Chapter 27
Haddy
“Look how cute you are here!” Gigi lifts a picture out of the box she carried down from my room.
It’s my stash of old pageant memorabilia, including publicity photos, ribbons, and certificates. All my old trophies are at Mom and Dad’s house.
“Let me see.” Gavin takes the photo from my cousin, and I lean over to check out which one it is.
It’s a picture of me at twelve, when I won the International Princess Girl competition. It was my first big win, and I’m sitting on a kid-sized pink velvet sofa. My hair is enormous, my dress is all fluffy white tulle, and I’ve got a wide sash across my chest with my title on it in pink.
“I can’t tell which is bigger, that smile or that crown.” I huff a laugh, taking a bite of taco.
“You’ve been doing this so long.” Mav straightens from where he was looking over my shoulder as well.
Tonight he made us suadero tacos with jalapenos, avocados, and pickled onions. My mouth is on fire in the best possible way, and I’m glad my baby doesn’t hate spicy food like Mav did in utero.
“I think you’re adorable.” Gav grins at me in a way that makes my stomach tingle.
I know what he’s thinking.
“I loved that scepter.” I tell him, pointing out the long, metallic wand I’m gripping so hard my little knuckles are white. “I thought it was the coolest thing… Kind of like a light saber.”
“There’s my nerdy cuz.” Mav noogies my head. “I don’t know how you fit in with all those beauty queens.”
“They weren’t mean girls.” I think about the weeks we’d spend at training camps every year getting ready for the big pageants.
“It really was like Miss Congeniality—you know, that old Sandra Bullock film? Girls would come from all over the country, and we’d hang out and talk about how we felt and our hopes and the silly things we’d done.
It was more like a camp than a competition. ”
“You’re saying none of those girls were competitive?” Gina narrows her eyes at me.
“Oh, yeah, we were all pretty competitive, but the IPW program was more about things like talent and public speaking than just beauty. It had a positive vibe.”
“You never told me your talent.” Gav slides a finger along my neck, moving my hair behind my back.
“She’s a singer,” Mav answers him. “You should hear her sing. It’s pretty amazing.”
“Yes! You should hear her,” Gigi coos. “Selena Gomez, ‘The Heart Wants What it Wants.’”
“I like that song.” Gav smiles, and our eyes meet briefly. It’s electric.
“Maybe you will one day.” I don’t mean to say it all low and sultry. It just comes out that way.
“Whoo wee!” Gigi fans her hand in front of her face. “Is it getting hot out here or is it just me?”
I laugh, tossing a paper napkin at her. “It’s all those jalapenos Mav put in our dinner tonight.”
“I think it might be something more… biological.” Mav’s eyebrow arches, and he does a little hip thrust.
“And on that note…” I stand, collecting our empty plates. “I’ve got to get some sleep. I’ve been exhausted for months now.”
“You’d better get your sleep.” Gigi hops up to help her collect the plates. “From what I’ve heard, once that baby gets here, you’re never sleeping again.”
We head into the house, and between the four of us, the kitchen is clean pretty fast. My cousins curl up on the couch to watch a movie, but Gavin takes my hand, leading me to the stairs.
“Keep it down up there,” Mav calls after us. “I don’t want to hear how the sausage is being hid.”
“Leave them alone.” Gigi throws a pillow at him. “If you haven’t heard them by now, you’re not going to.”
“I’m still very conflicted about all this.” Mav catches the pillow in one hand. “I can’t decide if I should support this or kick his ass, and you know how much I love ya, Gav.”
“Leave the ass-kicking to Uncle Hendrix.” Gina waves her hands at us. “As you were, love birds. Remember to clean up after yourselves.”
Shaking my head, I look up at Gavin, who’s smiling down at me. Hunger is in his eyes, and it lights me up from the center of my chest all the way down to my toes.
I don’t waste any more time bantering with my cousins. I jog up the stairs straight into his arms. They surround me at once.
“Careful running on the stairs.” His lips are at my ear, and his kisses send chills down my arms. “It’s harder for me to catch you that way.”
“I told you I’m not falling anymore.” I pass him with a little turn, pulling him after me in the direction of his bedroom, thinking how that statement might not be entirely true.
