“I’m married, Dad,” she sighed.
“So I see,” he replied gruffly, glancing at her husband before returning his focus. “You couldn’t have chosen better.”
Before she could pull out of his arms to hug her mother and brother, he added, “It’s hard to let you go.”
Gray gave him a strange look. “Why would you ever let me go, Dad? I never plan on letting you go.”
The women in his life never ceased to surprise him. He could only nod at Gray’s announcement as she was pulled into her mother’s arms.
Family was a wonder. It was tears and laughter, heartbreak and healing, and everything in between.
fifty-three
CIAR
Anders’solicitor stood silently by the large center island in his and Gray’s kitchen. He was the same man who had overseen Ciar’s adoption of Imogen. Now, he was handing a pen to his wife—he got a thrill each time he thought of Gray as his wife—to sign her adoption papers.
No matter what it cost, Gray was adamant that she wanted to adopt Imogen before their son was born. It was a good thing because their family didn’t think Gray would make it another week, let alone almost three.
Gray’s brother called her huge every time he saw her, to which Gray pretended to be offended. Ciar didn’t have any siblings, so who was he to judge? In reality, she looked like she had a flesh-colored basketball over her lower stomach.
Her friends said she only looked about six months gone. He’d only been around one pregnant woman before, and Marie was shorter than Gray and had gotten much rounder.
Today was merely a formality. No one could deny that Gray was Imogen’s mother with or without the court’s consent. She loved their baby girl fiercely.
Gray was reading over the document, but must have felt his eyes on her, because she glanced his way, the pen hovering over the page. He knew what she saw. Need, lust, want, love. What she couldn’t see was that Ciar planned to strip her bare and stand her naked before the tall living room windows and take her from behind while her breath fogged up the glass the minute they were alone.
Gray blushed, and she bit her lip as she returned to the document. Satisfied, she signed her name and pushed the papers across the counter.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Murphy,” the solicitor offered while repacking his bag. “I’ll get this filed with the court immediately.”
Ciar rounded the counter to walk the man out, but when Gray started to follow, he whispered in her ear as he passed. “No. I’ll go. I want you naked and standing by that bank of windows before I get back.”
“Ciar—”
She began to protest, still modest about her body. He was having none of that. “I need you,” he growled. “Do what I say, baby.”
Ciar gritted his teeth when Mr. Lenton became chatty all of a sudden, deciding right then was the perfect moment to discuss some business contracts he’d be filing soon for one of Ciar’s clients.
Picturing Gray naked with sunlight highlighting her perfect body, he jumped in when Lenton paused to take a breath. “Email me when you get back to your office, and I’ll look them over.” One more handshake and a nudge out the door, and finally, he had Gray to himself.
Tina and Imogen were visiting his dad and Aunt Alya at Murphy’s Pub. He glanced at his watch and smiled. They had one hour until mommy-daddy duty resumed, and he planned on using every minute.
He fully expected to round the corner and find Gray still standing in the kitchen, but his eyes were drawn to the stunning woman standing in the waning sunbeams at the window, back turned toward him.
His mouth went dry, and his dick went hard at the vision. Her beautiful back was partially covered by the golden waves of her hair, and her perfect ass and long legs brought saliva rushing back to his mouth.
She heard him approach and slowly turned. He stopped two steps before her. “You are so beautiful, Gray. So beautiful, you take my breath.” She only blinked, her eyes hooded. Lucky for him, pregnancy made his wife insatiable, but he was up to the challenge of satisfying her needs.
He grinned, slowly stripping out of his clothes, revealing his body to her voracious stare until he was as naked as she was. Stepping closer, he lightly traced her lips, which parted on a gasp, then dragged a fingertip down her chin to her throat. Her collarbones were delicate and lovely, so he traced those too.
Her breasts were heavier and fuller since pregnancy, mouthwateringly so. He dipped his finger down the center of her chest, brushing against the sides of her breasts, drawing circles around each globe but staying just outside her areolas.
Soon, Gray’s nipples were stiff peaks, and her breaths were coming in short pants. “Ciar,” she begged.
Usually, he would draw out the anticipation, but his need was hers tenfold. He flicked and rolled one peak while laving the other with his hot tongue. Gray grasped his head and held him in place, moaning and begging for more. Her hips were bucking, and she’d found purchase for her center against his thigh that he’d pressed between her legs.
As Ciar sucked and played at her chest, he backed his leg away and slipped his fingers over her sex, gauging how ready shewas, whether she could take him. He was hard and leaking, and so turned on his eyes could barely focus.
