“Wow,” she breathes.
The other three dresses are just as pretty. As she rubs the material, I wonder how soft it is. I already know that I’ll be rubbing my hand along it after it settles over her bump.
When the tears start falling, I rush toward her. My hands hover over her shoulders and arms, unsure if I should touch her or not. “I’m okay,” she sobs. “I think this is the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten. And it’s from someone I’ve never even met.”
My heart fucking shatters with her words.
I hope I can keep my mouth shut when we go to her house to get her stuff. The people she calls parents should be put in their place. I’m probably not the ideal person to do it, but I’m sure as fuck not going to stand on the sidelines and allow her to be mistreated.
Never fucking again.
She deserves so much more than what she’s been given.
“Please tell her thank you for me,” she pleads with me. She swallows hard and brushes a tear from her cheek before clutching the dresses to her chest. “It feels strange to wear something made for my bump instead of wearing things to hide it.”
I’m no longer unsure if I should touch her. My arms wrap around her and pull her against my chest. She sighs against me like she’s been waiting for me to hold her. We don’t fit together quite the way we did before, but having her bump between us while knowing it’s only going to grow bigger makes me want her even more.
As if I needed any help in that department.
“You should never hide your bump. It’s beautiful,” my voice is gruff.
When she shoots me a look like I’m being ridiculous, I turn her in my arms, grip her hips, and pull her back against me so she can feel exactly what she does to me. I lean in and run the tip of my nose along the column of her neck before nipping at her earlobe.
“You were sexy as fuck the night I met you, Sweetheart, but seeing you like this,” I reach around her and rest my hand on the bump, “is a whole new level of tempting.”
She mewls and presses her perfect fucking ass back against the hard ridge of my cock. I groan, the sound low and long, against her neck. I have to press my forehead against her shoulder and take a few breaths to keep my shit together.
I don’t want to rush this, but with her ass pressed against me as my cock begs to be buried deep inside her tight, wet heat, it’s not easy to stop myself.
“I’ve heard pregnancy hormones can make a woman super horny,” I murmur against her neck loving the way she shivers in my arms.
“You heard right,” she moans.
I chuckle, the sound coming from deep in my chest. “I, uh, haven’t been with anyone since you,” I admit and feel my face heat. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you, but I feel like you should know.”
She turns in my arms and looks up at me with her disarming dark blue eyes. “I haven’t been with anyone since you either,” she whispers. “I kind of surprised myself that night. While I had been with people before, one-night stands aren’t really something I do. Somehow,” she eyes me like she’s trying to figure out one of the universe’s biggest mysteries, “with you, I couldn’t help myself.”
My mouth twitches and I kiss her forehead even though I desperately want to devour her mouth. “You should get dressed so we can go and get your stuff. There’s no reason to wait.”
She nods but doesn’t step away immediately. Instead, she presses her face against my chest and takes a deep breath. “When is your first appointment today?”
“I don’t have any,” I tell her. Her eyebrows are pulled together in question as she props her chin on my chest and looks up at me. “Dallas texted me and let me know she rescheduled everything I had on my calendar for today. Wyatt said he’ll be bringing by some dinner for us tonight and told me not to worry about the shop and worry about you and the baby.”
Avery’s eyes go soft. “You’re a lucky man to have people who care about you like that, Bridger,” there’s a longing in her voice and my chest feels tighter than it should.
I motion toward the bed where the basket of goodies is still sitting, now disheveled after she went through it. “It’s not just me, Sweetheart.”
“Yeah,” her voice is thick with emotion, “it’s starting to sink in.”
Good.
She deserves to have people who have her back. Even though I’m not looking forward to taking her back to her parent’s house, I can only hope no one is there to give her any shit. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep myself in check if anyone fucks with her.
There’s a light in Avery that should be cherished and I’m starting to think I’m just the man to do it; maybe. She deserves it. Hell, she deserves so much more too. Hopefully, I can rise to the challenge.
I’ve never really had to before.
CHAPTER 12
