CHAPTER 12
Heather shifts on the couch again and I try to hide my smile. She’s so fucking adorable when she wants something but doesn’t want to say it. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she’s thinking about whatever she’s craving.
Over the last few days, we’ve made sure to cater to her needs and every single one of her whims. We just have to pull them out of her first. It’s understandable that she doesn’t want to be dependent on us, but it’s what I’m craving, and I know the other guys are as well.
I rub my hand over her belly because I need to touch her in some way whenever I’m near her and my favorite is touching where she’s growing our baby. I love feeling our little one moving around inside of her. I love knowing they’re happy and safe.
The other day we asked if she found out the gender of the baby, but she gave us a sheepish smile and shook her head.
It had my hackles up as worry swamped me. The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it, “You have been going to the doctor though, right? You’ve been getting the care you need?”
Heather narrowed her eyes at me and snapped, “Of course I’ve been going to all the appointments I’m supposed to go to. I just didn’t want to find out the gender. It felt wrong, okay?”
I blinked at her, my worry soothing with her words because I just wanted her and the baby to be healthy. The thought of something happening to either of them was like a knife to my gut. Still, I should have controlled my reaction and softened my question.
I reached for her and pulled her into my lap from where she was snuggled on the couch while Bedlam and Scope glared at me from where they were sitting. I soothed my hands over her, wanting to make the sting of my words go away. I rubbed her belly then as well, needing to reassure myself they were both okay and in my arms.
I nuzzled my face in her neck, but she still held herself stiffly. “I’m sorry,” I murmured softly, needing my words to help me make this okay. “I just got scared that something was wrong. We haven’t been here and I’m still struggling with guilt over you having to go through the last three months alone. That’s on me and not you. I shouldn’t take it out on you at all.”
She relaxed against my chest, her fingertips making shapes on my arm which had my cock hardening under her ass. When she wiggled her hips and bit her lip to hide her smile, I knew we would be okay.
“I know,” she looked up at me, her hazel eyes shining with understanding, “and I get it.” She looked away and not having her eyes on me almost killed me, but then she looked back at me, and I could breathe again. “Since you guys weren’t there with me to find out the gender, it didn’t feel right for me to know. I kept thinking about how different it would be if I hadn’t left and we were facing it together. Finding out felt like I was taking something else from you and I couldn’t do it.”
Her words stung, but I completely understood where she was coming from. I had no words that would be enough, and I knew it. Instead, I kissed her, hoping she could feel everything that I wanted from her, everything I hoped for our future, in the way our lips slid against each other. I poured all of myself into it and we only parted when we were breathless, and our woman’s eyes were half-lidded with lust.
Our baby kicks my hand and pulls me back into the present as I laugh. “That one was strong.” Heather winces slightly and panic starts to rise in my chest. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”
I could kick myself because none of us thought to ask that already. I mean, we’re talking about a small human, inside of her, kicking her internally. It couldn’t feel good, right? But does it hurt? Those are two different things.
She shakes her head and gives me a soft smile. “It doesn’t really hurt in the way you’re probably thinking about pain. It’s uncomfortable sometimes, especially when they nail my bladder or turn a certain way and it feels like I can’t get a full breath.” She huffs out a laugh. “From what I understand, both of those things will only get worse as they continue to grow.”
My eyes widen and my jaw drops as I look between her belly and her face. I don’t know how it didn’t sink in that the baby will continue to get bigger and her body will have to accommodate it in some way. I must look utterly horrified because Heather starts laughing so hard that she has tears streaming down her face.
She hiccups as she gets her laughter under control and lets out a groan as she rubs right above her baby bump. “Hiccups and a baby belly do not mix,” she grumbles.
I kiss her forehead and smooth a hand over her belly. Again. Because I can’t stop.
I arch an eyebrow at her, my voice a challenge, “Now, are you going to tell me what you’re craving?”
The way Heather pouts has me leaning forward and nipping at her bottom lip. She mumbles, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I look deep into our woman’s eyes and hope she can see how sincere I am. “Please, Cherub, we’re here for you. You always start to fidget when you want something but don’t want to ask for it. But what you haven’t seemed to grasp is we are here for you. We’re here to cater to you and make sure you are happy and taken care of. It’s the greatest honor I have ever had in my life. Please, let me do it.”
Her eyes become glassy with tears, and I barely stop myself from laughing. She might think it’s funny or she might be offended. It could really go either way. In the time that we’ve been in Sweetwater Valley we’ve seen both outcomes. Hormones are no fucking joke.
“I was thinking about getting up and getting some Cheez-Its,” she mumbles, pink coloring her cheeks slightly.
I kiss her cheek before moving her just enough to not jostle her when I stand up. “Coming right up, Cherub.”
The way she smiles up at me, like I just gave her the entire fucking world when all I’m really doing is getting her a snack, has my chest feeling tight. She doesn’t ever ask for much when it comes to her cravings. We haven’t needed to go out in the middle of the night and hunt down a buffalo or anything wild like that.
I think getting up to get her some cheesy crackers sounds like a pretty good gig. She’s usually willing to share too. Not when it comes to ice cream though, we learned that the hard way. There was some yelling which quickly dissolved into crying. None of us want a repeat of that.
No fucking thank you.
I pour her snack into a bowl because I’ve also learned she gets frustrated if there’s packaging in the way and she will eat an entire box if it’s handed to her. Then she complains about not feeling good. When we give her a limited amount and are always willing to grab a little more, it curbs her craving, and she doesn’t get too full.
I shake my head and grin as I put the box away because taking care of Heather feels so natural. Being with her again, after missing her so much, is better than it was before. I know it’s because we’re now embracing what is between us fully.
