And mostly, he wanted to make love to her on a soft mattress, face-to-face, heartbeat to heartbeat.
“Let’s move to the bed.”
She hesitated, just long enough for him to decide to take matters into his own hands. Lacing his fingers through hers, he eased her closer to the mattress, then moved away to turn on the lamp on the nightstand.
“Chase, don't. Can we just use the light from the bathroom?”
The panic in her voice stopped him before he could flood the room with light. He wasn't surprised to hear her quivering demand, and told himself to be patient. He'd have to tackle one issue at a time with Willow, no matter how badly he wanted to see her without a stitch of clothing on, all of her luscious curves for him to gaze upon.
Tonight he'd have to be satisfied with stripping her completely naked by the light being given off a few feet from them. He'd give her that tonight, and tomorrow he'd set out to convince her that he loved her body. Slow, intimate steps designed to continue to build her trust in him. To let her know that he wanted to know all of her, wanted more than them just to be co-parents of their child. He wanted a commitment, a future, and he wanted that with her. And that meant no hiding anything—not even her lush body.
“Come here,” he said softly, and waited for her to take the two steps required for her to join him by the edge of the bed. Then he pulled the ponytail holder from her hair and let the thick mass fall to her shoulders. “Now turn around for me.”
She did as he asked, and he brushed his lips along the side of her neck as he began to ease the hem of her gown upward. He felt her shiver as he drew the material over her head and let it fall to the floor.
He eased her back around again and grew excruciatingly hard at what he'd uncovered. She stood before him completely naked. He took in the dark shadow between her legs, the swell of her stomach silhouetted by moonlight, and the full breasts that balanced the shape of her body perfectly. How could he make her understand how gorgeous she looked with her carrying their child?
He reached out to touch her tense jaw. He could see in her eyes that, even in the darkness, she couldn't bring herself to shed her doubts about herself, about her lush body, which was his every fantasy come to life.
He smoothed his fingers along her jaw to her chin. “You have no reason to be uncomfortable with your body, so let it go,” he murmured gently. “Not with me. Especially here and now. You are carrying my son. How could I not find you anything but exquisite?”
Something shimmered in her eyes, the barest hint of hope, and much to his wonder her slight resistance faded. Without him asking, she eased onto of the bed and lay there, silently waiting for him to join her.
After quickly removing his jeans and boxer briefs, he stepped closer to the foot of the bed, determined to make this experience one she wouldn't soon forget. He reached for her, letting his fingers trail sensuously along the upper part of her thighs before continuing down toward her knee and over her smooth calves, massaging lightly as he went.
Then he began kissing his way upward, relying more on his sense of taste and touch to make up for the dim lighting. He used the lazy glide of his hands, the damp heat of his mouth, and the soft stroke of his tongue to blaze a fiery trail along her parted thighs.
She said his name on a breathless, plaintive sigh and clutched the bedcovers in her fists when he finally pushed one finger, then two, deep inside her and put his mouth right where she needed the pressure of his tongue the most.
She came almost instantly, bucking against his mouth, and her moan of pleasure meshed with his as he took her higher still, until she begged him to stop. He did, but only because he'd yet to skim his lips over the curve of her hip, the soft swell of her stomach. She writhed as he placed light kisses around her navel, and her fingers tangled in his hair to urge him up.
He deliberately took his time, refusing to be rushed, and gradually made his way up to her voluptuous breasts. He laved her nipples, traced the swell of her cleavage with his tongue, and grazed the plump flesh with his teeth. She squirmed beneath him, whimpering fretfully.
What seemed like long minutes later, he rearranged them so that he was on his back with her kneeling above him. She shifted, causing her thighs to move wider apart so that his throbbing erection was nestled against the lips of her sex. With her help he thrust deep, stretching her, filling her, his penetration so powerful and complete that they both moaned simultaneously.
But still, it wasn't enough. “Ease back a little,” he said.
She did, her thighs going slack. Once he could maneuver, he sat straight up, easing backwards until his back rested against the headboard. Once he was settled again, he pulled her closer and with a slight tilt of her hips, he was buried inside of her to the very base of his shaft.
“Oh, yeah,” he growled as she gasped.
He slowly ground against her as he trailed hot, openmouthed kisses along her jaw, her throat, and then gave her a love bite on her neck.
She sobbed in frustration, her body arching, straining against him, trying to urge him to a wilder rhythm. He held her close to him, caressing every inch of her skin that he could reach. In his own sweet time he eventually gave her what she wanted, gradually surging faster, harder, deeper, until both of their bodies submitted to the inevitable…a glorious, stunning climax that drained them both.
As the tremors faded, he pressed his mouth against Willow's and kissed her, their bodies still joined, and the beat of her heart matching his. There was no denying it. He was head-over-heels in love with her. Now he just had to convince her that it was okay, if she admitted it to herself as well.
