Page 25 of Until Presley (Happily Ever Alpha World)

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

PRESLEY

I ’ve been in Chattanooga for a week, working at the aquarium with the staff and visitors regarding the sandbar shark and the sand tiger sharks in their exhibit.

I’ve been teaching visitors that sharks aren’t always the killers they’re portrayed to be in the movies, and that they’re actually more scared of us than we are of them.

When I work with the staff, it’s focused on conservation issues with sharks in the wild and how their observations help our research.

I’m building relationships with the staff that I’ll be able to cultivate when I’m doing my own research.

It’s been a refreshing week for me, just being away from Miami and everything going on there.

Clara’s father hired a cutthroat attorney, who claims I initiated the attack and Clara stopped me.

I’m so angry. She even has our parents convinced she’s innocent.

The police and district attorney have footage of her grabbing me and pulling me into the alcove, but there are no cameras in there to prove what really happened.

The cameras show me stepping out and her coming at me, but it’s not enough.

I’m devastated that she might get away with this, just like she’s gotten away with her treatment of me through the years.

Clara continues to harass me, saying I’m the reason she isn’t going to graduate.

She Snapchats me messages, but I can’t take a screenshot of them without her knowing.

Ham said he’s going to bring me another phone so I can take pictures.

Plus, it will give me a new phone number so she can’t contact me.

Our parents still haven’t shown up, but they’re supposed to be in Miami this weekend.

I have a meeting with my advisor when I get back on Monday.

I’m worried they are going to make me stay there.

I’m ready to wake up with Ham every day again, not just on the weekends or when we can meet up.

I’m ready to move on with my life with a family and friends who actually care about me.

I have a friend I met through the zoo and aquarium community, Lydia Rorke, who invited me to her wedding here in Chattanooga.

Ham is flying in this evening so we can attend together, and we can spend the weekend with each other.

Lydia works for the Nashville Zoo, and we became friends when I was studying for my master’s degree.

I had to explore other marine life in zoos and aquariums. I was interested in the stingrays that are also a part of the shark family.

Her zoo has two types, and I was communicating with her via email and Zoom.

We’ve never met in person until tonight.

I’m kind of excited to meet her, but her friend Sydney is someone I really want to meet.

Sydney was a field researcher and animal photographer before she came to the Nashville Zoo.

She studied rhinos and elephants in Southern Africa.

I can’t wait to talk to her. Yes, I’ve traveled a lot, even went to South Africa, but I never had the chance to go inland for safaris or other tours to see the land animals.

My father was always too busy to take me, and my tutors couldn’t without his permission.

Lydia wanted Ham and me to come to her rehearsal dinner tonight so we could meet in a little more relaxed situation and a smaller group.

I’m dancing around the hotel room as I get ready, waiting for Ham to show up.

I’m in my bra and panties, swinging my hips to a new song.

It’s about a girl wanting her boyfriend to knock her up.

It’s fun, and I like it, but it aligns with the thoughts I’ve been having lately that brought on listening to it.

The number of dreams I’ve been having about getting pregnant is crazy. Hanna and I were talking yesterday, and she told me she got pregnant before she and Walker got married. She told me she doesn’t regret it. I talked to her about my dreams and thoughts, and she laughed, saying maybe it was fate.

I know I might not finish my doctorate this year like I wanted, but I’m getting tired of putting my life on hold.

For the longest time, I thought this was the only way my father would pay attention to me, but now I know there is nothing that will make up for the way he’s treated me lately.

After everything that happened at Christmas and when he found out I was with Ham, it’s been abundantly clear that his focus is only on himself.

Me getting my doctorate reflects on him; it’s not an accomplishment for me.

I twist around as the song continues, dancing provocatively.

“Baby,” is growled from behind me, and Ham kicks the door closed before he’s on me and has me bent over the bed. I moan and claw at the covers as he rips my thong from my body. “You want my baby?” he growls against my core.

“Maybe,” I moan. “I don’t know, but it’s been in my thoughts since you mentioned it last month.”

Ham has made sure that every chance he can, he’s in Miami with me. He is proving that I’m his focus, and it makes me love him even more.

Ham’s tongue slips inside me, and I hum at the feeling.

He gets me to the edge before he stands up.

His buckle hits the floor, then he’s pushing his thick cock inside me.

I throw my head back and cry out at the intrusion but love it at the same time.

Ham grips my hips and holds me tight as he works in and out of my body.

As my body climbs higher and higher, I moan and tell him my feelings.

“I love you so much. Please. Harder,” I beg, and he doesn’t disappoint.

His fingers dig into my hips and his thrusts are harder. My body tightens, and then I feel it all let go as I cry out. He groans as he comes deep inside me.

I want to crawl up onto the bed and take a nap, but I still have to get ready so we can go to the party.

Ham

H earing that song playing and my girl dancing to it was more than I could take.

All I could think about was her pregnant with my baby.

Her belly round with my child and proof that she’s mine.

I want that so bad I can taste it. I know she wants to finish her doctorate first, and I’ll wait, but hearing that she’s even been thinking about it was a turn-on. I want to support Presley, always.

