2. Slip sliding into the season
Chapter 2
Slip sliding into the season
LEO
I ’m going to fuck the word fat right out of her vocabulary.
We’ll be late for the party, but that’s too damn bad. I’ve got work to do right here.
For the last few weeks, I’ve noticed Sue drawing in on herself, and I suspected it was because of her changing body. Only I didn’t realize her self-esteem had gotten this bad. It’s worse than when we started dating.
Far worse.
I should’ve never let it get this out of hand. Sue’s body is perfection at any size. And I’m a fool for not ensuring she knows it.
If only I could make her love herself the way I love her.
As much as I’m aching to make love to her, I need to start repairing this first.
“Turn around,” I order softly.
The skin beside her eyes bunches, and her lips purse, but she complies.
Both of us in our birthday suits, I stand behind her and study her gorgeous face in the mirror. My dick is at attention, so I shift my hips backward to avoid poking her.
I’ll poke her later.
Right now, she needs to know what I see when I look at her.
“See this?” I ask, dragging one of my palms over her rounded belly from left to right.
“My fat stomach? Yeah. Hard to miss.”
I shake my head at her, refusing to let my ire show. I don’t want her to misinterpret my anger by thinking it’s directed at her. I’m not pissed at her; I’m pissed at the world for making her feel unattractive because she’s got more curves than some other women.
More to love if you ask me, cliché as it may sound.
“That isn’t fat, woman. And so what if it was? This is your beautiful body changing shape to make room for the life you’re growing. It’s an amazing thing.”
Her eyes stay fastened on mine in the reflection. I hope she sees how serious I am about this.
Keeping an eye on her facial expression, I skim my hand to the underside of her belly. “I love every inch of you.”
“Did your mother drop you on your head when you were a child?”
Chuckling, I retort, “You can ask her when you see her later.”
She whips her head back to offer me a kiss.
After a quick peck, I direct our attention to her reflection, trailing my hands up her lush body to her breasts. “Now, I want you to look at these. So full and round. I love them at any size, but these are just... mmm .” My palms curve to cup them, caressing her silky-smooth skin.
“I don’t mind the bigger boobs, but it’s the nipples.” She cringes, squinting her eyes and grinding her teeth.
That’ll never do.
“These sexy things? They’re begging for my mouth.” I pluck and tug at them gently, drawing a gasp from her. “A little bigger and darker as they get ready to feed our baby.”
Her face, which was gradually relaxing, hardens again.
“What is it?” Releasing her nipples, I resume cupping her breasts, swirling and twisting them lovingly. I fucking love her tits. I love everything about her. Except how her expression changed just now.
She inhales deeply, her eyes slamming shut. In a rush, she blurts, “Leo, I don’t want to breast feed. I can’t imagine doing it. Not only because of the sensory issues, but the mere idea of it makes me sick. I-I-I...” Her head sways back and forth. “I’m already failing our son since everyone says it’s best for the baby. Leo, I can’t get past this. I even talked about it at therapy. It didn’t help. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for disappointing you.”
Tears spill down her cheeks. She keeps her eyes closed as if she’s ashamed. “I’m not going to be a good mother. This was a mistake.”
Oh fuck.
How could she think that? My sweet angel. She’s so miserable. It breaks my heart for her.
I kiss the top of her head. “Easy, Sue. Easy.”
Releasing her, I quickly swipe the robe from the hook. Now that I know this isn’t really about her body, I should cover her up to help her relax. Or she’ll never truly be able to focus on what we need to discuss.
When I open it for her, she glances down at it, then back to my face repeatedly. Her head quirks to the side.
I give the robe a shake. “Cover up so you’re more comfortable. Let’s go talk.”
“We don’t have time. The party starts in four hours, and we have to get there early to help with decorations. Lettie and your mom said they needed you to do the high stuff.”
“The party can wait. However, this cannot. I refuse to let you go another minute thinking such horrible things about yourself.”
“I’d already planned what time we needed to leave.” While looking toward the shower, she worries her lip and wrings her hands in front of her bare chest. “Let’s compromise.”
