“Fable.” I lift my head at the serious tone of his voice. He’s watching me, concern etched into his handsome features. “I want you.”
I close my eyes and slowly shake my head. “No, you really don’t.”
“I think I know if I want you or not.” He sounds amused, and I crack open my eyes to find him smiling at me. My heart, my everything, melts at seeing that smile. I remember when it was hard earned. Now that smile always comes so easily and I feel responsible for that. “And I definitely want you. But I’ll respect your wishes if you don’t want to be with me right now.”
He says it like that and his words break my heart. I think he knows this, too. Not that he’s being manipulative, but …
My husband has no problem doing what he can to get what he wants. Always to my benefit, though.
Always.
“I look terrible,” I admit in a small voice. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“Like what?” His expression softens, as does his voice. “Ah, Fable.” Reaching out, he settles a large, warm hand on my cheek, cupping my face as he leans down to brush my lips with his. “You’re beautiful.”
“I need to lose weight,” I say.
“I like all the extra curves.”
“My boobs are ginormous.”
“I have a thing for your boobs. You know this.”
A sigh escapes me and I shake my head. “You watched me give birth to Autumn. You’re probably traumatized. I’ve read articles about that. How men aren’t aroused by their wives anymore because they watched them have their baby and it freaked them out.”
“You’re reading way too much into this,” he says, his hand going to the back of my head and tangling in my hair.
I don’t bother protesting. He won’t listen to me anyway. And he knows I won’t really stop him, either. I’m giving in because how can I not? Drew’s persuasive lips, his quick but gentle hands, his big, hard body … all of it overpowers me. I succumb so easily because I want to.
I need to.
“It’s been too long,” he murmurs, his cheek pressed to mine, his mouth close to my ear. He nuzzles me, I can both feel and hear him inhale as if he’s trying to somehow absorb me, and I close my eyes against the heady sensation of having my husband completely surround me.
I don’t bother answering him, agreeing with him because he knows I feel the same way. It’s definitely been too long. I can’t believe I let my hangups keep us apart. Why did I even want to resist him? Look at him. Look at how he looks at me, as if he worships the ground I walk on. I feel the same exact way about him.
He pulls away from me so he can strip off my clothes, his gaze focused on my face, as if he knows if he looks anywhere else I’ll become incredibly self-conscious, which I will. He kisses me, his tongue tangling with mine, his hands taking a path along my body, careful around my br**sts, sliding along my waist, until he grips my hips and positions me just so.
Cautious but bold. Gentle but strong. That’s my Drew. He’s so completely attuned to my needs. I feel his erection, hard against my thigh, hot through the thin barrier of his cotton boxer briefs. I forget all of my worries, all of my fears of him seeing me naked. All I can do is feel and revel in his love. The love that flows from his every touch, from his lips and from his tongue.
“I love you,” he whispers close to my ear, his mouth damp on my flesh. “I’ve missed you like this.”
I’ve missed him, too, but I don’t need to say it. Not when I can show it.
Chapter Twelve
Fable
I let my hands wander, along Drew’s arms, down his chest, skimming his ridged abdomen. His stomach trembles beneath my touch and I smile, thrilled that I can still affect him this way.
It’s still hard for me to believe we’ve been together for years. That we’re a married couple, that he’s my husband and I’m his wife and we have a sweet daughter who is everything to us. He’s a famous football player and I guess I’m his famous wife. My brother is starting his second year of college. He seems happy. We’re all happy.
We’re all lucky we have each other.
Drew grabs me out of nowhere and rolls me over so I’m flat on my back and he’s hovering above me. He’s staring down at me, still the beautiful boy I first fell in love with but now he’s so much more. He’s a man. A protective, smart, gorgeous, talented man who also happens to be the best father in the world. And he’s looking at me at this very moment as if he’s about to devour me.
A tiny thrill rolls down my spine at the realization.
“I can’t even believe you’d think I’d find you too fat or whatever.” He rakes his gaze blatantly over my body and I feel even more naked than I already am. “You look amazing, Fable.”
“I’m still carrying an extra fifteen pounds,” I confess with a wince.
“I don’t care.” He bends down to kiss me, his mouth lingering on mine. “None of that matters.”
“Some women just bounce right back,” I start to protest but he cuts me off with his lips, silencing me with a sweetly passionate kiss. He trails his tongue across the seam of my lips and I open for him, winding my arms around him so I can run my hands down the broad width of his back.
“I don’t care about other women,” he murmurs after he breaks our kiss. “I only care about you.”
I clutch him close as he moves down my body, his hands sliding along my sides, then settling at my hips so he can grip my waist. He kisses my neck, my collarbone, my chest, and I shift beneath him, feeling restless and needy. It really has been too long since we’ve done this. I never want to turn into that old married couple who never have sex. We’re too young for that sort of nonsense.