Pepper tilted her head at Faith, who shrugged, flashing us a your guess is as good as mine look.
“Restroom,” she said after a few minutes, leaving her chair vacant.
Which Hudson quickly dropped into.
And remained silent, his sharp eyes scanning the party like he was cataloguing body count and movements more than enjoying the multiple conversations around him.
A loud squeal drew my attention away from trying to unlock the puzzle of our new broody friend, and I turned in my chair to see Hannah flying through the air, Connor having launched her toward the water.
Heat, pulsing and aching, stormed through my blood at the sight of my husband.
Shirtless, his swim trunks hanging low on his immaculately carved hipbones, beads of water kissing his chest and trailing lower.
Hot damn, when is this party over?
Selfish, sure, but no less true.
I had an insatiable craving for him between my legs as much as I did for him sitting on the couch next to me during our family movie nights.
So this is love.
Pure, raw, unfiltered love.
Hannah popped up from the water, giggling and splashing as Connor jumped into the pool beside her. He scooped her into his arms, threatening to toss her again as she laughed and wiggled.
The motion gave me a perfect view of his bicep, and the smooth skin underneath that had three sets of dates tattooed on it now: Hannah’s birthday, then her adoption day, and finally our wedding date. The columns of black ink were small but so damn significant it filled my heart to the point of bursting.
“What are you grinning about?” Pepper asked, nudging me. “You two used to fight constantly, he can’t be that amazing,” she teased, as she often did when she found me losing myself like a fangirl over him. Just as I had done to her over Eric months ago.
“He is,” I said, and then smiled as I glanced behind me where Shae Lansing was standing, casual in a loose pair of cotton shorts and a simple purple t-shirt. “Shae!” I waved her over and gave her a quick hug when she approached our table. “Thank you so much for being here for Hannah’s official adoption celebration.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said, but didn’t make a move to sit. “Connor is a fantastic father.”
“And that’s enough girl talk for me,” Hudson said, the small smile he rarely showed flashing for two seconds as he rose.
Shae laughed.
I hadn’t seen her do that once in all the times I’d met her.
“Since you’re vacating,” she said, her eyes looking up and up to meet Porter’s. “Could you show me where to get some food? I’m starved.”
Porter nodded, and held out an arm to show her the way to the grill around the corner.
I chuckled, returning my eyes to Connor, and laid my hand over my stomach, unconsciously stroking the smooth skin. I eyed his tattoos one more time.
A new date he’ll have to add to it in about six months.
The second we’d decided to officially be together, Connor had asked how I felt about removing my IUD. We both knew it could take a year or more after getting it removed to get pregnant, so we were both ready to take it slow.
Life had other plans.
“Ivy,” Pepper said my name like she knew I was hiding something, and I glared at my twin.
“Stop that,” I said.
“Ivy,” she chided again, her eyes growing wider and locking onto mine like she could see through me.
I glared at her, trying to keep her out, but she was my twin and it was hard for either of us to keep anything from the other.
She glanced from me, to Connor, to me, her eyes scanning my body, stopping on where I didn’t realize my hand still was.
Over my stomach.
Her lips popped open and she jolted in her chair.
“Damn it, Pepper,” I whispered.
Tears glittered in her eyes, a wide smile shaping her lips.
“Ugh,” I groaned, trying to bite back my smile. I was going to tell her, just after I’d told Connor.
“Sorry,” she said, quickly blinking back the tears. “I won’t…I didn’t mean to…just pretend I’m not here.”
I smiled at my sister’s attempt to correct a completely accidental situation.
“When are you going to tell him?”
“Soon.”
“He’s going to cry.”
“No he won’t,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Twenty-bucks says he does.” Pepper scooted back in her chair, standing.
“You’re on,” I said, tilting my head. “Where are you going?”
“Well, I have to leave now.”
“Why?”
“If I stay a moment longer I’ll pry all the details from you. You know how long I’ve dreamed of being an aunt?” She whispered the last word and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so excited for you and love you, and now I’m leaving. I won’t tell Eric, don’t worry.”
I eyed her.
