Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
JO
I’ve never been self-conscious about my body.
Despite wishing I were taller, I embraced every curve.
My full face with my deep dimples was some of God’s finest work.
You certainly couldn’t tell me nothing about my thick thighs and big butt.
I dressed for the body I had and always looked damn good doing it.
If people didn’t like my body, fuck them.
Confidence wasn’t something I struggled with, but during those few minutes Ryan looked at me without saying a word, I experienced my first introduction.
His silence was unsettling. Before Ryan’s disappearance, he was very vocal about how much he enjoyed my body.
I gained nine pounds in the last couple of months, and the addition went not only to my belly. The mirror has kindly displayed it sitting on my hips and thighs. My well-tailored dress pants weren’t doing the damn thing anymore.
I would never apologize for my body. I wasn’t raised that way, but the silence stretched.
Instead, I made excuses about my underwear.
At the time I placed the order for the bra and panty set, I hadn’t put much thought into what I was ordering.
It was so unlike me. My lingerie collection is one I take pride in.
It’s an expensive habit that makes me look and feel good.
From delicate lace bras to luxurious satin chemises, each piece was thoughtfully chosen to flatter my fuller figure.
The collection included a variety of styles, from sultry balconettes to supportive bodysuits, all crafted from high-quality materials that felt heavenly against the skin.
They're my secret weapon, boosting my confidence and making me feel irresistibly sexy every time I wear them. Unlike my usual selections, this time I prioritized comfort over style, opting for simple cotton pieces that lacked the intricate details and vibrant colors I typically gravitate towards. The choices were practical and functional, but they didn’t carry the same allure or personal touch that my usual pieces exude.
When I got out of my head long enough to really look into Ryan’s eyes, the primal intensity made me take an involuntary step back. Miss Meow was much braver than I because she pulsed in anticipation. Maybe her lack of self-preservation was due to all those years I made her go without.
Ryan’s eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to smoulder, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
His movements, though deliberate, carried a quiet energy, reminding me of a lion meandering towards its prey.
He slowly stripped me of my underwear. He moved with a confidence that was both commanding and hypnotic, his every touch intentional, as if savouring the moment.
The air between us felt charged, and I could feel my pulse speed up with each passing second.
His lips brushed gently against my shoulder, soft and warm, before trailing down my arm, leaving a path of heat in their wake.
His hands moved slowly, their touch deliberate and tender, as they traced soft, almost imperceptible patterns down my back.
He paused at my elbow, his breath a whisper against my skin as he planted a tender kiss, his words of adoration lingering like a caress.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice a soft caress against my skin. “Every inch of you feels like perfection.” With every movement, his whispered compliments felt like delicate strokes, each one leaving an impression that lingered long after his touch.
My body trembled with each caress, my heart pounding in a way I’d never felt before. For the first time, I’m not sure if I can keep my heart safe from him.
Hormones must be the cause. I need to believe that, or I might fall for my husband.
My crisis was forgotten as he laid me down on the bed and spread my thighs. Ryan wasn’t kidding when he said I looked good enough to eat.
I love the way he was so vocal as his tongue and fingers tag-teamed Miss Meow, bringing her into submission. By the time he was done, she was a creamy, pulsing, satisfied mess.
My pants fill the air as I desperately try to catch my breath.
He stripped off his clothes slowly, revealing his incredible body.
It wasn’t just my healthy imagination or faulty memory.
Ryan’s body was a masterpiece, from the intricate ink designs that adorned his skin to his smoldering, midnight-black eyes framed by monolids.
His physique, sculpted with rippling muscles, spoke of artistry, while his tattoos added a layer of beauty that was impossible to ignore. One day I would ask him about them all.
Ryan knelt between my parted legs as I lay on my back on the bed.
His movements were precise before, but now he hesitated, as if unsure of himself.
I could see the excitement in his eyes, the way his body tensed with desire, yet he remained still, as though waiting for permission.
