She entwines her fingers with mine on her stomach. “I promise, Ryder. I don’t want to be away from you again. It hurt too much.”
She turns and faces me so I kiss her on the nose.
“I promise to do the same.”
She turns away and snuggles her bottom into me, causing my dick to perk back up.
Laughing, she admits, “I want you inside me and holding me close, but my belly is going to be in the way.”
“Not if I slip inside you without moving.”
“Um, oh, yeah. That’s sounds good.”
She’ll have to wait because I need to know more about what’s been going on in her life. Last night, I’d been too overwhelmed to think, but now, I need to know.
I caress over her stomach. “So, how long do we have to get the spare bedroom ready for our daughter?”
Saying ‘our daughter’ causes my heart to flutter with happiness.
“Around four months, give or take a week or two.”
“Chosen any names yet?”
“No. I couldn’t bring myself to do that while so much was uncertain. I wanted you.”
She takes my breath away.
“I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”
Turning onto her back, she smiles up at me as I prop my head on my hand.
“Are you really happy that we’re having a baby?” she asks.
“Oh, babe. How can I not be? A little girl who’s going to look just like her mama.”
I caress her belly and freeze when her bump moves against my hand.
Dahlia smiles, and presses my hand into her stomach, and I feel it again.
“That’s our daughter letting you know she’s listening.”
I have no words as I lie here with my hand on my woman and our baby tosses around inside her mama.
“How does it feel? When she moves,” I ask in wonder.
“Like butterflies fluttering around,” she smiles, “unless she punches or kicks, then it’s a weird feeling, but one I welcome because it tells me she’s doing well.”
I nod, and ask, “What about morning sickness . . . hell, just tell me everything, and don’t leave anything out.”
“All right, but you need to come down here.” She reaches out and brings me down to rest my cheek against her chest.
I curl around her and, when I have her wrapped in the cocoon of my body, we both sigh with pleasure.
“The dinner I made the night I left was going to be the big baby announcement.”
God, I feel a knife to the chest hearing just how much my big mouth ruined so much.
“I went to Mia and swore her to secrecy. She sent me to Portsmouth, which is where I met Max. Morning sickness has luckily passed me by, although, at the beginning, I was really tired and had no energy. Our baby is growing really well and the OB doesn’t see any problems. I’ll have to transfer to one here now because, although I’ll have to go back and pack my things, I’ve no intention of leaving you again.”
“I’ll come back with you. With my screwed up life, Suzie has been a godsend because I couldn’t concentrate on Kix. My head might have been elsewhere, but I’ve no wish to lose the place.”
Caressing her stomach, I tell her about Kix, “Kix is named after a friend of mine.”
Her hand stills in my hair.
“My last tour before I got out, was in Afghanistan. I came home, and Kix didn’t. Sergeant William Trent. He was a huge fan of a band called Kix that were really popular in the seventies and eighties, and I think they might still tour. But they were from his hometown in Maryland.” I chuckle. “He used to take so much shit because of his choice in music and ended up with the name ‘Kix’. So when I bought this place, I couldn’t call it anything else. Now you know everything about me.”
“I’m sorry about your friend. You’re honoring his memory by naming this place after him.”
Dahlia
He misses his friend. I heard it in his voice when he talked about him.
Bending, I kiss him on the head, while continuing to play with his hair.
“I have photographs from back then, and I’ve often debated about framing them and putting them around the bar. I’m just not sure.”
“Oh, wow. That would be amazing. I could help you organize them if you like.”
He kisses my breast and I feel his smile against me when my nipple goes rock hard and goose bumps appear on my skin. I wondered how long it would take him to touch me.
“I’d love that, but you have to promise not to drool over me in my uniform.”
“Mmm, I’d love to see you in uniform. I bet you’re hot. Sexy.”
I smile, feeling his naked flesh hardening against my hip. My pregnant stomach is in the way of me reaching over to touch him in this position.
He starts to unwind himself from around me, and hovers over my body.
“I’ll have to get it out of the mothballs, especially for you,” he says, just as his head dips and he suckles a nipple into his mouth.
The bolt of pleasure hits me straight in the lower stomach and further south, causing my legs to splay.
He lifts his head, and meeting my gaze, his eyes are full of desire.
“Roll on your side, and give me your mouth.”
I don’t need telling twice.
Ryder moves in closer and rubs his fully engorged cock in the crevice of my bottom. He cups my breasts with his hands and, using his finger and thumb, rolls and pinches my nipples.
“That feels so good.” I gasp.
I turn my head and he takes my mouth in an all-consuming kiss. His tongue searches and finds mine as they tangle together.
I push against him but he still won’t enter me.
Slipping my hand between our bodies, I wrap my fingers around his shaft and stroke back and forth. On the upward motion, I rub the leaking crown with my thumb and hear his breathing increase.
One more stroke and he’s moving my hand away. With some movement, I feel the tip at my entrance, pulsing.
