Page 83 of The Bartender's Baby

I jumped out of my skin, letting out a very undignified shriek, before recognizing it was her. “Goddamn, Tab.” When she bit back a smile, I aimed a glare at her. “Not funny.”

“A little.”

I waved my hand to George. “You’re embarrassing me in front of our son.”

She repositioned him on her shoulder, tilting her cheek to his head. “Are you embarrassed of your father?” she asked him. “Hmm?” Then she bent as if listening to his answer. “He says your scream was not at all embarrassing and very manly.”

I huffed, wrapping my hand around her hips to grab hold of her ass, squeezing. “I’m ordering that bell tonight.”

She shook her head. “You’re not going to collar me.”

“No?” I pulled her against me. “What if I promise you’ll like it?”

She rolled her eyes, hip checking me away from her so she could head out of the kitchen. “Maybe I should collar you.”

“Promise?”

At the doorframe, she glanced back, her evil smirk in place. “If you’re a good boy.”

If she didn’t already own my heart, I’d have thrown it at her then.

“Oh, princess, I’ll be a very good boy for you.”

TWENTY-SIX

TABBY

Iwoke to the familiar sound of Nate’s cell phone alarm, followed shortly by his groan as he slapped at it. Beside me, he shuffled around before flopping onto his back with a huff.

“Morning,” I mumbled, scooting closer to rest my head on his chest.

He grunted in reply, not quite ready for words, though his fingers did find my hair. I let him take his time waking up, tracing idle patterns across his bare stomach, enjoying the warmth of his skin.

The last few nights, George had been sleeping in his crib for a few hours. When we came to bed, I nursed him then put him next to me in the bassinet until he woke in the middle of the night. Nate would change his diaper, and I’d feed him a little before walking him down the hall to his crib, where he’d sleep for a good stretch of time. It was a nice way to ease us into moving him out of our room. Plus, I thought Nate and I were both sleeping better.Everyonewas sleeping better.

But I especially loved the mornings before the baby woke up that I could spend with Nate. Sometimes we’d cuddle or just sleep, but this morning was different.

It was Nate’s thirty-fifth birthday.

And I had plans.

After a few minutes, he craned his neck to peer at the clock. “Shit, I gotta get up.”

I didn’t move. “You sure?” Stretching my arm across his torso, I set my chin on the back of my hand to watch as he dipped his chin, blinking at me. “You should sleep in. It’s your birthday.”

“I can’t miss my workout,” he said, even as he toyed with pieces of my hair, rubbing them between his thumb and forefinger. “Got a million things to do before the opening.”

The soft opening of his wine bar and bistro was only two days away, and he’d been stressing about every detail.

“But you deserve to relax a little bit today.” I skated my hand down his side to the elastic of his underwear and slipped my fingers inside. He inhaled sharply when I wrapped them around his cock. “Enjoy your present.”

His rumbling groan reverberated through his chest. “You’re my present.”

I shook my head and sat up, keeping my hand on his hardening length as I nipped and sucked on his throat, across his Adam’s apple to his ear. When I bit the lobe, Nate hissed, his back arching slightly.

“You know what I was thinking about? How I’d gotten spoiled. It was so nice waking up to an orgasm every day for months.” I drew my thumb along the tip of his cock, right over the slit. “I love being your princess, but I think it’s about time I remind you that you’re my prince.”

He tried to catch my mouth for a kiss, but I ducked away, crawling backward. Dragging my hands over his stomach, I pulled down his boxer briefs on the way, his shaft stiff and thick and straining toward me. I didn’t even take his underwear off, too impatient to put my mouth on him.

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