Chapter 35
I woke up and knew from the sound of his breathing that he wasn’t asleep. I stirred against him and rolled over so that my cheek was pressed to his chest.
His hand immediately went to my head and his fingers combed through my hair.
I glanced at the clock. It was the middle of the night.
“Nightmare?” I asked him. “About your past? You shared a lot with me.”
“No.” He pressed a kiss to my head. “Just woke up and my brain turned on. But it’s not because of what I told you.”
I relaxed. “What are you thinking about?”
“Our baby class.”
“What about it?”
“I’m annoyed.”
“About what?”
“Things.”
I snorted. “It’s late, Savage. Stop being cryptic and tell me what’s on your mind.”
“When we went around the room and introduced ourselves, everyone said they were married. We’re not married. We don’t share the same last name. I don’t like that.”
“Oh.”
“And then I started to think about our future and what our family was gonna look like. I want a big family, Evie. It’s something I never got to experience or grow up with. I know it’s crazy to even be talking about it, since the twins aren’t even here yet. But I think we should talk about it.”
I licked my lips. “I need some water.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
He flipped on the lamp before padding naked to the kitchen. I listened to the cabinet opening and closing, the sound of water from the faucet. Savage returned and held out the glass to me. I took a few greedy swallows before offering it to him. He finished it off and then set it on the nightstand.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, nerves shooting through my chest.
“What?” he asked, settling down on the bed next to me.
“I thought you didn’t care about marriage? I thought being an Old Lady was more of a commitment than marriage.”
“It is,” he said. “But there are other sorts of protections that come with marriage. Fuck, and the more I think about you having my last name, the more I like the idea. I want us to be a family.”
“And you want these babies, and any future ones we might produce to have the same last name.”
“Yes. So, what do you think?”
“About marriage or more babies?”
“Both.”
“You’re kind of clobbering me with a lot right now.”
“I know. Sorry about that. I just—can’t hold it in.”
“Yeah, I gathered as much,” I murmured.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think you’re getting way too ahead of yourself,” I said quietly.
“Ahead of myself? Really? You’re already my Old Lady, Evie. What’s the difference if I add a ring to your finger and my last name to yours.”
“I never want to get married again,” I blurted out.
He fell silent.
“I love the idea of a big family, too,” I went on. “I never had that.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“The idea of having more babies with me doesn’t terrify you, but marriage to me does? That makes no sense.”
“Maybe not,” I allowed. “But right now it’s how I feel. Please, Savage. Don’t talk about marriage, and don’t talk about more babies. Let’s just enjoy this time right now. Okay?”
He cradled my cheeks in his hands and gave me a smile. “Whatever you want, Evie. I just want you to be happy.”
I swallowed, tears threatening to spill out my eyes. “Savage . . .”
“I won’t talk about it anymore,” he promised. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try and change your mind, though. In fact, I’m gonna do everything in my power to do just that.”
“How are you going to change my mind?” I asked.
He grasped my legs and hauled me to the edge of the bed. “Lay back and I’ll show you.”
With a sigh, I picked up Savage’s boots and set them by the door. I tidied up the living room. In the last few days, it felt like Savage’s belongings had exploded through the small apartment.
I put the dishes in the dishwasher and started the coffee maker.
Yes, I could go downstairs and get us coffee, now that we lived over a bakery, but I was still in my nightgown, and I had no interest in getting dressed.
It was just past six in the morning and Savage had come to bed a little after three. He’d been out doing something for the club—he hadn’t shared anything else with me—but when he’d climbed into bed, he’d gently woken me up and then made love to me.
I hadn’t complained, but it was wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule. I was exhausted from being in my first trimester, not to mention the early hours I was waking up for the bakery. And even though I went back to bed for a few hours before going to Three Kings, it felt like I was giving my life away to work.
“Morning,” Savage said, yawning as he padded out into the living room.
“Sorry,” I said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay.” He ran a hand across his face. He had a few days of scruff, and I’d thoroughly enjoyed the rough feel of it between my thighs when Savage made me come with his tongue.
My cheeks heated just thinking about it.
“I heard you moving around,” he explained. “Not really sure what woke me exactly.”
