“Don’t cry pretty baby. Aunt Carrie will make sure you get your belly button pierced and all the tattoos you want even if your grouchy Daddy doesn’t like it. You and I are going to have all kinds of fun together.”
As if she’s listening, Evie quiets down for a few seconds, watching Carrie’s lips. But the reprieve is short-lived, her fussing escalating without the dinner she’s seeking. Nick flies over, pulling Shae along with him, and scoops up his daughter. Gina hides her smirk. This dude is a total freak job over the baby as much as he is with his wife. But it is sweet. For his six kinds of crazy, even she can’t deny his absolute devotion to both of them.
Carrie strokes over Nick’s chest and tsks. “I don’t think you have what she wants.”
Now Gina really does laugh out loud, ignoring Nick’s death stare jumping from Carrie to her. He feigns irritation but the edge is gone. Genuine happiness filling his heart instead, his own small laugh sneaking out from Carrie’s torturous teasing.
Once Nick escorts Shae and Evie inside, Carrie fists her tequila bottle, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Ready to strip and show me your new ink?”
Before Gina can answer, Max lifts her up with him as he stands. “Sorry, Carrie. Not tonight. She’s only getting naked with me.”
“Oh yeah!” Their friend starts humming stripper music and climbs onto Nathan’s lap. “Guess it’s just you and me baby.”
“God help me.”
Gina sets her dirty plate on the stack Max creates. The least they can do after the housekeeper’s hard work. But Marta waves them off, sliding a fork out of Max’s hand. “Is not for you. I do dishes. You do the naked.”
Well, with that kind of approval, who can resist? Gina grabs Max’s hand, chuckling at his bewildered expression before dragging him inside the house. “Thanks, Marta.”
He doesn’t protest. His pace quickening once they get inside. The kitchen empty except for Charlie lying on the cool tile. “Do you think we should tell Nick and Shae good-bye?”
“Nope.”
Her thighs clench from the huskiness of his voice. Anxious as she is to get home. Yet her anticipation isn’t only for sex. She wants that too of course. She’s not an idiot. But butterflies swarm in her tummy and sail upward, clogging her throat, from her other news. Hopeful he’ll be excited as she is. Terrified he won’t.
Intense eyes bore into hers as he slides the helmet over her head. Brushing her bangs to the side with his long fingers. Making her shiver from his kiss. Brief yet still heavy with need. He holds out his hand, helping her climb on behind him.
She squeezes him tight, returning his grip on her. Maybe she should start her confession. So much easier to admit what she’s going to suggest without his gaze on her. She sucks in a deep breath as they turn out of the driveway.
“When you were gone today, I did a little research...read about...” Damn, she sounds so stupid. “I’ve been thinking that we should…”
“What?”
“...consider hiring a surrogate.” Now that she’s said the word, she can’t stop the rush of excitement through her. “It’s simple really. They harvest my eggs, combine them with your sperm, and implant them in her uterus. If it works…” The lump in her throat bobbles with her swallow. So long since she thought this kind of happiness could be possible. “...we have a baby.”
“Me and you?”
Unwilling to let his surprise stall her explanation, she forces herself to keep going. “Yeah. Life is short and all that. I’m tired of being afraid. I want what Nick and Shae have. And, Pedro and Leticia. You know, birthday cakes and friends laughing and babies crying. That could be us.” Her confidence flounders at his body stiffening under her embrace. “If you want it too.”
“I had no idea.”
“I think…” The dumb smile on her face must grow even bigger, matching the adrenaline pumping through her veins. “I know we can do this.”
Only his shallow breathing answers her back. Fuck! She’s such a fool. He thinks she’s half nuts. Doesn’t want a child with her right now. Shame burns in her cheeks. Maybe he never will. “Just forget it. I know it’s too soon. I shouldn’t have—”
“No it’s not, G.” His hand grips her knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “It’s perfect.”
Now she really is crazy. Pulsing with anticipation she can’t hold back. She wants it all. With him. “Then that settles it. Max Masterson, will you marry me and have a baby with me?”