The only problem is that we can’t stay in Sweetwater Valley forever. We need to go home, and Heather needs to come with us. We’ve been giving her time to get used to having us back in her life while dropping little comments here and there without putting a lot of pressure on her. I can only hope that it’s working.
When I hand her the bowl with her snack, she grins up at me as I settle back in next to her. I’m not sure where the other guys are, but I’m grateful as fuck to have this time alone with our woman. We need to be a cohesive unit, but we have to have a strong relationship with her one-on-one as well.
“Thank you,” she gushes before holding out the bowl to me. “Want one?”
“I’m good, Cherub,” I assure her. “That’s for you and little one.”
She starts to happily much on her cheesy crackers while we watch whatever show she has on. It’s a home decorating show and while I wouldn’t normally pay much attention, it’s giving me ideas about the fixtures and finishes Heather will like for our home.
I do feel bad we kept the house from Scope, but it was because we couldn’t tell him about the club account when he was a prospect. Once he got his patch, we were going to talk to him about it and then go and get our woman. He doesn’t seem too pissed about it and I can’t wait for the house to be finished so our woman can make it into a home.
I take the bowl from her when she’s done and arch an eyebrow in question, wondering if she wants more, but she just shakes her head. In a surprisingly graceful move considering her baby belly, she straddles my lap and looks at me with wide, hungry eyes.
“That craving has been satisfied,” she purrs, and my cock is instantly ready to do her bidding.
“Oh?” I tease her, “Do you have another craving I can satisfy?”
Instead of answering me with words, she grinds down on the ridge of my trapped cock. I can feel the heat of her pussy through the maternity shorts she has on and her panties. I grip her hips and growl softly as I help her rock back and forth.
“Heather,” I groan, the sound full of warning and need.
“Gray,” she moans, “I need you.”
I hold her steady for a moment because something has been weighing on my mind and I need to deal with it before I do this with her. Her eyes are needy and a little wary as I look at her. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly before licking my lips nervously.
“Before I fill you with my cock,” she moans softly and tries to wiggle on my lap even though she can’t with the hold I have on her, “you need to know how sorry I am that we didn’t come after you right away. We talked about it. I was the one who suggested we wait until we could follow through fully with everything that we wanted to give you. I’m the reason you were in so much pain for so long.”
Shame washes over me and I look away from her beautiful hazel eyes. Her delicate fingers run over my jawline as she waits for me to look at her again. When I do, I don’t see the hatred in her eyes I was bracing for. No, that’s not what I see there at all.
“Gray,” her voice is a whisper, a feather against my skin, “you did what you thought was right at the time. I do wish you had come after me. I spent a lot of time going over things and thinking maybe the connection we had was all in my head and none of it was real.” My eyes slide closed, guilt threatening to pull me under. “But I understand why,” she adds.
My forehead drops down to her shoulder, my voice cracking, “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. I can feel it every time you touch me, and I can see it every time you look at me. I forgive you,” she whispers, “and I love you.”
My head snaps up, my eyes wide as something primal and fucking feral rises inside of me. “I love you,” my voice is firm, each word a brand against our skin, “so fucking much.”
“I know.”
I don’t know if she has more to say, but it doesn’t matter because my lips slam down on hers as I take her mouth in a brutal kiss. My movements are swift and a little jerky as my hands start shaking with the need to be buried inside of my woman and claim her with the love we share in our hearts.
I work quickly to pull our clothing off and then I position Heather so she’s kneeling on the couch with her forearms braced on the top and her belly protected against the back while not pressing up against it. When I swipe the crown of my dick through her folds, I find her already dripping wet for me.
“Your cunt is already soaked for me, Cherub,” I grit out through my teeth, already needing to hold myself back from painting her pussy with my cum.
She arches her back and wiggles her ass like a flag in front of a bull. The sly smile on her lips when she looks over her shoulder at me tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing. “Fuck me, Viper,” she pleads, “I need you.”
I slam inside of our woman in one hard thrust and we both moan at how fucking good it feels. She’s warm and tight and so fucking wet. My grip is bruising on her hips, but she doesn’t complain. No, my Cherub pushes back to meet my thrusts until our movements are frantic and bordering on unhinged.
I kiss and bite along her shoulder, wanting to mark her up for everyone to see. We get lost in the rhythm of being one again. It feels so fucking good and I’m so focused on her that I barely notice when my balls draw up and I’m about to come.
“Fuck,” I growl, “Cherub. Rub your clit and coat my dick in your cream so I can fill your pretty cunt with my cum.”
She moans and bucks her hips as she does what I tell her to do. I can feel the brush of her fingertips against my cock as I fuck her harder and faster. Our moans float through the room, building just like our pleasure.
Heather shouts out as the walls of her pussy squeeze around me and my eyes cross. I paint the inside of her channel with jets of my cum and it feels like I can’t catch my breath.
“Fuck, I missed you,” I whisper as my hands start to glide over her skin, needing to touch her, needing to know she’s still right here with me.
She collapses forward slightly, but I’m right there to make sure she’s comfortable, moving us so we’re cuddled together on the couch. The way her head rests against my shoulder, her labored breathing sending puffs of air across my neck, is fucking heaven.
“I love you,” I kiss the top of her head as I speak the truth I have known since the first moment I saw her.
The humming sound she makes before she lets out a small snore has me laughing silently and holding her tighter against my chest.
Maybe we shouldn’t have waited. Or maybe everything worked out just the way it was supposed to. It doesn’t really matter now because she’s mine, ours, and that’s the way it’ll always be.