by Mia Ford
The ceremony was a long, Catholic ceremony, and I sat there completely engrossed by the sight of Amanda. I stared at her the entire time, skimming my eyes over the curves she was showing in the tight, floor-length, rose-colored bridesmaid gown she was wearing. She kept her hands firmly in front of her body, clutching her bouquet of roses. I was as attracted to her now as I was when we were together. There was something about her that just absolutely glowed. Her skin looked rosy and shimmery, and her eyes glimmered in the lights over the front of the room. We weren’t in a church, but Lindsey had it decorated to look like one, including hanging a beautiful piece of stained glass from the ceiling.
Amanda smiled with every word that Lindsey and Jordan said to one another. She looked so happy that I wondered if she were happier without me in her life now. Maybe me being gone had brought something out in her that just made her radiant, or maybe that was how I always saw her and I just forgot in the haze of booze I had been in since I broke things off. I turned my attention to the happy couple as they recited their vows.
“Lindsey,” Jordan said. “I promise to love you, cherish you, and watch over you all of the days of your life. I promise to be strong for you and be there when love is simple and when it is a challenge. I promise to hold you in my arms every night and thank God for the gracious gift he has given me.”
“Under the Grace of God and the Catholic Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest announced. “You may kiss the bride.”
Everyone stood and clapped, watching the happy couple embrace. When the ceremony was complete, we made our way down the hall and into the elaborately decorated ballroom. As I walked in, I could see Amanda standing alone to the side, next to the door to the backroom. I knew it was now or never, so I approached her, hoping that she would be willing to talk to me.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said, pulling me into the room at the back that opened up to the lobby. “You’re an asshole.”
I looked around, but we were alone. I nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything. I could tell she had a lot of things to get off of her chest.
“How could you believe those lies about me, and never give me the chance to explain?” she asked. “They were blatant, hurtful lies, Nathan. I gave my heart and my trust to you, and you squashed it in an instant.”
“I know,” I said. “And I am so very sorry. I had no idea that Sarah was behind everything. I had no idea that Sarah even knew John. It all started to come together after Lindsey showed up in my office, but by the time I pieced everything together, I was afraid it was too late to make it up to you. I panicked, and I should have been a better man.”
“Sarah has been behind every bad thing in my life since I was in my teens,” she said. “She has manipulated my life to the point where everything is a mess. She slept with my ex, and then this. I mean, this is just beyond anything I thought a person was capable of. She had a man make up a document and then had your best friend convince you that I was married and only after your money. Which, I want to add, is completely insane. I have never, not even once, borrowed money from any man, including my own father. In fact, I have never borrowed money from anyone, except a dollar in the third grade from Lindsey to buy a lollipop, and I paid her back with interest! It showed me how much you really didn’t know me. It showed me how you wanted to know me, but when it came down to the nitty gritty, the real hard stuff, you didn’t want to give me a chance to explain. You wanted to writhe around in your misery.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I said.
“I know I’m right,” she replied. “I have worked really hard for a long time to build my dream from the ground, up. I could take my grandparents’ money, but then I wouldn’t have done it myself. I want to make a name for myself in the medical community that is positive and bright. I don’t want to jump into something I’m not ready to give my all to. That was why I hadn’t opened my clinic yet, not because of the money.”
She was so angry, and I wanted to calm her down, but I knew that she needed to get out whatever she was thinking. I knew that she had bottled this up ever since I left the house, and it was only fair that she got to say whatever she wanted to. I owed her so much more than that.
“As far as the marriage thing goes,” she said. “If I were truly married, I would have never talked to you. I would never be the woman that betrayed the sanctity of marriage. Sure, there were several nights that I couldn’t see you. I thought that was normal. I didn’t know dating you meant I had to jump when you said jump. Either way, me not being available every night didn’t mean I was with a secret husband, for God’s sake. I was helping Lindsey plan this wedding. Everything here, I put together. I did almost everything for her. So yes, I was really busy when you wanted to see me. I am sorry that your expectations were something different than that.”
“Amanda,” I said. “I deserve so much worse than what you are giving me right now. I was an idiot, a scared little boy that ran off as soon as I thought there was a chance I could get hurt. I ignored every glaring sign that what I was being told was a lie. I’m so sorry for that.”
“Nathan,” she said. “There is something else.”
“What?” I asked. “Please, whatever you need to say, say it. Don’t hold back.”
“I’m pregnant,” she said, looking up at me.
Immediately, my heart stopped beating, and all the alcohol coursing through my veins just disintegrated. I was expecting her to tell me off, not tell me she was pregnant. I didn’t even know what to say to that. I was completely speechless. Everything in my world that I had been so upset about all these weeks just disappeared into the background when those words came from her lips. I stepped forward and grabbed her by the arms, looking deeply into her eyes.
“Are you serious? You’re pregnant with my child?”
She looked up at me, scrunching her shoulders, and tears formed in her eyes. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and knowing that my child was growing in her belly made her all the more beautiful to me. It was so obvious that everything that had been told to me was a lie, and I would never understand how I could ever think anything differently about her. She was so precious and so perfect in that moment.
