by Levine, Nina
He chuckles, and it’s the best damn sound. It’s not often Donovan laughs, if ever. “This is why you’re my wife and why you’ll always be my wife. You’re fucking fierce and the only woman I ever want as the mother of my children.”
I never imagined having a man love me so completely as Donovan does, but I found him and I’m never letting him go either.
6
Scott & Harlow
Harlow
This takes place in the same time that Gunnar’s story takes place.
“God, if J doesn’t start putting his damn clothes in the laundry hamper, I’m going to cut his balls off,” Madison grumbles over the phone late Friday afternoon while I check on the cake I placed in the oven earlier.
I laugh. “You’d miss those balls.”
“I would. But seriously, how fucking hard is it to drop your dirty clothes in a hamper rather than on the damn floor?”
“You’re being extra grumbly this week. This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact J’s trying to get you pregnant again, would it?”
Madison sighs. “Possibly. The man is relentless when it comes to fucking me. And while you know I’m always up for sex, I’m exhausted. I’m not sure how I’d survive if I had two kids under two.”
“Well I’m having the opposite problem with Scott. He’s wrapped me in cotton wool. This baby isn’t due for another two months and I don’t want to go on the way we are.”
“What, you’re not getting any? At all?”
“I’m getting some, but it’s like he thinks he’s going to hurt me if he’s too rough. He did the same when I was pregnant with Aurora.”
“Jesus, these men need to get their shit together,” Madison mutters. “I’ll send a message to the universe for a raincheck on sex twice a day for me, and rough sex for you.”
I smile, thinking how lucky I am to have Madison for a sister-in-law. She helps me get through the hard days and makes the good days even better. “I love you.”
“Yeah, you will when the universe provides all that sex you want.”
The sound of the front door opening catches my attention and I glance towards the hallway where Scott will appear soon. “I’ve gotta go. Scott’s home, and I have plans.”
“God, that means J’s probably on his way home, too. If you have a moment, pray for me. Or maybe for his balls. Either way, all prayers appreciated.”
I laugh again. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Love you,” she says before ending the call.
I place my phone on the kitchen counter as my husband comes into view.
His eyes are the first thing I see. They’re trained on me in the way they always are when he comes home at the end of the day. I’ll never get enough of them on me like this.
“Hey, you,” I greet him, my lips spreading out into the kind of smile I feel down to my toes.
He comes to me, sliding his arm around my waist and pulling me close. Without uttering a word, he drops his lips to mine and wipes all the thoughts from my mind with a kiss that stirs a thousand butterflies in my stomach.
I’m breathless when we come up for air. Placing my hands to his chest, I smile as I say, “There should be more kisses like that in our life.”
Regret flashes in his eyes, something I didn’t want to put there. “It’s been a hell of a week, sweetheart.”
I nod, wishing I’d chosen my words more carefully. The club has kept Scott busier than usual this week, so it’s been lots of late nights and early mornings with little opportunity for us to connect, but I never want to make him feel bad for working hard. “I know, and I didn’t mean anything except that I’m greedy for you and can’t get enough of your kisses.”
He watches me silently for a beat, taking that in. Then, keeping his arm around me, he places his other hand on my belly. Dropping his eyes to my stomach, he says, “How is he? Giving you hell today?”
I bring my hand to rest on his, our fingers interlocking. “He’s been pretty restless today, but not too bad.” Yesterday, our son kicked so much I was concerned for my ribs. Not that I told Scott how bad it was. I didn’t want him worrying. I also didn’t want to put any more thoughts in his head of being gentle with me.
Scott bends his face so he can kiss my stomach before saying, “Go easy on your mother. I need her in one piece.”
I thread my fingers through his hair, loving this time with him. “I have good news for you.”
He straightens, meeting my gaze again. “You’ve made my favourite cake?”
I smile, loving his preference for the simple things in life. It doesn’t take much to make my husband happy. “Actually, I haven’t, but I have made a cake and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it, but that’s not the good news.”
“Well, I’m not seeing or hearing our daughter, so I’m guessing it has something to do with that. Where is she?”
“She’s with your mum in her bedroom. They’re packing Aurora’s bag so she can spend the night at her place.” I move into him. “We’ve got the night alone and you’re going to get that dick of yours out and use it properly.”
He arches his brows as be takes hold of my hips. “I’m not sure how I got you pregnant if I wasn’t using it properly.”
“No, back then you were using it properly. Now, not so much.”
“Fuck, Harlow, you’re going to have to be more specific here.”
“You’re home,” Scott’s mother says to him, drawing our attention to her and Aurora as they join us. “I’m glad I caught you before I leave. I want to ask if you’ll have any time over the weekend to come over and check my washing machine. It’s played up a couple of times this week.”
Scott nods. “Yeah, I’ll come over in the morning and pick Aurora up and check it then.” He reaches for our daughter who’s bouncing in her grandmother’s arms, clearly wanting her father.
“Thank you,” Sharon says. Then to me, she says, “Honey, promise me you’ll send some of that cake over with Scott tomorrow. It smells divine.”
