Chapter Nineteen
THE DESPERATION IN Emerson’s voice slayed Baz, but the thought that he didn’t want her was so ludicrous, he looked up at the ceiling and half scoffed, half laughed. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He eyed Ollie, whose tail was wagging like he wanted to play. Baz wanted to play, all right, but not with him. “Ollie, lie down.” The pup sank down to his belly, and Baz turned his attention to the beautiful, fretting woman before him.
He stalked toward her, backing her against the door, eyes drilling into her. “Baby girl, not a second goes by without me wanting you. I didn’t want to rush you, but don’t mistake that consideration for disinterest.” He caressed her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I have spent all evening fantasizing about bending you over the back of that couch in that sexy little dress and those red fuck-me boots.”
Her eyes darkened, and she inhaled a shaky breath. He grabbed her hips. “ Mm. There are so many things I want to do to you.” He slid his hands to her ass and squeezed, drinking in the lust rising in her trusting eyes. “Every time I hold you and feel your gorgeous body against me, I want to touch you.” He trailed his hands up her ribs, brushing the underside of her breasts, and the air rushed from her lungs. So fucking sexy. “I want to feel these beautiful tits. I want my mouth on them.” He dipped his head, nipping at the swell of her breast, earning a breathy moan. “I want to make you squirm with desire and hear you beg for more until I make you come so hard you forget how to speak.” He touched her face, loving the way she breathed harder as he trailed his fingers down her cheek. “Every time you show me that gorgeous smile, it steals my breath, and I want more of you.” He dragged his thumb over her lower lip. “Every time I kiss you, I think about how good you’d taste and the noises you’d make if I dropped to my knees and buried my face in your sweet pussy.”
She inhaled a ragged breath. “You do?”
“Every fucking time.”
She swallowed hard.
“Does that bother you, darlin’?”
She shook her head quickly, like she couldn’t answer fast enough, and damn, that turned him on. “That’s my girl. I have a feeling you’re just as wicked as I am.” He took her hands in his, pressing a kiss to one of her palms and another to her wrist, before lifting them over her head and trapping them there with one of his hands. Testing the waters, he spoke gruffly into her ear. “I think about how good your lips will feel wrapped around my cock.” Her breath left her lungs in a rush, and he drew back, their eyes locking. “Like the sound of that, sweetheart?”
“ Yes. ”
He pressed his hips forward, rocking his rigid cock against her. She whimpered. “That’s how hard I am every night when I think of you, so don’t ever question if I want you. You’re my girl. Know I want you every minute of every day. You can take that for granted.” He brushed his lips over hers, grinding his hard length against her, taunting both of them. “I look forward to being buried deep inside you, hearing the sounds you’ll make when you lose control, feeling your pussy tightening around my cock.” He dragged his tongue along her lower lip. “We’re going to be incredible together.”
“ Baz ,” she pleaded.
“The wanting is torturous, isn’t it? It took every ounce of my control not to join you in the shower earlier. Knowing you were naked , touching the body I crave, was killing me. Then I heard you cry out my name, and fuck , Emerson. I wanted to storm in there and pleasure you myself.”
Her cheeks reddened. “You heard me?”
“Damn right I did, and it was so fucking sexy knowing you wanted me and couldn’t hold back.” He nipped at her lower lip, earning a sharp gasp. “I’ve been thinking about touching you ever since.” He moved his hand between her legs, and a low growl escaped at the feel of her damp panties. “I love that you’re wet from hearing how much I want you.” He rubbed her clit through the damp material, and she closed her eyes, moaning. “I fucking adore that sound. Eyes on me, darlin’.” When her eyes fluttered open, he pushed his fingers into her panties, sliding through her wetness. She inhaled sharply. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“ Yes ,” she panted out.
He worked that sensitive bundle of nerves faster and sealed his lips over hers, making love to her mouth the way he wanted to devour her pussy, eating up her sinful sounds and the way she writhed with his efforts. She went up on her toes, wrists straining against his hand, and he tore his mouth away, gritting out, “ Fuck. I need your hands on me.” He released her wrists, and she grabbed his shoulders as he worked her faster.
“ Kiss me. ”
He crushed his mouth to hers, quickening his efforts. She moaned into his mouth, spurring him on to kiss her more demandingly. He fisted his hand in her hair, giving it a tug while adding pressure to her clit, and she shattered, crying into their kisses. Her hips bucked, moans and whimpers shooting from her lungs into his. He continued pleasuring her, riding her high, until her body shuddered with aftershocks.
