Their Love Page 3

  My eyes were similarly occupied, staring at my gorgeous wife. Every time she smiled or laughed, I felt my lips lift at the corner. Her joy was infectious. I responded to Justice with a nod. “It’ll be another opportunity for me to unruffle some feathers with my clients. A lot of them will be in attendance, and I’m sure my Hazel will love it.”

  When the evening came to an end, the gallery informed Imogene that every single piece had sold. The girls squealed and hugged in excitement, and warmth spread through my chest. I felt more at ease than I had in a while. Hazel seemed to be happy, and she was more like herself than she had been in a while.

  “Did you have fun, peaches?” I asked her softly as she snuggled into my side in the back of our town car.

  Hazel dropped her head back and grinned up at me, her green eyes dancing. “So much fun!” she exclaimed before leaning up to plant a kiss on my lips.

  I slipped my index finger into the slit in her shirt right between her tits and ran the pad of my finger down the length of it. She shivered, and I grunted as my cock hardened painfully. “This has been driving me crazy all night. Did you do this on purpose, peaches?” I growled as I shifted her body until she was straddling my lap. She moaned when she felt my erection pressing up insistently between her legs.

  “I think you intended to tease me.” My hand fisted in the fabric and yanked, bringing her so close our lips were only a breath away. “Don’t think I haven’t been keeping a tally of all the spankings you’re earning.” I knew myself well enough to know that if I spanked her pretty little ass and saw my handprint on the white cheeks, I wouldn’t be able to keep the devil inside me restrained. But as soon as she recovered from having the baby, it was going to be game on.

  “Maybe you should punish me now,” she breathed as she moved on top of me.

  I gritted my teeth and set her back on the seat next to me. “You know I can’t do that, Hazel.” The happiness in her eyes dimmed, and I wanted to drop-kick my own ass for causing it. “Peaches, I can’t lose control with you. I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”

  She blinked a few times, trying to hold back the moisture that was making it suddenly hard for me to breathe. “Are you sure that’s all it is?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, drawing her head up so I could look her in the face. “What do you mean?”

  She tried to shake her head, but I was holding firm, so she swallowed and whispered, “Never mind. It’s just pregnancy hormones messing with me.”

  The car came to a stop before I could dig further, and Hazel practically leapt from the car when Bianca opened the door.

  I was tempted to rush after her, but something told me that she needed some time. So, I headed for the kitchen and made her a cup of her favorite tea. Then I brought it with me to the bedroom.

  Hazel was sitting at the vanity in our bathroom with the faucet in the big tub running. I set the tea in front of her, and she tossed me a small, but genuine, smile. I took over getting the bath ready for her, adding her favorite salts—ones I’d made sure she could use during her pregnancy—and setting a stack of warm, fluffy towels on a little table beside the bathtub. Then I grabbed the paperback from her nightstand. By then, the water was high enough to turn off the faucet. I helped her disrobe and step into the steaming water. She sighed and relaxed against the marble, allowing the water to cover her from neck to toe.

  I stood and kissed the top of her head. “Call me if you need me, peaches.”

  It wasn’t easy to leave Hazel alone in the bathroom—not when I wanted to climb in the tub and pull her onto my lap—but she looked like she needed to relax. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my hands off of her—and my dick out of her—If I had her wet and slippery, naked body pressed against me. My self-control had already been pushed to its limits. The last thing I needed to do was give it one final shove over the edge, especially when she seemed more vulnerable than usual. My job was to protect her, even from myself.

  Padding into the walk-in, master closet, I stripped out of my clothes and grabbed one of my shirts and a pair of panties for Hazel to wear to bed. I set them on the edge of the mattress and turned down the sheets before heading downstairs to get my laptop. While I was there, I nabbed a snack and a couple of bottles of water to bring back up with me. I set everything down on the bedside table and noticed that there weren’t any noises coming from the bathroom when I made it back upstairs. I nudged the door open, not wanting to startle Hazel if she was reading, and found her dozing off in the tub. Her tea and book were where I’d left them, so she must not have lasted long.

