12. Theodore
Chapter Twelve
THEODORE
Fuck, I’ve missed her. It’s something I didn’t want to admit since I wasn’t sure how it ended. I don’t have security cameras in the bedrooms or the dance studio, but I saw River leave with the bag from the bar’s cameras. Now that it’s cleared up, I have no problem telling myself the truth. River is who I thought about most of the days. After River disappeared, I thought it was fair to give this new route with Helena a shot, but I soon realized that I’m not into making love to her anymore. I’ve done it enough to keep the arguments low, but I’m not all in like I used to be. It has nothing to do with River. I’d never compare them. They are two different women, from different worlds. It, surprisingly, has nothing to do with Helena’s inability to get pregnant. It’s Helena and her lies.
Seeing the kind of person she can be has soured my desire for her. A beautiful vessel can only do so much if the inside is full of shit. If she would have told me or involved me in the fertility process, I would have been more understanding. We would have started the surrogacy option with me still having a heart full of love for her. I could not and would not blame her for something she cannot control, but she didn’t come to me.
Helena has drained that full heart of love and now all I see is a liar I’m shackled to until I can get a divorce. I’m going through the motions, but I’m not happy about it. Why would I need to stay with a liar and pay to get another woman pregnant? Again, this wouldn’t be an issue three years ago, but it is now. I'm just biding time to not be the asshole who bailed the moment his wife admitted that she couldn't serve his purposes.
I’ve fallen out of love. No, that’s not accurate. I’ve been pushed out of love repeatedly. Helena has tested my love like she needed to know how far to push before it breaks. That’s the problem; she found the fissure in my love for her and added pressure until it shattered. That’s the cloud that’s been following me for the last four months. Andrea and I knew exactly where River was this entire time, but I didn’t want to seek her out in case she was a liar and thief. I couldn’t find the energy to deal with two.
My morning started off the same, kissing Helena goodbye and sending her off with an ‘I love you’ I no longer mean, then pretending to look over a list of candidates for surrogacy without truly vetting them, then randomly picking three to interview for the week. The lawyer always sends an updated list via email, so I was surprised that my phone was ringing just as Helena drove off for practice.
“Hello?” I answered absently as I stared out of the window and took a sip of coffee.
“Sorry to bother yo,u Mr. Kelly. Let me start by saying I’m aware of your requirements, but I had a persistent caller this morning.”
“What did they want?” I hated hearing unnecessary backstories when someone called. I preferred to get to the point.
“She asked if you’d consider adopting…”
“No. Not now.”
“That’s what I told her. She knew the requirements as well, but was sure you’d consider her offer. She told me to tell you that the baby wouldn’t arrive for five more months.” She rushed to speak because she probably felt how close I was to hanging up. “She said you know her. I’ll read the note I took to give you her exact words. Ask Mr. Kelly if he’d consider adopting River Dupont’s child.”
Hearing her name made the world pause. River was pregnant? I dropped down in a nearby chair because I needed to breathe. The dates were so close, but I didn’t know the last time she was intimate with Mario. Would she offer me a baby she made with Mario? Not likely.
“I do know her,” I admitted numbly. “I’ll think about it. Keep vetting surrogates, please.”
I dropped the phone on the table and took several deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating. The lawyer wasn’t allowed to hear my reaction. I didn’t want her drawing any conclusions. I needed to verify everything first.
My house felt too small, so I stepped outside, and Andrea called before I could call him.
“Your Georgia Peach is back in town. Tremont Downtown Hotel, room 305.”
“Do I need to ask?” I teased him as I grabbed my keys and locked up. He always received information quickly.
“I’ll meet you there,” he responded, ignoring my question. “Let’s get your answers.”
Now, I’m on my knees, overcome with pride and happiness, and practically asking her to be my mistress. Actually, it came out like a statement of fact. There is no fucking way I'm letting her out of my sight again. River is officially mine, and no one, not even Helena, is going to stop this. I no longer have the patience to wait for divorce.
Feeling the swell of her belly with her hands in my hair is all that I needed, but the more kisses I plant on her belly, the hotter I become.
She looks so sexy like this. Her skin glows even more now. When people used to say that about pregnant women, I thought they were full of shit. Seeing River proves that it's a real thing.
Tucking my fingers in the hem of her pants, I make space for my kisses to go lower. I kiss her just below her navel, then once more below that. I know I'm turning her on because she shifts her weight and the scent of her is calling me.
"Um…" she starts, processing what I just said to her. I give her the moment her brain needs to think it over, but I'm not good at being idle. I lick her from the space right before her underwear line to her navel. "Theodore."
My name comes out somewhere between a moan and sigh, the sound going straight to my already eager dick, eliciting a groan from me.
"Your time to deny me is expiring fast, River. Speak, woman."
"Dammit, Kelly." It amuses me that she's using my last name like it's my first. "I can't deny you." Her eyes flutter when I nip her skin and graze my teeth across part of her hip. "Saying no to you feels like an impossible task because you're already under my skin."