We burst through his bedroom door with our mouths already sealed together. My lips part readily, and I curl my tongue to his as he exhales a low groan. His large hands cup my face, and he lifts my chin, kissing me deeper.
He’s so possessive, drawing me closer, surrounding me in his arms. I inhale his scent of clean soap and rich leather. He’s so warm, I want to lick my tongue along his neck to taste his sweat. I turn in his arms, putting my back to his chest and holding his wrists.
Dropping my head back against his shoulder, I lift my chin to nibble the line of his jaw. “I’ve wanted you since you touched me at dinner.” It’s a breathy moan. “Take me from behind.”
“Anything for you, Princess.” His lips cover mine briefly before he drags them down my neck, sending feverish chills through my body.
I’m already hot and needy, and I lean forward to quickly shove my leggings to my ankles, kicking them off my feet. When I straighten, I put his large hand between my thighs as I reach behind me to rub his hard cock through his jeans.
“I’ve been thinking about you singing that song.” He slides his thick fingers over my clit in firm circles.
“Make me come, and I’ll sing it for you.” Stepping forward, I climb onto the bed on all fours and look over my shoulder at him.
“Damn, you are so fine.” He takes a step forward, kissing my butt as he unfastens his jeans and pushes them down.
I moan as he drags his tongue all over my most sensitive parts. His tongue slides over my clit, and my body jumps. I’m so close.
“Fuck me, Gav,” I whisper.
“Dirty girl,” he groans, testing me with two fingers then hissing. “You’re ready.”
My thighs tremble as he aligns the tip to my entrance then fills me completely with one forceful thrust.
I groan, bending to my elbows and dropping my forehead to the mattress. “God, you’re so big.”
“You love it.” He grips my hips in both hands and thrusts rhythmically, faster.
“I do…” I moan.
“Your body was made for mine.”
“Yes…” I reach up to circle my fingers over my clit, moaning as he hits that place inside me. “Feels so good…”
His large fingers cover mine, helping me. I’m so close, I push back against him, arching my back so my ass is higher. “Slap it,” I whisper.
He slaps my ass at once, and I turn my face to scream into the mattress. My thighs start to shake and my pussy breaks into flutters.
“Do it again…” I gasp, bouncing on his dick against his stomach. “Harder.
He leans down to kiss my mouth then he straightens, slapping it harder again, then again. I’m moaning and bucking against him as I break. He lets out a loud groan as well, and I feel him pulse inside me, his body trembling against my thighs.
Pushing off the bed, I lean my back against his chest, reaching for his neck, his mouth. Our bodies are still moving. I’m riding out this incredible orgasm, trembling in his arms.
“Fuck, Princess…” He groans, cupping my breasts in both hands and squeezing them, lifting and kneading them. “You’re so gorgeous.”
He covers my lips with his again, and I shudder. He cups my pussy, sliding his fingers all over my clit, slapping it sharply until my legs shake, until I turn my forehead against his neck with a moan.
“That’s my girl.” His voice is low, tracing kisses along my shoulders, holding my breasts. “My kinky girl.”
They slide lower, moving over my rounded stomach, spanning wide as he kisses the top of my shoulder. I put my hands over his, and we hold for a moment of intimacy, connection.
He pulls out, putting a hand on my shoulder as he grabs a nearby towel to clean us up. I wait, watching with affection as he gently strokes the wetness off my thighs before lifting me in his arms as he moves the blankets away.
We crawl in together, facing each other, and I reach out to touch his cheek as I quietly sing the lyrics to my old pageant song.
They’re not quite right anymore. I don’t believe there are so many reasons we shouldn’t be together, but it’s still a beautiful song.
And my heart does want what it wants, Gavin Knight.
As I sing, his blue eyes warm, and he slides a finger along my jaw. I finish, letting the final note fade away, and he exhales low.
“You sing…” He shakes his head rolling onto his back and shoving both hands into his hair. “I didn’t think it could get any better, and then you sing.”
Rising onto my elbow, a big smile splits my cheeks. “You like it?”
