The Proposal (26 page)

Emma tilted her head to the right, lost in thought.
“As much as I’d like to not be pregnant in a wedding gown, I want us to do it
before Noah’s born.”

“Ah, legitimize the Little Man and all, huh?”

She giggled. “Exactly.”

“Do you want something like this?” he asked,
motioning around the swanky ballroom.

Emma wrinkled her nose. “I had something like this
planned many years ago.” Aidan tensed at her alluding to her wedding with
Travis. “I want something simple with just our closest family and friends.” She
glanced up at him. “We could get married at my church and have the reception at
the barn.”

Aidan inhaled sharply. “Pop’s gonna shit a brick
when I don’t get married in the Catholic church.”

“Then we can think of something else.”

“What about the meadow that overlooks the pond?”

“You don’t think it’ll be too cold?”

“We’ll keep the ceremony short and sweet,” Aidan
joked.

Emma grinned. “Okay, that sounds good. Then we can
have the reception in the barn. Will that suit you better?”

“All I care about is the part where you say ‘I do’
and become my wife.” Aidan brought his lips to hers. When she darted her tongue
in his mouth and pressed herself against him, Aidan pulled away in surprise.
“Are you trying to start something with me, Ms. Harrison?”

Not taking her eyes off of his, she bobbed her head.
“Take me upstairs.”

“You’re joking?”

“Do you want me to beg?”

“Emma,” he growled.

“Aidan,” she began sweetly, “Will you please take me
upstairs to our big rented suite and make love to me until I pass out from
exhaustion?”

His eyes widened like she had lost her mind. “I
can’t believe you just said that.”

“Would you rather me be dirty and say please take me
upstairs and fuck me until I pass out from exhaustion?” she teased.

“You’re killing me, Em. Absolutely and completely
killing me.”

“Then do something about it.”

“Aren’t we supposed to stay until Casey and Nate
leave?”

“Nate’s family is Italian. They’re going to be
drinking and partying until two in the morning.”

Aidan’s blonde brows furrowed. “Like Mafia Italian?”

Emma giggled. “I don’t think so.” She nudged him
playfully. “Just go on over and make them an offer they can’t refuse on taking
your fiancée upstairs to consummate your engagement.”

He scowled at her. “You’re supposed to consummate a
marriage, not an engagement.”

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Emma took his hand and led him
off the dance floor.

“At least the crowd is thinning out,” Aidan noted.

“What are you so worried about?”

“I just don’t want to piss Casey and Nate off.
They’ve already been forgiving and generous enough to agree to share their day
with my proposal.”

When they walked over, Casey was licking the icing
off Nate’s cheek where she had previously smashed him with it. Emma leaned over
and whispered something in her ear. Casey grinned broadly and nodded her head.
Aidan shot Nate a helpless look to which Nate winked. “I gotcha man,” he
mouthed.

Emma tugged on Aidan’s hand. “All right, Big Daddy,
you can take me upstairs and ravish me now.”

He chuckled. “If I had known putting a rock on your
hand would have made you this playful, I would have done it a helluva lot
sooner.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

As they stepped onto the empty elevator, Emma took
Aidan off guard by shoving him against the wall. “Em, what—”

She cut him off by crushing her lips to his. Taking
his hands in hers, she jerked them above his head and pinned them against the
wall. Her tongue thrust into his mouth, greedily seeking out his own and
rubbing tantalizingly over it. A low groan erupted deep in his throat. Clasping
both of his hands in her one, Emma trailed her other hand down his chest and
below his waist to cup his growing erection.

He tore his lips away from hers. Panting, he stared
into her emerald greens eyes that burned with desire. “Emma Harrison, are you
trying to rape me in this elevator?”

Squeezing his cock, she raised her eyebrows at him.
“I didn’t think you could rape the willing?”

He chuckled. “Good point.” As she worked his length
over his pants, her lips went to kiss a warm trail up his neck. He shivered as
she licked along his jaw-line. “Let me guess. This extremely horny moment was
made possible by pregnancy hormones?”

Her giggle vibrated against his cheek. “Yes, it was.
Ugh, they’re insane.” She released his member and pulled away. “I think I’m
starting to understand what it’s like to be you.”

Throwing his head back, Aidan roared with laugher.
“You mean what it feels like to be a horndog?”

Wide-eyed, she replied, “Uh-huh.”

“Then why did you pull away?”

“Well, because—”

“That wasn’t me complaining, babe.”

She grinned as she ran her hands up the front of his
tux. “So you don’t mind being molested in a public elevator?”

“Nope. In fact, I was enjoying it a lot.”

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened on their
floor. “Guess we’ll have to continue this in our suite,” Emma said.

Aidan slipped off his tux jacket and brought it in
front of his waist to hide his condition. Although he enjoyed the hell out of
Emma being so aggressive in the elevator, it somewhat wrecked his plans for the
evening. There would be no slow seduction scene as an engaged couple
considering he was at half mast.

Emma took the keycard from him and unlocked the
door. He held his breath as she stepped inside. “Oh my God,” she murmured.

He craned his neck to watch as her heels tapped
across the rose petals littering the floor. On the table, there was a bucket of
champagne and strawberries. Even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew her
gaze was taking in the bedroom where candles waited to be lit, and a pink
wrapped package sat on the bed.

She whirled around to stare at him in the doorway.
“It’s just like…”

He smiled. “Our first time.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she closed the gap
between them. This time when she kissed him it was with love, not passion. “I
love you so, so much, Aidan,” she murmured against his lips.

“I love you too.”

Pulling away, she cocked her head at him. “I’m not
even going to ask what’s in that box because I can’t believe you found lingerie
to fit me.”

