Making him whole

by Sage S Wolf

  “What?”

  Stephen chuckled and clapped me on the back. “Relax, Son. I know a lovesick man when I see one. And I don’t blame you. Tessa’s beautiful, kind, and glowing from pregnancy. What’s not to love?”

  “But, Cecilia…”

  Stephen grabbed my shoulders and locked eyes with me. “Cecilia loved you with all her heart, Darik, and I know she would want you to find happiness after her. She would want you to have everything you wanted in life, and if that means loving that woman in there and her baby, then there ain’t no shame in that. Just be happy, Darik. Don’t worry about moving on too fast or feeling like you’re betraying my girl. She would want you to keep living without her, as much as that hurts us both to hear. Understand?”

  I nodded. I would have broken down in tears had I tried to speak.

  “Good.” Stephen opened the front door. “You take care of those two and come to dinner on Sunday. Both of you.”

  I nodded again, still unable to talk.

  I shut the door behind Stephen and turned to find Tessa standing in the doorway, crying…

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Tessa

  I’d come to see Stephen out too, but I’d been stopped in my tracks by his words to Darik.

  “You love me?” I choked out, trying my best to control my tears. Stupid hormones. Darik didn’t say anything, he just looked at me with watery eyes. “Right,” I said after another minute of silence. He didn’t love me. Stephen was just making assumptions, like I had. Then I went and made a fool of myself at the restaurant. Now I was doing it again. “Nevermind.” I turned and started to walk away.

  “I do love you, Tessa.” Darik’s words were like a warm blanket on a cold night.

  I turned back to look at him. “You love me?”

  He nodded as tears fell from his eyes. “It hurts like hell, but I do.”

  I laughed and stepped closer to him. “Well, that sounds promising.”

  “It’s the best I’ve got right now until I finish working through my shit.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. “I love you, Tess,” he whispered, bringing his face closer to mine.

  “I love you, too.” I stood on my tiptoes to meet his mouth in a kiss that was so soft and gentle, yet full of everything we both felt. It made my heart flutter.

  The baby kicked between us and we laughed against each other’s mouth.

  Darik dropped to his knees in front of me and pressed a kiss to my stomach. “I love you too, Erik.” Then he smiled up at me and warmth flooded my body again.

  “I love you.” I couldn’t stop saying it now that I had let it out.

  Darik grinned and stood to place another gentle kiss to my mouth. “I love you more.”

  “Prove it,” I said, grinning back at him.

  Darik’s grin grew. “And how would I do that?”

  I pushed my hands under his flannel shirt, both of us sighing at the contact. “Mmm, feels just as good as it looks.” I let my fingers trace every ab before making my way up to his pecs.

  “Tessa.” Darik’s breathing was getting heavier the longer I teased him with my touch. “Tell me what you want.”

  “You really want to know what I want?” I ran my hands around to his back, holding him close as he stared down at me in a way that had my lady bits tingling.

  It had been too long since I’d been turned on by a man.

  Darik slid his hand into my hair and tugged it gently making me gasp. Not in a scared-he-would-hurt-me gasp. In a holy-hell-this-man-is-hot one. “Tell me what you want, Tess. I’m doing my best to be a gentleman but with your hands on me, I don’t know how long I can hold back.”

  Goddess, did I want him to scoop me up, carry me to his bed, and have his way with me. I deserved great sex after dealing with an abusive asshole for two years. Zack’s idea of intimacy was pinning me beneath him and using me until he got off, then walking away. I knew sex with Darik wasn’t going to be like that. It was going to be explosive.

  That wasn’t what I wanted right now, though.

  I pulled my hands out from under Darik’s shirt and beckoned him closer with my finger. “You sure you want to know?” Our mouths were a breath apart.

  “Please,” Darik quietly begged, then kissed me sweetly. This man was being so gentle with me and I loved it. “Tell me.”

  I smiled against his mouth. “Pasta.”

  Darik pulled back, lifting a brow at me. “Pasta? That’s what all that touching was about?”

