If Only (8 page)

She could feel his erection pressing against the delicate lace of her underwear. As she lowered his jeans and then his briefs down his muscular hips, she realized the only fabric separating them was the thin material of her thong, which she found to be incredibly erotic. Only a wisp of lace was preventing their joining from occurring. And she intended to rectify that right now.

He seemed to be having some difficulty breathing as he watched her stand before him and slowly begin to lower the turquoise fabric seductively down the length of her long and slender legs. She pushed the translucent material below her narrow hips before they fell in a puddle at her feet. Bree stepped out of the circle of fabric, picking them up in her hands and twirling the lace around her right index finger before beginning to do an erotic dance. She stood before him, her hips swaying temptingly as she approached him, dancing in small, slow circles with the scrap of dainty lace pressing against her satin-smooth skin.

She almost erupted into laughter at her husband’s reaction. His tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth, and he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, which made her feel sexy and empowered.

She watched with fascination as her beautifully butt-naked husband stood and approached her, his stride cocky and confident. Her breathing slowed at the sight of his tanned and perfectly proportioned torso glistening with perspiration. She nibbled anxiously on her lower lip as she openly gawked at him, his strong and muscular body making her weak in the knees. She had to admit, Scott had a body to die for. He was hard in the right places.
All
the right places. The sight of his bare body would make any woman drool. And he was all hers. If only it could be forever…

He crushed himself against her, their naked bodies entwined. His callused hands wound down the long length of her body, wandering down her sides, along the expanse of her narrow hips, before stopping to rest just beneath her backbone. Bree pressed her head against his chiseled chest, and she heard Scott curse underneath his breath.

Bree gasped as he roughly grabbed her naked backside, his powerful erection pressing against her abdomen. His hands spanned her waist, lifting her off the plush carpeting and into his tight grasp, her legs wrapping around his back. She giggled with enthusiasm as he spun her around in slow lazy circles before he tossed her back down playfully onto the floral sofa.

Scott’s breathing quickened as he stared at her in amazement. Her auburn curls were dangling down her bare back. He ran his hands slowly though her tresses, winding a few of the loose tendrils around his finger.

She felt as though her body was on fire, and Scott was the only person who could fan out her flames before she became completely engulfed by the heat. She grabbed him by the nape, pushing his mouth to hers.

Every thought seemed to leave his head as her lips lovingly caressed his. He swore he couldn’t have formed a coherent thought if his life had depended on it. Her tongue stroked the moist cavern of his mouth as her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling his chiseled body ever closer to hers. There was no space between them as she groaned hungrily into his opened mouth, her teeth nipping on the tip of his tongue. “You taunting tease,” he growled into the inner curve of her ear as his hands brushed against the delicate column of her throat.

“And just admit it, you love it,” she retorted with a throaty chuckle as she bent her head back to accommodate his lips as he rained a path of tender kisses down the nape of her neck.

Scott grinned down at her, his chocolate brown gaze warm and inviting as he began to nibble provocatively on her uncovered shoulder, running his hand up and down her smooth ivory skin. “I love you,” he confessed with a sexy smile as he ran a hand through her curls. He looked deep into the depths of her emerald eyes glazed with passion, and then at her rose-colored lips, a slow smile spreading across his features.

“And I love you,” she returned as her hands ran up and down the length of his expansive chest. Her fingertips brushed against one of his dark nipples and then the other. She grinned when his body tightened at her touch.

“Bree!” he groaned aloud as her fingers raked across his nipples, taunting him. “What are you doing to me, woman?” he questioned, his voice rough.

Her emerald eyes darkened with desire as she replied with a sly smile, “I’m making love to my husband.” After giving him a mischievous grin, she took him into her mouth, her teeth gently grazing his sensitive flesh.

Scott growled with impatience as he clasped his wife by the shoulders and pushed her back against the arm of the sofa. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his.

