Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Mindy
The rest of the ride home is quiet but it’s not an uncomfortable silence, just enough so we can both catch our breath, which is both good and bad for me.
Good, because it allows me to process the myriad of emotions from what I’m feeling with what he declared.
Bad, because now I’m stressing about how differently my body looks for our first time.
Large, ungainly boobs? Check.
Widening hips with small pockets of cellulite? Check.
Baby bump complete with stretch marks along each side? Check, check, check.
Get out of your head, my mind whispers. He wants you for you, not how you look.
“Kitten, we’re home,” he says, which pulls me out of my depressing thoughts, butterflies taking flight in my belly for an entirely different reason. “Give me a second and I’ll help you down.”
With the added weight gain, my balance is definitely off and skewed these days, something that almost caused a huge disaster last week when I went to get down from the passenger seat and wobbled so much from the shift in weight I nearly faceplanted.
If not for the ‘oh shit’ bar and Cruz practically breaking his neck to reach me before I ate dirt, it would have happened.
“Staying put until you get here,” I promise. “I don’t think you need to have to move that fast after eating dinner.”
Seems as if the last time we did this is in both of our heads because a frown mars his face before it lightens with a slight grin.
“You speak the truth, kitten,” he teases as he reaches the passenger side and helps me down.
Once I’m stable on my feet, he leans in and places a chaste kiss on my lips.
Fire immediately licks at my insides over the simple touch.
As desire courses through me, I start wondering what position is going to work best for us.
I’m sure we can finagle our way through missionary, because I want to look him in the eyes when we make love for the first time, but that might not be comfortable for the baby.
“Cruz?” I ask as we make our way up the steps and onto our porch where he unlocks the door then lets me go ahead of him. I quickly shut the alarm off, knowing he’ll rearm it later on his final walk through of the house.
“Yeah, kitten?” He surprises me when he arms the alarm ahead of schedule and when I raise my brow in question at him, he shrugs.
“We know he’s back in jail until the trial, but it’s now an ingrained habit.
Besides, we’ve got some plans that include chocolate lava cake and I might be too exhausted to do it later. ”
I roll my eyes at him even though I can’t help but start laughing. “While you check the rest of the house, I’m going to go take a shower.”
I love my baths, I really do, but I’m at the point of being a beached whale and how unsexy that would be if I had to ask Cruz for help getting out of the tub. So, a shower it is! He interrupts my thoughts when he asks, “You had a question, kitten, what was it?”
“Oh! Um… well, with this,” I say, waving my hand across my stomach, “how will it work?”
His laughter temporarily shocks me until I realize he’s not laughing at me but the situation itself.
“Mindy, while you’re in the shower, I’ll do a search to see what is comfortable for the woman during your stage of pregnancy if you want, but honestly, I kind of thought with you being in charge, you’d just be on top. ”
“Oh, I guess that could work,” I muse. I know my face is blood red, although why I’m embarrassed is beyond me. This man has seen me at my absolute worst, most vulnerable time in my life. So being embarrassed to talk about sex is kind of silly.
“Mindy?” he softly calls. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, kitten. We’ll figure out what works for us, alright?”
“Okay,” I whisper, eager to get into the shower. “I’ll uh… I’ll meet you in our room. Don’t forget to bring plenty of napkins.” When it dawns on me how it sounds, I elaborate, “for the cake.”
“Of course,” he replies, smirking at me.
He’s such a flirt sometimes, I swear!
Walking back into the bedroom after my shower, I see Cruz leaning against the headboard in nothing but a pair of cut-off sweatpants.
Every muscle in his abdomen is delineated, something that has my pulse racing.
His job is physically demanding, but he also runs regularly, and also works out with weights in the home gym he set up in the huge garage that’s attached to the farmhouse.
That was definitely a bonus to the house purchase, because there’s enough room for both of our vehicles, as well as an area for his tools and of course, the home gym.
He even put a small loveseat on that side for me so I can hang out when he’s hitting the weights.
I haven’t had the heart to tell him that I spend more time watching him than I do reading, which is why it’s been slow going on the paperback I bring with me.
“I-I’m a bit nervous,” I stutter as I make my way to the bed and crawl onto the mattress. “I feel like a beached whale and she’s not done growing, Cruz! What’s going to happen when it’s finally time for her to come? Will you need one of those lift thingies to move me around?”
He chuckles while pulling me into his arms, his hand cupping our daughter where she’s currently resting.
“We’ll figure it out, kitten. Oh, and you’re not a beached whale.
I’ve seen one of those before and you’re nowhere close to the size of the one I saw.
You’re pregnant, not fat, sweetheart. You just have a petite build, so every pound shows is all.
I don’t care how big you get as long as you and Violet are healthy, plain and simple. ”
I shrug because I’m now at my next question of the afternoon, just how are we going to make this work?
“I know, I know. It doesn’t help that either Nonna or Abuela are constantly shoving food down mine and Jolie’s throats, either.
I mean, if they were horrible cooks, it would be easy to refuse, but they’re goddesses in the kitchen! ”
“Yeah, they are. Why are you nervous, kitten?” he finally asks after I ramble off a few more inane comments. “We’ve been sleeping in the same bed for months, we’ve kissed frequently, and hold hands whenever we’re near each other.”
“Because I don’t look like I used to!” I sputter. “So how can it work when I’m so far along?”
“Funny you should mention that,” he murmurs, nuzzling my neck. “I told you that you were in control, Mindy. Like I mentioned before, I think you should ride me. To me, it seems like that’d be easier for you.”
The raspiness in his voice sends delicious shivers coursing through me as my core pulses in agreement.
