Game Plan (31 page)

“Ow, crap, shit…” Stars rattled in her head as she grabbed it.

Mason’s head flew up at the racket. “What the hell happened?”

“Not an orgasm.” She cringed and stroked the area of her head that’d bounced off the glass. Dammit, there was actually a goose egg. “What are you smirking at?”

“You. How cute you are when your clumsy kicks in.” He nodded at the window. “And the neighbors are looking.”

“What?” Instinctively, she wrapped an arm across her chest. Not that anyone could see her through the tinted glass. “Nobody’s out there.”

“Yeah, I know. Bet you’re disappointed.” He winked while carefully unfolding her from her somewhat jackknifed position. “So you just—fell into the window?”

“It was your fault. I probably have a concussion.”

“Guess I’ll have to keep you awake and alert the rest of the night.”

“I think that’s a myth.”

“Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

A thoroughly unfeminine snort snuck out. “You’re an animal doctor, Dr. Lang.”

“And you,” he said, scooping her up into his arms, “are my favorite animal.”

“Because I’m a cougar?”

“I was thinking vixen.” Squishy pillows cradled her as he set her on the bed. “Either way, you’re mine.” A kiss teased her bottom lip. “Mine to take care of.” Each nipple got a turn under his mouth. “Mine to worship.” His tongue took the direct route back to the land of unfinished business. “Mine…to…keep,” he said, each word separated by a long, sensual lick.

Her legs trembled. Every second, every action, pushed her closer to release. Lick, vibrate, suckle…shuffle and repeat. A hot, swirling ache tugged at her clit. She clutched his head, desperately needing—

“That…oh god…” His fingers moved inside her, stroking the magic spot only he knew how to find. His tongue bore hard and fast on her clit. A thousand stars flashed behind her eyelids. Release hit her like a wave, subsided, then surged again. She rocked against his face, panting and moaning, coming until she couldn’t breathe. Until she was a quivering pile of satisfied, as he’d guaranteed.

His kiss had the spicy-sweet taste of sex. Half of it, anyway. “Now you’re mine to play with however I want.”

“Mmm.” A quick flip onto her stomach and she rolled up to her knees, wiggling her butt side-to-side. Taunting the bull. “What’re you going to do to me?”

The bull’s nostrils flared. He slid two fingers inside. Dragged the lubed fingers upward, teased the rim of her ass while whispering in her ear. “I prefer showing to telling. Let me grab the condoms.”

“We don’t need them.”

“Did you go on the Pill?” He crouched beside the bed, facing her, stroking her hair. “Oh, shit. Babe, from before, are you…?”

Nerves jumbled into a ball in her throat. “No.” She breathed as deeply as she could, tried to keep her voice from cracking. “I’m fine. Trust me.”

The clock on the dresser ticked off the seconds of silence. The comforter crinkled as Mason shifted his weight alongside. His eyes flitted to the bathroom door, then returned to her face. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I am that I, um, love you.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Way to botch what should be a memorable, romantic moment. “Which is very sure.” She had to be red as a tomato, her cheeks were so hot. “Wow, that really sucked.”

“It worked for me.” He stood, pushed his boxer briefs off with one hand. Six feet two inches of male perfection stared her in the face.

Up and down, she soaked in the spectacular sight. Top to bottom, outside and in, she loved it all. His eyes and smile, his muscles, his cock. His intelligence, sense of humor and warmth. Even the insecure parts that made him act like a stupid ass. She loved every bit of him.

“I need you. Now,” she said, the words raw, half-choked.

He moved alongside her, shifting her position to face-to-face. He blanketed her with his body, tickling her neck with the soft brush of his lips. “You have me. Now and always.”

“Even when I’m old and wrinkly?”

“Yeah, even then.”

“Hey…you’re supposed to say I’ll never be old and wrinkly.” She wiggled, the action having zero effect other than to land his cock in a better position. The smallest shift and he’d be inside her.

“If I have my way, babe, I’ll be old and wrinkly at your side.”

“You
are
smooth.”

“Except when I’m rough.” His teeth scraped her neck, making her shiver. He rocked forward, teasing her with the head of his cock, sliding it in and out.

A nervous ball formed in her throat. She needed to tell him now, before they committed to this and couldn’t put on the brakes. “What about when I’m swollen and fat…with your baby.”

