He obeyed, picking up his pace. Her hands slipped on his sweaty skin even as she came again.
He groaned, drove deep, and let go. His eyes closed. Ecstasy tore at his expression. His body tensed and bucked. A wickedly thrilling sight.
Once the orgasm had wrecked him, Chase dropped his forehead against her shoulder and they quieted, catching their breath. Zahara floated back to earth, combing her fingers through his hair, stroking his shoulders, enjoying the comfortable silence in the wake of satisfying pleasure.
After a moment, Chase lifted his head and scanned her face. “Are you okay?”
She grinned. “Better than okay.”
“And baby?”
“Are you kidding? Look at his parents. He has to be tough as nails.”
Chase laughed, then sobered. “Parents.” He shook his head. “If I think about that too long, it’ll scare the hell out of me.”
“Welcome to my world.”
He slid down her body and kissed her belly. “How are you doing in there, kid?”
That made Zahara laugh. It felt good to be on the same page with Chase again.
He turned his head, laid it against her belly, and sighed. The sweet burn of affection heated her heart. But it also scared her. The more invested she was, the more easily she could be hurt. And she’d already been hurt by this man. More than once.
“What do you want to name him?” Chase asked. “Or her?”
“I have no idea. I’m still getting used to the whole pregnant thing. God, I never thought I’d be here.”
“Here?” He rested his chin on her belly.
“Pregnant.”
“You mean before you were married or with me?”
“I mean ever.”
He stroked a thumb across her cheek. “You, Zahara Parrish, are going to be one fucking incredible mom.”
She wasn’t so sure. “I’m going to need that optimism of yours. I didn’t have a mother I’d ever want to emulate.”
“You haven’t told me much about your mom, just that you didn’t have a great childhood and weren’t close to your family.”
Thinking about her mother always brought a rush of mixed feelings. Mostly anger and bitterness, but occasionally, on her best days, Zahara could work up a twinkle of sympathy. “She was a real mess. So insecure, she’d do anything for approval. She married and divorced five men before I was a teen.”
“Five?”
“Five that I remember,” she told him. “I didn’t know my father, but judging by her choices, I wouldn’t want to. The men she picked were so controlling, she had to beg for grocery money. They held all the purse strings and, as a result, all the power. None of them wanted to be both
ered with a kid, so my mom made sure I kept my mouth shut and stayed out of the way.”
She looked at Chase, waffling over opening up to him more than she already had.
He brushed her hair back and asked a soft “What?”
“I don’t want to be controlled, Chase. I won’t let a man dictate what will or won’t happen in my life, and that includes my career. Aside from the fact that it challenges me every day, I love my team and the work. Even more important, it’s the only way I have to make a good living for myself, so don’t expect me to give it up, because I’ll never become my mom, depending on a man to make my way in the world.”
He scanned her expression a long moment. “I guess I have been a little heavy-handed with you.”
She laughed. “You mean you try.”