by Claire Adams
“Andrew,” I moaned. I just couldn't get enough of him.
Just when I started to learn the rhythm and the sensation started to get a little less novel, he changed it up, moving first with long, slow, measured thrusts and then picking up the pace, forcing himself deeper into my folds. He changed the rhythm on me one more time, and suddenly, it was all too much.
I groaned and shivered, hands grasping desperately against the sheets as my climax overtook me. My vision went white for a moment.
When I came back down, I realized that he had slowed the rhythm some, but he still pressed at my insides. He was waiting for me to calm down a little before he continued to make love to me, I realized. He was trying not to overstimulate me.
I smiled and began to rock my own hips in time. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to come again, but it still felt amazing, just having him there inside of me. He slowed to a snail's pace, dragging his member out until just his head was still inside me and then forcing his way back in.
I whimpered, eyes rolling back a little. “That feels amazing,” I told him, pressing my head to his collarbone. It was the slow movement of his cock sliding out of my wet hole, the drag of the head of his prick against the very edges of me, and then that quick snap back into me. I could feel myself beginning to come undone again.
He leaned in and sucked a mark into the side of my neck, right where my neck and shoulder met. I gasped again, dragging my fingers down his side and tilting my head away to give him better access to the spot. I was his now. I was engaged.
I was practically giddy, just thinking about it.
And then I couldn't think of anything else. Andrew flipped us around so that he was on top. He began to fuck me in earnest. His dick hit all the right places inside of me, and when he twisted his hips to the side, I groaned and fell slack against the pillows, feeling utterly wrung out. I wasn't even sure if I had come again or how many times I might have come. All I knew was that I kept feeling better and better, more and more relaxed, and that everything just felt more and more overwhelming.
I pressed my forehead against his forearm, needing the contact to ground myself.
“Oh, fuck,” I said quietly, even though I normally wasn't one to swear. But the situation seemed to call for it. I couldn't seem to find any other words for how I felt. “This is...” I trailed off. I didn't have any energy left to do anything except lay there and watch his face as he brought himself up to climax as well, using me for his own ends.
Andrew groaned finally, one of the few noises that he'd made, and I could feel him lose the bruising rhythm that he had set. His hips stuttered a few times against mine, and he squeezed his eyes shut, face screwing up as he reached his own climax.
He hung motionlessly over me for a long moment before dragging himself out of me and rolling off to the side. Suddenly, he snaked an arm out and pulled me close against his side, bending his head down so he could kiss the top of my head. I hummed softly and curled into him.
“So, engagement,” I said when I had finally caught my breath again. “I didn't know you had it in you, Mr. Andrew Goldwright.”
Andrew groaned. “That reminds me. We're going to have to put out some sort of press release. The media will be all over this one. I'll no longer be the sexiest young bachelor in the country.”
I blinked over at him. “You're kidding, right?” I couldn't honestly tell from his tone, but based on the words, I hoped he was kidding. If not, he was more conceited than I had realized.
Andrew burst out laughing. “Of course, I'm joking,” he said. “Well, the media will be all over this, once they find out, but no, we don't have to put out a press release. I want this to be just between you and me for now. And Emma.”
“And Emma,” I agreed, smiling. “Emma's going to be thrilled.”
“Because her Mama and Daddy are getting married?” Andrew asked. “Will she even understand what that means? She probably already thinks we're married.”
“No,” I said. “She'll be thrilled because she'll get to be the flower girl in our wedding, and she's going to get to dress up like a princess. I might even let her wear a tiara. How cute would that be?”
“You're planning the wedding already?” Andrew asked in surprise.
“I've been planning my wedding since I was of marriageable age,” I told him seriously. Then, I laughed. “Not really. But Emma will be the flower girl, and I'll have to ask Misty to be my maid of honor and Katherine to be my bridesmaid.”
“Do you think we can keep it small?” Andrew asked, frowning. “I only want the people who I really care about to be there.
“Of course,” I said.
“Politically, if I start inviting people from work, everyone from work is going to want to go. And everyone that I grew up with will want to go, especially if they hear that we're having an open bar. I just want to keep it between us.”
“Let's elope,” I suggested. “The only person who I'd really like to invite, outside of Misty, is my mom. We could do that, just you, Katherine, Emma, my mom, and I.” Then, I paused, feeling my face flushing. “Sorry, I'm getting too ahead of myself, aren't I? You specifically said that you weren't looking to marry me tomorrow or anything.”
Andrew laughed and pulled me closer until my body was pressed tightly against his. “I don't mind,” he said. “In fact, I like the enthusiasm. It's cute.”
“Good,” I said.
We kissed chastely. I pulled away before it could get heated, squirming a little. “I really don't think that I can come again,” I told him.
Andrew laughed again. “I don't even think I could get half hard again. Not until morning. I'm exhausted.”
“So, I'm doing a good job of earning it, then?” I asked wickedly.
“More than good,” Andrew told me, kissing me again.
We settled against the pillows, and I watched Andrew's eyes slide closed. I couldn't take my eyes off my ring just yet, though. “Hey, Andrew?” I asked, voice barely a whisper.