  I carefully lifted her out of the water and wrapped her up in one of the towels. Her green eyes blinked open for a brief moment, and she sighed as they drifted shut again. My arms tightened around Hazel’s curvy body when she cuddled against my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck. Moving over to the bed, I gently set her down and toweled her off. Once she was dry, I slipped my shirt over her head and tucked her under the sheets without bothering to slide her panties on.

  It was going to be hell sleeping next to her all night knowing that all I had to do was lift the soft material past her hips to get access to her pussy. But I wasn’t about to risk waking her up while putting them on when she was exhausted enough to pass out in the tub. She needed the rest, and I was going to make sure she got it.

  Pressing a light kiss against her forehead, I whispered, “Sleep well, peaches.”

  Chapter Five

  Jamison

  “I can’t believe I’m actually here, at the Met Gala of all places.” Hazel’s eyes were wide as she stared out the window of the limousine. She was so fucking gorgeous with her coppery hair piled on top of her head, a green dress that made her eyes pop even more than usual, and a King’s ransom worth of diamonds and emeralds dripping from her ears, neck, and wrist. I’d surprised her with the jewelry right before we left for the party, and her eyes had gone round with shock when I’d put the earrings, necklace, and bracelet on her. She’d tried to argue that it was all too much, but I’d just kissed her until she blinked up at me with dazed eyes before helping her out of the house and into the car. “It’s like we’re in a movie or something, with all the famous people dressed to impress.”

  “None of them have anything on you.” I trailed my fingertips along the neckline of her dress, over the swell of her tits. She looked down at my hand, and her breath caught. The sound reminded me of the moment right before she came, and my cock flexed against the zipper of my tuxedo pants. “You don’t need the hair, make-up, or designer dress to stand out. You’re already more beautiful than everyone else here.”

  Her gaze darted out the window again. “Right. Sure, I am.”

  The hint of sarcasm was impossible to miss and so unlike my sweet Hazel. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the idea of my wife not knowing with every fiber of her being exactly how beautiful she was. The only thing I could figure was that maybe it was a pregnancy hormone thing, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to say that to her.

  After a quick glance out the window to gauge how much time we had left before it was our turn to exit the limo, I slid off the seat and dropped to my knees in front of her. Taking her hands in mine, I squeezed them until she looked down at me. Keeping my eyes locked on her green orbs, I rumbled, “When I first spotted you at your parents’ fruit stand, you were the prettiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. And you’ve only gotten more beautiful since then.”

  “Jamie,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I just don’t see how you can really think that. I’ve already gained fifteen pounds, and I’m not even halfway through my pregnancy. By the time I have our baby, I’m going to be as big as a...a...a hot air balloon!”

  Her sputtering response and wide eyes were so fucking adorable—and more like the girl I’d fallen in love with—that I had to force my lips from curving up in a grin that I was certain she wouldn’t appreciate in this moment. Lowering my head, I brought he
r left hand to her belly and placed it over the swell where our baby was growing. “Knowing that I popped your cherry and filled your womb with my baby is sexy as fuck. To me, every pound you gain is just more proof of how much you belong to me.”

  Her cheeks filled with a hint of pink as she rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re looking at my baby weight that way because there’s going to be lots and lots of proof for you to be proud of in the coming months.”

  I pressed a gentle kiss to her belly and wagged my brows. “You’re not going to hear me complain. There’ll just be more of you for me to love, and I fucking love the idea of that.”

  She shook her head and laughed lightly. “You’re more than a little bit crazy. You know that, right?”

  “Crazy for you, yeah,” I agreed with a grin, immensely pleased to see her in a better mood.

  My head jerked up when the driver called out, “Get ready, you’re next up.”

