Paxton laughed and hit me on the chest. “You’re bad.”
“Not yet, baby.”
Lifting her shirt over her head, I dropped it to the ground.
“I’m going to kiss every inch of your body as I whisper, ‘Mrs. Steed Parker,’ against your creamy skin.”
“Steed.” She gasped a needy breath.
Undoing her bra, I pulled it from her arms and threw it onto the T-shirt. Grabbing the waist of her sweats, I pulled them…along with her panties…slowly down and off her legs until she stood in front of me naked. Twice in the last few hours I had gotten to undress her. The first time left with me blue balls as I stared at my wife in her wedding gown and then those lace panties. It took everything out of me not to make love to her then.
I pressed my lips under her belly button while her hands combed through my hair, and she let out a soft whimper.
“You are my life, Mrs. Steed Parker. The reason I breathe. My heart beats right along with yours, and I can’t imagine a world without you in it.”
Dropping my forehead to her stomach, I took in a deep breath.
“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.” Lifting my eyes to hers I smiled. “Our love was never lost because it stayed with me…always.”
She dug her teeth into her lip, trying to hold back her emotions as I kissed her stomach. Our child was in there and that knowledge about knocked me over.
“I’d lay my life down for you and our kids.”
Standing, I cupped her face in my hands and brushed her tears with my thumbs. My lips brushed over hers.
“My life.”
Smiling against my lips, she replied, “My love.”
Three months later
Sitting on the blanket, I leaned my head against Steed’s chest as we looked out at the Atlantic Ocean. So much had changed since we got married. The main thing was my job. After Mr. Hines found out I was pregnant, I thought for sure he would fire me. But with Steed and I getting married over Christmas, the news of me being pregnant didn’t seem to be an issue anymore. Even though it was obvious I had conceived before the wedding, Mr. Hines choose to ignore that little fact. Maybe our little town was growing with the times?
I was pulled from my thoughts by Steed’s hands, caressing the small baby bump that had popped out in the last few weeks. Last month we had the sonogram that told us the sex of our baby. I wasn’t going to lie; we both breathed a sigh of relief to know we were only having one. Although, Chloe thought twins would have been super fun.
For her.
“How’s my son doing today?” Steed asked, his hot breath trailing down my neck and giving me a warm sensation against the cold breeze coming off the Atlantic.
“He’s doing good. I think I’m finally past the morning sickness. Thank God.”
Steed’s soft lips kissed my neck, shooting a throbbing pain between my legs.
“Mmm… If you keep doing that, I’m going to need some relief.”
A low growl came from his throat.
“Fucking hell, Pax. My dick is rock-hard now.”
I laughed. “Well, we have time before dinner.”
We were sitting outside the breathtaking little house we had rented for the week. It had been cold in Ireland, but not too cold. During the nights it got colder, but we didn’t care. We had been too busy in bed heating things up to notice how cold it was outside. The days had warmed nicely and had actually gotten up into the high fifties. For us, it was beautiful weather coming from an already hot Texas.
“Shall we go inside?” he asked.
Nodding, I pushed off him and waited for him to stand and offer me his hand. That was Steed. So considerate and kind. He always put me and Chloe first, no matter what he did.
After he lifted me up and slid his arm around my waist, we started to walk into the house. The same warmth I’d come to expect settled within my chest. My body tingled with the knowledge my husband was about to make love to me. Nothing else on earth was more amazing than Steed and me together.
He led me into the bedroom and flashed me those dimples, making my knees go weak. He gently brushed the back of his hand down my cheek and my body trembled. Other woman craved food during pregnancy, I craved my husband’s touch. It both thrilled me and calmed me at once.
“You look beautiful, Pax,” he whispered while his eyes roamed my face. The intensity caused my lower stomach to pull, and at the same time, my heart to melt at his sweet words.
My hair had been in a pony to keep the wind from lashing it around, but I was sure it was a crazy mess nonetheless. I didn’t have an ounce of makeup on. We’d been lazy that day and decided not to sightsee but to enjoy the amazing ocean view we had instead. I’d thrown on Steed’s sweat pants and one of his sweatshirts that hung off of me. At best, I probably looked like I had just woken up from a good night’s sleep.