23. Penny
Chapter 23
Penny
Dripping sweat, I collapsed back onto the bed, panting as I tried to catch my breath during the temporary reprieve.
Tripp dragged a cool washcloth over my forehead before pressing a kiss to my temple. “You’re doing amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
From between my open thighs, Felicity offered her encouragement. “You’re almost there. I can see the head. A few more pushes, and he’ll be out.”
My belly began to tense as the next contraction ramped up, the pressure it caused down below nearly unbearable.
“Need to push,” I moaned.
“Go with what your body’s telling you,” Felicity coached.
When I began to bear down, a nurse and Tripp held my legs back. With my eyes sealed shut, all my concentration went into getting this baby out of me.
“Oh my God, Lucky. I can see him!” Tripp’s excited voice had me releasing the breath I’d been holding.
“Really?” I was too afraid to look myself, having earlier declined the offer of a mirror .
“Our boy’s almost here.” Emotion leaked into his voice.
The pressure was back in full force, and I was pushing again, grunting through the pain. The drugs were enough to dull it but not enough to eliminate the feeling of being split nearly in two.
“The head is out!” Felicity exclaimed, and my eyes opened wide in shock. “One more big push should do it, Penny.”
The finish line was in sight, and that gave me a burst of strength I didn’t think I still had in the tank after twelve hours of labor and an additional two of pushing. Surrendering to my body’s demands, I gave it everything I had to bring our son into the world.
A shrill cry split the air, and before I could even process that he was out, a slimy, screaming baby boy was placed onto my chest.
Tears of both relief and joy blurred my vision as my trembling hands came to rest on his warm little body. It was surreal that, less than a minute ago, he’d fit inside me.
No wonder it had hurt so badly. He was huge!
“He’s perfect. You were perfect,” Tripp breathed.
It took effort, but I managed to tear my gaze away from the beautiful baby—now rooting around on my chest, searching for milk—to my husband. Tripp’s gaze was full of so much love, and he didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was crying, the same as me.
A sob broke free from my chest. “We did it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You did it.” Gripping the side rail, he bent down to brush a kiss over my lips. “You’ve always been fearless, and today was no exception. I’m in awe of your strength.”
“Mind if we borrow this little guy to get weighed and measured?” Gloria, the nurse, asked from the opposite side of the bed. “I promise to bring him right back. ”
When I gave a nod, she instructed Tripp on how to cut the cord before scooping the baby up and carrying him across the room to a warmer set up along the far wall.
“Don’t know how you managed to pull it off, but you might walk away from this without stitches,” Felicity remarked.
Though it was a relief to hear I’d pulled through without tearing, I had a feeling I would be walking around bow-legged for days, if not weeks. The size of that kid’s head was something else.
I groaned when Felicity put firm pressure on my now-deflated belly.
“Sorry, Penny. I know this part is uncomfortable, but it’ll be over soon, I promise.”
“You’re a champ, mama,” Gloria called out from the warmer. “He’s nine pounds, four ounces.”
I huffed out a wry laugh. “He felt more like twenty in those final weeks.”
“For such a tiny thing yourself, it’s a wonder you didn’t topple over,” she teased back.
From behind the privacy curtain, I heard the door being unlatched. Expecting another nurse, I jolted when I recognized the first face that came into view.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tripp barked so loudly it startled the baby, and he began to cry.
Jake wasn’t alone. With him were a woman in a pantsuit and a security guard.
Without hesitation, Jake walked over to the warmer. My fists clenched involuntarily as he stood over my son.
Peeking over his shoulder at me, he tsked. “You just had to take the hard road, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t control the full-body tremors that ran through me. “Wh-what?”
The woman spoke. “I’ve been ordered by the family court to take Penny Sullivan’s baby into custody until the paternity test that should have taken place six months ago has determined whether or not Jacob Wallace is the biological father.”
“No!” Desperation clawed up my throat. “You can’t take him! He’s my baby!”
