Page 9 of Dragon's Midlife Secret Baby
Had she disturbed him? Or did she make him nervous? “I didn’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable and didn’t need anything.”
“Jace gave me plenty of clothing, and everything a person could need is in this room, except…” He trailed off and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course.” When he stepped back and held the door wide, she walked in. Avoiding the bed, she moved over to the pair of armchairs near the window. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve gone through hell andsuddenly found myself in heaven.” Beck took the seat across from her. It was supposed to be a cozy, conversational furniture arrangement, yet Chelsea felt so far away from him. It was strange to have him there in the same house, yet not with her. There were hints of the old Beck she’d known, but he wasn’t really the same man.
He leaned forward slightly in his chair, staying tense instead of relaxing. “I want to apologize to you. I know I did out there, when everyone else was around us, but I really want you to know how sorry I am. I can tell I caused a lot of stress for you.”
“Well, I…” The last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad about finally coming back, but he was right. “Beck, I’ve had to be really strong for a long time. I was suddenly a single mom at thirty-eight, so I didn’t see any choice but to be strong. When you showed up like that, I just suddenly couldn’t handle it anymore. It was like all the courage I’d built up around me crumbled away.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded. “It’s not fair that you should have to go through that. I’ve been thinking about how long I’ve been gone. Time didn’t really mean much to me. I still don’t really know how to think about it, but just considering Corbin’s age…” Beck cut himself off and cursed under his breath. “Damn it, what I’m trying to say is that if you’ve moved on, if you thought I was dead and brought another man into your life, I don’t want you to feel any obligation to me.”
Chelsea let out a small noise as her stomach clutched. “It’s not like that.” So he didn’t know. Of all the things he’d forgotten, one of them was exactly what they had together.
“Okay.” He studied the carpet for a minute before he raised his eyes again. “There’s a lot I don’t know. I’m confused about everything, and I’m surprised I still know how to eat with a fork. But as we were sitting out there and trying to figure it all out, one thing stood out to me. I know—and I don’t knowhowI know—that I never meant to leave you.”
Now that tight feeling in her stomach moved up into her chest. Instinctively, she reached across the small space between them and took his hand. “I want to believe that. I have to because I know what the hypnosis revealed. I guess it’s just still a little hard to accept after going so long without any answers.”
“It’s true.” His gaze was level and solid now as he looked at her. The uncertainty, hesitation, and even fear she’d seen before was gone. “We’re mates, aren’twe, Chelsea?”
His words hit her like a thunderbolt. Her lungs stopped and her cheeks flushed. The wolf within her howled with pleasure and an animal instinct she couldn’t explain. She’d wanted to give him some space because it seemed like the right thing to do, but she knew they belonged together. The fact that he knew, too, nearly made her sob with relief. “Yes,” she gasped, tears fighting to come out with her words. “We knew it almost right away.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and the entirety of the world fell away except for his eyes. “Chelsea, I want you to know that hasn’t changed. I know everything is weird right now, and I don’t know exactly how we’re going to fit into each other’s lives, but I know we still belong together.”
“Beck,” she sobbed. The tightness in her chest released as tears rushed out over her cheeks. This was so good to hear, but it was also so hard. “I know you’re in there somewhere, the man that I fell in love with. I just want to find you again.”
“Come here.” He stood up and brought her along with him, pulling her into his embrace. His arms wrapped tightly around her.
She basked in his warmth and his familiarity as she cried into his shoulder. “I missed you so much.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Beck pulledback, but only enough that he could lift her head. He kissed her forehead, his lips warm and gentle. Then he pressed them to her cheeks, kissing away her tears. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Instinctively, she lifted her chin, and their lips met. Her tears slowed as she finally kissed her mate once again. Chelsea knew that things weren’t the same, that something was standing between them and holding them back, as Kristy’s tarot card had indicated. But she also knew that there was no doubt as to what she felt for this man.
His hands moved down and pressed against the small of her back, holding her more tightly against him. Beck’s mouth pressed harder, too, more hungrily. Chelsea parted her lips, and she felt her wolf yank her very soul closer to him. His tongue slid inside her mouth, and she felt a fire illuminate deep inside her. She twined her tongue with his, delving into the velvety feeling of their mouths against each other. Tipping her head back slightly, she opened up to him. Her body pressed closer to his in that same movement as she leaned into him.
A deep rumble of excitement vibrated up from his chest and through his mouth as his hands slipped down off her lower back and clenched possessively around her buttocks. Beck’s hardnesswas evident, pushing urgently against his clothes and against hers. His hands continued to roam, first making slow swirls on her backside, then rising up on each side of her spine, then crossing and closing around her, his arms holding her tightly as if he were holding onto life itself.
Heat flushed through her body. They shouldn’t do this. They’d only just been reunited, and there was still so much that they had to figure out. But how many nights had she dreamed of this very thing, with her subconscious mind so easily remembering what his body felt like against hers?
Beck’s embrace loosened, but it was only because his hands were busy once again. His left roamed down to cup her ass, and his right moved directly up her spine and along her neck until he pushed his fingers into her hair and curled them into a fist.
Chelsea inhaled sharply and knew there was no going back now. Abandoning any thoughts of hesitation or what was right, she ran her hands down the front of his shirt until she found the hem. She lifted it until they had to break their kiss so she could take it over his head.
He helped her as he pulled the sleeves off his arms and tossed the shirt aside. His chest was wideand muscular with a dusting of hair that pointed its way down his abdomen and further below.
She reveled in the touch of his skin, tracing over every vein, every muscle. “You really are real,” she marveled.
Beck’s thumb and forefinger yanked the tie on her wrap shirt. “I am. Now let’s see if you are, too.”
The fabric fell away, and reality hit. Chelsea grabbed the panel of material and held it in place. “Beck, you should know that I’m not really the same woman I was before. I mean, I’ve had a child,” she tried to explain. Her cheeks flushed with a different kind of heat. She hadn’t been with him or anyone else since Corbin had been born.
He cupped her jaw in both his hands and ran his thumbs gently over her cheeks. “All that matters to me is that it’s you.” Beck moved his hands down along the sides of her neck to caress her shoulders. He bent his head to kiss the gentle curve there, his breath warm on her skin. “I don’t think I’ve had the chance to tell you how delicious you smell.”
Chelsea relaxed slightly. Beck had nothing to compare her to if he couldn’t remember everything that’d happened between them before. That wasn’t ideal, but she knew his intentions were genuine. Though much of his mind was blocked off, ithadn’t changed who he was. She put her arms around him and tipped her head to the side. “Thank you.”
Still kissing her neck, he slipped his hand under her undone top. He traced his way up her stomach until his hand was over her bra, his thumb gliding indulgently along the top of her breast. “I remember this,” he murmured. “Not exactly, but we were outside. It was nighttime. There was a band playing, and we sat on a blanket. We got there late, and we were toward the back.”
