Protecting Her Heart: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 4

by Samantha Lind

  “What’s wrong?” I ask him as he gets frustrated while attempting to tie his tie for the fourth time.

  “Nothing, I just keep fucking this up for some reason today. Fingers just don’t want to work correctly,” he says, as I push his hands out of the way and fix his tie for him.

  “There, that better?” I ask, kissing his cheek.

  “Thank you.” He touches our foreheads together. “I promise, nothing is wrong. I’m just having an off day,” he says, trying to reassure me, so I let it drop.

  The event goes off without a hitch, and by the look of the crowd at the silent auction table my mother set up, it’s going to be a huge success in raising money for a local women’s shelter. My parents had set a lofty goal of raising one hundred thousand dollars, and after charging a few hundred per plate tonight, I’m sure they’re well on their way of meeting that initial goal.

  My brother, along with Reese and the rest of their band, has been up on stage for a while now, and as they end their newest single that’s tearing up the radio charts, Reese grabs the microphone and steps to the edge of the stage.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” she says to the crowd and everyone quiets down, turning to her. “First, I’ve been asked to announce that the silent auction will end in fifteen minutes, so get in your bids! Secondly, the band will be taking a short break. We’ll be back soon. Thank you.” She hands it off to a DJ, who takes over and keeps the music going.

  “Come with me,” Mark leans in, whispering in my ear.

  I grab his hand, linking our fingers together as I follow him out onto the balcony this hotel ballroom boasts. We find an area down a ways that’s empty, and stand at the railing as we look out over the city. Mark slips his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.

  “Having a fun time?” he asks, breaking the silence.

  “Yes, it’s actually a lot better than I was expecting.”

  “Good.” He turns me in his arms and brings his lips to mine. “Princess,” he says, pausing for a moment. I can tell he’s got something on his mind tonight. I just don’t know what it is and that’s driving me crazy.

  “Yes?” I say, prompting him to continue.

  “God, I’m already fucking this up and I haven’t even said anything.” His head falls back as he looks straight up to the sky. He grabs both of my hands in his own and then looks down at me. “Since the moment I first saw you, I knew you were special. I could see the hurt buried in your eyes and made it a mission to replace that look of hurt and longing with love and support.

  “As time went on and we got to know each other, as friends and then lovers, I slowly saw the change in your demeanor as you learned what it meant to be loved, cherished. I thank God every day that he brought us together and, Lord willing, that fact won’t change anytime soon,” he tells me as he lets go of one of my hands and reaches into his pocket, then drops to his knee. It’s at that moment I realize what he’s doing, and now everything about today makes perfect sense.

  “Laura Olivia Erickson, will you make me the happiest man on this earth, and be my forever Princess and marry me?”

  The tears are already down my cheeks before he’s finished his proposal. My head has already been nodding yes as soon as he said my name.

  “Yes!” I finally get out between sobs. Mark slips the ring on my finger and sweeps me up into his arms as he buries his face into the crook of my neck. His lips find the skin there, and then capture my mouth in a searing kiss.

  “I love you so much, Princess,” he says against my lips.

  “I love you, too.”

  Epilogue

  Mark

  July

  Eight months later

  I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife. Yes, you heard that right. My wife. Laura and I got married last month, in a small-ish ceremony here in Indianapolis, surrounded by our families, friends, and most of my teammates and their significant others, if you can consider that small. Okay, so it wasn’t small at all, but it was the perfect day to pledge my love to the woman who brought me to my knees.

  Back to the reason I’m chanting why and how much I love my wife. In our quest to start a family as soon as possible, we’re both having full workups done to see if the doctors can give us any hope of having a biological child, or if we need to focus on either using a surrogate or moving straight on to adoption. We’ve both agreed already that even if we are able to successfully have a biological child, we still want to adopt at some point.

  So, here I sit, inside the urologist’s office, waiting to turn in my cup of sperm for analysis and have a full exam, including the dreaded finger up the backside. Just the thought makes me shudder.

  “Babe, relax, you’re going to be fine. It can’t be any worse than everything I went through earlier this week,” Laura says, trying to get my mind off the impending exam.

  You’d think I’d be used to exams, seeing as I go through one every year for my eligibility with the league, but for some reason, this one has me nervous. I spin the ring on my left ring finger and think back to the moment I first saw Laura walking down the aisle on her dad’s arm. She looked so stunning, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. As soon as she came into view, everything else melted away and I only saw her. It felt like it took forever for her and her dad to reach me as they slowly walked to me.

  “Trying to, Princess,” I say, as a knock at the door rings through the room and in walks the doctor.

  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, nice to meet you both. I’m Dr. Moore. I see you’re here to do a full workup for potential infertility reasons, is that correct?” the young doctor asks as she looks up from her tablet.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I answer her.

  “How long have the two of you been trying to get pregnant?”

  “We haven’t started yet,” Laura pipes up. “I had some unexplained infertility a few years ago, in a previous relationship. So, before we even start trying, we wanted to know what we’d be up against, and if we even have a chance of having a biological child or if we need to pursue using a surrogate or go straight to adoption.”