There wasn’t the tiniest hint of compassion on her face. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but my hands are tied.”
My lower lip trembled. “Tripp, do something.”
He made a move toward the warmer, but the burly security guard blocked his path. “Sorry, sir, I can’t let you do that.”
Faster than I could blink, that bitch reached her hands into the warmer and picked up my son. Then she turned on her heel and left the room, taking my whole world with her.
“No!” I screamed, struggling to get off the bed and having to be physically restrained by the medical staff. My head thrashed against the pillows as they held me down, and I cried that same two-letter word on repeat until my voice grew hoarse.
My shoulders shook with the force of my wails.
“Penny. Penny!”
Gasping, I bolted upright, my eyes open but only seeing darkness.
Something touched my face, and I let out a blood-curdling scream, scrambling to get away.
“Penny. Calm down. It’s me.”
The familiar voice cut through the haze of my panic. “Tripp?”
“You were having a nightmare.”
Relief crashed over me so hard it stole my breath away.
None of it was real. Thank God.
Tripp let out a heavy exhale. “ Come here, Lucky.”
I launched myself into his arms, and as soon as they wrapped around me, I broke down. Heaving sobs wracked my chest as Tripp clutched me tighter to his.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you. “
Burrowing deeper into his hold, I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that came with that extremely vivid nightmare—like it was a vision of our future.
“H-he took h-him.” My blubbering was muffled by the fabric of Tripp’s T-shirt.
“Who took who?” His hands stroked soothing circles over my back.
“J-Jake. He took our b-b-baby.”
“I’m not going to let that happen.” Though he kept his tone calm, he couldn’t hide his physical response. Every muscle in his body had gone rigid. He was just as terrified as me.
“What if—what if—” I couldn’t even finish that sentence before I burst into tears again.
“Hey.” Tripp tipped my chin up, and with my eyes adjusting in the dark, I could make out the determination etched across his face. “We’re not gonna stress over the what-ifs. We’re gonna take it one step at a time and figure this out, okay?”
That was so much easier said than done. My mind was racing with the millions of possibilities of how this whole thing could go wrong, of how it could tear us apart.
I needed to turn it off before I went insane.
“Make me forget,” I begged, fisting the fabric of his shirt.
He reared back, his brows drawing down. “What?”
“Just for tonight, I want you to make me forget this whole mess. Please?”
When it sank in what I was truly asking for, his eyes bulged, an “oh” rushing past his parted lips. “Are you sure that’s what you want? ”
I shook my head slowly. “No. It’s what I need . You’re what I need.”
His fingers grazed my cheek as he gently tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. “You know I’ll always give you anything you ask for.”
Spiraling, I needed an anchor, something to ground me. Tripp was steady and strong. If there was anyone I could trust to take over when I felt completely out of control in my own life, it would always be him.
With my heart in my throat, I asked, “Will you help get me out of my head?”
Instead of answering with words, he dropped his hands to the fabric of my skirt twisted around my legs. Only then did I realize I’d fallen asleep in my clothes. It was the middle of the night. Had I really been out since noon yesterday?
My arms lifted when the material reached my breasts, allowing him to draw it over my head before it was discarded over the edge of the bed. Warm palms cupped my face, holding it steady as Tripp’s lips descended on mine.
The kiss was tender and so full of love it nearly brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. I sank into it, letting the rush of sensations carry me away from the problems that awaited us outside this room. The world was put on pause, and nothing else existed but us.
Letting him lead, I opened when the tip of his tongue traced the seam of my lips. A whimper worked its way up my throat with the gentle way his hands roamed over my body, bringing goosebumps to the surface of my skin while setting my soul on fire.
The clasp of my bra was twisted, and the lace fell away from my chest. Tripp pulled away long enough to ease my panties down my legs before removing his T-shirt and briefs. With his back against the headboard, he pulled me onto his lap, groaning when the slickness between my thighs made contact with his hard cock .
