Lila finished buttoning up her plaid shirt. That and a pair of fancy linen-looking pants was her idea of vacation wear. It was better than her usual suit though. “Shh, you’re terrible. Did you say the same thing about me when I was pregnant?”
“No, you were the size of two buildings, because twins.” Nick leaned sideways and snagged his fingers in the belt loops of Lila’s pants, drawing her closer. He undid two of the buttons she’d just fastened and pressed a kiss to her belly. “It’s my life’s work to get you right back there again.”
“Bite your tongue. No more twins. That’s in the marital contract.” She flicked her fingers through his hair.
When she didn’t say anything else, he tilted back his head and swallowed at the pinch around her eyes. He knew better than to say shit like that. Even playfully.
“It might not happen for us again.” She cleared her throat. “And that’s okay, right?”
Hearing that rare flash of uncertainty from Lila knocked him back a step or five, as it always did. She was so rarely anything but steadfast and unwavering in all things.
But trying to have another baby when she had a miscarriage and troubles conceiving in her past were a different story. And he wanted to sew his damn mouth shut for not knowing better.
Some things you just couldn’t make jokes about. Ever.
“It’s more than okay. We have the best girls in the universe. They keep us plenty busy enough.” He tugged on her hand and pulled her down on the bed beside him, shifting until she was half underneath him.
His favorite place for her to be, unless she was on top. That was also fine by him.
“You’re not just saying that?” She fingercombed his hair back from his face, looking at it instead of meeting his eyes. “I know you really want that one perfect son you’ve been fantasizing about since we started dating.”
“I was not fantasizing about a son when we started dating, honey. I was fantasizing about ripping your prim little skirts off and filling you up until I screamed.”
Lila was Oblivion’s rep through Ripper Records, and it had not been love at first sight. Or even like. On either side, though obviously that had eventually changed.
Nick was reasonably certain he’d fallen first. Okay, he had. At least his dick had gotten involved—and falling hadn’t been part of the picture.
His wife was fucking hot.
Even today, when she’d gone without makeup and her long blond hair was pinned up and she wore casual clothes—for her—she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. The pale freckles scattered on her nose were just as sexy as her big blue eyes.
Shrewd blue eyes, that took exactly zero shit from anyone. Including him.
Especially him.
Her lips curved. “Thought I was supposed to be the one screaming.”
“Damn women’s lib.” He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “How about we both scream? That works for me.”
“I like the way you think. Just not here.” She put a finger over his lips when he reached for more buttons on her shirt. “My cousin is in the next room. She doesn’t need to hear that. I don’t need her to hear that.”
“But what, it’s okay if Ian hears it?” Nick barely resisted a growl.
“No, let’s just go with no one hearing anything. And hopefully vice versa as well.” She shuddered. “Bad enough I walked on them practically naked the morning after in the studio. I don’t need an audio soundtrack as well, thanks.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about hearing Simon and Margo.”
“How do you know? Some women enjoy sex right up to giving birth.”
“Yes, but he wouldn’t be dumb enough to risk that here. Isn’t that a sure way to push a woman into labor? Not that I’d know, since you had a C-section way in advance. But I had thoughts if necessary. Assuming you could’ve managed it. You weren’t as…mobile then as you normally are.”
“There’s an understatement. It does seem kind of risky, coming all the way out here when she’s so close to her due date. Relatively speaking anyway. I’m amazed her doctor even let her fly.”
“They probably slipped her some green and made lots of promises. They have that midwife chick traveling with them just in case. Luckily, we’re not here long.”
“Yeah. There’s a storm coming up from—”
“Storms take forever to move. Besides, don’t most of them spin themselves out over the ocean?”