I pursed my lips. “It might’ve been the boots I set down. With a heavy hand.”
“Ah, yeah, that would’ve done it.”
I bit my lip and held my tongue.
He frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Not, nothing. It’s something.”
“It’s no big deal, really.”
“Babe, I’ve had three hours of sleep. I’m barely conscious, but I’m not stupid enough to miss that you’re pissed at me. So tell me what it is and I’ll fix it.”
My gaze softened. “You know I love living with you.”
“Yeah.”
“You know I love when we go to bed together. You know I love when you’re out late at night, how you come home and wake me up . . .”
His grin was slow. “Yeah.”
“But I absolutely hate that you don’t pick up after yourself.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to explode.
“Ah,” he said finally. “The boots . . .”
“The random clothes strewn about. The dishes in the sink. Can you—I mean—will you try to put things in their designated spot? It’s a small apartment. And when stuff doesn’t get put away it makes it feel even smaller.”
“How long have you been waiting to say something?”
“Two days.”
He arched a brow.
“Okay, four.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you wait to explode?”
“I didn’t explode.”
“No. Not yet. But I have a feeling if you hadn’t told me today, I would’ve come home to you throwing my boots at my head.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a nag, I just?—”
“Hey.” He sauntered toward me. Savage placed his hands on my hips and pulled me to him. “You’re not a nag. You’re asking for something that I’m not giving you. I’ll do better, babe. I promise.”
I leaned into him and pressed my face to his chest. “Thank you.”
“But you gotta do me a favor in return.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re not allowed to stew. If something pisses you off, you tell me. We’ll talk about it and deal with it. Yeah?”
I nodded.
He grasped my hair and tilted my head back, so I was forced to meet his gaze. Savage stared down at me for a long moment and then said, “I’m not Randall. You don’t need to be afraid of my reactions when you’re honest with me about things that are important to you.”
My shoulders instantly dropped. Sometimes I hated that he knew where my quirks came from. Other times, it made it easier because it felt like he just understood me.
He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine. “I need something else from you,” he said huskily.
“What?”
“I woke up hard. Grab the counter, babe.”
A delicious thrill shot through me, and I did as he commanded.
He slid behind me, his hands grazing underneath my nightgown and working it up my hips.
“Widen your legs.”
I widened them.
He slithered my underwear down my thighs, and I stepped out of them. And then he was kneeling behind me, spreading my cheeks and tonguing me from behind.
I bent my head and shivered at the pleasure.
He ate me slow and thorough and didn’t stop until I was coming.
Savage rose and smacked a cheek, causing a cry of pleasure to escape my lips.
I heard him shuck his boxers off and then felt the crown of him at my entrance. He slid inside me, bending his large chest over my back. As he thrust, his hand came around to play with me. His other hand went to my breast, teasing my nipple through my nightgown.
“God, I love this,” he groaned as he continued to drill into me. “Say you love it too.”
“I love it,” I cried out, my forehead hitting the counter. The cool stone bathed my skin, a stark contrast to the fever inside me.
“I want to do this every day,” he growled. “Wake up, fuck, smell you on me all damn day, come home to you and bury myself inside you again and then fall asleep there.”
His words were primal, marking me as his.
“Tell me you want that too.”
“I want it,” I gritted out. “Please, Savage.”
He knew what I was begging for. He pinched my clit, and I clenched around him.
Savage moaned, bit my shoulder through my nightgown, and came with a force.
He gathered me to him and held me close as our breathing returned to normal.
The coffee maker sputtered, and I giggled. “Done before the coffee was even brewed. That must be some kind of record.”
He laughed and gently eased out of me. A gush of wetness hit my inner thighs.
I shivered at the loss of him.
“I need a shower before I go downstairs,” I said, turning around to face him.
He hiked up his boxers that had been around his ankles. “You also need a shower buddy,” he said with a wicked grin. “Someone to help you clean those hard-to-reach places.”
“Hmm. Tell you what. Why don’t you let me jump in this one alone. While I’m baking bread, you go back to sleep for a bit. When I’m done, I’ll wake you up nice and slow.”
“Today’s gonna be a good day.”
“It already is.” I patted his chest.