by L. P. Dover
Running his fingers up and down my bare stomach, Ryley groaned in my ear and bit my lobe. “You look so fucking hot right now. I like the open shirt you got going on.” He rested his hand over my belly. “When will I get to feel them move?”
Placing my hand on his, I smiled. “Usually around eighteen weeks. Also around that time, we’ll be able to find out what we’re having. I say, boys. What do you think?”
A smirk splayed across his face. “I’m going to disagree and say girls. We don’t have many in my family. Besides, I don’t want them having the rivalry like my brother and I do.”
Sliding his hand away, I rolled over and straddled his waist, pinning his hands above his head. His arousal could be felt growing beneath his shorts. I squeezed him with my thighs and he pressed his bulge into my center. It had been too long since we’d made love. His raw gaze bore into mine, untamed. It wasn’t just me who had suffered during the week. In a lightning fast move, he escaped from my hold and flipped me over, spreading my legs open wide.
“Is there something you want from me, angel?” he asked, sliding his tongue along my bottom lip.
Lifting his shirt, I pulled it over his head and threw it to the side. “You have no idea how bad I need you right now.”
“Well, let’s just see if your claim is true,” he murmured, unbuttoning my shorts. Once his finger slipped easily inside of me, he groaned and pulled it out, sucking it clean. “I do believe your right. Why don’t you take a look at how bad I want you?”
Sitting up on his knees, he lowered his shorts and his cock sprung free. I wrapped my hand around his length and glided up and down, earning a strangled moan from his lips. The tip of his cock glistened with his desire so I did the same thing he did to me and swiped it with my finger and sucked it off. He tasted salty, but I loved it . . . I loved everything about him.
Growling low in his chest, he pulled my shorts all the way off and lifted me up so he could work on the rest of my clothes. It was all so fast, until I winced as he tried to take of my bra. Gingerly, we worked as a team to rid me of the offending garment. He kissed me sweetly on the top of each breast, and spoke to them. “I’m sorry my little fun bags. I will remember to take better care of you.”
Once his clothes were off, he covered me with his body and pushed inside, deep. “Fuck, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed being inside you, angel.”
I moaned and fisted my hands in his hair when he pushed in harder. “I know the feeling.”
Taking my hands out of his hair, he held them over my head. My breasts grew heavy and my nipples peaked in anticipation. He licked lightly over one, and I lost it in a matter of seconds.
“I guess I’ve deprived you,” he muttered regretfully.
I moved my hips with his thrusts. “You’re here now.”
In lieu of playing with my overly sensitive nipples, he licked and sucked his way up my neck. I missed his lips, and would take them anyway I could get them. When he got close to release, his eyes locked on mine, never once wavering. With each push, he grunted with the force, penetrating me not only with his body, but with his mind too. His demeanor held me captive, even my heart fell victim to him.
My climax built with each thrust and eventually I tightened all around his body, screaming my release as he pounded into me, his cock pulsating with his own. I never knew love could be so wild and raw. With Ryley, I never knew what I was going to get. It was always a mystery. I had a strange feeling he liked keeping me in the dark. I think that’s what kept the devilish twinkle gleaming in his eye.
Finally, he let my hands go and they almost felt numb with how hard he held onto them. When I brought them down to my stomach, the sun reflected off of something on my hand and time stood still. All I could focus on was the huge smile spreading across Ryley’s face and the sparkling diamond ring on my finger. Instead of a clear stone surrounded by twinkling diamonds . . . it was blue. I could barely see it through the tears building.
“Oh my God, how did you –?”
Gently, he pulled out and rested beside me, placing his hand on my belly. “You were a little preoccupied,” he teased with a wink.
“So what are you saying? What does this mean?” My heart flip-flopped in my chest and I could barely contain my smile. Could this really be happening? Knowing my luck, I was in a dream and I’d wake up any minute.