I smile. “I’ll make sure not to let Scott eat it all tonight.”
Aurora gurgles happily in her father’s arms while he presses raspberries to her belly. Watching the two of them together is one of my favourite things to do. Scott is an amazing father and Aurora adores being with him.
“Okay, baby girl,” he says, “you be good for Grandma and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Aurora’s little fingers grip her father’s cheeks as he pulls her close to kiss her forehead.
“I love you, darlin’” he says as he walks her outside to his mother’s car.
Sharon and I follow, discussing the plans we have for op shopping next Tuesday. Buying pre-loved clothes has become a passion of mine over the last six months and Sharon has recently started shopping for her clothes this way too. It’s something that’s helped bond us even more and I encourage regular shopping days for us because of this.
Once Scott has Aurora settled in the car, he makes his way to me and pulls me close, resting his hand on my hip and dropping a kiss to my cheek. I loop my arm around his waist and turn into him. Clutching a handful of his shirt, I look up at him and say, “I love you, Scott Cole.”
He glances down at me. “Even though I don’t use my dick properly.”
Sharon’s car starts as I smile up at my husband and say, “I’d love you even if your dick stopped working altogether.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he says, waving at his mother and our daughter as they drive away. Then, looking back at me, he says, “Now that they’re gone, we’re going back inside and you’re gonna give me specifics about this.”
I follow him inside. “I need to check this cake first.”
The cake’s ready so I pull it out and place it on the kitchen counter to cool.
Scott rests his ass against the counter and watches me patiently. “What cake are you making?”
He knows my baking so well now to know that this may be a chocolate cake but that by the time I’m finis
hed with it, it’ll be something more than that.
“It’s a Better Than Sex cake. It has to cool completely and then I’ll pour condensed milk into it and caramel topping over it. Then I’ll spread whipped cream over the caramel topping and sprinkle with pecans and toffee bits.” I move into him, sliding my hands around his waist. “And if you fuck me properly, you can have some.”
Heat flashes in his eyes as he runs his hands over my ass. “Tell me exactly how you want me to fuck you.”
Scott likes dirty talk, the filthier the better. It’s something that used to make me blush, but not anymore. “I want you to fuck me like you did that first time on our honeymoon. But first, I need your mouth on my pussy and I want you to take your time with your tongue.”
He brings his mouth to my neck and kisses me there before saying, “I’ll give you my mouth and tongue, but I’m not fucking you like I did on our honeymoon.”
I grip his biceps. “Yeah, you are.”
My tone catches his attention and his eyes meet mine. “You’re seven months pregnant.”
“So?”
“So it’s too rough for seven months pregnant.”
“I’m pregnant, Scott. Not sick.”
“Jesus, Harlow, no. Once you’ve had the baby, I’ll fuck you like that all night long, but not now.”
I stare at him. “You’re not being serious?”
He returns my stare. “I’m being deadly fuckin’ serious.”
I push against him and step away. “Well, I’m being deadly fucking serious when I tell you I’m not happy about this.”
“We’ve got a problem then, because I’m not changing my mind.”
I love my husband, but sometimes he’s too stubborn for my liking. And when my body’s flooded with hormones like it is, I don’t play well with that stubbornness.
I open my mouth to tell him exactly what I think of him not changing his mind, but his phone rings. He looks at it and grimaces. “I have to take this.”
His apology is clear in his voice, but there’s no need. I know that Scott always puts me first, so if he says he has to take a call I know there’s no other option. I nod and he stabs at his phone before putting it to his ear and stepping away to talk.
I clean up the kitchen while he’s on the phone. When he comes back, I’m bent over the dishwasher, tetrising the hell out of the space available so I can fit all the dishes in.
Scott’s hand comes to my ass and as I straighten, he slips it around my waist and pulls me against him. “We need to begin that conversation again, sweetheart,” he murmurs against my ear. The gravel in his voice hits me everywhere it always does, shaking some of my frustration with him loose.
Turning to face him, I look up into his eyes. The love I find there melts my heart some more. God I love this man. “Why are you so gentle with me when I’m pregnant? Do you really think you’re going to hurt me?”
He smooths some hair off my face. “I don’t know if I’ll hurt you but it’s not something I’m willing to take a chance on. And I sure as fuck don’t want to take a chance on hurting our son.”
“You won’t hurt the baby, Scott. And if it hurts me, I’ll tell you and we’ll try something else.”
“Harlow, the way you’ve asked me to fuck you will hurt you. I fuckin’ know that without even trying.” He uses the tone that tells me nothing can sway him with this decision. It’s the tone that usually pisses me off during an argument. However, it’s the way he then says, all Scott-Cole soft that completely does me in and makes me back down, “Baby, don’t ask me to do something my gut’s telling me not to do. You know I’ll never forgive myself if I hurt you.”
Placing my hand to his face, I bring my lips to his and kiss him. “Only you have the ability to push your way through my hormones and make me change my mind on things I didn’t think I’d ever change my mind on.” I kiss him again. “I don’t ever want to force you to do something you’re not comfortable with.”
