Since I pulled up the daycare security feed as soon as my computer booted up, I didn’t comment. I started clearing through my emails until Justice joined us around ten minutes later.
Wordlessly, I swiveled my laptop to the side so that we all had at least a partial view of the split screen showing the feed from four different cameras. We’d never get any work done if we were all constantly checking our phones.
Justice grunted. “I don’t like the way those three have their heads together,” he muttered.
I was in complete agreement but had no solution, so I just shrugged. At that moment, Hazel threw back her head and laughed, bringing a smile to my face.
We jumped into company business for the next few hours; only stopping when it was time for lunch. “Let’s take our girls out,” Thatcher suggested, though from the look on his face, it was clear that he would rather grab his wife and hole up alone at home.
Once we’d collected our wives, I mentioned an upscale restaurant a few blocks away. Imogene’s face wrinkled, and she pointed to a street vendor. “How about some hot dogs instead?”
Thatcher rolled his eyes and tugged his wife into his side. “No more street hot dogs, sugar. It’s not good for you, but especially while you’re pregnant.”
Blair and Hazel screeched and started clapping and jumping up and down. They hugged Imogene who was blushing to the roots of her brown curls. “Our babies will be so close together!” gushed Blair. Hazel glanced at me with a question in her leafy green eyes. It was technically a little early, but I was as excited to share our news as she was. I smiled and gave her an encouraging nod.
Just then, Blair turned and grabbed my wife’s hands. “Your turn, Hazel! Let’s have our babies together!” Justice shook his head with an expression of exasperation, but he was chuckling.
“Perhaps we should let Jamison and Hazel decide when they want to have babies, bunny.”
I couldn’t help the huge grin that split my face when Hazel flushed and matched my expression.
“She’s pregnant!” Imogene shrieked, and then the dance happened all over again.
We stood there a little awkwardly, but the proud puff of our chests didn’t escape the girls’ notice. Hazel smirked and cocked her head to the side. “Look at them,” she jibed with a teasing tone that brought back the musical lilt from her country upbringing. “I’m surprised they don’t float away with all those puffed chests and planet-sized egos.”
I stuck my hands in my pockets and grinned unapologetically. Hell yeah, I was preening like a fucking peacock. My woman had a ring on her finger that could be seen from space and my baby in her belly. And right at that moment, she was glowing with happiness. I took a deep breath. For the first time in weeks, I felt easy and relaxed.
* * *
“It’s on Wednesday. You guys are going to come, right?” Imogene was wringing her hands nervously as she voiced her question. It seemed she’d finally agreed to let Thatcher set up a showcase for her at a small, local gallery.
“Of course!” Hazel answered sweetly as she cuddled into my side. We’d ended up in a retro diner near the seaport where we could share a large, round booth, allowing each couple to sit together. She tipped her head back and looked up at me. “We can, right?”
“We can do whatever you want, peaches.” She blushed prettily and gave me a beautiful smile. I fucking loved when she stared me like I hung the damn moon. I loved it a little too much because we were going to be stuck in that booth for a little while until I talked my cock down.
“It’s casual,” Imogene continued excitedly. “The gallery is actually kind of funky, so I think it will be a fun atmosphere.”
The girls made more plans while we sat back and simply enjoyed watching them. I imagined my expression mirrored the one on Justice’s and Thatcher’s faces. Contentment and adoration. I was besotted with my gorgeous wife, and it reaffirmed my determination to do whatever it took to make her happy for the rest of our lives.
Chapter 4
Jamison
Hazel had been practically beaming all night. I trailed behind her, keeping an eye out, but mostly just enjoying watching her. She was dressed in jeans that were a little too tight in my opinion, but hot as fuck. With a purple tunic that had long, flowy sleeves with slits in each one and another in the center of the chest, giving tantalizing glimpses of cleavage. She wore brown riding boots, and her hair was in a messy, fancy braid that hung over one shoulder, resting on her breast.
If she hadn’t been so excited about attending the art show, I’d have kept her locked in the house while I devoured her from head to toe. It was still the plan for when we got home.
Imogene and Blair had drawn Hazel into a conversation about babies while I talked business with my partners. As time passed, more and more people arrived at the gallery, and I could tell that Justice and Thatcher were becoming as uncomfortable as I was. I sent a quick text and within five minutes, Bianca, Hazel’s bodyguard, walked in the door. She was followed by Benjamin and Kyla, Blair and Imogene’s security, respectively. When Hazel caught sight of the three “shadows” as the girls liked to call them, she rolled her eyes at me, but I just shrugged, not the least bit sorry.
They blended seamlessly into the crowd, and it allowed me to breathe a little easier. We’d all learned our lesson about security over the years since we’d made our first million, then billion. And, our wives were where we were the most vulnerable.
“Are you and Hazel attending the fundraising gala at The Met next weekend?” Justice asked, his eyes glued to his wife.
My eyes were similarly occupied, staring at my gorgeous wife. Every time she smiled or laughed, I felt my lips lift at the corner. Her joy was infectious. I responded to Justice with a nod. “It’ll be another opportunity for me to unruffle some feathers with my clients. A lot of them will be in attendance, and I’m sure my Hazel will love it.”
