by Bella Andre
First, however, he needed to make absolutely sure that she felt up to dancing after having been on her feet the entire time at the party. Though he had literally just reminded himself not to treat her like she was breakable, he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Really good.” She turned to face him better from the passenger seat, her expression strangely serious. “What about you?” Her words seemed to hold more gravity than normal. “How are you feeling?”
Grayson stilled. Had she caught on to the fact that his worries were taking him over more and more with every day that passed?
No. He couldn’t heap his old demons on her. Demons he thought he’d fully dealt with already, damn it!
“It was a great party.” He hoped his smile didn’t look strained as he said, “It means a lot that so many of the family came such a long way to celebrate with us.”
“My family all adores you, Grayson.” She put her hand over his, and warmth moved through him.
“I feel the same way about them.” His smile came easier now as he added, “Are you glad to finally be off your feet? Maybe even ready for a nap?”
She snorted in response. “Of course I’m not ready for a nap! And my feet—” She slipped off one shoe and wiggled her painted toes. “—are always up for more action. Just like me.” She waggled her eyebrows, sexy even when she was doing something silly. “What kind of action do you have in mind, cowboy?”
Though it was tempting to head straight to the cabin so that he could strip her pretty dress completely away and give her some slow-and-sexy loving action to counterbalance the quickie in her old bedroom, he pointed at the freeway sign. “We’re right by the new ballroom and cocktail place you were telling me about last month. If you’re up for it, I’d like to take you dancing.”
“Yet again, you’re the best husband ever!” Her eyes were bright with happiness as she leaned over and strained against her seat belt to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ve been dying to do some proper ballroom.” She looked down at her stomach. “Although I’m not sure how proper I can be at this point.” She shrugged. “Whatever, it’s still going to be awesome to dance with you, even if everyone will be wondering the whole time if I’m about to give birth on the dance floor.” She grinned. “Actually, knowing we’re shocking people will make it even better.”
He laughed, grateful that it eased the tightness in his chest. Soon, they were walking into the club full of people who were decked out in their best sequins and satin. And that was just the men.
“One day I’ll stop being surprised by how many waxed chests there are on display in these clubs,” he muttered.
“Any chance you’ll unbutton your shirt?”
“No.” The word was little more than a growl.
She walked her fingers up his chest. “Any chance you’ll let me unbutton your shirt?”
“Try it and you’ll be dancing with your arms tied behind your back.”
Her eyes twinkled up at him, full of mischief. “Sounds like fun.”
He kissed her in lieu of groaning. And five minutes later, he was glad, yet again, for the ballroom dancing classes his parents had forced him to take when he was a teenager. For every second of those classes, he had wished he was on the basketball court instead. At fifteen, he’d been absolutely certain that he would never, ever need to know how to do the fox-trot. But even then, the universe must have known that Lori Sullivan was going to come into his life—and that he was going to need to do whatever he could to keep up with her and make her happy. Even if that meant spending time in her dance studio working on improving his posture and hold so that he could be useful to her if she needed to grab him and try out new choreography.
When they first stepped onto the dance floor, a few eyebrows rose at the sight of Lori’s very round belly. But within sixty seconds, everyone’s mouths were hanging wide open in awe. She was that good a dancer, every move she made so fluid, so effortless, so right. In fact, several people in the crowd applauded when the band came to the end of the waltz with a flourish.
“I swear,” she said, her breathing still perfectly even, while he was trying to keep from panting, “you could go pro if you wanted to. You know exactly when and where to move with me—even with our baby girl bouncing between us.”
He’d said it plenty of times before, and he said it again now: “The only reason I seem remotely like a good dancer is because I’m dancing with you. I guarantee there would be smashed toes and elbowed ribs if you paired me up with anyone else here.”
“I know this smacks of double standards, given that I dance with other people all the time, but I don’t think I could stand to let you dance with anyone else.”
He drew her closer. “You’re the only one I want to dance with, Lori.” He lowered one hand to her stomach and grinned when he felt a good, strong kick to his palm. “Sorry, I meant the two of you are the only ones I want to dance with.”
Lori put her hand on her belly too and laughed out loud at the feel of two little hands and two little feet pushing out. “I love that she’s already dancing with us.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” He pressed his lips to hers and counted himself the luckiest man alive. “Me too.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The cottage was both stylish and cozy, with golden hardwood floors, plush furniture in the living room and bedroom, and windows that looked out over the sweeping ocean. A storm had blown into town while they were dancing. But though they could see waves crashing on the shore and tree branches blowing back as rain lashed the windows, with the wood stove fired up, they were warm and toasty.
Grayson had pulled Lori onto his lap and wrapped a blanket around them both. A million times at least, people had told her to take it easy during her pregnancy, though they all knew that her default setting was how-fast-can-I-go? Moments like this were fairly rare. And only ever, she thought with a smile, because Grayson was cuddling her.
Mmmm. She loved cuddling with him.
Of course, she loved it even more when they had no clothes on.