Bree gasped as his callused hands lovingly stroked the sensitive core of her femininity, gently parting her womanly flesh as he entered her in a single swift motion. She groaned with feminine satisfaction as she tightened her slender legs around his taut midsection, the movement plunging him even deeper into her slick, sweat-soaked, aroused body. She closed her eyes as waves of pleasure washed over her, and she cried out when she reached her climax, her body shuddering violently against his in the aftermath of her pleasure.

His hands cupped the sides of her waist, pressing her naked body to his. He brushed a wayward auburn curl off her forehead before kissing her temple. Softly, he murmured, “Even after almost two years of marriage, every time we make love, it’s like the first time.”

She smiled to herself as she snuggled her body up against his. “So it was as good for you as it was for me?” she questioned with an innocent grin.

Scott reached for her and tackled her body against the back of the sofa. Bree gasped when she felt his throbbing manhood pressed against her thigh. “What do you think?” he inquired, his voice husky.

She laughed as she reached out and cradled his hardened manhood in her hands. “Feels just right to me,” she murmured. She couldn’t help but smile when she heard her husband laugh. It warmed her heart to know she could bring him a small amount of happiness, even when he was going through a difficult time. She cupped her stomach with both hands in a protective gesture. She and the baby would help him through this tragedy. He needed them, just as they needed him.

He followed her movement out of the corner of his eye as her hands cradled the curve of her abdomen. His hands snaked down, his strong fingers threading through hers. He stared down at his wife, who was nibbling on her lower lip. “What’s wrong, baby?” he queried with a slight smile.

Bree faced him, her emerald green gaze shining with unshed tears. “The doctor called while you were gone.” Scott’s body stiffened beneath her.

“Is something wrong?” he questioned sharply. “Are you and the baby both all right?”

“No!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I’m sorry.” After taking a deep, cleansing breath, she reached for his hand. “She just called to say my first ultrasound pictures were ready, and we could pick them up today.”

“Oh,” he stated with a deep sigh of relief. “Don’t scare me like that again, baby! I swear you just took ten years off my life!”

“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” she answered with regret lacing her voice as her arms reached for him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her back against his chiseled chest. She sighed as she kissed his cheek. She bit nervously on her lower lip as she hesitated, “I just had an idea of what we could get your mother for Christmas.”

Scott suddenly felt as though he had been kicked in the solar plexus.
Oh, God
.
This will be Mom’s last Christmas.

She felt like kicking herself as she watched Scott’s smile fade right before her eyes. She nibbled on her lip as he quickly moved out of her grasp. She had unintentionally hurt him. He extracted himself from her grip, stood, and picked up his clothing. Without even looking at her, she heard him murmur something about taking a shower.

She got up from the sofa and walked over to where he was standing. She reached out to touch his arm, and he jumped back as though he had been burned. “Scott,” she pleaded, her voice breaking as she continued, “Scott, please don’t shut me out. I love you so much, and I only want to be here for you.”

Scott refused to meet her emerald green gaze, knowing if he did, he would see tears filling her beautiful eyes. He couldn’t bear to look at her right now, and her sympathetic voice was nearly his undoing. He longed to go to her; he wanted her to wrap her arms around him and give him the emotional support he so desperately needed. He felt like burying his head against her chest like a child, crying in the shelter of her arms until he could cry no more.

She would understand; he knew without a doubt she would understand. He just couldn’t face her, not just yet. So he did one of the hardest things he had ever had to do—he simply turned around and walked out of the room and away from his wife, the love of his life.

Bree wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him walk away. She couldn’t help but feel hurt. She knew he wasn’t really upset with her, he was upset about the situation, but maybe she shouldn’t have told him. Maybe it hadn’t been her place to break the news to him; maybe she should have let his mother tell him. But it was too late now. The only thing she could do was step back and give her husband the breathing room he seemed to need. He would come to her when he was ready and not a single second before. And she would be there, waiting.

*

Scott wiped the steam from the bathroom mirror with one hand while running his other hand through his wet hair. He couldn’t even stand to gaze at his reflection. He felt as though he were only about an inch tall. He hated himself in that moment, knowing he had inflicted unnecessary pain upon his wife.

