Plus, those eyes. Every time he looked into them, they said so much.
He shoved the money into his pocket and walked into Sophie's room. Axel sat on the foot of the bed, already snug in his position. Sophie looked cozy on her side, eyes closed and her hand resting on his spot. He smiled at her beauty and the way she curled into bed. He already anticipated feeling her glorious body next to his, wrapped in his arms. He ached to have her whole body, to connect as one, but surprisingly, he was just as happy holding her at night. For the first time in his life, he enjoyed just holding a woman. His woman. He liked the sound of that.
He quietly closed the door, locked it, and walked over to his side of the bed. He quickly undressed, and as lightly as he could, he climbed into bed and scooted towards Sophie. She opened her eyes when she felt him cradle her cheek in his hand.
"What took you so long?" she whispered sleepily.
"Deja stopped me in the hallway. Paid me some money," Austin said, pulling her closer into his arms.
"Did she? Good," Sophie said, a slight shiver running through her body.
"Hmm...I haven't even touched you much. Why the shiver?"
She bit her lip, a small frown forming.
Austin dove in, biting her bottom lip. "You know how I get when you bite your lip. What's the matter?"
"What do you see when you look at Deja?" Sophie asked in a soft whisper.
"What? What kind of question is—" Austin paused, the obvious finally dawning on him. "You don't think I'll leave you for Deja, do you?"
When Sophie made no move to answer, but bite on her lip again, Austin knew. "You do think that. Geez, Sophie. No, my beautiful pixie angel, never. No wonder you shiver every time I talk to her or mention her name. Why didn't I see this sooner? Sure, she's pretty, but she's not you. Nobody compares to you. I will repeat that until you trust it. Trust me, please."
"So I was being silly?"
"Yes, you were being silly. Tell me these silly things right away. I don't ever want you to shiver over something like that. I want you shivering over something like this," Austin said, as he moved his mouth over her lips.
Sophie did tremble as his tongue tangled with hers, making her forget why she ever thought such silly, ridiculous thoughts. He pulled away, making her groan in sadness. "Do you believe me?"
"I do. She's just so beautiful. I just thought...I trust you. I'm glad she paid you some money already. Now you know you can trust her. See, there's no reason to worry while you're on vacation."
"Sophie, I'm gonna worry regardless. Not just because of Deja either."
She looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"
Austin lightly rubbed her back. His fingers were like feathers, brushing her in small tender strokes, up towards her shoulders and back down softly to the edge of her pants. He liked their honesty, their openness to talk about everything. He wanted to share it all with her. He didn't want secrets or the deep worry that had settled in his stomach to fester while he was gone.
He lightly stroked up and down again, this time hooking the end of her nightgown. Brushing his hand back up underneath the silky garment, he treasured every time she trembled from his soft touch. That's the only kind of trembling he ever wanted to feel coming from her.
Every small movement she surrendered made him harder to the core. It turned him on in a dizzy rush. He wanted this delicate, beautiful woman, it hurt so badly.
He kissed her lips lightly. "You like how I touch you?"
"Of course I do. Your hands can do the most amazing things with just one light touch," she said, nervously. "If it's not Deja, what are you worried about? You didn't answer me."
"I feel so close to you when you're in my arms. I feel a slight change in you every night. Like tonight. This is the first time I walked in and you had your eyes closed, just leisurely waiting for me. That's progress. Every other night, I was always in the bed first, patting the spot next to me. I'm happy with you, Sophie. Are we gonna go two steps back when I come back? Am I gonna have to work my way back into this bed? I'm scared that with me leaving, you might go into your shell a bit. I don't know why I feel that way. I just do. It worries me. Not that I won't work my way back in here, because I will. I need you, Sophie. Geez, I don't know what's wrong with me." He kissed her soundly on the lips and turned his head away.
"Time away for my mind to play games with me is what you're worried about," she said, grabbing his cheek for once and made him look at her.
"Maybe. Am I being dumb? Am I being silly now? Do I have to worry? I'm gonna miss you like hell, you have no idea."
She rubbed her finger over his mouth. "You swore."