“Oh shit! It’s official. I’m a goddamn fucking pussy.”
His helmet bumps against hers as he lifts and shakes his head. Not at all the answer she was expecting. At least he didn’t say no. At least not yet anyway. She grips him tighter. “Why?”
“I just let my woman fucking propose to me.”
Her hands drift below his waist, stroking the thick denim, welcoming the hardness growing underneath his jeans. “Say yes, and maybe you’ll get some pussy.”
13
Chapter THIRTEEN
His cock throbs harder than his heart from both her touch and her words. Fuck, this woman is going to make him wreck. Marriage. Baby. Them. How the fuck did they finally make it to this point?
“You’ve got to stop, G. Or we’re not going to make it home.”
“Okay.”
The seductive tone fades to uncertainty, and her hands fall away. Gripping the seat behind her. Instead of him. Fuck that. Slowing down, he drifts to the shoulder, gliding into the packed parking lot of a tap house. Damn, he could use a drink himself right about now.
Probably not the smartest move to have this conversation here, but he’ll be damned if she thinks for even a second that he doesn’t want everything she offers him. Once the bike stops, he slams down his boots and yanks off his helmet. Fucking awkward trying to navigate off and around with her still clinging to the leather. Her dejected gaze on her legs.
“Listen to me.” He palms the plastic encircling her head and carefully raises it upward. Needing to see her stunning face when he answers her. To erase the doubt he created. He cups her chin and forces her to meet his eyes. “Yes, Gina. Fucking yes to all of it. There’s nothing I want more.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m just trying to keep you from killing us.” He caresses her lifting cheek. The fire returning to her eyes as well as his groin. “Because I’m barely hanging on with your hand on my dick.”
She tugs his shirt, fisting the fabric and yanking him down to her. “Then get your ass on this bike and let’s go home.”
Not yet. He needs to make sure his message comes through without any confusion. His hands grasp her hips, drawing her against him. Forcing her to straddle him instead of his ride.
"In a little bit I'm going to fuck you – hard and dirty just like you like." He sucks the tender spot on her throat as her body lifts from his words in her ear. Urging him to make good on his promise. "Your sweet pussy'll be so sore you’ll barely be able to walk and my body will be covered with your bite marks."
She shudders against him. Hard nipples peek through the thin fabric of her shirt, rubbing across his chest. Making him so hard his dick hurts.
"But first, I'm going to make love to you. Like a man who’s so fucking grateful that an amazing woman like you wants to be his wife."
Her head shakes, a huge smile glowing on her stunning face. "I’m the lucky one."
“It’s all me, baby.”
One last greedy kiss before he lets her slide down, holding her delicate hand while she climbs on behind him. Fucking lucky bastard to have her arms curl around his waist again. Holding him with love and lust. He needs a distraction from his aching cock to get them back safely. “Tell me more about how it works.”
“Well, there is an attorney that specializes in connecting the couples with the women. They’re married and have kids already…”
He hears everything and nothing she says to him. Unable to escape the high from her being so fucking excited. The passion that he’s missed for so long finall
y returning. Coming to life for their future.
They pull into the garage, and she hops off. An enormous grin still gracing her gorgeous mouth. Almost busting his ass climbing off his bike, he takes a deep breath. Trying to calm himself down before ravishing her on the concrete. This is not fucking. Not yet anyway. But they’ve got to hurry.
Grasping her small hand, he guides her up the steps, past the kitchen and her studio. She can barely keep up with his long strides, but she needs to be naked and underneath him. Now.
An intense gaze studies him as he lifts the hem of her shirt over her head. Unable to resist palming her beautiful breasts, he slides down her trembling torso to shove down her pants and, fucking god damn, her already damp thong.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I didn’t think I could survive the elevator ride to the penthouse.”