“So wet for me,” he rasped, working a hand between us so he could drag his fingers through my arousal.
“Always.” I rocked against his hand, whining when he withdrew it.
Eyes locked on mine, he slipped those shiny digits between his lips and leisurely sucked all traces of my essence from his skin. He released them with an audible pop, murmuring, “Addictive.”
My head dropped back on a moan. I was desperate for more but didn’t make a move to rush him. I’d allowed him to take the driver’s seat tonight, and I wasn’t going to waver on that decision, even if it drove me insane.
Tripp’s hands came around my back, hauling our bodies flush, and against my ear, he admitted huskily, “I need more.”
God yes. A shiver rolled through me, and my pussy clenched around nothing, desperate to be filled, fucked, or tasted—I didn’t care which, so long as it eased the ache.
Keeping his hold on me, Tripp shifted so that he lay on his back with me resting atop him. His hands shifted to my hips, and he urged me onto my knees. With seemingly no effort, he lifted me up and over his chest until I was kneeling over his face.
“Hold onto something, honey. I’m gonna be here for a while.”
That was all the warning I got before his tongue swiped through my sex, and I saw stars. Blindly, I reached out to grip the headboard, my fingernails digging into the cheap laminated surface.
Tripp’s arms banded around my thighs situated on either side of his head, pulling me further onto his face as he feasted on my pussy like a starving man. The urge to move grew overwhelming, and my hips bucked with abandon, chasing the pleasure he offered freely.
His hum of approval vibrated against my sensitive flesh, sending a bolt of pure lust shooting through my veins and stirring my need for more .
Flicking furiously against my clit, he shifted enough that he was able to shove two fingers inside me, and I cried out. He pumped them into me slowly, dragging the tips against my inner walls and hitting that magic spot that caused black spots to dance across my vision.
My moans were endless, slipping freely past my parted lips as my insides coiled tighter.
“Fuck, right there. Don’t stop.”
With his mouth full, Tripp couldn’t offer a reply, but he picked up the pace, fucking me with his hand as his lips sealed around my clit to prove the perfect suction.
Back bowing, I shattered. Bliss sparked outward from my core, sending me soaring. The pure ecstasy Tripp wrought between my thighs was enough to wipe my mind blank, and finally—finally—I was at peace.
His tongue eased me down through the aftershocks, and when he finally stopped, I dropped my forehead to the wall, panting.
“Don’t move,” Tripp commanded roughly.
The idea that I would disobey was laughable. I couldn’t move a muscle right now if I tried.
He slid out from between my legs, and I felt the mattress dip before his hot, hard body came to rest at my back. My hair was swept over my shoulder, and a featherlight kiss was placed on the nape of my neck.
Against my skin, he whispered, “I love you.”
My heart squeezed, and I craned my neck to peek at him. His eyes were like a window into his soul; I could read everything he was feeling written inside them. Fear stood at the forefront, though it was difficult to decipher whether he was scared more for me or for himself. All I knew was that I wanted to erase that frightened look in his blue gaze. But I had no clue how to do that when I was fucking terrified myself.
“I can’t lose you,” I croaked out, emotion clogging my throat .
Tripp shook his head. “Never. You will never lose me.”
He said that now, but what would happen if, when those paternity tests came back, we didn’t get the answer we wanted? How would he be able to stand the sight of me—his wife—carrying another man’s baby? How would he make peace with the fact that Jake would become a permanent piece of my life?
Tripp was my best friend. I knew him almost better than I knew myself. But we were venturing into uncharted waters. He was the best man I knew, but this situation was heavy enough to test even the strongest of relationships.
I wanted to have faith in him, but I wasn’t sure we could survive this.
He gripped my chin. “Let me take care of you.”
Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I nodded.
A corner of his lips tipped up. “That’s my girl.”
Those words were enough to have warmth filling my chest.
