CHAPTER 27

Frankie

 

Things had been going great. Ever since that day about three months ago on the swing, I felt like a different person, in a good way. A lot of that had to do with the fact that we found out we were having twins. Yeah. I had two little baby girls in my belly, and although it was exhausting some days, I was loving every minute. Sharing the experience with Wilder made it that much better, he made everything better.

I was getting to know his family more, who were all insanely wonderful people, and I had managed to figure out a way to continue to run my business successfully that didn’t entail me driving back and forth a million times. I did go back about twice a week, and if I had a wedding, of course then I did that day as well, which was usually a Saturday. Wilder insisted on coming with me and was perfectly content to do the heavy lifting and then just wait for me to do what I needed for setup.

On the days I went back home, I spent some time with Aubrey and saw my sister even though she and I didn’t talk much. I had a feeling it would be a while before things got back to normal between us. Things with my parents were good. They came down a few times to visit as well, but I still stopped by their house to visit with them before I headed back to Wilder’s. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it worked.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do when the babies were born. All I knew was I wanted to take some time off, so I already was working on making sure to be done with everything about a month before the due date just to be on the safe side.

Wilder went to every doctor’s appointment and was absolutely great. He was so attentive and loving and every day with him just got better and better. Sometimes I lay awake at night and rolled to my back to watch him sleep. At first, my mind drifted to being angry I lost out on so much time, but then it shifted to being grateful for what I had. It didn’t do any good to continue being mad, so I wasn’t.

Until now.

Our first fight.

I crossed my arms and shook my head, repeating what I’d said twelve times already. “This is ridiculous.”

“It’s necessary.”

“Ridiculous,” I spat. “This whole conversation is ridiculous, just like you.”

Wilder pulled his chin in, and the mood in the room shifted as annoyance washed over his face. I was going to apologize because that was out of line, but his words beat me to it. “I’m gonna let that go just this once, Frankie.” Any other man I’d ever met in my life got louder and uncontrolled when they were upset. Not Wilder. If anything, he became calmer, and it was almost scary. “I’m also ending this discussion. Get your bag, and get in my truck.”

“I don’t need you to drive me to and from work.” And it wasn’t because I was being stubborn or trying to be independent and prove I didn’t need a man; it was because I felt bad. He had missed out on things he needed to do because of me, and I had so much guilt for that.

“Frankie, honey, I swear to Christ if another word comes outta your mouth about this, you won’t even be going into work today at all because you’ll be tied to my bed with a red ass.”

My mouth slammed shut, and I glared at him while at the same time wondering if that would be such a bad thing. He’d proven time and time again that he knew what he was doing to my body, even when he was torturing me, and I knew that him spanking me would be just as hot.

“If you’re thinking you’ll like it, baby, just know you won’t… at least you wouldn’t like it until I let you come, which wouldn’t be until I was done with work for the day, so you’d be stuck there for hours… wet, throbbing, needy… unsatisfied.”

I was unsure if I liked that he could read me so well. “I’m not thinking that.”

“Your breathing got faster, and your ears are pink, Frankie. You are thinking that.”

“Well, it’s your fault for making me want to have sex all the time.”

His lips tilted up, and I glared at him as he dipped his chin. “It’s your fault for being so beautiful that the only time I can give that beauty back is when I’m inside you.”

He almost made me forget that he was being way over-the-top protective, and I honestly never would have thought that was something I wouldn’t have liked.

“Go.” He angled his head at the door. “I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

I continued glaring as I stomped out of the house and onto the porch, all the way to his truck, where I unsuccessfully tried to climb in on my own. His fingers wrapped tight around my waist as he helped lift me, and I noted he did it with just a little more effort. I was carrying two babies after all, so putting on weight was inevitable. We were barely even out of his driveway when I couldn’t bite my tongue anymore. “I want it noted that I do not like the fact that you think you can tell me what to do and then bribe me with sex to justify it.”

“I’ll be sure to jot that down.”

“Wild—”

“No, Frankie.” He cut me off. “I’ve had you for not even four months. I don’t care how ridiculous you think it is. I am not ever going to be okay with you driving back and forth on these roads during a storm. I fuckin’ hate it in good weather, I hate it period, and I don’t want you doing it anymore, but I won’t ask you to quit your job because it’s what you love to do and what you’ve worked so hard for. But I hate it. Every day when you leave, I feel like I can’t breathe again until you come back. You’re due in less than four months, and we haven’t talked about what you’re going to do after the babies are born. I haven’t brought it up because I don’t want to stress you out, but I can’t shake the fact that the reason you haven’t said anything since you mentioned using the tub is because you’re torn, and then after you have the babies you’re gonna leave me and go back home.”

I turned and grabbed his arm. “I’m never leaving you.”

His fingers flexed on the steering wheel, and he turned down a path instead of continuing down to the street. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to bring this up without making you feel pressured, but fuck that. You’re mine, Frankie, and you’re carrying my babies and I don’t like you being an hour and a half away from me.” He slammed on the brakes and shoved the gear into park. “So here it is.”

I followed where he was pointing and sat up. All that was in front of me was a bunch of overgrown grass, save for a large square that had been leveled out with a concrete slab and wooden frame that appeared to be for a house. “What am I looking at?”

“Your new shop.”

“What?”

“I wanted to have it built before I showed you, but you’ll just have to use your imagination. I’ve been searching for a place in town, but nothing would work. You said that you could make your cakes from anywhere, so I figured if I gave you the option to do it here, you’d want to stay. But I get that your family is there, and I don’t want you missing them and thinking I don’t want you to see them, so if you need to go back home once a week or something—”

I undid my seat belt and hopped down, and then walked through the brush until I was on the concrete slab. He joined me but didn’t say another word as I wound through the frame.