Her sexy laugh bubbles across the sparse space, driving straight to his groin. She shakes her head as he shrugs off his clothes, tossing them onto the floor. Not giving a damn about anything but her. He lays her across the mattress, nestling between her legs. Enticed by the power she holds over him, he barely hangs on, forcing himself to kiss her gently. Reminding her that this life she gives him is exactly what he wants. With her and everything she offers him.
“Wait.” Small hands press against his thudding heart. The somber expression darkening her face and driving fear through his veins. “I need to tell you something first.”
“Okay.”
A deep breath rattles her petite body. Gaining courage that she never needs. Nothing she can say will scare him away.
"No one's ever believed in me like you do. I'm sorry it took me so long to accept it. I've always lived with all this doubt. Except for you. Even when I pretended I didn't – I always believed in you."
He finally sees in her gaze what he's been searching for since he the moment he realized he loved her. The absolute certainty in her eyes. The final confirmation for him. And for herself.
"Thank you for trusting me when I couldn’t trust myself. Even with my crazy proposal and the surrogate, you still accept me for who I am. You love me no matter what. I promise to have that same faith in you." Delicate fingers cup his jaw, yearning flooding her words. “I hope you can forgive me for making it so damn hard to love me.”
“Nothing to forgive. I’d go through any bullshit to be here with you like this.”
Another huge smile erupts on her lips. Brushing against his with a tenderness that overwhelms him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Roughness in his voice he can't disguise. This woman. His woman brings him to tears. No one able to generate the sentiment in him but her.
Unable to hold back, he's inside her. Before he even realizes the movement. Pushing deep and hard to fill her completely. Emotion overcoming him to know his happiness is hers.
And he soars.
Grounded and flying simultaneously. Free and unrestrained. Released from the uncertainty niggling in the back of his mind. That this could never be his. That she would never be his. Finally relieved of all doubt.
She meets him thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around him. Clinging to him without restraint. This may not be her favorite position, but tonight he hopes it is. Face to face. Sharing the same urgent breaths. Enjoying her every gasp and mew as her pleasure builds. Never closing her eyes as he buries himself as far as her body can accept him.
Her hips lift, grinding her clit against him. Pushing him to the edge knowing their names rub between their bodies. Where they join together as one. Impossible to tell where each of them begins and ends. Just like the two of them. No one and nothing able to rip them apart.
Her fingernails trail over his scalp, tugging him closer so her lips brush over his sensitive skin. “Max, I…”
Pulsing against him as her head flails back, her mouth falling open. Even on the brink of his own orgasm, he smiles. Knowing exactly what she needs to claim him. He slides his fingers back and forth across her swollen lips, almost losing his shit when her tongue flits across the tips. Desperate for her pleasure, yet always hesitant to cause him pain. “Bite me, G. I want you to.”
The words barely escape before she greedily draws him inside her mouth, still wet and sticky from her sweet pussy. Her body stills, except for her teeth sinking into his skin. Fucking beautiful to see her come undone underneath him, squeezing his cock and his fingers. “I love you, Gina.”
She nods, her panting breaths blowing against his palm. Nothing can hold him back knowing she’s sated, and he explodes inside her. Teeth gritted as his body releases, pulsing over and over inside her heaven. Fucking shit, this woman owns him.
He nuzzles her neck. Planking her but not shifting his weight. Not giving her any escape. Never letting her go. Content to fuck the rest of the world and stay here forever with her. Just like this.
"You're beautiful."
Surprise forces a deep chuckle from his chest at her compliment. She’s drunk with love. For him. He’s a lucky bastard. "I'm supposed to be telling you that."
"It's unfair really. For a man to be so perfect.”
He lifts his head from the intoxicating scent of lavender floating over her silky skin. Sleepy eyes match her crooked smile. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do.”
Okay, it’s time to play again. Way too soon for the fun to end. “I think you’re just trying to sweet talk me…” He rocks his erection between her spread thighs. All the grogginess evaporates, and she gasps from the throbbing tip brushing over his ink. “...so I’ll fuck you.”
He falls back on his heels, savoring the exquisite vision in front of him. Sprawled across their bed, chest heaving, nipples hard and ready to be sucked. Her battle scar from that bastard’s bullet snaking across her trembling stomach, proof of the depth of her love. For him and all of them.
