Since I had the rest of the day off, I decided to head home and start looking at apartments. I definitely needed to find a bigger place for me and Haley to live. Thoughts of Haley brought a smile to my face. I couldn’t wait to meet that little girl.
Chapter Forty-Two
Chelsea
My intention had been to message Luke as soon as I thought he’d be out of his meeting, but then I’d ended up working on the bedroom across the hall from mine. When I’d bought the place, someone had drawn all over the walls in that room with a black marker. Since I wasn’t using that room, I’d left it, figuring I could get to it later. After a quick trip to the hardware store, I was ready to start painting. I’d also called my dad and asked him about getting someone to put in new carpet. Thanks to my dad’s contacts, I had someone coming by later that week to take care of it.
It was nearly two when I finally finished painting and realized I still hadn’t called Luke, so I grabbed my phone, hoping we could meet later to talk. I also wanted him to know I’d been thinking about him.
Luke answered on the second ring, and I could tell by the echo he was using the speaker in his car. “Hello,” he answered cautiously.
“Hey!” I said. “How was your meeting today?”
“Good,” he replied. “My dad is an ass, but I didn’t hit him this time. It looks like he’s going along with the divorce and adoption.”
“That’s great news,” I told him, suddenly nervous about talking to him.
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “Now that this is all real, I’m out looking at apartments. I should have done it earlier. I really need something bigger.”
“I think I know the perfect place,” I began. “Can we meet later so I can show it to you?”
Luke hesitated. “How about if I pick you up after I look at this place?” he offered. “Are you at the studio?”
“No, I didn’t have any shoots today, so I stayed home,” I explained. “There were a few home repair things I wanted to get done. I’ll get ready now.”
“Okay. I’ll pick you up soon,” he replied, still sounding uneasy. “Even though I saw you Friday, I’ve missed you,” he admitted before ending the call.
“I’ve missed you, too,” I uttered softly before shaking myself out of my weepy moment and hurrying to get cleaned up before Luke got to my house. I probably wouldn’t have time to clean up the explosion of baby girl stuff in my living room, but he’d have to get used to that.
It had been hard not telling Luke my decision over the phone, but I was a little nervous about his reaction to my suggestion, and I wanted to do this face to face. Taking one last look at the newly painted room, I was pretty damn proud of myself, and I was mostly sure Luke was going to like my surprise.
Chapter Forty-Three
Luke
I couldn’t recall ever being as nervous as I was when I pulled up to Chelsea’s house. Since she’d called me, I had to assume it meant she wanted to work things out, but I wasn’t completely convinced of that. The alternative was that we stay friends and stop dating. A friend would certainly help another friend find an apartment and call to check on them after they’d had a big meeting, so it would be foolish to read too much into her calling me.
Walking to her door was more nerve-wracking than the first time I’d picked her up to go out for a drink. After ringing the bell, I waited, smiling and shaking my head when I heard cursing on the other side of the door.
Chelsea only opened the door a crack before peeking out. “Hi.”
“Are you ready to go, Chels?” I asked, my lips twitching because her smile was adorable, and I got the impression she wasn’t dressed yet. That was my fault since I’d decided to go to her place instead of seeing the other apartment. I’d figured I wouldn’t be able to focus on the apartment when I was thinking about what Chelsea was going to say.
“Not quite,” she admitted. “I just got out of the shower.”
“I’ve already seen everything you have, so you may as well let me in,” I told her.
“Good point,” she agreed with a sigh before letting me in and then reaching up to clutch the top of her towel. “I just got out of the shower,” she repeated.
“You mentioned that,” I reminded her. “So, I guess, I don’t need to ask what kind of panties you have on under that. Sorry. That was really inappropriate. I’m nervous, and I’m not sure what to say.” Before Chelsea could respond, my eyes moved around her living room. “What the hell happened in here?” There were baby clothes and supplies all over the room. It was an insane mess.
“My mom came by yesterday,” she explained, heading back to her room. I followed along because only an idiot doesn’t follow the sexy woman wearing nothing but a towel. “She brought over a bunch of stuff for Haley, and things got a little out of hand.”
“Your mom bought all this?” I asked, unable to believe her mom would go that overboard with baby shopping.
“Most of it,” she replied.
It was impossible to miss the fresh paint smell, and my eyes moved in that direction. “What’s going on in here?” I asked, not sure what I was seeing when I stopped in front of the freshly painted room across from Chelsea’s. “You painted the room pink.”
Chelsea groaned and stomped her foot in an adorable fit of temper. “This is not how we are supposed to have this conversation,” she muttered. “I had this all planned out, and then you showed up early.”
“Sorry,” I said, not at all sorry. “I was just really excited about seeing you. Please, tell me the pink bedroom means what I think it does.”
“The carpet sucks, but I have someone coming in to replace it later this week. I saw these adorable wood letters at the store, and I was thinking we could paint them and have Haley’s name on the wall. It would be so cute.”
