Something Forever (8 page)

“This is just the beginning.” With one careful step, we were submerged in the water. All of my worries faded in the perfect temperature, like the way the petals drifted away. It was just the right amount of warmth. Having my back against Max’s chest gave me the support I needed. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I exhaled a deep breath as I watched water waving back and forth across the length of the tub.

“I forgive you, Max,” I said
, closing my eyes.

Max pulled my hair to one side
; his lips were caressing my cheek. “I don’t want you to forgive me just yet.”

I opened my eyes, suddenly feeling a little dread. “Did you do something else?”

Feeling Max’s chest vibrate without a sound indicated he was trying to hide his laughter. What was so funny? There was no humor in Max doing something I didn’t like.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Max extended my arm out of the water. With
a single rose petal, he lightly rubbed my arm. The fragrance of roses grew stronger being surrounded by them. “I think you should forgive me after I show you how sorry I am. But before I do, we need to talk.”

I nodded
, knowing Max was right. He was more of a problem solver, and I was the one who wanted to run away from them.

“We should tell our parents,” he continued. “I’m going to assume you haven’t told yours. And I think we should g
et married before our baby is born. It’s a good thing I proposed to you before you got pregnant. You can’t use that excuse that I only wanted to marry you because you’re pregnant. Women are so complicated. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” Max chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t you agree with me?”

I turned around to face him. My hair was wet and pulled back from the soft
massage he was giving me on my head while talking. Max wiped away the few drops of water trickling down my face. It always made me smile when he was taking care of me.

Leaning back against the tub,
I could see steam rising to his gorgeous face. His body spread out naked was a beautiful sight. Tilting his head back to slide a little lower, his lips curled into that sly, sexy grin that made me crazy for him. When he raked his hair back, a few beads of water trickled down his firm, sculptured arm and some down the side of his forehead. It was a mouthwatering sight. Max in the bathtub, just like this, was going to be framed in my mind...forever. Feeling aroused tingles building up, I anchored to him with my legs on either side of him. “You’re probably right.” Picking up a rose petal, I started to caress his cheek with it.

Max guided
his hands to my ass and left them there. “I’m glad you agree. I thought you were going to fight me on getting married earlier than we had planned.”

“I want to be Mrs. Knight,” I said against h
is lips. After slowly gliding my tongue across his lips, I slithered inside of his mouth.

Max’s mouth engulfed mine, kissing me back harder and deeper,
and then he pulled back. “Good, because we have a family dinner next week at my parents’ house. Matthew is planning to bring Becky. We should both tell our family the wonderful news.”

“Ok
ay,” I replied with a pouty face in the sexiest way I could muster for one word. “No more talking. It’s my turn. Just enjoy.” Max’s eyes grew dark and greedy at my words. Kissing down his chest, I dunked myself underwater to his dick.

When he
’d had enough, he guided my head out of the water, most likely knowing I couldn’t stay under too long. After grabbing a towel, he lifted me out of the tub and headed out of the bathroom.

“It’s my turn,” he
whispered hungrily.

Chapter 10

Becky

Dressed in my form fitting sweater dress with my black high heels, which Matthew loved when I wore, I got to the restaurant a bit early. Flipping through my messages on my phone to pass time, I waited for Matthew to meet me for dinner. It was one of our favorite Mexican restaurants that we went to on a regular basis. The restaurant was located halfway between his workplace and my apartment. It was a perfect place to meet when neither of us had decided to spend the night at each other’s house.

Matthew
was usually on time, but for some reason not today. Wanting to make sure I hadn’t missed his call or text, I checked again. When I didn’t get a message from him, I called...no answer.

“Will Matthew be joining you?”
our usual waitress, Donna, asked, refilling my cup. Too busy with my wild imagination, I didn’t realize I had gulped it down. It was easy to drink that fast with a straw.

I started
fidgeting with the menu. “He’s just a little late.”

“Oh
, no worries, hun. There was an accident about an hour ago, miles from here. They had to close off two lanes. That’s what I’ve been hearing in their conversations.” Donna glanced around. “Everybody who just came in was complaining about it. I’m sure he’s stuck in traffic. If you’d like to order first, let me know. I’ll be back.”

