Page 39 of Diesel

Everything. “Nothing,” I whispered in her ear before I kissed my way from her ear to her mouth. “Just trying to figure out the most effective way to wake you up.”

She purred as she arched into me, wrapping both arms around me and kissing me deeply. “This is a good start,” she murmured against my mouth, nipping my bottom lip and then my chin.

My cock hardened immediately, and my hips bucked forward because I just couldn’t get enough of this woman. If she was around, I wanted her. I craved her. Hell, I needed her. “No complaints here.”

Her legs widened to accept me, and I slipped inside, pumping in long, slow strokes meant to drive us both insane, which they did. My gaze never left her beautiful face because when Ellie was like this, relaxed and submitting to pleasure, she was so beautiful it made my chest ache. “Diesel,” she moaned, and tightened her legs around my waist. “Yes.”

I shoved aside that uneasy feeling and focused on this woman. My woman. “You’re mine, Ellie,” I growled as my hips sped up and my strokes went even deeper, so deep that it wasn’t clear where she ended and where I began.

Her hands cupped my face and she smiled sweetly, pulling me down for a heart-stopping kiss that had us both coming hard and fast, so powerfully that my own body jerked and jolted dozens of times as pleasure worked its way out of me.

“Lucas,” she whispered breathlessly as the last drop of pleasure was wrung from her body, and I couldn’t help but freeze at the sound of my birth name, before leaning up to gaze down at her properly. I don’t think I’d ever heard my name spoken quite like that before, and it made my heart still.

“Ellie,” I began while I had her full attention, but then with a violent buzz her morning alarm sounded, before being followed immediately by mine.

She laughed. “Welcome to parenthood. Time to get the day started.”

Dammit. “We need to talk.”

Her smile faded to a serious expression, and she nodded. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?” The walls were coming up and I couldn’t have that. Not when I was so close to making her mine.

“Later,” I sighed. “First, we need to shower. It’s the perfect way to start the day.” I reluctantly left her body and stood, extending my hand to her.

Ellie accepted it. “Sounds good to me.” Something flickered in her eyes, and I didn’t like it. It looked a hell of a lot like resignation or maybe acceptance, like she thought this was over.

I spent the whole of our twenty-minute shower showing her just how wrong she was. We weren’t over. Hell, we hadn’t even started yet.

Over breakfast, Ellie’s walls were firmly back in place as if the last night hadn’t happened at all. As if we hadn’t rocked each other’s worlds and taken a giant fucking step forward in our relationship. “So,” I began, waiting until I had her attention. “I want you to spend the day at the clubhouse.”

Her gaze was blank, and then her beautiful eyes darted around as if she was looking for a way to say no.

“All day? Not just an hour or two?”

I nodded. “Leo will have Chopper to occupy him along with half a dozen babysitters, so you can get more writing done. Everyone loves Leo, so it won’t be a problem.”

Surprise flashed in her eyes, as if I could forget that my woman was a pro. A small smile touched her lips. “I’m happy that Leo has more people who love him. Every kid needs that.” Still, reluctance swam in her eyes as if she didn’t want to be at the clubhouse, or maybe she wanted a break from me. From us. “Okay, fine.”

“Good.” That fucking feeling of unease hadn’t dissipated at all, but I was happy she agreed. “That’s good.”

Ellie’s gaze narrowed and she rested her chin in her hand. “What’s really going on?”

“I’m ready!” Leo ran into the kitchen, fully dressed in jeans and a superhero t-shirt, wearing a smile as bright as the fucking sun. “Momma?”

Ellie blinked and turned her gaze to Leo’s smiling face. “Good job, honey. You look great.”

His smile beamed even brighter. “Let’s go!”

Ellie and I shared a smile that, to me, felt like we were a team. Two parents who understood each other and had a shared love of their child. “I guess we better go.”

I pushed away from the table. “You finish your breakfast and I’ll take care of the rest.”

***

Barely an hour later we were at the clubhouse, with Ellie settled at a table in the far corner against the wall so she could keep an eye on Leo while he laughed and ran around with Chopper. Seeing them all safe and sound, I made my way to our meeting room.

“Happy family?” Rocky smiled as he strolled into the impromptu meeting.

“Yeah, just fine,” I grunted as every member of the club filed in, because while Ellie and Leo were always on my mind, there was something else now taking up my mental real estate.

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