he hauled it higher, changing the angle, going so far that I couldn’t hold back my cries. I opened my eyes and found him watching me, a drip of sweat on his lip, and I leaned up to taste it as I clenched him so tightly he could never leave.
“God, Bee.” Tasting my nickname while he pounded into me was impossibly intimate. And I kept right on coming while he reached the end of his control and drained himself into me.
His wild pulses of release made me bite his shoulder, the slice of my teeth only making him come harder.
Even when it was over, he stayed inside me. Neither of us moved. We collapsed in a sweaty pile, trying to get our breath back. Realizing it was pointless and moving together again.
This time, when he filled me, the sensation pushed me into another orgasm, silent but shuddering.
When we were both exhausted, he rolled me into his arms and sheltered me with his body. We didn’t even bother to clean up. Or say anything.
What words were left?
Other than the three most important ones he imprinted with his lips on the back of my neck.
I kissed his forearm, doing the same. And we fell asleep with firelight dancing over us, locked together at last.
Finally.
Sixteen
Waking with Bee in my arms made me thankful to be alive.
Thankful she was alive, and whole, and mostly unhurt after last night’s fall.
I grimaced. I’d had our romantic night all planned out. Cocoas and carols and the tree lighting with our friends, most of whom still did not know about the baby. At least I didn’t think so. I hadn’t managed to invite the guys over yet, but maybe I could do an impromptu thing today while Bee was at her sister’s baby shower. I needed to tell John and August and Moose in person. Taking the coward’s way out and letting the grapevine take care of my dirty work wasn’t fair to my daughter or my friends.
Besides, I’d done the hard part already and told my family and the Ramos family. The rest was cake.
I’d already texted Bonnie about an hour ago to check on my girls. She’d answered immediately, saying they were fine and asleep with full bellies. Then she’d asked the same and I realized I’d never fed Bee last night.
Not in a way that was appropriate to disclose to her mother.
I hated asking Christian to catch more shifts on a holiday weekend, but he claimed he had an extra expense to pay for and appreciated the overtime.
I also hated that he’d seen me in a compromising position with Gina, but I took comfort in the fact that she’d been covered up. It could’ve been so much worse. I’d been wrong to do something like that as sheriff, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t damn good at my job.
Beware of rampant lust—while on duty anyway.
At home, however...
I brushed a kiss over her shoulder, working my way over to her neck.
She reacted after a couple minutes, smiling and stretching. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you. How are you feeling?” I fumbled around the back of her head, checking for the knot. It seemed smaller. Almost unnoticeable. “How’s the head? If you’re not feeling well—”
“You’ll have the ambulance out here before I can get my underwear on? Believe me, I know. I’m okay. Slightest soreness ever. It was just a tiny tap. Don’t even know why I fainted.”
“Concrete’s not meant for heads to land on.”
“And the women in town say it’s the baby blues that make you hot. Little do they know about your powers of observation.”
“Smart ass.”
“You like my ass.”
I peeked under the sheet and murmured in approval. “Sure do.”
“Why were you even there last night? I thought you had to work.” She smiled. “Sami looked so sweet in that reindeer onesie. Where did you find that?”
“My dad found it actually. Turns out he’s already getting into the PawPaw thing.”
“PawPaw? Cute. And of course he would. Parents live to be grandparents. It’s like their job in life to wheedle grandkids out of their unsuspecting children. You just presented him with one.”
“So did you.”
She didn’t reply.
I had to keep my cool. We’d taken years to get to this place. It wasn’t as if I could tie off bows on everything just because we’d had sex.
Roof-raising sex. The kind I’d always known we’d have—when I wasn’t burying the very idea.
One thing at a time.
I set my chin on her shoulder and tried a different direction.