by Treva Harte
Her grip on Wynn's shoulders tightened. She knew that Wynn had imagined the same thing just then. That was when the baby became real to her at last.
And that was when she finally did know how she felt about having a baby.
This baby wasn't going to have to spend any time feeling left out or wondering if Daddy really loved his own child. Cassie had wondered plenty about that when she was growing up, but Wynn was different from her father. Their baby was about to be lucky enough to get the perfect dad.
She didn't know how he managed it, given his own dad, but Wynn was a father who, whether he realized it yet or not, was already ecstatic about his baby's future arrival. Cassie could feel the joy bubbling inside of him.
Because she loved him, she couldn't begrudge him that joy or selfishly wish she had Wynn all to herself for just a little bit longer. Maybe some of that joy sort of flowed over to her too, because she could feel a smile forming.
*I'm starting to get happier about things now, Wynn. If you're sure.*
What Wynn was sure of was that they'd still be a bloody secure family, no matter where they went or what they did. The baby was almost certain to inherit their gift but with Cassie around he had a feeling the kid was going to always see that as a welcomed present. She'd make the perfect mother for a kid like that.
He almost hoped the baby inherited her flaky moods.
Almost.
She pinched him.
"I heard that, buddy."
"Now what, Cass?" He wanted to give her—well, something amazing. It was like the stupid songs. The stars didn't seem enough.
Wynn stared at Cassie's face. She was happier than he'd seen her in days. Happier than he'd seen her since she'd agreed to marry him.
"All right then. After weeks of being a dutiful fiancée, dressing and doing what I'm supposed to do, I've declared my independence. The pearls are finally gone. What next?" She thought for a moment. Then Cassie's eyes glittered with amusement. "I hate this dress. I'm not going to wear it any more, either."
Cassie began to wiggle the tasteful and expensive dress off, suddenly laughing. The old Cassie was back with a vengeance. Wynn hastily glanced around but no one was nearby. When he looked back at her, his mouth went dry.
Cassie's dress was gone. Now she looked tasty instead of tasteful and instead of expensive she looked-not cheap-
She looked fuckable. Damn fuckable. His fantasies, momentarily frozen from amazement, came roaring back. Cassie's dress might be conventional, but her underwear wasn't. Had he ever seen her with silk stockings and a garter before?
"Um—are you planning to leave like that?" Wynn really wasn't sure what would happen next. But things were looking up.
"No, silly. Give me your jacket."
His conventional suit jacket just skimmed her thighs and the lapels formed a low V to show her cleavage. The cleavage that her—her bra-like thing that had been driving him crazy was pushing up to overflowing. Wynn swallowed hard. In his jacket and her high heels, she looked...she looked...She looked like he had to get her the hell out of the house and into the car while there was still time. Before he got into her right there in the hall. "Come on, Cassie."
"Just a minute."
Cassie began to tug at something else.
Wynn stopped, all his X-rated thoughts suddenly fleeing.
"No."
Cassie paused, her hand on her engagement ring.
"But, Wynn, I thought you said we didn't have to be respectable married folks!" she protested. "I don't want to be."
"The engagement ring stays, Cassidy."
"Why? We're going to be together forever, right? What difference does it make if we're married or not?"
"The difference is—because—"
Because he needed them to be married. Somehow that didn't seem like a good enough reason.
How was he supposed to argue with her when she looked like that? If those buttons came undone he wasn't going to be able to remember his name, much less put a sentence together. A sentence that would convince Cassie they needed to be married.
"Well?" Cassie challenged him.
"Because...because I'm going to show you we can do things differently married. Better."
"Better than what, ace?" Cassie asked.
"Better than your folks did. Better than mine did. Better than anyone in the whole world has ever or will ever do. I promise." Wynn knew he was promising more than he was sure he could deliver. Right now he didn't care. Call him weak, but even if everything else came off Cassie—a prospect he wouldn't really mind at all—that ring was going to stay on. Somehow. "It's going to be different and exciting and you're going to love being married to me."
*Wynn, I'm scared. What if we make each other miserable? What if this doesn't work?*
*Cassie, don't we always work better together than alone?*
"But—" Cassie looked like she wanted to protest and then she looked at him again. He wasn't sure what she saw there other than his desperation, but her face softened. "Tell me the truth. Why do you want to marry me?"
He wasn't sure how the words came to him. He was sure Cassie wasn't feeding them to him from her head. She probably didn't even know the answer. But Wynn did. He even knew the right words. Or at least he knew the words he needed to say. The words he meant from the heart.
Now they just had get them forced out his mouth. Wynn cleared his throat.
"I always wanted to be important. I thought. But that wasn't quite what I needed. I really needed to be important to someone. I didn't know before that to get there someone has to be important to you. You are."
This was worse than when he was naked and proposing. He'd rather be naked. He'd only do this for Cassie.
For a minute he thought he'd done things wrong because she looked like she was going to cry.
"You promise?" Her voice wavered.
"I swear it." He'd said things the best way he could and Wynn figured it was time for action. He picked Cassie up, threw her over his shoulder—getting a fascinating view of her delightful rear—and headed out the door. He saw the glint of the engagement ring on her finger. "But I think I'd rather show you. Quickly."
When he heard her laugh, he knew he'd won.
"I'm only doing this because you're such a smooth talker and you're so sexy and you want to marry me so badly." She twisted her head up to whisper the words in his ear. "This is totally against my better judgment."
"Honey, you don't have any better judgment available than mine," Wynn told her. "Certainly not yours."
He looked at the view again.
Oh, why not?
He slid his hand onto that tempting rear and then explored a little more. Her ass cheeks were so pretty. He slid one finger past the crack of her rear and then tested the waters, so to speak. He let out a little whoosh of air when he felt her wet pussy. He could tell he wasn't the only one who wanted to get to someplace moderately private quickly.
She pinched him again.
He yelped, even while a wave of relief hit him.
He managed to open the door with Cassie draped over him and then kicked it open the rest of the way. As he hauled her outside he knew Cassie was finally with him on this marriage venture now.
*I don't know why you picked me for this, but since you did, Wynn, we're definitely in it together.*
*I'm counting on it, Cassie.*
Also by Treva Harte:
Ellora’s Cave
www.ellorascave.com