He opened his mouth and grabbed her finger with his lips in one smooth move. She slowly pulled her finger out as a smile formed on his face. "I did swear. Forgive me, my pixie angel?"
"It's not hard to forgive you. I'm going to miss you, too, Austin. Especially at night," she whispered tentatively. "You make me forget a little more each night, faster than I thought possible. You make me want you so much. I'm almost ready, but not yet. I hope I don't take two steps back, but if I do, I can't wait for you to convince me back into your arms."
She bit her lip lightly, but before he could say anything, she mumbled, "I even went to the doctor."
He looked confused. "Why? Are you okay?"
"I want to be ready for when you completely erase my mind," she said, sucking in a quick breath. "Birth control. I want to feel you completely. I'm so close to giving in, but there's that small fear that lingers. I don't know why."
"Getting ready for me...I like hearing that, Sophie. You have no idea how much I like hearing that. That's good. Even if you didn't, I would protect you. That's what condoms are for," he said with a tender smile. "I'd never intentionally hurt you."
"But I want to feel you completely. I've never felt so connected to someone before. I want that full connection," she whispered.
He smiled wide at that and grabbed a kiss. She immediately opened for him, tangling her tongue with his. He meant for it to be a quick, sweet kiss. When she responded like that, he couldn't help but kiss her back with a matching pace. He held her in his arms, kissing her deeply, and couldn't believe how lucky he truly was to have found this beautiful, sweet woman.
Without thought, he rolled to his side, making her roll with him. Almost lying on top of her, he pressed lightly into her as he continued to kiss her into madness. She moved beneath him, igniting a fire instantly inside him, making him push into her a bit harder. She moaned into his mouth at the contact.
He suddenly broke the kiss. "Do you see how easily you get me going? One little kiss and I lose my mind."
"I like it when you lose your mind. It helps me lose mine," she said with a grin.
"Oh, Sophie, you always surprise me with the things you say. I like that." He kissed her lightly this time, rolled onto his back, and pulled her back to rest her head on his chest. "Deja's worming her way into my trust, but not completely. Is it okay if Emmett stops by a few times to check on you? I'd feel better knowing he was."
Sophie trembled. Austin immediately recognized the difference. "Please, Sophie. You know Emmett. I need to know you're safe."
"I met him once, Austin. I wouldn't say I know the man."
"True, but he's family. You can trust him because I do. He's a good guy. I would seriously feel better about it. You don't have to let him in. Just open the door, flash a beautiful smile of yours, and tell him you're alright. We can make a safe word, in case something's wrong, so he knows there's trouble. How about sexy beast?"
She laughed into his chest. "How in the world would I use the words sexy beast in a sentence to tell him I'm not okay?"
"I don't know. Say something like...I talked to Austin, that sexy beast. That would work, don't ya think?" he said, laughing.
"Who said you're a sexy beast?"
Austin looked at her in mock surprise. "You don't think so? We already established I'm irresistible, I would assume sexy beast is ri
ght alongside that."
Sophie laughed even harder. "You're something else, Austin. I guess he can check up on me and we'll use that as a safe word. I won't have to use it, but I can't wait for you to tell him what the safe word will be. He's going to tease you. Just like he did about the spider."
"That's okay. I can handle the teasing. I just wanted to hear you laugh," he said sincerely. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, my pixie angel."
Sophie snuggled deeper into his embrace. "Good night, my sexy beast."
Austin chuckled, already missing her like crazy, even as he held her in his arms. This would be the longest vacation he ever had.
Chapter 9
Ava suddenly stopped and inhaled deeply. She felt arms wrap around her and squeeze hard.
"Sweetheart, I nearly fell over running into you. What are you doing?" Zane whispered in her ear.
"Can't you smell it, Zane?" she said with a huge smile on her face, inhaling another deep breath.
Zane glanced at Austin, who shrugged in confusion, and brought his attention back to Ava. He leaned his head closer to her ear, wiggled his nose in a sniffing excursion as Ava chuckled in his arms. "I smell the pretty flower in my arms, but that's about it."
