Chapter Seven

Jen

 

Smelling something sweet woke me, the first conscious thought after falling asleep. I opened my right eye to see a bouquet of roses on the nightstand. Aww.

Sat up, stretched my arms over my head, then leaned in to sniff the red blooms. Before Dylan, it’d been a really long time since anyone gave me flowers, and the last I really remembered was from Mom and my little sis when I got my first publishing deal.

Sweet guy.

Feeling more human now, I walked into the bathroom. No idea what time it was, but I felt hungry. Really should get a new battery in my watch so I didn’t have to keep checking my phone or the alarm clock. Which said 4:00. Wow.

Who was I, getting dressed for the day when it was nearly evening?

The door opened as I was taking my pajama top off.

“Now that’s a way to come into a room,” my fiancé said. He blatantly stared at my boobs as he came closer. His arm wound around my waist. “Thought I heard you up.”

“Thank you for the flowers,” I said to his shoulder, his face buried in my neck.

His free hand moved to my breast. “It’s the least you deserve.”

My body responded like always to his touch, with warmth and tingling and the urge to kiss him until I couldn’t breathe. “Remember that thought when I’m cursing your existence in a delivery room.”

He laughed. “Jake said Beth almost broke his hand.” His kisses reached my earlobe, which he lightly tugged with his teeth before meeting my gaze. “I’m expecting my wordsmith to be very creative.” His fingers plucked my nipple like one of his bass strings.

“Right now, she wants your face in her pussy, then that breakfast you promised.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

His mouth and hands moved down my body until he reached my pants. He pulled them down along with my panties, then nuzzled his nose in my curls.

“Lay back, honey.”

The bed right behind me, I let my body go slack, his premium mattress catching my weight, and he rendered me naked, then draped my thigh over his shoulder to open me up.

“I’m never going to tire of this.” His voice had roughened with desire.

I sure hoped not. My sex appeal to him was a great part of healing me after my previous relationship had stripped away a good chunk of my confidence. I’d never been wanted so much, cherished so much, given such power in bed.

That Christmas Eve night we shared got me writing again.

Yeah, Dylan knew what he was doing with a woman’s body, but it was how he made me feel with those actions that made him a fantastic lover and the man I wanted forever. I wasn’t just any woman—I was his woman, and sex with him never let me forget it.

My climax came quickly, then my body melted in the warmth and relaxation of endorphins. If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d fall back asleep. Lucky for me, if I didn’t indulge in that sleep right away, orgasms gave me an energy boost, making me wide awake.

“Thank you,” I said happily.

He massaged my thigh, kissed it, then moved from between my legs. “You’re welcome. I love seeing you like this. If I knew how, I’d paint you.”

“Mm, you say the sweetest things.” I rolled onto my side, then sat up. “Clothes. I’m starving.” I stood and kissed him.

He slapped my butt as I headed for the closet.

This time I chose a less restrictive pair of jeans for my ensemble, tackled the rat’s nest of my hair, then patted on some concealer and lipstick. The post-orgasmic glow did the rest.

“Ready!” I announced as I exited the bedroom.

Going to breakfast or brunch was one of Dylan’s favorite things, so he knew all the great spots, the diners where no one cared who he was and served awesome food.

While I was partial to pancakes, this felt like a protein day, so I ordered an omelet and bacon after we were seated in a back corner booth. The waitress brought drinks, then left us alone while the food cooked.

“I told my mom about the engagement today,” he said.

I swallowed orange juice. “What’d she say?”

“Congratulations, in her way.”

“Only the engagement?”

One corner of his mouth quirked up. “I’m not telling anyone else about the b-a-b-y without consulting you first. My parents don’t watch much TV, so they’ll stay oblivious.”

“Do you want them to know?”

One shoulder rolled. “Of course. Eventually. You know how we are.”

I did. “Maybe a grandchild could bring you closer.”

He sipped coffee. “Maybe.” Then sighed. “It’s not like I had a bad childhood or anything. We’re just different people. Sometimes I wondered if I was accidentally switched at the hospital. Aside from reading, Dad and I have nothing in common, and Mom would prefer I was in classical music over rock. It was easier when I was a kid, but as adults we’re really living separate lives.” He set the mug on the table, then reached for my hands. “I don’t want our child to feel like a stranger one day. I have no idea if we’ll share interests with that future person or not, but—”

“I wouldn’t want that, either. Look at my sister and my dad. That’s not ideal.”

