Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When Halle stirred, I pulled her even closer into my arms. “Happy birthday, love.” I pressed my lips to her neck. The bare skin of her shoulder. Lower still.
“Mm,” she hummed. She was still half asleep, but I sensed that her body was waking up.
I ran my hand up her stomach, over her breasts. Teasing her nipples as she started to writhe against me. Her ass was pressed against my hard-on, and I groaned.
“Again?” she teased.
Last night, we’d made love after Kai had gone to bed. Then again in the middle of the night. And now. I couldn’t get enough of her, of my beautiful fiancée.
I took her hand in mine and held it up so I could see the ring on her finger. It was perfect, and it suited Halle.
“We’ll have to be quick. Kai could come in at any minute,” she whispered, reaching behind her to pull my mouth to hers for a kiss.
“I can do fast.” I shifted, making sure she was lying on her back as I slid beneath the sheets. “But I’d rather take my time with you.”
She pulled the sheets over her head so we were both cocooned beneath the covers. It was cozy and intimate, and with the sunlight just peeking through the window, it bathed her skin in this beautiful warmth, turning her curls more bronze. I took a moment to just admire her.
Her smile was soft, her eyes pinging between mine. “What?”
“You’re beautiful.” I kissed her hip. “Absolutely.” Another kiss, this time on her stomach. “Beautiful.”
She threaded her fingers through my hair. “I love you, Jasper.”
“I love you too,” I said. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe that she was mine. That this was our life. “Now, spread those legs for me, love.” I gave her thigh a little tap.
She hesitated a moment. “I’m a little sore.”
“Let me kiss it better,” I said, nudging her legs apart. “I’ll be gentle.”
She opened for me, letting me see her. “That’s it, love. You’re so good. Following my instructions.” I kissed her mound, my cock growing painfully hard. “Trusting me to take care of you.”
I kissed her clit, taking my time even as I ached to speed up.
“Always,” she said on a sigh.
My dick was pressed against the mattress, providing some friction, but it wasn’t enough. If anything, it was a tease. But I was determined to keep the focus on Halle. Making her feel good was my only goal at the moment.
“Mm.” I lapped at her, and she reached down to link our fingers together. That was what I craved more than anything—the connection. “Feeling any better?”
“A little.” Her breath was shaky.
“Should I keep going?” I asked, mostly in jest. There was no way I wanted to stop, not unless she asked me to. And based on her body’s reaction, I didn’t think that was going to be an issue.
She swallowed hard, loud enough for me to hear in the quiet of the morning. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, what?” I asked, her folds glistening with desire that also coated my mouth. Fucking delicious.
“Yes, please.” It was practically a whine.
I chuckled, low and deep. This woman did something to me. I fisted my cock, giving it a few pumps. Fuuuck.
“Since you asked so nicely…” I ducked my head, licking and sucking, slowly taking her to the edge over and over.
When she writhed against the sheets, I banded my arm across her stomach, forcing her to stay still. I lapped at her, determined to get her off using only my mouth. She was close, so close. And I was patient. Determined. When it came to Halle, I could wait as long as it took.
She let out a hiss, her back arching off the bed. “Oh god. Right there. Yes.”
She was gorgeous.
After that, she let out a string of unintelligible words as her body convulsed with pleasure. I kept at it until she started giggling.
“Okay.” She placed her hands on my head. “Okay. Stop.” She laughed. “You have to stop.”
“Are you sure?” I arched a brow.
“Yes.” She flopped onto the mattress, her limbs languid and body relaxed. “I can’t take any more.”
“I think you’re wrong, but we’ll stop…for now.” I climbed up, brushing my lips against hers briefly before pushing out of bed.
“Mm. Wait.” She grabbed my wrist, her eyes lingering on my naked form. “I think I changed my mind.”
I chuckled. “Is that so?”
Before she could answer, she caught sight of the surprise I’d left on her nightstand.
“What’s this?” Halle asked. It was a rectangular shape, wrapped in brown paper.
