Foolish Expectations

by Alison Bliss

  Nash grinned, though. His mother’s excitement was not only contagious, but Bailey seemed to be relaxing more and enjoying the instant camaraderie she’d found with her new mother-in-law. Every time his wife smiled, she took his breath away. It was something he planned to make sure she did more often.

  “Oh, my God!” his mom shrieked. “I just realized I’m intruding on your honeymoon.” She reached for her purse on the counter. “I should go and leave you two lovebirds alone.”

  “It’s okay,” Bailey said, shaking her head. “We didn’t have any plans today.”

  Ha! Speak for yourself. Nash had plenty of plans today and not a single damn one included them leaving the bedroom, much less hanging out with his mother. But he wasn’t about to say that out loud and hurt her feelings.

  Nash nodded to the stove. “What about breakfast? Aren’t you going to stay and eat?”

  “You two enjoy it.” His mother started out the kitchen door, but stopped at the last minute. “Bailey, how about I take you to lunch next week? It would give us girls a chance to get to know each other better.”

  “Sure, I’d like that,” Bailey replied, offering a sincere smile.

  His mom wrapped her arms around Bailey and squeezed tight. “Welcome to the family.” She released her, then glanced over to her son. “Oh, and, Nash…do me a favor. Call your father.”

  Yeah. That’ll be a cold day in hell. Despite her request, though, he grinned. “I knew you had an ulterior motive for this visit.”

  She winked at him, then headed out the door.

  Nash sank into one of the wooden chairs and blew out a breath. Well, that went better than he’d expected. Bailey walked over to the stove and picked up a small piece of bacon, popping it into her mouth. “You hungry? I can make you a plate.”

  Nash started to rise. “Here, let me—”

  “No. You don’t have to do everything for me. I’m pregnant, not an invalid. I’m quite capable of plating some food. Besides, if you don’t let me do things for you, too, then this is never going to work.”

  He nodded and sat back down. “Okay. The dishes are in the second cabinet on your left.”

  When she reached up in the cabinet, Nash’s first thought was he would have to lower the shelves to accommodate for her height. But when the back of her shirt rose several inches, showing off even more of those long, sexy legs he wanted to wrap around his waist, he changed his mind.

  Damn shelves could stand to be taken up a notch or two.

  Even after Bailey managed to get the plates down, Nash couldn’t take his eyes off her. Especially when she dropped the dish towel on the floor and bent over to retrieve it. The white shirt she wore tightened across her ass and there was no panty line in sight.

  Knowing he’d put her luggage in the guest room to keep her from tripping over it until they could unpack it, he’d bet everything he owned she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Just the thought alone sent an ache straight to his groin.

  As if she’d read his thoughts, Bailey glanced over her shoulder and said, “By the way, I hope it’s okay that I borrowed your shirt. My suitcases seem to be conveniently missing, and I wasn’t going to put on my clothes from yesterday.”

  Heaven help me. The woman probably didn’t even realize it, but she was killing him slowly. All he wanted to know was what the hell she had on beneath that fucking shirt. And it was about damn time he found out. “Bailey, come here, please.”

  “One second, I’m almost done.”

  “No, just leave it.” His voice came out more curt than he meant it to.

  She turned and gave him a puzzled look, but set the plate down and walked over to him without any hesitation. He shoved his chair back from the solid oak table and maneuvered her directly in front of him. “Sit,” he ordered, gesturing to the table behind her.

  Bailey perched on the edge as asked, but stared at him warily.

  Nash didn’t hesitate. He lowered his head and kissed her left thigh, slowly trailing his tongue over her soft skin. She froze at the unexpected touch, but the moment her body relaxed, he moved to the right thigh and gave it the same treatment. Then, placing both hands on her knees, he gently spread her legs apart.

  His cock twitched beneath the seam of his jeans. Fuck, yeah. No panties.

