Before she could turn around, two arms framed her on either side, palms flat against the door. His voice came from behind her as he leaned down to her ear.
“You owe me.”
At the feel of his body heat surrounding her, Ashleigh felt the air leave her body.
“You’re goin’ to collect out here on the porch?”
“I might.”
That low rumble did strange things to the pit of her stomach and lower places. She was having a hard time thinking why that was a bad idea.
“What if someone saw?”
“You expectin’ anyone, ‘cause I ain’t.”
Now she was stepping into the dangerous territory of challenging him, which was a bad idea because she knew she’d lose.
“I’d rather be out of the way of the bugs.”
“You sure about that, beauty”
As he asked the question he dropped one arm. She felt him reach down and bunch the skirt of her dress up until he could find his way under the fabric and slide his rough palm between her thighs. Now she was having even more trouble remembering why letting him fuck her out here on the porch was a bad idea. When his fingers reached the silk of her underwear and rubbed back and forth over the damp cloth she moaned. Her hips began to move of their own accord against his fingers until they slipped past the scrap of material, feeling deliciously hot against her weeping flesh. Ashleigh decided that she absolutely did not care about bugs or unannounced visitors and let loose another moan as the pleasure began to build.
“Fuck! Fuck!” Paul swore and pulled away, suddenly leaving her dazed and not a little confused.
He fumbled the key and unlocked the door while Ashleigh was still deciding which way up the world was. He pushed open the door, and Ashleigh stumbled inside on shaking legs. She half thought that he might pick up where he’d left off in the hallway, but after locking the door he took her by the hand and practically dragged her to his bedroom.
“Did you miss me or somethin’?” She half laughed as he all but pushed her down onto the bed and dropped over her.
All at once his body went completely still. “Beauty, I have been goin’ out of my ever lovin’ mind waitin’ for an answer from you. It’s been three long weeks. And now I’ve got my answer, I don’t intend on wastin’ another second.”
He was leaning down to kiss her, but she stopped him with a palm on his chest. She had to ask. “So, while you were in Texas, you didn’t....?” She had to ask, but she couldn’t.
The look he gave her was pure fire, a little angry, a lot of something else. “No, beauty. While I was waitin’ on you to tell me whether you wanted me or not, I did not fuck anyone else.”
Ashleigh slid her palm along his jaw, feeling the tenseness in the muscles. “I wasn’t jokin’ before. I didn’t want to put what I was thinkin’ in a text, I didn’t know how to.”
He dipped his head to her ear and all but growled. “You forget how to speak, too?” When he nipped at her earlobe and then at the skin of her neck she arched off the bed until she was blocked by the wall of his chest.
“I didn’t know what to say.”
“You know now?” He growled into the crook of her neck
“Yeah. I know now.” Her voice came out as a breathless sigh.
“And?” He pulled back so that he could catch her eyes.
“I love you.”
And just like that his face broke into that wonderful smile. “Good job, beauty, ‘cause I love you, too, and I ain’t ever lettin’ you go.”
Epilogue
Samuel looked down at the little bundle in his arms and felt his heart swell to bursting. Every feature was perfect, the tiny nose, the little pink lips, even the traces of what weren’t quite eyebrows and eyelashes. Those blue eyes were closed at the moment, and even when they were open they were still a bit squinty, unused to the bright lights of the big wide world; but he had no doubt they’d be as big and blue as her mama’s after a few days. Whether they stayed that way or whether they took on the deep brown of her daddy’s eyes, Samuel knew for a certainty that a few bats of those lids and he would be putty in her little pudgy hands. He was almost embarrassed just thinking about what a soft touch he knew he was going to be.
Deanna Belle: a beautiful name for a beautiful baby. He hadn’t felt like this since the first time that he’d held both his own children in his arms. He’d been just as astounded at the miracle of life then. It was truly amazing, that an entire little person could just grow inside another body, little nails, little limbs, little eyeballs, and then just pop out whole and ready to go. Of course he knew both Moira and Ashleigh would dispute the whole ‘popping out’ idea. He was just as proud of his daughter as he had been of his wife, knowing what she’d had to go through to bring this tiny person into the world. At least this time he hadn’t had to witness it. He didn’t think there was any worse feeling in the world than standing by the side of a hospital bed watching the woman he loved in unendurable agony, knowing all the while that not only was there nothing he could do about it than mutter meaningless encouragement, but that he was responsible for that agony in the first place.