he took instant possession of my mouth, pressing me back against the seat until I was almost prone underneath him. We made out like a couple of shameless teenagers as the car took us back downtown. At least, I think that was where were going. I couldn’t focus on anything but Auggie in my arms, his kiss on my mouth. He dragged his lips from mine, his beard tickling my skin as he explored the nape of my neck. I gasped softly as his hot breath hit my ear. “I want you,” he murmured. “More than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
It was like every dream I could have had. “How is that possible?” I marveled.
He pulled back to look down at me. His fingers touched my face. “How are you possible?” He bent for another kiss, this one more ferocious than the last. I was delirious with need by the time the car finally parked at the hotel.
Like clockwork, PING was there to greet us. Auggie shielded me against the throng of paparazzi as we rushed to the hotel entrance. By the time we got to our private elevator, I was back in his arms. We toppled into the room, locked in that heated embrace, before he swooped me up into his arms, effortlessly, powerfully.
Our eyes were locked as he carried me easily towards my bedroom. We didn’t even bother to undress as we toppled onto the bed, but I was quick to tear his shirt open to reveal that perfect, powerful chest. His head fell back as I explored his chest, etching my name across his salty, satiny skin with my tongue, marking my territory.
He pushed me onto my back to return the favor, tearing open my top to reveal my heaving breasts. “God, you’re perfect,” he breathed, before cupping one full breast in his hand.
When his fingers danced across the nipple, I couldn’t help but wince in pain. “Oh, God,” I thought. “Not now.”.
I had been experiencing the typical breast tenderness with pregnancy, which had created a constant dull ache that had, up to this point, been mostly annoying. The more he caressed me, the more pronounced the pain, a combination of the pregnancy and the fact we were hellbent on ravishing each other.
He noticed my gasp of pain as he reached to take one engorged breast into his mouth. He pulled back immediately. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and tried to pull him back, but the damage was done. I couldn’t focus on anything but the pain in my breasts.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, this time holding us apart so I would answer.
I sighed. “It hurts,” I admitted.
“What hurts?”
I closed my shirt in defeat. “Breast soreness. It’s a side effect of pregnancy,” I admitted.
He nodded. Then he started laughing. Slow at first, but then almost to a near cackle that knocked him flat on his back on the bed next to me.
“What’s so funny?”
“I love that kid already, but he sure knows how to kill a mood.”
I didn’t know which part of that sentence I liked best, the fact that he cared about my baby or the way he referred to him as ‘he.’ I snuggled up next to him, being careful not to press my breasts into him. “I guess that’s why all the fun stuff comes first.”
He wrapped an arm around me. “Was it fun?” he asked softly.
My heart fell. I didn’t want to think about my night with Christopher, especially when I was in Auggie’s arms. “Not a lot of fun can be had in three minutes,” I said.
“Yikes,” he agreed. He held me as gently as possible. “I’m sorry it wasn’t more beautiful for you.”
I shrugged. “It was my own fault. I got drunk,” I confessed. “Slept with the totally wrong person. Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor.”
“Was it a stranger?” he asked.
I gulped. I had told Auggie some big secrets. But nobody aside from Fern knew about Christopher. Except, well, Christopher. “Basically,” I hedged.
He lifted to lean on one elbow. “No need to be ashamed. We all make mistakes,” he said. He trailed a hand down my body, placing it softly against my tummy, his thumb strumming a soft caress. “If we’re lucky, those mistakes can become miracles.” He bent to speak to Peanut. “You’re the boss, Big Guy. We’ll take it slow.”
And just like that, my heart wasn’t mine anymore. I pulled Auggie for a kiss. He indulged me for a few minutes, until our passion started to rise again. Finally, he