Brushing the hair away from my face, he pressed his forehead to mine and kissed me. So soft, yet so deep. “I’m saying I want you to be my wife, angel,” he murmured against my lips. “I want to spend every day of my life knowing that you’re mine. There’s nothing else in this world that I want more than to have you with me always.”
“Ryley,” I breathed, gazing down at the ring. “I don’t know what to say. Are you sure this is what you want?” There was no way in hell I was awake. I had to be asleep. Marrying Ryley and starting our family was a dream come true.
“Ashleigh, I’ve never been so sure of something in my life.” He kissed me again and leaned back, searching my expression. “Please tell me it’s what you want too.”
Closing my eyes, I squeezed them shut and shook my head. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I? As soon as I open my eyes you’re going to be gone. Pinch me so that I know this is real.” When he didn’t pinch me, I opened my eyes just a tad and there he was, smirking at me.
“I can promise you, I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere, nor am I going to pinch you. If you want me to prove I’m real, I’d be happy to make love to you again—just give me ten minutes. Okay, fifteen.”
I giggled and then I’m pretty sure I squealed like a piglet. I was just so happy.
“But the only way I’m going to do that, is if you give me an answer.”
Tugging his arms, he complied willingly and covered me with his body, settling between my legs. “Then you better get used to this body, Ryley Jameson, because it’s the only one you’re going to be seeing for the rest of your life, even when I’m old and saggy.”
“And when that time comes, you’ll still be sexy as hell. Especially when compared to my own hairy, wrinkly body.” He playfully nipped my nose. “You still haven’t said the one word I want to hear. I need to hear it.” Lowering his lips to my neck, he trailed his kisses down my chest and flicked his tongue across my nipple.
Moaning, I held his face in my hands and brought his gorgeous blue eyes up to mine. “Yes, Ryley. My answer is yes. You have my heart and for that, I’m yours . . . always and forever. Now make love to your fiancé.”
He smirked down at me. “With pleasure.”
The afternoon had given way to a chilly night, but I was prepared, and snuggled in a blanket on our back deck. I hadn’t really noticed the chill in the air when Ryley and I made love under the sun, but then again, I didn’t notice much when he occupied my attention. We were actually going to get married. Even looking at the proof on my finger, it was still hard to believe.
“So what did Gabriella say when you told her?” Ryley asked, setting down my hot chocolate.
“Oh, thank you. You totally read my mind.”
“I’m learning,” he replied, smiling. Sitting down, he put his arm around me. “Was she excited for us?”
I burst out laughing. “Excited couldn’t begin to describe how she reacted.” In fact, my ear drum still hurt from her screaming. “She’d already started talking about the baby shower and now the bridal one. She threatened that if she wasn’t my maid of honor, she was going to kick my ass. Needless to say, I let her have the title.”
I didn’t want anyone else taking it anyway. Unfortunately, she still wouldn’t tell me what her and Paxton’s terms were. Why was she keeping it a secret?
“That’s great. I still haven’t decided who I want my best man to be. Hell, I never thought I’d get married. And even if I did, it was a given who I’d have. But now . . .”
“I’m sure your grandfather would love to take the role,” I offered gently.
Ryley sighed and held me closer. “Yes, he
would. Every time I see him, he talks about how pretty you are and how lucky I am.”
“He’s right, you are lucky,” I laughed, elbowing him in the side. “However, Gabby brought up a good point today. We’ve talked about anything and everything, except the main thing . . . the wedding date.”
“I wanted to leave that up to you. I know we haven’t been together long and there’s still so many things about each other we don’t know. If you want to wait another couple of years, that’s fine too. We can have a huge wedding or a small one. I’ll give you anything you want.”
Ever since I was a little girl I knew exactly what I wanted as far as a wedding. It just so happened that I was living in the right place for that dream. “Ryley, have you ever seen the Robin Hood movie? You know, the one with Kevin Costner?”
