“Proud of you too.”
“God, we’re sickeningly cute.”
Baird chuckled and nodded in agreement.
After we parked outside his place, he rounded the vehicle to take my hand again. “You must be exhausted.”
I was definitely emotionally drained. Yet I needed something more than I needed rest.
Baird turned to me after closing the apartment door and I wound my arms around his neck, pressing the length of my body to his. “Make love to me,” I whispered.
He squeezed my hips. “Are you sure that’s what you need right now?”
“Yes. I just want to feel you. Only you.”
It had quickly become apparent over the months that Baird genuinely found it difficult to say no to me. That wasn’t something I’d ever take advantage of, so I didn’t push. I waited.
His answer was to kiss me with a tender sweetness that was always a prelude to lovemaking. Baird had tells for whatever sexy kind of mood he was in. If he wanted athletic, energetic sex, his kisses were hungry and needy. If he wanted to take his time, his kisses were softer in their passion.
We climbed upstairs to his not-private bedroom and undressed one another. He kissed me all over, paying extra attention to my clit to bring me to orgasm. Afterward, he moved up my body, and I wrapped him up in me, arms around his shoulders, legs around his waist, holding him close. Tears of relief pricked my eyes as he pushed inside me with slow, deep undulations.
Those salty tears fell at his murmured love words and my soft cries of pleasure filled his ears as he kissed the tears from my cheeks.
Looking into his eyes, seeing his love for me, feeling the beauty of his body on mine, finally allowing it to sink in that Baird McMillan loved me and would support me and protect me and alwayschooseme … it was the most beautiful moment. For the first time ever, we climaxed together, as if cementing physically the agreement that we were one now.
We spooned afterward, talking quietly about all that had happened, and all that was still to come. At some point I felt him harden against me and sighed in pleasure as he kissed my upper back as his thumb rolled between my legs over my swollen clit.
“I-I’m thinking about getting a tattoo there,” I murmured and then hissed in reaction to his touch.
Baird lifted his head. “Where?”
“On my upper back.”
“Here?” He removed his hand from between my thighs to touch the exact spot I was thinking of.
“Aye.” I glanced over my shoulder to find that he liked that idea. A lot. “Don’t get excited. I’m thinking I’ll get it once we’re finished having kids.”
He raised a questioning eyebrow.
I smiled coyly. “I was thinking your name and then our kids’ names. Three, just so you know. And the names will make the shape of a heart.”
“Three kids?” Baird’s grin was big and beaming and my heart melted.
“What do you think?”
He smoothed a hand over my hip as he guided himselfto my entrance. His voice was rough as he replied, “I’m thinking why stop at three?”
My answering laughter cut off on a gasp as Baird pushed inside me. His lovemaking this time was harder, a little rougher, as he filled my ears with vows of love that drove me toward the peak.
As I shattered around him and felt him release inside me, his heavy weight pushing against my back as he gave me everything, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that my future included a heart tattoo and a love beyond measure.
A love that grew from friendship into something deep, abiding, and filled with respect and kindness. That it just so happened to come with this kind of passion made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
All my life I’d been looking for a place where I could be fullyme, and I could curse myself for not realizing sooner that my place was Baird McMillan’s heart.
I knew now, though.
And I was never, ever going to forget it or take it for granted or let a day go by when he didn’t know my heart was that place for him too.