Knowing her fondness for schedules, I ask, “How?”
“We can talk while we shower,” she offers.
“Shower together, right? Not one of us at a time, talking through the glass?”
There go her pretty eyes, rolling around. “No doy, babe.”
“So you’re good with your body now? No more hiding from me, right?”
Is it possible she fully downshifted that quickly? If so, I should win an award for my efforts. Husband of the year, perhaps? Take that, Sawyer.
Both Sue’s shoulders rise and fall with a pointed sigh, and she flings her arms out to the sides. “Take a good look. Let’s get it over with. If you’re still here when I turn around, then I’ll get over my body issues.”
As I chuckle at her abrupt one-eighty, she gives me an honest-to-goodness fashion model twirl.
Unable to resist, I goad her some when she shows me her backside. “Slow down and shake that ass for me.”
Her feet plant, stopping her spin. But her neck keeps twisting, so she throws a facetious glare over her shoulder at me. I hit her with my best pleading expression, eyes wide and hands clasped in prayer position. With a shake of her head, she obliges, bouncing on her heels and flexing her hips to pop it back.
Look at that fucking jiggle. “Damn, I’m the luckiest man alive.”
I can’t keep my hands off her, so I stride up close, grab her hips, and let her feel how much she affects me. With that little show she gave me, I’m back at full mast.
A minute later, we stand under our respective shower heads, soaping up our bodies and trading heated glances.
I should probably start the conversation. If I leave it to her, she’ll continue avoiding it. And I get it. Talking about shit like this must be hard for her. I’ve had my share of worries about my ability to be a good dad. And when I do, she reassures me I’ll be nothing like my father. It’s my turn to offer her the same type of support, easing her worries the best way I can.
Before I figure out how to restart the conversation, I enter a trance at the sight of her. I’ve fucking missed seeing her body. Didn’t realize how much until now.
My eyes greedily soak up the view of her flesh as it grows blotchy from the hot spray. The slickness from the cascading water causes her skin to shine like it’s been oiled up. That isn’t helping me to focus on talking.
She works up a lather in her hands and swirls her palms over her breasts. I know she’s doing it innocently and not tauntingly. But having that knowledge does nothing to stop me from tumbling over the edge and giving into this carnal need.
Fuck me running, I need to kiss her before we talk. Just a little one. Real quick like.
Honest.
I crick my finger, beckoning her closer. “Come here, angel.”
For unknown reasons, her smile is more vibrant when her face is soaking wet. Cupping her cheeks, I tilt her face toward me and lower myself to claim her mouth. Her lips are silky, slick pillows that I can’t get enough of. Irresistible woman.
Her rounded belly brushes against my lower body, and my hands find her hips and quickly snake around to her ass.
To avoid jabbing her stomach with my raging erection, I break the kiss and grab her shoulders. “Turn around.” Poking her ass is better for us both.
Facing away from me, she tilts her head to the side, giving me access to her neck. One of her hands reaches behind her to encircle my nape, and the other bends to grab the side of my hip. Her touch, so adoring and loving, sets off a fluttering in my chest. Slipping and sliding over her skin, my hands operate with a singular purpose—to get to her pussy and make her come for me.
Okay, fine. So maybe it won’t be just a quick kiss before we talk. That’s fine. Plenty of time to talk later. She’s only six months along. It’s not like she’s going to deliver tomorrow.
The feel of her body against mine is enough motivation for me to rationalize anything.
Besides, she’ll be much more apt to talk openly if she’s sated, right? And the party will cause less anxiety if she has a pair of orgasms beforehand. She loves things in pairs.
All the more reason to relieve some tension. Perfect plan. Husband of the fucking year, indeed.
I place a series of kisses along the curve of her neck and shoulder. I have to squat a little to reach past her belly to get to her sweet pussy, but I’m nothing if not determined.
When I make contact with the silky pink flesh between her thighs, she exhales a quivering moan. I run the flat of my palm over her seam. The way she grinds against my hand sends my eyes rolling to the back of my skull.