Yet she doesn’t hide the jagged line from him anymore. Trusts that this is more than just physical. That there is more to them than only sex.
Confusion lines her face from him staring at her. Time to answer her request. He tickles the sensitive skin on the balls of her tiny feet with feather light touches. She squeals and jerks her legs up. Taking advantage of her distraction he grasps her hips and flips her over on her knees. A throaty moan replaces the laughter. She knows what’s coming.
But she needs to suffer a bit first. His fingertips brush over her taut calves, while he licks the back of each trembling thigh. Caressing over her sweet ass cheeks, and sprinkling kisses up her spine. Welcoming the harsh shudder under his lips, her body wound tight with anticipation.
Time to crank up the pressure. She has to beg him. Just like she loves. He slides two fingers between her soft folds, still slick and drenched with their pleasure, and her knees buckle when he tweaks her throbbing clit.
“Please, Max.”
Fuck she’s sexy with her breathless pleading. “Please what, G?”
“Fuck...me.”
His arm slides around her waist, holding her up and tugging her warm back against his chest. She rides his hand hard, torturing them both with her urgency. Cries of pleasure escaping between pants. His cock bobs between his fingers, waiting entrance to her heaven. Unable to hold back, he scrapes his teeth over her lobe, crushing his mouth to her ear. “On your elbows.”
She explodes from his command, moisture dripping down his fingers as her pussy clenches around him, and she bites the body pillow shoved against the headboard. Not allowing her to come down from her high, he slides into her wet heat, slow and decadent. They’ve got all night, and they’re both going to enjoy every fucking second.
She's a fucking creeper. Watching him sleep. So content and untroubled. The worry lines finally smoothed out. His jaw relaxed. Replaced with a soft expression she hasn't seen since...ever. His hand swallowing hers rather than curled into a fist of tension and stress.
A smile breaks out despite herself. Giddy with exhilaration, that he's happy. Because
of her. Despite all the hell she's put him through. Released from the prison of fear she confined both of them to.
All her willpower tested not to trace his smooth skin. Slick and shiny after taking her three times through the night. Gentle and sweet. Demanding and rough. Then following her into the shower. Allowing her to clean him from head to toe before dropping to her knees and fucking him with her mouth. Dirtying him all over again.
He returned the favor, fucking her with his tongue while she sprawled across the built-in seat. Held in place by his firm hand across her stomach. Eliciting an orgasm so powerful he caught her from slamming her head against the tile when she went limp under the hot spray cascading down them. Exhausting her body. Sating her heart. Somehow knowing when and how to give her what she needs. Even when she doesn't know herself. He always does.
Sunlight streams across his face. Rare for them to be in bed this late. But she won't spoil his slumber. He's spent and deserves the rest. And she gets to stare at him a little bit longer.
She wasn’t lying when she said he’s so fucking beautiful. Some of it’s natural. The piercing green eyes that never waver. Not from danger. Or death. Or her. His thick, black hair. Shaggier than normal lately. Unwilling to take the time for even a quick haircut and leave her by herself.
Some of it's earned. His sculpted chest. His thick arms corded with muscles built day after day from his strenuous workouts. The ridges in his stomach hard and defined under her fingertips. That she needs to leave the fuck alone. They both need the sleep. She curls tighter against him and closes her eyes, drifting off to the soft beat of his heart under her cheek.
A whisper of fear tickles the back of her neck from him bolting upright in bed. Jerking off the blankets to grab his phone and shove it against his ear. Shrieking with a strange ring tone she’s never heard before.
“This better be a fucking joke.”
She shivers from the fear pounding in his voice rather than the anger she expects. Fumbling for the light with shaking fingers, she finally finds the damn switch. Fuck. She shudders again from his ashen face. Pale as the alabaster sheets covering her freezing body. “Max?”
Truth About Tequila: Believe in Me (Surviving Absolution #4) Page 11