Page 42 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn
Two seconds of teetering on the edge, and Thorn couldn’t watch him struggle any longer. Scooping him up and easing himinto the mound of soapy spuds, Thorn ignored the water soaking the sleeves of his shirt.
“You are blooming.” Was that the right thing to say?
“Blooming big,” Ledger huffed, sinking into the water and shutting his eyes, looking to block Thorn out.
It hurt even when he understood the emotional upheaval Ledger was going through. He experienced it all, as Ledger was happy to share all of it with him. He stroked a finger over the round belly, hating how unsure he was of his footing when Ledger was in this kind of mood.
“You have never looked more beautiful to me.” He confessed the truth, hoping this was what Ledger needed. Each day his belly grew, Thorn’s love for his mate deepened at the gift they shared.
Ledger cracked open one eyelid, revealing a sheen of tears and causing a lump to form in Thorn’s throat. “Are you sure?”
Coming forward to kiss the quivering lips, an ache developed in his chest at the uncertainty coming from Ledger. “I love you,” he murmured against his soft lips. Deepening the kiss, he opened himself, having tucked the shit he didn’t want Ledger to feel, the panic and fear, away.
More water soaked his clothes when Ledger clung to him. One kiss turning into two, then three until Thorn’s slacks were so tight that it seemed the zipper would bust. A breathless Ledger clung to him, his gasps hitting Thorn’s skin as he tried to pull away.
“Don’t let go,” he insisted, his fingers curling tightly into Thorn’s hair at the nape of his neck.
“Let me get undressed and I’ll join you.”
“No, don’t want to.”
The petulance was new and for a second, all Thorn could do was stare at his defiant mate as he clung tighter. He decided arguing with the tumultuous feelings surging through Ledgerwasn’t wise. With great difficulty, while half crouching as Ledger hung on like a limpet, Thorn toed off his shoes. Trying hard not to think on the pole tenting his slacks, he clambered over the rim of the tub, careful to keep hold of Ledger to ensure he didn’t squish him or the girls.
The floor had more water on it than remained in the tub when he finally managed to wriggle around Ledger. His clothes were uncomfortable and restrictive with how they clung to him. It wasn’t that which got his teeth gritting, it was the lesson in self-control he was getting at Ledger squirming, his plump bottom ultimately nestling against his erection.
Ledger eventually stretched out fully on top of him, releasing a sigh full of contentment. A happy feeling flooded through Thorn from the babies when Ledger cupped his belly and murmured, “Now isn’t that better.”
He was done for. Because when Ledger found out what was going to happen to him, he would never forgive him.
Don’t think about it.
No.
If I don’t think about it, everything will be fine.
What are you not thinking about?Dacian intruded on his thoughts.
Go away.
The chuckles were grating and Thorn closed himself off completely, listening to Ledger hum contentedly to their girls. Thorn closed his eyes and immersed himself in the love. There was no feeling like it. And that was all that was important.
The rest could wait!
Chapter Nineteen
Ledger
The level of miffiness—a new word he’d created to match his feelings—Ledger was harboring at that exact moment was high. He glowered at the unsightly beige-brown tent sat onthe counter in front of him, causing an affront to his very sensibilities at what was acceptable clothing to wear.
It all started when he struggled with gravity getting into his car. Then, to add insult, he couldn’t fit behind the steering column without it pushing uncomfortably against the girls, despite how far he pushed the seat back. That, however, made it impossible to drive with how far away everything was. Did he see the logic in that—no, he didn’t.
It had taken him ten sweaty minutes to get back out of the car, after refusing help from Ottie, who’d come across him. From then on, things had gotten decidedly worse in his opinion. He had to roll out of the squished space onto his hands and knees on the gravel under the watchful eye of several other staff who’d appeared.
Had his mood improved when Ottie had fetched Thorn? Why of course not, because even though it was Ledger’s day off, Thorn, who had an important client meeting to discuss the logistics of a rather large blood-wine shipment, came to his rescue.
Thorn’s thoughts had been on lockdown when he’d seen Ledger and had insisted on driving him to town. It was why Ledger hadn’t mentioned he wanted to go in the first place, resulting in Thorn becoming upset at him not asking. It all added to the overall miffiness of his mood.
So, Ledger had sucked it up with as much dignity as his lumbering state would allow and with a hand on his ass lifting him into the SUV, he’d insisted when they reached town that Thorn drop him off and return to the meeting he was delaying. At Ledger’s insistence, he had reluctantly gone, but Ledger knew how hard it was for him to leave.
