The Commitment (16 page)

After running the ice teasingly over my lips, he plunges his tongue into my mouth, kissing me roughly. It’s not until I feel him teasing my inner thigh that it registers that he’s pulled another cube from the glass. Before I can prepare for it, he slides it inside me, pulling a whimper from my chest.

“Shh,” he commands, gripping my pussy possessively to keep the cube in place. “Be quiet, Baby.” Nodding slightly, I fight the urge to gasp as he holds my gaze, biting sharply on my lip. “There’s my good girl,” he croons, releasing my hair and positioning my hand over my sex. “Keep the ice there.”

I’m a heaving mess in front of him as he takes a half step back. It’s not until he begins unfastening the buttons on his shirt that I realize he’s managed to work me into a frenzied state while remaining fully clothed. Pulling his shirt away from his chest, he tosses it to the side. As he holds my eyes, he begins unfastening his belt and his eyes take on my favorite mischievous sparkle as he pulls it from his pants. Setting the belt onto the mattress, another jolt of pleasure rolls through me and seeing it, he doesn’t contain the dark growl of approval.

“Soon,” he promises, pushing his pants down and freeing his massive erection. “That ice melted?”

“Yes sir,” I say in a low, husky whisper and he nods his approval.

“Good girl. Sit with your knees apart and keep your hands behind your back,” he commands. As I comply, he taps the side of my mouth and grips the back of my head, lowering me to his cock.

Winding my long hair around his fist, he controls my movement as I wrap my lips around his tip. As I sink lower to take as much as him as I can, he lets out a low groan of appreciation.

I feel him lifting the belt from the mattress beside me and a shudder of anticipation runs through me. Saying nothing, a dark chuckle leaves his chest as he begins bucking his hips slightly. I feel the leather hoop around my wrists only for a moment before he yanks it tight, further restraining me.

“Is that what you wanted, Baby?” he croons and immediately, I moan my approval around his shaft. “That’s my girl,” he says as he pushes into my mouth deeper, tightening his grip on my hair and my mouth simultaneously. He drives into me ruthlessly, confining my movement completely. The low heat that’s been building between my thighs is an all out inferno by the time he pulls out of my mouth and roughly pushes me onto my back. “Spread your legs,” he commands and as I comply, he yanks me by the waist to the edge of the bed.

Pushing into me completely, I swallow a scream of pleasure as I hold his eyes. With one hand, he lifts the forgotten glass he’s set on the edge of the mattress and tosses the last of the melting ice into his mouth before letting it fall gently against the carpet. With the other, he grips the belt he’s drawn around my wrist and yanks it sharply, restraining me and pushing my chest out at the same time.

Keeping a tight grip on the belt, he leans forward and wraps his now freezing lips around my nipple. I force myself to contain the shriek as he begins to drive into me. He clamps his now free hand onto my shoulder and thrusts his hips forward, filling me completely again and again. In no time, I’m dangling over the edge and silently begging for release.

“Are you ready to scream for me, Analise?” he grounds out through clenched teeth as he finds my eyes.

“Yes Sir,” I gasp, my eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “Please let me come for you!”

“Look at me,” he orders and my eyes fly open. “Scream my fucking name, Baby.”

As I unravel beneath him, I shout his name out so loudly my voice grows hoarse as his seed fills me. Releasing his grip, he frees my wrists and lifts my exhausted frame, moving me up the mattress toward the pillows. Lying on his back, he pulls me on top of him and gently wraps my legs around his waist before slipping back inside me.

While our breathing returns to normal, he runs his palm over my back and kisses me on the temple. We lay quietly for a long while, the only sound our breathing until he finally breaks the silence with his deep voice.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he whispers, gently rubbing the wrist I’m resting against his chest.

“No Sir,” I shake my head, my breathing still ragged.

“Good,” he starts. “You’ve been quiet all day. Are you alright?”

“Yes Sir,” I answer quietly, unable to contain the yawn. “I’m just tired.”

“Okay,” he says, pressing his lips to my hair. “Are you ready to go to sleep?”

