“Ha. Will you say that when I’m big as a house?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, he could see her wince and bite her lip. To hide his own reaction, he bent his head to kiss her tummy again, whispering, “You’ll always be gorgeous to me, no matter what.”
Even big as a house. Even if I won’t be here to see it.
Her fingers drifted along his jaw, the breath she blew out a little shaky. “I need you. Please, Geo.”
Oh, God, he needed her, too. So much he ached with it, an ache that went far beyond the physical. It was a need to belong to her, an unfamiliar longing that welled up from deep inside him and flooded him with a combination of joy and pain.
“I’m here, darlin’,” he murmured, kissing her gently. “I’m all yours.”
Fumbling in the side table for a condom, Geo rolled it on, then notched himself at her entrance and started a slow rock, a raspy groan breaking from him when she pulled her knees back to let him inside. Inch by inch he filled her, his lips never leaving hers.
His first strokes into her were careful, unhurried, almost languid. Lani moved with him, lifting her hips to meet him, one hand on his nape, the other riding the motion of his flexing back.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he let the sensations wash over him, determined to commit them to memory. He nuzzled her neck, groaning when she raked her nails lightly across his shoulders, her silky thighs hugging his ribs.
“Geo,” she breathed. “You feel so fucking good.”
He wanted it to last forever, but all too soon his body took over, clamoring for release. Sliding his hands under her to change the angle, he buried himself to the hilt and pulsed his hips, rubbing against her clit. With a shuddering cry, she arched her back, knees falling wide. Alternating short, hard pumps of his cock with long, deep strokes, he growled low in his throat when at last she spasmed around him, her body milking his.
Helpless against it, he threw his head back and let go with a low moan, pleasure sweeping over him in wave after shivery wave. When it was over, she drew him down against her and wrapped him up tightly, so close he could feel the pounding of her heart.
Geo kissed her shoulder, her neck, and finally her lips, his tongue caressing hers as their breathing slowed. He slid from the bed to take care of the condom and practically ran back to where she held the covers up for him, giggling at his exaggerated shivers and squealing when he tucked his cold feet next to hers.
With a sigh, she spooned back against him and was soon asleep, while he lay and listened to her breathe, relishing the closeness. His hand crept down to cradle her belly, and in the haze between waking and sleeping, a sudden fantasy sprang to life—the fantasy that they both were his. His to cherish, to protect, to come home to...
To love.
I guess I don’t have to worry about falling for you anymore, sweetheart.
The truth settled in his chest with an unexpected warmth that brought a huge lump to his throat.
Because it was too late. He already had.
Chapter Eighteen
Lani had never felt so decadent in her life.
Her body throbbed, her nipples so deliciously sore they tingled, and if she moved just right, she could still feel the echoes of Geo deep inside her. Squirming in her chair, she watched him fork up huge bites of lasagna.
“What do you think?” she asked anxiously. “Good?”
He swallowed, put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I think lasagna for breakfast is the best idea anyone’s ever had.”
She rolled her eyes. “It is underrated as a breakfast food, but how does it taste?”
Pronouncing it delicious, Geo carried his empty plate to the sink. As he washed it, he glanced over at her. “This is what you’re taking to your group?”
“Yep. You’ve just been my lasagna guinea pig.”
Unable to resist him in all his shirtless glory, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his bare shoulder. “We’re eating at noon, and the meeting itself will start at 12:30.”
She could feel him tense, but he didn’t try to pull away. At last he blew out a breath. “Where is it?”
“Coronado.” Reluctantly letting him go, she pulled out her phone and texted him the address. Then she propped her hips against the counter. “No pressure,” she said quietly. “I’m gonna go early and help set up. If you make it, great. If not, that’s okay, too.”
His shoulders slumped in relief as her meaning sunk in, that she was leaving it up to him. No begging, no pleading, no riding together, nothing that could smack of coercion at all.
Leaning over, Geo gave her a short, hard kiss, then headed toward the bedroom, reappearing several minutes later pulling a T-shirt over his head. “Gonna go run a few errands,” he said noncommittally.
After the door had closed behind him, she sank into a chair at the kitchen table and buried her face in her hands.
Please, God. Please let me be doing the right thing.
A furtive twist of guilt went through her, one that she quickly banished. Yeah, sleeping with him might not have been the wisest course of action, but goddamn, what a night. Three times they’d made love, three glorious times that’d left her limp with satisfaction, the last one right as the sunrise started peeking through the blinds.
She shivered at the memory of his sleepy kisses, lazy hands and languid thrusts from behind, her top knee hooked over his forearm. They’d showered together before heading into the kitchen for their unconventional breakfast, Geo declaring himself famished.
“No wonder,” she’d teased him. “Good sex is hard work!”
He’d pulled her into his lap and kissed her thoroughly in agreement before letting her go.
Sighing, her lips still tingling, she pushed to her feet and padded into the bedroom to strip the sheets and tidy up, only to stop short in the doorway with a gasp. “Oh, my God!”
He’d already stripped the bed and remade it with crisp, perfect corners. Their scattered clothes had been picked up and stuffed in the hamper, the bathroom sink wiped down, wet towels hung neatly back up.
Lani clasped her hands to her chest and spun around in a circle before sinking to sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re a keeper for sure,” she said aloud to the empty room. “Husband material, boyfriend material...”
A pang shot though her. He might be a keeper, all right, but she couldn’t keep him. So what if he was a dishes whiz, a good listener and a generous and considerate lover? So what if she’d woken in the night to find him splaying his palm low on her belly, as if hoping to feel the baby move?
The pang morphed into an ache so sharp that tears sprang to her eyes. No, she couldn’t keep him. Not as long as he was a SEAL.