Liam

 

I woke up to the sounds of her puking.

She shut the bathroom door, as if she thought it would mute the sound.

Or keep me out.

The second she sat back from the toilet, I was there, scooping her up. But I startled her, and she jolted forward, heaving again.

I didn’t like this.

Not one fucking bit.

The fact that she had my baby growing inside her was epically awesome. However, knowing it made her like this, not so much.

As I sat there listening to her heaving, guilt ate me up. I hadn’t been there. She was pregnant and sick, probably thinking I abandoned her.

Sure, she said she understood.

I had no excuse.

This time when she sat back, I slipped around her slowly, not wanting to jar her. “You all done?” I murmured.

“God, I hope so,” she croaked.

I lifted her off the floor to carry her back to bed. She shook her head adamantly and pointed to the sink. Begrudgingly, I set her down and let her get cleaned up.

The second she turned from the counter, I lifted her again and sat in bed with her in my lap. “You still have that doctor’s number?”

“It’s in my bag,” she answered, cuddling close.

I smiled faintly into her hair because, goddamn, I missed this. The feel of her. The scent of her. After a moment of wallowing in her presence, I stood. She squeaked and gripped onto me as if I would drop her.

I’d eat my own gangrened foot before I dropped her or my kid.

With a chuckle, I tucked her into the center of the bed, then grabbed her bag and handed it to her, along with my cell. “Call and make an appointment. For today.”

She made a face. “They aren’t going to have any openings today.”

“Why the hell not?” I demanded.

“That’s not how doctor offices work.”

“You have a baby in you!”

She gasped. “Thank God you told me!”

I raised both brows. “Don’t you sass me, woman.”

She made a dramatic noise and an equally dramatic facial expression. “I know this may come as a shock, but I’m not the only pregnant woman on this planet.”

Planting my palms on either side of her, I leaned close. “Well, you’re the only woman on this planet who’s pregnant with my baby.”

A little purring sound erupted from her as she looped her arms around my neck. “Are you trying to turn me on? Because that is sexy.”

Desire sizzled through my veins, and my eyes bounced between hers. “You like that, do you?”

Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “Very. Much.”

Against the mattress, my fingers flexed into the sheets. Oh God, it would be so fucking easy to grab her, to move over her body and claim her. The way she was looking at me right now made my dick stand at attention.

With a groan, I pulled back. Denying myself. Denying her.

“Liam.” She pouted.

I chuckled. “You want a piece of this?” I gestured to my half-naked frame. “Make the appointment.”

“So it’s really like that, huh?”

I flashed my teeth. “It’s really like that.”

Her voice wobbled, and her face became unsure. “Are you sure it’s not something else?”

I frowned. “What else would it be?”

“Are you sure you aren’t upset with me?”

A rough noise ripped out of me as I moved over her on the bed. “I am not mad at you. I am not anything but deeply, insanely in love with you and my baby.”

“Usually you can’t keep your hands off me.”

“I held you all night, sweetheart,” I pointed out, keeping my voice gentle. Having her beneath me, looking up with vulnerability in her eyes, was testing my patience.

So was the fact that she seemed hurt that we had yet to have sex.

I kissed her nose, her eyelid, and then moved to kiss the other. My arms were starting to shake from holding my body weight off her, but I didn’t move.

“You know what I mean,” she murmured, lifting her chin so I would also kiss her lips.

“I told you,” I said. “I need to make sure you and the baby are okay before I go making love to you.”

“Again, I tell you I am not the only woman on this planet to be pregnant. Pregnant women have sex all the time. It’s how they get pregnant.” She was stubborn and petulant.

I found it charming and irresistible, so I laughed.

Bellamy scowled.

Suppressing my grin, I replied, “And I told you I only give a shit about one pregnant woman.”

I kissed her again, lingering on her mouth just a little longer. She was sweet, sweet torture.

With a groan, I pushed back, gesturing to the phone again. “Make that call. I’ll get you some ginger tea.”

“Hey,” she said, grasping my wrist.

I turned back.

“I like being pregnant with your baby. Even if it does make me sick as a dog.”

Warmth suffused my chest. I kissed her forehead and then went to make the tea that seemed to settle her stomach.

Or maybe that had been the Raisin Bran.

She’d eaten two bowls and didn’t even blink. They weren’t small bowls either.

I made the tea as quietly as I could, then carried it back to the bedroom.

Bells looked up when I walked in, phone still pressed to her ear. “You’re sure you don’t have anything open for two weeks?” she asked into the line.

Well, that was unacceptable.

I tossed Charlie a snack, which he seized right out of the air, and snatched the phone out of Bell’s hand. I put it to my ear while handing her the mug.