“Yes,” she said quietly, nodding. “I’m serious.”
“Will you come with me somewhere private so we can talk?”
“Yes,” she said.
I grabbed her by the wrist gently and pulled her through the lobby to the Presidential Suite elevator. I put my key in and climbed inside, feeling more than a little nervous about what was going on. She was pregnant, something that I didn’t think I would ever hear in my lifetime. I was really glad I rented the suite, although now I wouldn’t be using it to get completely wasted and pass out in later. When we got inside, I walked her over to the couch and took her hands in mine, looking deeply in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry for everything,” I said. “I love you more than the world, and I want to be there for you and this baby.”
“You do?” she asked.
“Of course, I do,” I said. “Can you forgive me?”
“Yes,” she said with tears flowing down her cheeks. “Of course, I can forgive you.”
“I can’t believe I am going to be a father,” I said, tears gathering in my eyes. “I should have called you back all of those times that you called. I was terrified that if I talked to you again that I would find out that John was right. I knew in the pit of my stomach that it was all lies, but I didn’t know what to do.”
“You were scared,” she said, wiping away one of my tears.
“I was scared because I have never loved someone as much as I love you,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
“I feel the same way,” she said, hugging me tightly. “I have been miserable without you.”
“I have been someone else without you,” I replied, pulling back and taking her face into my hands.
There was so much emotion flowing around us, but inte
rtwined with those feelings was desire. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her perfume. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into me, her fingers curling through my hair. Immediately, I could feel the ecstasy creep over us, and our kiss turned from gentle to lustful and passionate. I loved her, and I couldn’t wait to show her how much.
Chapter 25
Amanda
The heat between the two of us was intense, so intense that I could imagine a fog floating around us. We had been apart for so long, wanting each other, needing each other, and now that we were together, we didn’t want to waste a moment of it. He had accepted the baby without even so much as a question, and he’d realized how badly he had messed up. I knew I could never stay away from him, and I dreamt that he would be back in my arms again. The intensity between us was even thicker than before our break up, and my heart felt like it was going to explode. All the exhaustion, the anxiety, and the sick feelings lifted immediately when his lips pressed against mine. Hearing him tell me that he loved me was reviving, and I felt like I was whole once again, not fearing or needing for anything.
It was amazing to me what this one person could do for my soul, but as I stood there, running my hands across his face, I knew that the universe hadn’t failed me after all. I needed to know myself, to completely let go and be vulnerable in order to truly appreciate what the two of us had. He was the love of my life, and with his child growing inside of me, we would be a family like I had wanted from the beginning.
He stood up off the couch and reached down, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. He wrapped his hand around my waist and picked me up, holding me close as my feet dangled over the floor. Our eyes stayed locked tightly while he walked across the floor and to the bedroom. Once inside, he set me down on my feet and walked behind me, pulling my hair back and kissing the back of my neck. His fingers found the zipper to my dress, and he slowly pulled it down, holding my hand as I stepped out of it. He unclasped my strapless bra and tossed it on the floor, coming around to the front and rubbing his hands over my nipples.
I untied his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt, opening it wide and running my hands down his chest. He slid his shirt and jacket off, tossing them over the chair next to him. I pulled the buckle on his pants undone and pulled down the zipper, letting his pants fall to the floor. He slipped his shoes off and stepped out of his trousers, walking forward and kissing me passionately. I whimpered as he walked me backward. The butterflies that had plagued me before returned with a vengeance. I sat down on the end of the bed and stared at him intently as I pulled myself back and laid my head on the pillow behind me.
He crawled toward me, keeping his gaze strong, his movements fluid and purposeful. I spread my legs apart and watched as he pulled my panties down my body and tossed them to the side. He looked down at my pulsing wet mound and licked his fingers before sliding them through my folds. I leaned my head backward and moaned, feeling him push into me just slightly. He laid down on his belly and licked my clit, pushing down on it with his tongue and moving in circles. I could feel the intensity building in my stomach as he continued to eat me out, pushing his fingers in and out of me.
Every sensation of his tongue blew through me like a wild fire. I had missed his mouth on my body so badly. The hormones from the pregnancy had made everything on my body super sensitive, and I growled loudly as his tongue swirled up and around my clit. God, it felt so good. I reached down and touched the top of his head, lifting my hips upward and grinding against his mouth. He slid two fingers inside of me, and I grabbed onto the blankets, arching my chest into the air.
As the fire in me burst free, I screamed out, all the nerves in my body standing on end. My body shook and shivered as the orgasm I didn’t even know was waiting pounded through my body. He smiled and looked up at me as I relaxed back in the bed, shocked at how sensitive my body was. I sat up and pushed him backward, getting on all four and crawling toward him. I grabbed his shaft and smirked, pushing my mouth over the head and sucking his cock down my throat. He growled with shock as I bobbed my head up and down, wanting to taste him, needing to feel him deep. He wrestled with himself for a moment and then sat still, watching me suck him fast and hard.