I zero in on her clit, and she tosses her head back, leaning it against my chest. I adore the feel of her resting against me as if she needs me to keep her upright because of the pleasure overwhelming her. Making her vibrate like this has me feeling ten feet tall and bulletproof.
“I haven’t forgotten that we need to talk,” I rumble over her tender skin between nips. “But we can do this first. Okay?”
“Yes, please.” She flexes her hips, driving herself into my fingers. “Talking later is fine. You’ve convinced me.”
We writhe against each other as I swirl my fingertips over her clit. My cock prods at her backside, gliding over her skin with each move she makes. Her whimpers turn into keens, and her breathing accelerates. The view from up here is unforgettable.
“Angel, you’re so fucking sexy. Especially from up here.” With my free hand, I cup her left breast and flick the nipple. “Your chest is heaving with each gasping breath you take. And the way the water caresses your skin makes it so slick and shiny. It has me fantasizing about sliding my cock through your slippery breasts and coming all over your neck, then letting the water wash it away.”
My dirty talk must set her off because she convulses suddenly, surprising us both. Her legs seem to buckle, judging by how tightly she grips my neck.
But it’s the sounds she makes. The fucking sounds.
Fuuuck .
“That’s it, angel. Come for me.”
When she’s done pulsating in pleasure, her grip on my neck loosens as she finds her footing again.
“Woman, you are so damn enticing. I could eat you the fuck up.”
She turns in my embrace, slinging her arms over my neck. Rising on her toes, she brings her mouth to mine. Greedily, I swallow down her moans and mewls.
After we break the kiss, my eyes catch on the built-in shower bench. Such a great invention. So glad we splurged when I did the remodel.
“Sit down on the bench, angel. Spread those thighs for me.”
With an adorable giggle, she springs into motion. She knows what’s coming. Her. On my tongue. Preferably more than once.
“Before you do that...” She points her chin toward the apex of her thighs. “Do you maybe wanna do the other thing?”
My head cants to one side, and my brows raise in silent question.
Using both hands, she hoists her breasts up, then locks her sights on my cock. “Your fantasy.” Her body begs, but her tone holds her uncertainty.
I recognize it instantly. She’s testing me. Or testing herself. Perhaps both.
Am I as turned on by her body—specifically her breasts—as I claimed?
She’ll learn the answer in no time at all.
As I sidle up, she flickers her eyeline from my cock to my chest, moving gradually toward my face. Shyness flashes over her features.
Running on instinct, I trace her jawline and run my thumb over her mouth from side to side. On the second pass, her tongue delves past her lips, licking the pads of my fingers.
I encircle my cock with my free hand, slowly squeezing from root to tip while she sucks my fingertips into her mouth one at a time. I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s a temptress.
My fist isn’t enough anymore, so I line myself up between her breasts, letting my hand fall away from her lips. I thrust forward and draw back, my eyes shutting from the onslaught of pleasure. But I force them open so I don’t miss a second of this erotic sight.
“Watch how fucking sexy your tits look surrounding my cock, angel.”
Like a good girl, she follows my instructions. As she watches like she’s entranced, her lips part, tongue dancing behind her teeth. “So hot,” she mutters.
Her lips are still a little puffy from our earlier kissing, and the way the water coats her lips leaves them glossy. It gives me another idea.
“Keep your mouth open,” I tell her. “I want to alternate fucking these perfect breasts and your decadent mouth.”
Pausing to ensure consent, I wait for her to comply. She does with a smile so sexy my balls draw up.
I bend one knee, rest my foot on the bench beside her, and pump my hips, gliding my length along the valley of her breasts. She keeps her mouth open, tongue extended. After a few strokes, I maneuver to the side to get to her mouth. Meeting me halfway, she leans forward to take me between her plump lips.
I’m careful not to go too deep. Her gag reflex is more sensitive since she’s gotten pregnant. Her eyelids flutter, and a guttural moan bubbles up her throat, making her tongue vibrate around my shaft. She’s definitely enjoying it.
