The Rules Regarding Gray (39 page)

When they bought the yoga studio two years prior, they intentionally looked for locations near the bar they’d bought six months before that in the Pacific Beach area. His and hers businesses. Yoga and Pilates alike gave Gray the outlet she needed, having never returned to dance. The bar was just an easy fit for Jas who’d succeeded in creating the best little beachside watering hole for the casual local—nondescript enough to stay off the tourist radar, but popular enough to be more than profitable.

San Diego had become home for them—perhaps not all at once, but over time. And Jas was right; it was healing to him in many ways. He liked his life there, and the fact he was able to was the only sign they needed that coming back was the right thing to do. G’s home felt as right to them as California did too. It was far more room than they could possibly need, but they loved the pool, they loved the large sprawling property line that afforded them plenty of privacy, and they loved the history—bad as well as good, and they were building more good every day.

Much like this day.

She chuckled quietly as she splashed Jasper right back, but as she turned to walk up the steps, he caught the strings of her bikini top, pulling both and leaving her topless. She walked up the steps regardless of her state, but she didn’t get out. Instead, she turned and sat on the edge of the pool as he smirked at her.

“Hi,” he whispered when he pushed her thighs apart and knelt a few steps lower.

“Hi,” she responded just as softly.

“You know, Anna’s going to be here in less than three days?”

She instantly smiled and nodded excitedly. “I know. Two whole weeks of Anna time.”

She missed Anna, but daily phone calls, random bizarre text messages at all hours of the day and night, and every other form of social media in existence, kept them in contact.

“When’s Viv supposed to be here?” He leaned to her belly kissing the roundness and splaying his fingers out across her tummy.

“An hour.” She reached down, running her fingers through his hair.

“Have I ever told you how much I love this spot?” He was gently caressing her belly.

“Yes. Many times. I think you called it squiggy.” She smirked.

“I did not. I said soft. And right now, it’s not at all soft.”

He was right about that. She was showing early with her second pregnancy. She was only four months along, and her stomach was already growing and distending more by the day. She’d been at least five months with their first before she’d shown this much. Gray had gotten pregnant with their second just before Henry’s first birthday, and she was enjoying it immensely now that the morning sickness had passed.

He kissed her stomach again. Some women incessantly played music around their bellies in the hopes their child would come out being the next Mozart. If there was any truth to that, their child would come out kissing everything in sight. Of course, Henrietta wasn’t showing any inappropriate kissing habits thus far, so her father’s inability to keep his lips off her mommy’s tummy didn’t appear to have caused any major psychological trauma.

She leaned back on her elbows, smiling at him as his lips moved over her skin. He looked up at her, winking, and then he lowered his head farther, pulling the crotch of her bikini aside as he slid his tongue between her lips. It was a damn good thing their neighbors weren’t close enough to spy, because he pretty much took her wherever the hell he chose, whenever the hell he chose.

She moaned quietly, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. She came quickly, and as she panted to catch her breath, he entered her. He’d moved up to kneel on the stair just beneath the edge of the pool, pushing his swim trunks down his hips. He thrust as he stared at that place between their legs. He loved to watch. He studied every penetration, and he held his hand on her stomach, rocking gently over and over again. It wasn’t until he was nearly falling apart that his hips sped, and he pulled back slightly to keep himself from driving into her too deep.

His body went rigid as he came inside her, and he chuckled as he leaned to her mouth, kissing her gently. Henrietta started whimpering before he’d even pulled back from her mouth, and as he did, he smiled at her.

“I’ll handle Henry. You handle the mess I left between your legs.” He kissed her one more time, and as he climbed out of the pool, he pulled his swim trunks up.

She rinsed his cum from her body, splashing the water on herself as more dripped out. He glanced back, laughing as he bent over the Pack ’N Play and scooped Henrietta up in his arms.

“How’s my Henry?” He kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s get that diaper changed. Daddy got carried away with Mommy again, so it’s just you and I, kiddo, until Mommy gets herself cleaned up.” He bounced her on his hip as she rubbed her eyes with her pudgy little hands. Her hair was dark like her fathers, and her eyes were a hazel green, more green than her father’s, but not as green as her mother’s.

Once she finally stopped hemorrhaging semen from her girl bits, Gray followed them inside. She fixed Henry a sippy cup of milk and took it upstairs with her. She found them in the nursery, and when she approached the door, she paused, and she watched.

“Let me tell you all about how I fell in love with your mother…”

Gray cringed, but she stayed quiet. Thank God their daughter couldn’t understand more than a few words.

“She taught me that I deserved her. And in return, I took her away from the man who didn’t.” He pulled Henry’s dirty diaper off as she cooed at him. “She’s so special I rewrote my entire existence for her.” He pulled a wet wipe from the container next to him. “You know she’s a super hero, right?”

Henry cooed again, and Gray clutched at the doorframe as her eyes warmed.

“She has this amazing ability to make the ugly things in the world go away. She’ll never try to hurt you, and she’ll never leave you. That’s very important—very, very important. And you’re going to have to trust me on that, because you’re never going to find out firsthand what happens when you don’t have that.” His voice was quiet and soothing.

She brushed a tear away.

“And because she’s so special, I promise you I’ll always take care of her. I’ll do it for you. I’ll do it for her. I’ll do it even for my own selfish reasons.” He lifted her into his arms, kissing her gently on the cheek. “I love you, Henrietta,” he whispered.

“Yoohoo,” Gray’s mother hollered from the front door moments later.

Jasper turned toward the door, and he froze as he caught Gray spying on them. He stared for a moment, and then his lips pulled up in a small smile.

“Down in a minute, Mom,” she hollered over her shoulder.

When she glanced back, he was sauntering over to her with Henry sitting on his hip. Their little girl smiled happily at her, and Gray’s lips pursed in her own sweet smile as she held her hands out. Jas shifted Henry over to her hip, leaning down and kissing her as he did.

“Eavesdropping on Henry and me?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “We were having an important conversation.”

She hummed. “You’re an amazing father, you know that?” She smiled at him.

“Thanks to my incredible wife and the mother of my children, I’m able to believe that. You can’t imagine what a gift that is.” He reached for her cheek, brushing his thumb down her skin as Henrietta clasped at his hand and giggled.

Gray turned into his hand, letting his palm cover her mouth, and she kissed.

The End

About the Author

Elizabeth Finn is a multi-published contemporary romance author, and her passion is creating stories packed full of believable conflicts, characters who leave you rooting for them, and romance that might just short-circuit your e-reader. She likes her characters flawed, but they always find the best part of themselves on their journey, and her readers find themselves devoted to her honest and heartfelt voice.

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