Though her mother had cautioned Lori not to worry Grayson by worrying about him, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from trying to read his emotions in the hours since they’d left the party. She hated that his demons might be trying to make a comeback.
Not on her watch, darn it!
“Do you know what this reminds me of?” She deliberately kept her voice light in the hopes that she would be able to pull him back from the brink of any darkness that might be threatening.
She was glad to feel his smile against the top of her head. “The day we were out on the horses and got caught in the storm.”
“God, I hated you.” She snuggled in closer, resting her ear against his chest so that she could hear his heart beat. Strong and steady as ever, he had given her more love than she’d ever known was possible. “At least, that’s what I was trying to tell myself.”
“Neither of us could pull off that lie for too long, could we?”
“Especially not once we were soaking wet and stripping off our clothes in your conveniently remote log cabin.”
His callused fingers played along her bare arms, making thrill bumps dance across her skin. “I’d never known anyone bold enough to strip down in front of a virtual stranger.”
“You dared me—how could I not?”
“I didn’t dare you.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one,” she said in a deceptively mild tone, before continuing, “Want to dare me now?”
“I want you to relax,” he said first. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait too long for him to add, “But yes, of course I also want you to take off your clothes. I can’t imagine a day will ever come when I don’t want that.”
“Lucky you—both of your wishes are about to come true.” She slid from beneath the blanket and got to her feet. “Because I find few things more relaxing than taking my clothes off in front of you.”
Heat sparked in his gaze even as an eyebrow went up. �
�You find stripping for me relaxing?”
She laughed as she reached for the hem of her dress. “Okay, so that might not be the exact right word. But that day in your cabin, even after we had been so horrible to one another, deep inside, I knew that being with you was exactly right.”
With that, she pulled off her dress and tossed it across the room, standing before him in those red silk panties…and nothing else.
She could see how much effort it cost him to stay on the couch, the muscles tense in his thighs and his arms as he kept them at his sides, rather than reaching out to gently tumble her back into his lap.
Her husband was the most passionate lover imaginable. He loved nothing more than to swing her up into his arms and take her to the bed or the couch or the plush rug in front of the fireplace to smother her with kisses and caresses. Yes, he’d been gentler during her pregnancy, but the truth was that she’d come to crave their slower, sweeter lovemaking just as much as when they lit off a wild blaze of fireworks together.
Though she’d always thought that her sister and cousins and friends were incredibly beautiful during their pregnancies, she’d never thought much about what it would be like for her own body to change. And what a change it was! From having the rock-hard abs of a dancer to having no abs at all had been strange at first. But on the other hand, she’d immediately and unabashedly loved her new curves. Unsurprisingly, Grayson loved them too.
On another night, she might have teased him by doing a sexy dance to drive him crazy before she let him touch what he was drooling over. But their ballroom dancing—the way he’d moved so well, had held her so lovingly, that he’d thought of taking her there in the first place because he knew how much fun she’d have—had already been the hottest foreplay imaginable. Quickly shimmying out of her panties, she straddled him on the couch.
“So damned beautiful.” He murmured the words against her lips, then whispered kisses over her cheekbones and against her neck. “How did I ever get so lucky?”
“We both did.” She gasped out the final word as he found her breasts with his mouth, laving the taut tips with his tongue, then using his lips and teeth to send her reeling from pure sensation.
“I’ve been dying to taste you.” The rawness of his tone was as potent to her as his kisses. “All day, I’ve been fantasizing about this.” Gently laying her back against the couch pillows, he knelt over her, her legs spread wide beneath him. “Dreamed about having you naked and open to me.”
They’d already made love twice—once slow and sweet just as they were waking that morning in Pescadero, and then the breathless quickie in her old bedroom in Palo Alto. And yet, Lori knew exactly how he felt. It wasn’t enough. It could never be enough.
She was as hungry for him as he was for her. Filled with a sensual hunger that she knew would never come anywhere close to being sated.
“I’m yours, Grayson. Always.”
A flash of heat in his dark eyes was the last thing she saw before he put his mouth to her breast again. The most wonderful hit of pleasure had her closing her eyes and arching her back. She could explode from this alone, just from his hands and mouth on her breasts.
But when he moved lower, pressing kisses down over her stomach, and then lower still to where she was desperate and aching for his touch, his hunger was evident in every lash of his tongue over her sex, in the thrust of his fingers inside of her, in the way he cupped her hips with his hands to bring her even closer to the edge of bliss.
She had no idea what she’d done to find the best husband on the planet—one who was not only handsome and sweet, but who also had serious moves in the sack. Karma clearly thought she deserved ecstasy, and of course she was happy to grab it with both hands. Which was exactly what she did as she threaded her fingers into Grayson’s hair at the same moment he used his big, work-roughened hands to keep her from wiggling beneath him.
She loved the small tug of war that ensued, especially when letting him win this round meant having the orgasm of a lifetime. A climax that started from the very tips of her toes, then took over every cell in her body, until his mouth and hands had turned her into a deliriously happy—and extremely satisfied—woman.