“I love you,” he hisses, as he enters me in one solid thrust.
“Go slow. Make it last.”
He groans. “Not sure if I can.”
Slowly pulling out, he slides back and I shiver as every single inch of his dick touches every wet, tight inch inside me.
“Oh, baby.” His hands shake on my breasts as he slides out again. “I wish you could see what I can.” He groans. “When I pull out to the tip, my dick is coated with your arousal.” He slams home. “Fuck . . . I can’t go slowly anymore. I’m gonna come.”
“Then move.”
He keeps one hand on my breast and his other grips my hip as he starts pumping in and out of me.
My skin is so sensitive and the minute he takes up pinching and rolling my nipple, I feel the flutter along my core signaling my climax is fast approaching.
Unable to move with the hold he has on me, I grip the sheet and see stars as my orgasm ripples in waves through me.
Ryder slams inside and holds as I feel his cock pulsing in time to my orgasm.
I grind my ass on him and hear a guttural moan leave his lips.
He slowly slides back and forth, prolonging our pleasure.
My fingers entwine with his on my hip and I bring our joined hands up and rest them on my stomach.
“Let’s go back to sleep for a while, but promise to be next to me when I wake. I don’t want this to be a dream.”
I hear his breath catch in his throat.
“Then sleep and I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up. Nothing and no one will get me out of this bed unless you’re with me.”
“I love you, Ryder.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ryder
Standing in the nursery store with Dahlia three weeks away from her due date, I’ve never felt so out of place. It’s crazy. Someone named Juliette came over and swept Dahlia away to her desk, where they appear to be looking at brochures.
Why anyone needs to look through brochures is beyon
d me when the store is filled with the same baby things that are probably in them.
I smile when Dahlia turns and glances in my direction, looking bored and pleading with me to intervene.
Another pissed off sales woman coming up.
“Hey, babe. You finished yet? I want to have a look around so I can get you home and out of those clothes.” I smile.
Dahlia looks shocked.
She begged me to rescue her, so what does she expect?
“Um, I’ve not finished explaining payment plans,” Juliette informs me. She doesn’t look too happy either.
Tough shit!
“You’re wasting your time. We have no intention of taking out a payment plan. Whatever my child and wife need, and want, will be provided by me, not a payment plan that has so much interest it’ll put new parents in debt.”
She doesn’t look happy now, and Dahlia’s eyes are full of amusement.
“C’mon babe. Let’s go and have a look at the larger items, and then I’ll come back and grab a cart for everything else.”
“Okay.”
Dahlia stands and takes my hand, while we leave the sales assistant fuming at her desk.
“God, that woman wouldn’t listen to a fuckin’ word I said.”
I laugh. Dahlia very, and I mean very, rarely curses.
“I loved what you said to her, and thank you for such a rescue.”
“Even if it did cause you to blush.”
“You’d make a saint blush if you so choose.”
Rolling my eyes, Dahlia pulls me to a stop in front of a crib.
It’s a bit over the top for my liking with all the lace and ruffles, but the craftsmanship looks good. The carvings of animals on one end are striking. While I bend for a closer look, I spot a different store assistant watching us with excitement in her eyes as she dashes over.
“How much is this?” I ask Dahlia, who is looking at the tag.
Her eyes widen and I know I’m not going to like it.
“Four and half.”
That’s not bad, considering the one she has her heart set on is six-fifty.
She smirks. “Thousand.”
“My name is Krissy and can I help you today?’
“We need everything for this baby,” Dahlia starts, “and I really like this crib.” She slides her hand along the wood, tracing some of the carvings with her fingers.
Does she really like it, or is she teasing?
Please let her be teasing.
“What do you think, honey?” she drawls, teasing. Thank fuck!
“Well now, sweetie pie, I think unless we’re planning on having a thousand kids to justify spending all that cash, you better toddle on over to the one you actually want with that tight ass.”
I turn to the assistant with amusement in my eyes, which I discover matches hers.
“Okay, that was funny. Is there anything I can help you with or would you prefer to browse?” she asks, looking between us.
I glance at Dahlia, and she nods at my unspoken question.
“We’d love some help. My wife has a list of the items she’d like and if you can get it all together for us without insisting we get in debt by taking out a loan to purchase it all, you’ll have the sale.”
She moves forward and takes the list Dahlia passes her.
“This top item is a present, so would it be possible to gift wrap it for us, please?”
She nods.
“Let me check the computer and get it all ordered from the warehouse and into your truck.” She looks up. “You do have a truck, right?”
I smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
She wanders off and sits behind a desk while I pull Dahlia into my arms.
“Are you doing okay?”
“I’d be better if I could sit down somewhere.”
Her back has been giving her pain for the past few weeks, and with the amount of heat packs I’ve bought her, I should have stock in the company.
“Sit over here.” I lead her to what looks to be a comfortable chair, and help her sit in it.
“Ah, that feels good.” She moans, closing her eyes.