His dick stood at attention, a silent plea for connection, but his hesitation spoke volumes.
There was a vulnerability in his stillness, a quiet yearning that made my heart ache.
“What’s the matter?” I finally asked. His silence was unnerving.
Ryan caressed my thighs. “I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
I laughed out loud. Is that all? Ryan was cautious about my belly. “You won’t. Pregnant women have sex all the time.”
He looked at me skeptically. Then, he shook his head. My big, strong Texan was worried that our activity would somehow harm the baby nestled safely in its cocoon.
“I can make you come again,” he offered.
“Or you could slide your cock inside me. Remember, we have laws to uphold.”
“Sunshine,” he sighed.
There was no way I’d allow him to back out. “We can work together to find a position that makes you comfortable.”
I pulled him forward, wrapping my hand around his nape, and kissed him before he could object. He groaned into my mouth, bracing himself on his forearms, all while keeping his weight off me.
Soon, I felt his dick at my entrance. I’d missed the feeling of him sliding into me. The stretch was indescribable, as he fed me his length. But something was off. He was very cautious, too gentle, and not in a sweet way. It threw off our normal impeccable rhythm. Ryan broke the kiss.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
No, our time together would not end before we could really get started. He resumed a kneeling, upright position.
“Just give me a second.”
His face became a fortress of concentration, unyielding until he reached for a pillow.
It finally gave way, cracking into a predatory smile as he positioned it beneath my hips, presenting me as a gift to him.
His hands gripped my thighs and spread them apart.
His grip was firm as he positioned his cock at my entrance.
“Let’s see if I figured it out.” He winked at me as he slammed into me, stealing my breath.
“Fuckkk,” he groaned.
Be careful what you wish for. The rhythm I had been craving earlier was back. His strokes were wild, deep, and powerful.
“So tight, so perfect,” he praised.
I was overwhelmed by the sensation as his hand deftly cupped my breast, fingers teasing my nipple until I thrashed my head from side to side.
The intensity of his strokes matched the rhythm of his movements, each thrust sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body.
With one leg held open at my ankle, I felt utterly exposed and completely alive.
The sounds of our bodies joining filled the air, a mix of wetness and rhythmic friction that heightened every sensation.
Ryan’s eyes remained locked on mine, his gaze intense and unwavering as he moved within me.
Our scents combined, filling the air with an intoxicating blend of desire and intimacy.
Ryan’s relentless pace never faltered as he seized my other ankle, his grip firm and unyielding.
I glanced upward, my legs stretched wide apart, held open in a vulnerable display.
A perfect V. I felt so exposed, yet so aroused by the intensity of the moment.
The way he held me, the control he exerted, sent shivers through my body, heightening every sensation.
The vulnerability of the position sent a thrill through me, intensifying the desire that had been building.
Every touch, every movement, felt magnified, pushing me closer to the edge.
I couldn’t help but ache for what would come next, my heart racing with desire.
“Come for me, Sunshine,” Ryan pleaded.
His command resonated through me, every nerve ending alive and attuned to his presence.
My body trembled. Waves of pleasure crashed over me, relentless and consuming, until I shattered.
Each tremor was more intense than the last. I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard or for so long.
I was left trembling, my body still humming with the aftershocks of pleasure.
“You did so good, Sunshine. So good,” he praised.
He pulled out, leaving just the head of his dick at my entrance. I was mesmerised as I watched him gather my essence with his fingers, then lick it from his finger.
“Do you have any idea how good you taste?”
I nodded, unable to find my words.
Ryan’s grip on my ankles grew firmer, his movements becoming more urgent and forceful. With a final, powerful thrust, his head fell back, and he spilled into me, his voice hoarse as he called out my name.
Was our first night together as a married couple romantic? Not exactly. But what we lacked in tender candlelight and soft music, we more than made up for with the raw, unbridled passion of our physical connection.