“Thanks.” Donna’s words gave me goose bumps.
I tried to calm myself by thinking Matthew was late because of a meeting he couldn’t get out of, but he would have called to let me know. Another thought was that Matthew was stuck in traffic. His cell phone had run out of battery or he’d forgotten his phone at the office.

Looking at my phone again,
I realized he was half an hour late. Yup, that did it. My heart pounded hard against my chest with ugly thoughts. I panicked and dialed Max.
Please pick up, Max.
There was no answer.

Just as I was about to dial Jenna, the phone ran
g. The caller ID flashed an unknown number. I debated picking it up, but in hopes that it was Matthew I did. The tension I had a few seconds ago disappeared when I heard a male’s voice. I let out the breath I was holding when I knew it was Matthew for sure.

“Matthew,” I gree
ted him with the most welcoming tone.

“I’m so sorry, Becca. You must have been worried.”

I laughed. “I was. Actually, I was about to call the police and say that someone kidnapped you.”

When Matthew didn’t
laugh, I knew something was wrong. “Becca, I don’t want you to worry, but I’m at the hospital. They finally let me call you.”

“What?” I think everyone in the restaurant heard my desperation. “Are you hurt? Are you okay? What happened?” I couldn’t help it. I
fired out a bunch of questions at once. I needed answers and I wanted them now.

“I’m fine. I got into a car accident. Can you pick me up at the hospital? I’ll tell you everything. You can even take good care of me.” His tone was flirty at the end, but I didn’t respond. My heart that
had taken a dive off the cliff was trying to find its steady beat.

“I’ll be right there.
Which hospital?”

“General Hosp
ital.”

After I explained to Donna
what had happened to Matthew, she confirmed that he was most likely involved in the accident that people were talking about.

“Can you drop me off at home, Becca?” Matthew
asked, gazing out the passenger’s window.

Matthew looked so tired and worn, but he
was still sexy in his suit. I loved it when he wore dark gray. Looking so sleek and all business-like, I couldn’t help the naughty thoughts that ran wildly in my head. “Sure. I can do that. How are you getting to work tomorrow?”

“
Max will take me to work. Since my car is in the auto shop, he is going to take me to rent a car.”

I signaled and turned left. “I could take you. You know you can ask me.”

Matthew turned to me. “I know. It will be easier. I can go to the office with Max since he lives above me. You’ll have to go out of your way.”

“I don’t mind.
”

Matthe
w slipped his hand into mine and continued to look out the window. He was deep in thought.

“So
...want to tell me what happened?” I tried to bring humor to this situation because it was dead silent in the car. “Were you too busy looking at a pretty girl walking down the street that you forgot to look at the road ahead?”

Matthew chuckled lightly and gave me that suave, sexy grin that ma
de me want to pull down my panties for him. “Yeah...I thought that pretty girl was you. I only have eyes for you, Becca.”

That was pretty smooth
, and I couldn’t help but smile. However, I needed answers so I changed the tone of the conversation. “How bad was the accident? What happened?”

“It was a red light for the other driver. Instead of stopping, he decided to
go for it. What a stupid idiot. I can’t stand people that drive like that.” Matthew was flustered, as if he was reliving that moment. “It was a green light for me. I headed for the intersection. By the time I saw the car, it was too late. I tried to swerve around it. It happened so fast that it was impossible to stop the collision. You know what makes me mad? The man was driving under the influence of alcohol. I could smell it on his breath when he got out of the car to talk to me.”

“Did he get arrested?”

“All I know was that the officer was testing him. I’m sure he was arrested. Luckily, the officer was nearby so it only took him about five minutes to get to us. Someone had already called the ambulance, too. Since my car was really trashed, I called the tow truck. After the cop got my information, I left. The accident happened right in front of the hospital. How convenient.” There was sarcasm in his tone. “I went inside to call you. My cell phone is somewhere in the car. I couldn’t find it.