I wanted to taste him, to feel his shaft pushing down my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. I twisted my head from side to side as I reached the bottom of his shaft, groaning with my mouth full of his cock. It was heated, but sensual in ways that I had never imagined before. I ran my hands up his stomach, feeling the muscles in his chest bulge as I sucked hard in the back of my throat. As my hands moved back down, I dragged my fingernails over his skin until I reached his thighs. From there, I moved my hand over, cradling his balls and bobbing my head faster and faster. His thighs quivered around me as his shaft pulsed inside of my mouth. I pulled up, releasing his cock from my grasp, not wanting him to come yet. There was so much I missed about being with him, and I definitely wasn’t leaving this room until I had him fully inside of me.
He sat up and kissed my mouth passionately before moving around behind me and lifting me up on all fours. I bit my lip and looked back at him as he stroked his cock, staring down at my ass. I jiggled it up and down and smiled coyly, watching him move in, pushing his big dick through my juices and deep inside of me. I groaned, turning my head forward and watching him in the mirror. He grabbed onto my hips, his muscles tightening and releasing as he began to thrust. I screamed out in pleasure, feeling him go deeper and deeper as his body slammed into my ass. He slid his hand down and grabbed my ass cheek, squeezing it hard as he effortlessly glided in and out of my juices.
His eyes looked up in the mirror and caught my gaze, a smirk moving over his lips. He reached forward and pulled me up on my knees, his dick still inside of me. One of his hands slid down to my clit, his fingers rubbing circles over it as his other reached across my chest and massaged my breast. I leaned my head back on his shoulder as he thrusted upward, pushing in and out of me. I moaned, closing my eyes and feeling every swirl of his fingertips. As my voice got louder, his motions got faster and quiet grunts escaped his throat with each push. I reached down and mirrored the movement of his fingers, screaming out in pleasure as I overflowed the cliff of ecstasy. My pussy contracted around his shaft over and over as my juices flowed down, dripping over his balls. My body shook, feeling the sensation of orgasm through my veins.
When I had calmed, he slowly pulled out, kissing my lips softly and pulling me around, laying me down on my back. He crawled forward over top of me and ran his hands up my arms, interlocking his fingers into mine. He reached down and pushed his cock inside of me, his mouth open and touching mine. I could feel the heat of his breath flowing over my face as he thrusted forward slowly, filling me back up. I pulled my legs up his sides, the passion between us swirling around the room. With every push forward, he breathed more heavily until his mouth pushed against mine.
We kissed wildly as our bodies writhed over top of one another. His movements had become sensual and slow, taking in every moment of our connection. I whimpered in his mouth, feeling his body press deeply against mine, his hips thrusting short and slow deep inside. He opened his eyes and stared into mine, his lips now barely touching me. He gripped tightly to my hand and whispered.
“I love you.”
I smiled and pressed my mouth back against his, lifting my hips as he pushed deep into me, holding it there for a moment before releasing. He pushed his legs out behind me and unhooked one hand from mine, reaching around and holding me by the waist. He rolled to the left, pulling me on top of him. I pulled my knees up and straddled him, pushing myself up to a sitting position and moaning loudly as he sank deeper inside of me. Immediately, I began to grind against him, keeping his dick buried deep inside. I set my palms down on his chest and pushed my hips down and back up again, my eyes locked with his. He looked at me with heavy eyes and slid his hand up the front of me, forcing me up straight. I leaned my head back and cl
osed my eyes, feeling his skin rub up to my nipples. He took two fingers and rolled my nipples around, sending electricity pulsing through my body.
He then slid his hands down to my waist and grabbed me tightly, pushing me farther down as I waved my hips like the ocean over his body. Every single sensation that sparked from the touching of our skin turned me on more and more. I groaned loudly, beginning to move faster on top of him. I slid my body up his shaft and then sat back down slowly, feeling the wrinkles of his cock rub against the satin inside my pussy. He growled and latched tightly to my ass cheeks, his jaw beginning to tighten. I smiled down at him, wanting to come all over his cock and wanting to feel him orgasm hard.
I slid my body up his shaft and slowly turned around, riding him reverse cowgirl. I leaned forward and grabbed his ankles, feeling his hands slide over my ass. I started to slap my ass up and down, fucking his dick hard and fast. He groaned, gripping onto my ass cheeks and helping the movement along. I could hear our skin connect, the sound of sweat and sex echoing against the penthouse walls. As I rode him hard, I could feel the fire begin to heighten in my belly. It only made me push faster and harder. My breathing began to increase, the sounds of my wails syncing with my hips.
“I’m gonna come,” I moaned.
“Yeah,” he groaned. “Don’t stop.”
I clenched down on his ankles and moved faster, now fucking him at a fevered pace. He groaned loudly as my body began to shiver. I picked up my head and screamed loudly, reaching my climax and bursting wide over his cock. He pushed down hard on my lower back, thrusting his hips upward and groaning deeply as he exploded inside of me. I could feel the bursts of come coming from his pulsing cock as my pussy tightened around his shaft. He groaned several times, pushing upward and then collapsing down into the bed. I rolled off of him and pulled myself up beside him, laying my head on his chest.