His hands lower, and he reaches for my face, rising up to kiss my lips. “I love it.”
Our eyes hold several seconds, and I think it’s possible we’re thinking the same thing. The words we don’t say out loud. I love you…
My stomach twists, and I have to break the spell. Lying down again, I rest the back of my head on his shoulder. “Why does it feel this way? So natural?”
He inhales deeply, tracing his fingers along my arm. “I used to wonder that after Mav and I got so close so fast. I think it’s because we both come from big, close families, small towns… we have that common bond, that thread.”
His voice goes quiet, and I take his large hand in mine, holding it up to the light, looking for something I noticed before. A thin red line is traced around the base of his thumb, and I turn it over, examining the faint ring.
“What is this?” I touch it gently with the tip of my finger.
“My mom Kenny did that.” He turns his hand side to side. “She has a matching one on her pinky finger.”
“It’s a tattoo?” My brow furrows, and I rise onto my elbow to look at it closer.
“It’s an old Japanese fable…”
“Another one?” Our eyes meet, and my nose wrinkles.
“My mom went through a real Buddhist phase after she lost her first husband. She said it helped her make peace with the grief… until she had me.”
“I get that.” My lips tilt down with a sad little frown. “What does it mean?”
“There’s a legend that when people are destined to be together, they’re connected by an invisible red string.
It’s mostly for husbands and wives, but Mom said it could be for family as well.
No matter how far apart we are or how much time passes or things change, the thread can tangle, but it will never break. ”
“You’re always connected.” My eyes warm, and I trace my finger over the bright red line that almost looks faded into his skin, almost like it could be invisible, but we’ve somehow managed to summon it.
“Forever.” His voice is quiet.
I blink up again to meet his beautiful eyes. He looks at me with so much depth of emotion. I reach out to place my palm against his cheek, then I stretch higher to seal my lips to his.
Walking to the lab, I’m still thinking about the red string, imagining a thread stretching all the way from here, walking across campus to the arena, all the way downtown. I picture it thin as spider silk, twisting and straining, yet strong as steel.
My chest warms. A cool, early spring breeze pushes my hair behind my shoulders, and I look up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves on the trees. The soft wind rustles them, mixing up the way the light reflects on the pavement, on my face and hands. Komorebi…
It’s so interesting how his mother was obsessed with Japanese culture, and I’m doing all this work with the Kawasaki Institute. It feels like fate somehow, and I drift into the large lab, with a hand on my midsection as I ponder the possibilities.
I’m still wearing oversized sweaters, only now I couple them with stretch-front pregnancy leggings. I still think I’m getting away with hiding it pretty well.
I’ve just arrived at my station when I hear Timothy exhale a disgusted noise. “Looks like lover-boy got himself in trouble.”
He has an almost gloating grin on his face, and my brow lowers. “What are you talking about?”
He waves his iPad, and I go to where he’s leaning against the counter, studying the screen.
“I told you not to trust this guy. What’s the line? Players gonna play?” I don’t like the sneering tone in his voice as he turns the device to face me. “It’s probably one of those hockey groupies… bunnies.”
Heat is in my throat, and I see he’s reading the TMI story Mav showed us. I don’t like him taunting me with gossip reports, and I’m really pissed he’d immediately assume Gavin cheated on me.
“It doesn’t have to be bad.” My tone is sharp. “What if he were there to see a friend or a relative?”
“With the schedule those guys keep, he doesn’t have time to go all the way to a sketchy birthing center in Pasadena for a friend. It’s his.”
“It is not a sketchy birthing center.” My voice turns defensive. “And maybe it’s somebody he really cares about.”
Timothy blinks at me, and I swallow a soft gulp. Cool air is on my neck, like all the blood is draining to my toes. I can’t keep secrets. I’m a terrible liar, and I realize what I just did.
It’s too late to take it back, and if I say another word, it’ll all be over.
My lab mate’s eyes narrow, and I know he’s reading it all over my face. Blinking down at the iPad in my hands, I try to change my expression, neutral face, no secrets spilled here.
It doesn’t work.
“It’s you.” Timothy’s tone is flat. “You’re the chick who’s having his baby.”