“Three minutes.”
“Are you just going to stare at it that whole time?”
“Do you have a better suggestion?”
“Maybe,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that went straight down my spine, centering on my clit with a throbbing pulse. One of his hands slid down my front, down over my hip, skimming my thigh before he got to the hem of my dress and slipped his hand under, fingers dancing up the inside of my thigh.
“That’s your answer to everything,” I said, leaning back into him as he peppered my neck and shoulders with electric kisses.
“I’ve never heard a complaint,” he answered, his other hand traveling up, to find on of my nipples, pointed and sensitive. He ran his thumb over it, again and again as the fingers on his other hand finally found the dampness at the front of my panties.
“Still so wet,” he murmured, his voice part awe. I loved that reverent tone. Like he couldn’t believe he could be with me, like I was something precious and special.
“That’s what happens when you tease me,” I whined, his finger skimming over my aching clit, through the thin fabric. The jolt from that tiny touch made me see stars.
“But I love teasing you,” he said. “I love watching the way your body responds to me, how beautiful you are with that flush of desire. And I love watching you frustrated and needy, begging me for more.” As he said it, he deepened the pressure on my clit, circling it again and again, driving me insane, but going slow enough that I couldn’t quite get there.
“Bear,” I gasped, clutching at his arm, trying to make him give me more, my hips bucking against his hand. “Please.”
“It’s always so much better when you’ve been waiting for it and thinking about it all day, isn’t it?” he asked, pinching my nipple as his other fingers grew faster and faster.
“Please,” I gasped, nearly on the verge of collapse. I couldn’t even think of other words. All I knew was need. I needed him. I needed to come. It was so far beyond a want.
“Oh hey, I think it’s been three minutes,” he said, pulling away, reaching for the pregnancy test.
“Are you kidding me?” I growled, snatching it out of his reach before he could take it.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“You are such an asshole.”
“You’re only saying that because I haven’t made you come yet.” He grinned. I hated that he was right.
“What’s it say?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you,” I said, crossing my arms. I hadn’t even looked at it yet, but my whole body was still buzzing and tingling from Bear’s attentions and I didn’t want to stop yet.
“Please?”
There was no denying his poor puppy dog look. Damn him. I took a deep breath.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“You’re killing me Lex,” he groaned.
“Now you know how it feels!” He shot me a look, but I just smiled at him, and then I held out the stick in front of us.
We both just stared at it.
“I just realized I don’t know what it’s supposed to look like,” he said.
“Two lines is pregnant,” I said, disbelief in my voice.
Bear’s face broke into a huge grin. “Really?”
I nodded.
Bear whooped and lifted me up in his arms, spinning me around — I couldn’t stay in my shocked daze when he was so infectiously happy. A baby. We were going to have a baby! I couldn’t believe it.
“I love you so much,” he said, kissing me over and over and over again. “I know I don’t say that enough, but I do. And I love Dallas. And I’m going to love this baby so fucking much, Lexi. I already love it so much. Is that crazy?”
“No,” I laughed, swiping away at tears. “It’s not crazy. I love you too.” I clung to him, his joy overwhelming me. I never expected he’d be that excited. It was more than I could have hoped for.
He kissed me again and again, and while he was kissing me, he pulled down the zipper on my dress, walking me over to the bed.
There were no words as he stripped me down, worshiping me with kisses as he bared each new inch of skin. And then I was naked on the bed, legs spread before him. He pushed my legs wide apart, dropping to his knees, thrusting his tongue inside of me without preamble.
“Oh god,” I groaned, gripping at the sheets, my eyes rolling in the back of my head with the sheer pleasure of his tongue’s assault on me. He dragged his tongue up to my clit, flattening it, slipping two fingers inside of me, curling them, the pressure building and building.
For all his teasing earlier, Bear seemed determined now to drive me to orgasm as fast as he could. And it wasn’t going to take much because he already had me so on edge.
Faster and faster, the energy inside me swirled and crackled and I was somewhere else entirely. On another planet, in another dimension where there was only this amazing feeling that never ended.
“Bear, I’m going to… Oh… Bear!” His tongue never let up, driving me up over that peak, and then I was shattering, falling to pieces, my whole body quaking with the force of what he’d just done to me.
With the aftershocks of my orgasm still rumbling through me, I heard a zipper, then his lips were on mine, the musky tart taste of my own arousal on his tongue driving me wild. He thrust his tongue into my mouth and drove his hips forward, filling me in one stroke, swallowing my cry.