  He’d already figured she wasn’t wearing any, but seeing her without them caused a much stronger reaction than just thinking it. Wordlessly, Nash reached out and stroked two fingers through her slick folds, coating each one with her wetness.

  “Um, Nash…” She panted softly as he continued to fondle her. “Don’t you want to eat first?”

  His mouth watered at the scent of her arousal. “Sweetheart, you just read my mind.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bailey stiffened. “Here?”

  “Oh, yeah. Right here, baby,” Nash whispered, then slid his fingers inside her.

  A strangled sound left her throat. Oh God.

  He worked his fingers in and out slowly, then used his free hand to coax her into laying back on the hard table. The coolness of the wood seeped through the back of her shirt, but the cold farmhouse table was the least of her concerns. Her discomfort had way more to do with the way she was spread out before him like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

  Not that he seemed to mind.

  Nash—who was getting an intimate, up-close view of her goodies in broad daylight—licked his lips as if he couldn’t decide what to sample first. Within seconds, he made his decision and went straight for the main course, suctioning his mouth directly over her clit.

  Her back arched in ecstasy, and she clutched fistfuls of his hair. Okay, so maybe here is not so bad, after all.

  His agile fingers and skilled tongue drew out every gasp she tried to swallow. Somehow, in their short time together, he’d figured out right where to touch her to set her off like a firing squad. The virile man had skills, and—holy hell—oral sex was at the top of that list.

  The bold caress of his lips sent blood humming through her veins, and her eyes fluttered closed. A gripping sensation took hold of her body while the stirring of primal needs tampered with her sanity.

  From the beginning, she’d tried to keep Nash at bay, but the persistent man had breached every defense she’d thrown at him. Didn’t he realize the emotional roadblocks she’d put in his path were meant to protect both of them when all of this came to a screeching halt? Yet, he refused to avoid them. Instead, he continued to plow right through the sonsofbitches and kept on going.

  Worst. Fucking. Driver. Ever.

  Unfortunately, that made her the crash test dummy passenger, riding shotgun, without a seatbelt or airbag to protect her from the head-on collision she saw coming with the brick wall of heartache. There’d be nothing to cushion the blow, and she only hoped the baby wouldn’t be collateral damage. Damn it. Don’t do it, Bailey. Don’t fall for him.

  But sadly, it was too late. His strategy was working, and every moment she spent with him cracked her heart open a little wider. God. He was just too much to resist.

  Bailey’s body quivered as she absorbed the way his mouth felt on her. The lapping motions he made with his tongue quickened the aching tension coiling inside her and the breathless urgency took over. Desire pooled around her, while waves of pleasure crashed against her core. She moaned loudly, giving in to the sensations.

  The moment her body convulsed, Nash tightened his grip on her thighs and fed on her like a starving man who’d just been given his first substantial meal in days. When her strangled cries quieted and her body went limp, he stood and swiftly lifted her into his strong arms.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking my wife to bed,” he answered simply, then headed down the hall.

  After laying her gently on her pillow, he stripped off his unbuttoned jeans and tossed them aside. Bailey’s gaze lowered to his solid erection, and she licked her lips.

  “See something you like?” His husky voice vibrated in the air.

 
Her eyes lifted to his and her cheeks warmed. The sexy bastard had read her mind and wore a smug grin. “Maybe,” she teased, adding a nonchalant shrug to punctuate her answer. Then she smiled at him.

  His brow rose and his eyes lit with challenge. “Just maybe, huh?”

  Teasing a man in bed was a new experience for her, but one she liked very much. And judging from his reaction, she wasn’t the only one enjoying it.

  The moment he lunged for her, Bailey rolled away and scrambled across the bed, giggling. Grabbing her by the ankle, he flipped her over and hauled her back to him, wedging his muscled thighs between her legs. His hard length rubbed against her as he leaned down to her ear and growled, “I think I should do something about that maybe of yours.”

  “You should,” she agreed, repositioning her hips to better accept him.