Releasing my face, he tapped his fingers along my knuckles still firmly gripping the top edge of the headboard. “Keep these here.”
Facing forward, I let my head drop onto his shoulder, releasing a shaky exhale.
Tripp’s lips brushed against the shell of my ear. “Good girl.”
Fuck. The role reversal had me biting back a moan. I would do just about anything to please him in this moment.
His knee nudged my thighs wider apart on the mattress. The hard length of his cock nestled against my ass, and he dipped so that it could fit against my seam, the head of it nudging my clit and causing me to cry out.
A chuckle sounded in my ear. “Not gonna take much to get you there again, is it, Lucky?”
My reply was a whimper .
Voice gravelly, he mused, “I love making you come. Feeling your hot pussy mold around my dick, squeezing it so tight that I can scarcely breathe. It’s like nothing on this earth. You’re insane if you think I’d ever give that up. You’re my one and only, and it’s going to stay that way, you hear?”
Eyes burning, I squeezed them shut, praying those final words would still hold true if this all went sideways.
Accepting my silence as agreement, he pulled his hips back enough that his erection was poised at my entrance, and the blunt head pushed inside that first inch. The novelty of his thick, curved cock hadn’t worn off. I craved the stretch that came with our two bodies becoming one, loving that I could still feel him there long after he withdrew.
With my hands stuck in place, I arched my back, forcing him to sink deeper, and he didn’t bother to stifle his deep groan of pleasure.
“I was made for you, remember?” The words were said as his hips surged forward, stealing my breath away with the fullness of him being buried as deep as he could go.
His lips dusted kisses along the curve of my neck and over my shoulder. “Fucking heaven,” he breathed.
One hand settled over the slight swell of my belly in a protective hold while the other came up to pluck at my hypersensitive nipples as Tripp began to gently rock into me from behind.
I was on sensory overload. I couldn’t focus on any particular part of the pleasure he wrung from my body. It surrounded me, coming at me from all sides, threatening to suffocate me, but I welcomed it. If I was here with him, lost in him, nothing could touch us.
Our movements were languid as we savored the feeling of connection. Heat prickled beneath my skin and sweat rose to the surface as my body strained against his .
Tripp’s soft grunts mixed with my moans as he drove me higher. His hand dipped lower, the pads of his fingertips teasing my slit. It was pure torture deciding whether to shift forward to gain friction on my clit or remain in place to keep from losing the sweet slide of his cock hitting my G-spot with every thrust.
His breath was hot in my ear. “You’re safe, Lucky. I’ve got you.”
That was all it took for me to finally let go. As if he knew what his words would do to me, his fingers found my clit, rubbing furious circles as he pounded into me from behind. The sudden shift from soft and slow to hard and fast had pleasure erupting through every nerve ending, and all I could do was hang on for dear life as the waves of my orgasm crashed over me.
“That’s it. Give me another one,” Tripp gritted out, voice strained.
My mouth opened to protest that I wouldn’t survive another, but my parted lips only allowed a shrill scream to escape as he slapped my pussy, sending me hurtling over the edge for a second time in rapid succession.
“Fuck. Penny.” My name was a hoarse cry on his lips when he stilled at my back, cock twitching as warmth flooded my insides.
I was left boneless and trembling after those back-to-back earth-shattering orgasm, so Tripp’s strong arms banded around my torso were the only thing keeping me from collapsing to the bed. My chest heaved as I sucked in gasping breaths as my heart thrashed against my ribcage. Its tempo matched the one I could feel racing against my back.
Lips brushed against my sweaty temple, murmuring, “Better now?”
Exhaustion pulled my heavy eyelids all the way down, and I hummed.
Halfway to sleep in my kneeling position, I was only vaguely aware of my body being handled and repositioned from vertical to horizontal before unconsciousness took a firm hold.
When I opened my eyes, the events of the past twenty-four hours came rushing back, and I groaned so loudly it woke Tripp.