“Hmm?” he responded.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he murmured. “More than you'll ever know.”
Epilogue
Andrew
I watched as Lexi took a few dozen pictures of Emma dressed in her new outfit. The girl looked adorable in a plaid skirt and crisp white top, with ribbons in her braids.
“Can you believe it's already her first day of school?” Janice asked from my elbow.
I shook my head. These past years had gone by fast. If I'd thought, three years ago, that I could hardly imagine my life without Emma and Lexi in it, it was nothing compared to how I felt now.
But I was going to have to get used to Emma not being in the house for most of the daytime, now that she was headed to school.
We drove up to the elementary school, and Emma craned her neck back to look up at the building. “Whoa,” she said. “Daddy, is this whole building my school?”
I laughed. “Of course not, sweetie,” I told her. “There's a lot of different offices and companies on different floors. That would be a lot of kids to meet, otherwise.”
Emma puffed out her chest. “I'm great at making friends,” she said. “Mr. Sanders said it last year when I was in kindergarten. By the time I come home today, I'm gonna have a hundred new friends.”
“Oh, really?” I asked her, stifling a grin.
“You be good today,” Lexi said, kneeling down next to Emma. “And share those crackers that I put in your lunch, okay? That's a great way to make friends.”
“I know, Mom,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “I know that you're all sad because I'm going off to school, but I'm a big kid now, and this is what big kids do. You and Daddy are just going to have to eat lunch alone. But I'm going to be home for dinner.”
I gave her a high-five, but Lexi still looked a little upset. Emma looked around and then gave her a quick hug, kissing her on the cheek. “Sometimes, I get nervous too,” she said solemnly. “But Daddy goes to work, like, so many day
s, and he still comes home. School's the same, isn't it?”
Lexi cracked a smile at that. “Just like that,” she agreed. She sighed and straightened up, giving Lexi one last pat on the head. “Come on, let's figure out where your classes are.”
Emma bounded off, following the signs leading up to the administration office. I put my hand on Lexi's back as we walked up the stairs. She moved slowly, and I wondered if her ankles were bothering her again. I'd have to give her a good foot massage when we got home that evening.
“Are you doing all right?” I asked her in a low tone, not wanting Emma to overhear.
“I'm fine,” Lexi said, giving me a sad smile. “I guess with this new little one on the way, I'm just a little emotional. I still remember when I was pregnant with Emma. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago.”
“But look at how much has changed since then,” I pointed out.
“I know,” Lexi said, smiling again. “It's great to have you here with me, helping me out this time.”
“Not that you really need my help,” I said. I didn't mean it in a peevish way, though. I actually really admired how well Lexi had handled her pregnancy. She'd been nervous, telling me about it, even though we'd been talking about potentially having another kid at some point. Once she realized how excited I was, though, she had calmed down exponentially.
“I still wish we knew if it was a boy or a girl,” I said as we watched Emma run off to chat with some friends from her daycare whom she hadn't seen all summer. It looked like she was going to be settling in nicely. We got her all signed in and then headed back down to the car.
“I know you do,” Lexi said, returning to my earlier comment. “But I want it to be a surprise. I didn't know whether Emma was going to be a boy or a girl either, and when she arrived, it made that moment all the more special. Plus, I don't know, there's something fun about trying to guess, don't you think?”
“But I don't know what kinds of clothes to buy,” I complained. “Or how to decorate the nursery or what kinds of toys I should buy or anything.”
Lexi laughed. “Andrew, you're a billionaire,” she reminded me. “You could probably hire a tailor the night the baby was born and have them knit up a whole custom-made wardrobe for the kid by the following morning. Or if it really bothers you that much, just buy a bunch of outfits for boys and a bunch of outfits for girls. We'll get rid of whatever we don't use. I'm sure we could donate them to someone in need. Or we'll save them for if we—” She broke off, flushing bright red.
“Were you about to say that we could save them for if we had another kid?” I asked in surprise.
She shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Let's just get through this one first,” she mumbled, but I could tell that that was exactly what she was thinking.
I slung an arm around her shoulders. “You want a big family, don't you?”
“I was an only child,” she reminded me. “I always dreamed of having a big family, back when I was growing up.”
“Let's see how exhausted we are with two of them,” I suggested. “But I'm not ruling out the possibility.”
Lexi smiled. “Soon enough, Emma's going to be old enough that she'll be able to babysit for them,” she said.
“Isn't that a scary thought,” I said dryly.
Emma was proving to be incredibly smart, but she also had a wicked trickster streak in her that led to quite a few pranks around the house. They were all harmless, of course, but sometimes I wondered where she came up with the stuff. I could only imagine what things were going to be like once she had a little brother or two around. I wondered whether they would help her with her pranks, or if she would use them against the poor kid instead.
“Do you have to go to the office today?” Lexi asked as we climbed into the car.
I looked over at her in surprise. It wasn't often that she suggested I play hooky. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked.
“I'm just a little weepy still,” she admitted. “I don't mean to make you stay home just because I'm upset.”