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall. I was about to tell her to open it and find out, but holy fuck. The sheet slid down, baring her breasts to me.
“God. You are gorgeous,” I said, forgetting she’d asked a question. “I am the luckiest man alive.”
I went to her, crawling up the bed over her. She was taunting me with that gorgeous body of hers. I cupped her breasts. “Damn.”
She laughed but then winced slightly.
“You okay?” I thought I’d been gentle, but maybe she was still tender from earlier.
“Probably just pre-period tenderness,” she said, though she didn’t sound convinced.
I frowned. “I thought you were supposed to get your period last week.”
She’d had her IUD removed about six weeks ago, but it seemed way too soon to get pregnant. Though…with the number of times we’d had sex lately, maybe it wasn’t that farfetched.
“I…” Her eyes widened, and she grabbed her phone from the nightstand, tapping frantically on the screen.
“Halle?” I asked.
“I, um…” She wouldn’t look at me. “Think you can run to the drugstore before Kai wakes up?”
I pulled out my phone and placed an order for delivery. There was no way I was leaving her alone right now. “It’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
“Thank you.” She sighed, sinking down on the edge of the bed.
“You okay?” I asked again, though this time, I was referring to her mental state.
We’d discussed this. We’d agreed that we wanted to expand our family.
And while it had been tempting to wait until things felt more settled both at home and at the office, I hadn’t wanted to.
And Halle had agreed. That said, I was worried she might feel differently now that it might actually be happening.
Work was going well. I might not have been my grandparents’ pick for CEO all those years ago, but I no longer questioned if I was up to the job.
The board seemed to respect me more now that I’d taken charge.
They might not like me as much, but I was done pretending this was a popularity contest. I was done trying to be my older brother or anyone else, because I was more than enough.
Halle had shown me that. Sumner had helped, as had Darla and my family—especially Sloan.
I wasn’t CEO by default; I was more than capable of effecting positive change in the company in this role.
And even though I was no longer an SVP, it was important to still find ways to nurture my creative side, my desire to improve the guest experience.
Halle was rocking it as the new SVP, and the data proved it. More than that, employees loved her. She was perfect for the job, just as we’d all already known.
Kai was thriving at his new school, settling in and making friends. Adding a new baby to the mix would definitely be a challenge—for all of us. Even so, if Halle was pregnant, I would be ecstatic. But only if that’s what she wanted too. Right now, I wasn’t so sure.
“I’m—” She shook her head, unwilling to say more.
I went over and knelt before her, my heart aching for her. “Halle, love. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“I’m…” She swallowed hard then glanced up at me with tears in her eyes. “Scared.”
Fuck.
I cupped her cheek, realizing how vulnerable she seemed in that moment. “Why?”
“What if the test is negative?” she asked, and something in my chest eased. She wasn’t scared of the idea that she might be pregnant. She wanted to be pregnant, and she was scared to get her hopes up.
“If it is—” I took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb across the back “—then we’ll just have to keep trying.” I waggled my eyebrows.
She laughed, rolling her eyes. It might be silly, but it had had its intended effect.
“Either way—” I kissed her forehead “—it’s all good, right?”
She considered it a moment then nodded. “It’s all good.”
I sat beside her on the bed, pulling her into my arms. “If we have more kids, great. If not, I’m perfectly happy with our family as it is now.”
“I know,” she said. “I just know how much you’d love to be a dad.”
“I’m already a dad,” I said, and I meant it. Kai might not be my biological child, but he was my son. And I felt honored to be a part of his life.
“I didn’t…” She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. That came out all wrong.”
I brought her hand to my mouth for a kiss. “I know what you meant. Sometimes I hate that I missed out on so much of Kai’s life, and I’d love to experience everything with you.”
She nodded, and my phone pinged with an alert from the delivery driver. They’d arrive in five minutes, so I texted Tim from Hudson Security to let him know to expect it.
