Page 64 of It's Always Us

Mark pulls back, causing me to look up at him. His dark eyes filled with intense longing. My no-touching rule has gone out the window, but I will myself to stay strong.

“I’ve waited for this for so long, and now you’re carrying my baby. Our baby. There isn’t anything more important than that.” His thumb finds the side of my small stomach and runs up and down. “We can take this as slow as you want. I just want us to do it together.”

I push up on my toes, holding on to his waist. That’s the only thing I want, but I’m scared reality has different plans.

Mark’s hand slides up to my neck, and he presses kisses down the side of my face to my jaw.

Damn him and his soft lips and hard muscles. Every centimeter of my body wants to go with it, but my brain knows better. We may be married, but we have a long way to go in our renewed relationship.

My back presses into the counter and I allow myself a few more seconds to savor the feel of his mouth moving over my skin. Some kind of manly groan comes from his throat, and his hand slips under the hem of my shirt as he trails kisses back up my neck, biting and teasing.

His lips whisper against my skin. “You smell exactly the same. I’ve missed it every day.”

I suck in oxygen and try to come to my senses as his fingers grip my hip. “This doesn’t feel like slow.” It comes out way breathier than I want it to.

He halts his pursuit, a grin pressing against my neck. “I might’ve lied. This could be a problem. I like you way too much, and I’ve missed you even more.” His warm hand, glides over my body and spreads across my spine. I cling to him as he hugs me, keeping him close, his head tucked into my neck. “My love language is physical touch, and your skin is my weakness. If you’re within reach, baby, I can’t be expected to keep my hands to myself.”

Oh, goodnight.I melt into him further, unsure if I even care anymore about what the consequences might be.

He pulls away, leaving me thirsting for more. I hate him and his smooth ways. I inhale, trying to slow my racing heart.

“I have PT today, but I’ve been waiting for a real date for pretty much forever. Go to dinner with me tonight.”

What. The. Hell? I’ve always known Mark is a tease, but I might actually kill him. I frown, trying desperately not to let him see the effect he has on me, but I suck at it, and it’s likely more of a glare. “If someone sees, won’t that be a problem?”

He smirks, and I want to kiss it right off his face. “Nope. I’m done with that shit. Can I take a pic of you right now in my shirt and blast it everywhere to let the world know you’re my wife and we’re having a baby? I want everyone to know exactly what we’ve been up to.” My cheeks fill with fire, which only makes his lips turn up further. His hand slides against my face, still grinning. “Baby, there’s nothing to be shy about.”

I’m not sure he’s right about that.

I swallow, shoving him just a little, and he laughs. I push my lips to the side, thinking about what that would mean. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. We at least need to tell Grandpa and my mom first.”

His face softens and turns more serious. “Yeah. I need to talk to Shane and Sean. We’ll tell them all first, but it will change things for you.” He watches me. “People are going to want to know who you are. I need to be sure you’re safe.”

I lean into him again and rest my head on his good shoulder. I’m still trying to imagine what it will be like for the whole world to know I’m Mark Sandberg’s wife. I can’t. I never thought it would happen, and I’m still getting used to the idea.

“So, will you go to dinner with me? We can start there. Just dinner.”

The way he says ‘just dinner’ as if it’s a formal agreement has me biting my lip. I don’t buy his attempt at keeping things cool for one second, and by the sly smirk on his face, he doesn’t either.

“I know you’re a big hot shot now, but do we have to go somewhere fancy?”

He laughs and pulls my head up, cradling my face with his hand. “How about somewhere quiet with a basketball game and whatever food sounds good to you?”

I smile. “Ok.”

______

SLADE: Where r u?

SLADE: We need to talk.

SLADE: Ur pissing me off.

Chapter 21

MARK

SEAN: Uh . . . Hello. Are you going to give us something?

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