Damn, it felt good. Maybe too good.
“I was thinking instead of going back to Willowridge, we could go away for a couple of days,” Ryan announced out of the blue.
I stopped with a fry halfway to my lips. We finally got around to ordering room service twenty minutes ago. Dinner was overdue. “What?”
“Let’s go to the airport and fly to Toronto, catch a show, grab some dinner.” He stole my fry and popped it into his mouth.
We would have to discuss his behaviour later. I was eating for two, and he had decided to go with a baked potato. I needed my fries for the life growing inside me. At least my steak was safe. A cowboy who didn’t eat beef? Weird. It had nothing to do with red meat as Ryan ate bison.
Anyway, turning down the man who had just made me come four times in a row was hard, but I wasn’t just taking off on an impromptu trip.
“What is this?” I questioned.
“It is a chance for you to take a trip before the baby comes.”
Last night after I got back from Amara’s, Ryan and I stayed up talking some more about our marriage. He’d pitched it as friends, co-parenting, with the option of benefits. We hadn’t even been married twenty-four hours, and it was feeling like…more.
“We already have a trip planned in a couple of weeks to register our wedding in the U.S.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “That is more of an errand; this would be fun. A honeymoon, if you will.”
“We don’t need a honeymoon.”
“No, we don’t need one, but spending time together without all those nosy busybodies will be nice.”
Okay, he had a point. It had gotten out that I was pregnant and that Ryan was the father.
The town was buzzing. ‘The singles’, along with their mommas, were being catty.
Especially Vera. Ryan didn’t even live in our town.
Yet somehow, she thought I ruined her chance with him.
The entire thing was ridiculous, but it was one downside of living in a small town.
“I don’t know,” I mused.
“Come on. Come away with me for a couple of days before I have to head back to South Dakota.”
“I didn’t pack anything nice.”
“We’ll go shopping.”
I saw how it would go. Ryan would offer a solution for every objection I made.
“Fine. I will find a musical.”
Ryan’s left eye twitched.
I tried but failed to suppress a laugh. “Unless you’d rather we not take the trip,” I quickly interjected.
“Nope. I’m fine with a musical, Sunshine. As soon as we’re finished eating, I’m booking a flight, and you tell me what show you want to see.”
Spending time with Ryan wasn’t a hardship.
His witty remarks always kept me on my toes, and our conversations flowed effortlessly, filled with laughter and understanding.
Whether we were discussing deep topics or exchanging playful banter, it felt natural and comforting.
Being with him was like being with a longtime friend who just happened to be skilled at making me come.
By the morning, I was looking forward to flying out on our getaway with him. I called Amara from the airport.
My cousin had lots of questions about my extending the trip. She had been apprehensive about me going away with Ryan in the first place. The addition of extra days put her in a tizzy.
It almost made me feel petty enough to tell her where I was going and that my trip included dinner at Fusion in Toronto, with a tableside dining experience by Chef Aaron Ma, whom she admired.
She had often talked about running into him at a pop-up restaurant on her honeymoon.
Although our trip wasn’t a honeymoon, she would be so jealous if she knew he was cooking for us.
“I don’t get it, Jo. You said you guys weren’t in a relationship, that you and Ryan were just going to be friends co-parenting.”
“I did. We are.”
“Extending this trip doesn’t sound like you guys are staying in the friend zone.”
I love my cousin. Really, I do, but Amara had appointed herself as my protector since we were little girls. It had become more problematic since I got pregnant, and if things couldn’t get any harder, they only got worse when she found out she and Chase were expecting a baby as well.
It was partially hormones, but also because Amara didn’t like things she didn’t understand, and she wasn’t sure where Ryan and I stood. Well, that made two of us. Although I had no intention of telling her that. I was grown, and I could navigate ‘my marriage’ on my own.
“We know what we are doing. Don’t worry,” I assured her.
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.” Wow, it was true. The question was, would it stay that way?