As a dancer, Lori had excellent control of her body. Yet, when Grayson made love to her, she was often surprised to find herself suddenly in a new position, too dizzy with lust and arousal to realize that he had shifted them around. When she opened her eyes now, it was to find his wonderfully muscled body beneath hers as she straddled his hips.
Still more than a little dazed from the pleasure he’d sent coursing through her, she looked down at his tanned skin. “When did you take off your clothes?”
“It took you a while to catch your breath.” He looked extremely pleased by this fact.
“It’s going to take you longer,” she promised.
His sexy-as-sin grin flashed, sending her heart racing all over again. “I sure hope so.”
And then he lifted her hips, moved her over him, and slid inside—one perfect thrust that stole away the breath she’d only just gotten back.
Ohhhhh yes.
There was nothing she loved more than making love with her husband. Watching the rise and fall of his chest as he gave them both such epic pleasure. Drinking in the heat in his eyes as he watched her move over him, with him. Feeling the rough sensation of his hands sliding over her skin, always knowing just where to touch her so that she begged for moremoremore.
She’d never had a better partner—on the dance floor, in bed, in life—and every ounce of her love poured from her body to his as they did the sexiest dance imaginable with each other. His abs flexed, the ridges deep between each one as he lifted up to put one hand on her cheek and kiss her.
Both the passion and the pure, sweet love in his kiss sent her flying over the edge into another magnificent climax, one that took him with her, his release as wild and rapturous as hers.
Lying replete in each other’s arms, they dozed together on the couch. She might have slept through until morning if she hadn’t smelled the most delicious food cooking.
Sitting up slightly, she brushed her hair out of her face and rubbed her hand over her eyes, before purposefully sniffing the air. “Is that chicken pot pie?”
“Sure is.” While she’d napped, he had pulled on jeans. Still shirtless, he brought over a tray full of her favorite foods. Not only pot pie, but also potato salad and corn on the cob. “I asked the rental company for the name of a caterer,” he explained. “She left this for us in the fridge, so all I had to do was heat it up.”
“You think of everything.” Sitting up naked on the couch, she pulled the blanket around herself, then took a bite of the pot pie. “Mmmm. This is so good.”
“I couldn’t let you and the baby go to bed hungry.” She thought she saw a flash of darkness in his eyes, as though even the thought of their being left wanting hurt him. But then he smiled and said, “Especially after the workout we’ve given each other today.”
Though he had worked to cover the dark flash quickly, Lori knew it was long past time for her to ask him if everything was okay—and remind him that he shouldn’t feel he needed to hide any doubts or fears that he might have about becoming parents. They were a team, and she always wanted to support him as much as he supported her.
But before she could say any of that, he asked, “Has today made you happy, Lori?”
Her heart squeezed as she looked into his eyes. “Even if it hadn’t already been the best day ever—which it most definitely was—when I’m with you, no matter what we’re doing, I’m always happy.”
He had done so much to make this the perfect beachside retreat—the perfect day full stop, complete with dancing and family. And now, she hated to spoil the moment with difficult questions that probed into his painful past. That would bring up things she knew he wished could be forever left alone.
She vowed to do whatever it took tomorrow morning to make sure her husband no longer harbored any fears for her or their ba
by. But for tonight, she truly believed the very best thing she could do for Grayson was to show him exactly how happy he made her.
Pushing her food aside, she moved onto his lap. “Want to play a game by the fire?”
He stroked her cheek. “What kind of game do you have in mind?”
She whispered something very naughty into his ear. And when he kissed her as she laughed, he easily took her breath away all over again.
Although, truth be told, even when he wasn’t kissing her, she never stopped feeling breathless around him.
And she knew that she never would.
CHAPTER SIX
Morning dawned sunny and bright, with clear blue skies outside the bedroom window. As she frequently did, Lori was using Grayson as a full-body pillow. Her face would have looked perfectly serene as she slept, were it not for the hint of wickedness that never quite disappeared.
Though he didn’t want to wake her when he knew how much she needed the extra rest—regardless of how much energy she insisted she had—he couldn’t keep from running his hand down the smooth skin of her spine in a long, soothing stroke. Not only because it made her move like a cat beneath his touch in her sleep, but also to soothe himself. More and more, he needed to reassure himself that she was perfectly okay and that the baby growing inside her was healthy too.
Grayson knew plenty of people had worse pasts—dark histories that were nearly impossible to recover from. With Lori’s help, he had recovered.
At least, he thought he had, until she’d told him she was pregnant, and suddenly it had felt like his past was strangling him again. Fears of losing another loved one—or two, God forbid—were waking him up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Fortunately, Lori slept hard and rarely woke before morning, so he’d been able to keep it from her.
Just as he had so many times over the past months, he schooled himself to think straight and to remember that his life on the farm with Lori was nothing like his life in New York City. He’d come a long way, learning not only how to love with his whole heart, but also how to compromise with a woman who liked the sound of that word even less than he did, but did it all the same to make him happy.