  I nudged Hazel over and sat next to the door, so I’d be the first one out. Even though Bianca was in the front seat with the driver and would beat me to the curb, there was no way in hell anyone but me was going to help my wife out of the car.

  After the limo rolled to a stop and one of the attendants opened the door, I climbed out and turned to offer my hand to Hazel. Her fingers trembled as she slid her palm against mine. I caught a glimpse of nerves in her gorgeous green eyes before she closed them and took a deep breath. When she stepped out and her feet hit the ground, it was as though all the ease I’d teased out of her disappeared. I didn’t understand why it happened; all I knew was that I fucking hated to see her like this.

  Wrapping my arm around her waist, I led Hazel down the carpet towards the steps and ignored any requests for us to pause for photos. She moved stiffly next to me, but that didn’t stop most of the men from eating her figure up with their eyes when we entered the museum. She looked fucking gorgeous, but I hated how her dress emphasized the lusciousness of her tits and then flowed down in such a way that her baby bump wasn’t visible. It made me want to beat my chest and roar out that she was mine. Since it was the wrong time and place for an over-the-top display, I appeased the beast inside me by tightening my hold on my wife as I guided her towards the table where Justice, Blair, Thatcher, and Imogene were already seated.

  We were stopped a few times along the way by clients who wanted an introduction to my wife and to chat with me for a moment or two. Hazel mirrored the greeting the first of them gave us, flashing a smile that didn’t shine nearly as bright as her usual as she echoed, “Hello, it's lovely to meet you.”

  She kept that smile plastered on her face as she listened to the conversation, nodding along with it every once in a while. Her reaction was much the same with the next couple, except the greeting she mimicked was “I’m delighted to make your acquaintance” that time. The third time around, she used both since the male client was by himself and was too busy gaping at my wife’s tits to do much more than mutter a hello.

  When we finally made it to our table, Hazel was still stilted even though there were only two other couples seated with us who she didn’t know. It was obvious enough that Blair and Imogene sent her concerned looks, while Justice and Thatcher cocked their brows at me and jerked their chins in Hazel’s direction as if to ask “What in the hell are you going to do about this?”

  I didn’t know what the fuck was going on with my wife, but I wanted my Hazel back. Not this version of her who was stiff and polite, like so many of the women who were a part of this glittery world. I wanted the girl who lit up my entire life with just one look.

  Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I leaned to whisper in her ear, “What’s wrong, peaches? Are you not feeling well?”

  “I don’t know what you mean. I’m perfectly fine.” The smile she flashed me was brittle. It was also clearly not genuine since it didn’t reach her pretty green eyes.

  “You’re not fine,” I growled. “You’re barely talking to your friends or me, and you look like you’d break if I touched you the wrong way.”

  Her gaze darted around, and her cheeks filled with heat. “I. Am. Fine,” she insisted. “Please stop before people start wondering what we’re arguing about. If we have to, we can talk about this later when we’re alone.”

  Fuck worrying about what other people thought. Hazel’s opinion was the only one who truly mattered to me. And fuck waiting for later. My wife was the most important person in my world. I wouldn’t hesitate to burn my entire life down if that’s what it took to make her happy.

  Tossing my napkin on the table, I quickly rose from my chair. Gasps surrounded us when I lifted Hazel out of her chair and carried her through the room and out the door. I also heard the click of a ton of cameras. A picture of us as we left the gala was bound to make it into Page Six tomorrow, along with wild speculation about our marriage. But I didn’t give a damn. The only thing I cared about was getting to the bottom of whatever was going on in my wife’s head and fixing it so I could make her happy again.

  Chapter Six

  Jamison

  I barely resisted the urge to ravish her lusciously rounded body after I got her in the back of the car. She opened her mouth to say something, but my glare had her snapping her pretty lips shut. Her face was pink, clearly embarrassed by my display, but I couldn’t muster up any regret. I’d had enough of this bullshit. I was going to get to the bottom of what was going on with my wife.

