“Don’t worry, sugar. I’ll make it feel good. I promise,” he whispered.
What did she do to deserve this ready, willing, and able man? He could do anything he wanted with her body. Anything at all. “I know you will.”
He nodded to the box of condoms on the nightstand. “How do you want it? With or without. Your call.”
The question made her stomach flip.
Even with her cloudy consciousness, Lily was acutely aware of her monthly cycle; she was due any day, getting pregnant was improbable.
But, in the odd chance she did, what could go wrong? Nothing could be more wonderful than having Nick’s baby.
“Without.”
****
If Nick were a gambling man, he would have bet it all on Lily requesting the condom.
After all, she bought ’em.
Went through hell with Sophia because of ’em.
And now they weren’t gonna use ’em.
After all the baby talk, she finally was on the same page, in the same book.
But he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew what she was doing in the heat of the moment. Just like men, women were capable of some crazy things when the blood left the brain.
Poised between her parted thighs, he was almost afraid to take her with the frightened, glassy look in her eyes, somewhere between shock, and awe, and flat-out disbelief, as if she was lost in another dimension.
Still, it didn’t prevent him from taking his erection in-hand, aiming for the target. He wanted nothing more than to slide it in, but she was so tight, it would tear her in half.
Her whole body clenched, bracing for the painful penetration. What a good sport she was, letting him have his way with her body; he wanted it to be good for her too and take her all the way to heaven.
He bent over to snatch a kiss from her lips before pulling back to examine her flushed skin and far-out dazed eyes. “Feeling good?”
“Yeah. I am.” Her languid voice was deeper, raspier, and sexier than any time before. He liked her like this. Wet. Willing. And waiting.
“Let me know if I hurt you. Okay?” He leaned back on his haunches to study her face for any signs of doubt.
“Oo-kay,” she repeated like she was lost in a dream.
His hand cupped between her legs, rechecking her heat. “God…you’re an inferno.”
Then his middle finger slid across the slick spot where his tongue had enjoyed the flavor of her tangy sweetness, where his aching flesh longed to be. Like a key in her ignition, his finger turned her on and she hummed with new life, so he dipped it in deep.
Her soft, snug walls surrounded it, milking it; his rigid arousal twitched in anticipation of being next in line.
“What are you waiting for?” she teased, flicking her tongue across her swollen bottom lip.
He pushed the finger inside again until his palm was flat against her and she fell back on the pillow exhaling a carnal cry. Then he pulled it out fast, giving her a moment to recover while her motel eyes begged for more.
“Don’t stop,” she whimpered.
Eager to please, he drove his finger inside again, as far as it could go. She nearly bunny-hopped off the bed, but he held her in place not letting her get away. In and out, her hips found the rhythm of his hand, while her breath came in sharp, shallow waves.
She handled one finger like a champion.
Clamping her hands around his wrist in a desperate attempt to control the pace, she seemed to know how she wanted it, because in a hot flash he felt the wet eruption of orgasm number two.
She might be done, but he was just getting started. To prevent her motor from shutting down he slipped in two fingers, making her groan and gyrate harder. By the third finger, she was howling into a pillow. He hoped she was ready for him.
“You okay?” he asked, uncovering her face.
She nodded, hardly breathing at all, gritting her teeth, while her eyelashes fluttered wildly.
“Don’t hold back. Just let it out. I wanna hear you. Don’t worry about Nicole. She can’t hear a thing,” he lied. “You want more?”
Panting, she nodded, squirming against the sheets. “Yes.”
“I don’t wanna hurt you. You can barely handle three fingers…”
“Just. Do. It.”
Knowing Mother Nature has a way of making things work out, he thrust into her.
She moaned softly against his chest, shattering his soul. Convulsing beneath him, she gripped his shoulders, wincing and whimpering.
“Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“Don’t. Stop.”
Still, he pushed in deeper, and she accepted the full-length of him, her sugar walls milking his sensitized stiffness. God, he could explode right now simply being inside her. But he held back, wanting it to last, wanting her to finish first, if she could manage to come again.
