“Want to eat in here or the kitchen? Are you okay on just the coffee table?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m comfortable. I’ll just lean forward and shovel it all in.”
He chuckled. “Not a pretty image.”
She sniffed disdainfully. “Watching a pregnant woman inhale her food isn’t for sissies.”
He went forward and uncovered the dishes. He poured her a glass of cold water and then shoved the plate across the table so that it was directly in front of her. Then he handed her a steak knife and a fork. “Dig in.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. He’d ordered a filet and it was fork tender. As soon as she took the first bite, she closed her eyes and sighed in sheer pleasure.
“Good?” Cam asked.
“I don’t have words. Best steak I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
He nodded his satisfaction and then sat down to eat his own steak.
They ate in silence, only the clink of forks and knives disturbing the peace. Pippa had been only half kidding about inhaling her food. These days it didn’t seem she could put away enough to eat. Which was just as well because she’d read that in the last trimester, eating was a lot more difficult with a baby’s head lodged in your lungs.
Cam finished his steak before she’d gotten halfway through hers. He went to put away his dishes. When he came back, he sat forward in the armchair and grabbed her plate.
She frowned her protest but he gestured for her to sit back. Then he put the pillows from the end of the couch on her lap and plunked the plate down on it so she could continue eating. Just when she had no idea what he was up to, he lifted her feet and propped them back on the ottoman.
He closed his hands around her left foot and pressed his palm into her instep. She sagged precariously and let out a glorious sigh as pleasure seeped into her muscles.
“How can I eat with you doing that?” she complained.
He smiled. “Easy. Just pick up your fork. You were on your feet all day. They have to be sore.”
She shoved a bite of steak into her mouth and nodded vigorously.
“Well, then, relax and let me take care of the matter for you.”
Oh, hell, yes. She wouldn’t say another word. She’d just sit here and eat her scrumptious steak while the most gorgeous man on earth gave her a foot massage.
“Remember what I promised you?” he murmured.
She stopped chewing and damn near choked as she struggled to swallow the bite. Then she nodded because she couldn’t seem to find her tongue.
As he gripped her heel with one hand, the other stroked over the top of her foot and up her leg, heat from his touch warming her skin.
“As soon as you’re done, I’m taking you to bed, Pippa. How much sleep you get is entirely up to you.”
Oh, hell…
She put aside the plate, unconcerned with whether it tipped over on the couch. He stared at her for a moment as if gauging whether she was ready. If she was any more ready she’d be stripped down and holding a sign saying Take Me.
Sixteen
As soon as Cam pulled Pippa to her feet, adrenaline surged like an electric charge through her veins. For a moment he pulled her close, their bodies touching. His warmth leaped to her and surrounded her. Then he dragged a gentle hand through her hair and leaned down to kiss her.
It was brief, just a brush, but she felt it to her toes. He drew away, his breath harsh in the quiet.
“Your bed,” he said.
Swallowing hard, she started to drop his hand to go past him toward her bedroom, but he tightened his hold and rubbed his thumb over her wrist.
She went ahead of him, pulling him behind her as she crossed the short distance to the steps leading up to the small loft where her bed was. Her legs trembled as she climbed and then came to a halt, the bed in front of her, unsure of what he wanted next.
He moved past her, this time taking her with him. He eased her into a sitting position on the edge of the bed and then unbuttoned her top.
He went down on his knees as he pushed her shirt over her shoulders, baring her lacy bra. His gaze dropped to the swell of her belly and he went still. She held her breath, wondering if the moment was lost, but to her utter shock, he laid his cheek over the bump and turned his mouth just enough to press a kiss to her taut skin.
She inhaled sharply, the bite of emotion harsh in her throat. She slid her fingers through his unruly hair, her touch gentle and loving.
Slowly he pulled away and then he lifted her just enough that he could ease her pants off.
“I promised you a massage,” he said in a husky voice. “I think I’m going to enjoy it more than you will.”
She cast him a doubtful look, but okay, if that’s what he wanted to think. Right now his hands on her body was about as good as it got.
He curled his arms underneath her and lifted so he could position her on her side. Then he unhooked her bra and carefully pulled her panties down her legs so she was naked, facing away from him.
During a long pause, she glanced over her shoulder to see him disrobing a short distance away. He had a gorgeous, lean body. He wasn’t pretty or polished. There was just enough edge to his appearance to send her girlie senses into overdrive.
He strode back to the bed and got on his knees behind
her. When his hand slid over her hip, then wandered to her back and shoulder, she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.
His mouth followed, pressing hot against her neck and then gliding over the curve to her shoulder. When he pulled away, he put both hands to her back and gently began to stroke and caress until her eyes rolled back in her head.
He worked methodically, leaving no part of her flesh untouched. He stroked down to her buttocks, molding the plump globes with his palms before working lower to her thighs.
Nudging her over onto her back, he lifted one leg and began working the muscles with those to-die-for hands. He worked all the way down to her ankle and then began massaging her foot.
She floated somewhere else, hovering on a cloud of sensory overload. Then he lifted her foot and kissed her instep. She nearly lost it right there. It was the most erotic sensation she’d ever experienced and it was just her foot! But the man made every single touch so damn sexy.
He moved to her other leg but she was only dimly aware. She let out a blissful sigh and surrendered to the euphoric sensation of having a sinfully handsome man cater to her every pleasure.
Each caress sent warmth all the way to her soul. She opened her eyes and watched in fascination as he rose over her, gently parting her thighs before settling his upper body between them.
For a brief moment he glanced up and those sizzling blue eyes connected with hers. His mouth crooked up into a half smile and then he lowered his head to her most intimate flesh.
She couldn’t call back the moan. She twisted restlessly but he kept her firmly in place with those hands at her hips. He kissed, licked and made love to her with that delectable mouth. He had such a talented tongue and he was driving her crazy.
She reached for his hair, twisting her fingers with almost desperate strength as she arched into him. He delved deeper with his tongue, loving her with long, lazy strokes. Then he moved one hand from her hip and slid his fingers deep into her warmth.
It was more than she could withstand. She bowed beneath him, tightening to the point of near pain and then she reached her peak in a quick, tumultuous burst.
He tenderly kissed the quivering bundle of nerves, eliciting another shudder from her before he moved his mouth up to her belly to lavish gentle attention on it. His hands molded to the swell and there was such reverence in his touch that she had to swallow back the knot forming in her throat.
She wanted to believe so very much that he was coming around. That maybe he was beginning to let go of his past, but she was afraid to broach the subject. Afraid of his rejection. And she couldn’t be patient and understanding. She wasn’t going to wait around forever for him to decide he wanted to fight for their future.
“Tell me if I hurt you.”
He shifted upward, positioning himself between her thighs. He held his weight off her with one palm pressed to the mattress while he used his other hand to guide his erection to her opening.
Tentatively he pressed forward, his gaze never leaving her face as he probed deeper. She pulsed around him, still hypersensitive after her orgasm. As he pushed even deeper, she closed her eyes and dug her fingers into his muscled shoulders.
“Too much?” he asked.
She opened her eyes to see him eyeing her with concern.
“Oh, no,” she whispered. “Not enough.”
His pupils dilated. His jaw tightened and bulged and he drew in a deep breath as if he were trying valiantly to maintain control.