  I nodded and bit my lip to try and stop myself from smiling. “Mmhmm.”

  For a second I thought he might be mad and started to fear I’d messed up.

  Darik suddenly threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. It caused me to start laughing too.

  “You really had me going for a minute there, you brat.” He playfully pinched my side and I laughed harder.

  “Stop or I’m gonna pee myself.” I swatted his hand away.

  “You might actually deserve it after that trickery.” Darik pulled me back against him and kissed my forehead, quieting my laughter.

  “I’m sorry. My hormones are running the show right now and once I kissed you, I had to touch you.”

  “You never have to apologize to me, Tessa. I wasn’t mad. A little sexually frustrated? Yes. But I’ll get over it.” Darik stole one more kiss before releasing me. “Go pee while I start your pasta. You want the linguini with butter and herbs, right?”

  I nodded. It had been my new favorite pasta dish the last couple of days.

  I sat down on the toilet to pee and started thinking about how incredibly lucky I was that things had happened how they did. I’d like to think that the car accident was fate stepping in and ending Zack’s horrible treatment of me, but then what was the purpose of it taking Cecilia from Darik? That part I couldn’t figure out. Probably never would. Some things didn’t have actual reasons for happening. They just happened.

  Now Darik and I would keep navigating this new chapter of our lives together.

  “Tessa, you okay in there?” Darik’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Yea.” I stood and flushed the toilet before turning on the faucet to wash my hands. “I’ll be out in a second.”

  “Alright, I just wanted to be sure you were okay,” he said, then his footsteps sounded back toward the kitchen.

  I washed my hands and followed the smell of food back to the kitchen…

  Chapter Forty

  Darik

  It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. A weight I hadn’t realized had been caused by me denying my feelings for Tessa. But now that we’d admitted how we felt, I could breathe easier. I just felt lighter. Happier. And the kisses…I’d kept them gentle and sweet.

  What I’d really wanted was to devour her beautiful mouth and then take her to my room and make her scream my name.

  I was a patient man, though. I could wait until she was ready to be taken that way. Or in any way. It was completely up to her.

  “I smell food,” Tessa said in a sing-song voice as she entered the kitchen.

  I chuckled and turned to look at her. “When do you not?”

  “Hey!” Tessa swatted my arm. “It’s not nice to make fun of a pregnant woman.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from leaning down and kissing her. I’d never get tired of her full soft lips against mine. “I’m not making fun of you, mama. I’m just stating the truth.”

  Tessa pushed me away with a laugh. “You’re a jerk! I don’t think I want your love anymore if this is how you’re going to treat me.”

  “That’s just too bad, 'cause you’re getting it anyway.” I reached out and rubbed my hand over her stomach. “Both of you.”

  “And now you’ve gone back to being sweet again.” Tessa hugged me and kissed my chin. “I think we’ll take your love after all.”

  “And my pasta?”

  Tessa smiled. “And your pasta.”

  I finished our food and we sat down at the dining ro
om table to have an early dinner. Neither of us had finished our lunch because of me. I still felt bad about that. I never wanted to hurt Tessa. I loved her.

  “Would you like to go to lunch with me after my court hearing tomorrow?” I asked as we were doing the dishes later that night.

  I was washing them and Tessa was drying and putting them away.

  “Like our first official date?”

  “Yea.” I handed her a plate. “We’ll be official.”

  Tessa smiled at me, drying the plate. “So you’re my boyfriend now?”

  I paused, then smiled. “I guess I am. Never thought I’d ever have that title again.” A little pang of sadness shot through my chest.

  “Darik.” Tessa pressed her hand right over the spot, soothing it. “We don’t have to do this. I’m okay with us just loving each other without a title.”

  I took her hand into my wet one and kissed her palm. “I want titles with you, Tess. Being with you through all of this has healed me more than I ever could have on my own. At first I thought it was the baby that was stealing my heart and mending it, but as the weeks have passed I realized it was both of you.” I stopped and brushed the strand of hair that had fallen from her braid out of her face. “Cecilia was the love of my life and will always be a part of me. I won’t lie about that.”