Same here. But I want more of those luscious breasts cradling my dick. Two more pumps, and I pull out, returning to her chest.
“I can’t decide what I love more,” I tell her, my words coming choppy. “Fucking your tits. Or your mouth.”
We alternate for a while. Tits. Mouth. Tits. Again and again, until I’m short of breath and aching for release.
On my next forward thrust through her cleavage, she lowers her head and extends her tongue, lapping at my swollen head before I retreat.
“Oh fuck , angel. Yes. Fucking do that again.”
“Give me back my penis popsicle,” she jokes when I pull away the third time.
I almost laugh, but it’s cut off by a growl when she presses her tits together so firmly that I nearly spill all over her neck. At the thought, my balls tighten, setting off a tingle at the base of my spine.
My strokes grow frenzied. With gritty determination, I hold off my release long enough to hopefully drive home how I feel about her changing body.
I cover one of her hands with mine, helping her hold my length tightly between those silken globes. “Angel, do you see how much I love your breasts? Your nipples? Your body?”
She doesn’t answer, focusing instead on her mission to reclaim her penis pop.
I darken my tone a bit. “Tell me you see it. I want to hear you say the words.”
Those innocent blue eyes sparkle up at me. “What do you want me to say?”
“Tell me you see how hard you make me and how much I love your body. That you know how sexy you are. And most of all, tell me you believe you’re beautiful. Because you are. And I can’t get enough of you.”
“Leo, I-I . . .”
“Don’t be shy, angel.” I glance from her face to my cock, still nestled in her cleavage. “See how hard I am? I’m swollen and aching to come from nothing but your breasts. That’s how much I love them.”
Her eyes drift to her chest.
“Do you see that?” I urge.
She nods.
“Say it,” I command, my voice tender but firm.
“I see how hard you are.”
“Why am I hard?”
“Because you love me.”
So close.
“And?”
“And you love my breasts.”
“That’s right. And are these gorgeous, full, sexy breasts gonna make me come?”
She nods again.
“Use your words.”
I pump my hips, gliding slowly over her slippery skin.
“You’re gonna come all over me because you love my tits. And because you love my body.”
“Yes,” I growl. “Keep going. Tell me more.”
“You think I’m sexy. Even now.”
“Especially now.” Encouraged by her growing confidence, I move faster, bringing myself up to the precipice. “Do you think you’re sexy?”
She hesitates. “I-I... Um. Well, when I see you like this, it makes me feel sexy.”
“You feel sexy because you are sexy.”
Her lips thin as her cheeks tug them back in a beaming smile.
She finally fucking gets it.
“Yes. I’m sexy,” she declares.
Fucking declares it.
“Yes, angel. Keep talking to me. I love the sound of it.”
I don’t even have to lead her anymore.
With blooming assuredness, she squeezes her tits together, encapsulating almost all of my cock. She thrusts her chest up and down, absolutely wrecking my dick in the best way. But it’s not only the certainty in her movements, she talks me through my climax like I’ve done for her so many times.
“You love my body so much that I can make you come like this. I don’t even need to touch you with my hands, mouth, or my pussy. You can orgasm from my breasts alone, can’t you?”
“Uh-huh,” I force out, utterly enthralled.
“My sexy, beautiful body is gonna make you come.” She maneuvers her tits to jack me off faster and rougher. “I want you to come all over me, Leo. Let me feel how much you love me. Paint my beautiful body.”
“Fucking hell, angel,” I roar as I erupt, sending spurts of my release all over her neck and chest.
Lights flicker and glow behind my eyelids as another wave of euphoria rocks through me. I open them in time to see her dragging her fingertips through my cum and literally painting her breasts with it.
“Holy fecking shite, Leo. That was so damn hot. I almost came too.”
One corner of my mouth kicks up with a devious grin. “Almost isn’t close enough for me. Spread those legs.” Kneeling, I grope her lush thighs, preparing to have a taste.
With the first slice of my tongue through her tender pink flesh, she whimpers. Her arousal explodes on my tongue. I drag my face up and down longways, getting her scent all over my chin, nose, and beard.