When the evening came to an end, the gallery informed Imogene that every single piece had sold. The girls squealed and hugged in excitement, and warmth spread through my chest. I felt more at ease than I had in a while. Hazel seemed to be happy, and she was more like herself than she had been in a while.
“Did you have fun, peaches?” I asked her softly as she snuggled into my side in the back of our town car.
Hazel dropped her head back and grinned up at me, her green eyes dancing. “So much fun!” she exclaimed before leaning up to plant a kiss on my lips.
I slipped my index finger into the slit in her shirt right between her tits and ran the pad of my finger down the length of it. She shivered, and I grunted as my cock hardened painfully. “This has been driving me crazy all night. Did you do this on purpose, peaches?” I growled as I shifted her body until she was straddling my lap. She moaned when she felt my erection pressing up insistently between her legs.
“I think you intended to tease me.” My hand fisted in the fabric and yanked, bringing her so close our lips were only a breath away. “Don’t think I haven’t been keeping a tally of all the spankings you’re earning.” I knew myself well enough to know that if I spanked her pretty little ass and saw my handprint on the white cheeks, I wouldn’t be able to keep the devil inside me restrained. But as soon as she recovered from having the baby, it was going to be game on.
“Maybe you should punish me now,” she breathed as she moved on top of me.
I gritted my teeth and set her back on the seat next to me. “You know I can’t do that, Hazel.” The happiness in her eyes dimmed, and I wanted to drop-kick my own ass for causing it. “Peaches, I can’t lose control with you. I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”
She blinked a few times, trying to hold back the moisture that was making it suddenly hard for me to breathe. “Are you sure that’s all it is?” she asked in a tiny voice.
I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, drawing her head up so I could look her in the face. “What do you mean?”
She tried to shake her head, but I was holding firm, so
she swallowed and whispered, “Never mind. It’s just pregnancy hormones messing with me.”
The car came to a stop before I could dig further, and Hazel practically leapt from the car when Bianca opened the door.
I was tempted to rush after her, but something told me that she needed some time. So, I headed for the kitchen and made her a cup of her favorite tea. Then I brought it with me to the bedroom.
Hazel was sitting at the vanity in our bathroom with the faucet in the big tub running. I set the tea in front of her, and she tossed me a small, but genuine, smile. I took over getting the bath ready for her, adding her favorite salts—ones I’d made sure she could use during her pregnancy—and setting a stack of warm, fluffy towels on a little table beside the bathtub. Then I grabbed the paperback from her nightstand. By then, the water was high enough to turn off the faucet. I helped her disrobe and step into the steaming water. She sighed and relaxed against the marble, allowing the water to cover her from neck to toe.
I stood and kissed the top of her head. “Call me if you need me, peaches.”
It wasn’t easy to leave Hazel alone in the bathroom—not when I wanted to climb in the tub and pull her onto my lap—but she looked like she needed to relax. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my hands off of her—and my dick out of her—If I had her wet and slippery, naked body pressed against me. My self-control had already been pushed to its limits. The last thing I needed to do was give it one final shove over the edge, especially when she seemed more vulnerable than usual. My job was to protect her, even from myself.
Padding into the walk-in, master closet, I stripped out of my clothes and grabbed one of my shirts and a pair of panties for Hazel to wear to bed. I set them on the edge of the mattress and turned down the sheets before heading downstairs to get my laptop. While I was there, I nabbed a snack and a couple of bottles of water to bring back up with me. I set everything down on the bedside table and noticed that there weren’t any noises coming from the bathroom when I made it back upstairs. I nudged the door open, not wanting to startle Hazel if she was reading, and found her dozing off in the tub. Her tea and book were where I’d left them, so she must not have lasted long.
I carefully lifted her out of the water and wrapped her up in one of the towels. Her green eyes blinked open for a brief moment, and she sighed as they drifted shut again. My arms tightened around Hazel’s curvy body when she cuddled against my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck. Moving over to the bed, I gently set her down and toweled her off. Once she was dry, I slipped my shirt over her head and tucked her under the sheets without bothering to slide her panties on.
It was going to be hell sleeping next to her all night knowing that all I had to do was lift the soft material past her hips to get access to her pussy. But I wasn’t about to risk waking her up while putting them on when she was exhausted enough to pass out in the tub. She needed the rest, and I was going to make sure she got it.
Pressing a light kiss against her forehead, I whispered, “Sleep well, peaches.”
Chapter 5
Jamison
“I can’t believe I’m actually here, at the Met Gala of all places.” Hazel’s eyes were wide as she stared out the window of the limousine. She was so fucking gorgeous with her coppery hair piled on top of her head, a green dress that made her eyes pop even more than usual, and a King’s ransom worth of diamonds and emeralds dripping from her ears, neck, and wrist. I’d surprised her with the jewelry right before we left for the party, and her eyes had gone round with shock when I’d put the earrings, necklace, and bracelet on her. She’d tried to argue that it was all too much, but I’d just kissed her until she blinked up at me with dazed eyes before helping her out of the house and into the car. “It’s like we’re in a movie or something, with all the famous people dressed to impress.”
