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He reached over, tracing the seam of her lips with his thumb. “You are the most beautiful woman on the face of this planet, and seeing your belly grow with life makes me want to fall to my knees and worship you like the goddess you are.”
Charli gasped.
“Obviously I haven’t been doing a good enough job at showing you that. But I thought you needed to take it slow, that you weren’t ready. I didn’t want you to assume I only wanted to come back to you for sex. Because that hasn’t ever been a problem for us. This has.” He motioned between the two of them. “So, what’s something I can do to improve our sexual intimacy this week?” He smirked, asking the next question on the checklist without having to look.
“Make love to your wife. And that whole getting-on-your-knees thing would be nice too.” She grinned, unable to hold back the excitement and pure happiness that radiated from every cell.
“Should I praise you with my tongue or my fingers?” He winked, a wicked gleam in his eye that promised wonderfully dirty things in her future.
“Both.”
“I will do that and more. But not tonight.”
Her heart sunk, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
He chuckled and tapped her nose. “I gotta get to work soon and we both know you’ll be asleep by the time I get to my parents’ to pick you up. Tomorrow evening, I’m all yours.”
“First, I don’t want to go to your parents’ house again. I’ll be fine at home. We have the alarm, and I’ll be armed. Second, why tomorrow evening and not the morning?”
He sighed and sat back, taking another swig of his coffee. “I don’t want you staying home alone. Not until we catch this guy. That’s non-negotiable.”
His phone buzzed on the table. Her eyes drew to the name that flashed, but she couldn’t read it because he picked it up too fast. Anger rose. “Who keeps texting you, Finn?” Every time she felt like they took a step forward, it was two steps back with this guy. “Are you keeping a secret from me?”
He bit his bottom lip as if holding back a smile. “Yes.”
Her belly flipped and then turned to stone.
“But not in the way you’re thinking. I promise it’s a good secret, and to answer your second question, it’s why we won’t have time tomorrow morning to fulfill those fantasies of yours.” He reached his hand out to hers, his eyes locking on her. “Trust me.”
Two words that scared her more than anything. But nothing but genuine honesty reflected in those chocolate-brown spheres. Could she? “Fine. Tomorrow, you’ll tell me?”
He nodded. “Promise.”
“Alright. Take me home so we can eat before you head to work. Then I’m staying home.”
“Charli.” Finn’s voice was a warning.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You cannot dictate my choices. I will not live in fear of this asshole. He got the drop on me once, but I’ll be ready for him this time.”
Finn exhaled a frustrated breath. “Sweetheart, I can’t focus if I am worried about you. And it’s not just you we have to think about. I know you want to feel in control of something in your life right now, but I also want you to be safe. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you again. I don’t care if you get mad at me, but there is no way in hell I’m leaving you alone tonight when I go to work.”
Is that what this is? Am I grasping for what little control I can have? That’s why he didn’t put up a fuss about the coffee.
“I’ll see if Emma is still in town. I don’t think she’s heading back on tour until next month.” Charli conceded.
Finn stood. Taking her hand, he helped her up before he wrapped his arms around her. Her belly the only thing between them, he spoke low into her ear. “Thank you. I just want you safe, Charli-baby.”
She nodded with a sigh. “I know.”
Maybe it was the hormones that were making everything seem like a bigger deal than it was. But if anyone had a right to fall apart, it was her.
Her husband had almost died, then woken up in a coma not remembering her, followed by the bumpiest ride that had ensued afterwards. Now a serial rapist-slash-murderer was after her, all while she was growing a human inside her. Becoming a mother was terrifying in itself after the example she’d had and the childhood she’d survived. But Finn’s fresh woodsy scent brought her an instant hit of calm. His touch grounded her, made her relax into the cocoon of safety he offered. If she’d learned anything over the last several months, it was that life was fleeting and you never knew what would happen tomorrow. So, for now, she’d hold on to him a little bit longer. She’d try to memorize the feel, the taste, the smell of him. Because nobody knew what the next day would bring. Today might be all they had left.
48
Charli
Charli opened her eyes, cringing against the harsh light coming from the window. Groaning, she turned on her other side, which was a lot more work with a watermelon attached to your middle. Her hips ached as she adjusted herself, tucking the pillow between her thighs for support.