“Yes Sir,” I say with another yawn, causing his lips to turn up. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” he answers immediately.

“Earlier at the diner,” I start nervously. “Why did you tell Sophie you didn’t want to feel the baby?”

“Because I’ve never felt a baby kick like that before,” he begins with a whisper. “The first time I do, I want it to be ours.”

Sophie

“So, I talked to Jack last night,” Ana says from across the table.

Since Ben’s being discharged this afternoon, she and Drake are flying back to Texas in the morning. We decided to take a walk down to the cafeteria to give the guys some alone time with their family.

“Oh yeah?” I say, reaching across the table to grab honey for my hot tea off of the tray. “I talked to him too for a minute, but JT was tired so it wasn’t for long. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine,” she says nervously. “He told me he met a girl.”

Her words temporarily halt my movement. I know I’m being ridiculous about this, but ours is a situation unlike any other. Meeting her eyes, I can see that she understands what I’m feeling.

“Sorry… That’s good,” I manage. “Did he tell you anything about her?”

“No, not really,” she admits. “He just said he met her briefly the other day when he and JT went to grab more clothes from your place.”

“Oh, she’s from Rockport?” I ask, my mind reeling as I try to imagine who it could be. I don’t know that many people in town, but Chase know everyone. “You don’t know her name?”

“No,” she tells me, shaking her head. “He said after they left the house, they stopped to get some lunch at the café and she was in the booth next to theirs.”

“So he just asked her out?” I ask in disbelief, pulling my phone from my purse.

“What are you doing?” she asks with a smirk. “Are you calling him?”

“No,
Ana
,” I scoff. “I’m not calling him, thank you very much! What Jack does is his business and I already promised him I’d be supportive.”

“So who are you calling?” she smirks, crossing her arms over her chest. “Because I know you’d
never
call Heather to see if she knows anything about him talking to a woman at her job. You’d never cross
that
line.”

“Ana!” I whine. “I just want to know who she is! Is that really so bad?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Oh whatever,” I roll my eyes, causing her to laugh. “You want to know, too. You’re just too chicken shit to admit it.”

“I
do
want to know,” she admits with a grin. “But he will tell me when he’s ready, just like he did with you.” Her words catch me off guard and I can’t stop the feeling of dread as it hits my chest. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she says, her voice softening.

“No, you’re right,” I say, stashing my phone into my purse and returning my attention to my fruit and tea. “It’s not my place. If Jack wants to date, he should. He deserves to be happy.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“No,” I sniff. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m with Chase, who I love like crazy and will never regret because he’s perfect.”

“But…”

“But nothing,” I tell her honestly, letting out a slight sigh when she arches her eyebrow at me. “It’s just weird, Ana. I mean, yes, I am happy with the decision I made. If it wasn’t for knowing how badly it hurt Jack, I’d have zero regrets, but I still love Jack. Like, a
lot
. No, it’s not the same, but I’m never
not
going to love him, Ana,” I start. “There’s so much of him wrapped up in me, so much of me in him. I know he needs to move on and it’s selfish for me to feel whatever jealousy and weirdness I’m feeling, but that doesn’t make the feelings disappear.”

“I know,” she says, reaching across to take my hand.

“But you’re right,” I say, swiping my free hand across my cheek. “When it’s time for us to meet her, it will mean he’s found someone who makes him happy. That’s the most important thing, his happiness. Lord knows he’s been more than selfless where I’m concerned. I mean, he came back to find me engaged to another man, I completely broke his heart and now I’m pregnant with someone else’s baby. He went through all of that, still goes through it every day, and he did it all for the sake of my happiness. What right do I have to feel weird about him dating?”

“Well, you do have a point,” she starts with a stifled chuckle. “But you’re right. The two of you are very much entwined in the other. I think it would be weirder if you had no feelings about it at all.”

“I’m gonna be cool about it,” I say with resolve, offense filling my features when she openly laughs at me. “I am! I’m gonna be the coolest ex-girlfriend ever!”

“Yeah, okay!”

