Hard: A Step-Brother Romance (24 page)

BOOK: Hard: A Step-Brother Romance
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I
smoothed the comforter around us as Zach crashed, the instructions for a tricky
mobile still clutched in his hand. The little woodland creatures that belonged
over the crib scattered across the room. Defeat never looked so cute.

He
tossed an arm over his eyes. “I’ll finish it in the morning. Or I’ll pay
someone to do it for me. That fucking mobile is harder to crack than the crib.”

I
snuggled against him. “I think it’s great you’re trying to build it all.”

“I
can strip and assemble a rifle in a minute. Can’t figure out baby equipment.”

“You
love it.”

He couldn’t
hide the dimples. “So do you.”

I bit
my lip. The folded envelope rested on the nightstand. Inside, a card from my
doctor with the results of the day’s sonogram. I managed to ignore it all day,
but I cuddled next to Zach, and the baby heard his voice. The little butterfly
flutter punted me from the inside. I stared at the sealed card.

“Are
you sure you don’t want to know if it’s a girl or boy?” I asked.

“Thought
we wanted it to be a surprise?”

I thought
a lot of things over the past few months. I thought of how lucky it was that Zach
rested beside me. How amazing it felt to have him there for late night ice-cream
and soft pretzel runs. How awesome it was that I found a charity that shared my
goals.

I was
blessed with both a baby and Zach. Our family grew every day, healthy and
together.

But
sweet Mary and Joseph I wanted to know who the little trooper was kicking in my
belly. I couldn’t wait three whole months.

I
reached over Zach. He stole my arm and kissed it before I swiped the envelope.

“Nope,”
he said. “You ordered me to stop you.”

“I
also told you to leave the estate and get out of my life forever.”

He
grinned, motioning as if to get out of bed. “A promise is a promise.”

“No!”
I giggled, pulling him to me. “Don’t you dare. A girl can change her mind.”

And
thank goodness I did.

Zach
gave me a scolding glance before he kissed me.

“You
wanted.” His lips moved from mine to the delicate angle of my chin. “To keep
it.” I bent my head back as he gently sucked at my throat. “A surprise.”

Oh,
the things he did to me…most notably the bump in my belly. The baby was nowhere
near done cooking, but the swelling excited both of us. Zach’s hand rubbed over
my tummy, but his lips and teeth nipped at my teddy for another reason
entirely.

I
grinned as he tugged the lace away, kissing my dark, satin skin with an
unrivaled devotion. I settled into the pillows as he rose over me. After a long
day of doctor’s visits and charity work, stopping at the gym to check on the
underprivileged, teenaged military hopefuls Zach trained, and then
unsuccessfully constructing more equipment than a baby could ever use, I was
ready for a little R&R.

Besides,
my body became so sensitive since entering the second trimester. I practically
trembled so near Zach. My nipples darkened, hardened, and teased. My curves
softened, my belly swelled, and the crest between my legs wetted for any
attention from my husband-to-be.

Zach
knew what I wanted. He drew a nipple into his mouth. He suckled hard just to
watch the goose bumps tickle over my skin. Every quick dip of his tongue zipped
a spark of pure electricity through me. It clenched me from the inside out. I
arched, but my belly knocked into his chin. He grinned.

“Liking
that?” he asked.

“Don’t
tease.”

“I’m
not teasing. I’m savoring.”

I
tapped my belly. “Savoring is what got me into this predicament in the first
place.”

“I
should have done it sooner.”

I
laughed as he kissed a path over my tummy. He whispered a gentle word to the
baby before edging down lower and lower. I squirmed into the mattress, ready to
explode before he even touched me.

Nothing
was better than this.

I
ran my fingers through his hair, stilling over the few places where the scars
of his surgeries still showed through. Zach didn’t like dwelling on the
injuries. He quickly distracted me with a single lick to my aching, slickening
slit.

I couldn’t
move as quickly anymore, but he liked that. Easier for me to stay in one place for
him to torment and delight. I groaned as his tongue danced over my most
delicate areas, growing more and more sensitive as the days progressed. Every
flick and kiss dazzled me with promised pleasure.

I
hoped it would always be like this. Us. Together. In love. Enjoying each
other’s bodies, relying on each other’s strength, eagerly waiting the start of
our family.