Chapter Seventeen
Willow groaned as she shifted and stretched, trying her best to work a knot out of her lower back. Gone were the days of being comfortable, getting a good night’s rest and seeing her feet. Time had flown by and she and Chase awaiting the birth of their son any day now. There wasn’t a moment that went by that she didn’t realize how lucky she was to have Chase. In fact, even though she hadn’t said it, she was in love with him. She didn’t doubt for a moment that he felt the same for he showed her every day.
He put up with all of her hormonal insanity and weird food cravings. When her back, feet or legs hurt, he massaged them. That’s exactly what she was waiting on now. Chase was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. He’d cooked a simple dinner of chicken breasts, broccoli and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately she hadn’t been able to eat much. Nowadays she did more snacking because she could only eat so much in one sitting without feeling sick.
She was so grateful that it was Friday night. Today had been her last day at work. Somehow she’d managed to work all the way up to this point, but it’d been worth it. Even when she was so exhausted she could hardly make it up the stairs to her apartment. Fortunately, Geneva and Chase took turns helping her in the evening. She didn’t know how she would have done it with all of their help.
Finally, Chase appeared in the doorway. “How are you feeling?”
“My back is still hurting and I’m tired.”
“Do you want to try a warm shower or do you still just want a back rub?”
“I’ll take the back rub. I’m too tired to stand.”
Chase grinned. “Go ahead and get comfortable on your side. I’ll get the oil.”
She moved into the proper position as quickly as her body would allow her to. A few moments later, he joined her on the bed. He rearranged her gown to give him better access to her back and she blanched when she thought about what the view looked like. But the instant his hands pressed down near her spine, she forgot all about appearances. A moan slipped from her mouth and her eyes fluttered closed in gratification.
She lost track of how long he rubbed and stroked before her eyelids became heavy and he lured her to sleep. The peaceful slumber didn’t last long though. She was awakened by the return of the pain in her back, only it was more intense.
Feeling as though she needed to move around, she tried to ease from the bed
without waking Chase. It took her a few moments to get to her feet on her own. She left the bedroom and headed toward the living room with the intent to walk a little. The pacing actually helped. She made several circuits, the pain seeming to fade with each step.
Once it seemed that the worst was over, she turned to head back down the hall only to be paralyzed as a sharp pain traveled down from the middle of spine and rippled its way around to her stomach. She had to grip the couch to keep from collapsing onto the floor.
It made her realize that something serious might be going on and she needed to wake Chase. When she was finally able to straighten herself up, she turned to make the trek back to the bedroom. She was halfway there when she felt an indescribable sensation in her stomach area followed by a trickle of liquid between her legs.
Her water had broke!
She was in labor. Before she could completely wrap her brain around what was going on, she was caught up in another body clenching wave of pain. Groaning, she braced a hand against the wall and held her stomach with the other. They had not prepared her for this in Lamaze class. How was she supposed to focus on remaining calm and breathing as normally as possible when all she wanted to do was scream and cry from the pain she felt?
When the contraction ended, she stood up straight and did her best to make it to the bedroom.
“Chase,” she called out. When he didn’t stir, she tried again. “Chase! Wake up!”
He jerked awake, looking around wildly before his gaze settled on her. “What are you doing out of bed? Do you want a snack?”
She would have laughed if it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation. “No. My water broke. The baby’s coming.”
He was out of the bed and by her side before she could draw in a good breath. “When?”
“Just a moment ago in the hallway. I’m afraid I made a mess.”
He put his arm around her. “Don’t worry about that. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. We just need to get to the hospital.”
“Okay. Do you need help getting dressed?”
“Please.”
He helped her into the bathroom and in no time he had her clean and dressed for the trip to the hospital. Just as he helped her off the bed, another contraction chose to surge through her. She gritted her teeth as she did her best not to scream. No need to wake or alarm her neighbors by having them think she was being murdered. A groan slipped from her as she leaned into Chase.
“You have to relax, Willow. Breath and relax.”
“You breathe and relax! This hurts!”
He chuckled and she would have smacked him if she could move enough to manage the feat. Instead, she allowed him to rub the base of her spine as she tried to get through the labor pain. What seemed like an eternity later she was able to breathe.
“Okay, sweetheart, let’s get you to the hospital. It looks as though our son is ready to make his appearance.”
After that, everything seemed to be whirlwind. Chase drove her car, so she wouldn’t have to struggle to get into his truck. By the time he pulled up to the labor and delivery entrance of the hospital, she’d experienced two more contractions.
Once she’d been checked in and situated in a private room, she’d suffered through an examination during another contraction confirming what she’d already known. She was going to have a baby. As if sensing she was nearing the edge of an emotional cliff from the horrific pains, Chase had managed to get the anesthesiologist to her room in record time. As soon as the medication from the epidural kicked in, she knew she had a new best friend for life. After that the contractions just felt like tightening in her pelvic region, but she was no longer tempted to scream her head off.
Chase leaned down next to her. “Geneva and our parents are on their way. I called Kenny as well. He and Hanna are going to come as soon as they can. Everything is taken care of. Now try to get some rest as Dr. Mayer suggested. I’ll be right here beside you.”