A relieved smile. “I know you’re going to be a great mom. You took Hannah under your wing when Mike first brought her around and your sister obviously loves you.”

I squeezed his fingers before letting go. “You’re going to be a good dad, too.”

The waitress arrived with our plates.

I didn’t mind discussing our future more, but my stomach was trying to eat itself, so I dove into the food in front of me, shoveling egg and cheese and mushrooms and stuff into my mouth to chew like a chipmunk. Pregnancy appetite was no joke.

Dylan beamed at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

“Shuddup,” I mumbled.

He chuckled before digging into his waffles and bacon at a more civilized human pace.

I nearly emptied my juice to swallow. The waitress stopped by again. “Refill?”

“Please.”

The more food that made its way down, the less urge I felt to do it quickly, like I’d reassured my body it wasn’t going to starve, so I finally slowed eating and took smaller bites. Better to not need a handful of Tums later, anyway.

“So…,” Dylan began. “We do need to figure out where to live, and since we don’t need to be anywhere this weekend, I’d like to show you my cabin.”

My brows rose. “I thought you didn’t want to live in Big Bear.”

“Not all the time, but you were right—I can’t just make plans for what our life together looks like and expect you to go along with my career. You’ve had your life, too.”

“Thank you.” I swirled a bite in some of the gooey cheese. “I would like to see where you grew up.”

He smiled. “Okay. Drive up tonight or in the morning?”

“Check the weather report. If it’s clear, it’s early enough to go tonight. If that’s what you want to do.”

“I think it’d be good to try planning out the year to come without our normal distractions.”

“Except it’s your home turf.”

“I don’t spend enough time in the cabin to call it that, so you won’t be disadvantaged.” He chuckled. “I think Beth and Jake were the last people there besides the cleaning lady.”

“When was that?”

“Before they got married.”

My eyes widened. “You haven’t been there in over two years?”

Dylan sighed, his gaze dropping to his plate. “My last memories weren’t so great on the mountain, and after Mom and Dad moved to Florida, it was easier to stay away. I only met you because I needed to come up to handle a repair, then got asked to do a favor at the lodge.”

“Performing for your ex’s parents.”

“Yeah. But anywhere I go with you feels like home.” He reached for my free hand. “Help me decide what to do with the house.”

“Sure.”

We ate a while in comfortable silence.

“How big is your place?” I asked when I was full.

“Two bedrooms.” At my expression, he nodded. “Yeah, you can see why I was eager to leave when I graduated high school. I’m not sure which of our places has more square footage.”

“Single story?”

“Yep. Different layout than yours.” He washed down his final bite. “I have more land behind the cabin than yours does.” He waved to the waitress to get the check.

He paid, I left a tip, then we left for his truck. Since I’d gotten pregnant, he made a point of helping me up into the cab before he got in, not merely opening my door. Over the past year, I was getting used to being taken care of versus always doing for myself. It was nice to be a little pampered, and I loved that being a gentleman came naturally to him.

Beth had once said that Dylan was the one band member she didn’t worry about right away when she first started working for Jake. It didn’t surprise me he made a good impression.

“I’m going to gas up before we go home.”

“Okay.” The old truck was in perfect condition, but didn’t get the mileage of a brand new vehicle, though the large tank evened that out some. “Hey, my car is still in your complex. Should I leave it in guest parking unattended?”

He frowned. “Yeah, I forgot all about it. Drop it off at your mom’s?”

I winced. “She’s going to want to corner me about the baby news.”

He scratched his jaw. “It’d be safe at any of my friend’s houses.”

“Or…I could follow you to Big Bear.”

His blue gaze shot to me. “And?”

“I did originally just come down for a long weekend.

Dylan paused the truck at a stoplight. “What if I’m tired of you leaving?”

“What, I’m never supposed to go home again?”

“The definition of home is going to change, Jen! You’re my fiancée and carrying my child.”

“Don’t yell at me.” How did we go from a lovely meal to this?

His jaw muscles ticked in his cheek. “I’m sorry I raised my voice in here. But my point stands. We move forward together…or we don’t.”

“What does that mean? Your way or the highway?”

