Page 16 of The Awakening (The Morton Family Saga #3)

Chapter Fourteen

Ellie

T he Christmas tree stood tall in the center of the room.

It was impeccably decorated, and there were presents piled high in front of it.

Gavin and I had been taking things fairly slow, but since the ultrasound, he’d been nothing short of attentive.

It was tough to turn down his many advances, but I’d managed to keep things friendly aside from the odd surprise kiss that lasted too long.

I wanted to get to know him before we jumped into bed together.

But even I was getting tired of how slow things were progressing between us physically.

There was nothing to blame Gavin for. It was me and my own insecurities holding me back, but now it was time to take the next step and I had a plan.

The chatter in the living room was refreshing. I’d spent so many years wondering what a real family Christmas would be like, and here I was in the middle of one.

Grabbing my phone, I sent a text to Gavin.

Me: Thank you for giving me a real Christmas.

Gavin: You’ve never had a Christmas?

Me: Nope. My family never celebrated it.

Gavin: I am happy you’re here with me.

I looked up and peered around the tree. Our eyes met, and I smiled at him.

Me: Merry Christmas, husband.

Taking a deep breath, I attached three pictures for him and waited for his reaction.

Gavin picked up his phone from the armrest of the couch again.

A frown crossed his face when he saw the text.

Then I watched him turn so Tyler, who was sitting beside him, couldn’t see while he scrolled through the pictures, his brow furrowed.

He set his phone back down before he picked it up again and scrolled once more.

I watched as the frown changed to a slight smile at his second inspection.

He cleared his throat and scratched his chin, then he looked up at me and shook his head. The smile turning into a grin.

I bobbled my phone at the shot of joy I felt when he looked at me. I grabbed it before it could fall, and when I looked back to where Gavin had been sitting, he was gone. The room was large, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Come with me.” His warm breath on the back of my neck made me jump. His voice was stern, the complete opposite of what I expected after the look he’d just given me, but I did what he said.

He was walking so quickly tjat I had to almost run to keep up with him. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the second floor when I was about halfway up the stairs.

“Gavin, what’s wrong? I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have sent those.” I sprinted into our bedroom behind him.

Gavin closed the door the second I entered the room. The click of the lock would forever be a sound I remembered.

He stepped toward me. “You should be sorry.”

“I am. Let’s just go down back downstairs and forget it ever happened. I didn’t mean to ruin Christmas.”

He shook his head, his expression serious, his eyes boring into me. “The only thing you have to be sorry about is not sending them sooner. And we’re not going anywhere until I get to unwrap my Christmas present.”

I sucked in a breath. He wasn’t mad?

“Take off your clothes.”

“Right now? Gavin, it’s daylight out, and your family is downstairs.”

“Elyse, take off your clothes. You can’t send me pictures like that if you aren’t going to follow through.” He moved closer to me and reached for the hem of my shirt. “If you won’t remove your clothes, I’ll do it for you.”

Gavin slid my shirt up and over my head, then tossed it over his shoulder. “Is this what you want, Ellie?” He traced the curve along the top of my breast.

A shiver ran through me at his touch. “I wouldn’t have sent those photos to you if I didn’t want it to end this way.” I reached behind me and unclasped my bra and let it fall to the floor.

Gavin’s eyes were glued to my breasts. “I can’t believe how much fuller they are than the last time I saw them. God, Ellie, you are gorgeous.”

He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me. Kissing me with unbridled hunger, and he didn’t stop until he had me breathless and weak in the knees. He kissed down my neck and along my collarbone, taking one breast in his hand and kneading it.

He reached down between us and popped the button of my jeans open. “Take your pants off.”

I obeyed his command. It was a side of Gavin I didn’t know existed.

He had been so sweet, patient, and gentle with me any time he’d touched me.

Always careful to ask permission. But that was out the window now.

I’d given him the permission he’d long wanted, and this was what was on the other side of that.

I slid my jeans down my hips, and they fell the rest of the way to the floor with a light thud, and he took a step back and scanned my body. He lingered on my stomach, rounder than the last time he’d seen it. Even though most days I felt less than sexy, Gavin couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off me.

He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his hips as he carried me to the bed we’d been sharing for weeks. We’d only truly come close to doing this once before, and I’d turned him away because I wasn’t ready. He placed me on the bed and kissed me before he stood up.

Without taking his eyes off me, he pulled his shirt out of the waist of his pants and unbuttoned it slowly. “Are you sure this is what you want?” His voice was low and full of lust. Lust that was all for me. There was nobody else in the world I wanted to share this moment with.

“I do. I want you, Gavin.”

His jeans hit the floor, and his belt buckle landed with a clank. He had told me of his life wearing suits, but I couldn’t see it. The plaid shirts and the Wranglers seemed like they’d been created exclusively for him.

The bed shifted under the weight, and he slid his hand across my tender nipples, teasing them.

I inhaled sharply as he lightly pinched and toyed with my taut buds.

I was so aroused, I barely knew what to do with myself.

The sensation was intoxicating and overwhelming at the same time.

I moaned to relieve some of the tension.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you do that.” His words were spoken in hushed tones as he nuzzled his face into my neck, sucking on my earlobe.

“They’re so sensitive right now. I read that will happen for the first few months.” Why was I talking? He didn’t need to know the ins and outs of pregnancy while we were naked in bed together for the first time. At least I was naked; he still wore his underwear.

“I know. I’ve been reading too.”

“You have?”

He stopped his exploration of my breasts and propped himself up on his elbow.

“Of course. You and I are in this together. I’ll be here for you and this baby no matter what happens between us.” He leaned down and sealed his promise with a kiss.

Gavin moved his hand from my breast and slid it down between my legs. In the few times I had been with Ray, I had never been touched so tenderly. Like my needs mattered. I let my legs open so he had easier access.

“My, my. You are more than ready for me, aren’t you?”

He slipped out of his boxers, his cock springing free.

I sucked in a breath at the sight of him. “I could say the same about you, husband.”

I leaned over and took his erection in my hand and pumped it a few times. I had never been so bold in my life. What was it about Gavin that made me feel like I could do anything?

He let me explore him for a moment longer, then he positioned himself between my legs, and I braced myself for the pain that was to come.