Page 26 of Touch Me

At the same time, his magic fingers start playing with myclit again, teasing me to arousal, then thrusting inside so that I arch up, aline of heat seeming to run between my breast and my core.

Slowly, he starts kissing his way down, nipping and lickingand teasing my skin, until his tongue replaces his fingers and I rock my hips,more turned on than I can ever remember being, my mind in such a muddle of needand lust that I can barely even say a silent thank you to the pregnancyhormones that are zinging and sizzling inside me.

“Hunter—Hunter, please.” I’m long past want. This is need.This is survival. Because I swear if he’s not inside me soon, I will wither anddie.

He lifts his head, and in that moment, his expressionentirely fits that nickname.

“Now,” I beg. “Oh, god, please now.”

He doesn’t hesitate, and I cry out as he thrusts deep intome. Claiming me. Filling me. I hook my legs around him and cup my hands on hisass, urging him deeper, every thrust bringing me closer and closer until I feelhis body tense and let go, coming with him as the power of our shared orgasmshatters me. He collapses beside me, breathing hard, then pulls me to him.

And then, as the ocean-swell of the orgasm drains out of me,I start to cry, the tears flowing hot and heavy as Ryan holds me in the safetyof his arms.

I cling to him until I’m bone-dry inside. Then I sniffle andpull away. There’s a box of tissue on the side table, and he passes me one. Itake it, dab my eyes, then blow my nose.

“I’m sorry,” I say, once my throat is no longer clogged withtears. “I’m a huge mass of hormones. A total mess.” I shrug. “But when aren’t Ia mess?”

“You’re not a mess. You’re you. And I love you. You knowthat, right?”

I nod. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I really thought—” Idraw a breath and sit up against the headboard. “No, that’s not true. I didn’tthink. Not about you. I just wanted answers. To have a doctor tell me I wasreally pregnant. How far along I was. All that stuff.”

I bite my lip as I reach for his hand. “I didn’t think ofyou until after. But I swear—I swear—I would never in a million yearsdo anything about it without telling you first.”

He lifts my hand and kisses my palm. “I know that. I do. AndI’m sorry about before.”

I roll on my side and hook my leg over his. “You werefreaked out. Believe me, I get it.”

“That about sums it up.” The tinge of humor in his eyesfades, and I know what he’s going to say even before the words are out of hismouth.

“Do you want the baby?”

I open my mouth to say that yes, of course I do. But then Iclose it again. I know that’s what he wants me to say, but the truth is that Idon’t know. “I want the movie,” I tell him. “The baby doesn’t seem real. Notyet.” I blink, fighting tears. “I guess that makes me a horrible person.”

His expression is as tender as I’ve ever seen it. “No,” hewhispers, stroking my hair. “It makes you honest. And right now, with yourcareer taking off…”

I think about Ryan with little David. About all those yearswhen he was essentially Moira’s dad. About how many times I’ve watched himplaying on the beach with Nikki and Damien’s kids.

Ryan was born to be a dad. And that means that even thoughI’m entirely clueless—or I was before I became Aunt Jamie to Nikki’s tribe—Ican do this. Because Ryan will be there to have my back.

“It doesn’t matter about my career. I—”

“What the fuck, Jamie? I know how hard you’ve worked. Howlong. Do you think I want you to sacrifice that?”

“If it’s a choice between a baby or a movie?” I shrug.“Yeah, Ryan. I think maybe you would want me to.”

He opens his mouth to protest, then closes it again.“Jamie,” he says, and I hear real pain in his voice. But I know that I’m right.

Thankfully, that doesn’t matter.

Slowly, I grin, then grin even wider when I see the way hiseyes narrow in confusion. “The good news is that we can have both.” I move hishand from my waist to the already-showing baby bump. “They can’t fire me forbeing pregnant. Ollie said so. And what with him being a lawyer and all…”

Ryan says nothing, and for a moment I’m afraid that I’vefried his brain. “Ryan?”

I see his throat move. “A baby?”

I nod, then laugh happily.

And for the first time, I’m not freaked out at all.