Sighing in defeat, he knotted a large, white terrycloth towel around his muscular frame, the rough material clinging to his dampened body and dipping low at his bare hips. He stepped out of the bathroom, his bare feet leaving wet footprints on the plush beige carpeting. He grimaced, knowing there would be hell to pay later. If Bree was still speaking to him, that is. He peered into the living room, and not finding his wife, he turned and walked toward their bedroom. If the door wasn’t locked, he would consider himself lucky. Maybe he should have constructed a makeshift white flag from a washcloth so he could wave it at his wife to show her he was surrendering.

He entered cautiously, half-expecting Bree to throw something at him. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when no sharp objects were thrown at his head. He sat down on the edge of their king-sized bed, still unable to look at his wife. “Bree, baby,” he began haltingly. “I’m so sorry,” he continued as his hands reached out for her. When she didn’t respond to his plea, he felt as though a heavy boulder was sitting on his chest. He leaned over her still figure, brushing his body against hers when he realized she had fallen asleep. Grinning, he watched her, her slow and shallow breathing causing her chest to rise and fall. He was hardening just from watching her.

*

Bree awakened at the feeling of being caressed by a pair of strong and muscled arms. She sighed as she buried herself against his massive chest, overcome by an intense sense of peace and an overwhelming feeling she was safe and loved. She could smell the pungent aroma of his aftershave as his chin rubbed up against the delicate column of her throat. His hands stroked her abdomen before brushing against the small of her back. Reaching behind his dark head, she pulled his body even closer. Scott’s lips traced a slow path from the inner curve of her ear, down the side of her face and along her neckline before his wicked tongue dipped down between the hollow slopes of her straining breasts. When his tongue licked her nipple in slow and agonizing circles, she sat upright with a start to find her husband and the love of her life lying beside her on the sheets, wearing that goofy grin that never failed to warm her heart.

“Will you forgive me for being such an ass?” he questioned with an embarrassed grin as he enfolded her into a huge bear hug and nuzzled her neck.

She sighed dramatically before giving him a mischievous smirk. “Don’t I always?”

He smiled as he held her hand in his own and pressed her body back onto the bed, the bedsprings squeaking beneath them in protest as his body covered hers. He laughed, lifting her off the bed and into his arms, pulling her onto his lap. “I suppose we have already managed to wear out another mattress.” He teased.

Bree frowned as she laced her hands through his. With one hand clutching her abdomen, she stated, “It’s because of me.”

His hand settled protectively against the slight swell of her stomach. “I sincerely doubt that,” he informed her as his other hand began to massage the muscles of her neck.

She sighed in distress as she examined herself with a critical eye. “Don’t doubt it,” she commented with a frown. “I’ve already gained two pounds.”

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. “You’re kidding, right?” He was appalled to see tears glistening in his wife’s green eyes.

She knew it was ridiculous to be this upset over merely gaining two pounds, but she just couldn’t seem to help it. Considering how much more weight she would gain during this pregnancy made it even more unreasonable. Her hormones were running amuck, and she began to cry so hard she couldn’t stop. Her body shook uncontrollably as Scott tightened his arms around her, cradling her as though he were comforting a baby, murmuring tender words of reassurance and comfort. His large hands gently stroked the top of her head, his long, tapered fingers running through the long tresses of her rich auburn hair.

“I’m so sorry,” she wailed, her voice trembling as she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed his body tightly against hers.

“What on earth could you possibly be sorry for?” he questioned her, his voice full of love and compassion. His hands reassuringly framed the sides of her face as he nearly lost himself in the gorgeous green depths of her eyes.

Her face crumpled as she brought her hands up to cover herself, wiping away her tears. She cradled her head in her hands as she continued, “You just found out about your mom, and then I begin to act all hysterical.” She began gesturing wildly with her hands. “Like you don’t have enough on your mind right now. I’m an emotional wreck, and I hate that!”