Chapter Twelve #2
But would it be so wrong to enjoy this one magical night? A stolen moment in time before the realities of the world descended upon them once more?
He carried her to the guest room, then set her on her feet beside the bed to whisk her sweater over her head and strip away her leggings.
“You, too,” she said, unfastening the remaining buttons of his shirt to reveal a strong chest and rippling abs. Definitely as chiseled as I’d imagined. She touched her lips to his taut, warm skin, then flicked out her tongue. And every bit as delicious.
While she explored his chest, he discarded the rest of his clothes, then eased her onto the mattress, bracing himself over her and capturing her mouth with his again.
He seemed to know just where and how to touch her to heighten her desire, maximize her pleasure.
Eager to reciprocate, she tentatively reached between their bodies to wrap her hand around his hard, velvety length.
He pulsed in her hand; a groan rumbled in his chest. Emboldened by his response, she stroked her hand toward the tip, then back down again.
He unclasped her bra, releasing her breasts from the restraint of the lacy cups. Her already peaked nipples drew tighter when the cool air whispered over her skin.
He drew one of the aching tips into his mouth, tugging gently with his teeth, until she moaned and arched beneath him. His mouth moved to her other breast, affording it the same attention as his hands stroked over her body in a teasing exploration that made her quiver and yearn.
He gently parted her thighs, opening her to a more intimate investigation.
His fingertips skimmed the sensitive skin of her inner thighs and traced the lacy edge of her panties, making her muscles tremble.
Then his thumb brushed over the aching nub at her center, through the thin fabric barrier, making her whimper.
His mouth moved lower, skimming over her torso, then he caught the narrow band of lace at her side in his teeth and dragged it down over her hip before switching to the other side.
He continued to alternate from side to side, inching her panties downward until they were dangling around one ankle.
Then he spread her legs wide and lowered his head between them.
She felt the scrape of his stubble against the sensitive skin of her thighs, a surprisingly erotic sensation. When he touched her with his tongue, she gasped, shocked by the unexpected intimacy. And again, because the pleasure was more than she’d anticipated. More than she’d imagined.
He nibbled and licked, tasting and teasing, driving her ever closer to the pinnacle of pleasure. Then holding her there, right on the edge, until she was desperate for release. She could hear herself whimpering, pleading.
Stop. Please. More.
She didn’t seem to know what she wanted, what she needed.
But Wilder knew, and he gave it to her. More and more, until she couldn’t take it anymore. Until she was no longer on the edge, but falling, falling, falling...
Her body was still quivering with the aftereffects of her climax when Wilder retrieved a condom from his wallet, then tore open the foil packet and covered himself. Only then did he position himself over her again, and finally bury himself between her thighs.
She wrapped herself around him, her hands gripping his shoulders, her legs anchored around his torso, pulling him even deeper inside. He began to move, and she met him thrust for thrust, urging him to find the same release he’d given her.
As their bodies merged and mated, she found her own desire escalating again. He picked up the pace, driving faster, harder, deeper. Pushing her to new and even loftier heights. But this time, when she took the plunge, he went with her.
Wilder was jolted awake—and jarred out of a tantalizingly explicit and erotic dream—by the sound of a baby crying. It took him a moment to get his bearings, for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and recognize that he was in the guest room, where he’d fallen asleep after making love with Beth.
He closed his eyes again and swore quietly as the memories washed over him.
It never should have happened.
But it had happened—and it had been amazing.
He’d always preferred the company of women who were looking for short-term companionship rather than long-term commitment.
Beth was all about hearth and home right down to the marrow of her bones.
She was the type of woman a man would choose to marry, and Wilder had no intention of being that man—for any woman.
But, as usual last night, he’d been thinking about his own desires, selfishly taking what he wanted with little regard for the consequences.
And now...
A soft murmur joined the sound of the baby’s cries. He realized the sounds were coming through the baby monitor on the table beside the bed and that Beth was already up and tending to Cody.
Cody.
He swore again as a fresh wave of guilt washed over him.
Barely a week earlier, he’d been reflecting on how great his life was, how lucky he was that he wasn’t tied down in any kind of relationship, and how he had no interest in being saddled with a kid at this point in his life.
Because a week earlier, he hadn’t known of Cody’s existence. Now that he did, his intentions and interests were irrelevant. The fact was, if Cody was his child, he was going to step up and be the best father that he could be to him.
But it didn’t really matter whether or not the kid was his.
He should never have seduced his aunt. Because the intimacies they’d shared added a whole other layer of complications to an already complicated situation.
Which, now that he thought about it, was almost exactly what she’d warned him about the night before.
Asserting his parental rights and applying for legal custody would deal a devastating blow to Beth, who’d been helping to care for her nephew since his birth.
But there was no way Wilder could let the child go. He wouldn’t ever abandon his son, as his mother had abandoned hers. He wouldn’t let anything matter more than his child.
But wasn’t that exactly what he’d done last night?
Selfishly, and not surprisingly, he’d been thinking only about himself. About what he wanted. And last night, he’d wanted Beth.
Maybe the realization had surprised him a little.
Being intimate with Beth had surprised him even more.
Despite her rigid expectations and uptight manner, she was a surprisingly passionate and gloriously uninhibited woman. And if he was the type of man who did relationships, he might be willing to take a chance with her. But he wasn’t, and he couldn’t.
Because everything else aside, he had a history with her sister.
And yes, that was probably something he should have thought about last night before he’d removed Beth’s lace panties with his teeth.
It didn’t matter that Leighton had made it clear she was done with him.
He doubted she’d be pleased to discover that he’d picked up with her sister.
But had he picked up with her sister?
Or had last night been the beginning and end?
Frustrated that all he had were questions without answers, he pushed back the covers and gathered his discarded clothes. He dressed quickly in the dark, intending to go across the hall to help with the baby.
But he paused in the hallway, watching Beth, silhouetted by the dim light, as she tended to the baby.
She continued to murmur softly, soothing the child as she dealt with the wet diaper that was likely the cause of his distress.
After she’d finished with that task, she’d go downstairs to prepare a bottle to fill his tummy so that he might sleep comfortably for a few more hours.
Or Wilder could take care of that for her.
He’d mixed the formula enough times now that he didn’t even have to read the label anymore.
But as much as they took turns with feedings and diaper changes during the day, sharing such duties in the darkness of the night felt like something else. Something more.
Like something a dad and mom might do—if they were a family.
And since he didn’t even know for sure if he was Cody’s dad, and she for sure wasn’t his mom, it would be a mistake—even bigger than the one they’d made last night—to pretend they were a family.
So instead of offering to help, he retreated to his own room like the coward that he was.