Secret Plunge - Jasmin Miller Page 0,37

breath away. His lips are demanding, his tongue ambitious, and I give back as good as he gives. When we slow down after a few minutes, he ends this kissing marathon with a gentle nudge to my nose before pulling me to him once more and placing a feather-soft kiss to my forehead.

I sigh and he chuckles.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.” I squeeze my arms around his midsection, not wanting to let go. Ever.

“I couldn’t miss it. And I couldn’t wait any longer to be with you.” He leans down and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

A car honks in the street behind us, and it pulls me out of our moment.

“Oh my gosh, I jumped you in broad daylight for everyone to see.” I shake my head.

Ryan chuckles. “I don’t think I complained, beautiful. You can jump me anytime you want. Actually, I insist.”

I smile at him, going up on my toes to get closer. “I might take you up on that.”

“Hell, yes.”

We chuckle and share a quiet moment where we stare into each other’s eyes. I’m obsessed with him, in a good way. He’s become such an important part of my life in the last few months. Seeing him now makes me wonder how I’ve made it this long without seeing him.

After pressing a gentle kiss to my lips, he disentangles us and takes a deep breath. Inhaling and exhaling deeply. “I have a hotel room not too far from here that we can utilize, maybe do a replay of our first night together?” He wiggles his eyebrows and I laugh.

“That sounds like a fantastic idea.”

He nods. “Great. I was hoping you’d say that.”

I poke him in the chest and he catches my hand. “I’m sure you were.”

He shakes his head and tsked me. “Are you naughty, Harper?”

I close the distance between us again. “It depends. What do you do to naughty girls?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I huff and grin, feeling alive.

He’s still holding on to my hand, intertwining our fingers as he drops them between us. “But first things first. Are you ready to see our baby?”

I swallow, the magnitude of this situation slamming into me, making me breathless. “Yes.”

“Let’s do this, then. I can’t fucking wait to see the miracle we’ve created.”

And so we do. With my heart on the speed track, we make our way inside the building.

Hand in hand.

Together.

Fifteen

Ryan

I hold out my hand to Harper. "Let me see it again."

She smiles at me and gives me the ultrasound picture she's been clinging to. We got several from the ultrasound technician, but this one is our favorite. Our baby’s profile picture. It's incredible. And perfect. The small nose and lips. The hand by the face. I can't get enough. I've never witnessed anything as fascinating as this. To be able to see my baby this way, down to the spine and organs was mind-blowing. I mean, shit, it's barely the size of a lime at this point.

We stop on the sidewalk and Harper peeks over my elbow at the picture in my hand and sniffles. I don't blame her. My eyes didn't stay dry at the doctor's office either.

"I still can't believe this baby is actually in my belly." Her hand flies over her stomach and I put mine on hers on instinct, wanting that contact. Needing that connection.

Her eyes snap up to mine, a stunning ocean blue. Fuck, she's beautiful.

"Do you . . . want to have lunch somewhere?" I almost slip and ask her if she wants to come back to the hotel room with me so I can do dirty things to her. That reminds me. "Oh, I also have a surprise for you at the hotel."

Her eyes go wide. "You do?"

"Yeah."

The smile she aims at me has my dick stirring. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

"Can we do the surprise first and lunch after?" She's almost vibrating from excitement, and I chuckle.

"I take it you like surprises?"

"Looooove them." Her eyes are wide, her smile wider.

Good to know.

I nod. "All right. Let's head back to the hotel first."

She takes my hand and starts pulling. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on. Move your sexy ass."

I laugh and shake my head, a smile staying on my face almost the entire time.

Because shit, this . . . us. Holding hands, kissing, being so in sync. I thought I’d imagined this connection between us, or rather I was hoping I didn’t imagine it, but it’s there. Alive and