He rolled his eyes. “You act like you’re some wide
load. All you have to show for being pregnant is your bump.” He brought his
hand to her stomach. “You’re the sexiest, most beautiful pregnant woman I’ve
ever seen.”

“Aw, baby, you’re so sweet.” She leaned up to nip
his bottom lip with her teeth. “But you don’t have to keep complimenting me
because you’re so getting laid tonight.”

He grunted. “You and that mouth.”

She grinned. “Well, you’re stuck with it, so you
better enjoy it.”

“Oh, I’ll enjoy it, and so will many parts of my
body.”

“Naughty, naughty boy,” she murmured before kissing
him again.

Aidan kicked the door shut while Emma nudged him
toward the bedroom. When they passed the table with the strawberries and
champagne flutes, he stopped. Desperately wanting to savor the moment, he said,
“Wait, a minute babe.”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t I pop open some bubbly and celebrate our
engagement?” he asked.

Emma’s auburn brows furrowed. “But I can’t—”

Aidan turned the bottle around to reveal it was only
sparkling cider, sending a beaming smile on Emma’s face. “Oh, I love it. You
thought of everything.”

He started unwrapping the bottle, but Emma took it
away from him. “Let’s save it for later.” Her fingers then went to the buttons
on his shirt.

“You don’t want some cider first?” he questioned,
amusement vibrating in his voice.

She stared up at him—a mixture of love and lust
radiating in her eyes. “No. I just want to make love to my fiancée.”

“I like the sound of that,” he replied as she pushed
his shirt over his shoulders and down his arms. “I’ll like it even better when
you’re Mrs. Aidan Fitzgerald.”

“Hmm…my feminist sensibilities should get riled at
that insinuation, but I do like the sound.”

As he took off his pants, Aidan asked, “You don’t
want to do something crazy like Emma Harrison-Fitzgerald, do you?”

“No, Mr. Neanderthal, I don’t.” She grinned up at
him. “I just want to be your wife.”

“And as soon as possible right?”

“Of course.”

“Think we could throw something together in a few
weeks.”

Emma sucked in a breath. “Wow, I didn’t know you
were in such a rush.”

His knuckles tenderly grazed her abdomen. “We don’t
have that much time before Little Man’s arrival.”

“That’s true, but wedding planning isn’t easy—even
for a small one like we’re considering.”

He poked his lip out. “I just wanna be your
husband.”

She laughed. “And you will be, Mr. Impatient. I’m
not going anywhere, and if you try to make a run for it, I’ll lasso and hogtie
you.”

“Mmm, there’s my naughty cowgirl.”

“You’re impossible.” Raking her fingers through his
hair, she shook her head. “We may not be bonded together in holy matrimony, but
our relationship was cemented the moment Noah was conceived.”

As Aidan’s lips met hers, his fingers went to the
zipper on her dress. With a flick of his wrist, the dress fell open, and he
pushed it off her shoulders. His brows furrowed before his lips quirked up at
the sight of her granny panties. “Ooh, Em, can you get a few more pairs of
these?”

Emma’s face turned the color of the fuchsia dress
pooled at her feet. “I had to wear these, thank you very much.” She crossed her
arms over her bare breasts in a huff. When he chuckled, she shot him a death
glare. “It’s not a laughing matter, Aidan. I mean, I’ve always been a curvy
girl, but you better prepare yourself for a lot more of me to love.”

“I already told you that you’re nothing but a
belly…but any fat that wants to set up shop here,” he paused to cup her breast
while his other hand went to her ass cheek, “Or here, is fine with me!”

She rolled her eyes. “Once again, you’re completely
and totally impossible.”

“And you’re so sexy when you’re pissed off.” He
kissed her before she could back talk him. Her mouth tightened with her
resistance, so he slid his tongue against her lips. When she refused to budge,
a low growl came from the back of his throat. “Quit being so damn stubborn,
Em,” he muttered against her lips.

His hand snaked between them to cup between her
thighs. He stroked and caressed her over her alleged granny panties, causing
Emma to tense. When he slipped a finger between the elastic and into her
warmth, she gasped. He took the opportunity to thrust his tongue in her mouth.
Her hands that had been hanging limply at her side went to his hair, and as she
threaded her fingers through the strands, Aidan knew she had surrendered.
“There’s my girl,” he said as he feathered kisses across her cheek. When he got
to her ear, he plunged another finger inside of her as he whispered, “My
beautiful, sexy girl who takes my breath away no matter what size she is or
what underwear she has on.”

A breathy moan turned into a laugh. “You’re smooth,
Big Papa. Very, very smooth,” she replied, repeating Casey’s line from earlier
that day.

With his fingers still working their magic, he eased
her down onto the bed. He curled up beside her. Her eyes pinched shut as she
writhed against his hand, bucking her hips against him as he sped up his pace.
“Mmm, please,” she murmured, her breath hot against his cheek.

“Please what, babe?”

“Make me come, Aidan.” The moment his thumb brushed
against her clit, her fingers gripped the edges of the blanket as she cried
out.

Not wasting anytime, he slid his fingers out of her
still clenching walls and discarded her panties. He wrangled out of his boxers
and rose up on his knees. With her expanding belly, it was always interesting
finding a position. Spreading her legs, he thrust himself inside her.

Emma wrapped her legs tight around his waist, and he
gripped her behind the knees. As he pounded into her, she raised her arms above
her head and fisted the sheets. When she bit down on her lip to keep her
passionate cries quiet, Aidan stilled his movements. “Don’t be bashful, Em. Let
me hear you,” he urged.

Her cheeks tinged pink. “What if someone else does?”

“Who cares?
I
want to hear you. I want to
know what I do to you.”