Every inch of his body tensed against her. He rolled her to her back in a blink, stared down, boring into her with intense eyes. “Are you pregnant?”

“No, but I want to be.”

“Babe, I want that too. Fuck, I’ve pictured it plenty of times, but it’s not worth the physical risk to you, or the heartbreak. There are other ways. We don’t need to mix DNA to have a family.”

He couldn’t have said anything more perfect.

“The problems I had before…weren’t mine. They were his.” Telling twisted at her gut. Like a betrayal, as though she was blaming Scott for something beyond his control. Wrong or right, it was also a huge relief. “I’m fully capable of carrying a child to term without issue, just not his.”

Understanding flashed in Mason’s eyes. “Dylan?”

“Isn’t Scott’s.”

“Does he know?”

“We chose the donor together, one with the closest physical attributes. But Dylan doesn’t know—he may never. Nobody else knows, either. Not family members, not close friends. Only the medical staff, Scott, me, and now…you.”

“Fuck, that’s…”

“Too much?”

“No, babe. Not even close.” His palms were warm and assuring, cradling her face. “Thank you for trusting me.” He kissed her, sweetness laced with spicier intent. A slow roll of his hips brought his cock tight to her body. A knock on the door, waiting for an answer. “Are you sure about this? We have time, I’m not going anywhere, I promise you.”

She hooked her legs around his back, her arms around his neck, and pulled him in. He settled there, buried as deeply as possible. Solid against her. Filling her, body and soul.

Soft, teasing sweeps of his lips brushed hers. He moved inside her, the strokes long and slow. A rhythmic dance with a grind at the end of each pass. Every touch tugged at her heart…a little too much.

“Mason,” she said, wrangling enough space to look at his whole face. “Fuck me.”

He stopped mid-thrust, eyebrows drawing together at her request. “Uh, I am…or was, before the inadequacy set in.”

“When I’m eighty years old with brittle bones and a bum hip, this’ll be perfect. Right now…” She raked her nails down his back and clamped on to his perfect, firm butt. “I want the totally hot man that I love to fuck me.”

A sexy grin slid into place. “I’m never gonna get tired of hearing that.”

“Good, because I kind of like saying it.”

“Say it again.”

“You’re totally hot.”

The bed shook as he laughed until he collapsed on top of her, lips pressed just below her ear. “I love you too, babe.”

Epilogue

Today they parked in the spot that’d been saved in the driveway, instead of on the lawn. Mason had her door open before she’d freed herself from the clutches of the seatbelt.

“Ready to party with the Lang clan?”

“Not really,” she said as she took his hand. The gesture had become utilitarian as much as romantic, because lord knew she needed help getting in and out of the truck these days.

“If it gets awful, just think about what I’m going to do to you later.”

The grumpiness lifted a bit. She loved this little déjà-vu dance they did whenever they came to his parents’ house. “Give me a clue.”

“It involves oil.”

“Sounds slippery.” She smiled, in vain as it was. They’d never get to the action tonight. Poor Mason. The fatigue was killing their sex life. She’d be asleep before he popped the top on the bottle.

“Your sore feet will be having foot-gasms by the time I’m done.”

He meant a foot massage, not sex? She hugged him as tight as physically possible. “Now I’m sure I love you.”

“Good thing, because that ring is non-refundable.”

“Neither is this,” she said, rubbing the watermelon-size bump responsible for her growing list of aches and pains. “Oh…somebody’s awake.”

Mason’s hand joined hers on the top of her stomach. Some random baby part rolled under their palms. Together they watched, amazed.

The beautiful, straight-baguette-cut ruby on her left hand glinted in the late-August sunshine. Mason had bought it in secret at the estate auction of a couple married over fifty years. On his knees at the ballpark this spring, he’d proposed they give the ring another half century of happily ever after. She’d cried then, and dammit, the tears were coming again. She’d be blotchy as well as bloated for the party. Great.

A soft sweep of his hand brushed the moisture from her cheek. “Hormones getting you again, babe?”

“No.” The most incredible eyes smiled down at her. “Maybe.”

“Go wait in the truck. I’ll tell everybody you’re not feeling well, grab Dylan and we’ll all go home.”

And deprive Mason of this special occasion…not a chance. “It’s okay, I’m good.” She dabbed at her eyes and nose with the tissue he produced. Her man—always prepared, from condoms to snot rags. Next it’d be baby wipes. “Let’s go get showered.”

