“Hey, cupcake.” Joe slid his arms around his wife and hugged her tight. She stiffened instead of melting against him, so he pulled away, his arms dangling empty and awkward by his sides. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded, but the smile she flashed at him was tight. “Just tired. Yesterday got kind of wild. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Me either, but I’ll take that kind of surprise any day.” He grinned. Relieved and refreshed, he felt ready to tackle the world today. And by world, he meant whatever this weird thing was between him and his wife. He didn’t like it. It reminded him of the days when she’d desperately wanted a baby he couldn’t provide. Damn sperm count.

A flashback of the insecurity and guilt he’d felt before the crew had lent a hand—and a few dicks—to the problem, hit him hard. He frowned.

Morgan must have sensed the change in his mood. She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder and rested there a moment before she said, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Hell, just thinking about it is making me hard all over again.” He leaned down, brushed her hair aside, then kissed the crook of her neck. “I think I have a few minutes before I need to leave.”

“Let me take care of that then.” Morgan started to sink to her knees. But that wasn’t what he wanted right then. He needed to breach the odd distance that had wedged between them over the past few weeks.

Right here, right now.

“I got mine yesterday.” He put his hands beneath her arms and lifted her up. Then he began kissing her as he carried her back to their bed.

Thank God Nathan was still asleep. They both got early starts. Sometimes she’d wake up at three to get freshly baked items ready for the morning rush. Luckily, he’d caught her before she headed down to her shop.

“I need to start the danishes for breakfast rush.”

“They can wait until I’ve eaten my fill.” He smiled wolfishly as he crawled between her legs and unfastened her jeans. Was it his imagination or were they a little looser than he remembered?

He walked them down her slender thighs, kissing each inch of skin he revealed.

“Joe, really…I shouldn’t.”

“Shh. I asked your boss. She said it’s okay if you’re fifteen minutes late.” Of course, Morgan was the sole proprietor of Sweat Treats. She wasn’t about to fire herself.

He reached up beneath her light sweater and ran his fingers as lightly as he could manage over her abdomen, trying to help her relax. It must have worked because when he looked up at her, she had her eyes closed and she didn’t stop him from peeling her pants off completely.

The desire to take his time and spoil her warred with being mindful of her responsibilities. The last thing he planned to do was add more anxiety to her life. She took pride in her shop and its reputation as the premier boutique bakery in the city.

So he’d make it quick and all about her.

His hands ran up her smooth legs, caressing and massaging as he made his way higher and higher. When he could reach, he took her hands in his and held them while he let his mouth continue where his fingers had left off.

He licked her body, breathing in the scent of her shower gel and the hint of her arousal, which began to perfume the air.

When he planted a light kiss just above her clit, with a feather-light brush of his mouth over her heated skin, she sighed. “Well, maybe I can take a few minutes…”

He smiled against her dampening flesh. Damn straight she could. She needed to do more for herself and less for others. Maybe it was just stress preparing for the holidays. In addition the regular family stuff—rushing around, buying gifts, decorating, and attending functions with Nathan—it seemed like a million custom orders flooded her inbox every day. The pressure to fulfill them all instead of turning people away while still exceeding her customers’ expectations would have anyone on edge.

If that’s all it was, he knew one really good way to combat her tension.

Joe gave Morgan every ounce of his attention and affection. He tried in every way possible to communicate to her through his gentle touches that she was loved and safe in his arms. He worshipped her, because she and their son were truly the center of his entire world.

Morgan made a noise deep in her throat that sounded like a cross between a purr and a moan. He repeated the circular flick of his tongue, swirling it around her clit over and over again until she reached down and buried her fingers in his hair.

That was the woman he knew. The one who gave herself freely and accepted his devotion in return.

Joe took his right hand from hers and lowered it until it rested beneath his chin. He spiraled it inward, spreading her arousal across her folds. Slowly, yet inexorably, he neared her core. And when he slipped his index finger the barest bit within her, she didn’t object.

In fact, she spread her legs wider and pressed her pelvis tighter to his face.

He obliged her unspoken demands, lapping at her as he inserted his finger more completely. Refusing to rush, he made sure not to break the arousal blossoming within her. Yesterday, and other times lately, she’d seemed particularly sensitive. Maybe he’d been rushing too much, too eager to have her.

Carefully, he made sure to keep building her pleasure without ramping it up too fast. He figured it was like one of those fancy dessert soufflés she’d made last week. If you weren’t careful…poof.

By the time he’d worked a second finger into her, she was moaning and writhing on the bed. Joe suckled her clit, pulsing the pressure softly, in slow bursts.

“That’s so good, Joe,” she gasped. “But I need more. Please, make me come.”

Triumph flooded his veins. He could still do this to her, unravel her the way simply being with her did to him.

Joe redoubled his efforts, beginning to stroke her pussy from the inside out, loving the satiny feel of her and imagining how good it had felt when he’d buried himself inside her the day before. He’d probably been too rough when he’d claimed her, but being with the rest of the crew had that effect on him. Made him animalistic. Raw. He’d make up for it now.

He spread his fingers when her channel began to clench around him, resisting her body as it tried to expel him or maybe draw him deeper. Either way, he kept up his relentless massage until her thighs began to quake against his shoulders.

“Joe!” she whisper-shouted as she finally let go and climaxed around his hand, feeding him her sweetness.

He placed light kisses on her mound and watched as she blinked the world back into focus. “How was that?”

“It’s over?” She full-out pouted, making his heart do a backflip in his chest. “I thought that was just the warm up.”

“Do you want me?” he asked, honestly wondering. He hadn’t imagined she’d be up for it, but he was all too happy to please her however he could.

