Page 55 of Faking I Do
He didn’t. Not once. Not even when my nails dug into his shoulders or my voice broke on his name. Not even when he reached between us and made me come so hard I saw stars.
“That's it,” he whispered, kissing my cheek, my jaw, my mouth. “That’s a good girl.”
We moved like we were starving, like we’d waited too long and didn’t have the patience to be careful anymore. Every thrust was a vow. Every gasp a confession.
Later, when the room finally went dark, it wasn’t because we were done. It was because we needed the dark to hold everything we weren’t ready to name. Still tangled, still panting, I curled into him, my skin slick with sweat, my lips swollen from too many kisses.
My cheek rested over his heart. I could feel it beating, steady and sure underneath his skin.
“I don’t want this to be a mistake,” I whispered, not sure where the words came from, only that they were true.
He brushed his fingers over my temple. “It’s not. And if you try to run, I swear I’ll chase you.”
My laugh caught in my throat. “Promise?”
Bodie kissed me like he was making an oath. “Yeah. I’d chase you to hell and back, Sweets. But I’d rather keep you here.”
He pulled me close again, his fingers drawing slow circles between my shoulder blades. I threaded my hand through his and held on.
And for the first time in a long damn time, I believed him.
CHAPTER 28
BODIE
Sunday afternoon,I dropped Lacey off in front of her dad’s house and tried to pretend like I wasn’t already missing her. She gave me a quick kiss, the kind we might trade back and forth all the time if we let ourselves. After spending two nights with her in my arms, I was ready to be all in.
“See you tomorrow night.” Her lips curled up in one more smile.
I smiled back and nodded like having her come over for dinner wasn’t a big deal, like I didn’t already have plans to go home and clean my whole damn kitchen.
But come Monday morning, I wasn’t thinking about what kind of wine she might like or how it would feel to hold her again. I was staring at a vet tech who looked like she got paid to ruin my life. Turns out, the dog I’d agreed to foster for a few weeks was pregnant. And not just a little pregnant.
I looked at the vet tech like she’d sprouted another head. “That’s impossible.”
The woman gave me a nervous smile. “Actually, it’s not.”
I shook my head. “How could this have happened?”
“It’s actually quite simple. Surely you’re familiar with a little lesson you’ve probably heard before about the birds and the bees?”
Groaning, I lifted my shoulders and let them fall again. “But when? Since I’ve had her she hasn’t been out of my sight.”
The tech ran her finger down a piece of paper. “You sure about that?”
I had taken her with me to my mom and dad’s place. Maybe one of the farm dogs had gotten to her. That had to be it. There was no other way. “For Pitties’ Sake has got to take her back. I let them talk me into fostering her for a bit, but damn, I can’t handle a pregnant pit bull.”
“I’m sure they’ll take her back. And in their defense, unless they were planning on spaying her soon, they probably didn’t know. Most pups don’t go through their first cycle until they’re older.”
I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to talk about a dog’s menstrual cycle with a complete stranger. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let them know when I return her.”
The tech closed the folder and met my gaze. “She’s a very sweet girl who’s been through a lot. It might do her good to be with someone she loves and trusts while she goes through her pregnancy.”
I stepped back. “Whoa. I said I’d watch her for a few weeks, max. Never signed up to foster a pregnant dog.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out.” She slid a piece of paper in front of me. “If you’ll just sign here I’ll go get her for you.”
I flicked my gaze over the long list of items. Intravenous hydration, twenty-four-hour supervision, electrolytes. It all added up to the tune of over three grand. And all because of my dad and my pops. They’d be hearing from me about this. If I hadn’t spent the past twenty-four hours tracking down Lacey they would have already had another visit.
