Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 33887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
That said, it also didn’t go away.
CHAPTER 6
THE GUESTS ARRIVED
Hale
“You slid into third base on Genny and Tom’s new couch?”
They were sitting in the back of his car, Paul driving, Hudson, one of their bodyguards, sitting next to Paul in the front seat.
They were on their way to Jamie’s.
Breakfast consumed, before they left, Elsa had turned her attention to marking the event in her usual manner: donning an outfit that played havoc with Hale’s cock.
Today it was a long, full, pleated silk skirt in a coppery color that flirted with her legs and skimmed her ass with a long-sleeved, rust-colored sweater cropped at the waist. On her feet was a pair of bronze pumps with a lethally thin heel.
“I told you about that,” he reminded her.
“Yes. You told me you told Matt, and Matt, who had, until somewhat recently, a blind spot in regards to his little sister’s large mouth, told Sasha, who in turn told Tom and Genny. But you didn’t say it was a brand-new couch,” she returned. She then purred, “You’re a very bad boy, Hale Wheeler.”
That did things to his cock too.
But unfortunately he wasn’t in a position to act on it.
Instead, he chuckled and leaned in to touch his mouth to hers.
When he pulled away, he didn’t go far because she said, “I loved this morning.”
“I could tell,” he replied.
It was then she leaned in to touch her mouth to his.
When she was done, she settled in her seat, and he took the opportunity of Saturday NYC traffic and some alone time to touch base about important things.
“You ate okay,” he noted. “Are you having morning sickness?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, thank God.”
“Was it just missing your periods that sent you to the doctor?”
“That and the five positive pregnancy tests I took.”
He chuckled again, then asked, “Anything else I need to know in the now?”
The love she felt for him, liberally mixed with the happiness she felt from where this unexpected turn in their lives was taking them, shone out of her face so brightly, he needed sunglasses.
It also sent tension driving into his neck.
“My doctor gave me some pamphlets that I’ve read. I’ll let you have a look at them. But there really isn’t much I need to worry about, except what you know. Avoiding some foods, definitely alcohol, most medications, except Tylenol, and getting off caffeine. I’ve got some vitamins I’ve started taking. I can exercise as normal. The rest for now is just be healthy.”
As she spoke, he twisted his neck to relieve some of the pressure, and her eyes dropped to his movement.
But when she was done talking, he teased, “You exercise?”
She gave a haughty, one-shouldered shrug. “I will admit, having constant access to my own personal driver has reduced the amount of steps I take during a day. So obviously I needed to incorporate more shopping into my weekly regime to make up for it. Something, as you know, I’ve done.”
He smirked.
She reached out and curled her fingers around his thigh. “You okay?”
“I’m great.”
“If you’re great, honey, then why are you rolling your neck?”
Fuck.
He wouldn’t think he’d ever feel like she could know him too well.
But with that question, Hale felt she knew him too well.
He wrapped his fingers around hers on his leg and replied, “I’m fine.”
“If something’s troubling you—”
Hale cut her off. “Nothing’s troubling me. We had a great morning. We’re headed to a celebration that’s been a long time coming. I was wrong, I’m not fine. Like I said, I’m great.” He pulled her hand to his mouth, brushed his lips to her knuckles and looked direct in her eyes. “I’m happy, baby.”
“Okay, handsome,” she whispered.
She said that, but he could feel the intensity of her focus, and he felt relief when she broke it and turned to gaze out the side window, her fingers still curved tight around his.
But it was then Hale had to turn his attention to why he wasn’t sharing the fact that what he’d just asserted was a half-truth.
He was great. He was marrying a phenomenal woman he loved to his soul. She was having his baby. His family was all close, emotionally, and at that moment, physically.
But he was also on edge. He knew it. He felt it, and not just the tightness at the base of his skull.
After what went down with him and Elsa, he’d had several conversations with Tom and Jamie about avoiding that ever happening again.
Learning to be more self-aware was key, even if it wasn’t easy.
So he knew something was bugging him. The reason he didn’t mention it to his woman was because he didn’t know what it was.
Naturally, he couldn’t talk about it unless he knew what he was talking about.
More to the point, he wanted Elsa happy. He wanted her focused on what was happening with her life, her body, how this was going to affect her career and how she’d handle that.