  We rode in silence, but I claimed her hand and hauled her close so I could wrap an arm around her. She was still stiff, but our close proximity melted a little of her icy exterior.

  Once we arrived at our home, I jumped out and gently pulled Hazel out behind me. Then I swept her into my arms again and took the steps to the front door two at a time. After punching in a code on the keypad beside the entrance, I pushed the door open and jogged up the stairs to our bedroom.

  Stalking inside, I hit the light switch with my elbow, then set Hazel down in the center of the room.

  She immediately spun around and punched her fists onto her hips. She was breathing hard, and I barely restrained myself from staring at her tits, keeping eye contact instead. It didn’t stop my dick from responding, and it was on the verge of busting my zipper.

  “Jamison!” she exclaimed hysterically. “Everyone is going to think you’ve lost your mind!”

  Hearing my full name from her lips was the last straw. I swiftly closed the small gap between us and used both hands to grasp the scooped neckline of her satin gown. My adrenaline was at an all-time high, so it took little effort to rip the dress down the center. Hazel gasped, but I was too intent on getting her naked to determine whether it was from outrage or arousal. My tongue slid along my suddenly dry lips as I finally allowed my eyes to feast on her beautiful breasts while I pushed the green fabric off of her shoulders. My gaze followed the path of the dress as it fell and pooled on the ground. Her bra and panties matched her dress, and it pissed me the fuck off. Her entire outfit was a reminder of the aloof, socialite she’d become tonight.

  I popped the front clasp on her bra and tugged it off of her. Then I tore away the tiny scrap of fabric standing between me and my wife’s mouthwatering pussy. Finally, she was bare, and I used one hand on her back to press her body into mine. I was still fully clothed in my tux, but I could feel her heat penetrating through the layers, particularly where my cock bulged against her curved belly. My other hand slipped between us and just as I bent my head to capture her lips, I thrust two fingers into her soaking wet pussy.

  Hazel sucked in a breath, and this time I was certain it was from desire. Her pelvis bucked and her tongue gave as good as it got, dancing furiously with mine. When she was panting with need, her body trembling with anticipation of her orgasm, I stilled my fingers and with monumental effort, tore my mouth from hers.

  “Who owns this pussy, peaches?”

  “You,” she breathed immediately before her lips chased mine for another drugging kiss. I held bac
k, not completely satisfied with her answer.

  “Say my name, Hazel,” I commanded.

  “Jamison.”

  “Wrong fucking answer, peaches,” I growled, my grip on her tightening. Grasping her waist, I lifted her and laid her on her stomach in the center of our big bed.

  “On all fours!” I snapped. She scrambled to obey, and it soothed me a little. But didn’t lessen my fervor, my desperate need for her. I caressed one of her sweet cheeks and murmured, “Good girl.”

  I stripped off my clothes so fast it would have made Superman jealous, then climbed onto the bed behind her. “Say my name, baby,” I crooned as I filled my hands with her round ass.

  She glanced back at me in confusion and whispered, “Jamison.”

  Pulling my hand back, I brought it down on one lily-white cheek with a resounding slap. Hazel’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she moaned. Mixing that with the bright red handprint marking her, I couldn’t keep myself from coming just a little.

  “You’ve earned yourself an ass so red you wouldn’t be able to sit for a week,” I growled. “But I’ll settle for spanking you until you give me what I want.” I smacked her ass and grunted, “with some extras for your behavior tonight.”

  Hazel’s jaw dropped as she gaped at me over her shoulder. “My behavior? I did everything I could to be the perfect wife. To be sophisticated and elegant.”

  My eyes narrowed as I speared her with a dark glower. “Exactly.” Smack. “I don’t know what has come over you lately, but I want my wife back.” Smack. “I don’t want a plastic, cold, socialite.” Smack. “I want the warm, funny, sweet woman I married.”

  “But—” Smack.

  “Are you going to give her back to me?” I demanded, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. Hazel turned her head forward for a moment, and I held my breath.