“Me, too,” she replies with a smile. “I’m sorry.”

I shake my head and back away so Nic can get close.

“Matt was right. Things are never boring with this family,” Nic says with a wink. “But maybe from now on, we’ll keep things less exciting.”

“I’m in favor of that,” Natalie agrees with a smile. She rubs her hand over her belly and gazes over at her husband, who has also joined us.

“I think a bunch of us are going to go get dinner. Do you want one of us to bring you guys back anything?” Nic asks, and I smile at her.

“No, thanks,” Luke replies. “Nat has to eat what they give her, and I’ll grab something from the cafeteria. The food’s not too bad.”

“Yuck,” Nic replies, sticking her tongue out.

“Bring him back a burger,” Nat adds and shakes her head at Luke. “No cafeteria food, baby.”

“We can do that,” I reply. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

“I love you, sweet girl.” I kiss her cheek and push her hair back behind her ear. “Take care of them,” I say to Luke and wave as we leave Nat’s room and join the others, ready to go out for dinner.

Chapter Sixteen

~Nic~

“I wasn’t listening to a thing anyone was saying all the way through dinner,” Matt informs me as he unlocks his apartment door and ushers me inside. “All I could think about was getting you home.”

“And naked?” I ask with a raised brow.

“Not exactly,” he replies with a wolfish smile.

He tosses his keys in a glass bowl by the door and advances on me. He backs me farther into the living room, sits on his couch and pulls me onto him to straddle his lap. I have to shimmy my dress up around my hips to spread my thighs wide enough to comfortably sit on him. His eyes flare and darken as he glides his big hands up my bare thighs to cup my ass. “You looked amazing today.”

“Thank you,” I reply and offer him a small smile. I won’t let him see that my whole world has been turned upside down in the span of mere hours.

He and I aren’t going to work. I’ve known it from the beginning, but this afternoon at the hospital cemented it for me.

But I’m too fucking selfish to let go of him without saying goodbye, even if it’s only with my heart.

“You looked hot yourself,” I murmur. “Of course, you look hot in most anything.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” he disagrees with a grin.

“It is.” I lean in and nuzzle his nose with mine then kiss his cheek and down to his neck where I breathe him in.

I’m going to miss the smell of him.

“The green in this dress makes your eyes shine,” he whispers and licks my chest across the top of my dress. “Watching you move in it is every man’s fucking fantasy.”

“Every man’s?” I ask skeptically.

“This man’s,” he replies and nips my chin before claiming my mouth with his. His hands plunge under my hemline, grip the black thong I bought specifically for this dress, and rip it on each side, sliding it off me.

“That was new,” I murmur breathlessly.

“I’ll buy you another one,” he replies. “Put your hands behind your back.”

I scowl down into his face. I don’t want him to tie me up. Not this time. This is the last time we’ll make love, and I want to touch him, feel every glorious muscle under my hands as he moves inside me, but he doesn’t know yet, and I can’t argue.

I pull my arms behind me, and he quickly ties me with my own underwear then pushes me back on his knees so he can look his fill.

“Beautiful,” he whispers. He unfastens his pants and pushes them down his thighs far enough to unleash his cock.

“Please take your shirt off, too,” I whisper, keeping his gaze locked in my own.

He tilts his head but does as I ask, unbuttoning just two buttons on his shirt and pulling it over his head, tossing it aside. He reaches for my hips, and I raise up on my knees as he pulls me close to him and sink down on him, seating myself perfectly on top of him.

“Fuck, you’re already so wet,” he growls and plants wet kisses on my neck.

I begin to rise and fall on him, squeezing my muscles with every pull up.

He bites his lip and looks down where we’re joined, watching with hot eyes.

He reaches around me and grabs my hands in his, holding me prisoner as his hips piston up and down beneath me, fucking me hard.

“Holy fuck,” he grinds out, his eyes gliding up and down my body, over the curves in the tight dress, down to where we’re joined and back up again to look me in the eye. “Love being inside you, little one.”

I bite my lip, afraid I’m going to cry. I love it, too!

“Please untie my hands.”

“Are you hurting?” He stills, his face sober. He cups my cheek in one palm and watches me closely.

“No.” Yes! More than I ever have. “My hands don’t hurt, but I really want to touch you. Please.”

He frowns but reaches behind me and unties my hands.

I immediately wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face against his throat. I begin to move my hips, riding him hard and fast.

“Ah fuck, Nic,” he growls and once again grips my hips, guiding me as I ride him.

I keep my face planted in his neck so he can’t see the tears that fall silently as I make love to him, showing him with my body how much I love him.

“Baby, I’m going to come. If you don’t slow down, I’m going to come.”

I speed up. The tears stop, and I focus all of my energy, everything I am, on Matt.

Suddenly, he stands and reverses our position, laying me flat on the couch, all without falling out of me.

“I have to…” he mutters and begins to fuck me with long, hard thrusts, pounding into me unlike he ever has before, until he finally reaches between us and plants his thumb on my clit, making me fall over the edge into oblivion with him.

Before we can catch our breath, he pulls me back up into his arms and carries me, with my legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck, to the bedroom. He lays me gently on the bed, covering me with his body, brushing the backs of his fingers over my face.

“Matt,” I begin and have to clear my throat, praying I don’t start crying again.

“Yes, little one.”

I open my mouth to reply but have to close it again and try to get my thoughts in order.