“Not until you text me that Connor knows.”
“All right,” I said. “You’ll be my first call.”
“Promise?”
I nodded, and she hurried out of the pool house like she was afraid if she stayed one second longer she’d hit me with twenty-questions to the pregnancy degree.
“Ivy!” Hannah’s little voice brought my eyes back to her running for me. “Did you see?”
“What did I miss?” I asked, glancing up at Connor who had followed her over.
“I dove!”
“Her first time,” he said.
“That’s amazing!” I high-fived her.
“Mark the moment?” She asked, and I nodded, grabbing my cell and squeezing my cheek against hers. We took a quick selfie and then she was off to the pool again, splashing Lettie and Bailey while she was at it.
I pocketed my cell, and my eyes widened as Connor knelt to place his cold hands on my bare thighs, my shorts hiking as I jolted from the chill.
“Why don’t you throw on your bikini and get in there?” He asked.
“Because I was chatting with the girls,” I said.
Connor eyed the now empty table, Faith and Pepper and even Hudson gone.
“Or I was,” I amended.
He stroked his thumb in lazy circles on my thigh, each pass making my heart race. “Maybe the pool is a disappointment for you now,” he said. “If we’re not alone in it.”
A brazen blush crept over my skin, my mind drifting back to the first night we’d slept together. The pool, the cold stone at my back, all of it rushing me until I was breathless.
“Is this party over yet?” I whispered, and he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Say the word, and I’ll make sure it is.”
“You’d do that to your friends?” I laughed.
“Hell yes.”
“We have time,” I said. “Patience. Tonight will be one for the books.”
His dark eyes flared, and he wetted his lips. “How?” He asked, always wanting the details.
“I have a surprise for you.” It was an effort not to shout the news at the top of my lungs.
“I want it now,” he growled. “I hate surprises.”
“Says the man who surprised me with a puppy.” I laughed. “You’ll love this one.”
“How can you be so sure?” He smirked.
I glanced behind him, where Hannah laughed and played with Lettie. Then back to him, smoothing my hands over his until I drew them to my stomach.
“I just do.”
For a few moments, he simply held me where I’d guided his hands, smiling at me in easy happiness. Then, realization clicked, and his eyes flew wide as they darted from my hands to my face and back again.
“Really?” He whispered.
“Really, really.”
He sank fully to his knees, quite a sight for such a large man, and put his head in my lap, his ear replacing where his hands had just been.
I fingered the strands of his wet hair, biting my li
p to keep from crying.
And when he looked up at me, there were tears in his eyes.
“Well, damn,” I said, laughing.
“What?” He swallowed hard.
“Now I owe Pepper twenty-bucks.”
He blinked hard, the smile on his face brighter than I’d ever seen.
“You can explain that later,” he said, before standing and hauling me against him. His lips crushed mine in a way that screamed he’d forgotten we were hosting most of our friends and family. In a way that had me forgetting everything outside the taste of him in my mouth, the feel of his arms around me, the way his body pressed against mine.
“I love you,” he said, finally breaking the kiss.
“I love you,” I answered, lightly nipping his lip. “You think Hannah will be excited?” I asked, expressing the one fear I had with this intimate moment with him. I wanted her to know we loved her equally and as much as we would her new brother or sister.
“She’ll be over the moon,” Connor said. “That girl was born to be a sister,” he said, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against mine. “I never thought she’d get the chance. With Jessica…” he sighed. “Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” I asked.
“For giving me the world.”
I grinned, kissing him quickly. “Thank you for fighting for it.”
The End
The Seattle Sharks Have Bite!
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About the Author
Samantha Whiskey is a wife, mom, lover of her dogs and romance novels. No stranger to hockey, hot alpha males, and a high dose of awkwardness, she tucks herself away to write books her PTA will never know about.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my incredible husband and my awesome kids without which I would live a super boring life!
Huge thanks must be paid to these amazing authors who have always offered epic advice and constant support! Not to mention creating insanely hot reads to pass the time with! And thank you to each and every single one of you AMAZING readers who love the Sharks as much as I do!
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