“Do you want to open your gift?” I asked, determined to ground us in the present instead of spinning out with thoughts of the future.
Right now, we were together, and that was enough. More than enough.
Besides, today was supposed to be about Halle. We were celebrating her birthday, and I’d wanted to give Halle her present while it was still just the two of us.
“You’ve already given me so much.” Halle’s lips were a tender caress against my jawline.
“I love to spoil you.”
She reached for the gift, carefully tearing away the brown wrapping paper. When she saw what was inside, she gasped.
“Oh my god, Jasper.” Her attention bounced to me, then back to it. “Seriously?”
I nodded, smiling the entire time. I loved seeing how she lit up as she opened it.
She peeled off the rest of the paper, revealing the painting in its entirety. “How? Dimitri told me it had sold.” She ran her fingers along the edge of the frame, her expression full of longing and awe.
“It did.” I grinned, knowing how disappointed she’d been when she’d tried to purchase it for our home. “To me.”
“What?” she gasped. “When?”
“I purchased it the day we went art shopping for the Golden Key Penthouse and the presidential suite.”
She blinked a few times. “Are you serious? All this time, you had it?”
“You want to see the receipt?” I teased, though there was no way in hell I was letting her see how much I’d paid. She’d try to return it.
She shook her head. “I’m not sure I want to think about how much it cost.”
“Then don’t.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “It’s a gift. It’s meant to be enjoyed.”
“Oh, I will definitely enjoy it,” she said, holding it in her lap. “Thank you.” She turned to kiss me. “I love it.”
“I’m glad,” I said, just as my phone pinged again. “I’ll be right back.”
I kissed her temple and then dashed down the stairs to grab the tests from Tim. When I returned to our bedroom, Halle was still sitting on the edge of the bed where I’d left her.
I held up the paper bag, grateful for the discreet packaging. “You ready to do this?”
She nodded. “I need to know.”
I’d figured as much, and it was a relief. But still… I couldn’t deny that I was nervous. What if it was negative? What if it was positive? My heart started racing at the possibilities.
I leaned my hip against the sink, reading the instructions while she took the test. She returned and placed it on the counter before washing her hands. I set a timer, and then I pulled her into my arms while we waited.
I rested my chin on the top of Halle’s head, and we just…
fit. My eyes fluttered closed, and the longer we stood there, the more settled I felt.
The more aware I became of her body. The feel of her chest pressed to mine, our hips kissing.
The way it felt to hold her in my arms—with tenderness and reverence. The sense of peace that washed over me.
When the timer went off a few minutes later, she jolted. I tried to remind myself that either way, the result didn’t matter. If we were pregnant, I’d be thrilled. And if it hadn’t happened this time, we’d try again. There were no downsides.
“Do you want to look?” I asked.
She peered up at me. “Can you?”
I laughed. “Together?”
She nodded.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “No matter what, you know I love you, right?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “Of course I do.”
“One. Two.” We turned together. “Three.”
When I stared down at the test sitting on the counter, I still couldn’t believe the result. I looked at Halle, trying to temper my reaction. I wanted her to feel supported and loved, regardless of the outcome.
She threw herself into my arms, and it was only then that I allowed myself to feel everything I’d been holding back. Joy. Excitement. Hope. And, most of all, love.
As I held Halle, our child growing inside her, I felt like the luckiest man alive. It wasn’t about running my grandparents’ company or the new house. It was about us. About Kai and Rosie. About this new life we’d created—together. Family traditions and rituals.
My gran had always said that family was the greatest blessing you could receive.
And she’d been right, of course. Finding someone who saw me for who I really was, who loved me for me, was the greatest gift of all.
And for the first time since my grandparents’ deaths, I felt whole again, content.
Not because I’d needed someone to fill the hole they’d left, but because I knew what it meant to love and be loved in return.
This life, this family, was everything I’d always wanted.
Want more delicious, feel-good forbidden romance? Click here for Inevitable, a page-turning dad’s best friend, age gap romance that will steam up your kindle.
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