“
You know what makes this situation worse? His friend. He didn’t reek of alcohol, but he didn’t say a word. He should have been the designated driver. How stupid is he?” Matthew started getting fired up again. “You do not get in the car with a wasted person, and you do not let your friend drive drunk. I don’t care what that asshole said to his friend to convince him he was fine. That is just fucked up. I don’t understand people.”

With on
e of my hands on the steering wheel, the other began rubbing his arm for comfort. I exhaled a long sigh. “Maybe his friend didn’t know he was out of it.”

“Either that or
he’s just a dumb fuck.”

“
Well, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Me too. The right
side of the car was smashed in. I got really lucky.”

“
Nurse Becca will take good care of you.”

Matthew smiled at me with twinkle in his eyes, like he was
envisioning a scenario with the both of us in it. “Nurse Becca, I hurt everywhere. I’m going to need a lot of tender loving care.”

“Nurse Becca is good at making
her patient, Matthew, feel better...everywhere.”

Matthew batted his eyelashes at me. I couldn’t help take a quick look at him when he leaned to my side. Thank goodness we were at a red light. “Would you like to start tonight?”

I let out a small chuckle and playfully rolled my eyes. “You feeling up to it? You want me to stay the night?”

Matthew’s bottom lip curled down and gave me a lost puppy look. Oh God! He looked so adorable. I wanted to eat him up in the car. “Please
...I’ll beg if you want me to.”

When he leaned even closer
, my body succumbed to his proximity. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, his body being that close to mine gave me electrifying tingles. I could already feel the erotic heat spreading through every part of me. Of course he didn’t have to beg; I had already planned to stay the night.

Chapter 11

Becky

Matthew lived in Max’s penthouse complex, except on the floor below Max. I wondered if Jenna was there. It was getting harder to see her on a daily basis; she was either at Max’s or I was at Matthew’s.

For a man’s place, Matthe
w kept it pretty clean. It did help that he had a maid do his laundry, go to the dry cleaner for him, and tidy things up for him. Spoiled! His place was decorated with modern yet elegant furniture. The back wall, which was nothing but glass, gave an amazing view of the city lights below.

We swung by a restaurant,
picked up Chinese takeout, and ate at his place. After dinner was done, we washed up and settled on the bed. Matthew picked up a magazine from his nightstand to read. With his back against several pillows, he finally looked relaxed. I could feel his eyes flickering to me, then back to his magazine. Matthew was acting adorable. He wanted my attention, but he tried not to show it. Seeing me engrossed in a book, I assumed he didn’t want to bother me.

At first I was
sucked away and I couldn’t stop reading, but always aware of Matthew’s movement no matter what I was doing. I took a peek of him from the corner of my eyes; I couldn’t help it. I wanted to see what he would do next to get my attention.

Matthew shifted, cleared his throat,
and turned the page again. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from giggling. Playing along, I turned away from him slightly so my back was to him. When I heard him release a small growl, I knew he was annoyed.

Suddenly, Matthew slipped his arms around my waist and spun me around. His legs
anchored over mine, and he snatched my book away, imprisoning me with his hands. His lips were a breath away from mine. “I don’t think you need that.”

“Hey
! That’s not nice. I was reading.”

“The book is
getting more attention than me.” Matthew curled his lips into that sexy pout. At that moment, I wanted to eat him up, but I controlled myself. “I don’t like it when your book boyfriends steal you away from me. Who is it this time?”

I played along. “His name is Mason
.”

“Really?” Matthew
’s eyebrows pinched at the center. “So you’re admitting you have a book boyfriend? What’s so special about Mason?”

“Is this a trick question?
’Cause you know I read for a living, right?”

Matthew
’s hand ran through my hair. “I do. I know many things about you, like where you like to be kissed.” With a gentle twist of my neck, Matthew opened his lips and ever so softly started sucking on that tender spot right below my earlobe. Then he stopped and looked at me. “Well...you haven’t answered me.”

Feeling dazed, I blink
ed my eyes back to him and tried to remember what he had asked. “Ummm...Mason is a demi-god. He can shoot electricity bolts from his hands.”