When she went slack against him, he gathered her in his arms, keeping her close, trying to rein in the emotions coursing through him so strongly, he was afraid to speak. Their hearts were thundering to the same frantic beat, and he knew no words were necessary. He lifted her into his arms, told Ollie to stay, and snagged the baby monitor as he carried her into the bedroom and closed the door.
EMERSON WAS FLOATING on a cloud of pleasure. Somewhere in her lust-addled brain she registered Baz putting the baby monitor on the dresser. She wanted to tell him he didn’t have to carry her, but it felt so good to be in his arms, and she didn’t want it to end.
He threw back the covers with one hand, his muscles flexing deliciously against her. As he lowered her to the bed, she realized she was still wearing her boots, and when he came down over her, reality, and her insecurities, came rushing in. He looked like freaking Adonis, and she had belly rolls and dimpled thighs. Why couldn’t she have sexy dimpled cheeks like he had? Oh God. I probably have dimples on my butt cheeks. Okay, Emerson. Get a grip. It’s dark. He won’t see the pudge. I’ll just stay on my back so my stomach looks flatter. That’s better. Until my boobs start sliding east and west and dripping milk like rivers. Great, and I just pushed a baby out down there. What if we have sex and it feels different? Oh crap, what if it looks different. What if it’s a cavernous cave and he falls out? She had visions of Wile E. Coyote falling into a black hole.
His lips touched hers, bringing her focus back to his handsome face and adoring eyes, and her thoughts stumbled.
“Hello, beautiful. I’d ask if you come here often, but I know you like to do that in the shower.”
Laughter bubbled out.
“You looked like you were thinking too hard.”
She couldn’t stop smiling, because the man read her like a book. “You’d be overthinking, too, if you’d just had a baby and Adonis was on top of you.”
“Am I female in this equation?”
“ Yes. Female with a squishy body and dimples in all the wrong places.”
He cocked a grin. “I’d be thinking about being his sex slave.”
“In your dreams, Dr. Wicked.”
They both laughed.
“If I’m Adonis, then you’re my Aphrodite. My goddess of love.” He lowered his lips to hers in a slow, sweet kiss that brought a rush of desire. “And beauty.” He kissed a path down her neck. “And pleasure.” He dragged his tongue along her skin just above the neckline of her dress, sending heat slithering through her core. “How about we get those boots off, and then we’ll talk about this supposed squishy, dimpled body of yours while I worship it.”
Only he could make talking about her body thrilling rather than mortifying. Her body had never been worshipped before the extra pounds and stretch marks, but the hunger in his eyes told her he meant every word.
He moved lower, pressing a kiss to each of her breasts through her dress, his eyes never leaving hers, the sinful gleam in them as thrilling as his touch. He trailed kisses down her stomach, the warmth of his lips seeping through her thin dress, spreading heat like tiny bursts of flames. He hovered just above her sex for so long, watching her so intensely, it was like he felt the anticipation stacking up inside her just as strongly as she did, and he wanted her strung too tight. His low voice growled through her mind— I want to make you squirm with desire and hear you beg for more —heightening every sensation.
Her fingers curled into the sheet, a devilish grin curving his lips as he lowered them to press a kiss above her needy sex. His eyes never left hers as he kissed his way down her legs and wrapped his big hands around her boots. “You should wear these more often.”
“My red fuck-me boots?” she panted out, as amused as she was turned on. “Like a neon sign?”
“That only I can decipher.” He pulled off her boots and socks and proceeded to run his strong hands up the sides of her legs as he kissed his way back up them. “Tell me, darlin’.” He kissed the side of her knee. “What parts of this gorgeous body worry you?” He squeezed her thighs, not waiting for an answer. “Certainly not these sexy thighs, which drive me out of my mind.” He nipped at her inner thigh, sending a sting of pleasure racing north. Her sex clenched, and she gasped at the shock of enjoyment that brought. He dragged his tongue over the spot he’d nipped, devilish eyes holding her captive. “So soft.” He kissed her other thigh. “So fucking beautiful.”
He continued kissing, nipping, and licking her inner thighs, inching higher until she felt his breath against her wet panties. She waited for him to kiss her there, anticipation pulsing inside her as he pushed her dress up over her panties and gritted out, “ Lace ,” like a curse.