Relief crosses his face and I wish I could take back everything I’ve said to him tonight. I truly dislike causing my husband concern. However, I know we needed to have this conversation in order for me to move past what I’ve been feeling. This is what I’m so grateful for with Scott: the way he’s always willing to have the hard conversations with me so we can communicate our needs and find a way to compromise.
“I love you, Harlow,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. Skimming his hands down over my thighs, he reaches for the hem of my dress so he can strip me of it. His eyes remain on mine, flaring with desire, as he growls, “I’m ready for you to talk dirty to me while I give you my tongue.”
My smile is sexy as I loop my hand around his neck. “I’m ready to fly, baby.”
Scott scoops me into his arms and carries me into our bedroom before making good on his promise to give me his tongue.
He doesn’t give me the kind of sex I thought I wanted, but he gives me his heart and soul, and that is everything to me. That is all I ever need.
7
Scott & Harlow
Scott
This scene takes place in the same time frame that Gunnar’s book was set. Harlow gives birth to their son just after Gunnar & Chelsea get back together, and in this scene, she is 8 months pregnant.
Having kids had never been on my list of shit to do in life. Neither had getting married and settling down. Turned out I was made to do both, and the woman I’d chosen to do them with was making the journey sweet as fuck.
“Aurora, no,” Harlow said as I entered the kitchen after work late Friday afternoon. Bending to pick up the bowl Aurora had pushed to the floor, she continued, “Please don’t do that.”
When Harlow stood and placed the bowl back on the tray of the high chair, Aurora said, “No, no, no,” and with one swipe of her arm, knocked the bowl to the floor again.
I watched Harlow struggle with her frustration and saw the moment she teetered on the edge of losing her temper. We’d had a week of temper tantrums from Aurora, her first ones ever, and we were both learning the ropes of dealing with them. Being eight months pregnant and tired, along with having to do most of the hard yards at home while I’d been busy with club stuff, meant Harlow was in definite need of a break.
Sliding an arm around Harlow’s waist, I pulled her against me, her back to my chest. My lips grazed her neck as I brushed a kiss there and said, “I’ve got this.”
The way her body relaxed into mine told me she’d had a long day. Turning, she met my gaze with an, “I love you” that was loaded with both gratitude and love.
My eyes locked firmly with hers as I placed my hand on her belly. Every chance I got, I had my hand there. “You wanna rest for a bit and then maybe go out for the night?” Aurora continued to bash her spoon on her tray and protest loudly, but since she wasn’t causing herself any harm I ignored her for the moment to concentrate on my wife.
Harlow smiled. With her hands to my chest, she leaned close and caught my lips in a slow kiss that would have led other places if not for our daughter needing our attention. “I really love you,” she murmured when she ended the kiss. “And although a night out sounds amazing, I’m gonna choose sleep. Mostly because I’m exhausted, but also because maybe I’ll get some time with my husband after he’s got our daughter to sleep.”
My gut tightened. Lifting my chin towards the hall, I said, “Go. Get some sleep. You’re gonna need it.” I was a selfish bastard when given the opportunity. Harlow could do with a week of straight sleep but no fucking way was she getting it tonight after that invitation.
Heat flashed in her eyes and she gave me another quick kiss. Then, after giving Aurora a kiss, she did as I said. I watched her ass leave the room and allowed myself a few moments thinking about what I’d do to that ass later, before turning to Aurora.
“Are you giving Mummy hell today, baby girl?” I asked as I lifted her out of the high chair.
She gave me a huge smile as I brought her close. “Da-da,” she gurgled, her chubby little fingers
gripping a chunk of my hair while another piece of my heart was stolen simply by her existence.
I hadn’t been prepared for the overwhelming feelings Aurora brought out in me. The sheer love I felt and the fierce determination to safeguard her often threatened to consume me whole. I knew I would go to the ends of the earth to give her whatever she needed. I knew I would fight to my dying breath to protect her. I knew I would fall to my knees if any harm ever came to her.
Touching her nose, I returned her smile. “We need to work on your skills, darlin’. Stick with me. I’ll teach you how to handle your mother to get what you want without upsetting her.” I walked us into the bathroom, continuing with the conversation I figured I’d still be repeating for years. “Upsetting Mummy isn’t a nice thing to do. She does everything for you and loves you very much, and when someone cares for you like that, you should do everything you can to care for them back.”
Aurora stared at me with fascination and that beautiful smile of hers while I spoke. After one last tug of my hair, she let it go to bring her fingers to my face. This was our daily routine. I always came home from work and took over from Harlow, bringing Aurora in for a shower with me while I talked about random shit the entire time. Aurora seemed to love the sound of my voice and would listen for quite a while without getting fidgety. Our time together calmed her down which was usually what she needed. And it gave Harlow a small break, which she also needed.
Thirty minutes later, we were both clean and dressed, and Aurora was gurgling away on the couch while I sat next to her preparing to read to her. We spent half an hour there and worked our way through two books and a long conversation about bikes. The day would come when she’d actually understand the shit I told her about them, but until then I’d continue rattling off information while she sat next to me alternating between watching me and playing with her toy.