Carefully, I lift her off the bed and carry her to the bathroom, where I shower with her and we get ready to head to her friend’s rehearsal dinner. If I knew it wouldn’t make us late, I’d have taken her again in the shower. I want to make love to her all weekend long.

I’ve missed her being in our home in Key West. My mom and Hanna miss her too.

When I go to visit my brother, he’s always looking for her.

She’s been sending him pictures and decorations for his room.

The most recent thing she sent him were images she took while swimming with a bowmouth guitarfish.

It looks like a shark and ray got together.

She left him a note that I read to him, telling him that she saw it when she was on a dive in Papua New Guinea.

It’s just another reason I love her so much.

She loves my family and loves to do things I like to do.

I know we will never get bored with each other.

Walking through the doors of the restaurant, I stop at the hostess booth and hold Presley’s hand.

When I give her the name, she directs us to a private room.

People mingle around, and I notice a petite, dark-haired woman standing beside a tall, bald guy.

He’s hovering over her, and as soon as she sees us walk in, she is making her way toward us.

“Presley?” the woman says in a Southern accent. The man is behind her with his hand against her back, similar to how I am with my girl. The woman is a couple of inches taller than Presley.

“Hello, Lydia.” Presley smiles, and then she’s pulled away from me and engulfed in a hug.

“I’m so glad you made it.”

“Maverick,” the man says and extends his hand.

“Ham.” We shake hands as the girls pull away and start talking.

“I heard about your week at the aquarium. You need to come to the zoo and talk about our rays. Or just come for a visit,” Lydia tells Presley.

“I’d love to, but I’m still working on my doctoral studies. They want me to do education right now on my primary focus, sharks.”

“If we had the room, I’d consider adding sharks, but currently we are working on other exhibits. If you ever think about going zoo, talk to me first, you hear me?”

“I do.”

We move across the room, and we are introduced to more people. Sydney works at the zoo with Lydia, and my girl starts bombarding her with questions about her prior research exhibitions in Zimbabwe. As she questions Sydney, I notice her husband, Tucker, move up behind her and start rubbing her back.

“Sorry, I don’t really talk about my exhibition in Zimbabwe very much.” Sydney apologizes. “But I’ll tell you that Botswana and Zimbabwe normally are amazing trips.”

“I don’t need details. I’m so sorry. I’ve read the story. I was just wondering what it’s like working with such large animals.” Presley reaches out and touches Sydney’s hand.

“Come on, let’s get some drinks and let these guys visit.” She takes Presley’s hand, but before they walk off, Presley looks at me, and I nod. I love that she makes sure I’m okay before she leaves me. I watch them walk off, talking away about each of their trips and travels.

“I don’t know the story of your wife,” I tell her husband. Tucker is a bit taller than me, but we are both bulky. Just his stance and the way he looks around the room projects his military background.

“Sydney witnessed a slaughter of not just a rhino but of several of her associates. She was left for dead. It’s a miracle she and our daughter survived. She had no identification and had to get across the borders to where her mother was in South Africa.”

“Dang.” I look at her then back to him. “She’s tough.”

“She’s one of the strongest women I know. That and her love for our child was what made me fall for her. You served in the Navy?” Tucker asks me, and I turn to look at him.

“Yeah, I did,” I say hesitantly and raise my eyebrow.

“Cobi was telling us.” He nods behind me.

I turn as Hanna’s brother walks over to us with his wife alongside him.

“Cobi, when you coming down to the Keys again?” I reach out, we smack hands, and pull each other in for a half hug, giving a friendly thump on the back. I haven’t seen them since Thanksgiving. I turn back to Tucker. “Yeah, I was with the Mobile Diving Salvage Unit. You?”

“Seal team, Camp Coronado,” he says, and we start talking about common ships we were on.

“I think you were on our ship at one point.”

“Yeah, we were doing some maneuvers. I remember seeing you guys. Cobi says you work with Walker?”

“Yeah, we own the dive school together along with Otto.”

“That sounds cool. We should make a trip down and check it out. Just with two little ones under three, we get so busy.” Tucker chuckles. I’d heard him say his wife was pregnant when she was attacked.

“You have kids?” Presley smiles at him when she walks back over, handing me a beer. I want to lift her over my shoulder and take her out of here so I can give her a baby too.

“We have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a three-month-old son,” Sydney says. “You’ll see them tomorrow, along with Lydia’s kids. We got babysitters for this evening. My mom loves her grandbabies. Do you have kids?” She points at us. “You’d make beautiful babies, I bet.”

“No, we’re waiting until after Presley finishes her doctorate.

” I squeeze my girl into my side, and she looks up at me.

I see the love she feels looking back at me, but I also see something else.

I’m going to have to question her when we get back to the hotel.

I don’t know what’s on her mind, but if she’s having doubts, I need to nip it in the bud.

By the time we get back to the hotel, I can’t wait to strip my woman bare and have my way with her. I make love to her over and over throughout the night, and we barely make it to the wedding on time.

My girl watches with stars in her eyes as Maverick finds out Lydia has been hiding that she’s pregnant.

It’s a good thing that I’ve already got her ring ordered, because it’s going on her finger as soon as I get it.

She can finish her studies while we are engaged.

We can even get married before she gets her doctorate. I don’t care, as long as she’s mine.