“Now I understand
why the book is called
From Gods
.”

“
And you know what else?” I started to giggle, baffling Matthew. I was sure my eyes sparkled from the excitement of telling him about the story. “There’s this part when he places his hands on Skylar’s stomach and gives her erotic tingles everywhere. How awesome is that? I bet he can make her climax just by a simple touch. What an amazing power. And of course he can kick ass and electrocute the monsters they call vultures.”

“Seriously? Yo
u like to read stuff like that?”

“It’s called
a young adult paranormal romance. And yes, I do.”

“You know what I like to read?” Matthew’s tone became flirty again.

“Boring business magazines,” I replied, trying to push him away just to be a pain. Although I liked being in his arms, I wanted to give him a little challenge. I liked it when he fought back. I knew it was childish of me, but it gave me the satisfaction of knowing that he would fight for me.

“Nope. You’re so wrong.” Matthe
w shifted his body weight. He was now hovering over me, pinning my arms above my ahead against the pillow. “I like to read stories about Becca.” His eyes pierced into mine with heat and lust. “I’m going to read you like a book, and lick every word off your body. From chapter to chapter, I’m going to tease you and then leave you hanging like a cliffhanger. I might even give you a teaser to the next book if you beg.”

Holy
shit! That was one of the sexiest things Matthew had ever said to me. I could feel my heart thumping faster, my blood pressure rising, and I was lusting for him. My lips were gravitating toward his, which were inches away, but he pulled back.

“Pretend I’m Mason,” he said. “I’m going to give you one hell of a shock. You’re going to feel
the power of my electrical bolts that I’m going to shoot through you, but not just with my hands...I can do it with my tongue. When I’m done with you, book boyfriends will never cross your mind. Real boyfriends can make you feel things book boyfriends never could.”

Fuck! I
almost exploded, and I was wet and ready for him. When Matthew gave me a satisfied grin, I knew he saw the look in my eyes. I wanted him...now! No matter how many countless book boyfriends I had, Matthew topped them all. He continued to show me that he was the perfect model of what a book boyfriend and real boyfriend should be.

“But before I do,”
he continued, “a couple of things. We’re having dinner with my parents this Friday night. I want them to meet the woman I would do anything for.” He paused. His eyes glistened. My heart became full at that moment, expanding as I took a deep breath from his loving words. I didn’t know what to say, so I just smiled. “Then you can have me all Saturday morning, but I have to go somewhere in the late afternoon. Now...no more talking.”

Rewarding me with a
sexy grin, Matthew spread my legs with his knee. His animalistic wild beast side took over as he practically yanked my clothes off. Matthew’s kisses were passionate, yet filled with hunger. He was rough as he nipped and sucked on my lips. I thought he was going to swallow me up.

“I can’t get enough of you, Becca,” Matthew growled as he continued to bathe my neck
down to my nipple.

I yelped in pleasure when he opened his mouth and took a mouth full of my breast while
his other hand tenderly caressed the other.

“I’m going to
electrify every inch of your body,” he groaned.

With his teeth, he grazed
ever so slowly down my stomach, causing all sorts of tingles to every nerve, every fiber of my being. With the tickling sensation added to the pleasurable feelings, I was beyond ready for him. When I dug my fingers into his shoulders, he got the message to spread my legs. And what he did next...oh my God! Matthew was not gentle tonight for sure. He sucked the hell out of my clit, to a point he had never done before. If he wanted to prove real boyfriends were better than book boyfriends, I would have to agree: at least Matthew was.

Jenna

“I don’t know what to wear,” Becky said, pouring hot water and dumplings into the strainer. The local Chinese restaurant sold freshly made dumplings. Little did we know we could order them in frozen bundles...many thanks to Max and Matthew for giving us that information. I should be starving since I had hardly eaten all day, but it didn’t look appealing like it used to. My morning sickness was still there.

“What to wear as in
...when we go to Max and Matthew’s parents’ house?”

