Page 68 of Second Goal

He kisses me, softly at first, but the kiss quickly becomes more. A need. Something essential.

But I pull back. “Wait.”

“Sorry,” he says, voice rough. “I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

“It’s not that...” I chew on my bottom lip. “No more secrets, right?”

“Right,” he says, brows drawn down as worry creeps into his eyes.

I glance away, feeling him reading me. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.” One hand rests on my cheek and he guides my face to look at him. “You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything. I love you. No matter what.”

I let out a shaky breath, and then the words tumble from my lips. “I forgot to get the morning-after pill. I didn’t do it on purpose. By the time I remembered, it was too late. It’s why I’ve been avoiding you. I didn’t know how to tell you. I was afraid you’d think—”

“Kiley, stop.” A line forms between his brows and he leans closer, eyes searching mine. “Are you pregnant?”

I nod, holding my breath and waiting for the anger and fear I know that’s about to come. But he doesn’t react. Not right away. He just keeps looking at me. And when he starts to speak, his words are controlled, like he’s carefully choosing each one.

“I love you, sweetheart. And I’m not going to lie and say I’m not a tiny bit freaked out. I am. But mostly because I know your brother is going to kill me.” His lips lift slightly. “But there isn’t a future I see without you in it. I love you.”

“You’re not angry?”

He rests his forehead against mine. “God, no. I want a family with you, Kiley. I want to make a home. But ifyou’renot ready for this. If it’s not what you want. I’ll support you.”

“I want it,” I tell him, overwhelmed by the emotions that fill me.

A smile stretches across his face, even though I can tell he’s trying hard to contain it. “You’re going to have my baby.”

“I’m going to have your baby.”

His mouth is on mine again, his kiss removing all doubt, all fear.

“I love you,” he murmurs, and I breathe in the words like they’re tangible. And for the first time, I let it sink in. I believe him. I let the truth of his love fill all the dark, empty spaces that I’d held onto so tightly.

Accepted.

Loved.

Cherished.

I’m all those things.

His arms surround me, his kiss deep and drugging, lips slanting over mine as his tongue strokes and tastes. I need his touch, now more than ever. And hunger quickly forms between us. I can feel his own need grow, his hard length pressing against my belly.

He lifts me so that my legs wrap around his waist. The strength of his arms make me feel safe. But it’s the strength of his love where I find what I’ve been searching for my whole life - happiness, hope... and most importantly, myself.

“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.

“For what?”

“For not giving up on me.”

His fingers are in my hair and the look he gives me is fierce. “You’re mine, Kiley. From the moment I saw you, I knew I’d never let you go. Tonight, when I thought...” Agony rips across his features. “I thought I lost you... God, I never want to feel that again.”

I kiss him, taking his mind off the nightmare I can see playing in his eyes. “Make love to me,” I beg against his lips.

He groans, and his kiss becomes more demanding. His touch possessive and yet tender. My back is against the warm tiles, and his fingertips stroke my breasts, feathering my nipple until it becomes a hard nub that sends sensations of pleasure straight to my core.

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