I lost the ability to speak. There I stood, staring at Chelsea, sure I had to be dreaming because there was no way she had set up a room for Haley. This was such a huge shift in her feelings from just a few days ago that I was afraid to jump to the logical conclusion.
Chelsea looked down at her feet and let out a nervous laugh. “It would be nice if you said something.”
“Are you asking me to move in here with you?” I finally managed to ask.
“Yes,” she replied. “I love you, and I want us to be together.”
“And you’re sure about Haley?” I asked.
“I’m sure,” she agreed. “When my mom came by with the SUV loaded up with baby stuff, I had a serious talk with her about my doubts. I admitted to being afraid, and she told me a lot of stuff that made me feel better about not being sure about being a mom. Then we went shopping.”
“So, your mom didn’t buy all that stuff?” I asked, enjoying the pink blush that stained her cheeks.
“Not all of it,” she admitted. “I picked up quite a bit of stuff because there are just too many adorable things in those stores. It’s crazy because I’ve shopped with Delaney and Brook for baby stuff and never gotten as into as I did yesterday.”
I waited, sure there was more to this story.
“Anyway,” she finally continued. “I was trying to figure out how to use one of those baby wraps. You know, the ones you carry the baby around in. We had to use a teddy bear since Tasha wouldn’t cooperate,” she explained. “After I got it on, I was feeling pretty proud of myself, and my mom commented on how much pink stuff I’d bought.”
“That is a lot of pink, Chels,” I added.
She rolled her eyes. “Just like I told her, we are having a girl, so of course I’m going to buy pink stuff.”
Staying away from Chelsea was no longer an option. I moved closer, sliding one arm around her lower back. “We are having a girl, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I’m still scared.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“But for the first time since I found out about you adopting Haley, I’m excited, too,” she told me with a sweet smile. “So, do you think you and Haley would like to liv
e here with me? I know we haven’t been dating long.”
“Yes, Chels,” I murmured before kissing her. My mouth lingered on hers, savoring her taste and drinking in her moan. I’d been worried I’d never enjoy her like that again, and I desperately needed to claim her all over again.
Pulling her towel open, I let it drop to the ground before sliding one hand between us to stroke her already hard nipples. My tongue slid along the crease of her lips, teasing her until her fist pounded against my back.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” I murmured before licking the corner of her mouth.
“You need to stop teasing me,” she panted out.
“I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” I replied before lifting her in my arms and carrying her into the bedroom. Part of me was feeling just as impatient as Chelsea and wanted to fuck her in the hallway, but we didn’t have a condom out there.
After setting Chelsea down, I immediately stripped out of my clothes. When I was down to my Batman boxers, I looked up expectantly, knowing my woman would not disappoint.
“Riddle me this, Batman. Who’s about to get lucky?”
I laughed. “That was terrible. I may need to take the Bat paddle to your sexy ass to punish you for that one.”
“I like the sound of that,” she purred.
Climbing onto the bed, I kissed her again, covering her body with mine and pressing her into the soft mattress. I kissed her until her legs were wrapped around my waist as she rolled against me, trying to get more pressure with her clit.
Breaking the kiss, I spoke close to her mouth. “I love you.” I was desperate to get inside her, and she obviously felt the same.
“I need you now,” she pleaded.
Moving off her quickly, I stripped off my boxers and grabbed a condom from the bedside table. Sliding it on, I moved over her again, entering her body slowly, savoring the way she clenched tightly around every inch of my dick.
I kept our bodies close as I slowly thrust in and out of her, For the first time, I understood what it meant to make love to a woman. I rocked against her, our bodies moving in unison. Chelsea’s soft moans soon became more desperate as she wrapped her legs around my hips, her heels pressing into my ass.
“I love you so much, Chels,” I ground out as I rolled my hips, grinding my pelvis against her clit to bring her closer to orgasm.
“I love you, too,” she moaned, arching her back to bring her sensitive nipples closer to my chest.
Looking down into her face, I couldn’t help admiring the beauty of her total abandon. Her eyes had drifted closed, and her puffy lips were parted as she moaned loudly. Her beautiful blonde hair was spread out across her pillow, framing her perfect face. She was gorgeous, sensual, and amazing. She was also mine.
As her body tightened around me, I knew she was close, I could see it in the way her lips tightened, hear it in the way her moans turned to screams just before her body pulsed around mine. Her eyes opened, locking with mine so I could enjoy her utter ecstasy as we both found our release.
“I should probably warn you about something,” I murmured before brushing my lips against hers.
“What’s that?” she asked, sounding somewhat dazed.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get enough of you,” I admitted.
“You should definitely keep trying,” she told me with a sweet smile.
She was right. I definitely planned to spend the rest of my life trying to get my fill of Chelsea.
Chapter Forty-Four
Chelsea
Getting Luke’s stuff moved in was a pain in the backside, especially while I was also rushing to get Haley’s room ready. Luke kept trying to convince me I had plenty of time since we’d agreed Haley would sleep with us at first, but I didn’t think he’d yet realized how little time we’d have with a newborn in the house.
“That is the last box,” Delaney remarked as she set a box marked linens in my bedroom.