She took it but glared. I thought it was cute.

“Hi, who is this?” I spoke into the line.

The woman paused. “This is Eileen at Dr. Crawford’s office.”

“Hey, Eileen, nice to meet you. This is Liam Mattison.”

“Liam Mattison,” she repeated. “Of BearPaw Resort, the Olympic medalist?”

“One in the same.”

“Oh, hi.” She giggled. “I mean… How can I help you today?”

“That woman you were speaking with just a moment ago, the cranky one?”

Bellamy gasped. “Liam!”

“Yes?” the woman answered cautiously.

“That’s my, ah…” I glanced at her and frowned. “My girlfriend.” That just wasn’t a good enough title for Bellamy. It sounded cheap.

I hated it.

“She’s pregnant. We just found out.”

“Oh! Congratulations!” Eileen exclaimed. “How exciting!”

“Thank you.” I smiled into the line. Bellamy muttered something about people kissing royalty ass. I stifled a snicker. “I’m excited. Can’t wait to get the little guy on a board.”

Eileen sighed into the line.

“Anyway, Bells hasn’t been seen by a doctor, and I’m pretty concerned. She hasn’t been able to keep much down.”

“Oh, that’s totally normal.” Eileen assured me.

“Thing is I would feel a hell of a lot better if we could get her seen as soon as possible.”

Bellamy snorted. “Two weeks.” She reminded me.

“You don’t happen to have any cancellations or anything available, do you?” I glanced at Bells. “I’d consider it a personal favor.”

She rolled her eyes and dramatically fell back on the bed. Brat almost spilled her tea. I was so entertained by her I almost didn’t hear the nurse speak into my ear.

“I have a small window open today, but you’d have to be here in an hour.”

A slow, wide smile spread over my face. “We can totally be there in an hour.”

Bells’s mouth dropped open, and an offended look crossed her features.

I gave the nurse my info and told her I was looking forward to meeting her in person. Then I ended the call and tossed the cell on the mattress.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bellamy scoffed.

“I’ve got skills.” I bragged.

“What you have is Olympic medals and a bunch of muscles.”

I snickered. “Sometimes being Caribou royalty comes in handy.”

“Whatever,” she muttered and tipped the mug to her lips.

I climbed on the bed and gathered her close. “Don’t be mad, sweetheart. I just want the best for you and my son.”

She sighed. “I’m not mad. I didn’t want to wait two weeks either.”

“Good, because we have to leave in thirty.”

Bellamy jolted up. “I need to take a shower!”

Before she could run off completely, I grabbed the back of my T-shirt she was wearing and tugged her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I just told you,” she answered.

“Kiss me.”

“Just because you can charm whatever you want out of everyone in this entire town doesn’t mean you can do the same to me.”

Oh, I liked a challenge.

I pulled her so she fell back on the bed, straddling her hips. My shirt was oversized on her, so I hooked my fingers in the neck and pulled it down, exposing her collarbone and shoulder.

Swooping in close, I didn’t kiss her. Instead, I let the tip of my nose graze over the sensitive skin along her neck and down across her collarbone. She moved beneath me, and I smirked against her, then nudged against her neck again.

“God, I missed you,” I murmured. “When I did finally get an hour or two to sleep, I’d lay in that bed upstairs and long for you. You haunted my dreams while we were apart, Bells. There wasn’t a single moment in those three days that I didn’t want you.”

Her chest rose and fell beneath me.

Lifting my face, our eyes collided. Holding her stare, my lips lowered until they hovered just above hers. I could taste her breath this close, a mix of mint and ginger.

Her lashes fanned down over her cheeks, then fluttered open again.

“Kiss me, sweetheart.” I beckoned.

She didn’t move, but I did. Our lips brushed once, twice, and on the third time, I didn’t lift up. Instead, I kissed her the way I’d wanted to all those nights I lay in bed without her. I kissed her in the most honest way I could, hoping she could taste the truth of just how much I loved her.

Her fingers dragged up my spine, creating ripples of pleasure in their wake.

After another few minutes, the thick fog of want began clouding my mind, and I moaned. Forcing myself back, our lips tugged against the other’s as I moved, clinging on for just a second longer.

“Thank Christ your appointment is today.” My voice was gravelly.

She smiled and arched up into me like a cat. “I missed you, too, Liam,” she confided. Her fingers dragged back down my spine, toward my ass. “I miss you still.”

It was a sheer act of willpower that kept me from ripping off every last piece of clothing she wore.

“Go get ready,” I said, horny as hell.

I watched her walk into the bathroom, not smug in the least I got her to kiss me because, damn, all that kiss had done was leave me wanting more.