  “And what am I?” Tessa asked. I could see her fear of my answer.

  I cupped her cheek. “You are the love of my new life. The one after Cecilia.”

  Tessa smiled and pulled me down for a kiss. This one wasn’t gentle or sweet like the earlier ones. This one was all-consuming and full of passion.

  “Take me to bed,” Tessa panted into my mouth. “Please.”

  I didn’t need to be begged twice.

  Scooping her up, I carried her to my room and laid her gently on the bed before pressing my forehead to hers. “Are you sure?”

  “Surer than I’ve ever been of anything.” She reached for me and I shook my head.

  “We both need to be wearing fewer clothes,” I said, and began unbuttoning my shirt slowly, loving the way Tessa’s expression grew hungrier with every inch of skin I exposed.

  Once my shirt was off, I kicked off my boots and rid myself of my pants. Now I was standing in nothing but my black boxers. There was no hiding my erection now.

  “Help me!” Tessa pushed herself up and started trying to take her maternity pants off. It wasn’t going well. “Are you gonna help or just stand there and smile?”

  “Right,” I chuckled, pulling her to the edge of the bed so she could stand. “Hold onto my shoulders and I’ll get these pants off.”

  She did as I asked, and soon with a little wiggling on her part and some tugging on mine, we had the pants in a puddle on the floor.

  “I’m not wearing pants for the rest of this pregnancy,” she declared as I helped her pull her sweater over her head.

  “Fine by--” I almost choked on my tongue when I saw Tessa wasn’t wearing a bra.

  She blushed and cupped her heavy breasts. “I’d have worn a bra if I’d known there would be an unveiling.”

  “You’re beautiful, Tessa.” I stepped back to fully take her in.

  Her dark hair was in a messy braid, and her stomach was rounded with a little line of dark hair running from her belly button down into her light pink panties. Her breasts were full and round, only drooping a little with their new weight. At least that’s what I’d gathered about them the whole three seconds I saw them before she covered them with her hands.

  “Are you just going to stare at me all night?”

  My eyes snapped to hers. She was worrying her lip.

  “Oh, I’m going to be doing a lot more than staring at you tonight, Tess.”

  “Promise?”

  Fuck, this woman was something else.

  I stepped close and ran my hand over her stomach, slowly making my way up to her breasts. “I promise. Move your hands for me,” She did as I asked. “Good girl.”

  I cupped her breasts, testing their weight in my hands before leaning down and taking a nipple into my mouth. I gently suckled it before flicking my tongue over the tip.

  “Darik,” Tessa moaned, burying her hands in my hair to hold me in place.

  I switched to the other nipple, giving it the same attention before pulling back. “As much as I want to stand here and suck on these glorious tits all night, we have to be careful to not stimulate them too much.”

  Tessa groaned. “You’re such a buzzkill, but you’re right.”

  “I’ve got something better for you.” She looked down at my erection which had now broken free of its boxer prison and was bobbing as if to say hello. I laughed. “Not that, Tess. Not yet at least.”

  I gently pushed her to sit on the bed and then grabbed some pillows so she could comfortably lean back.

  “Oh,” Tessa said when she realized what I was doing. “Darik, I haven’t shaved in like a month. That is not a good idea.”

  I chuckled and got down on my knees and kissed the inside of her thigh. “I’m not scared of hair, Tess. It’s fine. Just lean back and relax.”

  I reached up and hooked my fingers into the sides of her panties and slowly pulled them down to her knees before looking at my prize. There was a good bit of hair but not so much that I couldn’t see her pink lips and how wet she was. She smelled amazing, too. Like her rose body wash and something distinctly Tessa. The smell called straight to my dick and it twitched.

  “Is something wrong?” Tessa asked, looking down at me with a flushed face. She was embarrassed.