He held me like that, his hand on the back of my head, the other arm supporting me around my back. We made out like horny teenagers, but he matched every thrust of his tongue with one from his hips and I couldn’t pick anywhere to focus. It was too much. Too good. It was everywhere. The warm fizzing. The overwhelming love. I could feel Bear’s emotions pouring into me with the way he was giving me all of himself, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer, clinging to his shoulders, our bodies moving as one.
It didn’t take long like that for us to come together. I felt it all the way in my soul, something clicking, coming together. With our bodies both shuddering, lost in the throes of passion, we were completely one.
“Marry me,” he said, finally breaking the kiss, his forehead pressed against mine. “I don’t want to live another day without you in my life.”
I grinned. “It’s like you read my mind.”
Epilogue
Lexi One Year Later
“Oh honey, you look just wonderful,” Mom said, swiping away at tears as she finished pinning flowers in my hair.
“Mom,” I scoffed. “I’ve been married before you know. It’s not like it’s the first time.” The yellow dress kind of highlighted that, too. I knew I didn’t want to wear white to my second wedding, but when I asked Bear if he had any opinions, he just mentioned that first night, when I’d worn the yellow sundress. He said that’s when he fell in love with me.
So of course I went with a yellow dress. How could I not?
“I know, I know. I’m just so happy for you both.”
It probably didn’t hurt that Mom loved Bear. In the past year, he’d not only helped her daughter and grandson move past a tragedy, but he’d also given her a new grandbaby to coo over. And ample opportunity to babysit them while we had date nights and the like. She’d never been such a fixture before, and it seemed like it was exactly what our relationship had needed. Ever since Bear and I became official, it was like my mom had forgotten how to meddle. Or she just didn’t see any reason to. Especially since we were pregnant before she could even have the thought to pester us about it.
And engaged.
I guess we were just way ahead of her, so there was no reason for her to be discontent.
There was a tiny knock on the door, and Dallas called from the other side. “Mom? Are you ready?”
My mom opened the door and patted him on the head as she left to join the rest of the small wedding party. The whole ceremony was only about a dozen people. We wanted to keep it small and intimate. For us, it was about the commitment to each ot
her, and joining as a family, not the big party.
“I’m good to go, are you ready?” I asked Dallas.
He looked so cute in his little tux. So grown up. I swallowed back tears, looking up toward the heavens. I hoped Wyatt was seeing this.
“Yep,” he said, offering me his hand.
We walked out of Lyla and Clay’s bedroom which they’d been kind enough to lend me as a dressing room. They’d also been amazing enough to offer their backyard for the whole event. They had a ton of room, plenty of shade, everything we needed really. It was perfect. And of course Lyla was just beside herself with the news. It probably nearly killed her to wait a whole year for the actual ceremony. But I was pregnant! I didn’t want to get married when I couldn’t drink champagne. And then I needed a few months to recover, for Savannah to be old enough to sit through something like a wedding.
But we were finally getting around to it and it almost didn’t seem real.
I was going to marry Bear.
The grin hadn’t left my face for days. I was starting to worry it might be stuck there forever, but it only got bigger once the backyard came into view.
They’d purposefully kept me away from it, where I couldn’t see what they were doing. But it was beautiful. There were strings of lights hung from the trees, making it look like we were in a chapel outside. The guests were sat in a few rows of chairs, and at the end of the petal-strewn aisle, there was Bear, holding Savannah. My heart could hardly stay in my chest. It wanted to be with them. It belonged with them.
“What do you say? Think we should do this thing?” I asked Dallas, squeezing his hand.
He nodded, smiling up at me. He’d been remarkable about this whole thing. About Bear, about us, about Savannah… I didn’t know what I ever did to deserve that kid. I sure did love him though.
“Definitely,” he said, squeezing my hand back.
Dallas walked me down the aisle, and as soon as I was even close, Savannah started gurgling, reaching out for Mama. Everyone kind of chuckled about that, me taking the baby as soon as I got to Bear’s side. With one hand, he took mine, with the other, Dallas’s. We were all linked.
And then the officiant started talking. It was the normal stuff about love, devotion, loss and recovery. I tried not to listen too hard because I knew I’d be a wreck if I did, but even what I heard was enough to have me swiping at tears. Bear too. But we were in it together, and we always would be.