“Always.” She held her arms out to him, welcoming him into her embrace.

Joe ditched his shorts, glad he hadn’t yet gotten dressed when he levered himself to his elbows above her. When the tip of his cock aligned with her opening, it still clenched softly against him.

“You sure you want this? You don’t have to for me. If you’re good, that’s fine.” He brushed the hair from her brow and hoped she could tell he was serious.

“If you don’t get inside me right now, I won’t speak to you for a week.”

She wrapped her arms around him and tried to tug him toward her. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t force him to enter her harshly. That wasn’t who he was. That wasn’t what she needed, so it wasn’t what he was about to give. Instead he pressed against her, waiting for her to relax before he sank inside her.

He kissed her slowly as he gave her an inch of his dick at a time. They came together with fluid presses until she held all of him within her.

“Did you get bigger when I wasn’t looking?” she asked.

“I don’t think I’m still a growing boy.” He laughed at that. The resulting motion made them both groan. “Is it too much?”

Morgan paused, then shook her head. “No, it’s perfect. I just feel really…full.”

“Tell me if I get too crazy.” He rubbed his nose against hers.

She stroked his back. “You’re so good to me, you know that?”

“You deserve it.” He began to move, just the slightest bit at first. More when she rocked her hips up toward him. Soon they’d forgotten all about talking.

They made love as they stared into each other’s eyes. Nothing else mattered but them in that moment. Whatever other shit life threw at them, they would always have this undeniable bond.

Despite his desire to hold off forever, Joe could only have sex with the woman of his dreams so long before the need to come began to become more urgent. Soon he wouldn’t be able to hold it back.

Luckily Morgan was right there with him.

She wrapped her legs around him and clung, grinding against him as she took him deep.

“You’re close?”

Morgan nodded.

“Me too. Go ahead. I’m with you.” He rocked into her, full, deep strokes that nearly made him lose his mind. Especially when her pussy damn near squeezed him in half.

She arched beneath him and flew, shuddering and sobbing as she orgasmed at least as intensely as he had the day before. He could practically see the relief washing over her features, making him realize how stressed she’d truly been lately.

Knowing he’d made a difference set him over the edge. He groaned and locked fully within her, then poured himself into her. At least one benefit of being sterile was that they didn’t have to have any barriers between them.

It might have made him a typical guy, but he didn’t give a fuck. Filling her with his seed was something he would never get enough of, even if he wasn’t able to get her pregnant.

She was his and he was hers.

Now and forever.

They didn’t have as long as he’d like—oh, say, forever—to lounge in bed with each other, but that was okay. He’d save their pillow talk for that evening. Knowing he got to spend every single night with her was one of the highlights of his life.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, they were both ready to go. Usually he hung out with Nathan, got him up and spent some quality time with him before Kate arrived. She’d been watching Nathan and Abby, calling it her own daycare. She was good at it too. Maybe after their kids were in school, she should consider starting her own childcare business. Huh. He’d have to mention it to her sometime.

For now, though, his son slept peacefully. Morgan slipped on her shoes, about to head downstairs.

“Let me grab the baby monitor and I’ll walk you to the shop. I can help you get started. I don’t have to leave for the job site for another hour.”

“That would be great, thanks.” Morgan intertwined their fingers as if she didn’t want to spend even a moment apart if they didn’t have to.

Joe could relate. In fact… “Hey, would you mind if I ruin one of your Christmas presents?”

She laughed. “Um, maybe. Why?”

“I can’t wait to give you this one.” It was special and it felt right to do it now, when they were as close as he’d like them to always be, away from the distractions of everyday life and whatever had been hurting his wife.

Even if it was something minor—and he suspected it could be more than that—he wanted to replace it with something beautiful and amazing.

“I’m not going to lie, I love your surprises, Joe.” She paused, waiting for him to proceed.

He jogged to their closet and fished around in his jacket pocket for the velvet box he’d tucked there last week.

“You know how you ‘lost’ your lucky pebble from our first date?” He was instantly sorry for saying it that way when the healthy flush he’d put in her cheeks faded and her smile turned upside down.

“Don’t remind me.” She leaned against the doorframe as if it was almost too hard to stand up.

He rushed to her side and stroked her hair, finger-combing it back into place. “I’m sorry for making you think you’d misplaced it, but I took it to the jeweler and had it turned into a proper necklace. I hope you like it.”

Joe held the box out to her and cracked it open. Pillowed inside was her pebble. The jeweler had dipped the back half in gold and used that to attach a bail at the top. A fine gold chain ran through it. It was simple, yet beautiful in its own way, he thought. Would she agree?

Morgan’s fingers flew to her mouth and her eyes filled instantly with tears. Hopefully they were happy ones. “I thought it was gone forever.”

“Nah.” He put it around her neck, where it belonged. “And even if it was, we could always go revisit the pumpkin patch and pick out a new one.”

“It would never be this one. My favorite one.” She rubbed the rock, which had smooth spots from her frequent handling over the years. She immediately seemed a little calmer.

“Merry Christmas, cupcake.”

“For this I’m making you a special breakfast before you go.” Morgan kissed him warmly. “I love it. Thank you, Joe.”

“Did you say blueberry pancakes?” He perked up. Giving his wife a couple of orgasms, a surprise, and eating her fabulous food on top… Today was might as well have been his birthday.

“With extra whipped cream.” She winked. “Come on.”

Morgan didn’t have to tell him twice. He picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and ran for the stairs. His hand cupped her ass, holding her securely against him as he flew into her culinary domain.

When he set her down, she was laughing and crying. “I love you, Joe.”

“I love you, too. Now make me breakfast, woman.”