She felt her eyelids getting heavy from the lack of sleep so she didn’t bother to argue with him. Instead she just gave into the exhaustion.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep before Dr. Mayer awoke her to examine her.
The doctor was grinning when she finished.
“Alright, Willow. It’s looks as though it’s time for us to have a baby. You are fully dilated. I want you to try pushing now.”
She looked over at Chase wide-eyed and he took her hand into his.
“Everything is fine. You can do this. Our son seems anxious to join us.”
“Has anyone made it yet?”
“Geneva just called and said she’s on her way up. Our parents are on the way, but they still have a little traveling time ahead of them.”
Willow looked at Dr. Mayer. “Can we wait on the pushing?”
Dr. Mayer chuckled. “Unfortunately we can’t, but if it makes you feel better, you are just getting started. It could take a while. Everyone might have time to get here.”
Willow didn’t believe her doctor, because the rest of the staff in the room were rolling in all of the equipment needed in preparation for a delivery.
Just then there was a knock on the door. When she glanced over, she spotted Geneva.
“Hey you. I hear you’re having a baby,” she stated as she neared the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Pretty good. The drugs are working wonders.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the anesthesiologist entered the room. “Speaking of the miracle worker. I’m still doing fine right now,” she said to him.
The anesthesiology patted her hand. “That’s good, but unfortunately I probably won’t be in your good graces for too much longer. I’m here to stop the pain medicine. They are ready for you to push, so that means you need to have a little more feeling below the waist.”
If only Willow had known what that meant. It seems that only seconds had passed since her pain medication was lowered and when the first contraction hit she wasn’t a happy camper. Chase was in her face the instant she cried out, attempting to coach her through the breathing techniques.
“Okay, Willow, time to start pushing,” Dr. Mayer instructed as she neared the foot of the birthing table.
One of the nurses in the room stepped forward. “Okay, Daddy, you’re strong and sturdy. I need you to help Willow bring her right leg up so that we can help her get this baby out as easily as possible. I’ll take the left leg.”
Geneva stepped to the side with a jaunty wave. “I’ll be over here out of the line of sight so that I can be sure to keep down the dinner I ate tonight.”
If Willow hadn’t being hit by another contraction, she would have laughed. Instead, she grunted and focused on breathing. Once it ended, Dr. Mayer spoke.
“Okay, I want you to push with the next contraction, Willow.”
She looked over at Chase who was grinning like a loon.
“Are you ready to do this?”
She gave a brief nod. “I’m ready.”
Chapter Eighteen
It didn’t take long for Willow to realize she wasn’t as prepared as she thought. She closed her eyes and tried to fight back a scream. She hadn’t had any idea that it was going to be this hard. It felt like she’d been pushing for hours, but Chase had reassured that it’d only been closer to one hour.
“All right, sweetheart,” Chase murmured close to her ear, making her realize she’d zoned out. “The doctor says our son is almost here. One more good push and you'll be finished.”
She looked at him and nodded. She squeezed his hand strongly and thanked God that he had wanted to be a part of the delivery. She didn't know how she would have gone through all of this without him.
Her breath came in short, harsh, rasping pants. A tearing discomfort settled low in her body and every fiber in her being told her to push. But she was so exhausted.
Not only was their son arriving on time, but the time from the first indication of a labor pain to this devastating pressure had taken a few hour
s from the moment that her water broke. She’d always heard a first baby took forever to be born. She had thought she would be ready.
She wasn't.
“Chase,” she gasped in the short intervals between pains, “what if we mess up? What if we're horrible parents?”
He smiled at her. “Are you serious?” he asked. “We're going to be wonderful!”
“Okay, Willow,” the doctor said. “Get ready to bear down and see your baby.”
“I’m tired,” Willow managed to state as pain began to build deep within her again. “I don’t think I can do this.”
The nurse smiled gently. “Yes you can. Your baby is right there. Just one more push and he’ll be yours to hold.”
“Oh, Chase,” Willow groaned, “everyone still hasn’t made it to the hospital.”
“Everyone that needs to be here is present,” he soothed her. “As for the others, when they do arrive, they'll have the pleasure of meeting the baby without having to wait.”
The pain grew and spread, opening inside her, making her strain and grind her teeth for battle.
“I see the baby's head, Willow,” the doctor crowed. “Almost there.”
Willow's breath came in short, hard gasps. Focused on her task, she only nodded to the doctor.
“Now,” Chase began as pushed her leg back into the proper position to help give her the right angle, “aren't you ready to meet our son?”
Willow didn't respond. She was extremely busy, focusing on the task at hand. She felt Chase's strong hands supporting her. She heard the doctor's positive voice. She felt a last unbelievable surge of energy race through her body and when it came, she gathered it to her, gave one last mighty effort and pushed her child into the world.
An annoyed cry filled the room and someone laughed.
She looked up into Chase's blue eyes and found them watery. “Do you see him?” he whispered. “He’s here, sweetheart. Our son is here.”
The Soldier's Baby Surprise (For the Baby's Sake, Book 1) Page 9