I jumped at the sound of his voice behind me, whirling around to face him. “You,” I breathed, suddenly speechless. The thought he’d put into this and the fact that he remembered my story about the fort made my heart skip a beat. My pulse raced as he inched toward me, a soft smile on his beautiful lips. He wore low-riding sweatpants and mothing else, and he smelled like him—like leather and fruit.Perfect.
“I figured it was high time you had your fort,” he said.
Once he was within arm’s reach, I smoothed my hands over his chest and stepped up on the tips of my toes and kissed him. “You have outdone yourself.”
He trailed soft kisses up my jawline to my ear. “Oh, I’m not done yet,” he murmured against my ear. “I have a whole night of treats planned, starting with a hot bath.”
I beamed up at him, pushing his sweatpants down and squeezing his dick. “Only if you join me.”
Turning me around, he unzipped my dress and peeled if off. “Whatever you want. This is your night.”
Preston didn’t make me wait for my orgasm though. He dropped to his knees and sucked my clit into his mouth right there. The feel of his tongue against me, the sound of his low hum as he tasted me made me want to cry it was so good. I braced myself as he took me higher and higher until I shattered, screaming out my release. He scooped me in his arms and carried me to the bathroom.
After my second orgasm, we finally settled into my fort—naked. With my back to his chest, we just lay there. No words, just us enjoying the moment and each other. It was the quiet times like this for me, the way he seemed to know what I was thinking, the way we communicated with our eyes and our hands and our lips. I fell a little more in love with him every time he kissed me, every time we made love. And I knew it would always be this way with him.
I lifted my head and brushed my lips over his. “This is amazing.”
“It’s yours.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m yours.”
I smiled. “You’re too good to me.” I snuggled into him.
He entwined his fingers with mine, kissed the top of my head. “When I was a kid, I told myself that I would never let myself love someone. I didn’t realize that love didn’t always come with pain and regret.”
Ms. Kenya had made valiant strides since her stint in rehab. She’d recently celebrated being sober for sixty days. Although Preston had been pleased with his mother’s progress, I knew he’d still struggled with the resentment he felt for her and the things she’d done.
“I didn’t know love could transform, set free. That’s what you’ve done for me, baby. You gave the dead parts of me new life,” he whispered. “You make me better.”
Turning back to him, I wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re going to make me cry.”
“Too late.” He wiped a tear I didn’t know had fallen off my cheek. “But it’s okay. I still love you, crybaby.”
I chuckled. “Stop. I’m just super emotional. It’s this baby.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
When I saw the first positive pregnancy test earlier, I passed out on the floor of my office. Luckily, Blake was standing there because she’d thrown a pillow down to cushion my fall before I hit the ground. After I made her buy another test, and that one came back positive too, I figured that was enough proof to actually say the words I’d been hesitant to think before I had proof. “I’m pregnant,” I said. “I just found out today. I was going to tell you as soon as I walked in the door, but you distracted me with all of this—and those orgasms.”
Preston chuckled, rubbing my stomach with his fingertips. “Straight up?” He met my gaze. “You’re sure?”
I nodded, biting down on my lower lip. “Are you happy?” We’d talked about having kids, but it was always an in-the-future type of discussion. Not a right-now thing. Of course, we weren’t thinking about that the few times we’d had sex without protection.
He cupped my face in his palms and placed the sweetest kiss to my mouth. And again, the tears spilled over my cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumbs. “I’m more than happy.” He kissed both my cheeks, then my lips again. “Are you?”
Hell nowas my initial reaction. But I’d slowly warmed to the idea of having a baby. And this fort? It had cemented thathewas the only man I’d risk having stretch marks and labor pains for, even though the thought still freaked me out. “I am. I just don’t want to puke. I hate throwing up.”
“I’ll be there every minute of this pregnancy.”
I never had any doubt that he would. “I know. That’s why I love you.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I placed my forefinger against his lips. “Before you say anything, do not propose. We’re not that corny.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I do know who I’m in love with, Dallas. I wasn’t going to do that to you.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”
He pulled me into an embrace. “I was just going to tell you that you’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been. I love you.”
I pulled back and ran my fingers over his cheeks. I stared at him, in awe of how things had changed from a year ago. I never imagined this turn of events—from bathroom sex to a fake relationship for business’ sake to everlasting love. And I couldn’t wait to experience forever with him. “I love you too.”
Epilogue