“Yes,” Becky
said, fanning the steam with her hand. She looked over her shoulder to me when I didn’t respond. I was too worried about how Max’s parents and my parents were going to respond to my pregnancy. After all, we weren’t high school kids. We were responsible adults with careers. Maybe we’d messed up on the responsible part, though.

“Well?” Becky narrowed her eyes at me, assuming things. I knew her thoughts
were correct, as usual. She knew me too well; it was as if she could read my mind. “I hope you’re not thinking about whether Max’s parents are going to approve of this early marriage and the baby. They already know Max proposed to you, and he told you they were happy about it. You even had dinner together.”

“I know,” I sighed lightly, handing her two plates. “They were happy about his proposal, but having a child before marriage
...I’m worried about that. Knowing them, I’m sure they’ll be fine. I don’t know why I feel so nervous.”

After running cold
water on the dumplings, she used a ladle to scoop them up and place them on the plates. “Not that many,” I said. “I’m still nauseous.”

Becky nodded in understanding.
“I know why you feel so nervous.”

“Why?” My eyebrows arched, already knowing what she would say.

“Because...you are a good girl. Getting pregnant before marriage is frowned upon. It’s something an irresponsible person would do, and you’re not that at all. Somehow you see it as something you did wrong, and not Max. That is the kind of person you are. You’re putting the blame on yourself when the finger should be pointing at the both of you. To tell you the truth, nobody really frowns upon pregnancy before marriage any more unless you’re a teenager.”

I
knew Becky was right, I just didn’t want to admit it. Taking the plates to the table, I said, “I know. Maybe you’re right.” I went back to the kitchen to get glasses of water and walked back out with Becky, who brought out a dish that she’d heated up in the microwave.

Becky
put the dish on the table and sat down. “They call this Chinese broccoli. I love this vegetable.”

“I had that before with Max. I call them long
, skinny trees. But they don’t look appetizing right now.”

Becky let out a short laugh and placed some on my dish. “Try
...for the baby’s sake.”

“Okay, Mom,” I joked.

I didn’t know if she heard me. Suddenly, she looked at me as if she realized something that she hadn’t before. “You didn’t tell your parents, did you?”

I stabbed a fork through one of the dumplings, dipped it in
to the soy sauce, and took a nibble. “No, not yet. I wanted to see how his parents would respond first. My mom is going to want to know how they reacted. She’ll want to know that they have embraced the news so that it will make it easier for her to do the same. My dad is pretty easy going, so I’m not worried about what he will say.”

Becky took a
sip of water and nodded. “I understand. I really do. Just don’t think that this is your fault and don’t think there is any fault to being pregnant. You told me before that you were so worried that you couldn’t. Well …” She swallowed the bite she’d just taken. “Embrace it. You’re supposed to be glowing. It’s not good for the baby to be sulking. Happy Mommy makes happy, healthy baby.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at Becky. She was right. I just needed to hear it.

“When’s the due date?”

“November. A week before Thanksgiving
day.”

Becky’s eyes twinkled with delight. “See
,” her tone went up a notch, “a Thanksgiving baby.” She let out a hearty laugh. “Even your baby is trying to tell you something.”

Smiling from her words, I looked down at my stomach
, which would be growing soon. “Yes, my baby is.” I looked up at her again. Becky’s mouth was stuffed, chewing as fast as she could while trying to tell me something. Nodding, chewing, and pointing a fork in the air, she mumbled a few incoherent words. All I heard was “… dumplings are so good …”

I had to admit
it, they were. After I nodded to agree, I spoke again. “I’m going to answer your question that you asked me earlier before you changed the topic. I think you should wear whatever you want. You’ll look beautiful no matter what.”

Becky’s head tilted
in a shy manner with a smile, but it was more of a thank you gesture. She was never shy, or at least not that I knew of. When she finally swallowed, she asked, “What should we bring? This is my first time.”

“Since
you’re driving us there, we can stop by the bakery and the floral shop. We can bring a bouquet of assorted flowers and stop by JJ Bakery. They make the best cake. Their frosting is the best, not too sweet. The cake melts in your mouth.”