All she could do was writhe beneath him, drawing her knees up and thrusting her hips forward to rub agonizingly against the hard ridge of his jeans.
He growled low against her sternum. “Two can play at that game.” He glided his palm over her hip and under the drawstring waistband of her pants. His insistent fingers easily found her moist center, stroking hard.
Amelia cried out, the sound echoing through the mostly empty bedroom. “Tyler!” she gasped as he rubbed her again and again. She felt herself start to come undone, but the more desperate she became, the more he eased back, leaving her teetering on the edge.
At last, he let go of her arms, but it was only to sit back on his knees. He whipped his T-shirt over his head and threw it to the ground. With the use of her hands back, she did the same. His hands gripped both sides of her pajama pants, tugging them and her panties down over her hips and to the floor.
Standing at the end of the bed, he stopped to look down at her. Only the moonlight from the nearby window lit the room, which made Amelia feel a little less self-conscious about being sprawled out in front of him like this. That, and the look on his face. It was as though he was in a museum admiring a piece of art. A piece of art he wanted to devour.
Without looking away from her, he unzipped his jeans and slipped out of the last of his clothes. Crawling back up the bed, he covered her body with his own. Without hesitation, he found her entrance and moved into her.
Amelia gasped, her body tightening around the sudden invasion. He filled her completely, leaving her biting her lip and pressing her fingers desperately into his shoulders.
“Amelia,” he groaned at her ear, slowly withdrawing and filling her again. “I never imagined...” he began, his voice drifting away. Shaking off a shudder that made his whole body tremble between her thighs, he started moving in earnest.
Rational thought slipped away as only the physical drive inside of her remained. Amelia wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to absorb every wave as it washed over her. “Yes” was all she could say. It was an encouraging plea, a desperate demand and an enthusiastic consent all rolled together at once.
And then it happened. The dam broke inside of her. A sudden rush of pleasure swept her up and carried her away. She cried out, bucked her hips against him, clung to him, all the while aware of his soft, encouraging words in her ear.
Her own release had barely subsided when she felt Tyler tense in her arms. He surged forward like never before, pounding hard into her body before roaring loud into the night.
Amelia held him until it was over. She expected him to distance himself, to roll away the minute it was done, but he didn’t. He stayed there, inside her, examining the curves of her face.
“What is it?” she asked after a few minutes under his intense scrutiny. She brought her hands up to smooth the un
ruly strands of her hair. “I probably look a fright.”
His gaze met hers and he smiled softly. “No, of course not. You look perfect. The sexiest thing I’ve ever woken up to. I just...never imagined being with you would be like this. If I’d known...” His voice drifted away.
Tyler never finished the sentence, but he didn’t need to. Amelia knew exactly what he meant.
Seven
Thank goodness it was Saturday.
For some, Saturdays were days for barbecues, college football games and relaxation. For Amelia, Saturday meant all-day wedding chaos, but today she was grateful for it. Her mind had to stay focused on work, so there was zero time to sit and analyze what they’d done last night. Well, aside from fifteen minutes in the shower when she washed the scent of him from her skin and tried to ignore the memories of making love to Tyler only a few hours earlier.
Amelia had not intended on that happening so soon. They were dating, but it was still early on, despite moving in together. None of that had seemed important at the time. She’d gotten caught up in the moment. The fuzzy edge of sleep had blurred her thoughts. When he’d touched her, all she could think about, all she’d wanted, was to fall into his arms again. So she’d gone with it.
In the end, sleeping with the man who was technically her husband was hardly newsworthy. The reality seemed more complicated than that when your husband was your best friend and you were starting an impromptu family together. Of course, this whole process would be easier if she stopped fighting it. The thirty-day challenge wasn’t supposed to be a battle; it was supposed to be a trial run. And Tyler was doing his part. He’d done everything she’d asked of him so far, and then some. His every action seemed to be motivated by his thoughtful nature. He was kind. He cared about her and what was best for her and the baby. They didn’t always agree on what those things were, but marriage was about compromise.
For once in her life, maybe she just needed to relax and let things happen. Something wonderful could come from it if she allowed the universe to unfold as it should. That was a tall order for Amelia, but she’d think on it. The alternative, as Natalie had pointed out, was unacceptable. She couldn’t lose her friendship with Tyler over this.
Once she stepped from the shower and dried off, she had to let that line of thought go and get ready for work. It took a little longer than usual, but she was still adjusting to the new house and trying to figure out where everything was. Since she now lived so much closer to From This Moment, she would still get there well before eight, even when it took five minutes to find her blow-dryer.
Tyler had still been asleep when she got up. When she finished in the bathroom, she moved quickly through the bedroom to the kitchen so she wouldn’t disturb him. She wanted to get out the door before he noticed. Yes, she was being a chicken, avoiding an awkward conversation, but she had a good reason to leave.
As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she realized it was a pointless exercise. Tyler was sitting at the counter hunched over his tablet, reading, with a mug of coffee in his hand. He still had on the rumpled clothes he’d slept in, his dark blond hair wildly standing up in several different directions. Instead of looking messy, the look was charming. An intimate portrait of the man behind the suit. It made her want to come up behind him and wrap her arms around his neck, plant a kiss on his rough cheek and tousle his hair.
Even though they’d had sex, that somehow seemed too intimate. Instead she turned her attention to a tall glass beside him with something greenish brown in it. She was certain it would look unappetizing even if she wasn’t having her daily battle with morning sickness.
Amelia knew there was no avoiding a discussion before she left. Maybe he would want to ignore last night’s encounter, as well. That seemed like a topic for after noon, at least. With a deep breath, she continued on into the kitchen.
“Morning,” she said as cheerfully as she could without sounding suspicious. She opened the door to the pantry and started nosing around for something quick and easy she could take with her for breakfast. Eating was not high on her priority list at the moment, but when the nausea faded, she’d be starving and up to her elbows in twice-baked potatoes for the reception. She picked up a high-protein granola bar with chocolate chips. A bundle of bananas was sitting on the counter. One of those would slip easily into her purse for later.
“Good morning,” Tyler replied, his voice low and gruff from sleep. He looked up from his screen. “I already made your breakfast. I hope you don’t mind. I know you’re the chef, but I thought you might be in a hurry this morning.”
Amelia turned around and noticed he’d slid the tall glass of green sludge closer to her. “Thanks,” she said, although she didn’t feel very grateful. Her stomach rolled unpleasantly as she neared it. “What is it?”