Pulling out slowly, taking his time to withdraw the shaft, leaving only the tip inside, he asked, “Does it hurt?” He arched back so he could see the truth in her eyes with the fraction of light spilling through the window.
She nodded. “A little. But it’s not your fault, I mean, you’re huge. And it’s also been such a long time since I’ve been with a man.”
“It’ll hurt less if I do it fast.”
“Okay.” She anchored her arms around his biceps. “I’m ready.”
He drove in again, quicker this time, in and out, a little faster each time.
She gasped, biting his chest to stifle her scream.
If he kissed her, to help take her mind off the pressure, he’d wind up hurting her by stretching her into a more painful position. All he could do at this point was keep at it until it felt as good for her as it did for him.
With her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands pulling down his torso, she urged him even deeper inside her, rocking together, pounding in perfect rhythm. Another few minutes of riding her like this would kill him.
“I can’t hold it,” he breathed.
Aching pleasure twisted her face as she bucked against him, moaning, “Oh, yes! Yes. Yes. Yesss…” singing in time to his orgasm.
“Oh, yeah, sugar. That’s what I’m talking about. Let it out.” He groaned against her hair, tugging a fistful, until the vigorous vibration ended the glorious ride.
Chapter Eighteen
Weak from the aftershock of Nick’s intense lovemaking, Lily couldn’t move anything but her eyeballs. Lying awake in the crook of his sinewy, strong arm, the darkness developed into a pale gray through the white eyelet curtain shimmying in the draft.
He was so
skilled
. There wasn’t an inch of her left untouched, unadorned with his kisses, unmoved by his mastery. Her love-sore, listless body was paying the price for his expertise.
Her overactive, yet surprisingly calm mind, drifted in and out of consciousness, until orange slices of sun burned like laser beams across her face making sleep impossible.
She kicked off the blanket, but Nick readjusted their arrangement into a tight spooning position, snaking his sturdy leg over hers, weaving his foot between her ankles.
Okay, fine.
She didn’t want to get out of bed anyway.
A sated smile tugged her tired lips. God, even her face hurt from the friction burn of his rough stubble. Her inner thighs suffered the same soreness.
She’d forgotten how the human touch could be so…so much more invigorating than a battery-operated vibrator.
With his love-gun nestled against her derrière like it was his holster, she considered going for round three but wasn’t sure she could handle another dose of his super sexual stamina.
Although, if he made the right moves, no doubt she’d let him ride her every which way ’til Wednesday.
His fantastic fire hose twitched against the small of her back, and she braced herself for another flaming-hot, soul-baring, mind-blowing ride on Cloud 9.
However, across the hall, there was a mouse stirring.
Lily gave Nick a gentle elbow to the ribs. “Nicole’s awake.”
The only response was a light snore and his thick arm crushing her like a boa constrictor.
“Nick? Did you hear me? We oughta get dressed before she sees us like this.”
He made a sleepy smack of his lips and rolled over, releasing his grip.
She sprang out of bed, wincing when her bare feet hit the chilled floor, realizing the extent of the pain. Everything ached, from her scalp to her calves. The simple action of reaching for her bathrobe on the hook beside her bedroom door and bending over to slip on a fresh pair of socks was agonizing.
Needing a tall order of aspirin, Ben-Gay, and plenty of java for breakfast, she shuffled to the kitchen, avoiding the partially open door to Nick’s room, unprepared to deal with Nicole without some caffeine in her system first. She also wanted to call the hospital to check on Bob without having to explain the baby in the background.
No wonder the house was freezing. The fire was out, the thermostat was set to sixty-two degrees, and the arctic air piercing through the kitchen window was enough to rattle the curtains. On tiptoes, she struggled to close the gap, but without enough leverage, it wouldn’t budge.
“Forget it,” she grumbled, giving up.
She turned on the oven and opened the door for an instant blast of heat. While the coffee brewed, she started a load of laundry.
At the sound of little feet stomping down the hallway, Lily drained the last drop of milk into the Sippy cup. Then she gulped black coffee, and shuddered before digging a powdered creamer from a gift basket.
Looking like a little angry refugee with matted hair, Nicole climbed onto a chair at the kitchen table. “Nuk!”