Her confession may as well be a declaration of love because it has the same effect.
"Is that why you freaked out when I gave you the keys to the penthouse?"
She nods tightly. "A part of me was always drawn to you. I was better at staying away."
I growl low in my throat. I may have been oblivious to her hidden desire, but knowing it was there is damn sexy.
"Welcome back," I say as I look her in the eyes.
"I'm just visit-"
"Welcome back," I tell her again.
We don't speak, but our silent conversation with our eyes and body language conveys everything necessary. Eventually, River swallows hard with a nod.
"Thank you."
Her body jerks forward a little with the force of me pulling down her bottoms, baring her from the waist down. Some may think that I shouldn't have the right, but I feel such a surge of possessiveness that it almost shocks me.
"Mine."
The word is out of my mouth before I can stop it. River and our baby growing inside of her are my family now, but I will play the game of picking the right time to leave Helena. Thoughts of my wife don't belong in this moment.
I kiss my way back up River's left leg, enjoying her scent and the feel of my beard rubbing across her skin. Salivating, I suck my bottom lip into my mouth, eager to do what I was too impatient to do last time. Taste her.
"Sit."
I may sound commanding, but I've lost the ability to form complete sentences. River lowers herself. Her legs part a little as she leans back and places her hands on the bed. Her nipples are visible under her thin top. I want all of her. Slowly, I push her legs farther apart like she is an offering from the gods because her body is like the holy grail to me.
"I missed touching you," I confess.
"I missed being touched by you."
Her smile is so soft and sweet, my heart flutters. I love feeling the small tremors in her legs as I rub my cheek along her inner thigh, teasing her with my beard. The scent and heat of her calls to me.
Switching, I turn to place kisses along her inner thigh, making them wetter the closer I get to her pussy. I place a few kisses on her outer lips and along her slit, not giving her what she wants, but soon realize that teasing her means teasing myself.
Dipping in, I give both of us what we’re craving. I swirl my tongue, moaning at the taste of her while she sighs my name. I love when she does that. It makes me want to keep giving her pleasure until she passes out. For this, I don’t mind being on my knees.
“Theodore,” River moans as her soft thighs cup my ears.
My cock begs for relief as I do everything I’ve been wanting to do to her with my tongue. She squirms from the pleasure as I suck her clit into my mouth. River falls back on her elbows, trembling from my tongue rolling over her sensitive nub. I could do this all fucking day, but I want her to come for me, then I want to stick my dick deep inside her so she’ll know mine is the last dick she’ll take. The thought makes me growl against her skin just before I stick my tongue deep inside.
Soon, my fingers replace my tongue, caressing her insides until she is writhing on the bed, coming for me. I’m hovering over her, ripping her shirt and sucking one of her tight nipples into my mouth before she can fully catch her breath.
“So sensitive,” she whimpers while I feast on both.
Every part tastes amazing but a greater need is growing. Standing to my full height, I look down, watching her watch me. A new sense of calm slows my movements, allowing us to savor the moment.
Her eyes light up as I slowly remove my tie, cufflinks, and shirt. My shoes and socks are next. Even with my slower movements, it doesn’t take long until I’m standing in front of her completely nude. Her eyes roam over my scars and tattoos like she hasn’t seen them before. I don’t have many scars, but each one has a story, most of them being connected to my days as Trunk. We’ll discuss it eventually, but it’s not the focus for now.
River’s eyes fall to my dick. The desire in her eyes gives me pause. I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me that way. It’s intoxicating.
I drop my gaze to her pussy; it's covered in her juices and my saliva. My focus stays there as I settle on the bed on my knees. Pressing her legs together, I push them to the side so her lower body is in a fetal position. I want to see her face, but I don't want to put too much pressure on our baby. That truth hits me again. Our baby.
River is so hot and wet as I slide into her waiting body. She moans from the slow stretching, but I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. I can’t get too lost yet. This is my first time connecting with the mother of my child. My excitement makes me shudder.
I retreat and enter, only increasing speed and force when she asks.
"You're so wet," I groan, my voice a husky huff as I grind into her.
Rough sex is off the table for now, but the lingering strokes make us feel more connected.
"It's the pregnancy. I've been constantly horny since entering the second trimester." Her eyes flutter closed on the next thrust as her walls squeeze me. "And you, of course."
I know she is just stating facts, but it may as well be dirty talk with the way it makes my body tingle. Moving one hand over her abdomen, I stare into her eyes until both of us are falling over the edge. River comes first, her fingers digging into my biceps as she coos my name. Her skin is dewy from reunion sex, and she’s never looked so beautiful. Her spasming body massages me while I fill her with my cum.
I don’t know what today was going to bring when I woke up this morning, but any plans I had have just been canceled. Lying down properly, I pull her into my arms. I don’t want to let go.