It was
perfect. Heaven. A fairy tale.

And
it was mine.

Every
single one of Zach’s kisses, and every time he drew me to that perfect peak.

We were
together—kissing, embracing, delivering the other as much pleasure as we could
handle.

“More…”

I
whimpered against Zach’s mouth. I didn’t want his tongue. I needed
him
.
I craved a closeness only he could sate, and Zach never denied me—not while I
carried his child and not while he promised how we belonged to the other.

He
sealed his lips over my clit, chuckling as my body wetted for more of his
skilled touch. He moved away, and I murmured a quick protest.  

“Make
up your mind,” he teased.

“Make
love to me.”

“I’m
ready to serve, ma’am.”

He
snuggled beside me, spooning our bodies as the swell in my tummy was getting a
little too big for our normal play. His cock pressed against my back—the same
way I remembered from the first night we stole away to a bed.

Hard
.

He was
always hard.

But
I knew so much more about him now. Inside, he was a soft, perfect teddy bear. A
devoted lover. A man so eager to be a father it surprised me each time he brought
home a new toy, another camo onesie, a gadget the child wouldn’t be able to use
for ten years. He loved the baby as much as he loved me.

And
that was more than I ever imagined anyone could be loved.

It
never ceased to amaze me.

I
welcomed him inside me, each aching inch hotter and thicker than the last. He
held me, breathing soft words of love and stark profanity that delighted me as
much as his hot length. He bottomed out, and every teased nerve in my body lit
as his arms circled around my breasts and under my bump. He drew me close,
kissed my cheek, and thrust in and out of my wetness with such confidence it
replaced my breath with a steady whimper of pleasure.

This
was more than love. This was pure need. The connection both of us craved and
the union we never thought we’d find. I loved Zach more than I dared to speak,
but he knew. Despite every fear and hesitation I once had, he understood me. I
trusted him. I wanted him. And with the sparkling diamond on my finger, baby in
my tummy, and beautiful words whispered into my ear, I had him.

And
he had me.

Nothing
would ever come between us again.

The
pleasure rocked me. I groaned, squeezing his hand as his strokes quickened. I
held him tight as he thrust completely within me, burying his cock as jet after
jet of his seed coated me in warmth, protection, and desire. My peak followed.
I moaned and welcomed the crashing bliss of his heat, his size, and his
comforting arms.

Protective.

Loving.

Absolutely
the only thing I needed in the world.

…Aside
from the sealed envelope.

I
rode the clenching aftershocks and smiled as he pulled from me. He didn’t go
far. He grabbed the envelope and kissed me.

“You
sure?”

I
nodded.


Really
sure?”

I
nodded again.

“Cause
if it isn’t what you wanted, we can always make another one.” He grinned. “As
many as you like.”

“Open
the damn envelope.”

Zach
ripped through the paper with a playful glee. I reached for it, but he pulled
it away, gazing over the words. His eyes flashed a bright and delighted green.

I
tugged the card from his hand. He cradled me against him.

“A
baby girl,” I whispered.

“You
were right.”

“You
know better than to doubt me.”

He
kissed my shoulder. “You’d think I’d learn.”

I smirked,
pressing the card to my chest. Zach’s arms warmed me, but he still helped to
cover me with the blankets. I’d never get enough of his embrace.

“Happy?”
He asked.

“Very.”

“Anything
I can do to make you happier?”

I
had him. I had our growing daughter. I had no doubt of his love. What more could
I want?

We were
a family now.

And
it was everything I’d hoped it would be.

 

The
End

 

 

Coming
This Fall

 

 

Whoever
invented tequila was an asshole…

 

Oh,
no.

There’s
no way
he
was the one I
drunk dialed.

My
phone history was wrong. It had to be.

Please,
please, please tell me I didn’t reveal everything to my secret, forbidden
crush.

 

No
way did I drunkenly confess my deepest, darkest, most sensual desires

…to
my step-brother.

 

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Acknowledgements

 

Short
and sweet <3

 

To my husband—I
love you! Thank you for the endless support!

To Winter—I love
you too! Just…not in the same way. Thank you for starting this adventure with
me.

To my
fans—hopefully you guys liked the story! I can’t wait to write more for you!

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