“That… that could work,” I muse. “This is going to sound silly, but I wanted to be facing you for our first time together and I didn’t think the missionary position would be comfortable with the beach ball between us. ”
“I see you’ve put a lot of thought into this,” he muses, chuckling. “Well, so have I, sweetheart, and I think you being on top will prove to be great for both of us.”
I’m not sure why, but just talking about the act has me squirming and we’ve done nothing so far! “Cruz? Shut up and kiss me,” I demand.
“Your wish is my command, kitten,” he replies, curling so we’re face-to-face.
As his lips descend toward mine and finally connect, I lose myself in his touch.
There are no thoughts of that night or what happened lurking around.
No, the only thing I’m aware of is Cruz.
His touch, his scent, his gentleness. When I start wiggling, he pulls back and raises his brow as if to ask, “What do you need?”
“I need this off,” I say out loud, pulling at the sleeve of my muumuu, which is the only thing that fits at this point.
Still, they’re comfortable as all get out, and both Nonna and Abuela have a huge supply of them, so neither Jolie nor I have had to buy any.
Yet. At least the ones we have are stylish and don’t look like potato sacks.
I foresee adding these to my pajama drawer down the road.
“I want to feel your skin against mine.”
He slides his hands under the hem at the bottom and soon, I’m snuggled against him with nothing except my granny panties and his sweats separating us. I can feel his hardness against my abdomen and a giggle slips out when Violet kicks me and I see it bounce.
“I think our daughter is trying to cock block me, kitten,” he teases as he leans back in and kisses me. “Got a newsflash for her, unless you change your mind, we’re not stopping. Tell me what you want now, Mindy.”
“Will you suck my nipples, please?” He nods as his head descends again and soon, soft moans and mewls are coming out of my mouth as he alternates back and forth until both sides are throbbing in ecstasy. “God, Cruz, that feels so good,” I moan.
“I can tell, sweetheart, by how you’re grinding on my leg. You’re soaked, Mindy, absolutely drenched right now. Do you wanna ride?”
Suddenly shy, I merely nod instead of using my words.
Cruz hauls us up so he’s once again sitting against the headboard and I’m straddling his lap.
I can feel his erection pulsing against my pussy and I’m now frantic to get my underwear off.
“These have to go,” I mutter. Cruz moves my hands and then in a move that’s so smooth I’m beyond impressed, he snaps both sides and then pulls them out from between us.
“You’ve got some smooth moves there, mister,” I tease, completely uncaring that I’m naked and exposed to him. “What’s your next trick?” He grins and shimmies his hips and now I’m feeling the hot, hard length of him against my soaking core. “Will you help me mount?” I ask.
“With pleasure. Take your time, kitten, it’s not a race.”
Oh, but it is, because the months-long foreplay we’ve had going on, even though I wasn’t aware that’s what was happening, is finally going to result in what feels like a stratospheric orgasm.
As I slowly slide down his length, I realize it’s a snug fit and don’t know if it’s from the hormones or what, but I raise back up and then drop down again until I’m finally seated against his pelvis.
With my clit distended, his pubic hairs are brushing against it, sending wave after wave of pleasure through me.
“I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” he says, his hands coming out to lightly grip my hips. “Even if nothing else happens, this is worth everything to me.”
“Oh, more’s gonna happen, I promise,” I reply, leaning in to kiss him. “I may need help to keep my balance, of course, but I’m about to see if I have a future in the rodeo.”
He lightheartedly chuckles but keeps hold of my hips as I start moving up and down on him, adding his own thrusts upward until soon all that can be heard is skin slapping and my moans.
Grabbing his shoulders, I start grinding downward every time I meet the saddle of his hips, adding a little extra oomph to the sensations that have me feeling as though I’m hooked into a live, electrical wire.
When my release crashes over me, I scream as waves and waves of pleasure send every nerve ending into hyperdrive.
“Cruz, oh God, oh God,” I stammer. “Feels so damn good.”
“Yeah it does, kitten, you got another one in you?” he asks, increasing his upward thrusts.
“I don’t know!” I wail, the emotional overload making me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
I haven’t stopped moving and soon, another wave starts building. He extends his hand so his thumb can stroke my distended clit and I feel my pussy clamp down on his dick. “That’s it, sweetheart, milk my cock,” he growls as he thrusts one more time and stills.
He pulses inside of me, adding to my own wetness and now, there are squelching noises as well as our labored breathing. The sound has me giggling as I collapse in his arms, completely spent. “If I had known it would be this good, I would’ve pushed to do this sooner,” I murmur, kissing his neck.
“You weren’t ready then, kitten, and I told you months ago that I’m a patient man. Rest now, I’ve got you,” he says.
“You can’t be comfortable like this,” I mumble, my sated body sinking further into his.
“I’m fine, Mindy, just fine,” he replies, his hands stroking up and down my back. Aftershocks from two of the best orgasms of my life eventually ease and between being wholly satiated and his gentle touch, I drift off into slumberland.
Much later, as we soak in the tub, I manage to turn enough so I’m looking at him and say, “I love you, Cruz Dempsey. I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like you, but I’m never going to complain about it at all.
If what happened to me led us to this, then it was worth it to go through that hell and come out the other side.
I know I’ll probably still have moments, and I don’t know how I’ll be when the trial finally happens, but I want you to know that you and your love mean everything to me. ”
“I love you more, Mindy Dempsey. You and Violet, as well any future kids we might have, are the reason I keep pushing through all the delays on my stuff. As long as we’re together, we can face anything.”
“Together,” I reiterate. “Now, how tired are you exactly?”
His chuckles as he lifts me out of the tub and carries me to the bed ring in my ears.
Turns out, he wasn’t all that tired after all!