  “Okay, well, in that case, let’s get this over with then. I see you’ve already collected a sperm sample. We should have the results back from that within a couple of days. We can also run some blood panels if anything comes up abnormal in your exam today or from the sperm analysis. Take a seat on the exam table and we’ll get that part out of the way,” she says, standing to wash her hands at the sink.

  “Any major surgeries?” she asks as she feels around my abdomen, poking at each of the organs.

  “Only sports injury-related ones from all the years I’ve played hockey.”

  “Have you ever had blood in your urine?”

  “Not in years. I took a puck to the testicles when I was in high school that caused me to pee blood for a few days.”

  “That was long enough ago that I’m not worried about it. I’d be more concerned about anything within the last six months.”

  “Any pain or issues ejaculating?” she questions, moving along in her exam.

  “Nope,” I answer, looking at Laura and seeing her cheeks pinken with a blush.

  “Good, good,” Dr. Moore says, as she slips on some exam gloves and adds some KY jelly. “Roll onto your side, please, Mr. Lee, and relax as best as you can.”

  “Please, Doc, call me Mark. Mr. Lee is my dad,” I say, trying to joke and calm my nerves as she slips a finger inside for her quick exam. Thankfully, it’s over just as quick as it started, and I’m sitting up and looking straight ahead at her as she takes a seat on the stool.

  “Nothing stood out today in your exam, so we’ll get the sperm analysis sent off and call you with those results in a few days. If something shows up that needs our attention, we’ll schedule that when we call you with the results. I don’t think that will happen, but if it does, we’ll get right on it. Do either of you have any questions for me?”

  “I don’t think so. Do you, babe?” I ask Lau
ra.

  “Not that I can think of right now,” she replies.

  “Then on that note, it was nice to meet you both, and good luck. Once you’re dressed, you can make your way out. My nurse will call you with the results once we have them back.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Moore,” Laura says.

  “Thank God that’s over,” I murmur once the doctor leaves the exam room.

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Laura teases me.

  “Says the woman who didn’t have a doctor’s finger up her ass.”

  “Yes, but I did have a doctor’s hand up my vag, and the ultrasound wand, as well. You’ll live with having a finger up your ass for a total of two seconds. Don’t be a baby,” she says, winking at me.

  “Only because I love you, Princess.” I drop a kiss to her lips before I pull my boxer briefs and shorts back on.

  “How does some lunch sound, now that I’m done being violated?” I ask her as we walk out hand-in-hand.

  “You know I’ll never turn down lunch with you, or a taco or two,” she replies as we reach my truck. I pull her in front of me, so I can kiss the hell out of her.

  “So how about”—I kiss her again—“we stop and grab some tacos”—another kiss—“then head home and spend the rest of the day in bed.”

  “Mhmmm… I like the sound of that, Mr. Lee,” she says on a giggle.

  “Mrs. Lee, after you then.” I open the passenger door to my truck and help her up into it, waiting until she’s settled to give her one more kiss and then shut her door for her.

  We make it back home, both stuffed from eating way too many tacos at our favorite place down the street. Laura’s phone rings as we head into the house.

  “Hello?” she says as she brings the phone to her ear. “Yes, hello. Now’s a perfect time. Do you mind if I place you on speaker phone, so my husband can hear the results as well?”

  She sets the phone down on the counter in front of her and puts it on speaker. “Okay, go ahead,” she says, then whispers to me, “It’s the nurse from my doctor’s office.”

  “The ultrasound and bloodwork results are back, and everything looks normal. Dr. Abbott did note to schedule a series of ultrasounds to watch your cycle progression. Even with your history, she’d like for you to come in once the ultrasounds are completed so that she can discuss what treatment option will be best moving forward. I see here in your chart that you did some fertility drugs in the past, and she’s noted that might be the best place to start once again.”

  “Okay, we just had my husband’s appointment today, so we’ll have his sperm analysis back in a few days. As long as his tests are normal, I’m fine with trying things without assistance for a few cycles to see what happens and if that isn’t working then move to the assistance of some drugs.”

  “I’ll make a note then, in your chart. Once you have your husband’s results and the additional cycle ultrasounds, we’ll be able to get that appointment with Dr. Abbott set up. We’ll have to time things with your cycle, so depending on where you are at in your current one, we may have to wait until next month to get you scheduled.”

  “Thank you, I’ll be in touch soon,” Laura tells her before ending the call.

  “Well, that’s great news,” I say, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her tight against me, dropping a kiss to her temple.

  “Yes, it was. Now, let’s just hope the additional tests come back normal, and we can try things on our own or with just a few drugs.”

  “You never know how your body is going to respond now. Who knows, maybe we won’t have the issues you had with Robert,” I suggest, tipping her head back so I can look into her eyes to see her reaction. “I’ll also support whatever you want to do, as I just want you happy, and I know having a baby ASAP will make you happy.”