  He inched his thick, swollen head inside her, and a moan gurgled in her throat. She waited for him to take her, to push deeper, so she could feel that delicious intrusion that always took her breath away as her flesh gave way to his. But instead, he stilled himself above her, bracketing his arms around her head to hold himself up.

  “Tell me what you want, baby.”

  What? No. She didn’t feel like talking right now. Her body burned for him to move inside her, to claim her, to fuck her until she couldn’t see straight. That’s what she wanted. Screw talking about it.

  Frustrated by his hesitation, Bailey lifted her pelvis to grind against him. But he shifted and withdrew even more. “Uh-uh. If you want it, you’re going to damn well say it first. Now tell me.”

  The intensity of his blue eyes and the slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth told her this was no longer a game. At least not one she would win.

  Well, fuck.

  “I want it.”

  He grinned sinfully. “Want what?”

  “You. Or more specifically, your dick—”

  She gasped.

  Without hesitation, Nash had thrust his hips forward and sank fully into her depths. Overwhelmed by the unexpected invasion, her inner muscles clamped down hard on him, bonding them together.

  He groaned and blew out a slow breath. “God, you have no clue how good this feels. You’re so fucking tight.”

  He was wrong about that. She knew exactly how good it felt. How good he felt. The heavy weight of him pressing her into the mattress as he buried himself in her. The muscled hardness of his body straining against hers. The way his fingers dug into her shoulders, as if he needed something tangible to hold onto.

  Yeah, she knew.

  But it was nothing compared to how she felt when he began rolling his hips and sending shock waves of pleasure rippling through her. Her thighs quivered each time he pumped his magnificent cock inside her, probing her slick heat with a slow, repetitive pattern. His smoldering eyes held hers with intent.

  Bailey remembered that look.

  He was waiting for her to unravel beneath him, so he could watch her dive over the edge of insanity into the fires of orgasmic bliss. But, this time, she was taking him with her. Sinewy arms caged her in, but she’d be damned if she was just going to lie there and let him take possession of her without giving him something in return.

  If I burn, we both burn.

  Bailey raked her nails across his ribs, and he shuddered. Yearning to taste him, she leaned up and brushed her tongue along his bottom lip, then sucked it into her mouth and gave it a quick nip. His speed increased, and he grew thicker and harder inside her. Stripping away the last of her restraint, she pulled back and quickly unbuttoned her shirt, slid it aside, and bared her breasts.

  That one little move apparently unshackled the primal need growing between them. He mumbled something incoherent under his breath, closed his lips firmly around one pebbled nub, and they fell off the cliff…together.

  Nash stroked into her several more times, each thrust slower than the last, until he stopped altogether and held himself deep inside her, pulsing and throbbing. His eyes slid shut in ecstasy as he threw his head back, his grunts of completion muffled by her cries of release. Then he lowered his head to her neck and breathed heavily.

  Several quiet minutes passed before Nash shifted beside her and pulled her into his strong arms. “You okay?” he asked, concern tightening his voice.

  She sighed contently and snuggled into his chest. “Mmm-hmm.”

  He kissed the top of her head.

  After a few moments of silence, Bailey said, “I, um…liked your mom.”

  Nash chuckled. “Good. Because she’s going to spoil our child rotten. She’s been asking me for grandbabies since I graduated law school. She always said she didn’t want to be an old lady by the time I gave her one.”

  Bailey glanced up at him and folded her hand under her chin, smiling. “Will I like your dad, too?”

  His brows furrowed and his body tensed. “No. Probably not.”

  Puzzled, she waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. “Is there any particular reason why?”

  “Because I don’t even like him half the time.”

  “Oh. Is that why you won’t take his job offer?”

  “Yes. He’s an overbearing, pompous ass. I have no doubt he would be checking up on me and questioning every decision I made. It’s not worth it. He’s always tried to control me and has been pulling this kind of shit for years. The last time I spoke to him, I told him to take his job and shove it up his ass. That was three months ago.”