“You don’t like lace?” She sounded as breathy and devastated as she felt.
“I wasn’t a fan of it until now.” He leaned up on one arm, grinning as he reached down and adjusted his erection. “ Christ. ” He readjusted it again.
She giggled. “Note to self. Buy more lace. ”
He laughed and nipped at her hip. She squeaked in surprise, and then she was laughing, too.
“We’ll get back to the lace.” He ran his hand over her lower belly, and she tried to suck it in. His hand stilled, and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to hide your curves, darlin’. I fucking adore them.” He rained kisses over her belly, slicked his tongue around her belly button, and pushed her dress higher, tasting a path along her waist and up her ribs and sternum, touching, caressing, squeezing every inch of her, making her want and need and ache . He continued the tantalizing torture, kissing, nipping, sucking, and murmuring, “ So sexy…Gorgeous…Love this part of you… ” Her body was vibrating, a bundle of live wires, his every touch drawing a sharp inhalation, every rasp sending electric currents searing through her. She’d never experienced anything like this.
He lifted her dress over her breasts, and she held her breath. There was nothing sexy about nursing bras, but his eyes flamed. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to her breast through her bra, carefully drew her dress over her head, and tossed it to the floor. He kissed the swell of her breast and slid one bra strap down her shoulder. She put her hand over it, stopping him.
“Too uncomfortable?” he asked thoughtfully.
“No. But you didn’t bring goggles, and I could end up spraying milk like a fountain gone wrong, getting it in your eyes and hair, and then all the cats in the neighborhood will be chasing you.” She started laughing, surprised at how easy it was to be silly with him while nearly naked. “You’d be a real pussy magnet.”
He dropped his forehead between her breasts, his shoulders rocking with his laughter. “Jesus, darlin’. You’re a fucking trip.” He lifted his face, those dreamy dimples staring back at her. “We’ll leave it on for now, but next time I’m bringing goggles and a rubber sheet.”
“We’ll have our own slip and slide. Whee! ”
They both cracked up. Emerson clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from waking Brennan, but Baz snagged it and pinned it to the mattress, his expression turning wicked as he lowered his mouth to hers, silencing her with a sensually slow and intoxicatingly deep kiss. The scorching kiss turned her body into an inferno. She became acutely aware of the enticing weight of him pressing down on her. The feel of his bare chest and stomach, all hot skin and hard muscles, made her want to rip off her bra for more skin-to-skin contact. She touched him with her free hand, her other still pinned to the mattress, running her fingers through his hair—God, she loved his hair—and along his shoulder, down his arm, but it wasn’t enough. He must have felt the same, because he released her wrist, and she stopped thinking altogether, letting her desires take over. She pawed at him, wanting to touch all of him at once, grasping his arms, shoulders, and back, using fingers and nails, earning a sexy, guttural growl that had her moaning for more. He pushed his hands into her hair, fisting them as he took the kiss deeper, sending an erotic mix of pain and pleasure straight to her core, and she lost herself in him, clinging to his shoulders, rocking her hips, wanting to burrow beneath his skin.
He tugged her head back, eyes blazing, gritting out, “I could kiss you twenty-four-seven.” He skimmed his hand down to her hip and squeezed. “But I’m not done worshipping your body, showing you just how perfect you are.”
She tried to think past her swelling heart, but he brushed his lips over hers and said, “I need my mouth on you. I want to feel you lose control and taste your come on my tongue.”
The greed in his voice had “ Yes —” sailing from her lips.
“Try not to scream too loud, sweetheart. We don’t want to wake Little B.”
Her insecurities tried to take over as he moved down her body, but they were no match for his strong hands, caressing and squeezing, or his talented mouth, taking a nip here and a taste there. When he dragged her panties down, kissing her legs as he had before, and tossed them to the floor, his focus went between her legs like a laser beam. Her insides tightened, anxiety creeping in again as he boldly looked his fill. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he rasped, chipping away at her nervousness. He lowered himself between her legs and dragged his tongue along her sex, sending shocks of pleasure racing through her. She gasped, fingers fisting in the sheets, and his eyes found hers again. The hunger and restraint warring in them was so powerful, it thundered between them as he gritted out, “You taste so fucking sweet. Watch me devour you. See how much I enjoy it.”
