“Fuck yes, Emzee,” he groaned, pumping faster and faster. “I’m coming.”
He shuddered as he let go inside me, coming in short, breathless jerks, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders to hold him even tighter. It felt like there was nothing else in the world as we climaxed in each other’s arms. Just me and Ford and the love we shared.
Emzee
Chapter 28
“Better finish getting ready, love,” Ford was saying, rubbing my back. “The fundraiser awaits. I think if we hurry, we might even get there on time.”
Letting out a drowsy sigh I sat up, smiling at my husband. “Let’s hop to it, then.”
I was satiated and happy—so, so happy—but I still needed to make it through tonight’s event. After that, no more bending over backwards to stay on the good side of Claudia and Ford’s parents. I had no idea what the future held, but I promised myself that I was going to meet it bravely. Even if that meant rocking the boat a little.
Or a lot.
“Your dress?” Ford said, handing me the garment bag. He had already slipped into his tux, which took him all of three minutes flat. I envied him.
“Thank you,” I said. “Can you hand me my purse? My MAC lipstick is in there.”
“As the lady wishes.”
But when I propped the bag open, I saw something tucked in there that I’d somehow forgotten about. The Test. Because I was a tiny bit late.
I was sure I had nothing to worry about, but after the brouhaha with Ford’s parents, I was on edge. I figured now was as good a time as any to just take it, confirm what I already knew, and be done with it. That way I could banish the niggling worry in the back of my mind.
Grabbing my lipstick, I palmed the test and slipped them both into my makeup bag. Then I zipped it up and tucked it under my arm.
“You know what?” I said, trying to sound casual. “I think I’ll fix my hair and makeup in the bathroom, and then you can help me into my dress afterward. Shouldn’t take too long.”
“Sure,” he said from the wingback chair he was sitting in, glancing up from his phone with a smile. “And try not to stress. You already look perfect.”
He had no reason to be suspicious of me; the guest bath down the hall had a luxurious full vanity with a cushioned velvet bench and a bunch of those Hollywood-style round bulbs spaced out around the mirror. It was basically fit for a princess. I’d mooned over it as a teenager.
I kissed him on the cheek, adjusted his bow tie, and headed down the hall.
First things first, I locked myself in and peed on the stick. I was supposed to get my results in five minutes, so I set it on the back of the toilet tank and then busied myself doing my makeup in front of the vanity.
Luckily, I didn’t need to do a full face, just freshen up my skin with some blotting paper and powder and spend a few minutes turning my daytime eyes and lips into evening look. Liquid eyeliner, a fresh coat of mascara, and a swipe of deep burgundy eyeshadow later, I was just about ready to check on the test when I heard a knock.
“Just a sec,” I called out, assuming it was Ford coming to check on me.
But when I opened the door, it was Claudia, her blonde hair gleaming, her midnight blue evening gown flowing around her in a rustling cloud of tulle.
My stomach dropped. “Um. Can I help you?”
“I need to use this bathroom,” she said.
“There’s another one right down the hall,” I told her, still standing in the door. I fought the urge to add, “So you can fuck directly off.” There were probably half a dozen bathrooms in the Malones’ mansion—she had to know that. Yet she’d busted into this one.
Claudia let out a huge sigh, rolling her eyes. “I need to usethisbathroom,” she repeated. “It has the good mirror. The best one in the whole house, you know.” She paused to give me a smug, self-satisfied look. “Actually, I guess youwouldn’tknow. You haven’t really spent that much time here, have you?”
Of course she had to remind me how well acquainted she was with the house and all the people in it. But the joke was on her. I’d known Ford years longer than Claudia had, and I sure as hell knew this was the money mirror. The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight about it, though. Especially not with the fundraiser less than an hour away.
Shoving her way past me in a most unladylike fashion, Claudia flounced over to the vanity and leaned over to study her reflection. My eyes darted to the toilet in the corner. I silently prayed she wouldn’t suddenly decide she had to use it, because if she turned around, there was no way she’d miss the pink plastic pregnancy test sitting right there.
Unsurprisingly, however, she was completely focused on her makeup and oblivious to me and my nerves. Thank God.
“You look great,” I told her, partly to keep the peace but mostly to try coaxing her the hell out of there.