“God…” He ran his fingers through his hair. The light turned green. “No. I won’t give you ultimatums. I mean that we have decisions to make and not just based on what we want. We have to do what’s best for the baby. But I love you, so I want that to be a life with you. Not separated by a two hour drive.”

The radio wasn’t on, so every time once of us stopped speaking, the silence was deafening. This tension made that big meal sit uncomfortably in my stomach.

“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked quietly. “Do you not want to get married?”

“How can you ask me that?” I said through a tight throat.

Dylan sighed. “Because for twenty-four hours, it’s felt like you’re pulling away from me. If I could go back in time and not take the mic at the concert—”

“I love you.”

“Then tell me what you want!”

“I’m overwhelmed, okay? Announcing it to the whole world made it all really real and it feels fast and scary and out of control!”

Our breathing seemed so loud in the cab.

“I can’t put the genie back in the bottle, Jen, so tell me what else to do.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

I didn’t like feeling this panic. I didn’t want to hurt him.

The rest of the drive to his apartment felt like hours even though it was mere minutes.

He parked the truck in its designated space. Opened his door. Came around to help me out with a hand for support. Once I was on the ground, he didn’t link his fingers with mine like normal. We went to his unit in more silence.

God, this was so fucked up.

“What are we doing now?” I asked.

He didn’t look at me as he replied, “When you figure out where you want to be, you know where to find me.”

“Dylan—” I went to him, tugging on the back of his shirt. “I don’t want it to be like this.”

He twisted to place his hand on my cheek. “Stop being afraid, Jen. What is the worst that could happen, hmm? We don’t want those things, so whatever’s scrambling your insides, let it go. The only way this ends is if you push me away.”

I closed my eyes, focusing on his touch. “I know,” I whispered.

His lips suddenly touched mine. I moaned. He dipped to pick me up and I wrapped my arms and legs around him. For two people that appreciated and loved the written word, we often communicated best with our bodies.

“Make love to me. Please,” I said.

The sex had been amazing from the get-go because we were meant to be.

He set me on the bed to remove my shoes, then tugged my sweater up and tossed it aside. I grabbed his waistband, unfastened his jeans, and shoved fabric down to release his cock.

“I didn’t return the favor earlier.” Then took the hot head of him into my mouth.

“Aw, fuck.” He twirled my long hair around his hand. “Take it all, baby.”

I would, as much as fit. I needed to be at his mercy to quiet my damn troublesome mind.

He directed the pace of me sucking at his dick like my favorite popsicle, until he suddenly pulled me off. “You. Naked. Now.” We frantically shed the rest of our clothes, then he grabbed my nape and kissed me roughly. Then pushed me down on the bed. “You’re so beautiful.”

I stretched my arms above my head, laid out on his sheet. “Fuck me, Dylan.”

Normally, he’d grin, but right now, he wore intensity on his face that made me shiver. I got no teasing before he spread my legs and shoved in to the hilt. My hips arched off the bed before his full weight came down. His hands moved to hold my wrists as he started pumping, driving deep and fast with his cock, making me feel exactly how thoroughly I was claimed. Because my heart and body were his no matter how much freaking out my head did.

“You need this?”

“Yes.”

His mouth met mine again, then he pulled my leg up to change the angle and connect us even more. The friction rubbed my G-spot, but I wanted him to come first. I owed him that.

“Take what you need,” I rasped.

That released him to fuck me harder than ever before. My pelvic bone might be bruised later, but I didn’t care. We needed to be in sync again.

Dylan arched his neck, jerked his body, and sank on top of me with a grunt. We were both breathing like we’d tried to win Olympic gold. He kissed my neck, then started sitting up.

“What are you—oh…”

He’d kept my body with him while tucking his knees. His thumb went to my clit. Tilted up on his lap, still full of him, the sensations were immediately overwhelming. I arched like lightning had run up my spine.

“Please.”

“Relax. Patience.” But instead of flicking to get me off fast, the pad of his thumb was moving in slow circles, keeping me peaked but not fully there.

I moved my hips, trying to get more. His left hand tightened on my ass. “I can’t—”

His cock hardened in me and this angle put that pressure on my G-spot.

“Dylan—”

One fast rub by his thumb and I came apart. I think I screamed. I know I flopped like a fish out of water. It was so much.

Just when the orgasm finally started to end, he yanked my torso up. I squeaked.

“Better?” he asked.

“I love you.”

“Good. I’m not done with you, yet.”