His dirty demands had her writhing in anticipation. He pressed his hands to her inner thighs, brushing one thumb over her clit, the other over her entrance, and her hips shot up, chasing the pleasure. “That’s it, baby. Give yourself over to me.” He lowered his mouth between her legs, licking her slow and feathery soft, making her pant with desire.
“ Baz ,” she pleaded.
Pure gratification glowed in his eyes, and he intensified his efforts, using his hands and mouth. Fucking, and sucking, drawing unstoppable moans and other sounds she’d never heard herself make before, while he praised and promised, “ So perfect…Can’t wait to feel you wrapped around me…You smell so good…Gonna make you come so hard ,” so drenched in emotion, he obliterated the last shred of her insecurities.
He pushed his fingers inside her, expertly finding that magical spot that had her insides swelling and pulsing. He sucked her clit, and she bowed off the mattress, electricity arcing through her, but he pressed her hips down, keeping her exactly where he wanted her, continuing his exquisite torture. The world spun away, and she was lost in his thorough devouring, swept up in his gratified growls and the way he touched her like he couldn’t get enough.
“Eyes on me ,” he demanded, and her entire being obeyed, from her lustful eyes and throbbing nipples to her clenching sex and curling toes. Her body tingled and burned, aching for release as he feasted, using hands and mouth, tongue and teeth, taking her right up to the edge of madness.
“ Baz ,” she pleaded, her own voice so desperate, it was unrecognizable. She’d never felt so out of control, so willing to bend to anyone’s will, but for him , for this , she’d go to the ends of the earth and back. He quickened his efforts and sucked that sensitive bundle of nerves between his teeth, sending a tsunami of sensations crashing over her. “ Baz— ” flew from her lips before she could stop it, drawing a gruff, appreciative “ Fuck ” from him, but he didn’t relent, taking her impossibly higher. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out again, digging her heels into the mattress. But the sensations were too overpowering. She surrendered to the tempest of pleasure, emitting a stream of indiscernible sounds as her hips bucked and her inner muscles clenched, until she had nothing left to give, and sank, ravaged and breathless, to the mattress.
She lay in a state of bliss as Baz kissed his way up her body and gathered her in his arms.
“Still with me, beautiful?”
“Barely,” she whispered, snuggling into him. His erection pressed against her stomach. She could count the number of men she’d slept with on one hand, and she’d never had to worry about reciprocating with most of them, because there was nothing to reciprocate. They’d been more interested in racing to the finish line than pleasuring her. But Baz wasn’t stripping down to have sex. He was holding her, tenderly kissing her shoulder.
She didn’t want to leave him hanging or make him think she was a selfish lover, so she reached between them, palming his hard length.
He put his hand over hers, moving it to his hip. “There’s no rush.” He kissed her then, a sweet press of his warm smiling lips, tightening his hold on her. “Do you have any lingering concerns about how I see your body?”
“No,” she whispered. “Now I know you’re into pudgy girls.”
He grabbed her ass and squeezed, making her laugh.
“If you think this perfection is pudgy, then you’re damn right I am.” He kissed her again as a cry came through the monitor.
She burrowed deeper into him, wishing they could stay in the bubble of togetherness they’d found, soaking in the last few seconds of it as another cry rang out, and she felt the telltale tingle and burn of her milk letting down. Baz kissed her forehead and started to get up, but she held tight. “I know you’re used to me telling you to leave at night, but would you like to stay?”
“Darlin’, there’s nothing I want more than to fall asleep with you in my arms. The only place I’m going is to get Brennan and bring him to you.” He kissed her softly and climbed off the bed, heading for the door. When he opened it, Ollie ran to him. “Come on, boy, let’s get your brother before he wakes the neighbors.”
Your brother. She loved that.
She climbed off the bed, and Baz’s deep voice came through the baby monitor as she put on a shirt and clean underwear. “Hey, Little B, you hungry?” She looked at the video on the monitor and saw him lifting Brennan out of his crib and putting him on his shoulder. He kissed his temple, rubbing his back. “Shh, little buddy.” He put his other hand on the back of Brennan’s head, bouncing him a little, keeping him as close as possible, speaking low and soothingly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe, and loved, and right after we change your diaper, you’ll be in your mama’s arms again.”
Safe and loved.
He was speaking directly to her heart. Those were the two things that mattered most to her for Brennan, but she’d never told Baz that. He always seemed to know exactly what they needed. She was more convinced than ever that her parents somehow had a hand in their meeting.