“Don't worry about it,” I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “But let's do something better than staying home. It's our first day without Emma for the school year; we should have some fun with it. What do you want to do?”
“We could go shopping for baby supplies,” Lexi suggested. “We still need a good stroller.”
“That we do,” I agreed. “Let's go. Then, we can have an early lunch someplace downtown, and when we're done with that, maybe we can go home and have a nice cuddle on the couch and watch a movie before it's time to pick Emma up from school.”
“We don't need to pick her up today; Carly's mother will get her, and then we'll get the kids tomorrow,” Lexi reminded me.
“Of course,” I said, nodding. “All the more reason to have a nice cuddle session on the couch. We'll have nothing to worry about for the rest of the day.”
“That does sound nice,” Lexi agreed.
“I'll even give you a nice foot massage,” I promised.
“How did I get so lucky?” Lexi sighed, grinning over at me. She stared out the window as we drove along, and I knew she was looking at every little baby out there, wondering if maybe that kid was going to grow up to be friends with our new baby. I was thinking the same thing.
“Which do you want it to be?” I finally asked. “A boy or a girl?”
Lexi frowned. “I'll be happy with either, of course,” she said.
“Of course,” I agreed.
“I kind of hope that it's a girl. Having two little girls would be so cute. Emma would be great with a little sister. They could share clothes and do each other's hair and nails. I mean, there might be too big of an age gap between them at this point.”
“Are you saying that we should have had a second kid years ago?” I teased.
Lexi laughed. “Maybe,” she said. “Just think, though. When Emma's graduating high school, this little one is going to be a pre-teen still!”
“I'm still stuck on the thought of Emma graduating high school!” I said, shaking my head. “Katherine and I are four years apart, and that worked out fine for us.”
“But you and Katherine were different,” Lexi said. “You had something to unite against. There was a reason for you to love one another. But Emma's so good at making friends, she doesn't really need a younger sibling. Not the way that you did.”
“True,” I agreed, frowning. “I think they'll be friends.” I paused. “Don't you like the idea of her having a little brother, though?”
“He'd have to grow up pretty competitive to keep up with her,” Lexi said, laughing. “I like that idea, though. A matching set, one boy and one girl. Of course, we'll mess it up if we ever do have another kid, but I guess then we hope for another boy and another girl.”
I snorted. “Is that the way it works?”
“Plus, if we had a boy, you could teach him football and how to fix cars and computers and whatever else it is that boys are supposed to do.”
“Emma and I already toss around the football, although she prefers to play Frisbee with Spot,” I pointed out, rolling my eyes. “And I don't know the first thing about fixing a car or fixing a computer, so I guess the kids, boys or girls, are shit out of luck there.”
Lexi laughed. “Shit out of luck, only they have a billionaire for their father,” she said.
“True,” I said, smiling. I frowned, cocking my head to the side. “I'm a little nervous about having a boy,” I finally admitted. It was something that had been in the back of my mind since we'd started wondering about the gender of the new baby.
All right, it was something that had been in the back of my mind since Lexi told me she was pregnant, if not before that.
“I didn't have the best relationship with my father,” I told her, slowly tapping my fingers against the edge of the steering wheel. “And I can't help but worry, what if we have a son and I do the exact same thing to him?”
Lexi was silent for a moment. “Emma is fiendishly smart,” s
he finally said. “And I know that you aren't the playboy that you once were. You'd be perfectly happy letting Emma take over Orinoco, wouldn't you be?”
“Of course,” I said. “If that's what she was interested in. She'd be brilliant in business. I can already tell. The way that she makes friends, the way that her mind works. She's definitely going to grow up and be someone.”
“And have you tried to pressure her one way or the other?” Lexi asked.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Can you imagine trying to pressure Emma to do something that she didn't want to do?” I asked. “People talk about herding cats. That would be like herding cats to go out into the rain or something. It would be futile.”
“Exactly,” Lexi said. When I gave her a confused look, she elaborated. “You know that Emma would be the perfect child to mold into your image and to prepare to take over the company. And she's your firstborn. You could be doing to her exactly what your father did to you. But you don't. I have no reason to believe that you're going to push our second child to do anything that he or she doesn't want to do either.”
I frowned at her. “You may be right,” I said slowly.
“Anyway, if you do start to put too much pressure on the baby, at least Emma will be there to be friends with the kid,” Lexi finished. “Just like you had Katherine.” She paused. “Remember, my own relationship with my father wasn't very great either. But I don't think you're that kind of guy. From everything that I've seen with you and Emma over the years, you're a perfect dad. A little forgetful sometimes, maybe, and I'll never let you dress our kids again if I have my way, but you're a great dad. I don't think that you have to worry.”
I smiled over at her. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I told her.
“I love you,” Lexi said quietly, and I could see the tears threatening again. “I never thought that I could be so lucky.”
“I'm the lucky one here,” I told her. “I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, and another beautiful child on the way. I'm not working as much as I used to, and my company is still pulling record profits every quarter. I'm a much better person now than I was when you first came into my life, and I know that that's all your doing. And isn't that exactly what a person is supposed to strive for in a relationship, to be their best self?”
