feel like something is going to go wrong.”
My brows furrowed. “What do you mean ‘go wrong’?”
She shrugged, and looked down at where our hands were entwined on her stomach. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted Reid, even if it’s a little earlier than planned, and I just don’t understand how it’s possible to be so…content. I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen,” I told her, lowering my head. “You’re allowed to be happy, Jade. We’re allowed to be happy.”
“I know,” she swallowed audibly, “But I have this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach that something is going to happen, and I haven’t been able to shake it.”
I kissed her temple, and threaded my fingers through her hair. “Everything’s fine, baby. Come back to bed.”
I stood up, and reached my hands out to help Jade. When I lifted her up, she wordlessly wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck, and rested her head on my shoulder. I walked back to our bedroom, kicking the door shut behind me, and placed Jade back on her feet next to our bed.
She looked up at me, and I saw the plea in her eyes – she wanted me to chase away her worry, and reassure her that everything was going to be just fine. I gingerly lifted the long-sleeve shirt from her body, and dropped to my knees to remove her cotton sleep shorts. Her hands reached for the drawstring of my pajama bottoms as I rose, and the material fell to the floor with a dull thud.
Jade crawled backwards, and I mirrored her movements until we were lying side-by-side with the moonlight bathing our bodies in light. She reached up, and brushed her fingers across my lips, staring at me with her big brown eyes. I pulled her closer, and she let out a gasp when I wrapped he
r leg around my waist, opening herself to me.
A sigh slipped from her lips when I rubbed the head of my erection against her, and it turned to a whimper as I slowly filled her.
“Okay?” I asked, flattening my hand against her back, while the other stretched out beneath her head.
She nodded, and then bit her lip when I slid out, and back in again. Her lips found mine, and we moved at an unhurried pace until we found a rhythm. I lifted her leg higher, pressing my fingers harder against her skin, and groaned when she took me deeper.
Jade held my face in her palms, her eyes never leaving mine, and started grinding her hips.
“I love you,” I whispered hoarsely. “So much. I will always take care of you.”
Her breaths became shakier with every thrust, and I felt her tighten around me. She let out a whispered, Yes, and after a few more languid movements of my hips, her mouth dropped open with a silent cry as she came.
My hips slowed, and when Jade felt I was close, she squeezed, pushing me over the edge right after her.
We stayed that way until our breathing turned to normal, and then I lowered Jade’s leg, tucking her into my chest.
“I love you, too,” she murmured against my skin. I smiled into her hair, and felt her relax into me.
“Get some sleep,” I told her, feeling rather tired myself. Her breathing evened out, and only when I was sure she was sleeping peacefully did I allow myself the chance to do the same.
Jade
I HAD MY BACK to Reid’s chest, and his legs on either side of mine as the hot water lapped around us in the large claw-foot tub. After my admission last night, Reid had been more attentive, taking care of me as if I was fragile. I didn’t feel fragile, but I was having difficulty shaking the uneasiness that had been weighing me down over the last few days. Admitting it to Reid lightened it, if only slightly, and he did small things to reassure me that I had nothing to really worry about.
Our move was easier than I’d expected – not that Reid allowed me to do more than unpack a few boxes – and we were finally able to start preparing for our baby girl’s arrival. Reid was back at school, along with our friends, and after two weeks of being bored, I was excited to finally have something to do with all my spare time.