“I can be cool,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her as I pull my hand away defensively and cross them in front of me.

“We’ll see,” she smirks.

“We
will
see,” I retort childishly. “You’re all gonna be so impressed with how cool I am, you won’t even know what hit you.”

“Yeah,” she snorts, taking a piece of watermelon from my bowl. “So what are you going to do when they start making out in front of you?”

“Oh my God! Why would you say that to me?” I groan, ignoring her laughter when my head falls back and a whine escapes my lips. “Stop eating my food. I hate you.”

“Oh yeah,” she smirks. “You’re totally cool.”

***

By the time we’re preparing to head back to Rockport on Wednesday, it’s bittersweet. Although we couldn’t be happier about seeing JT, I know Chase isn’t ready to leave his parents. We’d spent the night before planning things for their visit during my delivery. Seeing how excited his family was for both the baby and our upcoming wedding made my heart swell.

As we make our way onto the plane, Chase lets me have the window seat even though he’s admitted to knowing he’ll have to get up every fifteen minutes for me to pee.

“Anything for my girls, Princess,” he says, making me smile.

“You’re so sweet,” I say, leaning up to kiss him on the jaw. “Although I think Green Bean might be a little bummed out when he finds out you’re calling him your Princess.”

“First of all, I called
you
my Princess,” he starts with a laugh. “I will never refer to our child with any of the names I’ve called you in bed.”

“Well, I’m sure I speak not only for myself, but for both the baby and his future therapist when I say thank you for that.”

“Second of all, why are you now calling my daughter a green bean?”

“I don’t know. I just thought it was cute,” I shrug, letting out a light chuckle. “You’re so hung up on having a girl, what are you going to do if we have a boy?”

“I will buy him every piece of sporting equipment on the planet and love him unconditionally,” he promises, kissing me on the tip of my nose. “But that baby is a girl.”

“You’re sorely mistaken, my friend,” I tease him, shifting to get comfortable.

“Eww!” he says, his blue eyes peering down at me. “Don’t call me your friend.”

“You are my friend,” I laugh. “You’re my very best friend in the whole world.”

“That’s gross, Baby.”

“How is that gross?” I say, unable to hold in my laughter.

“You remember that thing we did in the rental this morning?”

“Yeah,” I say, my cheeks blazing.

“You better not ever do that shit with any of your friends,” he laughs.

“Aw man. Ana’s gonna be devastated,” I chuckle, leaning my head against his shoulder. “That’s her favorite.”

“Hmm, well I’m impressed. I didn’t think Ana had it in her…” he grins. “You got any pictures of that?”

“Chase Benjamin!” I gasp loudly, clamping onto his nipple and twisting hard. “You did not just say that!”

“Jesus Christ,” he yelps, escaping my grasp and laughing through his wince. “Fuck, Baby! I’m sorry! I was just joking!”

“Worst joke ever,” I smirk, swatting his arm.

“You got me good that time!” he says, glancing down at me as he rubs the afflicted spot.

“Serves you right, you fucker,” I tell him, shaking my head and stifling my laughter. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“I was just playing,” he promises.

“Yeah, I know,” I sigh, turning to return his chaste kiss.

“You forgive me?” he asks, still pressing his lips to mine.

“Yeah, I guess,” I whisper against his mouth. “Jerk.”

“The idea of you doing anything like that with anyone else makes me crazy. You know that, Sweetheart.”

“I know,” I admit, raising my hand to his hair as he gently runs his lips over mine.

“I don’t even want to think of you with anyone else,” he croons as he lightly sucks on my lower lip, causing my head to swim. “I mean, unless it’s like Mila Kunis or something.”

Instantly, my lips still and my eyes pop open to find him looking down at me, his blues dancing in amusement.

“I’m about to punch you,” I tell him, gripping his hair tightly into my hand.

“Baby, I’m just fucking with you,” he laughs, running his hand over my belly. “You know I like blondes.”

“Babe!” I laugh in disbelief. “Seriously hard! In the face!”