He glanced down at me, furrowing his brow. “Yeah, a long time ago. I actually have the DVD inside. What does that have to do with our wedding?”
“Well, at the end Robin and Marion get married, right?”
“Yeah?” he said slowly.
“Well, their wedding is how I want mine.” I pointed to the meadow, the same place where he proposed and made love to me. “Our meadow is the perfect place. The way the autumn leaves will blow in the air in the fall, blanketing the grass. We wouldn’t even need to decorate because the fall colors would make it perfect.”
I could see it all play out before me. Me, dressed in a flowing white gown and a vine headdress, just like Marion’s. Our families would be surrounding us, smiling as we said our vows. It was perfect.
“So I take it you want to get married soon?” he asked. “It’s almost fall, angel.”
As much as I wanted to do it now, I knew it wasn’t a good idea to jump into it. “I think we should wait until next fall,” I answered. “We have so much to learn about each other, and a lot of upcoming responsibilities. I’m afraid of rushing into it. Besides, with these pregnancy hormones, I’d probably be a bridezilla. I don’t want to do that to you.”
He chuckled. “Me either. If you want it next fall, it’s settled. Hopefully, your dad won’t hate me when he finds out we’re living in sin.”
Rolling my eyes, I smacked him in the arm. “Oh, whatever, he’s not going to hate you. Speaking of which, I need to call my parents and tell them. I wish I could see their faces when I say that not only am I getting married, but I’m pregnant with twins.”
Picking up my phone, I started to dial, but Ryley swiped it out of my hands.
“What are you doing?” I asked incredulously.
Grinning from ear to ear, he stood up and pulled me with him. “I have a better idea. Let’s fly out to Aspen and tell them together. It’ll be a good time for me to meet them. Plus, you wouldn’t have to handle them on your own.”
“You would do that? Even if there’s the slightest possibility my dad might pull his gun out on you?” He wouldn’t do that, but I could see him getting pretty pissed off that his little girl got knocked up and wasn’t married.
“I would do anything for you, angel. And facing the wrath of your father is one of them.”
Lifting up on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing him in. “I think you’re grandfather has it all wrong. I think I’m the lucky one.”
Ryley bent down and pressed his lips ever so gently to mine. “We’re lucky to have each other. I love you, angel.”
“And I love you too.”
Always.
Eight Weeks Later
THE VISIT WITH my family went better than expected. Ryley and my father got along great, and my parents were excited about being grandparents. I had to say, things were finally looking up for us. Ryley hadn’t spoken to his brother, nor had anyone seen him in a while. Even their mother hadn’t heard from him. I guess it was safe to say he was gone indefinitely.
“Miss Warren?” the nurse called.
Her name was Julie and she had seen me the last time I’d been in to hear the babies’ heartbeats. She had the most beautiful long, red hair I’d ever seen, with freckles all over her peachy skin. The pink scrubs made her look like a strawberry puff. Speaking of which, I want some strawberry puffs.
I smiled up at Ryley and placed my hand over his, as it rested on my belly. Ever since he felt the babies kick for the first time, he’d barely kept his hands off of me. “Are you ready for this?”
The whole time we were in the waiting room, his leg bounced up and down making the chair squeak. Some of the other pregnant ladies in the room thought it was funny. We were both nervous, but I think he was more nervous than me. He nodded and smiled nervously. “I think so. Let’s go.”
When we approached the nurse, she held the door open and grinned. “I bet you’re excited, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “More than excited. It’s not every day you get to see your children for the first time.”
She pointed to the scale and I hopped on, cringing when Ryley stood there looking at it. I don’t know if there would ever be a time when I’d feel comfortable with him knowing my weight. There were just some things I wanted to keep secret. I guess it was a girl thing.
After she took my blood pressure and I peed in a cup, we were put in an examination room. While we waited, I peered over at Ryley who sat there texting on his phone. “Who are you talking to?”