“When did you start this?” I stared at the frame in awe, totally shocked and almost speechless.

“Last month.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me first?”

He crossed his arms. “I told you, I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”

“And what if I said no?”

“Are you going to say no?”

I turned my back to him and hugged myself, walking around the perimeter. “My building holds absolutely no sentimental value aside from the fact that it’s where I got started. I made the decision early on in my career what I wanted my business to look like and what I hoped my life would be. I don’t have a lot of overhead, and since Piper and I split the bills, I’ve lived very cheap.”

“I love you tellin’ me all this, but honey, I don’t know what the hell you’re actually sayin’.”

I spun around to face him and hated that he actually looked concerned. “I’m saying that you’re right. I don’t care about where I make my cakes, Wilder. I can do that from anywhere. And if I can do that closer to you, I want that very much.”

“So you’re good with me building you a shop here?”

“Yes.” I nodded, a smile stretching my face. “Yes, I’m more than good with that. I’m thrilled, ecstatic, relieved. All the good words are what I am.”

“Come here, Frankie.” I ran to him, and as soon as I got close enough, he cupped my cheeks. “Are you sure?”

“I’m so sure. This is so amazing, and I love it, and I can’t believe you did this for me. Thank you.”

He rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “If that ever changes or you feel like you—”

“Wilder, I’m not your mom.”

“I didn’t say th—”

“I’m not gonna just take off on you. And I’d never do that to my kids. I’ve always wanted to be with you. What makes you think now that I finally have you, I’m not going to stay?”

There was a moment of hesitation before he replied. “Don’t know that I’ll ever be able to kick that feeling, honey. I think you’re just gonna have to ride it out with me, and I’ll do my best not to put it on you.”

I was overwhelmed in such a good way. He thought the only way he could show me how he felt was when he was inside me, but he didn’t know it was the same for me. My hands were fisted in his shirt at his waist, and I slid one over and cupped his crotch. “I want to ride this out, too.” He stiffened, and I squeezed. “Right now. Right here. Where you’re gonna make all my dreams come true, I want to show you how much I love that you love me.”

He pulled my face up and slammed his mouth to mine. “I do, honey. I love you so fucking much it hurts. It terrifies me and fulfills me, and I don’t want another day to go by when I don’t know what the future holds, but I don’t know that I’ll ever not worry that you won’t look back on all of this and feel like you were forced to be with me.”

I reached for his belt and tugged it out of the buckle. His jaw clenched. My fingers made quick work of his button fly, and I squatted down as I bared him to me. His cock sprang free, and I gripped it tight in my fist. I stroked him slowly and rubbed my thumb over the little pearl at his slit. “Does this feel like I’m being forced?”

He jerked his head.

“There’s no dirt on the ground, baby. So that means I can get down there and suck you.” I dropped to my knees and took him in my mouth, rolling my tongue and then sucking him back until I gagged.

“Fuck,” he hissed, grabbing my short hair in both his hands.

I looked up to find his eyes hot on my mouth. I continued stroking while I slid him out, flicking the tip of my tongue at the notch underneath. His thighs shook, and his fingers tightened. “Did that feel like I was forced?” He shook his head again, and I don’t know what the hell got into me, but I felt powerful. I felt loved. I felt safe, like I could be me while also finding out who that person was. I stroked him fast and hard, and he grunted. “Answer me.”

The breath coming through his nose might as well have been fire with how hard he was breathing, and I was afraid for a second that I went too far. My grip started to loosen, but in a flash, he had his hand wrapped around mine and squeezed harder than I ever would have in fear of hurting him. “Don’t.” He glided his other hand down to my jaw and gently cupped it, then tilted my face up. “Don’t you ever stop doing what feels right to you. Unless I tell you to stop, you can use my body however you like.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I confessed.

“Yeah, you do, baby. You’re owning my cock. You’re telling me how you feel. You’re doing what comes naturally.” He swept his thumb over and slid it into my mouth. I sucked it and felt his cock twitch in my hand. “And I fuckin’ love it.” He pulled my lower jaw down gently and guided my mouth back to between his legs. “It’s yours, Frankie. I’m yours. Now get that mouth back around my dick and finish showing me how much you want me down your throat.”

I squirmed, and just as he let me go, he ripped his shirt off and threw it on the ground. “Put that under your knees first, baby.” I folded the material and did as he said. “Now you can finish.”

And I did. I put so much effort in, my jaw was tired, my hands were sore, and I vaguely wondered how much longer he could last because even I was close to coming and I wasn’t the one getting head. He grunted and groaned, praised me and promised I’d get mine. And just as I felt some warmth hit my tongue, he pulled out.

Then I was over his shoulder, and he was marching with me back to his truck. “How do you want me?”

“What?” I panted, getting a spectacular view of his ass.

“How do you want me? You want me to sit so you can ride me? Want me to throw you on the seat and fuck you from behind? Or do you want to be on your back, and I’ll play with your clit while I fuck that pussy?”

I heard the door open and was set on my feet. “I want to ride you,” I answered as soon as our gazes collided.

He hauled himself up, even with his pants at his ankles, into his back seat, then patted his lap. “Climb on.”

I climbed on. Then I rode him until we both came. And I’d never felt like more of a woman than I did watching him fight losing control while I called the shots. It was awesome.