Mason held the squeaky gate as she waddled through it. The Lang’s backyard was as crowded as it had been for their annual Canada Day bash, which had also been Mason’s thirty-first birthday party. Pink and blue decorations replaced last month’s red and white. Mary and Katie had gone even wilder for this event, tying balloons to every conceivable item. There had to be hundreds of them. Streamers ran from the deck to the trees. A mountain of gifts sat on a large table.

The best present, though…everybody they cared about was here to celebrate with them. Both sets of parents, Katie and Logan, Lasha, Dylan, dozens more of assorted family and friends. And all of them were smiling.

“This is…incredible. The baby is so lucky to have all these people in his life.”

“Or her life.” Mason firmly believed they were having a girl. His gut feeling since the day she’d skipped her period thirty-seven weeks ago. “I wish she’d hurry up and get here.”

“Me too. I have three weeks left, but I don’t think I can stand being pregnant one more day.”

“Then let’s find you a place to sit and be pregnant, beautiful mama.”

No point in arguing the beautiful comment, so she rolled her eyes and accepted it in the spirit he’d given it. Katie waved them toward a hard-back chair brought out from the kitchen, bless her. Halfway to the target, Andie froze.

“Oh my god.” She yanked on Mason’s arm. “I think my water broke.”

His eyes dropped to the deck, then back to her face. “Maybe you peed.”

“All over your parents’ deck, in front of almost everybody we know?” Another gush of fluid escaped involuntarily, adding to the now-obvious puddle around her practical, flat-soled sandals.

“Okay, maybe not.”

“Oh…contraction.” Thirteen years since her last one, but suddenly she remembered it as if it were yesterday. And that memory scared the crap out of her. “I can’t do this—I’m not ready.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll send Lasha to the house for your bag. Katie and Logan are set to take care of the animals. Dylan can come to the hospital with us now, or stay with the family until later. It’s under control, babe.”

“It’s under control? It’s under
control
?
”
Everyone was looking. At the crazed expression on her face and her hand digging into Mason’s arm. At his beaming smile. “Sometime in the next twenty-four hours, I’m going to pass the equivalent of a ten-pin bowling ball through my vagina, and you’re telling me not to worry, that it’s under control?”

“You’re early, she might not be ten pounds…” He ducked as she swung, then caught her when she nearly toppled, pulling her close enough to tickle her lips with his words. “As soon as you’ve got your center of gravity back, you can deck me. Hard as you want, to give me a share of your pain.”

“You know I won’t.”

“You know I’d take all your pain if I could.”

“You already have—I’ve never been happier.” Dammit, the tears were back.

“Get a room!” somebody called, bursting their private bubble while eliciting a laugh from the party-goers.

Pride boomed in Mason’s voice as he addressed the group. “We will…a hospital room. Baby is on the way.”

Family and close friends scuttled around them. Helping, or trying to help, but mostly adding to Andie’s building anxiety. Contraction number three hit as soon as she’d been loaded into the truck on a pile of Mary’s old towels. Nothing the breathing exercises couldn’t handle. She hugged her parents and blew a kiss to Dylan, who was following with Lasha, then gave the thumbs up to the man of her dreams.

“Ready?”

“I kind of have to be at this point,” she said, drumming her fingers on the rock-hard mound of outbound baby. “What about you…are you really ready for all of this?”

“I’ve been ready for this day for a long time.”

True words. Mason had wanted a family six years ago when his then-fiancée got an abortion behind his back. Even with the overactive pregnancy hormones, no pang of insecurity popped up. With his looks, personality, skills in the bedroom…he could’ve had a handful of kids by now if he’d wanted. By some miracle, fate had saved him for her. Didn’t mean she couldn’t tease him, though.

She knitted her eyebrows together and tried not to smile. “Are you using me for my womb?”

“Hell yes. Every other part of your body too.”

“Some of my parts have been missing you like crazy.” Sex had become pretty limited in the past couple months. Especially by their standards.

His hand found hers and dragged it to his lips. “Yeah? Well I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with those parts.”

If she weren’t as wide as a side-split and spewing amniotic fluid, the sexy words and matching kiss would have had her libido thumping. “It’s going to be a while before we can do…all of our regular stuff.”