With his head down, he smiled at his phone. “Apparently, there’s a pool that’s up to ten thousand dollars if you guess the sex of our babies right. The tabloids are waiting for the answer. I never thought our twins would become the hot topic of discussion.”
“Really? Your people love you, Ryley. This actually doesn’t surprise me at all. There are a lot of women out there who want you to be their baby’s daddy.”
He even got an email from a woman who asked if he would donate sperm to her so she could be artificially inseminated. There were seriously some crazy ass people out there. I didn’t realize how much until I started spending every day with him.
As soon as the doctor knocked on the door, Ryley quickly put his phone away and came to my side.
“Good afternoon, you two,” she greeted, holding my chart. Her name was Dr. Christine Wyatt, around fifty years old, and a good friend of Ryley’s mother. “Is everything going okay? No problems other than morning sickness?”
“No, everything’s good. I don’t throw up as much anymore, which is even better.”
She nodded in Ryley’s direction. “So that one’s not giving you problems?” she teased.
“Actually, I think it’s the other way around. He’s the one dealing with my mood swings and late night cravings.”
“Well, looking at your weight and blood pressure, everything looks good. You’ve only gained four pounds, so I’d say you’re doing great. Usually with twins, the mother gains a little bit more weight. Don’t be surprised if you pack it on towards the end.”
“Great,” I mumbled sarcastically.
“Don’t worry, angel,” Ryley whispered in my ear. “If I can’t be on top, you’re more than welcome to ride me any day.”
Rolling my eyes, I pushed him away and laughed. By the blush on Christine’s cheeks, I knew she’d heard what he said. Talk about embarrassing.
“All right, I think we’re ready for the ultrasound.” Then she looked at Ryley. “If you don’t mind, I told your mom that I would do it myself. These kids are basically going to be my own family, so I’d like the honor.”
Ryley glanced down at me and I nodded. “Of course, we don’t mind at all,” he said.
We followed her out and down the hall to the sonogram room. I already knew what to do so I climbed up on the table, lifted my shirt, and lowered my pants a little. Christine typed away on the computer and then squirt a glob of jelly on my stomach. I jumped with the coldness.
“I think we’re ready. Let’s take a look at your little ones.” Once the wand touched my stomach, it was hard to tell what we were looking at, until Christine pointed everything out. “I’m going to give you some pictures to take hom
e.” She moved the wand over and captured a picture with both sets of feet. It was amazing. “Now that’s priceless. I’ve never been able to get both sets like that before. But then again, I don’t see twin births every day.”
Ryley held my hand when I started to tear up and sniffle. When I snuck a peek at him, his eyes were glistening as he regarded his children. Their heartbeats echoed through the room and it was hard to tell which one went to what baby. It was just amazing seeing them in my belly.
“Everything looks good, you two. Now do you want me to see if I can find out what they are?”
“Yes,” I blurted out excitedly. “When I talk to them, I want to be able to call out their names. If they’re boys I don’t want to call them by girl names. I don’t think their father would like that.”
“Hell no, I wouldn’t. My boys need to be manly,” Ryley blurted.
Christine shook her head and laughed. “I remember when you’re father was the same way about you and your brother. My, how time flies.” She moved the wand around my belly and pressed in a bit to get the twins to move. Then a smile lit up her face. “I think we got one. Say hello to twin boy number one.”
“I knew it,” I squealed. “I had a feeling it was going to be boys.” And there on the screen was the perfect shot of my little boy . . . with everything out. Like father, like son. Ryley smiled at the screen, but deep down I knew he had hoped it would be girls.
“Oh, but wait,” Christine remarked happily. “I think I got a good one of twin number two.” She slid the wand an inch to the right and giggled. “And here you go. It looks like you get the joy of both worlds. Twin number two is a girl. Ryley, your mother is going to be ecstatic when she finds out.”
“A girl?” I gasped. I couldn’t have heard better news. When Christine nodded and pointed out the little hamburger bun, as she had put it, I openly cried out in joy.
