Page 111 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

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Dinner’s delicious, but the company makes it even better. As we reach our hotel room, I pat my stomach and say, “Didn’t know you were going to put a baby in me this trip, Mr. Thorne.”

His skin turns pale as he chokes out, “What?”

I rub my stomach again, turning sideways to show him my profile. “A pasta baby.”

With a quirked brow, he counters, “You think you’re funny, do you?”

My teeth dig into my lower lip as I bite back my grin. “Maybe a little. You should’ve seen your face, though.” I do a chef’s kiss with my fingers. “Perfection.”

He sets our luggage near the window, grabs my hand, and tosses me onto the bed. With a squeal, I laugh, and he pounces on me, caging me in on both sides, running his nose along the column of my throat. I tilt my head to the side and savor his kisses until he replaces them with a raspberry, blowing all the air in his lungs out his mouth and onto my skin until I’m squirming beneath him. Shoving at his chest, I try to get away from him, but he’s too strong to let me get far.

“I give up! I give up!” I yell as he continues his assault and collapses onto me.

“I can practice putting a baby in you if you’d like,” he jokes.

“No, thank you. Not yet, anyway. I’d prefer to teach a few rugrats for a couple years before going down the mama road. How ‘bout you? Do you want kids?”

He nods. “Yeah. I think so. Not anytime soon. But one day.”

“So, you’re a traditional family kind of guy?” I ask. We probably should’ve had this conversation at dinner or on the drive home or, hell, maybe a year from now instead of when we’re in our hotel room on Spring Break, and he’s pinning me to the mattress with a semi-hard erection pressed against my stomach. But hey, who am I to complain?

He brushes my hair away from my face, cradling my head between his palms as he looks down at me. Really looks at me. My heart beats a little faster, and my eyes soften as I’m reminded, yet again, how lucky I am to be here with him.

“With the right girl, yeah,” he decides.

I lick my lips. “Interesting.”

“Why’s it interesting?”

“I sorta had you pinned for the bachelor life.”

“Me too…until I met you.” He leans down, bracing himself on his elbows, and kisses me. This time, it’s less playful. More intimate. Like he’s peeling away a piece of me I didn’t even know existed, leaving me open and vulnerable beneath him.

I open my mouth and let him in. He takes full advantage, dragging his tongue along mine, dipping in for a taste. My heart rate continues rising, and my clothes feel like they’re suffocating me as I wiggle beneath him, gripping the hem of his shirt. He reads my mind and sits up, shedding his clothes, and helps me out of mine. When I’m left bare, he pauses, his mouth turning up in a crooked but soft smile.

“What is it?” I ask.

“You’re beautiful, Sunshine.”

I bite my lip to keep from grinning like a lunatic. I lift my head and kiss him again.

“Wait here,” I tell him, pulling away a few seconds later.

“Ash,” he groans, but he rolls aside and lets me slip out from under him.

“Give me two minutes. I have a surprise for you.” I dig in my bag and pull out my present for him.

“I hope it’s the edible underwear!” he calls as I close the bathroom door behind me.

“Even better!” I return, slipping the gift over my head.

When I step out of the bathroom and into the bed portion of the hotel room, I run my fingers through my hair and smile as his gaze slides down my body and the white cotton material practically swallowing me whole. The same cotton material that brought us together all those weeks ago. It’s crazy how quickly life changes. And this time, it’s definitely for the better.

His eyes heat with interest, and he shakes his head. “Is that my fucking T-shirt, Ash?”

“Mia may have returned it.” I grin and lift one shoulder. “You like?”

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