  “You…” She pauses for a second. “You make me happy,” she says, the love and honesty in that statement shining through her eyes.

  “How about we go practice this baby-making process?” I suggest, bouncing my eyebrows at her as I tickle her sides.

  “Stop!” she shrieks, playfully slapping my chest as she squirms in my arms.

  I stop tickling her, but drop my lips to her neck and kiss my way down it, leaving little love bites in my wake and pulling a deep groan from her sweet lips as she shifts to give me better access.

  I reach down under her ass, lifting her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I keep my lips attached to her neck as I walk us back to the bedroom. Once we reach the bed, I gently lay her down in the center of the bed and then stand, taking my fill of her lying there, waiting on my next move.

  “Strip,” I command, as I start to remove my own clothes. Laura springs into action, removing her own clothes as fast as she can.

  With both of us naked, I slide my hands up her bare thighs to her hips, purposely not touching her between her legs. My hands continue up her body until I reach her perky tits. I flick her nipples and watch as they harden under my touch. I lean down and suck a nipple into my mouth, flicking the tight bud with my tongue and I roll the other between my fingers. I move between breasts, showing equal attention, as I work Laura up just from the focus I place on them. I occasionally pop up and plunge my tongue past her lips in a searing kiss before dropping back down to her breasts.

  “How do you want it this first time? Slow and passionate or fast and dirty?” I ask, finally dropping one hand to her pussy. I slide my fingers through her wet folds and can already feel her clit pulsing at the first touch.

  “A little bit of both,” she moans out as I circle her clit with my fingertip. I sink two fingers inside, immediately finding her g-spot and rubbing it just right to make her come.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” she pants. “Right there, don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

  I continue fucking her with my fingers, increasing my speed as I drop my mouth to her pussy and suck her clit between my lips. My tongue licks and teases as my fingers work her from the inside.

  “Mark…” She moans my name. It fucking turns me on and has me almost coming on the sheets.

  “That’s it, Princess,” I say against her clit. “Come for me.” I suck it back between my lips hard, and that’s all it takes for her to explode around my fingers and against my tongue. I lap up her orgasm, loving the way she tastes against my tongue. I move back up her body as I give her a few minutes to recover before I slide my cock inside her. I start slow, kissing her passionately as I pump in and out of her. I can still feel the aftereffects of her first orgasm as her pussy flutters around my dick.

  I shift one of her legs higher on my hip as I speed up, deepening my thrusts with the new angle, as well as the force behind each one.

  “Yes, just like that,” she pants as I thrust just as she’s requested. My own orgasm is quickly building, and I can feel my balls start to tighten up as the tingles start sliding down my spine.

  “You close, Princess? I’m not going to be able to hold off much longer.”

  “Yes! Don’t stop, I’m almost there,” she urges, dropping her fingers to her clit and she starts working it over as I quicken my thrusts. Watching her take control of her own pleasure is such a fucking turn-on, and as I feel her body start to tremble under my own, I lose control and allow my orgasm to let loose. I slam my hips into her as my cock erupts with what feels like a stream of cum.

  I drop her leg from my hip and collapse down onto my forearms, bringing my head to her neck.

  “Damn, Princess, that was intense,” I say against the skin of her neck.

  “Mhmmm,” is the only answer I get from her while she’s in her blissed-out orgasmic state. I slip out of her and hand her a towel from the nightstand.

  “Do you need a pillow or anything to prop under your hips?” I ask before I collapse next to her. We’ve already discussed all the tricks to getting pregnant over the last few months, and when she tossed out her birth control pills around our wedding last month, we knew that we’d be having the testing done, just so we’d know if we had a
ny major obstacles in our way before trying to start our family.

  “Yes, please,” she says, eyes still closed as I tap her hip so she’ll lift up, and I slide a pillow under her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Princess,” I tell her, dropping a kiss to her shoulder as I settle in next to her.

  “Can you imagine what it will be like if we just made a baby. God, I can only hope it will be that easy,” she says, turning her face to me, and I see a tear start to slide down her cheek.

  “Hey now, no tears. We’re in this together. You and me, remember. We’re a team, and we’ll navigate this road together. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. It will happen when it’s meant to happen. If that’s this month or two years from now, I promise you, Princess, I will make sure you become that mom you’ve always dreamed of becoming. Just watch out, I might decide to keep you barefoot and pregnant for years to come. Having our own hockey team doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” I tease.

  “I’m not having an entire hockey team,” she deadpans.

  “Okay, then we’ll settle with the starting line,” I volley right back, dropping a kiss on her lips as I pull her as close to me as I can get with her propped up with that pillow.

  “I’m so glad you got traded to the Eagles,” she says a few minutes later. “Little did I know you were my Prince Charming, swooping in on a hockey stick.”

  “Something like that, Princess,” I say, chuckling at her. “I’m just here to protect your heart and show you that your fairytale can come true.”

  THE END

  Afterword

  I hope you have enjoyed this book, and you would consider leaving a review on your favorite retailer.

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