“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.” Lily handed the girl the cup, not letting the toddler-sized attitude get on her nerves so early in the day. “Guess what we’re doing later.”
Sucking viciously on the mouthpiece, Nicole stared blankly.
“We’re going shopping.”
“Go chopping now!” Nicole slammed the cup on the table.
“Excuse me?”
“Go now!” Nicole snapped back with milk trailing down her chin.
Lily dropped a bowl of dry cereal on the table just as Nick appeared. “Thank God, you’re up.”
“No want ’dis.” The demon-child flipped the bowl into the air.
“Good morning, ladies. What the
hell’s
going on in here?” he said, calmly.
“Oh, nothing. Just having some yummy breakfast on the floor.” Lily’s patience was wearing thin.
“Chopping! Chopping!” Nicole chanted. “Go chopping now!”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, yeah, so I heard. But this is how it’s gonna work—coffee first, shopping later…Actually, fire first.”
He lit another log while Lily filled his cup. Then she grabbed a broom and swept the Cheerios into a pile.
“And shut this
damn
window.” He brushed aside the curtain panels blowing in the breeze and pressed down on the wooden frame. “I’m gonna nail this thing closed,” he mumbled. Then he snapped off the oven, cut his eyes at Lily, and gave her a disapproving headshake. “I told you to quit heating the house like this. It’s dangerous.”
She responded with her best apologetic eyes, knowing he was right, handing him a coffee mug like a peace offering.
He took it in exchange for a quick peck on the lips. “Feeling okay today?”
Heat creep up her cheeks. “Yeah, of course. I, um, I feel great.”
“Me, too.” He gave her a wicked smile. “I’ll take over in here while you get dressed.”
After a quick shower, she studied her figure in the full-length bedroom mirror, imagining her flat tummy the size of a basketball, then quickly waved the ridiculous idea away. She might be ready for Nick but she wasn’t ready for a baby.
He knocked twice on her bedroom door without coming in. “You ready?” In the background, Nicole was whining about something.
“Five minutes,” she sang.
“Meet us in the truck.”
Lily smoothed her hair, arranging it around her neck to hide the hickey on the soft spot above her collarbone.
The unopened condom box on the nightstand caught her attention, had her thinking…
Worrying…
She studied at the calendar on the wall. Her period was due any moment, if her calculations were correct.
But what if I’m wrong?
Deciding to have a baby isn’t something to commit to over a bowl of ice cream. It requires planning. At the very least, it should involve an engagement ring, or better yet a wedding ring.
Recalling the night at Brawny’s Farm, the mother with the swollen belly and her three unmanageable kids.
Babysitting was one thing.
Having a baby was…completely different.
Completely scary.
The hyperventilating started, so she grabbed the Farley’s Pharmacy paper bag and breathed into it.
After two months of knowing Nick—half of which she spent trying to forget him—how the hell did she let that man talk her into having a baby?
With her heart and hopes sinking, she called the doctor on speed-dial. “Anytime today, just walk in,” the receptionist said.
Meanwhile, Lily vowed to keep quiet unless Nick brought it up first. And even then, she wasn’t sure what to say. She could hardly think straight, let alone prepare herself for the inevitable conversation.
She climbed into the truck, brushing aside windblown bangs from her eyes, and Nick did a double take. “Wow. Don’t you look pretty? You’re glowing.” He stared at her for long moment before putting the truck in Reverse.
Glowing?
W
hat the hell does that mean?
Maybe her face was still red from his beard stubble.
The ride to the mall took twice as long with the traffic. Thank God, the radio was loud enough to occupy everybody’s attention with cheerful Christmas carols. The parking lot was maxxed out by noon, so they took a spot a mile away.
“You’re awfully quiet. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m just tired.” She slid out of the truck and hunkered down against the icy air.
He snatched a runaway shopping cart and stuffed Nicole in the front seat. “Let’s go shopping, baby!”
They stepped out of the frigid air, through the automatic doors, into the stifling heat of Child World. It was hard to maintain the Christmas spirit while being shoved by frantic shoppers in the Africa-hot inferno.
Nick tore down the aisle, zigzagging like a racecar out of control with Nicole squealing in delight.