“None of them have anything on you.” I trailed my fingertips along the neckline of her dress, over the swell of her tits. She looked down at my hand, and her breath caught. The sound reminded me of the moment right before she came, and my cock flexed against the zipper of my tuxedo pants. “You don’t need the hair, make-up, or designer dress to stand out. You’re already more beautiful than everyone else here.”
Her gaze darted out the window again. “Right. Sure, I am.”
The hint of sarcasm was impossible to miss and so unlike my sweet Hazel. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the idea of my wife not knowing with every fiber of her being exactly how beautiful she was. The only thing I could figure was that maybe it was a pregnancy hormone thing, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to say that to her.
After a quick glance out the window to gauge how much time we had left before it was our turn to exit the limo, I slid off the seat and dropped to my knees in front of her. Taking her hands in mine, I squeezed them until she looked down at me. Keeping my eyes locked on her green orbs, I rumbled, “When I first spotted you at your parents’ fruit stand, you were the prettiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. And you’ve only gotten more beautiful since then.”
“Jamie,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I just don’t see how you can really think that. I’ve already gained fifteen pounds, and I’m not even halfway through my pregnancy. By the time I have our baby, I’m going to be as big as a...a...a hot air balloon!”
Her sputtering response and wide eyes were so fucking adorable—and more like the girl I’d fallen in love with—that I had to force my lips from curving up in a grin that I was certain she wouldn’t appreciate in this moment. Lowering my head, I brought her left hand to her belly and placed it over the swell where our baby was growing. “Knowing that I popped your cherry and filled your womb with my baby is sexy as fuck. To me, every pound you gain is just more proof of how much you belong to me.”
Her cheeks filled with a hint of pink as she rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re looking at my baby weight that way because there’s going to be lots and lots of proof for you to be proud of in the coming months.”
I pressed a gentle kiss to her belly and wagged my brows. “You’re not going to hear me complain. There’ll just be more of you for me to love, and I fucking love the idea of that.”
She shook her head and laughed lightly. “You’re more than a little bit crazy. You know that, right?”
“Crazy for you, yeah,” I agreed with a grin, immensely pleased to see her in a better mood.
My head jerked up when the driver called out, “Get ready, you’re next up.”
I nudged Hazel over and sat next to the door, so I’d be the first one out. Even though Bianca was in the front seat with the driver and would beat me to the curb, there was no way in hell anyone but me was going to help my wife out of the car.
After the limo rolled to a stop and one of the attendants opened the door, I climbed out and turned to offer my hand to Hazel. Her fingers trembled as she slid her palm against mine. I caught a glimpse of nerves in her gorgeous green eyes before she closed them and took a deep breath. When she stepped out and her feet hit the ground, it was as though all the ease I’d teased out of her disappeared. I didn’t understand why it happened; all I knew was that I fucking hated to see her like this.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I led Hazel down the carpet towards the steps and ignored any requests for us to pause for photos. She moved stiffly next to me, but that didn’t stop most of the men from eating her figure up with their eyes when we entered the museum. She looked fucking gorgeous, but I hated how her dress emphasized the lusciousness of her tits and then flowed down in such a way that her baby bump wasn’t visible. It made me want to beat my chest and roar out that she was mine. Since it was the wrong time and place for an over-the-top display, I appeased the beast inside me by tightening my hold on my wife as I guided her towards the table where Justice, Blair, Thatcher, and Imogene were already seated.
We were stopped a few times along the way by clients who wanted an introduction to my wife and to chat with me for a moment or two. Haze
l mirrored the greeting the first of them gave us, flashing a smile that didn’t shine nearly as bright as her usual as she echoed, “Hello, it's lovely to meet you.”
She kept that smile plastered on her face as she listened to the conversation, nodding along with it every once in a while. Her reaction was much the same with the next couple, except the greeting she mimicked was “I’m delighted to make your acquaintance” that time. The third time around, she used both since the male client was by himself and was too busy gaping at my wife’s tits to do much more than mutter a hello.
When we finally made it to our table, Hazel was still stilted even though there were only two other couples seated with us who she didn’t know. It was obvious enough that Blair and Imogene sent her concerned looks, while Justice and Thatcher cocked their brows at me and jerked their chins in Hazel’s direction as if to ask “What in the hell are you going to do about this?”
I didn’t know what the fuck was going on with my wife, but I wanted my Hazel back. Not this version of her who was stiff and polite, like so many of the women who were a part of this glittery world. I wanted the girl who lit up my entire life with just one look.
Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I leaned to whisper in her ear, “What’s wrong, peaches? Are you not feeling well?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I’m perfectly fine.” The smile she flashed me was brittle. It was also clearly not genuine since it didn’t reach her pretty green eyes.
“You’re not fine,” I growled. “You’re barely talking to your friends or me, and you look like you’d break if I touched you the wrong way.”
The Love Series Box Set: Volume One Page 14