Ava turned around in his arms, smiling up at him. "New York, Zane. Can't you smell the wonder of the city? It's beautiful."
"It's called pollution. I do smell that now," he replied dryly.
"Sure smells better than the plane. You two weren't stuck by a smelly teenager and a dad with gas. I'm telling ya, he had gas. He was just too damn lazy to get up and use the toilet," Austin said, earning another chuckle from Ava.
"Yeah, sorry about that, bro, don't know how our seats got mixed up like that. I'm thankful you had the smelly dad, too," Zane said.
"Wait until you're that smelly dad. Not gonna sit by you on a plane, that's for sure," Austin said, laughing.
"Just because I'm going to be a dad doesn't mean I'm going to pass gas on an airplane. It's called manners," Zane said with a small tone of irritation.
"Stop arguing, children. Don't tease Zane, Austin. He's sensitive right now. You're going to be a wonderful dad. I'll sit by you even if you do pass a little gas," Ava said, grabbing a quick kiss.
"Hey, what happened to stop teasing me? I'm sensitive, remember?" Zane said with a wounded face.
"That's why I kissed you. To soften the blow a bit," she said, grabbing another kiss.
"You're both going to make wonderful parents. Sorry I'm late. Traffic is especially horrible today. A holiday looming always means more tourists, which means more traffic. You think I would have realized that when I left," Peter said from behind them.
"Dad!" Ava ran out of Zane's arms into Peter's.
Peter grabbed her in a fierce hug, picked her up and twirled her around as he laughed with delight. "You're going to hurt yourself twirling me like that, Dad," Ava said, laughing in his ear as she held on tight. Suddenly, she didn't want to let him go and wanted one more twirl.
"I'm never too old to hold my little girl and give her a hug." He squeezed tight and twirled her one more time. When he came full circle, he stepped back and held her by the arms. "Let me look at you. You're beautiful. I see that wonderful pregnancy glow that women have. Yours is beyond the most beautifulest."
"Dad, beautifulest isn't a word," Ava said with a grin.
"Sure it is. When my daughter is pregnant and glows like an angel, it's a damn word. I missed you. You need to visit me more often," he said, pulling her in for another hug. In the tiniest whisper he could manage, he asked, "How's Zane? Is he doing alright? I didn't mean to say that last part so loud. I know it's hard for him here."
"He's fine, Dad. A little tension, but he'll be fine. Just don't make a big deal about it. I'll try to visit more often. Let's show Zane how wonderful New York can really be."
"Good plan." He let Ava go and looked over at the two men who had become his family with little effort. "Boys, where's my hug?" Peter asked with a grin.
"You're not gonna twirl us too, are you?" Austin asked with a horrified expression, his smile hiding just below the surface.
"I just might. I may look old, but I'm fit as a fiddle. My three favorite people in the whole world are finally visiting me. It's cause for some twirling," he replied jovially.
"Twirl me all you want, sir. Just maybe, no more twirling Ava. What happens if it's hurting the baby?" Zane asked, concerned, grabbing a hug from Peter.
Before Zane could let go, Peter picked him up and half twirled him. He couldn't manage the gracefulness as he had when he twirled Ava, but it got the job done. Zane laughed, backing up a few steps after Peter finally let him go.
"Son, that's not going to hurt the baby. I can see you're going to be a worrywart, just like I was. I was a mess until Ava popped out and then my worry increased tenfold. It doesn't get easier...the worry. Trust me. She's how many states away and my worry is ten times worse than when she lived not far from me. I know she's in good hands with you, Zane. I can tell already how wonderful of a father you're going to be. I can't wait for my grandchild to get here. Boy, you're going to have your hands full."
Zane groaned. "Don't I know it." Then he glanced at Ava, her beautiful smile shining at him, and glanced back at Peter. "Thanks for the twirl."
"Anytime," Peter said, laughing. He turned to Austin.
"Man, I'll just feel left out now if I don't get twirled," Austin said, with a mock frown.
"Get over here," Peter said, tossing his head back in a come here gesture. He grabbed a hug from Austin and did another half twirl like Zane. "You boys are just too heavy for a full-on decent twirl. That's the best I can do."