  “Nothing is wrong.” To prove my point, I reached out and ran my finger over her slit and she moaned. “Sensitive?” I looked up at her and she nodded. “This is gonna be fun.” I grinned and pulled her panties the rest of the way off.

  Spreading her legs, I ran my hands up the inside of her thighs, massaging as I went until my thumbs were almost touching her pussy. I massaged around it as I began kissing all the places my hands had massaged and then my mouth was there. Right where I wanted it to be and yet not.

  Tessa squirmed and grabbed my hair. “Darik, please,” she begged, trying to push my face closer to where she wanted me.

  I stuck my tongue out and licked her from hole to clit, making her let out a long moan. “You taste like heaven, Tessa,” I said before sucking her clit into my mouth and slowly working a finger inside of her.

  “More!” she cried out when I started pumping my finger in and out.

  I added a second finger, working them in and out as I teased her clit with the tip of my tongue. I dipped my tongue down so I could taste more of her as she gushed around my fingers.

  “Darik!” Tessa screamed as her inner walls gripped my fingers and she came, flooding my hand with her juices. Then she was pushing my face away and clawing at my shoulders, trying to pull me up. “I need it.”

  I knew what she was needing.

  “Let me grab a condom.” I stood and tried to step away but she wrapped her legs around mine.

  “You don’t need it!” she panted. “Just fuck me, please!”

  I’d heard of women being crazy horny while pregnant, but I didn’t expect this.

  I pushed my boxers off. “I’m clean, but are you sure?”

  She nodded and reached for me. “Please,” she whimpered, and I was a goner.

  “Okay.” I grabbed another pillow and used it to prop her ass up so I could get a good angle without having to put any weight on her stomach. “Ready?”

  I lined myself up and at her nod, I slid home. She was so tight, it felt like her pussy was trying to hold me and never let me go. It felt too good and I had to take a moment to calm myself so that I didn’t cum on the first stroke.

  Tessa reached up and cupped my cheek. “I love you.”

  Her mouth said she loved me, but her eyes said “fuck me or die.”

  I pulled almost all the way out and slowly slid back in, gradually picking up speed until I was at what I felt was a safe pace. I was a l
ittle afraid of jabbing the baby in the head even though I knew that wasn’t possible.

  Tessa’s moans grew louder as she started to tighten around me.

  “Tessa, I love you,” I moaned, reaching down, rubbing her clit with my thumb.

  “Darik!” She called out as her walls clamped down on me, pushing me over the edge with her.

  Gripping her hips, I planted myself deep and came, filling her with my cum until it was leaking out around me. I’d never gone without a condom before. The sensation of being bare and filling Tessa with my seed gave me an almost primal pride.

  I’d marked her. Tessa was mine now in all ways, and if not for the baby inside her right now, we could be making one.

  We would someday, if she wanted to. My mind flashed to the little girl in my dream.

  “What are you thinking?” Tessa asked, reaching up and caressing my cheek.

  I smiled and pulled out. “I was just thinking how much I love you.” I helped her get settled in the middle of the bed and then snuggled up behind her, resting my hand on her stomach. We could clean up later. “I know this is fucked up to say, but I’m glad I crashed into you.”

  Tessa snuggled closer and placed her hand over mine. “Me too.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  December 7th, 2020

  Tessa

  Something woke me from a peaceful sleep and I laid there for a few minutes in the dark before what had woken me happened again.

  “Oh!” I breathed out, rubbing my stomach as it tightened. “Darik!” I nudged his sleeping form. He was snoring lightly. “Darik!”

  Darik’s eyes shot open. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think our son wants to meet us a little early.”

  “Oh!” Darik’s eyes went to my stomach. “Okay.” He rolled out of bed and headed for the closet. “I’ll get the go-bag.”

  I loved how calm he was being.

  My boyfriend might not be a morning person but every time I’d woken him up early whether it be two am or six am, he was always ready to do what I needed without a fight or complaint. That kind of patience would come in handy once the baby was here.