He bolted upright in bed, eyes wide and searching. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
I flung my arm over my face dramatically. “I ruined your birthday.”
A relieved rush of air left his lungs. “Oh, that. Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” I cried. “It was literally the worst birthday in the history of birthdays!”
“Hey, come here.” He tugged my arm away and pulled me up to sit beside him.
My lower lip pursed out in a pout as I snuggled into his side. “I’m sorry.”
Tripp dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “It wasn’t all bad. I got laid.”
“Not funny,” I grumbled.
“No, not funny,” he agreed. “Hot as fuck.” I could hear the smile in his voice when he added, “You should let me be in control more often. Swear to God your pussy clamped down so hard when you came I worried it was gonna snap my dick clean off.”
That got a small giggle out of me, and the vibrations of his own chuckles tickled my face where it was pressed to his chest.
I peeked up at him. “You’re really not mad?”
He shook his head. “When have I ever been mad at you? Name one time in our whole lives.”
He had me there .
Anger wasn’t something Tripp exhibited often, and on those rare occasions, it had never been aimed in my direction—even though I sometimes frustrated him beyond reason.
My silence proved his point, and he changed the subject. “I spoke to Bex yesterday.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What about?”
“I called to see if she could offer us some legal advice on the best way to proceed.”
“And?” I pressed, needing to know while at the same time wanting to plug my fingers in my ears to keep from hearing what she had to say.
Tripp’s lips thinned. “She said we don’t have much of a choice. Tucker weighed in and said the sooner we get it done, the better. Mentioned something about the testing being more risky if we wait?”
Bile rose up my throat. I swallowed it back down, grimacing against the burn of the retreating stomach acid. “If we don’t get it done in the next eight days, it switches from a cheek swab to a needle through my belly.”
His eyebrows rose so high they kissed his hairline. “What?”
My nose tingled, and I scrunched it up, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Yeah.”
“No.” He gave a firm shake of his head. “Absolutely not.” A shaky palm settled over my belly. “We’ll help haul the horses to Nebraska on Monday before turning around and heading straight home.”
Eyes sliding shut, I dragged in a deep breath. “Okay.”
“And until then, I want you to stay in bed.” The pointed look he shot me told me he meant business.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?” I teased, hoping to lighten him up .
Tripp tipped his head forward, using his fingers to comb through his black tresses. “Take a peek for me, darlin’. I’m sure there’s no less than fifty gray hairs after yesterday.”
Putting my annoyance aside, I could appreciate how traumatic it must have been for him to get a call from a stranger telling him his pregnant wife was having a meltdown on the sidewalk.
Placing my hands on the sides of his face, I lifted his gaze to meet mine before leaning in to brush my lips over his, whispering against them, “I’m okay.”
His swallow was audible. “Please,” he begged. “Just so I don’t have to worry?”
“All right. But can I at least get up long enough to take a shower? I can still feel you leaking out of me from last night.”
He huffed out a small laugh before issuing a playful warning. “Probably shouldn’t tell me that. Only makes me want to fill you up again. And I want you to rest today.”
My lips curved into a smile. “Is that a yes or a no to the shower, Mr. Sullivan?”
In a flash, his hand clamped down on the back of my neck, and his tongue was halfway down my throat. I moaned into his mouth, battling back, which wasn’t helping the slickness between my thighs.
We were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away. “Go shower.”
“Join me?” I batted my eyelashes at him.
“Kinda defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
My lips twisted to the side. “Suppose so, but I don’t mind.”
A growl worked its way up his throat. “Get outta here before I spank that ass of yours. ”
“That’s not quite the threat you think it is, baby.” I tossed him a wink as I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stood.
I made it all of one step before he called out to me.
“Penny.” The way my name came out broken had me whipping around.
The color had drained from Tripp’s face, his eyes fixed on the bed. When I followed his line of sight, my blood turned to ice.
A spot of crimson as large as my fist stained the stark white sheets.