"Best twirl I had," Austin said, clapping a hand on Peter's back. "What's on the agenda for today, Dad? Oh, wait...Grandpa."
For a brief moment, panic settled on Peter's face. "Grandpa?" he muttered in disbelief.
He kept his eyes on Austin the whole time, finally bringing his mouth into a deep smile. "Grandpa. I think it's starting to sound better each time I hear it. Don't scare a man like that, Austin. A little warning next time."
"I thought the announcement of Ava's pregnancy was enough warning," Austin said with a grin.
"You know what I mean."
"Sure, I do...Grandpa," Austin said, laughing again.
"I see how this trip is going to go," Peter said with a laugh. He gestured for them to follow, pulling Ava into his arms as he walked by her. "Let's hit the road. I thought you guys might be hungry and figured we could swing by O'Hares. I have a strong feeling there are some people who might be there. What do you think about that, Ava?"
"Sounds like the best plan...Grandpa," Ava said, glancing behind her to see Austin laughing. She smiled at Zane, who smiled back, but she saw his apprehension. His tension.
They made it to O'Hares twenty minutes later, surprisingly, considering traffic was still hectic. They were about to step inside when Austin pulled his phone out. "I'll meet you guys inside."
Zane nodded in understanding and held the door open for Peter and Ava.
"Everything's alright, I hope?" Peter asked.
It wasn't hard to mistake the brief worry that filtered into Austin's face before he covered it up with a smile.
Zane walked in behind him. "Yeah, everything's fine. He met a woman. Well, he always meets women. I mean, he met a good woman he truly cares about. He's worried about her back home in Minnesota."
"Why?" Peter asked, confused.
"I'll explain later, Dad. Maybe you can help somehow," Ava said. A huge smile formed on her face when she saw her friends.
Zane grabbed Ava's arm before she could rush off in excitement. "Ava. Remember what happened last time you butted in? You can tell your dad, but don't go trying to fix anything. Sophie wouldn't like it and neither would Austin if it hurts Sophie."
Ava sighed. "I know. I can't help myself."
"Well, try really hard. You saw the way Austin acted after you did what you
did. He practically ignored you," Zane said with a warning in his tone.
"I know. I swear I won't do anything to hurt either of them. Can I get all excited now, Zane?" Ava asked with a beaming smile.
"Yes," Zane said, just as Markus came up and grabbed Ava in a hug without asking.
"Where have you been hiding? Man, I missed you, Ava," Markus said, squeezing her hard.
"I missed you, too," Ava said, squeezing back.
"Maybe not so hard. You could hurt the baby," Zane said with a cringe as Peter put a comforting hand on his shoulder and chuckled.
Markus let Ava go laughing and walked up to Zane, grabbing a quick hug. "I know what you mean. I was like that in the first few months. I forgot she was pregnant because she's not that big yet. Wait 'til you see Ashley." A chorus of screams sounded in front of the two men. "And there she is."
Zane laughed as Ashley waddled up to Ava and grab her in a hug, both of them screaming in delight. "She's beautiful, Markus. How far along is she now?"
"7 1/2 months. It goes way too fast, man. Enjoy every little minute. Even the annoying ones where they complain, cry, demand you go get them food and crap. It's worth every minute, though. I love when the baby moves around and kicks. That's the best," Markus said, smiling. Julie had joined them in the hug. They gushed over one another, touching each other's bellies, and talking pregnancy. Julie wasn't pregnant, but she wasn't shy about gushing over the two of them.
"I haven't felt the baby move yet. I can't wait. I can't help but worry over every little thing. You know Ava. She doesn't slow down for anything. Still the same old Ava. Do you know what you guys are having?" Zane said.
"No, we decided to keep it a secret. It's killing me, but Ashley really wanted the element of surprise. I don't know. It's just crazy to me. Tell me already, you know?" Markus said, shaking his head in annoyance.
"Women have all the control. Haven't you learned that, Markus?" Peter said with a grin.
"Oh, I know, sir. Hence why I gotta wait to find out what the sex of my own baby is," Markus said.
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