“Really?” I asked. “Are you sure that’s the last one? I could have sworn there was more in the truck.”
“I guess I should clarify,” Delaney began. “That’s the last box I’m going to carry in.”
I nodded. “Hopefully, Tyler doesn’t end up carrying the one labeled stuff Luke uses to tie Chelsea up. I should never have allowed Luke to label his own boxes.”
Delaney’s head cocked to the side as she considered what I’d said. Finally, she nodded and headed to the bedroom door. “I can carry one more box.”
Luke’s huge bed was in the center of my room. Thankfully, I had a large closet or we wouldn’t have had much room for anything else, not with Haley’s bassinet in there. I rummaged through one of the boxes until I found bedding so I could make the bed.
Delaney was practically skipping when she entered the room with the bondage box. It was funny how that had revived her energy faster than a double espresso. I’d been sure she’d find that box before Tyler. Kicking the door shut behind her, she set the box on the newly made bed. “I need to see what’s in this box, just to make sure I got the right box,” she insisted.
I raised an eyebrow at her excuse for looking at Luke’s toy box. “I don’t think there are any other boxes with that label on them.”
“Fine,” she relented. “I need to look in this box to help with my fantasy life. I’m thinking that the sex god I’ve been fantasizing about needs to tie me to his bed.”
“You definitely need a man of your own,” I told her.
“We’ve already been through this whole thing,” Delaney began. “I only need a good back up for Justin for now. There simply isn’t time for more in my life. Now, let’s see what kinky toys Luke has.”
With any other friend, I might try to talk them out of going through the box, but Delaney had just saved me from having to listen to Tyler complain about Luke’s choice of labels. She’d also been asking me what was in the box for quite some time. She’d even asked Luke about it. This would satisfy her curiosity.
When Delaney opened the box, her eyes widened, which surprised me since Luke didn’t have anything out of the ordinary in that box. At least, he hadn’t the last time I’d seen him dig through it. It also took a lot to shock Delaney.
“Why do you look so surprised?” I asked.
“You were right,” she said.
“Yeah, Tyler definitely would not have liked seeing that box,” I agreed.
“I meant you were right about Luke stealing your panties,” she clarified.
“My panties from that first night are in the box?” I asked. “Maybe it’s not my panties from that night. Luke is kind of kinky, so he may have bought special panties for me and stuffed them in that box.”
Delaney pulled out a multi-colored rope, and it took me a moment to figure out what it was. Needing a closer look, I snatched it out of her hands, certain I was mistaken. I had to be mistaken, only I wasn’t.
“Oh. My. God,” I said in disbelief.
“How could you fail to realize you were missing that many panties?” Delaney asked.
“Do you see that dresser over there?” I asked her, pointing to the large dresser with twelve drawers. When she nodded, I continued. “Ten drawers are full of panties,” I admitted.
Delaney giggled. “Not as full as they were before.”
“Luke!” I shouted. “Get your panty-stealing butt in here!”
“You have already got that mom yell down, don’t you?” Delaney asked as she stood and walked past me. “I’m going to see if I can get everyone to head out for a lunch break.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Something tells me you’re going to be a little tied up for the next hour. It seems like a good time to take a break from unpacking.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Luke
I was grinning from ear to ear when I heard Chelsea yell for me from across the house.
Ty immediately started laughing. “You are so busted.”
“Why do you think I helped Delaney find it?” I asked.
Ty had seen Delaney prancing through the house with my toy box, and he likely knew what was in that box and how Chelsea would react.
“I don’t think I want to know what you have planned,” Ty muttered.
“We should all go out to lunch,” Delaney told Ty and Brook when she came out to the front of the house.
“That might be a good idea,” I agreed before heading back to Chelsea’s bedroom, our bedroom. “What’s going on, Chels?” I asked as innocently as I could manage.
“What is this?” Chelsea demanded, shaking the panty rope in my face. While she was trying to look mad, her lips were twitching. She definitely saw the humor in me stealing her panties to make ropes out of them.
“Looks like a rope made from your panties,” I replied after studying it for a moment.
“You said you weren’t stealing my panties,” she reminded me.
I shook my head. “Actually, I never said that. I asked why you’d think I’d steal them and reminded you I’m a grown man, but I never actually said I wasn’t stealing your panties.”
She eyed the rope. “It is definitely time to admit I have a problem,” she muttered. “You’ve stolen at least twenty without me noticing they were missing.”
“Thirty-four,” I clarified, almost laughing at her groan.
“Fine. I’ll join a support group. I can’t be the only one with a panty addiction. How long have you been working on this?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I came up with the idea that first night, but I could only take a few at a time, and I needed to figure out how to make the knots work. I’ve been dying to tie you up with your panties since our first time together. Now, I have two ropes made.”
“Only two?” she asked with a laugh.
I shrugged. “I figured even you would notice if I stole more than that. How about if we celebrate moving in together by testing out these ropes?”
“After we unpack,” Chelsea insisted.
Naughty at 30 (Love Without Batteries #2) Page 18