  “Maybe if you talked to him about how you feel…”

  “You don’t think I’ve tried in the past?” He plunged his fingers through his hair. “Aaron Sutherland doesn’t hear anything that isn’t coming out of his own mouth. I don’t want anything to do with him or the family business.”

  “But y-you’re his son.”

  “So?”

  “So don’t you want a relationship with your dad?”

  Nash barked out a sarcastic laugh. “I had a relationship with him. A shitty one. So I got out while I could.”

  “If he’s trying to make amends through your mom, though…”

  “He’s not. The only thing my dad is trying to do is get me to take that fucking position at Sutherland Industries. It’s not going to happen.” Nash slid out from under her and swung his legs off the bed. “I’ll never ask that man for anything as long as I live.”

  She placed one hand on his bicep. “Nash….”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “I know you’re upset with him, but I… Well, I lost my mom in a car accident when I was five years old.” She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes and swallowed hard.

  Nash turned to her, cradling her cheek with his hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know.”

  She shook her head, pushing away the sorrow welling up inside her. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. But I can’t call her, talk to her, or even argue with her anymore. So although I know you’re mad now, don’t write your father off completely over something as silly as a job offer. There may come a day when you can’t talk to him and you’ll wish you could.”

  He sighed. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  She smiled at him. “That’s all I ask. Besides, our baby will probably want to meet his or her grandfather one day.”

  “Oh, this kid is in for a real treat, then,” he said, rolling his eyes. He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. “Speaking of which, I’m sure you’re starving. Why don’t I grab our food before it gets any colder and we’ll have breakfast in bed? Then we can take a shower…together.” He waggled his brows suggestively.

  She grinned at him, fully aware of what that shower would lead to, but nodded anyway. Everything Bailey had ever wanted in a husband was right there in front of her. Loving. Playful. Kind. Irresistible. All she had to do was hang on to it, to him, and keep from screwing it all up.

  Sure, in the beginning she’d bet against them working as a couple, but what she hadn’t known at the time was just how right things could be. Na
sh had stacked the deck in their favor, and although she’d never been much of a gambler…

  Well, she was all in.

  Chapter Twenty

  The following week, Nash left his office two hours early. It wasn’t something he did very often, but his favorite part of having his own practice was having control over his own schedule, which was something he couldn’t do in the corporate world. He always knew he would settle down eventually and didn’t want to be an absentee husband or an occasional father.

  He made a quick stop at the florist to pick up a dozen long-stemmed red roses, and then headed home to surprise Bailey. When he arrived, though, she wasn’t there to greet him as she usually did when she heard him coming down the driveway.

  But he was early. Maybe she was in the shower. Or taking a nap.

  He placed the aromatic bouquet and his black briefcase on the kitchen counter and headed toward the bedroom to check on her. But as he rounded the corner and stepped into the hallway, he stopped in his tracks. A pair of black satin panties lay smack dab in the middle of the floor in front of him.

  At first, he was puzzled, but then he grinned.

  Obviously, his adorable wife must’ve called the office after he’d left for the day and the secretary had told Bailey he was on his way home. The more time he spent with Bailey, the more she teased him—in and out of the bedroom—but this was taking things to a whole new level. The little vixen.

  Nash swiped the panties from the floor and ran his fingers over the silky texture, letting the sensation torment his libido. His cock hardened and he reached down to adjust the uncomfortable swelling. When that didn’t help, he popped open the button on his pants, slid down his zipper, and freed his raging hard-on from the constraints of clothing.

  Ah, much better.

  He continued to the bedroom, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt as he went, but paused at the bedroom door. Soft grunting sounds came from the other side, and they were getting louder.

  No fucking way. She’s…masturbating?

  He envisioned her lying in their bed, legs spread, while running her small hand down her slim body until she reached that sensitive bundle of nerves he loved to nibble on so much. No doubt she’d be circling it in slow motion, building the tension, until her body exploded beneath her own touch.