By the time I find her swollen clit and bring it between my lips, she’s shaking and pulling my hair.
Like earlier, she comes so fast it’s startling. But no less sweet.
While riding it out, she cusses seven ways to Sunday.
I dive my pointed tongue into her pussy and swirl it around her entrance, desperate to soak up every drop. “You taste so fucking good, angel.”
She shoves my head away as she slowly recovers her breathing.
I catch her eyes, running my tongue over my lips. “Damn, that was fast.”
Ever since she got pregnant, her climaxes have been unpredictable. She could come fast like today. Other times, I wonder if she’s going to fall asleep before it happens.
With her taste still on my tongue, my thoughts swirl. And it hits me.
If I’ve noticed how different her body is reacting to the pregnancy, no wonder she hasn’t been well. Sue’s a creature of habit, seeking comfort in repetition. The unexpected causes her anxiety. And these days, she can’t even trust her physical responses.
I’ve been such a dumb ass.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been paying enough attention to you.”
Her head rears back, and her eyes bulge. “What?”
“Sorry. That must sound like it came out of nowhere.”
She shifts her body, closing her legs and leaning toward me. Cupping my cheek gingerly, she searches my face for understanding. “What’s the matter, Leo? I don’t feel like you’ve been ignoring me. Did I say something to make you think that? If I did, I didn’t mean it. I know stuff at work is crazy right now with the Lenkov threat. But we’re okay, you and me, right?”
“Yes, my love. We’re okay.” I pull her hand off my face and kiss her palm. “But we should be better. This is one of the most memorable times in your life. You shouldn’t be having all these worries. I’m a dickhead for not picking up on what you were going through sooner.”
Her brilliant eyes shimmer, and I worry it’s not from the shower but her tears. “Oh, my sweet man. It isn’t your fault.”
We stare at each other in silence. The only sound is the water slapping against the tile.
“Sue, listen to me. I’m as serious as a heart attack when I tell you how much I love how your body is changing. I think you believe me now. As for the other thing?” I pause, shaking my head while trying to put my thoughts in order.
“The other thing?” she asks.
“If you don’t want to breastfeed our son, then don’t. We’ll use formula. The shit they make these days is probably as good as breast milk anyhow. It’s your body, not mine. I won’t be disappointed with whatever you choose. In fact, the only way you could let me down is by forcing yourself to do something because of what others think. You make that choice. Not me. And I’m good with whatever. Period.”
Her chin quivers, and she nods solemnly.
But I’m not done.
“And another thing. If anyone says shit to you about not breastfeeding or makes you feel like an inferior mother, you point them in my direction. I’ll set them the fuck straight.”
She runs her palms over my shoulders, massaging the tension away. “Yes, sir.”
“Glad we got that out of the way.”
She puckers her lips, offering me a kiss. The water is beginning to run cold, so I only indulge a moment before helping her to her feet. After releasing a cleansing breath, I fold myself around her, fortifying my soul as much as I hope I’m soothing hers.
She kisses my chest, right over my heart. “This is some deep gobshite we’re wading in on Christmas Eve, huh?” Her muddled Irish accent never fails to bring a smile to my face.
“We’ve spent so much time at HQ lately that we haven’t had time to process everything. It was bound to come out once we got to our own space.”
“I guess so. And I thought you’d be worried about our safety, not my fragile emotional state.”
Fair point. But we have a detail outside, and the house is like a freaking fort. We’re safe for our forty-eight-hour respite. Big Al created a rotating schedule so everyone gets a few nights to sleep at home. These breaks have been great for the mental health and focus of the team and our partners. Sadly, we don’t have the manpower for everyone to sleep at home every night, given we need extra protection. Fucking Lenkov.
The tighter the noose gets around his neck, the more apt his Bratva is to seek retribution.
It’ll be over soon. I can feel it. The gut doesn’t lie.
“Well, angel. Turns out I can be worried about both simultaneously. I’m multi-talented like that.”
“Worrying about more than one thing at a time? That’s my job, buddy.”