And then I do.
My thighs clamp to the sides of his head as I let go on an elongated shudder of comforting bliss and a heavy rush of air. My lungs burst. I go lax. He rolls and laps gently, softly flicking his tongue, and then works his way up my body until he finds my mouth. He pulls me down to my knees and takes my hand, replacing his with mine around his steel shaft. He hasn’t come. ‘My turn.’ he whispers. ‘Hold it against you.’
The wet tip of him meets my clit, pushing against me, taking the edge off the persistent buzz. I take over, holding him lightly and massaging him to climax. His hands are free now, and they are encasing my neck, holding my head firm as he works my mouth with the same care as I’m working him with my hand. This isn’t urgent and frenzied. This is controlled and relaxed. He can control it so much better than I can.
‘Just keep it like that.’ he mumbles into my mouth. ‘I could stay like this forever.’
‘I love you.’ I don’t know why I feel the need to say this now, but I do anyway.
His tongue sweeps gently through my mouth, he pulls back, he plays with my lips, and then he’s back in my mouth, flirting with my tongue. And the whole time, I just soak up his attention and keep up my seduction of his velvet hardness against me. It’s working me down perfectly and working him up just as well. ‘I know.’ he murmurs, and with a small whimper and hardening of his kiss, he comes, the hot essence of him pouring all over me as he throbs in my hold and moans around our kiss.
‘My work here is done,’ I sigh, releasing him and slipping my fingers into his wet hair, not resisting a little tug.
‘You’re a savage, lady.’ He sits on his heels, pulling me onto his lap. ‘The water’s getting cold.’
I hadn’t noticed, but now he’s mentioned it, I’m starting to shiver. ‘A little.’ I shrug and seek warmth by pushing myself into him.
‘Let me clean you down.’ He tries to pry me away from him, but I mutter a complaint and dig my nails into his back. ‘I’ll be quick. I don’t want you catching a cold.’ More effort is put in to the removal of my body from his and before I know it, I’m being sponged down. ‘My lady’s tired.’ He kisses my nose. ‘Snuggle?’
I nod, and he lifts me from the bath. We dry each other off in silence and find our way to the bed, falling in together and immediately finding our snuggle places—him on his back, me spread all over his chest, my face in his neck and his hands running all over me.
‘I’ll never love one more than the other.’ he proclaims quietly.
I don’t answer him. Instead, I kiss his neck and snuggle deeper.
Chapter 21
I could lie here forever, just watching him sleep, the peaceful streams of minty air intermittently reaching my face, reinforcing the deep sense of belonging inside of me. The tender placing of his palm on my tummy is strengthening my love for this man. And the close perfection of his body is swelling my desire for his touch. There are a million things about this man that make me despair, but there are endless things that make me adore him. Some of those despairing things I even adore.
Unable to resist, I reach forward and run my thumb down his stubbled cheek and onto his parted lips, smiling as he twitches a little, and then sighs and settles again, his hand on my belly unconsciously starting to circle. The flawlessness of his beautiful face will amaze me until the day I die—his lightly tanned skin, his almost girly long lashes, the faint crease across his brow. It would take me a lifetime to run through all his stunning features. My devastating man, in all of his challenging ways.
My wandering hand float across his face, my fingertip traces the taut flesh of his throat and my palm skims his solid chest. I sigh, all dreamy and content as I spend this quiet time exploring his body and face, almost wishing that he could stay like this for an eternity so I can watch him and feel him undisturbed. But then I’d never hear that voice, I would never see those eyes, and I would never experience his trampling or countdowns.
‘Have you finished feeling me up?’ His rough voice drags me from my daydreaming, my hand pausing on his scar. His eyes remain closed.
‘No, just be still and silent.’ I order quietly, carrying on with my fondling.
‘Anything you say, lady.’
I grin and lean forward, hovering my lips over his. ‘Good boy,’
His closed lids flicker and the corners of his mouth are blatantly restraining a smirk. ‘What if I want to be a bad boy?’ he asks.
‘You’re talking,’ I point out, and one of his eyes opens cheekily. Nothing will prevent me from smiling at that face, no matter how stern and serious I’m attempting to be. ‘Morning.’
He moves too fast. I’m on my back and pinned under his body in a nanosecond, my arms held over my head. I don’t even have time to register his attack or let out a squeal of shock. ‘Someone has sleepy sex on their mind.’ he muses, leaning down to nibble my nose.
‘No, I have Jesse Ward on my mind, which means I also have various degrees of fucking’s on my mind.’
His eyebrows rise slowly, thoughtfully. ‘You’re insatiable, my beautiful girl.’ He kisses me hard. ‘Watch your mouth.’
I quickly return his kiss, but he halts me by pulling away. I scowl. He smiles. It’s that smug smile. I scowl harder, but I’m ignored. ‘I’ve been thinking.’ he declares.
My scowl falls away immediately. Jesse thinking is almost as worrying as him trampling all over the place. ‘What about?’ I ask suspiciously.
‘About how dramatic our married life has been.’
I can’t argue with that ‘Okay,’ I drag the word out slowly, meaning I’m not sure it’s okay at all.
‘Let me take you away,’ He’s begging. His green eyes are pleading with me, and now he’s pouting, too. Is he beginning to realise that this face has just as much impact as a sense fuck? ‘Just us two on our own.’
‘We’ll never be alone ever again.’ I remind him.
He lifts and glances down at my stomach, and I see him smile and shift down to kiss my tummy before returning those puppy dog eyes to mine. ‘Let me love you. Let me have you to myself for a few days.’
‘What about my job?’ My commitment recently has been really questionable.
‘Ava, you were in a car accident yesterday.’
‘I know,’ I concede. ‘But I have appointments and Patrick is…’
‘I’ll sort Patrick.’ He cuts me straight off. ‘He’ll deal with your appointments.’
My eyes narrow. ‘Sort Patrick or trample Patrick?’ I ask. He pulls that hurt face. I’m not buying it.
‘I’ll speak to Patrick.’
‘Delicately.’
He grins. ‘-ish.’
‘No, Ward. No –ish about it. Delicately. End of!’
‘Is that a yes?’ he asks hopefully. I could cuddle him, the adorable pain in the arse that he is.
‘Yes,’ I agree. He needs the break just as much as I do, probably more. Yesterday’s events will not help his worrying. ‘Where are we going?’
He springs into action, jumping up from the bed like an excited child on Christmas morning. ‘Anywhere, I don’t care.’
‘I do! I’m not skiing!’ I sit bolt upright in bed at the very thought of being kitted out in padded ski wear with some giant planks of wood attached to my feet.
‘Don’t be stupid, woman.’ He rolls his eyes and disappears into the wardrobe—or rather, the room we call our wardrobe—appearing moments later with a suitcase. ‘You’re carrying my babies in there.’ He points to my stomach. ‘You’re lucky I’m not chaining you to the bed for the rest of this pregnancy.’
‘You can if you like.’ I hold my wrists against the headboard. ‘I won’t complain.’
‘You’re a temptress, Mrs Ward. Come pack.’ He goes back into the wardrobe, leaving me hanging on the bed. On a grumble loud enough for him to hear, I shuffle to the edge and follow him. He’s pulling down clothes haphazardly and chucking them into a pile by the case.