“I’m sorry,” he says, still smiling. “I’m totally kidding with you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I say, playfully pushing him away from me.

“You can’t get mad over celebrities anyway,” he says. “I know you’ve got a thing for Channing Whatever-his-name-is and I don’t care.”

“Well, first of all, we’re not talking about me,” I tell him, causing him to laugh. “Second of all, I don’t have a thing for him.”

“Whatever,” he laughs. “I totally busted you!”

“No, totally busted Heather watching that movie at our house. You didn’t bust me doing anything,” I counter, sticking my tongue out at him. “I don’t have any celebrity crushes and I certainly don’t think anyone is hot enough to make you feel bad over.”

“Baby…”

“Look at me. Look how fat I am with your giant baby,” I say, glancing over at him. “And you’re gonna talk to me about Mila fucking Kunis?”

“I’m sorry,” he says, his eyes sincere. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. You’re way hotter than Mila Kunis.”

“Damn right I am,” I tell him as he kisses my temple. “And if you ever think we’re playing that hall pass game, you’re out of your ever loving mind.”

“Fuck that game,” he whispers, nudging my chin to face him.

“That’s right fuck that game.”

“I’m sorry,” he says against my lips.

“And I don’t care what your list says,” I say. “I’m eating chocolate when we get to Atlanta.”

“Okay Baby.”

“Not the crappy snack size shit either,” I tell him. “I’m eating a lot of it.”

“I’ll buy you two of whatever you want, Gorgeous,” he promises, smiling against my lips.

“Good answer,” I say, finally letting him kiss me. “You never speak of her to me again, Chase.”

“I won’t,” he chuckles, kissing me again. “You’re so cute.”

“Yeah,” I smirk. “Talk to me about another woman again and I’ll get downright fuckin’ adorable.”

“You’re a nutcase,” he laughs. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, jerk.”

Chase

“You’re up to a hundred and fifty big ones, Babysaurus,” Sophie says with a wink.

We’d made a bet before her last appointment ago on the sex of the baby, but the doctor hadn’t been able to get a clear enough shot on the ultrasound. This time we upped the ante, but the baby was facing away.

“Yeah,” I smile, kissing her hair while I pull her closer to my side as we walk to my truck. “If Peanut makes us wait too much longer, I’m gonna be sending your pretty ass a selfie from AT&T Stadium on opening game day.”

“Keep dreaming,” she laughs, letting me help her into her side of the truck and settling before facing me. “Mama’s buyin’ a new Michael Kors bag, sucka.”

“We’ll see,” I grin as I climb in behind the driver’s seat and crank the engine. “You ready?”

“Yep,” she smiles.

As we pull back onto the highway, we make our way back toward the other end of town and I glance over at her nervously. She’s on the phone with Heather who’s been taking care of JT for us while we go to Sophie’s appointment and run a few errands.

With only a few weeks standing between both our wedding and the arrival of our baby, we’ve got a ton of stuff to get done. We’d decided to take up Drake on his offer to get married at his house in Corpus so we’d be spending the weekend with them. Not only was Sophie itching to see Ana, that would give us some time to figure out what we’d need for the ceremony. Before we left, we were going to pick up a few things for Peanut’s nursery. In a few hours, we’ve got to meet Drake, Ana and Jack for dinner, hence the reason for my nerves.

We spend so much time together this would normally be a very typical thing for us to do. Tonight though, Jack would be bringing a date. After the chaos that followed Heather hitting on Sophie’s ex, I wasn’t sure how this night would go.

I’d asked Sophie if she was comfortable with everything this morning and she’d assured me she was. She’s never given me any reason to doubt her, but you’d have to be a fool to not see how much they still cared for each other. I’ve accepted that they’ll always be a part of the others life. Honestly, a big part of me is happy we’ve found a way to make it work. Regardless of how weird it can be sometimes, he makes her happy and that’s all any of us have ever wanted for her. In order for this situation to keep working though, he’s got to find a way to move on and she’s got to let him. By the time we pull up to the baby store, she’s finished her phone call with Heather and JT.