“And now, the groom has some things he would like to say,” the officiant said, making my eyes bug out.
“Bear!” I hissed. “We said we weren’t writing our own vows.”
He grinned at me. “I know, but this is important,” he said, under his breath before turning to the gathered crowd at large, speaking so everyone could hear him. “Today, is not just the beginning of you and me as husband and wife, it’s us becoming a team. Your sadness is my sadness, your joy is my joy, your worries are my worries, too.” He paused for a moment, then smiled down at Dallas. “And your son is my son, too. I stand here today to promise that I will always be that best husband and father I can be. I will always be there to comfort you, rejoice with you, and endure whatever life might throw at us, together as a family. I love you. All three of you,” he added, his grin growing.
“We love you too,” I cried, hugging him with my one baby-free arm.
“And now, Dallas, if you could join us right here in the middle, the family would like to share some vows together, isn’t that right?”
We all nod. We had a rehearsal, so Dallas knew what to expect, but he’s still a kid, things could still go wrong. But I didn’t even care. Nothing could ruin this perfect day now.
“I’m going to ask you some questions, and after each one, just respond with ‘I promise,’” the officiant said gently.
“Do you, Bear, Lexi, and Dallas promise to love, respect and protect each other from this day forward?”
"I promise," we all said in unison. Even Savannah gurgled. “She promises too,” I joked, getting a chuckle out of my husband.
Well, I couldn’t say that quite yet.
“Do you promise to always try to be the best person you can be?”
"I promise."
“Do you promise to accept the responsibility of being a family, and encourage, and support each other in your new life together?”
"I promise."
“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you a family!” Everyone cheered, people were crying, but it was Bear that interrupted.
“Wait, wait, wait, can I kiss her now?”
The officiant laughed, nodding. “Yes, of course! Kiss your bride!”
No one had to tell him twice.
I couldn’t believe how happy I was. It felt like it was too much happiness. Like I couldn’t possibly keep it all contained and it was going to explode out of me somehow.
As we walked back down the aisle, I looked up at the clear skies, my heart feeling lighter and freer than ever. It wasn’t at all how I thought my life would end up, but I knew that Wyatt would be happy to see us all together now.
It was later, at the reception, when everyone was happily eating the food we’d spent a better part of a week prepping ourselves, that I noticed something was up with Bear. He was looking around, frowning, like something was missing.
And then I realized what it was.
“Where’s Knight?” I asked. Bear and his brother had a contentious relationship, but it didn’t seem like Knight to miss something as big as a wedding.
“I don’t know.”
“You should call him.”
He shrugged, grumbling. “Not a surprise…”
“Bear… I know you’re worried.”
He looked at me, his shoulders drooping, and then he kissed me. “You know me too well, wife.”
“That I do, husband.”
His eyes darkened a soft growl rumbled from his chest. “I do like the sound of that.”
“You better, cause now you’re stuck with me.”
“I’ll be right back. I just want to check on him.”
“I’ll be here.”
He wandered away from the party, phone to his ear, and paced around, not saying anything. After a couple minutes, he came back.
“No answer,” he said, frowning at the phone.
“Maybe you should call the jail?” I offered, knowing he wouldn’t like the suggestion.
Predictably, he scoffed. “If he’s in jail, I’m not leaving my wedding for him, so it doesn’t matter. The people I love most are here, that’s the important thing.”
The party went on into the evening, and we still hadn’t heard anything from Knight. We were having a great time, dancing and laughing, but in the back of my mind, I kept waiting.
It was as the party was winding down that Bear’s cell finally rang with Knight’s number. My mom had taken Dallas and Savannah home, and we were just outside in a quiet alcove, enjoying the sunset when it interrupted our peace.
“I’m gonna let it go to voicemail,” he said.
“You should answer it,” I argued. If for nothing else, to quench my curiosity.
Bear sighed, answered the phone, and put it on speaker.
“What the hell, man?” he answered.
“Bro, please, you gotta help me,” Knight said, sounding desperate. “It’s real bad this time.”
Also by Henley Maverick
A Baby for the Daddy (Boys of Rockford #3) releases September 5th.
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About the Author
Henley Maverick lives in Northern California and when she's not writing, she's reading, shoe shopping, or at the beach.
A Baby for the Soldier (Boys of Rockford Series Book 2) Page 17