And just like that, my dick’s trying to punch out of my jeans.
Dahlia peers at me through one eye, looks down to my groin and grins.
“This is really comfortable, Ryder.”
“Oh, I see you’ve discovered the massaging chair.”
“Massage?”
“Oh, yes,” Krissy says. “I’ll show you.” She digs a control panel from the arm of the chair and presses a button.
Dahlia’s eyes widen before they go hazy as she settles down. “God, I could sleep here, and my back . . .”
She drifts off to sleep.
Who falls to asleep in a store?
Dahlia, obviously.
“How much is the chair . . . and please don’t tell me it’s four and half grand.”
Krissy smiles and shows me the ticket. I wince, but glancing back to my woman, I can’t say no.
“Add one to the rest of the order.”
“I will.” And off she runs again.
Expensive chair but she looks damn comfortable and when we get it home, I’m going to try it out with Dahlia in my arms.
Although that might not be such a good idea, considering we haven’t had sex in a couple of weeks due to her being in a lot of discomfort now the baby has gotten big.
Every time I look at her, I bless my stars that everything worked out between us. Dahlia and our daughter are my life now and I need to keep her with me.
No sooner had we gotten back together, than I had a wedding ring on her finger. She wasn’t getting away from me again.
We only had a small wedding with immediate family and close friends, and of course, Dahlia talked Reece’s ear off until he agreed to get Deception up on stage to do a few songs that evening in Kix.
Every minute we’ve been back together has been amazing, and I never want that to end.
We’re both getting excited to see our little girl now, and have a few names picked out, but Dahlia won’t settle on one until she’s seen her.
Hearing a ‘psst’ sound, I turn and see Krissy trying to get my attention. I move toward her and see her with the card machine in hand.
Keeping one eye on Dahlia, I pay for all our baby things and, picking my woman up in my arms, I walk to the truck so that they can start loading everything up.
Dahlia
Relaxing in my comfortable chair, the best I can with the pains in my stomach and back gradually worsening, I watch Ryder and Jace putting the crib together.
At the time, I had no idea it would be so entertaining. Both of them haven’t a clue, and every time I make a suggestion, I’m told to sit back and relax. So that’s what I’m doing.
I’ve had to bite my lip on more than one occasion to hold my laughter inside. Any more of this though, I’m not going to be able to keep it in anymore.
When we’d gotten home from the baby store two weeks ago, Ryder and Donovan had carried everything upstairs and left it in the nursery.
I’ve mentioned it would be good to get everything put together, but until my meltdown last night, nothing had been done.
I finally told Ryder that if he weren’t going to do it then I’d ask Max when he visited, and proceeded to give him the cold shoulder.
I think it was our first argument since getting back together. But I mean, I’m a week away from my due date and I could go anytime.
Needless to say, he’d apologized profusely and proceeded to strip me naked and used his mouth to wrench the forgiveness out of me.
I’m excited to see our daughter, but as much as I’ve loved being pregnant, I’ll be glad to have a flatter stomach again. I miss being able to wrap my arms around my husband and feel every inch of him against me.
“No need to ask what you’re thinking about.” Ryder smirks.
I roll my eyes, and ignore his comment. “You know, I don’t need a TV with you two. This is much more entertaining.”
>
“I hope you’re not eyeing my brother up.”
“Of course she is. I’m much better looking.” Jace laughs.
“You can go and get your own fuckin’ girl,” Ryder grumbles.
Jace frowns and turns back to what he’s doing.
Something is going on with him. Before I disappeared, he’d talk a bit to me, and although we still talk, I think he feels weird about it.
Hearing the rumble of a truck outside, Ryder quickly kisses me on the lips before running downstairs to meet the delivery he’s expecting for the bar, as Suzie has the day off. But she is on standby in case I go into labor.
Left alone with Jace, I ask a question, which I’ve been busting a gut to ask, “Does Savannah still take her class to the field?” He’s been very quiet about the softball and the teacher who caught his eye.
He glances over to me before going back to screwing the crib together.
“Yeah, she does.”
Okay! We don’t want to talk about her.
“And,” I push, not wanting to give up too easily.
“And, nothing. She’s with someone else. I don’t poach.”
“Does she seem happy?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you kissed her?” I might as well throw all my thoughts in.
His eyes narrow and he ignores me.
I sigh. “Jace, it’s exhausting trying to have a conversation with you.”
He offers me a genuine smile, lighting his eyes. “Your life is more exciting than mine.”
“I don’t think so, and I think I’m going to get Ryder to take me down to the field after this one arrives so I can check her out. I’ll find out what’s going on with her.” I ignore his frown. “Ryder’s told me she’s always drooling over you.” I grin as I notice his blush.
“At least I’m safe for a while as baby isn’t due for at least another week.”
Little does he know.
“Um, Jace, about that.” I wince.
“About what?”
“My baby. I think she’s going to be here before the week’s out, actually, I think she’s going to be here before the weekend is over.”
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